Gogo Business Aviation updated the FCC on Tuesday about delays it faces in removing unsecure gear from its network under the commission’s Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program. The company, whose network was built using gear from China’s ZTE, redacted parts of its filing in docket 18-89.
Cooley’s Robert McDowell told us that he agrees with comments that the government is unlikely to make much spectrum available for full-power licensed use anytime soon, beyond the upper C band and limited AWS-3 licenses (see 2512260002). "The good news is that the FCC had its auction authority restored this year,” the former FCC commissioner said in an email last week. "The bad news is that carriers are going to have to wait a while longer. And once they wait, there is not a ton of spectrum to gobble up -- for years."
WISPA strongly opposed a November request by Brownsville, Texas, for an FCC waiver to operate a city network that uses the citizens broadband radio service band at higher power levels than allowed in agency rules (see 2511250015). NCTA has raised similar objections (see 2512020048).
SpaceX and EchoStar are pushing back on opposition to SpaceX's purchase of EchoStar's AWS-3, AWS-4 and AWS-H block licenses, arguing in filings posted Monday (docket 25-302) that no one has explained how the transaction hurts the public interest. The companies' comments were in response to various calls for conditions on the spectrum deal (see 2512160006).
The FCC Wireline Bureau on Tuesday approved a request by Amherst Telephone Co. to transfer control of the company to the Amherst Communications Employee Stock Ownership Trust. The bureau sought comment in November (see 2511250013). The local exchange carrier provides service in parts of Portage, Marathon and Waupaca counties in central Wisconsin.
The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation said Tuesday that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit was chosen in a lottery to review the FCC’s recent controversial changes to rules for incarcerated people's communications services (see 2512300044). Industry officials said they expect that groups representing prisoners and their families will move to transfer the case to the 1st Circuit, which heard the appeal of the original 2024 order.
The FCC has limited authority to regulate broadcast networks, and regulatory intervention could destroy the network/affiliate business model, said Fox, Disney, NBCUniversal and Paramount Global in reply filings posted Tuesday in docket 25-322.
After mostly keeping quiet for months, the wireless industry strongly objected this week to a proposal from the FCC to allow correctional facilities to jam cell signals, with the goal of curbing contraband phones. CTIA led the charge against the proposal, which appears to also have strong backing, especially in Republican-dominated states (see 2511140036). Carriers had been expected to raise objections in comments on a further NPRM (see 2509290054), which were due Friday and posted this week in docket 13-111.
AST SpaceMobile said its supplemental coverage from space interference analysis shows that its operations won't cause harmful interference to terrestrial services. In a filing posted Monday in docket 25-201, AST said the FCC should stick with its established practice of license conditions that require operations within applicable interference protection limits. Requiring the company to provide incontrovertible proof of non-harmful interference, including successful coordination with all non-partner terrestrial licensees, before any approval would create "an impossible barrier to entry."
The Commerce Department's Office of Space Commerce is working toward having a draft mission authorization process in late January for novel commercial space activities, Jenner & Block's Trey Hanbury and Elizabeth Pullin wrote last week. The Commerce effort stems from the White House's commercial space executive order, issued in August (see 2508140006). OSC said it's considering a regulatory framework for in-space servicing, assembling and manufacturing (ISAM) activities, lunar operations and commercial low earth orbit destinations, the lawyers noted.