House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Richard Hudson, R-N.C., told us that he's aiming to have a final figure for the amount of funding to include in the Next Generation 911 Act (HR-6505) before the full Commerce Committee marks up the measure. As expected (see 2601130072), the subpanel on Thursday advanced HR-6505 and five other communications bills on bipartisan voice votes: the Public Safety Communications Act (HR-1519), Lulu’s Law (HR-2076), the Emergency Reporting Act (HR-5200), Kari’s Law Reporting Act (HR-5201) and the Mystic Alerts Act (HR-7022).
Questions remain about the future of the FCC’s voluntary cyber trust mark program, which commissioners approved 5-0 in March 2024 (see 2403140034), because of concerns that progress has stalled after UL Solutions dropped out as lead administrator. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr earlier raised concerns about UL’s purported ties to China. Last week, the agency asked for applications from companies willing to replace UL Solutions, which are due Jan. 28.
President Donald Trump nominates David MacNeil, WeatherTech, as FTC commissioner, replacing Melissa Holyoak, now interim U.S. attorney for the district of Utah; Trump also renominates Matthew Anderson, Space Force Association and CACI, to be NASA deputy administrator, replacing Pamela Melroy, who resigned; Anderson’s nomination in May 2025 expired when the Senate failed to act on it … AmeriCorps Office of Inspector General seconds Eric Tarnovsky to the FCC OIG as acting assistant inspector general for investigations … Salem Media promotes Carolyn Cassidy to vice president and regional general manager; she joins senior leadership team while continuing to oversee operations in Tampa, Orlando, Miami and Columbus, Ohio.
CTIA is urging the FCC to make a determination that its pole attachment regulatory authority extends to utility-owned light poles. In a filing posted Wednesday (docket 17-84) to recap a meeting with Wireline Bureau staffers, CTIA said that interpretation of Section 224 of the Communications Act, which covers pole attachments, would be consistent with the FCC's goals of accelerating broadband deployment and reducing barriers to it. "The best reading of Section 224's plain language" points to the law providing a nondiscriminatory access right to light poles, the group said.
Ulster Savings Bank CEO William Calderara asked the FCC to do more to clamp down on unlawful robocalls and text message scams, noting the “alarming rise in bank impersonation fraud targeting” the elderly. In a filing posted Wednesday in docket 17-59, Calderara said such scams "are no longer minor nuisances" but rather "financially devastating crimes that exploit trust in financial institutions and drain life savings."
Verizon offered details in an FCC filing about proposed leasing, equipment authorization and contraband device rules that would lead to the approval of jamming systems in correctional facilities. The wireless industry as a whole opposes jamming (see 2601130057). In reply comments posted this week in docket 13-111, Verizon laid out an eight-step process creating “procedural safeguards to protect legitimate users” of spectrum. “Verizon’s comments offer a ‘trust but verify’ regime that accounts for concerns raised in the rulemaking record,” the carrier said.
The FCC is “monitoring” an outage that affected tens of thousands of Verizon's wireless customers Wednesday, an agency spokesperson said. Commissioner Anna Gomez also said she was watching the situation unfold. Other carriers saw more limited problems, based on reports to Downdetector.
Aviation associations met last week with FCC staff, including aides to Chairman Brendan Carr, on progress being made to protect radio altimeters as the agency moves toward an auction of upper C-band spectrum. According to a filing Tuesday in docket 25-59, they discussed new altimeter designs “safely enabling full power access for wireless operations for a potentially large amount of the spectrum being proposed by the Commission.” The groups at the meeting were Airlines for America, the Aerospace Industries Association, Aviation Spectrum Resources, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, the International Air Transport Association and the Regional Airline Association.
AT&T has completed its purchase of 700 MHz and 3.45 GHz licenses from the former UScellular for $1 billion, said TDS, the smaller carrier’s parent company, on Tuesday. The FCC Wireless Bureau approved the deal in December (see 2512030059). UScellular was renamed Array as it exits as a regional wireless carrier.
Comments are due Jan. 27, replies Feb. 3, in docket 25-301 on the sale of Epic Touch and Elkhart Telephone Co. to IdeaTek, said an FCC Wireline Bureau notice in Wednesday’s Daily Digest. Epic Touch and Elkhart Telephone -- both based in Kansas -- are currently owned by a collection of family trusts. IdeaTek provides broadband and telecom services in Kansas and Missouri.