Broadcasters, cable groups and emergency alerting companies resisted FCC suggestions for persistent emergency alert system warnings and changes to alerting codes. “It is simply not feasible to incorporate these changes cost-effectively into the existing, well embedded system,” said NCTA. Comments were due Tuesday in docket 15-94.
Drawback
A duty drawback is a refund by CBP of the duties, taxes, or fees paid on imported goods, which were imposed upon importation as prescribed in 19 U.S.C. 1313(d). More broadly, a drawback also includes the refund or remission of other excise taxes pursuant to other provisions of law.
U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit judges peppered both sides with questions, during an often highly technical oral argument Friday, as the FCC defended its order opening the 6 GHz band for Wi-Fi and other unlicensed use. AT&T, APCO, electric utilities and other plaintiffs argued the FCC never explained why it didn’t require use of automated frequency control (AFC) to protect incumbents from low-power indoor use, which got some support on the court. Judge Justin Walker, a new member of the court, warned the agency's order could be remanded or even vacated.
The bulk of FCC staff won’t return to the office until the FCC completes negotiations with its employee union, but talks haven’t been scheduled, per the National Treasury Employees Union and an Office of Personnel Management memo. Other agencies said they're trying to figure out their own return to their headquarters.
Reputation blocklists help fight domain name system abuse but raise questions of accuracy and transparency, panelists said Thursday at a virtual ICANN meeting. RBLs blacklist IP addresses or domain names generally regarded as malicious, untrustworthy or of bad repute, said Samaneh Tajalizadehkhoob of ICANN's chief technology office. They're important to, and must be better understood by, ICANN, registries/registrars, hosting companies and other service providers and end-users, said iQ Chief Technology Officer LG Forsberg.
DOJ won’t terminate the ASCAP and BMI consent decrees, Antitrust Division Chief Makan Delrahim said Friday (see 2101070048). He recommended the department continue reviewing the music licensing decrees every five years.
The Trump administration's outgoing antitrust head said he won't act to change consent decrees governing performing rights organizations' licensing of public performance of music. After a two-year DOJ Antitrust Division investigation into the pacts with ASCAP and BMI, division chief Makan Delrahim laid out principles to keep in mind. But he said he's not acting now.
Colorado is reworking its method for collecting local 911 fees. Gov. Jared Polis (D) signed HB-1293 Friday to replace a system in which 58 local 911 governing bodies set their own surcharges and must ask the Public Utilities Commission for approval to charge more than 70 cents. The new law requires the PUC by Jan. 1 to adjust the cap annually for inflation, and establishes a separate statewide 911 surcharge, up to 50 cents monthly on phone bills, to be distributed to the local 911 bodies based on the size of their system. Prepaid wireless will be treated like landline, wireless and VoIP. The drawback to the old approach was that rural and mountain communities with small populations didn’t have enough subscribers to produce enough revenue for the size of their 911 systems, “which don't scale well at the small end and oftentimes have to be bigger than their population would indicate due to tourist traffic,” state 911 Program Manager Daryl Branson emailed Monday. The new approach will provide more funding to all local 911 governing bodies, with proportionally more support to rural and mountain areas, he said. HB-1293 is expected to increase revenue to local governments by $3.2 million in FY 2020-21, $6.5 million the following fiscal year, said a June 8 fiscal note by Colorado Legislative Council staff.
FCC interaction with constituents is changing in the face of the pandemic, with ex parte meetings down in recent weeks, according to our analysis of more than 400 electronic comment filing system filings. Agency officials said stakeholders presumably are reluctant to set up meetings on non-pressing matters, and commissioners' Tuesday meeting agenda lacks major items. That could change in April with the 6 GHz order expected (see 2003270032), one agency official said. The regulator said aides in Chairman Ajit Pai's office don't seem less busy.
The FCC may have to backtrack on proposed rules for the citizens broadband radio service band after getting essentially no support in the record for cellular market area-level bidding in June’s auction of priority access licenses (PALs). Only T-Mobile backed CMA-level bidding but not using the FCC-proposed scheme (see 1911130056). Commissioners approved a notice in September that proposes to allow bidding on a CMA-level basis, rather than just by counties, in the top 172 CMAs. Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks voted for the notice, though with reservations on CMA-level bidding (see 1909260040).
SAN ANTONIO -- Verizon in particular and cable and telco industries generally took heat from consumer advocates and others for what they contend are lagging service quality and/or rising prices. The providers don’t face enough competition, aren’t building out broadband as quickly as possible and/or don't always meet their commitments, the advocates and others said in interviews Tuesday. They spoke on the sidelines of the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates conference in the same hotel as NARUC, and on a panel (see 10:05 a.m. Tuesday).