Summit Ridge updated the FCC on the pending closure of the 3.45 GHz relocation reimbursement clearinghouse (see 2501070073), expected this weekend. “Summit Ridge will deliver an audit of Clearinghouse financials covering the period from March 15, 2024 (the ending date of the prior audited financials) through closing … no later than March 15,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 19-348. All band incumbents “have been reimbursed for the approved clearing costs and have confirmed they have no additional costs to submit or objections to raise.” Summit Ridge will "follow any remaining wind-down activities as instructed” by the Wireless Bureau, the filing said.
The satellite industry is changing rapidly, with many smaller companies making investments and seeking roles, speakers said Tuesday during a Technology Policy Institute (TPI) webinar. They agreed that continued growth depends on spectrum but cautioned that regulators are struggling to keep up with change.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit denied Hilliary Acquisition’s request for a writ of mandamus seeking the return of $841,128.25 in down payments for 42 licenses when it was the high bidder during the 2020 citizens broadband radio service auction (see 2412110065).
Luminys on Monday disputed the FCC’s finding that the company was selling equipment from Dahua, which is on the agency's “covered list” of providers of unsecure gear (see 2502140040). Parts of the filing, in docket 25-85, were redacted. “The Commission should not revoke the equipment authorizations because Luminys made no false statements or representations,” Luminys said. “The equipment for which Luminys sought, and obtained, authorization is not ‘covered’ under the Commission’s rules, nor is any of the equipment described in these authorizations produced by an entity named on the Covered List.” The Public Safety Bureau’s “tentative determinations appear to be based purely on speculation, not evidence, and are wrong.”
Representatives from fiber company Arcadian met with an aide to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr about the importance of programmatic agreements for building out infrastructure. Arcadian asked in particular about potential agreements with the Bureau of Land Management, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service, said a filing posted Friday in docket 17-84. “Programmatic agreements would save time and money on projects by covering large swaths of land in one permit rather than having to pull permits for every small parcel involved in a project,” Arcadian said. “These agreements also have long-term benefits for future maintenance and repair work.”
The FCC should stay the Wireline Bureau order denying AT&T’s request for review of Universal Service Administrative Co. decisions on recovering funds disbursed under the emergency broadband benefit (EBB) program (see 2501170042|), AT&T said in a request for stay filed Wednesday. The bureau’s denial order, which upheld USAC’s decision to recover EBB funds paid to AT&T, was “contrary to the statute that created the EBB Program and the Commission’s implementing rules,” AT&T said. If the denial order isn’t stayed while AT&T appeals it, USAC could continue recovery actions against AT&T. “Maintaining the status quo pending Commission action” on the appeal “will harm no party and serve the public interest by preventing a potential chilling effect on provider participation in current or future low-income subsidy programs,” AT&T said.
A disaster information reporting system update Thursday showed 1,081 cable and wireline subscribers without service in 10 Kentucky counties affected by the recent floods. That’s an improvement over the 8,708 reported down Wednesday. DIRS showed one cellsite down in the affected area, compared with three reported Wednesday. No broadcast stations were listed as out of service. The FCC issued public notices this week on priority communications services, FCC availability and emergency communication procedures for licensees that need special temporary authority. The Public Safety Bureau also issued a reminder for entities clearing debris and repairing utilities to avoid damaging communications infrastructure.
The full FCC should reverse the Media Bureau’s dismissal of the Media and Democracy Project’s (MAD) petition against Fox’s WTXF Philadelphia, MAD said in an application for review Tuesday. The petition's dismissal under former FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel (see 2501160081) was “politically manipulated” and intended to add “a patina of impartiality” to the contemporaneous dismissal of complaints against ABC, NBC and CBS, MAD said. Those complaints, from the Center for American Rights (CAR), weren’t based on court findings and “did not rise to the level” of the WTXF petition, MAD said. “In rescinding the three CAR decisions, while leaving the MAD decision to stand, [FCC Chairman Brendan] Carr doubled down on Rosenworcel’s biased, politically motivated adjudications,” the group said (see 2501220059). “It is not the duty of the FCC chair, whether a Republican or a Democrat, to play politics with legal proceedings,” and both parties' chairs "failed [in] their statutory duty.” The Media Bureau was incorrect not to consider the factual record and court findings from the litigation against Fox by Dominion Voting Systems over Fox’s 2020 election coverage, MAD said. It also disputed that its case against WTXF violates the First Amendment. “The question before the Commission is not whether Fox had a right to dissemble, rather it is about the consequences of those lies and the impact on Fox’s character qualifications to remain a Commission licensee.”
President Donald Trump’s latest norm-busting executive order (see 2502180069) directing the FCC, among other "so-called independent" agencies and executive branch bodies, to submit regulatory actions to the White House before they're published in the Federal Register could complicate Brendan Carr’s push to be an active chairman at the FCC, industry experts said Wednesday.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, seemed during and after a Wednesday panel hearing to be eyeing an escalation of his long-simmering battle with DOD and its most vociferous congressional supporters, who oppose legislation mandating reallocation of spectrum bands for 5G use, which they say could impact military incumbents. Cruz touted his 2024 Spectrum Pipeline Act during the hearing as the preferred language for an airwaves title in a budget reconciliation package, as expected (see 2502180058). Some witnesses strongly praised Cruz's proposal. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., and many panel Democrats criticized it.