The House passed the Precision Agriculture Satellite Connectivity Act (HR-1618) and five other Commerce Committee-cleared telecom bills Monday on voice votes. The others: the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences Codification Act (HR-1455), Communications Security Act (HR-1717), Promoting U.S. Wireless Leadership Act (HR-1765), NTIA Policy and Cybersecurity Coordination Act (HR-1766) and Open Radio Access Networks Outreach Act (HR-2037). The chamber was also expected to vote as soon as Monday night on the Understanding Cybersecurity of Mobile Networks Act (HR-1709).
The Rural Wireless Association will ask the full FCC to review an order passed by the Wireless Bureau's and Office of International Affairs' acting chiefs Friday approving T-Mobile’s purchase of wireless assets from UScellular (see 2507110045), the group said Monday in an emailed statement. But new Commissioner Olivia Trusty indicated her support for the three merger orders handed down last week, suggesting that Chairman Brendan Carr would likely have a majority for approval if he sought a commissioner vote.
Citing the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' finding against the FCC on its 2023 one-to-one robotext consent policy order (see 2501240068), the agency said it has removed the order's language from its rule book. The FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau order Monday to eliminate the rule marked the second time in days that the agency has reset its regulations to an earlier version due to a court decision; the Wireless Bureau said last week that it was restoring the agency's rules to language dating to before the 2024 net neutrality order, which was ultimately shot down by the 6th Circuit (see 2507110016). As with Wireless' net neutrality order, Consumer and Government Affairs said the FCC didn't have to conduct a notice-and-comment proceeding for the amendment because it's implementing the 11th Circuit's mandate, and the agency doesn't have discretion to depart from that.
Concessions from T-Mobile and Verizon that the companies offered as part of recent transactions were critical to getting major carriers to the table to address long-standing pricing issues, said Todd Schlekeway, president and CEO of NATE, an association representing infrastructure builders. The agreements also address concerns about workforce security and contractors who work on towers being fully vetted, he said.
The FCC Space and Wireless bureaus and Office of Engineering and Technology signed off Friday on license transfers needed as part of SES' $3.1 billion purchase of Intelsat. It put no special conditions on the transaction. SES/Intelsat is likely to result in lower costs from synergies, better network quality, increased investment, national security benefits "and the creation of a more vigorous satellite competitor," the bureaus said in a 35-page order.
The FCC's basic cable rate regulation order, adopted at its June meeting (see 2506260030), goes into effect Aug. 13, said a notice for Monday's Federal Register. The order exempted small cable systems and cable equipment used for anything other than delivery of the basic service tier from rate regulation.
The FCC should “promptly” release an NPRM indicating its preliminary conclusions about an ATSC 3.0 transition date, said Pearl TV Executive Director Anne Schelle during a meeting last week with an aide to Commissioner Olivia Trusty. “Each quarter that passes without a definitive signal and an NPRM” from the FCC “increases the risk of extending the timeline” for the transition “by another year, as development and manufacturing processes are tied to seasonal and retail schedules,” said a presentation included with the ex parte filing in docket 16-142. Without an NPRM pointing to a date, “manufacturers are likely to adopt a wait-and-see approach,” Pearl TV said, adding that TVs have an 18-month development cycle. “All parts of the ecosystem -- from [consumer electronics] manufacturers to developers of converter boxes to retailers and smaller market broadcasters -- need the certainty of a set transition date and volume of devices to focus attention on the last stage of the transition to ATSC 3.0,” the filing said.
The FCC Media Bureau is seeking comment on a petition for declaratory ruling on whether a homeowners association's (HOA) rules against rooftop antennas violate FCC regulations, said a public notice Friday. The matter concerns a dispute between Wintergarden, Florida, resident Brian Smith and the Orangetree of Lake County HOA. According to filings from Smith, the HOA ordered him to remove his rooftop TV antenna and replace it with one installed in his attic. Smith said the HOA’s policy violates the FCC’s rule for over-the-air reception devices, which “prohibits governmental and nongovernmental restrictions that impair the ability of antenna users to install, maintain, or use” such devices, the notice said. Comments are due Aug. 11, replies Aug. 26.
The FCC Wireline Bureau last week approved T-Mobile’s buy of a stake in fiber-based provider Metronet as part of a joint venture with investment firm KKR. The proposed deal was announced a year ago (see 2407240020). The approval came after T-Mobile agreed to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs that the Trump administration targeted (see 2507090034).
T-Mobile asked the FCC to block the access of outside counsel for Verizon to confidential information in the docket on T-Mobile’s proposed buy of wireless assets from UScellular, which FCC approved Friday (see 2507110045). Wiley’s Joshua Turner and Sara Baxenberg filed last week seeking access to the information. “Verizon has not filed an application, petition to deny, or material comments in this proceeding and the time for doing so has long ago expired,” T-Mobile said in a filing posted Friday in docket 24-286. “Given that over 9 months have passed since the filing of the applications and nearly half a year has passed since the deadline for filing petitions and/or comments, there is no basis to believe that affording Verizon’s counsel access to T-Mobile’s [confidential information] at this late hour would serve any permitted purpose.”