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.”
Republican FCC nominee Olivia Trusty could get more support Wednesday from Senate Commerce Committee Democrats than NTIA administrator pick Arielle Roth drew earlier this month (see 2504090037), but lobbyists told us the likely tally remained in flux Tuesday afternoon. Panel Democrats gave Trusty a warm reception at her April 9 confirmation hearing (see 2504090060), after only one caucus member, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, joined all 15 Republicans to advance Roth. Senate Commerce's Wednesday markup session will begin at 10 a.m. in 253 Russell.
Trent Harkrader steps down as FCC's acting Wireline Bureau chief; FCC retirements include: Public Safety Bureau Associate Chief Jeffery Goldthorp (22 years of service); Wireless Bureau's John Lambert (17); from Office of General Counsel: Lori Alexiou (21) and Larry Atlas (18) ... The U.K. Office of Communications names to three-year terms on new online information advisory committee: Elisabeth Costa, Behavioural Insights Team; Jeffrey Howard, University College London; Will Moy, Campbell Collaboration; Mark Scott, Atlantic Council; and Devika Shanker-Grandpierre, EU Knowledge Hub on Prevention of Radicalisation.
Monica DeLong, who served in the FCC Wireless Bureau for 17 years as an attorney adviser, has died. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced DeLong’s passing during Monday’s open commission meeting. No details were released. Carr called DeLong “a huge contributor to the agency's work, primarily focusing on wireless transactions... She will be deeply missed.”
The Edison Electric Institute asked the FCC to act on its petition for clarity on a requirement that utilities have prior express consent under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act to send demand response calls and texts to their customers (see 2503100047). “As EEI explained in the Petition, demand response programs are a ‘crucial strategy for utilities’ to help keep the electricity grid stable ‘given the dramatic increases of both energy demand, and the costs borne by customers associated with meeting that demand,’” said a filing last week in docket 02-278.
Responsible Enterprises Against Consumer Harassment (REACH) asked the FCC to clarify that calls made with a called party's consent are not solicitations and not subject to time restrictions under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.
T-Mobile and UScellular representatives met with FCC staff examining their proposed deal, in which T-Mobile is buying wireless assets, including spectrum, from the smaller carrier for about $4.4 billion, including $2 billion in assumed debt (see 2405280047). The representatives “discussed the timing and status of the … transaction and urged expeditious action,” said a filing Friday in docket 24-286. “They informed FCC staff about UScellular’s steps to relinquish its Eligible Telecommunications Carrier designations in connection with the transaction” and “the status of the various FCC requests for information, documents, and data.”
Wi-Fi advocates on Monday filed at the FCC a study by Plum Consulting countering a recent NextNav engineering study that found no interference concerns with the company’s proposal for the FCC to reconfigure the 902-928 MHz band “to enable a high-quality, terrestrial complement” to GPS for positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) services (see 2503030023).