Representatives of the Industry Traceback Group (ITG) provided preliminary observations on its work in 2025 in an FCC filing posted Thursday in docket 17-59. Since 2020, tracebacks “increasingly end with providers identified as U.S.-based,” rather than foreign-based, the ITG said. More than 30 new providers are identified in tracebacks on average each month, and last year, 110 U.S. and 82 non-U.S. providers failed to respond to traceback requests, it said. “Patterns of repeated and overlapping relationships may indicate intentional strategic obfuscation rather than isolated incidents.”
Communications Daily is tracking the lawsuits below involving appeals of FCC actions.
Brandy Reitter, executive director of the Colorado Broadband Office, warned Wednesday that the Trump administration's changes to the BEAD program have delayed deployment in the state by about 18 months. “We would have been able to put shovels in the ground last year,” Reitter said during a Fiber Broadband Association webcast with Gary Bolton, the group's CEO. For people waiting for broadband, “it’s going to be a little while,” especially for satellite service, she said.
Smartphone shipments worldwide were up 2% in 2025, with Apple having the highest market share at 20%, Counterpoint said Monday. Apple's shipments were up 10% year over year, while Samsung, with a 19% market share, grew 5%. The smartphone market globally will likely be softer this year, Counterpoint said, citing rising component costs and semiconductor memory chip shortages as chipmakers prioritize AI data centers over smartphones. It also predicted that Apple and Samsung will likely remain resilient due to their premium market positioning, while Chinese original equipment manufacturers concentrated in lower-price segments will face more pressure.
The FCC's approval of SpaceX launching an additional 7,500 of its second-generation satellites opens the door for the company to enhance direct-to-device connectivity and also points to the Space Bureau's efforts to speed up its approvals process, according to SpaceX and space policy experts. A previous block of 7,500 second-generation satellites was approved in 2022 (see 2212010052).
Companion caller ID bills filed last week with the Florida House and Senate would bar transmission of misleading or inaccurate caller identification information and require telecommunications providers to give the phone number and location from which each call originates. SB-1516, introduced by Sen. Ileana Garcia (R), and HB-1299, introduced by Rep. Kevin Steele (R), would also require telecom companies to block calls and texts containing "manipulated" caller ID information.
A proposed private right of action will be removed from a New Hampshire age-verification bill that seeks to restrict children’s access to porn, said its sponsor, Sen. Tara Reardon (D), at a livestreamed state Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Thursday. Reardon said her planned amendment to SB-648 would also allow companies to assert rights under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
Communications Daily is tracking the lawsuits below involving appeals of FCC actions.
The Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions said this week that the FCC's further NPRM seeking comment on tougher call ID rules gets the facts wrong on the issue of Stir/Shaken and the role that rich call data (RCD) could play. Other industry commenters said handing down rules now could chill industry progress addressing caller ID issues. In addition to proposed rules on caller ID, the FNPRM, approved in October, also seeks input on requiring labels for calls that originate outside the U.S. (see 2510280024). Comments were posted this week in docket 17-59.
SpaceX's direct-to-device ambitions, powered by a proposed 15,000 additional satellites in orbit, are facing opposition from rival satellite operators and astronomy interests. SpaceX submitted an FCC application in September to operate the constellation to provide D2D service globally, as well as mobile satellite service (MSS), using spectrum that the company is buying from EchoStar (see 2509220006). In comments filed this week in docket 25-340, numerous parties complained about potential spectrum interference or orbital clutter.