There’s a lot of speculation and little evidence about the risks associated with generative AI, so lawmakers and enforcers should show “humility” when regulating the technology, executives from Google, CTA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said Monday.
State lawmakers may be more inclined to pursue broadband affordability policies in the wake of recent FCC and court rulings as well as last month's ending of the federal affordable connectivity program (ACP), multiple telecom experts said last week. Connecticut Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D) told Communications Daily he hopes “these developments will lead to stronger support in 2025” for an affordable broadband proposal that failed this year. However, some anticipate ISPs will likely object, and fiscal constraints could limit states' efforts.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said Thursday that she circulated for a commissioner vote an NPRM seeking comment on further changes to rules for the citizens broadband radio service band. An FCC and NTIA agreement unveiled Wednesday on broader use of CBRS (see 2406120027) shows what's possible when you push the boundaries of how spectrum is shared, experts said Thursday during a discussion at the International Symposium on Advanced Radio Technologies (ISART) conference in Denver.
The FCC and NTIA are working together as well as Ira Keltz has seen in his 30 years of government service, but the deputy chief of the FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology said finding consensus on spectrum issues remains difficult. Keltz spoke Wednesday at the International Symposium on Advanced Radio Technologies (ISART) conference in Denver. Echoing Keltz was Derek Khlopin, NTIA deputy associate administrator in the Office of Spectrum Management.
The work that industry and government are doing addressing “clutter analysis” and dynamic sharing is critical to the future of wireless, Shiva Goel, NTIA senior spectrum adviser, said at an International Symposium on Advanced Radio Technologies (ISART) conference on Tuesday. Goel said the government, working with industry, is making progress. The Denver conference's main focus this week is on propagation models that account for the impact of clutter, including foliage and buildings, on wireless signals.
The FCC urged the 6th U.S. Circuit Appeals Court Friday to move the challenge to the FCC’s net neutrality order to the D.C. Circuit (docket 24-3450). The FCC also issued an order declining to stay the rules, which take effect July 22, pending judicial review.
ISPs and industry groups told the FCC that while competition and access remain strong in the broadband marketplace, additional regulation could harm future investment and deployment. Those views were included in feedback the FCC sought about its biannual State of Competition in the Communications Marketplace report to Congress (see 2404220050). In comments, some wireless groups urged making additional spectrum available. MVPDs and broadcasters said the FCC should recognize the increasing competition they face from streaming video and accordingly relax regulations. Comments were posted Thursday and Friday in docket 24-119.
The Biden administration’s merger guidelines give agencies a license to challenge any transaction without the support of sound antitrust analysis, CTA said in a report released Wednesday (see 2312180069). The 2023 guidelines, issued by the FTC and DOJ, “make incorrect claims about the effects of competition on specific performance variables” and “focus on performance variables that are poor indicators of the effects of mergers on consumers and society,” CTA said. FTC Chair Lina Khan and DOJ Antitrust Division Chief Jonathan Kanter defended the administration’s antitrust enforcement approach during an event Tuesday (see 2406040065). CTA argued the guidelines let the agencies define dominant market positions in “whatever nebulous way” they choose while disregarding decades of economic literature. The guidelines' authors assume terms like “durable market power” and “persistence of market power” are “understood,” CTA said. The association cited examples of “nebulous guidance,” including the guidelines' claim that “the persistence of market power can indicate that entry barriers exist, that further entrenchment may tend to create a monopoly, and that there would be substantial benefits from the emergence of new competitive constraints or disruptions.” The agencies have not defined those terms, said CTA.
Spectrum Effect, provider of RF interference analysis and mitigation solutions to the wireless industry, hires former Nokia North America President Shaun McCarthy as president and chief revenue officer ... AST SpaceMobile, developer of space-based cellular broadband network accessible from “everyday smartphones,” adds former Vodafone and Ericsson executive Johan Wibergh to its board; Wibergh also will chair AST board’s newly formed network planning and spectrum committee ... Martello Technologies Group announces resignation of former BT Group Managing Director Mike Galvin from its board for personal reasons ... Everbridge, supplier of national public warning software solutions, hires Pamela Larson, ex-Twilio, as chief security officer, North America ... Cyble, AI-driven cybersecurity solutions provider, adds former EY executive Steve Ingram to its advisory board ... Boomi, intelligent integration and automation platform, promotes Chief Accounting Officer Jessica Soisson to chief financial officer.
It’s a “good thing” business leaders are thinking harder about antitrust risk when pursuing potential deals, even if the Biden administration’s policies have been “disorienting,” FTC Chair Lina Khan said Tuesday. Khan and DOJ Antitrust Division Chief Jonathan Kanter defended their antitrust approach during CNBC's CEO Council Summit.