GCI is seeking FCC approval to end its local exchange service in Cordova, Alaska. In an application posted Wednesday, GCI said it's not the dominant provider in Cordova, with local telephone exchange services also available from incumbent local exchange carrier Cordova Telephone Cooperative. It said it anticipates ending wireline service there on March 1, citing "the financial and competitive environment associated with offering the services."
Airspan is revising its request for a waiver allowing it to manufacture a multiband radio device that operates across bands adjacent to the citizens broadband radio service band, the company told the FCC after CBRS proponents raised objections (see 2508190037). "Rather than expending resources to address the merits” of the CBRS out-of-band-emissions parts of its petition, “Airspan is in the process of revising its filter design,” said a filing Tuesday in docket 25-234. “This redesign process is underway and is expected to allow Airspan to resubmit a revised waiver request with the FCC, one that does not feature any OOBE in the CBRS band that is [in] excess of that permitted under current FCC rules.”
Members of the ACAM Broadband Coalition spoke with FCC staffers about continuing concerns about the enhanced alternative Connect America cost model (E-ACAM), said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 10-90. Coalition members said it was critical that the agency release “a complete and proper adjudication of all locations, service availability, and enforceable commitment issues before the eligible locations list to be used in the adjustment process is finalized.”
AT&T sought permission Tuesday from the FCC to stop accepting applications for optical carrier network point-to-point and LightGate special access services everywhere they’re still available across the company’s 21-state legacy wireline footprint. Last month, AT&T made a similar request on DS3 services (see 2508180039).
Verizon wasn’t interested in the spectrum that AT&T is buying from EchoStar, Sowmyanarayan Sampath, CEO of Verizon Consumer Group, said at a Bank of America financial conference Wednesday. Verizon is very happy with its spectrum position, he said. AT&T announced last week an agreement to buy EchoStar spectrum for $23 billion (see 2508260005).
Communications Daily is tracking the lawsuits below involving appeals of FCC actions.
The cable ISP industry has assembled a coalition of senior executives to combat vandalism and other damage to communications networks. Chairing the Strategic Threat Response & Infrastructure Knowledge Exchange (STRIKE) is Comcast Chief Network Officer Elad Nafshi. Tom Monaghan, Charter Communications' executive vice president of field operations, is vice chairman. NCTA and CableLabs subsidiary SCTE, which are spearheading STRIKE, said members also include Altice USA, Cable One, Cox, Mediacom, Rogers and GCI.
The House Appropriations Committee was debating at our deadline Wednesday afternoon the Financial Services Subcommittee’s FY 2026 funding bill, which proposes to maintain the FCC’s annual allocation at $390.2 million (see 2507210064). Meanwhile, House Appropriations’ Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee voted 11-7 Tuesday to advance its FY26 funding bill, as expected, without language to restore the $1.1 billion for CPB that Congress clawed back in July via the 2025 Rescissions Act (see 2508290060).
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr on Wednesday circulated two items targeting programs created under the Biden administration to fund Wi-Fi hot spots and Wi-Fi on school buses. Commissioner Anna Gomez immediately indicated she opposed cutting the programs, which have long been lightning rods for Republican objections.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr signaled his support for the ATSC 3.0 transition in a release Tuesday on a Media Bureau public notice clarifying 3.0 application procedures. “Americans across the country will benefit from Next Gen TV and the improved viewing experience that it enables,” Carr said in the release. “That is why the FCC is working to support and encourage a timely transition. As the broadcast industry continues to evolve, we want to be sure that they can do so while maintaining their core public interest obligations.”