The FTC should use its investigatory powers to study “cancel culture,” deplatforming and the denial of financial services, Commissioner Melissa Holyoak said Wednesday during a George Mason University Mercatus Center virtual discussion.
Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Ted Cruz, R-Texas, will likely redirect the panel's airwaves legislative focus toward a version of his 2024 Spectrum Pipeline Act (S-3909) next year should Republicans control the Senate after the Nov. 5 elections and he becomes chairman. Cruz could face continued headwinds from DOD's staunchest Capitol Hill backers if he pursues legislation similar to S-3909, lobbyists and others predicted. Current Senate Commerce Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., hopes she can attach her rival Spectrum and National Security Act (S-4207) to an end-of-year omnibus package (see 2409170066).
State broadband regulators and industry officials highlighted efforts at addressing pole attachment processes to facilitate broadband deployment Tuesday. During an FCBA webinar (see 2312130044), some mentioned increased coordination among utilities, attachers and other stakeholders to streamline the process and enable faster deployment. Several highlighted workforce issues as a barrier.
Commerce’s proposed restrictions on sales or imports of connected vehicles using hardware or software tied to Russia or China (see 2409220001) is seeing pushback from communications and tech industry and adjacent groups over the compliance deadlines. Comments in the NPRM (docket 240919-0245) were due Monday. Some see the Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) NPRM as pointing toward a wider eventual campaign against all connected Chinese and Russian devices (see 2409250006).
NARUC Telecom Committee Chair Tim Schram seeks better coordination and greater cost sharing related to digging amid an influx of government funding for broadband deployment, the Nebraska Republican said in an interview. NARUC circulated draft resolutions Tuesday for the state utility regulator association’s Nov. 10-13 meeting in Anaheim. In addition to a Schram proposal about coordination, the Telecom Committee plans to weigh drafts on optimizing phone number resources and defending the constitutionality of the federal universal service fund (USF) surcharge mechanism.
Broad FCC approval of a SpaceX/T-Mobile direct-to-device commercial service should come soon, some agency watchers say. The FCC earlier this month gave the two special temporary authority to provide service in areas affected by hurricanes Helene and Milton (see 2410070049 and 2410100054). With that and AT&T and SpaceX seemingly agreeing on how the D2D service could operate in the near term without interfering with AT&T's terrestrial wireless operations (see 2410210002), "I'm a little surprised" the FCC hasn't given the green light yet, spectrum and satellite consultant Tim Farrar told us. The commission didn't comment. Its Space Bureau late last year approved limited supplemental coverage from space operations in G-block spectrum so SpaceX satellites' antennas for D2D service could be checked (see 2312050029).
Florida “cannot begin to show that its draconian access restrictions are necessary to advance any legitimate interest it may assert” to protect children, NetChoice and the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) wrote in a complaint Monday at the U.S. District Court for Northern Florida. The tech industry groups filed a First Amendment challenge against a Florida law set to take effect Jan. 1.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, a member of his transition team and Elon Musk, X platform owner and SpaceX CEO, are repeating calls for broadcasters to lose their spectrum because their news broadcasts are too partisan.
A small, but steady stream of defaults is hitting the rural deployment opportunity fund program, with many providers citing inflation as the cause, program watchers and participants tell us. A small burst of RDOF defaults occurred in recent days, including Cable One telling the FCC it's dropping 902 census block group projects in Idaho and Missouri (see 2410180033) and Mercury Broadband defaulting in 129 census block groups across four states. Since Sept. 1, Pinpoint Communications announced defaults of three census block groups, RiverStreet Communications had six and Lumen nine. It's unclear whether RDOF default locations will receive connectivity elsewhere, such as with NTIA's broadband equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program.
Courts still “respect” technical expertise at agencies like the FCC despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of the Chevron doctrine, Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said Friday.