SpaceX CEO Elon Musk could be a big beneficiary of Donald Trump's election, with some seeing his SpaceX reaping rewards from changes to NTIA's broadband equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program and the next FCC offering a warmer reception to SpaceX requests. Yet government ethics experts believe Musk and his businesses could face a particularly big challenge if he becomes leader of a government efficiency effort, as Trump promised during the campaign. "He's like a walking potential conflict of interest," said Virginia Canter, chief ethics counsel for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).
Broadcast executives during Q3 earnings calls were hopeful for ownership deregulation and progress on ATSC 3.0 from a Republican-controlled FCC, but FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr -- the perceived front-runner to chair the agency -- said Thursday that scrutinizing broadcasters is among his priorities. “We're very excited about the upcoming regulatory environment,” said Sinclair Broadcast CEO Chris Ripley during Sinclair’s call Wednesday. “It feels like a cloud over the industry is lifting ... and ... some much-needed modernization of the regulations will be forthcoming.” In a news release Thursday, Carr said when the transition to the next administration is complete “the FCC will have an important role to play reining in Big Tech, ensuring that broadcasters operate in the public interest, and unleashing economic growth while advancing our national security interests and supporting law enforcement.”
FCC special counsel Tracy Bridgham, retiring from agency, effective Nov. 29, with Enforcement Bureau attorney William Knowles-Kellett appointed to take Bridgham's role heading the FCC Chapter, National Treasury Employees Union and becoming president-elect until special election; Satellite Programs and Policy Division special counsel Julia Malette will replace Knowles-Kellett as executive vice president ...
Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, along with the Louisiana Sheriffs' Association, asked the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to review the FCC's order establishing per-minute rate caps for intrastate audio and video communication services for incarcerated people. The order "violates the constitution, is in excess of statutory authority, and is otherwise contrary to law and unsupported by substantial evidence," the states said in a petition for review posted Wednesday (docket 24-60571). The challenge comes after the 1st Circuit was selected to hear multiple pending petitions for review (see 2411010061), including one from 14 other states (see 2411010061).
The FTC is breaking the law by refusing to follow statutory mandates that would allow consolidation of lawsuits against the agency’s new click-to-cancel rule, said NCTA, the Interactive Advertising Bureau and the Electronic Security Association in a filing this week (see 2410240001).
Republican FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, an overwhelming favorite to become chairman when President-elect Donald Trump returns to office Jan. 20 (see 2411060042), said Thursday the FCC should stand down from working on controversial matters during the transition from President Joe Biden to Trump’s second term. House Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., sent FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel a “pencils down” letter Wednesday (see 2411060043). Senate Republicans will likely send Rosenworcel similar demands soon.
The union representing FCC employees, the National Treasury Employees Union, said it's ready to work with President-elect Donald Trump’s administration but warned that it would oppose efforts against federal workers. The Trump White House is expected to implement plans laid out in the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 and the Trump campaign’s Agenda 47, reducing the federal workforce and reclassifying many career civil servants, making it easier to fire and replace them with political appointees, academics and analysts told us. The NTEU “will make every effort to work in good faith” with the Trump administration, said NTEU National President Doreen Greenwald in a release. “However, we are fully prepared to work with our allies in Congress and use all the tools we have to fight any and all actions taken by his administration that would harm frontline federal workers, our ability to represent them or their ability to serve the American people.”
Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Ted Cruz of Texas pressed FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel Thursday night to stand down from working on controversial matters during the transition from President Joe Biden to President-elect Donald Trump, as expected. Cruz's “pencils down” request to Rosenworcel followed a similar Wednesday call from House Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash. Republican FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, the favorite to lead the agency when Trump takes office in January, backed a similar pencils-down measure Thursday.
The FCC got dozens of comments on an August NPRM from wireless carriers, tech companies and others on further changes to rules for the citizens broadband radio service band (see 2408160031). In filings posted through Thursday in docket 17-258, commenters disagreed sharply on a proposal by carriers to more closely harmonize CBRS rules with those for the adjacent 3.45 GHz and C-band.
Revised robocall and robotext rules that FCC commissioners approved 5-0 in February (see 2402160048) took effect Wednesday, with a compliance date of Jan. 27, a notice in Wednesday’s Federal Register said. OMB approved the information collection in the order “requiring that texters and callers obtain a consumer’s prior express written consent to robocall or robotext the consumer soliciting their business,” the notice said.