With the FCC facing growing interest from space operators seeking approval for operations on and above the moon's surface, the agency also needs to update its rules for that lunar future, space policy experts told us. The commercial interest in the moon also should trigger ITU action, they said. The FCC didn't comment.
Exports to China
Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., threw a wrench in Senate prospects for quickly passing a new proposal from House Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., to restore the FCC’s spectrum auction authority through June 30 (HR-3345) before the House Communications Subcommittee unanimously advanced it during a Wednesday markup session. The mandate expired in early March after Rounds objected to Senate leaders' bid to pass a House-cleared bill to extend the mandate through May 19 (HR-1108) by unanimous consent (see 2303090074). Rounds told us Tuesday he still won't allow UC passage of any bill to restore the FCC's remit unless it goes through Sept. 30 to give DOD time to complete a study of its systems on the 3.1-3.45 GHz band.
The State Department appears to be considering what it will do if Anna Gomez, tapped to lead the U.S. delegation to the World Radicommunication Conference (see 2301270060), is nominated to the FCC, said industry officials closely following the WRC. The conference starts Nov. 20 in Dubai and is considered especially important because of the focus on identifying internationally harmonized spectrum for 6G.
Tower company CEOs expect a strong 2023, with 5G driving carrier investments, and the major carriers all building out mid-band spectrum. Meanwhile, a CTIA official said Thursday the key to the U.S. leading on 6G is getting 5G policy right.
The EU should consider issuing a renewed, unified policy on China, given French President Emmanuel Macron’s comments in April about U.S.-China relations, said European Parliament Member Eva Maydell of Bulgaria Wednesday.
TikTok has never shared, or received a request to share, data with the Chinese government, the company wrote the House Commerce Committee in response to members’ questions for the record (QFR), which the committee released Friday. The company dodged several questions, including requests for specifics about how many engineers it employs in the U.S. and China.
Commenters opposed Stadler Signalling Deutschland’s request at the FCC (see 2304040055) to operate its automatic train protection system in the 100 kHz band at higher power levels than FCC rules allow. Comments were due at the FCC Thursday in docket 23-133. Hellen Systems raised concerns about protecting long-range navigation (Loran) and enhanced-Loran (eLoran) systems. “Stadler’s primary argument in requesting this waiver is that LORAN C, which operates in the 90-110 kHz band, is ‘obsolete’ and therefore no longer needed,” Hellen said: “This, unfortunately, is a gross mischaracterization of the status of LORAN technology and its current place as a compelling radio navigation solution to meet our growing resilient Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) needs.” ELoran “is very much alive internationally and under serious consideration by multiple departments of the federal government for use domestically” to supplement GPS, the company said. “While the United States terminated its Loran-C system in 2010, interest in using the spectrum for radionavigation remains,” the Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation said. Russia and Saudi Arabia still operate Loran-C radionavigation systems and eLoran is used in the U.K., China and South Korea, the group said: “The applicant has not made a compelling case that it should no longer be reserved for that purpose, nor that other frequencies are unsuitable and/or unavailable for applicant’s desired purpose.” Continental Electronics also raised Loran concerns. ELoran “remains relevant and is not obsolete,” the company said: “There is government wide and international interest in pursuing its development and deployment.” UrsaNav cited use across the world of Loran technology. “The 90-110 kHz spectrum is internationally reserved,” UrsaNav said: “Although use of Loran is in transition globally, several nations continue to operate Loran-C and/or its successor, Enhanced Loran.” Microchip Technology opposed the waiver, saying use of the band as proposed “could interfere with eLoran signal reception, which would undermine the ability for eLoran to serve as a back-up to GPS for national critical infrastructure and other PNT applications.”
Competitive Carriers Association CEO Tim Donovan on Wednesday urged Congress to fully fund the FCC's Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program (see 2304210069). Carriers, consumers “and the millions of Americans that roam on these networks must not be negatively impacted by insufficient funding,” Donovan said at the start of the group’s spring show in Pittsburgh.
This spring's proxy season includes multiple shareholder votes on tech, media and telecom (TMT) companies' reliance on China, plus an array of proposed disclosures of lobbying activities. The China proposals have garnered little investor support.
Congressional telecom policy leaders said in interviews last week there still isn’t consensus for passing legislation from Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., to temporarily restore the FCC’s spectrum auction authority through Sept. 30 (S-650), despite recent indications from House Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., that she was reconsidering her earlier opposition to the proposal (see 2304210069). The FCC’s remit lapsed March 9 after Rounds objected to approving a House-passed bill to reauthorize it through May 19 (HR-1108) by unanimous consent and chamber leaders refused his counterbid to swiftly advance S-650 (see 2303090074).