The FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau on Monday delayed comment deadlines by two weeks on a further NPRM proposing various changes to the agency's broadband label rules. Under the new deadlines, comments are due Jan. 16, replies Feb. 16, in docket 22-2. That’s less time than the 30-day extension sought by New America’s Open Technology Institute, Public Knowledge, the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society and the Utility Reform Network (see 2512220020).
The FCC should take “immediate action” to review network/affiliate contracts and investigate whether the big four networks’ practice of negotiating with virtual MVPDs gives them “de facto control” of local TV stations, said affiliate station owner groups in a joint filing posted Monday in docket 25-322. “Given the state of this relationship, immediate action is necessary so that local broadcast stations can continue to serve local communities with critical news and information,” they said.
Citing a need for more spectrum to keep up with mobile satellite service (MSS) competition, Iridium asked the FCC to update its rules for and give the satellite operator more access to the 1.6 GHz band, including spectrum used by Globalstar.
The FCC Wireline Bureau last week approved the National Exchange Carrier Association’s annual average schedule company high-cost loop support (HCLS) formula modifications. The bureau found that NECA’s results and cost-per-loop calculations “appear to be accurate and complete, and the proposed HCLS formula should reasonably approximate the CPL of the sample average schedule companies, and thereby allocate funds appropriately.”
Starlink's first-generation direct-to-device (D2D) service supports texting data, and voice service through apps, IoT and cellular broadcast alerts, but mobile broadband, native telecom voice and video on phones are coming soon, SpaceX said in a docket 25-340 filing posted Tuesday. Recapping a meeting with Space and Wireless Bureau staff, SpaceX said its satellite cellular broadband, using the 2 GHz mobile satellite service spectrum and legacy support of LTE bands, will have global coverage, including northern latitudes. A 2027 transfer of EchoStar spectrum would be "ideal" for device ecosystem readiness, it said.
The Consumer Technology Association and the Telecommunications Industry Association sought clarification of parts of the FCC’s October order further tightening its equipment authorization rules (see 2510280024). The order makes clear that “covered equipment includes modular transmitters” and prohibits such gear from authorization by companies on the FCC’s “covered list.” It also provides a process for limiting previously granted authorizations without restricting continued operation or use.
Comments are due Jan. 21, replies Feb. 5, on allowing additional frequency bands for use in non-geostationary orbit fixed satellite service satellites communicating with earth stations in motion (ESIMs), said an FCC notice for Monday's Federal Register. The Space Bureau said it's seeking to refresh the record in its 2020 further NPRM about ESIM communications in the 28.35-28.6 GHz band (see 2005130057). The docket is 17-95.
The FCC should allow low-power TV and Class A stations to increase their power and “unlock opportunities” for 5G broadcast pilot programs, said LPTV Broadcasters Association Chairman Frank Copsidas in a meeting last week with acting Media Bureau Chief Erin Boone and Media Bureau staff. “LPTV power limits were established over 30 years ago and reflect the technology of the time,” said an ex parte filing posted Friday in docket 25-224. “Broadcast technology has come a long way and the technology exists to allow LPTV/Class A stations to increase their power while keeping their signal within the licensed contour,” it said. “This would result in much improved reception for consumers and/or first responders, definitely serving the best interest of the public.”
The FCC's Wireline Bureau and Office of Economics and Analytics on Friday released the 2026 “reasonable comparability benchmarks” for fixed voice and broadband services for eligible telecommunications carriers subject to broadband public interest obligations. ETCs must certify by July 1 that the pricing of monthly basic residential voice services isn't more than $61.29, two standard deviations above the average rate of $33.99. The survey includes broadband rates, which run from a U.S. monthly low of $98.33 ($127.58 in Alaska) for 4 Mbps service to a high of $143.93 ($175.28 in Alaska) for 2 Gbps service.
The FCC Wireless Bureau on Friday delayed by 15 days the comment and reply deadlines on an NPRM about rules for an upper C-band auction. The agency has been looking to move as quickly as possible on the notice, which commissioners approved 3-0 in November (see 2512040039). Comments are now due Jan. 20, replies Feb. 18. A brief extension will help commenters “develop more comprehensive responses to the complex technical, legal, and policy issues presented in the NPRM without jeopardizing the Commission’s ability” to complete an auction by July 2027, the bureau said.