“No new or novel issues should be considered” by the FCC until it has a quorum, said Commissioner Anna Gomez at a webinar hosted Monday by the Free Press Foundation. The agency doesn’t have a quorum because both Commissioner Nathan Simington and Geoffrey Starks resigned Friday (see 2506060035). The event was the latest in Gomez’s “First Amendment Tour” of speaking engagements on the FCC's and White House’s policies against media organizations. “New and novel” includes controversial matters like the Skydance/Paramount deal, Gomez said, adding that the agency shouldn’t use delegated authority to act on such matters without at least three commissioners. “Right now, we don't have a quorum, so we cannot have agency action on these types of matters,” she said. “Anything less would leave agency action subject to shaky legal ground.”
EchoStar allies and critics fortified their positions in the FCC's twin EchoStar proceedings in docket 22-212 and 25-173 reply comments, which were due Friday. The replies covered much of the same turf as initial comments did. One side argued that EchoStar has sunk billions into its 5G network buildout, and FCC action could chill future investments by it and others, while the opposing side questioned the legality of longer buildout deadlines (see 2505280002).
Wireless carriers are asking the FCC to trim old regulations and focus on flexible approaches in response to a March Further NPRM on wireless location accuracy. Public safety groups, including the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials, want the FCC to put more emphasis on providing dispatchable location information (see 2506060031). Comments were due Friday in docket 07-114, and most were posted Monday.
Conservative groups and the Consumer Technology Association argued in reply comments filed by Friday’s deadline that a mandatory transition to ATSC 3.0, as NAB proposed, would fly in the face of FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s deregulatory agenda. In its own comments, NAB argued that a mandate is necessary for broadcast competition, saying it's no different from the DTV transition.
The FCC should “refrain” from changing citizens broadband radio service power levels and out-of-band emissions limits in areas outside the contiguous U.S. (CONUS), GCI representatives said in a meeting with FCC Wireless Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology staff. The Alaskan carrier continues to offer critical fixed satellite services over the C band in areas outside CONUS, “such as Alaska, which require protection from harmful interference,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 17-258. “Such services include long distance services to remote villages, special access services, connectivity to support FAA air travel safety systems and weather cameras, middle-mile capacity, the delivery of telehealth services, and mobile wireless coverage via 2G and LTE-over-Satellite wireless services, among other important services.”
The FCC sought comment Friday on Verizon's request that the commission zero out the unlocking commitment it stipulated as a condition of approving the company’s purchase of Tracfone (see 2505200051). Comments are due July 7, replies July 21, and must reference dockets 06-150, 24-186 and 21-112, said a Wireless Bureau notice.
The FCC Wireless Bureau on Friday established a pleading cycle on Verizon’s proposed $1 billion buy of wireless licenses from UScellular. The companies announced a deal in October (see 2410180004). Verizon would get 39 licenses from the smaller carrier, in the cellular, AWS-1, AWS-3 and PCS bands. Petitions to deny are due July 7, oppositions July 22 and replies Aug. 1 in docket 25-192, the bureau said. The licenses cover 618 counties across 19 states, or about 8% of the U.S. population, it said. “Post-transaction, according to the Applicants, Verizon Wireless would be attributed with a maximum of 372 megahertz of spectrum, including up to 72 megahertz of below-1-GHz spectrum.”
The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials on Friday urged the FCC to address “dispatchable location” information as it reconsiders rules for wireless calls to 911. APCO filed in response to a March Further NPRM on wireless location accuracy, approved in a 4-0 vote by commissioners. Comments were due Friday in docket 07-114.
The FCC Wireline Bureau has denied TuCel Puerto Rico’s appeal of a Universal Service Administrative Co. decision to recover Emergency Broadband Benefit funds from the provider, said an order Friday. TuCel initially appealed the matter to USAC but requested a bureau review once that appeal was denied. “We find that USAC properly determined that TuCel improperly enrolled subscribers through an unapproved verification process without confirming their eligibility,” the order said. “We deny TuCel’s appeal and will continue the recovery action against TuCel.”
The FCC Wireline Bureau on Friday rejected a request from Big Bend Telephone Co. seeking review of a decision of the Universal Service Administrative Co., saying USAC "properly sought recovery" of USF high-cost support “based on the company’s failure to comply with the Commission’s rules.” The Texas wireline provider appealed the USAC decision during the 2012-14 audit review period. “We direct USAC to proceed with the recovery of more than $5.5 million in improperly paid support,” the bureau said. A USAC review identified 13 findings of noncompliance in the period, the order noted.