The FCC Wireline Bureau released Wednesday the final eligible services list for FY 2026 for the schools and libraries universal service support mechanism program. The bureau declined to make several changes sought by commenters in response to a bureau notice about the list, including those on the treatment of managed internal broadband services (MIBS), a top focus of the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition and other groups (see 2511140019).
Comments are due Jan. 20, replies Feb. 18, on the FCC's proposal to let upper microwave flexible-use service and fixed-satellite service operators craft voluntary agreements to promote more intensive use of the UMFUS bands, the Space Bureau said Tuesday in docket 25-305. The UMFUS NPRM adopted at the FCC's October meeting (see 2510280024) also asked about revising UMFUS protection criteria.
The FCC Wireline Bureau said Tuesday that after further study, the agency has again continued the two remaining Stir/Shaken implementation extensions. They cover providers that can't obtain the service provider code token necessary to participate in the Stir/Shaken framework and small voice service providers that originate calls via satellite using North American Numbering Plan numbers, the bureau said.
The FCC Wireless Bureau on Tuesday delayed the deadline for reply comments on the preliminary eligible-areas map for the Alaska Connect Fund (see 2511190039) from Friday to Jan. 7. The change came after the agency released a revised version of the map to “address concerns and questions from stakeholders,” said a notice in docket 23-328.
911 and 988 can help those suffering from mental health crises during the holidays, said FCC Public Safety Bureau Chief Zenji Nakazawa and Wireline Bureau Chief Joseph Calascione wrote in a blog post Tuesday. “A quick call or message to someone who may be alone or struggling can make a real difference,” they said. “When someone needs more than a friendly voice, help is close at hand through two essential three-digit numbers: 911 and 988.” If holiday pressures “are taking a toll on your mental health -- or you are concerned about someone else -- support is just as accessible through the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which offers 24/7 confidential help,” Nakazawa and Calascione added. “No one expects to rely on 911 or 988 during the holidays. But these resources are here."
The FCC is expected to unanimously approve an order at its open meeting Thursday that would update a number of low-power TV and translator rules, industry and FCC officials told us. The final item is expected to change little from the draft version, which updates and clarifies agency policies on station relocation, channel sharing, alerting and other matters. “In light of changes within the broadcast industry and LPTV Service over the last forty years, we adopt changes to our rules to ensure that the LPTV Service continues to flourish and serve the public interest long into the future,” the draft says.
Muon Space hopes to launch its FireSat1, FireSat2 and FireSat3 satellites for wildfire monitoring and detection into low earth orbit as soon as June. In an FCC Space Bureau application Friday, Muon said the satellites are planned in partnership with the nonprofit Earth Fire Alliance. They would operate at a nominal altitude of 600 kilometers and use an X-band downlink for payload data, the company said.
House Communications Subcommittee member Nanette Barragan, D-Calif., on Friday night hailed the FCC's publication in the Federal Register of the Public Safety Bureau's January multilingual wireless emergency alerts rules (see 2501080029). Attorneys general from 18 states and the city of New York threatened in November to pursue legal action to force the rules’ publication (see 2511070042). Barragan noted that she led a letter in May with more than two dozen other House Democrats pressing the FCC to publish the rules and begin implementing them.
Consumers should be on the lookout for phone and text message scams during the holidays, said the FCC’s Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau in an alert Monday. Avoid calls or texts from unknown parties, avoid mysterious links and keep an eye out for requests for payment by gift card, the alert said. The bureau also warned about holiday charity scams using phone calls or texts to solicit donations and about package delivery scams claiming that a consumer owes a tariff on an item. “Watch out for text notices saying your purchase is ‘stuck in customs’ or your order will not be delivered until a tariff is paid.” Consumers should check directly with the retailer if they suspect something is wrong, the agency added.
The Center for American Rights kicked off an online campaign Monday supporting the elimination of the broadcast TV ownership cap and targeting the Senate Commerce Committee's FCC oversight hearing Wednesday. In an interview, CAR President Daniel Suhr told us he bases the group’s FCC filings on President Donald Trump’s social media posts and public comments. He added that CAR’s focus on media resonates with conservatives and has raised its profile, increasing donations to the organization.