Communications Daily is tracking the lawsuits below involving appeals of FCC actions.
An array of educational policy experts and parents lambasted what they see as an overly heavy reliance on technology in classrooms on Wednesday during an NTIA listening session. Administrator Arielle Roth said earlier this month that a focus of the agency is looking at issues related to excessive screen use in educational settings (see 512020015). The FCC's E-rate program was also criticized by multiple speakers.
Rep. Gus Bilirakis of Florida, lead GOP sponsor of the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act (HR-979), acknowledged Tuesday night that the House’s timeline for passing the bill has slipped slightly but insisted that its leaders still plan to bring it to the floor for a vote soon. He and other backers of HR-979 and Senate companion S-315 had expected a fast-track House vote earlier this month on the measure, which would require the Department of Transportation to mandate that future automobiles include AM radio technology.
President Donald Trump signed off Thursday night on an executive order that would direct NTIA to potentially curtail non-deployment funding from the $42.5 billion BEAD program for states that the Trump administration determines have AI laws that are overly burdensome. Some estimates have found that $20 billion in BEAD funding qualifies as non-deployment money. Trump's order is identical to a draft proposal, circulated in November, that drew significant bipartisan opposition.
The Amazon-backed Connect Everyone Coalition is pressing agencies including the FCC, DOD and Commerce and Transportation departments to do away with some of the duplicative regulatory approvals needed for space launch activity. In a letter to the agencies Tuesday, the coalition said the separate approvals necessary for launch authorization often involve "uncoordinated timelines and conflicting requirements." Space approvals also often require submitting nearly identical environmental assessments to multiple agencies, when there should be a shared environmental review, it argued. In addition, the group complained about safety reviews done by multiple agencies for launch range safety determinations and "a persistent lack of transparency around launch scheduling and delay decisions." Changes such as a transparent launch coordination mechanism and shared standards and full reciprocity for range safety determinations across federal agencies "will let operators build, lead, innovate and create value for the American people."
Ligado is seeking FCC Space Bureau approval to operate an L-band payload that would be placed on AST SpaceMobile's low earth orbit constellation. In a bureau application Monday, Ligado said the SkyTerra Next payload would provide 5G service to consumers in conjunction with the space-based mobile broadband to be provided by AST. AST would provide telemetry, tracking and control functions for SkyTerra Next, while Ligado would retain operational control of the payload itself, the filing said.
The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) wants the FCC, Congress, the White House and DOJ to reject the Nexstar/Tegna deal, the group said Tuesday in a news release, which was highlighted in a separate release from fellow deal opponent Newsmax. “At a time when media bias is already undermining public trust, the last thing our nation needs is even greater consolidation of the television broadcast industry,” said ZOA National President Morton Klein.
NAB is shifting its staff to prioritize the development and deployment of the Broadcast Positioning System (BPS), an ATSC 3.0-based U.S. backup for GPS that's seen by broadcasters as an important justification for shifting U.S. consumers to 3.0. “By investing more resources in BPS, we are accelerating a technology that strengthens national resilience while creating meaningful long-term opportunities for our members,” said NAB CEO Curtis LeGeyt in a release Tuesday.
The FCC Enforcement Bureau has canceled one notice of apparent liability and reached settlements with nine companies related to violations of the agency’s Reassigned Numbers Database (RND) rules, said several orders Monday. The nine settlements all involved companies that failed to provide timely information to the RND administrator on disconnected phone numbers, the orders said. Under the terms of the settlements, Claro Puerto Rico will pay $32,000, and Stratford Mutual, FiberHawk and Integrated Path will each pay $30,000. Point Broadband will pay a $27,000 settlement, while Data Network Solutions will pay $15,000, Salsgiver Telecom will pay $14,000, Palo Communications will pay $12,000 and Fort Mojave Telecommunications will pay $9,000. The bureau canceled a similar NAL against Communications Plus after finding that the company reported the disconnections, but through an affiliate.
The window to file FCC Form 855 certifications for hearing-aid rule compliance opens Jan. 2 and closes Feb. 2, said the Wireless Bureau in a public notice Monday. The FCC “requires wireless service providers to file FCC Form 855 certifications to ensure compliance with the Commission’s wireless hearing aid compatibility rules,” the reminder said. “Service providers who offer handset models for sale or use in the United States are required to annually file this form.”