The FCC Wireline Bureau partially granted Copper Valley Telephone Co-op's requested review of a Universal Service Administrative Co. decision that the Alaskan provider wasn't in compliance. But in a docket 10-90 order Friday, the bureau said USAC nonetheless is to proceed with recovering more than $1.5 million in high-cost support from Copper Valley. USAC sought recovery of $1,547,112 in 2018 due to two findings of noncompliance related to affiliate transactions between Copper Valley and its Copper Valley Long Distance. The bureau said Friday it agreed with Copper Valley that its transactions with a subsidiary didn't violate FCC rules, but Copper Valley incorrectly recorded the interexchange transport service purchased from its affiliate. Copper Valley inflated operating expenses, and USAC is to proceed with recovering $1,526,960 in high-cost support, the order said.
The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition urged the FCC to support managed internal broadband services (MIBS) in comments on a Wireline Bureau public notice asking about the proposed eligible services list for FY 2026. Filings from SHLB and others were posted last week in docket 13-184 after the federal government reopened.
The FCC Wireline Bureau on Thursday approved Vero Broadband’s proposed purchase of BendTel, a locally owned and operated telecom provider in central Oregon (see 2508290059). In an order in docket 25-188, the bureau noted that it didn’t receive any comments or petitions opposing the deal.
Facing a "space Industrial Revolution," the FCC Space Bureau is trying to improve its throughput, Chief Jay Schwarz said Thursday at a New America event in Washington, D.C. Schwarz warned that some nations and satellite operators are trying to use the regulatory system to forestall competition from U.S. operators.
Representatives for the Association of American Railroads raised concerns during a meeting with FCC Wireless Bureau staff about a proposed voluntary, negotiation-based process to transition 10 MHz in the 900 MHz band to broadband, with 5/5 MHz channels. In 2020, the FCC approved use of 3/3 MHz channels in the band for broadband while retaining 4 MHz for narrowband operations (see 2005130057).
Arpan Sura, an aide to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, warned Wednesday that the agency faces a huge amount of work to meet a congressional mandate to auction the upper C band in two years. “It’s a very aggressive timeline,” Sura said during a Center for Strategic and International Studies conference. Other speakers said federal spectrum work has continued despite the longest federal shutdown in history. Commissioners are to vote next week on an upper C-band NPRM (see 2510290047).
Former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and other witnesses at a Public Knowledge event Wednesday called for Congress to end what they see as actions by Chairman Brendan Carr's commission infringing media's First Amendment rights. PK CEO Chris Lewis framed the event as the first in an anticipated series of “people’s oversight” hearings on the FCC and other federal agencies in response to what he sees as Congress’ failure to counter Trump administration actions against the president's perceived enemies.
Attorneys general from 18 states and the city of New York called on the FCC in a letter Friday to send already-approved rules for multilingual wireless emergency alerts to the Federal Register. The rules were issued in January by the Public Safety Bureau under the previous administration but haven’t been implemented in the intervening 10 months because they haven’t yet been published.
The FCC on Thursday advised the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which heard oral argument last month on a challenge to the 2024 incarcerated people's communications services (IPCS) order, that the rules have changed. FCC commissioners significantly revised calling rates in an order approved 2-1 at the October open meeting (see 2510280045). The agency also released the final version of the order Thursday with some changes from the draft that was previously circulated by Chairman Brendan Carr, mostly benefiting IPCS providers.
Europe’s history of protectionist activity in areas like Big Tech and its General Data Protection Regulation is potentially now edging into space, such as through the EU Space Act, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said Friday at a Federalist Society event in Washington. The U.S. and EU should instead be working together on space activity in the face of Chinese space ambitions, Carr added.