The FCC updated its Mapping Broadband Health in America tool to allow for visualization of more detailed data at the intersection of broadband access and health problems such as opioid abuse, cancer, chronic disease and several conditions affecting maternal health, said a public notice, fact sheet and news release Friday. The latest update “provides a crucial lens into the complex factors affecting maternal health” and is aimed at “empowering communities and policymakers to take action to improve the health and well-being of reproductive age and pregnant women across the country."
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel appears intent on closing several outstanding wireless issues in her final weeks at the helm, but industry experts said it appears unlikely she will tackle controversial items or launch anything. That approach differs from the way former FCC Chairman Ajit Pai conducted business at the end of the first Donald Trump presidency.
The non-geostationary orbit fixed satellite service interference protection order that the FCC adopted in November becomes effective Jan. 13, said a notice for Friday's Federal Register. The order, approved on circulation, relaxes the protection criteria for NGSO FSS systems approved in different processing rounds (see 2411150007).
Parts of the FCC’s August order approving a 5G Fund auction are effective Jan. 13 said a notice for Friday’s Federal Register. The auction is potentially in doubt. The order was approved 4-1 with Commissioner Brendan Carr dissenting. Carr was concerned that the FCC should have waited for additional clarity on what NTIA's BEAD program will support before holding a 5G Fund auction (see 2408290041). President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Carr to lead the FCC. “It is never wise to build on top of a faulty foundation,” Carr said in August: “The government’s focus today should be on fixing the fundamental flaws with BEAD and getting that program back on track.” He called for the elimination of BEAD’s diversity, equity and inclusion requirements, “climate change agenda, unlawful price controls, technology preferences, and the wish list of progressive policy goals that have nothing to do with quickly connecting Americans.”
The FCC's November order adopting long-awaited final rules for cellular-vehicle-to-everything technology in the 5.9 GHz band takes effect Feb. 11, said a notice for Friday’s Federal Register. The FCC changed the band's rules in October 2020, reallocating the 5.9 GHz band to sharing between Wi-Fi and C-V2X, with no set-aside for dedicated short-range communications (DSRC), the historical allocation for the spectrum (see 2411210054). The order was adopted 5-0. “Existing licenses for DSRC systems may be renewed as necessary following this effective date but only for a period not to exceed” Dec. 14, 2026, the notice said.
The FCC Wireless Bureau approved on Thursday a request from GeoLinks that it surrender some local multipoint distribution service (LMDS) licenses in return for others from the commission’s inventory. GeoLinks proposes using federal funding to serve some 47,000 locations across Arizona, California and Nevada that now lack high-speed broadband access. The bureau sought comment on the request in May (see 2405170028). “The proposed modifications will enable GeoLinks to rationalize its LMDS spectrum holdings by providing access to more contiguous spectrum, which will allow GeoLinks to improve its network performance and lower its equipment and deployment costs,” the bureau said: “This will benefit rural consumers who would be able to access robust and affordable broadband service more quickly.” The modifications could also “increase the utility of the LMDS band overall, by returning spectrum to the Commission for future reassignment that could create synergies with existing LMDS licenses” in the FCC inventory, the order said.
An order FCC commissioners approved unanimously this month, aligning rules for the 24 GHz band with decisions made at the World Radiocommunication Conference held in 2019, is effective Jan. 13, said a notice for Friday’s Federal Register. Commissioners decided against adopting stricter limits for unwanted out-of-band emissions than were approved at the WRC, which had been a concern of Republican Commissioners Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington (see 2412020061).
With USF in the crosshairs at the FCC (see 2412030044), the FCC Office of Managing Director Thursday proposed a contribution factor of 36.3% for Q1 2025. That’s up from 35.8% during Q4 2024 but below a November projection of 38.8% by analyst Billy Jack Gregg (see 2411040026). The total contribution requirement for Q1 is $2.2 billion, of which just more than $1 billion is tied to high-cost program support. Next is the schools and libraries program ($657 million), Lifeline ($288 million) and the rural healthcare program ($129.5 million).
CTIA announced Thursday that President-CEO Meredith Baker will step down next year, with the expiration of her contract. Former FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, a partner at private-equity firm Searchlight Capital, is among the early rumored candidates to succeed her. Speculation has also surrounded Brad Gillen, a CTIA executive vice president who joined the group 10 years ago and also worked for Baker when she was an FCC commissioner. Pai declined comment Thursday.
The U.S. Supreme Court decision doing away with Chevron deference won’t grind the next FCC to a halt but could prompt congressional action on the USF, former FCC officials said during panel discussions Thursday at Broadband Breakfast’s "Broadband in the Trump Administration" event.