A recent FCC auction of construction permits for radio stations in which none of the four AM permits that are up for grabs sold isn’t a positive sign for AM but doesn’t mean there’s no interest in the band, radio brokers and broadcasters told us (see 2108130049). “We have some folks looking into buying us right now,” said Christine Wood, program director and part owner of WFLO(AM) Farmville, Virginia. “It’s a reflection on the overall challenges of AM,” said radio broker Mark Jorgenson.
ASPEN, Colorado -- Even before the Technology Policy Institute conference began, this week's event stood apart on coronavirus safety precautions from others we surveyed in the communications sector. A few weeks before the annual gathering, organizers emailed attendees a list of safety mandates, including wearing masks regardless of vaccination status, social distancing and some speeches held outdoors, exceeding government mandates. Also unlike other conferences, this one had all meals but one outside.
New Jersey could soon add cable service-quality requirements, despite companies seeking to reduce regulation. Board of Public Utilities members voted 5-0 Wednesday to propose readopting the state’s Administrative Code Title 14 Chapter 18 rules for cable TV with substantial changes, including new required metrics and reports and changes to pole attachment rates and public, educational and government (PEG) access channel rules.
Just 30 of 197 providers filed responses to letters from the FCC asking them to review certain census blocks provisionally won during the RDOF Phase I auction and consider withdrawing those bids by its Monday deadline. Most said they're willing to accept the offer if the commission agrees to waive any penalties.
The FCC or FTC is likely to investigate, and possibly impose sanctions on, T-Mobile for a data breach, experts said Wednesday. The breach included information from about 7.8 million current T-Mobile postpaid customer accounts and the records of more than 40 million former or prospective customers, T-Mobile said. Data from about 850,000 prepaid customers was also exposed. A Dish Network spokesperson confirmed that Boost customers weren’t affected.
Internet regulation is “overdue in many ways and justified,” Facebook General Counsel Jennifer Newstead told a Technology Policy Institute event Tuesday. She noted the tremendous attention on internet regulation, including privacy, online safety, content moderation, data sharing and competition. “We are advocating in a number of areas that there be a very careful and focused look at what changes might be necessary,” she said.
ASPEN, Colorado -- The FCC is “far from gridlock,” despite the commission’s 2-2 split, but the agency could do more to reach “bipartisan, low-hanging fruit,” Commissioner Brendan Carr told us Tuesday before speaking on a Technology Policy Institute panel. “If you had asked me in January or February, do you think you’ll be in August without the White House naming a chair, I would have said no,” he said. “That said, hats off to the chair.”
Verizon and AT&T, counting on early C-band deployments to narrow T-Mobile’s lead on mid-band spectrum, warned of potential delays in the clearing process that could complicate plans to build out in the C band starting later this year. Both companies have been at the FCC to urge an expedited process for the Relocation Payment Clearinghouse (RPC) to make payments to licensees to clear the band on an expedited basis.
The Environmental Health Trust (EHT) and allies plan a push at the FCC in coming months to get the agency to take a deeper look at the health risks of RF, in the aftermath of Friday’s U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit remand of 2019 RF safety rules to the FCC for further work (see 2108130073). During a call with reporters Monday, the group urged the FCC to accept new evidence as it addresses the remand.
ASPEN, Colorado -- The Facebook oversight board may gradually expand its membership and could theoretically double from 20, the Technology Policy Institute was told Monday. More members could handle additional cases, TPI heard. Though there's no current plan to vastly increase its size, some members probably will be added, including later this year, the Facebook panel's representatives told us on the event's sidelines.