Four carriers have elected to move their business data services offerings to incentive regulation, said an FCC Wireline Bureau public notice in Tuesday’s Daily Digest. The carriers are Amelia Telephone and New Castle Telephone, both in Virginia; Chillicothe Telephone in Ohio; and Union River Telephone in Maine. The shift went into effect July 1.
UScellular provided answers to the FCC Wireline Bureau's questions on eligible telecom carrier (ETC) issues after closing its sale of spectrum, customers and other assets to T-Mobile. The filing was posted Monday in docket 09-197 but dated Saturday, the day after the bureau approved the deal (see 2507110045).
The Wireline Bureau on Monday issued a limited waiver of the July 1 deadline to file Form 481 for carriers authorized for Enhanced Alternative Connect America Cost Model (A-CAM) support. Those that didn’t certify must now do so by July 31, the bureau said in dockets 10-90 and 14-58. The Universal Service Administrative Co. “will calculate any support reductions due to late or missing certifications based on the new deadline.”
Prison-calling providers and the National Sheriffs’ Association supported the FCC’s request at the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the court hold the case in abeyance while the commission reconsiders rules approved last year. The Wireline Bureau recently delayed incarcerated people’s communications service (IPCS) deadlines until April 1, 2027 (see 2506300068).
The Rural Wireless Association will ask the full FCC to review an order passed by the Wireless Bureau's and Office of International Affairs' acting chiefs Friday approving T-Mobile’s purchase of wireless assets from UScellular (see 2507110045), the group said Monday in an emailed statement. But new Commissioner Olivia Trusty indicated her support for the three merger orders handed down last week, suggesting that Chairman Brendan Carr would likely have a majority for approval if he sought a commissioner vote.
Citing the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' finding against the FCC on its 2023 one-to-one robotext consent policy order (see 2501240068), the agency said it has removed the order's language from its rule book. The FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau order Monday to eliminate the rule marked the second time in days that the agency has reset its regulations to an earlier version due to a court decision; the Wireless Bureau said last week that it was restoring the agency's rules to language dating to before the 2024 net neutrality order, which was ultimately shot down by the 6th Circuit (see 2507110016). As with Wireless' net neutrality order, Consumer and Government Affairs said the FCC didn't have to conduct a notice-and-comment proceeding for the amendment because it's implementing the 11th Circuit's mandate, and the agency doesn't have discretion to depart from that.
Concessions from T-Mobile and Verizon that the companies offered as part of recent transactions were critical to getting major carriers to the table to address long-standing pricing issues, said Todd Schlekeway, president and CEO of NATE, an association representing infrastructure builders. The agreements also address concerns about workforce security and contractors who work on towers being fully vetted, he said.
The FCC Space and Wireless bureaus and Office of Engineering and Technology signed off Friday on license transfers needed as part of SES' $3.1 billion purchase of Intelsat. It put no special conditions on the transaction. SES/Intelsat is likely to result in lower costs from synergies, better network quality, increased investment, national security benefits "and the creation of a more vigorous satellite competitor," the bureaus said in a 35-page order.
The FCC Media Bureau is seeking comment on a petition for declaratory ruling on whether a homeowners association's (HOA) rules against rooftop antennas violate FCC regulations, said a public notice Friday. The matter concerns a dispute between Wintergarden, Florida, resident Brian Smith and the Orangetree of Lake County HOA. According to filings from Smith, the HOA ordered him to remove his rooftop TV antenna and replace it with one installed in his attic. Smith said the HOA’s policy violates the FCC’s rule for over-the-air reception devices, which “prohibits governmental and nongovernmental restrictions that impair the ability of antenna users to install, maintain, or use” such devices, the notice said. Comments are due Aug. 11, replies Aug. 26.
The FCC Wireline Bureau last week approved T-Mobile’s buy of a stake in fiber-based provider Metronet as part of a joint venture with investment firm KKR. The proposed deal was announced a year ago (see 2407240020). The approval came after T-Mobile agreed to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs that the Trump administration targeted (see 2507090034).