FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr’s Project 2025 ties likely won’t damage his chances of becoming the agency's chair if Donald Trump is elected president in November, even though the Trump campaign has distanced itself from the project (see 2407110054). Commissioner Nathan Simington is listed as a project adviser but didn’t write a chapter, as Carr did, or play a more public role.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel vowed she will continue fighting for the commission's net neutrality order following the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' decision that stayed the rules Thursday (see 2408010065). "The American public wants an internet that is fast, open and fair," and Thursday's decision "is a setback, but we will not give up the fight for net neutrality," Rosenworcel said.
Protected status for federal earth stations using commercial satellite services is "overdue," NTIA said this week in docket 24-121 as the FCC sought comment on expanded federal use of commercial satellite spectrum bands (see 2406280034). NTIA said the FCC should move quickly on an NPRM that lays the path for that protected status for federal earth stations using commercial satellite services. It suggested a regime where federal agencies would submit information to the commission for notice and comment, and then entry into the FCC’s earth station database, akin to the process some FAA-operated C-band earth stations in Alaska use. Warning of the possible hindrance of 5G’s rollout, CTIA said any sweeping allocation of spectrum to federal users on a primary basis “would exacerbate the existing imbalance between federal and non-federal spectrum allocations.” It said the FCC and its Office of Engineering and Technology need to clearly define the spectrum bands not already allocated for federal fixed satellite service (FSS) and mobile satellite service (MSS) that might be looked at for expanded federal use. It said adding federal allocations to the lower C band and to the 13 GHz band could complicate investigation of the bands for commercial mobile use. The Satellite Industry Association said FSS and MSS allocations should be added to the federal portion of the Table of Frequency Allocations for nonfederal spectrum bands, while also making clear federal operations under the allocation are limited to federal earth stations communicating with nonfederal space stations. It said federal users should have to follow the same rules and procedures as nonfederal users. SIA's comments were similar its 2021 advocacy, when the agency also looked at the issue (see 2110180066). The 10.7-11.7 GHz band is “critical” for mobile wireless traffic backhaul and a “safe harbor” band for fixed service systems relocating out of the 6 GHz band, said Comsearch. Fixed service use of the band has almost tripled in the past decade, it said. Comsearch said that extensive use of the band points to how it must be preserved for nonfederal terrestrial operations.
The full FCC approved a $2.3 million forfeiture against Bronx, New York, pirate radio broadcaster Johnny Peralta, an order released Thursday said. Peralta was operating the pirate station La Mia Radio for years. The Enforcement Bureau initially contacted him in 2018. EB agents have noted La Mia Radio’s continued unauthorized broadcasts ever since, according to a notice of apparent liability in November. Peralta didn’t respond to the NAL, the FCC said. The forfeiture is the maximum allowed under law. “Some of the most egregious pirate radio operations are run by individuals who have ignored prior enforcement actions by the Commission,” the forfeiture order said. “As such, it merits the strongest possible enforcement measures to the fullest extent of the law.” The FCC lacks the power to enforce collecting fines, especially from non-licensees. Only DOJ can bring delinquent forfeiture subjects to court, but broadcasters have told us that the high fine amounts like Peralta’s are expected to make pursuing collection more worthwhile for prosecutors. Peralta couldn’t be reached for comment. The forfeiture order was originally part of the agenda for Wednesday's FCC meeting, though it was listed only as an Enforcement Bureau item, as is typical for enforcement actions. A deletion notice was released late Thursday.
The FCC announced on Thursday it plans to recharter its Disability Advisory Committee for a two-year term and sought nominations for membership, due Sept. 30. The announcement didn’t provide specifics on DAC's focus in the new term. The current DAC is still working, with its next meeting slated for Oct. 18. DAC last met in May (see 2405160051).
The FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau wants comments by Sept. 3, replies Sept. 16, in docket 03-123 on a petition from accessibility organizations regarding IP-captioned telephone service. TDIforAccess, the National Association of the Deaf and Hearing Loss Association of America sought a reversal of a previous FCC decision letting IP CTS providers "rely exclusively on automatic speech recognition" (see 2406030062). The groups also asked that the FCC require all IP CTS providers give users the option at any point during their call to have a communications assistant generate captions.
Representatives of Incompas and the Cloud Communications Alliance urged the FCC to restructure an NPRM as a notice of inquiry. The NPRM considers consumer protection against AI-generated robocalls. The draft doesn’t “identify or propose any specific technology, making it virtually impossible to meaningfully weigh costs and benefits,” the groups said in a filing posted Thursday in docket 23-363: If, based on comments received, the FCC "commits to specific implementation requirements in a subsequent Report and Order, the two-week window for comment on a public draft would provide industry with insufficient time to respond to detailed proposals or to weigh the costs and obligations associated with deploying AI technologies in their voice service networks.” In addition, the groups said they discussed the importance of IP interconnection to the success of FCC-adopted robocall mitigation and call authentication efforts. The associations met with aides to the five commissioners and staff from the Consumer and Governmental Affairs and Wireline bureaus. Commissioners will vote on it Wednesday (see 2407170055).
Mobile & Wireless Forum (MWF) representatives met with FCC Wireless Bureau staff to discuss e-labeling for hearing-aid compatible phones. MWF considers the limitations in FCC rules “overbroad" and requested a discussion about the issue, a filing posted Thursday in docket 23-388 said. Especially post-COVID-19, “QR codes have become ubiquitous,” the group said: “Their use on packaging to present complicated information that calls for more explanation than there may be space for on physical packaging makes eminent sense.” MWF said e-labeling should be permitted for HAC devices and QR code usage for packaging.
The FCC adopted a revised five-year compensation plan for IP-captioned telephone service supported by the telecom relay service (see 2406180063). In an order Wednesday in docket 03-123, the commission established separate compensation formulas for IP CTS supported by communications assistants (CA) and automatic speech recognition-only. The compensation rate for CA-assisted service will be $1.35 per minute effective immediately through June 30. ASR-only service will transition to a cost-based rate, "allowing providers time to adapt their operations," the order said. The rate for this service will be $1.17 per minute and decrease by about 10% to $1.05 in 2025-26 and to 95 cents in 2026-27. Commissioners Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington concurred in part with the order. The FCC "should be operating consistent with" the trend of technological innovation, Carr said in a statement. "While my specific suggestions did not make it into the final decision today, I appreciate that my colleagues have included changes that can help incentivize continued, long-term investment in ASR technologies."
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel touted the FCC’s upcoming vote on a proposed Missing and Endangered Persons alert code (see 2407160064). “One week from now, the FCC will vote to make it easier to use television, radio, and wireless phones to sound the alarm about missing and endangered persons,” Rosenworcel said Wednesday at a Women Empowering Women for Indigenous Nations event in Prior Lake, Minnesota. “The action the FCC is taking next week is in direct response to a call sent out by Native communities after enduring a crisis of the missing for far too long.” Rosenworcel said the agency had received “powerful testimony” that “provided a voice for the murdered and missing.”