The FCC is calling for suggestions on which of its rules should be eliminated in a docket (25-133) called “In re: Delete, Delete, Delete,” the agency announced in a news release and public notice Wednesday. “The FCC is committed to ending all of the rules and regulations that are no longer necessary. And we welcome the public’s participation and feedback throughout this process,” said Chairman Brendan Carr in the release. “For too long, administrative agencies have added new regulatory requirements in excess of their authority or kept lawful regulations in place long after their shelf life had expired.” The effort is linked to White House executive orders on deregulation and the Department of Government Efficiency, the release said. “We are seeking public input on identifying FCC rules for the purpose of alleviating unnecessary regulatory burdens,” the public notice said.
Project Rise offered an "unserious" bid to buy Paramount Global, and the issues it has raised with the FCC (see 2503060035) are an attempt to slow the Skydance Media/Paramount deal and force Paramount's board to consider that rival offer, Skydance said Monday (docket 24-275). It said Project Rise lacks standing to object to the transaction, and its "broadsides" lack factual support or merit. Skydance said its "fully funded plan will infuse Paramount with additional capital and combine Skydance’s talented, American management team and storytelling prowess with Paramount’s venerated brands," while Project Rise is offering "an unfunded and unrealistic proposal backed by a leadership team without relevant experience."
The FCC Wireline Bureau on Monday reminded Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program recipients that their next updates to the commission are due April 3. The last quarterly reports were due Jan. 3. “The status updates keep the Bureau apprised of recipients’ progress toward meeting their obligations under the Reimbursement Program,” the notice said.
The Edison Electric Institute, which represents electric utilities, asked the FCC to clarify that utilities have “prior express consent” under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act to send “demand response calls and texts” to their customers. EEI asked the commission to confirm “that such communications are ‘closely related’ to a customer’s utility service, as they are essential for effective grid management and for Americans to have the information they need to manage their cost of living, particularly considering rising energy demands and costs.” The group stressed the importance of these calls and texts to the electric industry. “Demand response programs target short-term, intentional modification of electricity usage by end-user customers during peak times or in response to market prices,” it said. “They help keep the electricity grid stable and efficient and can save customers money.” The petition was filed Monday in docket 02-278.
The National Consumer Law Center and Public Justice made their case Monday with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for an en banc hearing of the court’s decision on a 2023 FCC robocall and robotext order (see 2501240068). Intervenors sought permission to intervene when it became clear the U.S. government wouldn't defend the order (see 2502200004). A key issue before judges was the one-to-one robotext consent provisions in the 2023 order.
Nokia asked the FCC not to make public the information it provided as it starts commercial operations as a spectrum access system administrator for the citizens broadband radio service band. Nokia filed a notice at the commission last week that it had begun operations, but it stripped all data from the filing in docket 15-319. The FCC approved Nokia’s application last summer (see 2407180035).
The National Sheriffs' Association and the California State Sheriffs' Association made their case for staying parts of the FCC’s October order on the 4.9 GHz band. The groups supported arguments by the Bay Area Rapid Transit District (see 2503070024), which also sought a stay, and countered arguments by the FCC, the Public Safety Spectrum Alliance (PSSA) and Public Safety Broadband Technology Association (see 2503030053).
Representatives from Bandwidth met with FCC Wireline Bureau Chief Trent Harkrader and others from the bureau on interconnection problems that the company is experiencing. The cloud communications company “provided marketplace perspectives about how [public switched telephone network] interconnection is breaking in various ways as ILECs [incumbent local exchange carriers] and others are decommissioning facilities or pricing services to make them prohibitive for remaining customers to sustain,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 21-479. “Bandwidth explained that it would prefer to interconnect via IP, but there is no regulatory framework for such interconnection at this time.” The company said its efforts to move time-division multiplexing (TDM) to its commercial IP interconnection agreements “have so far been rebuffed and ILECs have not made IP interconnection available to Bandwidth for the exchange of voice calls with the ILECs’ customers who remain on TDM services or delivery of calls to a selective router.”
House Appropriations Committee Republicans bowed a continuing resolution (HR-1968) Saturday that would extend current federal funding levels for the FCC, NTIA and other agencies through Sept. 30, the end of FY 2025. The measure, if passed, would avert a government shutdown that would otherwise begin when an existing CR expires after midnight Friday. HR-1968 would also extend through Sept. 30 some temporary rules changes that give Medicare recipients eligibility for telehealth services. Lawmakers raised concerns last month that Congress’ failure to extend the temporary rules change via the current CR would mean Medicare eligibility for telehealth services would expire April 1 (see 2502200065). Congress enacted the expanded telehealth rules during the COVID-19 pandemic (see 2006170065).
Major trade groups are at odds with the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) on whether the FCC should reconsider its January declaratory ruling in response to the Salt Typhoon cyberattacks. That ruling was opposed by now-Chairman Brendan Carr (see 2501160041). The FCC concluded then that Section 105 of the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) “affirmatively requires telecommunications carriers to secure their networks from unlawful access or interception of communications.”