Rural telco groups asked the FCC to postpone and redo broadband testing duties for RLECs and other smaller providers of fixed service receiving high-cost Connect America Fund support. WTA and NTCA made the requests in applications for review by commissioners of a July 6 staff order (see 1807060031). Petitions for reconsideration (and in some cases clarification) were filed jointly by USTelecom, ITTA and the Wireless ISP Association, and individually by ViaSat, Hughes Network Systems and Micronesian Telecommunications. Filings were posted Wednesday and Thursday in docket 10-90.
A draft NPRM on Class A AM station interference rules has two Republican yes votes and could be issued soon, said industry and FCC officials. Pai and Commissioner Brendan Carr are said to have voted for the NPRM, while Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Mike O'Rielly haven't voted. O'Rielly is seeking changes, an official said.
State attorneys general are showing interest in T-Mobile’s proposed Sprint buy, though it's too soon to say if it will lead to an antitrust challenge of the $26 billion deal, observers told us. Also expect action at some state commissions, with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission the latest to give itself extra time to do a thorough review, they said. States bring “a unique role and perspective to look at these larger mergers and to tease out the impact ... on their specific constituents and consumers,” particularly vulnerable populations, said Christine Mailloux, managing director-San Diego for The Utility Reform Network (TURN).
FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel declined to say Thursday whether she will vote for the pending 5G wireless infrastructure order and declaratory ruling at the Wednesday commissioners' meeting, and she expressed strong reservations. Rosenworcel also said at a Politico 5G discussion that U.S. tariffs against China are going be harmful to 5G. Commissioner Brendan Carr, the architect of the 5G order, defended the action the FCC is poised to take next week.
Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., author of music copyright legislation that passed the Senate Tuesday (see 1809180057), anticipates the bill will get unanimous support in the House, his aide told us Wednesday. “We expect the House to greet the amended bill with the same support that has already seen it through both chambers with unanimous votes.”
The wireless infrastructure declaratory ruling and order, set for a vote Sept. 26, could sail through the FCC 4-0, though Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel is still considered a wildcard, industry and FCC officials said. Meanwhile, Commissioner Mike O’Rielly will support the order, but potentially with concerns on whether it goes far enough. New York City and Los Angeles County raised late concerns.
That U.S. tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports take effect Monday gives potential challengers, including from the tech and telecom industry, little time to weigh a court challenge blocking the duties before they take effect. The quick turnaround, published in a notice U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer released Monday (see 1809170053), bore out CTA member companies’ worries the Trump administration would release its order imposing the tariffs soon after the comment period expired Sept. 6. The new tariffs "run afoul of the carefully tailored provisions” of the 1974 Trade Act, “which require any action to be within the scope [an] investigation," said CTA President Gary Shapiro Monday.
Net neutrality lobbying of California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) is heating up. Capitol Hill Democrats seek enactment and industry urge veto of a state bill that flies in the face of the FCC’s December order rescinding 2015 rules. Brown kept mum Tuesday on SB-822, his usual practice with bills pending his signature; he has until midnight on Sept. 30 to decide. Chairman Ajit Pai Friday said the bill passed last month by the California legislature is illegal (see 1809140046).
Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Chris Coons, D-Del., crafted another last-minute compromise on music copyright legislation that could clear the way for fast-track unanimous consent consideration (see 1809170050). They will introduce a bill to be included in the final version of the Music Modernization Act, replacing the Classics Act portion Wyden opposed. That's according to documents we obtained.
The FCC’s pending wireless infrastructure order won't face problems in court after its expected approval next week, Commissioner Brendan Carr said at an ACT/The App Association event Tuesday. Carr said the order’s focus on aesthetics and allowing mayors and other local officials to ensure small cells and other infrastructure are pleasing to the eye has gone a long way toward limiting local opposition (see 1809040056). Local groups disagree.