In-person meetings at the FCC are increasing, but the majority are virtual, as they have been since the COVID-19 pandemic began nearly four years ago. The number of in-person ex parte meetings appear roughly the same as a year ago, based on a review of filings and industry interviews. Beginning last March, more staff began working in the office on more days of the week (see 2303030047). One tendency, industry officials say, is that more meetings with commissioner advisers are now at FCC headquarters. But meetings with the offices and bureaus are mostly virtual because staffers have differing in-office schedules. Virtual meetings seem the best way of ensuring everyone who needs to attend a meeting can.
The Competitive Carriers Association and its members raised questions about the size of a proposed 5G Fund in meetings with FCC Wireless Bureau and Office of Economics and Analytics staff, a filing posted Friday in docket 20-32 said. Proceeding with a $9 billion budget, as proposed in 2020 (see 2310240046), “without sufficient rationale and updated analysis risks leaving areas in dire need behind and potentially leaving many states and territories with no benefit from the 5G Fund,” CCA said. Other items included raising eligibility to at least 35/3 Mbps “to be consistent with Administration and prior FCC precedent” and the need to time auctions to “best leverage” the NTIA’s broadband, equity, access and deployment program and other federal funding. The FCC should also ensure “accurate mobile mapping data and a robust mobile challenge process” prior to moving forward, CCA said. Among those attending the meetings were representatives of C Spire, Nex-Tech Wireless, Nsight, Southern Linc and Union Wireless. Rural Wireless Association representatives also discussed the fund with aides to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, as the group continues a series of meetings at the FCC (see 2402010037).
Competitive Carriers Association representatives sought additional changes to the FCC’s Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program (see 2312040015) in a meeting with FCC Wireline Bureau staff. The representatives noted recent changes, “including increased staffing levels, faster invoice processing, facilitating increased efficiency in responses to Reimbursement Program staff, and the use of dedicated review teams,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 18-89. In addition, they asked for “streamlined reporting obligations, faster modification approvals, and more categorical treatment of substantially similar modification applications.” Among those at the meeting were representatives of Summit Ridge Group, Union Wireless, Viaero Wireless and Widelity.
Freshfields Bruckhaus announces former FTC Commissioner Christine Wilson as senior adviser-antitrust practice … Porter Wright expands government affairs practice for services related to AI, data privacy and geopolitics, with new principals Raul Alvillar, Neil Simon and Adam Wilczewski, all from Resolute, and Todd Elmer, ex-Blaine Street … Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission promotes Allison Kaster director-chief prosecutor, Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement, succeeding Richard Kanaskie, retired … Colorado’s Governor’s Office of Information Technology hires Jefferson County Chief Information Security Officer Jill Fraser as state’s CISO.
Complying with the FCC's "all-in" video pricing proposal might have to overcome conflicting regulatory regimes among the FCC, FTC and various states, DirecTV said. In a docket 23-203 filing Thursday recapping a meeting with FCC Media Bureau Chief Holly Saurer, DirecTV said possible compliance hiccups include one set of rules requiring what another prohibits and different sets of rules requiring different calculations of all-in prices. The FCC commissioners adopted an all-in video pricing NPRM in June (see 2306200042).
A Maryland AM station that airs programming from Russia-sponsored news channel Radio Sputnik is violating FCC political file rules because the channel’s content is effectively paid political advertising, said a complaint Thursday from the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America. The complaint, which calls for a forfeiture of at least $10 million, is the UCCA’s latest salvo against WZHF Capitol Heights and owners Arthur and Yvonne Liu of Way Broadcasting -- the group has filed two petitions against the station’s license that have yet to draw an FCC response (see 2203230054). “There are well established FCC rules that require that Arthur and Yvonne Liu disclose in their political file all incidents of paid discussion of matters of national importance,” said Thursday’s complaint. “This they have not done in willful violation of the Communications Act and the FCC’s rules and policies.” WZHF leases all of its airtime to RM Broadcasting, which has the deal to air Radio Sputnik content. Documentation filed under the Foreign Agents Registration Act shows that Way Broadcasting receives $35,000 a month under that arrangement, and WZHF’s content routinely concerns President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump, U.S. policy in Ukraine and Israel, and the 2024 Republican presidential primary, UCCA said. “The Enforcement Bureau should order Arthur and Yvonne Liu to provide at least two years of data on what exactly their station is broadcasting,” said the complaint. The Communications Act “requires that each incident of political advertising be disclosed and properly filed in WZHF’s public inspection file.” Way Broadcasting didn’t comment.
The FCC Media Bureau received 1,336 low-power FM construction permit applications during the December window, said a public notice in Thursday’s Daily Digest. 700 of those applications have so far been identified as singletons without conflicts with other applications and have been accepted for filing, the PN said. A subsequent PN will identify the mutually exclusive applications, and with its release parties can begin filing amendments and reaching settlement agreements, the PN said.
The FCC Wireless Bureau Thursday granted 16 licenses to winning bidders in the 2022 2.5 GHz auction. Under the 5G Spectrum Authority Licensing Enforcement Act, enacted in December, the FCC can now issue licenses despite the expiration in March of its spectrum auction authority (see 2312200061). The licenses were awarded to Northern Valley Communications in South Dakota, Paladin Wireless in Georgia and SkyPacket Networks in Maryland and West Virginia.
The FCC Wireless Bureau Thursday granted three licenses in the 900 MHz broadband segment, to PDV Spectrum. The licenses are in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The FCC approved an order in 2020 reallocating a 6 MHz swath in the band for broadband, while maintaining 4 MHz for narrowband operations (see 2005130057).
The FCC Wireline Bureau granted United Telephone Association's transfer of control request for Panhandle Telephone Cooperative (PTCI) to "assign substantially all of the assets held by United in the South Englewood telephone exchange" from United to PTCI. A public notice Thursday in docket 23-255 also granted the companies' joint petition for a waiver of the commission's definition of a "study area" subject to PTCI's "commitment not to seek Safety Valve Support" following the transaction.