The 2023 World Radiocommunication Conference “has been a clear success for U.S. interests," U.S. delegation head Steve Lang, State Department deputy assistant secretary-international information and communications policy, told reporters Friday, minutes after the four-week U.N. event concluded. He said the U.S. delegation "achieved many important objectives," including further harmonization of 5G spectrum across the Americas with an international mobile telecommunications (IMT) identification in the 3.3-3.4 and 3.6-3.8 GHz bands in Region 2. That creates 500 MHz of contiguous spectrum in the 3 GHz band for 5G, Lang said.
Citing the need to speed up resolution of pole attachment disputes, FCC commissioners during their open meeting Wednesday unanimously adopted an order, declaratory ruling and Further NPRM revising rules to make for faster and cheaper broadband deployment. The item builds on a 2022 proceeding seeking comment on the commission's cost allocation principles (see 2203160031).
After a span of frequent unanimity among the FCC commissioners, this week brought a spate of dissents from GOP commissioners, with no votes at Wednesday's open meeting coming after dissents the previous day on an order upholding a Wireless Bureau decision excluding SpaceX from participating in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund program (see 2312130004). At the December meeting, Commissioners Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington raised the specter of the federal government increasing rate regulation in dissents against the MVPD early termination fees (ETF) NPRM. They complained that the data breach notification rules were an attempt to sidestep the Congressional Review Act.
President Joe Biden is expected to sign the 5G Spectrum Authority Licensing Enforcement Act (S-2787), communications policy lobbyists told us. As expected, the House approved the bill by voice vote Monday night (see 2312110062). The measure, which the Senate passed in September, and its House Commerce Committee-cleared companion HR-5677 (see 2312050076) would give the FCC authority for 90 days to issue T-Mobile and other winning bidders the licenses they bought in the 2.5 GHz band auction last year. S-2787’s passage drew praise from some lawmakers and communications sector stakeholders, but they made clear it’s a stopgap measure, required after months of stalled Capitol Hill talks on a broader legislative package that would renew the FCC’s lapsed general auction authority. The White House didn't comment.
Broadcasters' diversity hiring practices drew polar opposite reactions on the two sides of the Capitol Monday, with senior House Communications Subcommittee member Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., joining FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks in pressing the FCC to revive its collection of equal employment opportunity workforce diversity data using Form 395-B. On the Senate side, Commerce Committee ranking member Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is objecting to CPB rules for member stations’ diverse workforce policies.
The House Commerce Committee voted 46-0 Tuesday to advance its version of the 5G Spectrum Authority Licensing Enforcement Act (HR-5677), clearing the way for floor action on the measure as a stopgap aimed at temporarily restoring parts of the FCC’s lapsed spectrum auction authority. The Senate unanimously cleared original version S-2787 in September amid some lawmakers’ push to jump-start stalled talks on broad spectrum legislation (see 2309220057). The measure would give the FCC authority for 90 days to issue T-Mobile and other winning bidders the licenses they bought in the 2.5 GHz band auction last year (see 2309140051).
Republican condemnation of the FCC’s actions since it shifted to a Democratic majority in late September -- and Democrats’ defense of the commission’s recent record -- dominated a Thursday House Communications Subcommittee hearing on agency oversight, as expected (see 2311290001). The hearing’s slightly rancorous tone signaled a return to more overtly partisan oversight, in contrast to relatively more bipartisan discussion when FCC commissioners testified in front of the subpanel in June, while the commission was still tied 2-2 (see 2306210076).
DOD’s recent transmission to Congress of its study of the potential effects of commercial 5G use of the 3.1-3.45 GHz band on incumbent military systems likely means spectrum policy will be a larger focus during the House Communications Subcommittee’s Thursday FCC oversight hearing than earlier thought given Republican opposition to some agency actions since it gained a Democratic majority in September, lawmakers and lobbyists said in interviews. Subpanel members’ opinions about the FCC’s proceeding aimed at restoring most of its rescinded 2015 net neutrality rules and the commission’s adoption of digital discrimination rules earlier this month are still highly likely to be the central feature of the hearing (see 2311210073).
The FCC’s notice of inquiry asking how AI can fight robocalls, as well as potential risks from the technology, saw a few changes over the draft (see 2311150042). The FCC approved the NOI 5-0 Wednesday and released the final version Thursday. Comments are due Dec. 18, replies Jan. 16. Among the changes, the NOI now mentions the administration’s AI executive order (see 2310300056), released after the draft circulated. The FCC added a series of questions in a new paragraph. “What other steps can we take to identify the root causes of AI-driven robocall or robotext scams?” the NOI now asks: “Should we solicit information from industry regarding the type of AI technologies used in particular scams, either on a regular basis or in connection with investigations? Should we inquire as to whether the AI technology used was developed for general legal uses, and misused, or whether it was purpose-built for unlawful applications? If the AI technology was developed for general use, were there safeguards in place to ensure it was not misused? If so, how were they disabled?” The NOI also now asks, “How best can we share the information that we gather about fraudulent uses of AI within our purview with our sister agencies, who are charged with addressing malicious uses of AI in other contexts?” Commissioner Geoffrey Starks indicated Wednesday he asked for those changes. The NOI includes statements from Starks and Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.
FCC commissioners approved an open-ended notice of inquiry Wednesday that asked how AI can fight robocalls, as well as potential risks from the technology. Commissioners also approved an order providing survivors of domestic violence with safe and affordable access to communications and an order and Further NPRM protecting consumers from SIM swapping and port-out fraud. None of the items was controversial and all were approved 5-0.