New CTIA President Ajit Pai, former chairman of the FCC, met with Commissioners Geoffrey Starks and Nathan Simington and their aides, said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 25-59. Pai previously met with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr (see 2504230015).
One change of note in the 37 GHz order and Further NPRM approved 4-0 on Monday by the FCC (see 2504280032), when compared with the draft version, is the addition of language on the development of a dynamic spectrum management system (DSMS) in the band. The FCC posted the approved item Tuesday. It “does not foreclose the adoption of a DSMS in the future,” the FNPRM now says: “We seek comment on the possibility of replacing the coordination framework we adopt today with a DSMS. What metrics might the Commission use to determine that use of the 37 GHz band has reached sufficient scale to merit further exploration of adopting a DSMS to coordinate use of the band?”
CTIA urged the FCC to schedule an AWS-3 reauction without delay and dismiss calls for a tribal licensing window, according to reply comments on a March public notice on FCC bidding procedures. The record that’s been developed “demonstrates broad support for the Commission’s proposed procedures, including the efficient, time-tested Clock-1 auction format,” CTIA said this week in docket 25-117. In initial comments, the group disagreed sharply with tribal interests that urged a tribal window (see 2504110040).
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced Tuesday that one of his former aides, Joseph Calascione, is returning to the FCC as chief of the Wireline Bureau. The announcement comes the day after Carr said acting Chief Trent Harkrader is leaving the agency after 26 years (see 2504280019). Calascione joined Akin Gump in early 2022. He previously served for 20 months as an acting legal adviser to Carr. “His legal and policy expertise on wireline and other communications issues will enable the FCC to modernize its regulatory frameworks” and “unleash economic opportunity,” Carr said.
The House voted 409-2 Monday night to approve the Senate-passed Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks Act (S-146), which President Donald Trump is likely to sign into law. In addition, the House cleared five other tech and telecom bills Monday night on voice votes: the Removing Our Unsecure Technologies to Ensure Reliability and Security Act (HR-866), Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency Act (HR-906), Rural Broadband Protection Act (HR-2399), Future Uses of Technology Upholding Reliable and Enhanced Networks Act (HR-2449) and the Secure Space Act (HR-2458). The chamber earlier Monday passed two other measures (see 2504280055): the Securing Semiconductor Supply Chains Act (HR-2480) and NTIA Reauthorization Act (HR-2482).
The FCC listed freeing spectrum, facilitating the space application review process and sending warning letters to broadcast networks and tech companies as accomplishments in a news release Tuesday touting its work during the first 100 days of the Trump administration.
Some FCC rules targeted for the deregulatory ax under the agency’s “Delete, Delete, Delete” proceeding were defended in reply comments, according to filings this week in docket 25-133, where replies were due Monday. The proceeding saw legions of initial commenters mentioning regulations from all corners of the communications regulation sphere (see 2504140063, 2504140046 and 2504140037). Replies were similarly active and far-reaching.
The GPS Innovation Alliance and Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation (RNTF) urged the FCC to take a broad view of the complementary technologies that can provide positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) as a GPS alternative. NTIA supported PNT diversity, while other commenters continued arguments over NextNav’s proposal to use the 902-928 MHz band for a “terrestrial complement” to GPS (see 2504280045). Initial comments were due Monday on an FCC notice of inquiry.
Judges on the 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals appeared skeptical Tuesday of claims that Verizon had the right to a jury trial before facing a $46.9 million fine from the FCC for data violations. Judges from the ultraconservative 5th Circuit previously held that a similar fine against AT&T was unconstitutional. The 5th Circuit found that the AT&T fine violated the Seventh Amendment, which provides the right to a jury trial, and so was unconstitutional (see 2504180021).
Broadcasters doubled down on calls for station ownership deregulation in reply comments filed by this week's deadline in the “Delete” docket (see also 2504290038), while public interest groups pushed back and cautioned the FCC not to skip required procedures in a rush to eliminate rules. Nexstar said that if the current ownership rules are retained, they will “doom television broadcasting.”