Privacy and mental health advocates are largely supportive of the privacy protections in the 988 call georouting draft order, which is on the FCC's October meeting agenda (see 2409260047). An FCC official told us 5-0 approval is likely.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel circulated on Friday for a commissioner vote rules that would expand parts of the 6 GHz band where new very-low power (VLP) devices can operate without coordination, beyond the initial 850 MHz commissioners approved last year (see 2310190054). When the FCC took comment earlier this year, Wi-Fi advocates and 6 GHz incumbents disagreed sharply on whether to expand VLP use of the band (see 2404290035).
Congressional Democratic leaders remain intent on attaching funding to restore the FCC’s lapsed affordable connectivity program to a year-end legislative package (see 2409170066). Some lawmakers acknowledge the push faces long odds in what’s likely to be a fraught lame-duck session. Some ACP boosters believe Capitol Hill’s lame-duck dynamics could change depending on the outcome of the Nov. 5 election. GOP lawmakers aren’t enthusiastic about attaching ACP money to a legislative vehicle this year, in part citing their longstanding demand for a major overhaul of the program in conjunction with additional funding.
FCC veteran Ira Keltz named agency’s acting chief engineer ... Verizon appoints Santiago Tenorio, ex-Vodafone, chief technology officer and senior vice president-strategy and technology enablement, starting Oct. 28 … FCC Enforcement Bureau names Andy Hendrickson, ex-Verizon, CTO.
AST SpaceMobile Chairman/CEO Abel Avellan met with FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr to discuss the company's near-term plans for testing direct-to-device commercial satellites, potential timing of full commercial deployment of D2D service and regulatory approvals needed, said a posting Thursday in docket 20-32.
The FCC Enforcement Bureau’s Miami office sent a warning to two North Miami, Florida, landowners over pirate radio broadcasts from their property, said an agency notice of violation issued to Toussaint Orius and Marie Orius in Thursday’s Daily Digest. EB agents found unauthorized radio broadcasts coming from the Orius’ property in March. The notice said the landowners could face a fine of up to nearly $2.4 million for hosting an unauthorized radio broadcast.
SpaceX and European mobile network operators are at odds over the out-of-band emissions waiver SpaceX is seeking for its supplemental coverage from space service (see 2408130008). In a letter to the FCC Space Bureau this week, Vodafone, Orange, Liberty Global, Telefonica, PPF, Telenor and United Group said they were "gravely concerned" about proposed lower safeguards protecting terrestrial MNOs from interference. They said the current aggregate out-of-band emission limit "represents the bare minimum level of protection that mobile network operators require from spurious emissions" in low- and mid-band spectrum. That current limit, they added, "should be regarded as a 'best case,'" as terrestrial MNOs could experience amplified interference when multiple competing direct-to-device satellite systems operate, or an individual D2D operator expands the number of satellites in orbit, prompting more coincident interference. In docket 23-135, SpaceX said the MNOs, all investors in rival D2D operator AST SpaceMobile, are on a "scorched-Earth campaign to hamstring" competition. They "provide zero technical support for their opposition" and don't address SpaceX and T-Mobile technical assessments showing adjacent-band terrestrial networks would be protected, SpaceX said. Nor do they provide any technical support for their "specious" best-case claims, it added. If the best-case claims are correct, SpaceX said, AST operations would cause far more interference to users than the protection level being demanded of SpaceX.
Government officials should disclose their schedules except in limited circumstances when doing so might compromise their safety, former FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly said Thursday, responding to criticism of FTC Chair Lina Khan. “Why aren't public officials' schedules made publicly available?” he said. “I asked and advocated long ago that they be, especially travel. Except in limited instances of security, make officials post them to the Internet!” FTC spokesman Douglas Farrar on Wednesday defended Khan’s upcoming appearances with Democratic lawmakers. She regularly attends “official events at the request of Members of Congress” and abides by the rules governing her role as chair, he said. House Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., on Wednesday claimed Khan is improperly campaigning on behalf of Vice President Kamala Harris (see 2410020046). Farrar noted Khan in 2024 attended “at least a dozen official events where Members of Congress invited her to listen to their constituents, because every community has a stake in fair competition.” Khan “speaks often about the importance of hearing from Americans across the country, because that’s how to best understand the way markets actually work,” he said.
The FCC Wireless Bureau on Thursday tentatively approved Virginia-based SDF's application to serve as a contraband interdiction system (CIS) operator, helping address contraband phones in correctional facilities. Approval lets SDF “market and sell its CIS as described in its application, and begin phase two testing,” the bureau said. The FCC required two phases of testing in a 2021 order (see 2107130029).
Verizon urged the FCC to move forward on a handset unlocking mandate, the focus of an NPRM commissioners approved 5-0 in July (see 2407180037). Some commenters question whether the FCC has legal authority to impose rules (see 2409240038). A 60-day locking period for postpaid phones “is the minimum necessary to help providers combat handset fraud and theft, but a longer, 180-day locking period for prepaid is necessary to enable wireless providers to continue offering subsidies that make phones affordable for prepaid customers,” Verizon said in a filing this week in docket 24-186. Regardless of the time period commissioners agree to, “a uniform unlocking policy that applies to all providers is paramount; the record is replete with evidence that uniformity will benefit both consumers and competition,” the carrier said. Verizon met with staff from the Wireless Bureau and the Office of Economics and Analytics.