Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said Thursday night he’s endorsing aide Olivia Trusty to be President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for the FCC seat current Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel intends to vacate Jan. 20 (see 2411210028). Trusty worked on telecom issues for Wicker when he chaired the Senate Commerce Committee and Communications Subcommittee. She is among several potential contenders to become the FCC’s third Republican who lobbyists and other observers have mentioned since Trump won a second term earlier this month (see 2411060042). “There is absolutely no one more capable of serving as an FCC Commissioner than Olivia Trusty, and I am confident that President Trump and his team will come to that same conclusion quickly,” Wicker said in a statement. Lobbyists previously tipped Trusty as a potential FCC candidate in 2020 after Trump revoked then-Commissioner Mike O’Rielly’s renomination (see 2009090001). Wicker touted her as a potential Republican FTC nominee in 2022 (see 2209130065).
The FCC will hold its first meeting of 2025 on Jan. 15, said an FCC announcement Friday. "The rest of the 2025 Open Meeting schedule will be announced at a later date," the agency said. Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said Thursday that her final day at the FCC will be Jan. 20.
The U.S. Supreme Court granted the FCC's cert petition challenging the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' ruling in favor of Consumers' Research's challenge of the USF contribution methodology (see 2410010024). In a docket 24-254 notation Friday, SCOTUS said that along with the questions raised in the petitions, it wanted the parties to brief and argue about whether the case is moot given the challengers' not seeking preliminary relief before the 5th Circuit. NTCA, Competitive Carriers Association and USTelecom in a statement said they were "grateful" SCOTUS was taking up the petition. "The Fifth Circuit’s decision is contrary to Supreme Court precedent and the decision of several other circuit courts of appeals, and it threatens to undermine universal service programs that, for many decades, have served to promote the availability and affordability of critical communications services for millions of rural and low-income consumers, rural health care facilities, and schools and libraries across the nation," they said. "We look forward to presenting arguments in defense of the USF contribution mechanism as the case moves forward, and ultimately to dispelling the uncertainty that these challenges have created in furthering our nation’s mission of universal service.” Also applauding the high court's move, the Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition said the 5th Circuit decision "has no precedent in prior Supreme Court jurisprudence." It said it's "further encouraged by the Supreme Court's request that parties brief the question whether the Consumers' Research challenge is moot."
An order the FCC released late Thursday about 5.9 GHz rules largely omitted use of the band for Wi-Fi, despite pleas of unlicensed advocates (see 2407220015). The long-awaited order focuses instead almost exclusively on final rules for cellular-vehicle-to-everything technology in the band (see 2411210054).
A plan for cutting regulations and federal institutions such as the FCC could target broadband access programs and media regulations, but it's likely that a wave of litigation will stymie it, administrative law professors and attorneys told us. Future Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) heads Vivek Ramasawamy and Space X CEO Elon Musk laid out their plans in a Wall Street Journal opinion column. “It's not to say that maybe some of these changes shouldn't be happening, but, you know, they're taking a wrecking ball to fix something that requires a little bit more finesse than that,” said University of Idaho law professor Linda Jellum. Asked about possible DOGE cuts at the FCC, incoming FCC Chairman Brendan Carr last week told reporters, “There's no question, there's tons of room for driving more efficiency at the FCC." He didn't elaborate.
Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is warning NTIA that Congress will “review the BEAD program early next year,” when Republicans will control both chambers, and plan to pay “specific attention to” program requirements that have drawn GOP ire. Congressional Republicans are likely to at least pursue a revamp of BEAD to rein in what they view as NTIA’s flawed implementation of the $42.5 billion initiative, while a clawback of program funds is less likely (see 2410210043). Drew Garner, Benton Institute for Broadband & Society director-policy engagement, pushed back Friday against criticisms Cruz separately leveled at NTIA's notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for its $1.25 billion digital equity competitive grant program (see 2411210041).
FCC staff changes: Wireless Bureau’s Jessica Campbell becomes acting legal adviser-public safety for Commissioner Anna Gomez, stepping in for Hayley Steffen, on maternity leave, and Cierra Nokes, ex-NTT Data, joins Gomez’s office as executive assistant; Howard Parnell retiring as division chief-Web and Print Publishing; Enforcement Bureau Chief Loyaan Egal becomes special adviser, with Deputy Bureau Chief Peter Hyun becoming acting bureau chief; Office of Economics and Analytics Deputy Bureau Chief Catherine Matraves becoming acting bureau chief with Bureau Chief Giulia McHenry’s departure … Cloud security provider Sysdig appoints William Welch, previously Talkdesk, as CEO.
The FCC Space Bureau approved SpaceX using VHF-band radiofrequency beacons on up to 450 of its second-generation Starlink satellites, according to a bureau order in Thursday's Daily Digest. It said the approval lets SpaceX track and maintain contact with the company's satellites during orbit raising and in case of emergencies. The agency said it will separately address SpaceX's pending request to operate second-gen Starlinks with the beacons at lower altitudes of 340-360 km.
Verizon representatives urged uniform handset unlocking rules, during a meeting with an aide to FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez. “The ad-hoc, asymmetric locking policies that currently apply to some providers and not others result in an uneven playing field, reducing wireless competition and ultimately harming consumers,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 24-186: “Whatever handset locking policy the Commission adopts should apply uniformly to all wireless providers.”
The Enterprise Wireless Alliance told the FCC it supports a change the American Petroleum Institute is seeking in rules for the citizens broadband radio service band (see 2410080030). EWA said it supports API’s suggestion that system administrators incorporate a general authorized access tier user algorithm that prioritizes spectrum access for small businesses and enterprise customers. CBRS is important to EWA members, said a filing posted Thursday in docket 17-258. “In a telecommunications world that focuses increasingly on commercial broadband services, the vital importance of enterprise entities to the nation’s economy and to its day-to-day functioning must be recognized,” EWA said: “Some of their wireless needs can be and are met on commercial networks, but many have core responsibilities that cannot be outsourced to the network of a third-party commercial provider.”