Jessica Rosenworcel’s last open meeting as FCC chair Jan. 15 will feature a series of staff presentations about accomplishments, but no votes or orders are expected, according to a tentative agenda released Monday. Rosenworcel last month announced she plans to step down Jan. 20 (see (2411210028). “Senior Bureau, Office, and Task Force staff will lead a series of presentations” on topics that include “the agency’s work on making communications more just for more people in more places,” and “the agency’s work on national security, public safety, and protecting consumers,” the release said. Other presentations will focus on the FCC’s work expanding access to modern communications and the future of communications, the release said.
President Joe Biden signed off Saturday on the continuing resolution that will extend appropriations to the FCC and other federal agencies through March 14 (HR-10545), as expected (see 2412200062). The Senate voted 85-11 for the CR early Saturday morning, after House passage of the measure Friday evening. The measure lacks language from the NTIA Reauthorization Act (HR-4510) and several other telecom and tech bills that congressional leaders included in a more expansive CR proposal earlier last week (see 2412170081). It contains an extension of some temporary rules changes around Medicare recipients’ eligibility for telehealth services, which Congress enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic (see 2006150032).
AT&T said Monday the FCC approved its proposal to to initially stop new sales and then discontinue residential local service in nine Oklahoma wire centers. The proposal was deemed granted Saturday after the agency didn’t take further action. The Communications Workers of America slammed the development.
Pointing to its work with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline on evaluating technological approaches to georouting text messages, the wireless industry is advising that the FCC wait to implement georouting rules. That view was contained in docket 18-36 comments Monday and last week. Meanwhile, mental health and related interests strongly supported a text georouting requirement. The commission's 988 georouting order approved unanimously at its October meeting included an NPRM about text georouting (see 2410170026).
The Government Wireless Technology & Communications Association (GWTCA) and state groups asked the FCC to delay a requirement that current 4.9 GHz licensees provide it with granular licensing data not later than June 9, or face cancellation of their licenses. Proponents of the delay were optimistic on Monday that the FCC would approve the stay.
Comments are due Jan. 22 on the FCC's proposed criteria and mechanism for selecting a space launch frequency coordinator for the agency's space launch service, said a notice for Monday's Federal Register. It said it's also seeking comment on licensing and frequency coordination procedures and data requirements. The dockets are 24-687 and 13-115, respectively. The space launch spectrum allocation order that commissioners approved in 2023 (see 2309210055) requires that launch operators seeking to use the 2025–2110 MHz or 2200–2290 MHz band must complete a frequency coordination process with a third-party frequency coordinator. The agency is also proposing allocation of 2360-2395 MHz for launch activities (see 2412190044).
SpaceX told the FCC Friday it has the needed Australian authorizations to commence supplemental coverage from space service there with mobile service partner Telstra, according to a filing in docket 23-135. Previously, SpaceX said it's ready to launch SCS service in New Zealand (see 2412120021). The company's New Zealand mobile partner, One New Zealand, said last week it had commenced commercial service of its One NZ Satellite TXT service, allowing SCS texting as long as there's a clear line of sight to the sky. ONZ said the texting service will take longer to send and receive messages -- three to as much as 10 minutes. "As the service matures and more satellites are launched, we expect delivery times to improve," it added.
The idea of subjecting streaming services to regulation intended for traditional media services lacks a legal, policy or technological basis, Warner Bros. Discovery executives told FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, according to a docket 24-119 filing posted Friday. In addition, WBD said fracturing of audiences and programming outlets makes it difficult for viewers to find their favorite content, which leads them to purchase additional services. That fracturing also reduces providers' ability to generate subscription and advertising revenue to support high-quality content, it added.
The Media Bureau has granted NAB’s request for an expedited retroactive extension of the audible crawl waiver, said an order Friday. The waiver applies from Nov. 26, 2024 -- the date of the last waiver’s expiration – until May 27, 2025, or until the FCC rules on NAB’s separate petition for a longer term waiver. Broadcasters have said that the expiration of the waiver, which had been continuously in effect since 2015, caused stations to pull radar maps from their severe weather coverage (see 2412170056). “We note that this action will maintain the status quo that existed prior to the expiration of the waiver on November 26, 2024, while the underlying petition is considered and this action does not prejudge the issues pending in that underlying petition,” the order said. Because the waiver would maintain the status quo from before it expired and no one has opposed NAB’s request, “we conclude that special circumstances warrant a further temporary waiver from this aspect of the Audible Crawl Rule for a brief period,” the order said. Though NAB asked for the temporary waiver until the FCC rules on the longer term request, the order limited it to six months because “grant of a temporary waiver that does not include a specific time period would be inconsistent with our prior actions in this area,” the order said. “Consistent with prior waivers, we continue to strongly encourage broadcasters to provide the critical details of graphically displayed emergency information in an accessible manner whenever possible during the pendency of this waiver.”
It's "not too late" for Nevada to change course on its BEAD plan, Information Technology & Innovation Foundation Director-Broadband and Spectrum Policy Joe Kane blogged Thursday. Kane said the state's provisional choices for allocating its funding, which required NTIA approval, "reflect a misunderstanding of the digital divide." The state could deploy high-speed low-earth-orbit satellite service for $600 per location. "Nevada could use savings from a more reasonable deployment plan to provide a similar affordability benefit to its low-income residents" as the FCC's affordable connectivity program, he said. Nevada's Office of Science, Innovation & Technology didn't comment. Kane also urged NTIA to revise its fiber preference in BEAD program rules (see 2412130011). NTIA should stop its "irrational preferencing of fiber deployments and require that states choose the most economical technologies to complete deployment so that leftover funds can address more widespread and serious causes of the digital divide," he said.