The FCC Wireless Bureau approved a waiver giving SiriusXM additional time to deploy satellite-based emergency communications for public safety agencies, in combination with AT&T. The order covers spectrum in the C and D blocks of the 2.3 GHz wireless communications service band, which the commission addressed in a 2017 order (see 1701180088). “Working with Sirius XM, AT&T has put forth a plan for the beneficial use of the C and D Blocks -- assigning the C and D Block licenses to Sirius XM so that Sirius XM could lease the bandwidth at no cost to one or more public safety agencies,” said an order in Tuesday’s Daily Digest. The service “would permit public safety agencies access to satellite communications services, using Sirius XM satellites, by pre-staging satellite receivers designed for WCS reception within the service area of each license to be deployed, as needed,” the order said. The bureau said AT&T tried developing a network for utilities in the spectrum: “Despite preliminary successes, according to AT&T, the service is no longer viable because of alternative spectrum available to utilities for smart grid operation.”
The FCC Wireless Bureau said it's examining carriers' numbering resource utilization and forecast (NRUF) reports and carrier-specific local number portability (LNP) data as it examines the T-Mobile/UScellular deal; it doesn't plan to disclose the data publicly. Consistent with past practices, "we will make such information available to participants in this proceeding, but limit such access to their Outside Counsel of Record and Outside Consultants whom they retain to assist them in this proceeding, and their Outside Counsel’s and Outside Consultants’ employees,” said a Tuesday order in docket 24-286. The bureau said in a separate notice providers have until Dec. 6 “to oppose the limited disclosure of their NRUF and LNP data pursuant to the protective order.” T-Mobile announced in May a plan where it will acquire “substantially all” of UScellular’s wireless operations in a deal valued at about $4.4 billion, including $2 billion in assumed debt (see 2405280047). Also Tuesday, the FCC referred the transaction to the Committee for the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the U.S. Telecommunications Service Sector. The agency wants a review of “national security or law enforcement concerns related to the applications." DOJ requested that step (see 2411200013). The committee is informally known by its former name, Team Telecom.
Incarcerated people’s calling service providers and law enforcement groups want the FCC to reconsider provisions of its implementation of the Martha Wright-Reed Act, but a coalition of public groups said the industry arguments are incorrect and procedurally wrong, comments filed in docket 23-62 posted Tuesday show. Most of the filings focused on October petitions for reconsideration of the FCC’s order from NCIC Communications and HomeWAV, and aimed at the agency’s categorization of costs and fees, handling of provider expenses, and timing of the order’s changes to prison calling rules.
O3b is no longer seeking FCC OK for the low earth orbit component of its proposed medium earth orbit constellation. In an FCC Space Bureau application posted Monday, the company said it's modifying its pending U.S. market access application and eliminating the LEO component. Since the LEO satellites were proposed for satellite-to-satellite communications, it is no longer seeking satellite-to-satellite authority.
SpaceX direct-to-device (D2D) authorizations should include the condition that before conducting operations in the 2300-2395 MHz band within line of sight of a NASA Deep Space Network facility outside the U.S., the company will certify it has completed coordination with NASA, NTIA said in a docket 23-135 filing posted Monday. Meanwhile, recapping a meeting with FCC Space Bureau Chief Julie Kearney, Omnispace said SpaceX has not shown that its proposed D2D operations in the 1990-1995 MHz band won't cause harmful interference to primary-status licensees. It said if the FCC approves nonconforming use, despite a record showing harmful interference risks, it should be conditioned on SpaceX reaching operator-to-operator agreements with parties like Omnispace "that have demonstrated a sound basis for a pronounced risk of harmful interference in the present record."
The FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau approved conditional waivers for T-Mobile and Hamilton Relay on a rule requiring providers of text telephone-based telecom relay service to offer a service capable of communicating with devices using the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) format. In 2022, T-Mobile asked that the FCC initiate a rulemaking eliminating the ASCII reference because it's "an obsolete and infrequently used format,” said an order in Monday’s Daily Digest. Hamilton filed in support, the bureau said. “In these particular circumstances, we find that, given ASCII’s technological obsolescence, the absence of significant demand for it, and the presence of viable alternatives, there is good cause to grant T-Mobile and Hamilton waivers of the requirement to offer TTY-based relay service in ASCII format,” the bureau said.
The FCC has signed off on SpaceX providing commercial supplemental coverage from space services using its Starlink satellites. In an FCC Space Bureau order issued Tuesday, the bureau said the direct-to-smartphone service -- done in partnership with T-Mobile and using 1910-1915 MHz unlinks and 1990-1995 MHz downlinks on a secondary basis -- is likely to avoid causing harmful interference with in-band terrestrial operations. The bureau said it's in T-Mobile's "best interest to ensure that SpaceX will not cause harmful interference." It also said its own "rigorous analysis" of SpaceX plans indicate the satellite company can adjust its equivalent isotropically radiated power in a way that won't cause interference with Omnispace, which had raised interference concerns with the agency.
Four lawsuits against the FTC’s click-to-cancel rule will be consolidated into a case before the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) said Thursday in its consolidation order (see 2411210035 and 2411070025). NCTA, the Interactive Advertising Bureau and the Electronic Security Association filed one of the lawsuits with the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce filed a suit with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The National Federation of Independent Business and the Michigan Press Association filed a lawsuit with the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Custom Alarm filed a lawsuit with the 8th Circuit. The 8th Circuit was “randomly selected” for the consolidation, the JPML said.
Lending Tree asked the FCC to change some of the one-to-one robotext consent rules commissioners approved last December (see 2312130019) before they take effect Jan. 26. Company representatives met with an aide to FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr and staff from the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau, said a filing posted Friday in docket 21-402. “LendingTree urged the Commission to adopt a narrow exception to the 1-to-1 Consent Rule for curated comparison-shopping platforms in order to preserve the ‘value that comparison shopping offers to consumers who seek specific goods and services, and the value that lead generators offers to businesses, including small businesses, seeking new customers,’” the filing said. Lending Tree said a recent survey it conducted “showed that 73% of consumers who have applied for a loan or insurance policy expect to learn about service providers that they have never heard of when comparison shopping.”
EchoStar representatives met with FCC Space Bureau staff to urge the agency to move forward on higher-power fixed service use of the lower 12 GHz band. The officials refuted a recent SpaceX study warning of interference from fixed-wireless operations in the lower 12 GHz band (see 2409040035). “We explained that SpaceX’s study was designed to fail, because it employs unrealistic assumptions, and assumes interference scenarios that bear no resemblance to fixed 5G deployments designed to avoid interference and make sharing possible,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 20-443.