The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the FCC’s top-four prohibition and its extension to low-power TV stations and multicast streams but upheld the agency’s other broadcast ownership rules in a unanimous three-judge decision Wednesday on the 2018 quadrennial review.
Oxio on Tuesday defended its pursuit of a waiver of the FCC’s numbering assignment rules so it can offer “a new, innovative hybrid” wireless service in the U.S. The FCC Wireline Bureau last month sought comment on Oxio’s petition (see 2506050043). Replies were due Tuesday in docket 13-97. Oxio said in its waiver petition that it serves 2 million customer lines in other countries and hopes to bring the technology to the U.S.
Gogo Business Aviation discussed with the FCC its reservations about a proposal to launch a voluntary, negotiation-based process to transition 10 MHz in the 900 MHz band to broadband (see 2506170070). The plan could mean interference for Gogo’s air-to-ground (ATG) receivers in the adjacent 894-896 MHz band, the company said in a meeting with Wireless Bureau staff.
AST SpaceMobile is facing growing global opposition from the amateur radio universe about plans to use the 430-440 MHz band for telemetry, tracking and control (TT&C) (see 2507170030). Since last Wednesday, docket 25-201 has received more than 2,100 submissions -- most from amateur radio advocates. Comments were due Monday on AST's request to use the band and operate an additional 243 satellites atop the five already authorized (see 2506200061).
FCC commissioners are expected to approve, with a few tweaks, an NPRM designed to help major providers more easily retire aging copper networks. Industry officials said Democratic Commissioner Anna Gomez appears likely to dissent on the item at Thursday’s open meeting. Public Knowledge Senior Vice President Harold Feld told us Tuesday that the group has major concerns with proposals in the draft.
Japanese satcom company Sky Perfect JSAT, with 17 satellites in geostationary orbit, is looking to boost its presence in earth observation, subsidiary JSAT Beyond Innovation (JBI) told the FCC Space Bureau. In an application posted Saturday, JBI said it's aiming for a fall 2026 launch of the first of what will be 10 non-geostationary orbit earth observation satellites. It intends to target potential U.S. and international customers, including governmental agencies and commercial enterprises, the filing said.
The FCC Media Bureau has reached consent decrees with two more broadcasters that appealed forfeitures involving children’s programming violations related to Hot Wheels toys, according to a pair of orders released Friday. The additional settlements were with Second Generation of Iowa and several stations owned by the Sinclair-affiliated Deerfield Media. As in the other settlements with smaller broadcasters (see 2507180066), they won’t pay a penalty and will have their licenses renewed. Deerfield and Second Generation had faced fines of $20,000 per station.
PCS Partners (PCSP) asked the FCC to review or reconsider a June 20 order by the Wireless Bureau waiving a limit on multilateration location and monitoring service (M-LMS) spectrum for which Progeny may hold licenses in a market. The bureau had also denied PCSP’s request that the FCC hold Progeny’s request in abeyance “pending comprehensive agency resolution of interrelated proceedings.” The bureau action “continues a pattern of arbitrary, preferential treatment in favor of Progeny, and to the detriment of PCSP, that the Commission should promptly address,” the company said last week in docket 12-202.
Opponents of T-Mobile’s purchase of wireless assets from UScellular continue to raise questions following FCC Wireless Bureau approval of the deal (see 2507110045). In a meeting with an aide to Commissioner Olivia Trusty, the Rural Wireless Association, Communications Workers of America, Public Knowledge and New America’s Open Technology Institute said UScellular's transactions with T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T should be looked at together, according to a filing posted Monday in 25-150 and other dockets.
The FCC Media Bureau has reached consent decrees with a number of smaller broadcasters that appealed $20,000 forfeitures related to children’s programming violations, according to three orders released Friday. Under the terms of the settlement, the broadcasters -- Waitt Broadcasting, New Age Media and GoCom Media -- won’t pay a penalty and will have their licenses renewed. The broadcasters were part of a widespread series of violations involving ads for Hot Wheels toys aired during a Hot Wheels-themed TV program. The FCC reached a $500,000 settlement in June with Sinclair, which had faced a $2.6 million penalty, over the same incident (see 2506300064). Under the terms of the settlement, the three broadcasters have to develop compliance and training plans and self-report noncompliance for two years.