NARUC would seek more state and local government members on the FCC's Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee, under a proposed resolution released in draft form Wednesday. State commissioners plan to vote on that and another resolution seeking increased USF high-cost funding, at their July 16-19 Summer Policy Summit in San Diego. With the BDAC, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is sending the impression he isn't interested in working with states, said District of Columbia Public Service Commission Chairman Betty Ann Kane in an interview.

Critics of the FCC's deregulatory business data service (BDS) order asked for a court stay after the agency declined to act on their request for regulatory relief (see 1706260054 and 1707030046). Windstream, BT Americas, Incompas and the Ad Hoc Telecom Users Committee filed their stay motion (available here) Monday in the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which was selected by lottery to hear challenges to the order (Citizens Telecommunications v. FCC, No. 17-2296 and consolidated cases). The FCC Friday and Citizens and CenturyLink Monday filed oppositions (here and here in Pacer) to a recent request -- by the stay movants plus Granite Telecommunications and Sprint -- that the 8th Circuit transfer the case to the D.C. Circuit.

Critics of the FCC's deregulatory business data service (BDS) order asked for a court stay after the agency declined to act on their request for regulatory relief (see 1706260054 and 1707030046). Windstream, BT Americas, Incompas and the Ad Hoc Telecom Users Committee filed their stay motion (available here) Monday in the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which was selected by lottery to hear challenges to the order (Citizens Telecommunications v. FCC, No. 17-2296 and consolidated cases). The FCC Friday and Citizens and CenturyLink Monday filed oppositions (here and here in Pacer) to a recent request -- by the stay movants plus Granite Telecommunications and Sprint -- that the 8th Circuit transfer the case to the D.C. Circuit.

The government of Uganda, as well as apparel-related trade associations from the U.S. and Africa, urged the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to keep Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda eligible for benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), after a March petition requested a review of whether the countries are meeting the statute’s requirements for preferential treatment. USTR last month announced an out-of-cycle AGOA eligibility review after the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles (SMART) Association in a March 21 petition for the review said that a March 2016 decision by the East African Community (EAC) to phase in an import ban on used clothing and footwear is imposing significant economic hardship on the U.S. used clothing industry (see 1706190017). USTR is holding a hearing on the out-of-cycle review on July 13, and accepted pre-hearing comments through June 30.

The sales between a related manufacturer and a middleman can't be considered "bona fide sales" and therefore can't be used for "first sale" appraisement purposes, CBP said in April 5 ruling (here). The question came up as part of a request for internal advice through the Port of Charlotte. The importer, Apex Tool Group (ATG), "is the subject of a Focused Assessment conducted by the Office of Regulatory Audit covering the calendar year 2013," CBP said.

CEO Randall Stephenson is putting pressure on AT&T to move forward quickly on FirstNet, holding monthly meetings on the topic, FirstNet CEO Mike Poth said Wednesday at the authority's board meeting. It was the board's first full meeting since AT&T was picked as lead partner in March (see 1703300050). Three months in, AT&T is exceeding expectations and rollout of the network is ahead of schedule, Poth said.

An FCC draft order would set new video relay service compensation rates, a commission official and industry representative told us Wednesday. The agency's four-year schedule of VRS rate reductions expires June 30, and providers have offered conflicting proposals.

Ligado's proposed terrestrial broadband operations still "pose a significant interference risk" for parties getting real-time National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather and environmental data and to certified GPS receivers, aeronautical safety satellite communications and Iridium end users, despite Ligado's protests to the contrary, said aviation and weather interests in a docket 11-109 FCC filing posted Tuesday. They said Ligado continues to try to gloss over filings showing potential for harmful interference and "to discount the import and validity" of the Transportation Department's ongoing Adjacent Band Compatibility evaluation. They said the FCC shouldn't act on the satellite company's requests until the agency addresses those interference issues, and had input from other federal agencies. Signers of the filing included AccuWeather, Aerospace Industries Association, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Airlines for America, American Geophysical Union, American Meteorological Society, Gogo Business Aviation, Helicopter Association International, International Air Transport Association, Iridium, the National Weather Association and Thales. Ligado said it has "worked with the Commission and interested parties for nearly two years to resolve interference concerns, including signing cooperation agreements with major GPS companies that ensure Ligado is compatible with GPS and will not interfere with aviation safety or NOAA’s operations. Safety of life is paramount, and that’s why we have collaborated extensively with the FAA to protect aviation safety and provide the industry with an advanced level of connectivity currently unavailable today. Additionally, we have proposed that NOAA use a fiber cable and cloud-based delivery system for its weather data. This proposal and Ligado’s commitment to protect NOAA’s own operations will allow an auction of the 1675-1680 MHz band and preserve NOAA’s mission. Today’s filing contains no new information, no new technical analysis, no new data. It is simply a re-packaging of the same old complaints, all of which have already been amply addressed in the record.” In an ex parte filing posted Tuesday in docket 11-109, Ligado recapped a phone call with the Wireless Bureau employees about aviation industry concerns (see 1706210030) in which it said the concerns raised previously were discussed as part of the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics review and presented to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Ligado's proposed terrestrial broadband operations still "pose a significant interference risk" for parties getting real-time National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather and environmental data and to certified GPS receivers, aeronautical safety satellite communications and Iridium end users, despite Ligado's protests to the contrary, said aviation and weather interests in a docket 11-109 FCC filing posted Tuesday. They said Ligado continues to try to gloss over filings showing potential for harmful interference and "to discount the import and validity" of the Transportation Department's ongoing Adjacent Band Compatibility evaluation. They said the FCC shouldn't act on the satellite company's requests until the agency addresses those interference issues, and had input from other federal agencies. Signers of the filing included AccuWeather, Aerospace Industries Association, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Airlines for America, American Geophysical Union, American Meteorological Society, Gogo Business Aviation, Helicopter Association International, International Air Transport Association, Iridium, the National Weather Association and Thales. Ligado said it has "worked with the Commission and interested parties for nearly two years to resolve interference concerns, including signing cooperation agreements with major GPS companies that ensure Ligado is compatible with GPS and will not interfere with aviation safety or NOAA’s operations. Safety of life is paramount, and that’s why we have collaborated extensively with the FAA to protect aviation safety and provide the industry with an advanced level of connectivity currently unavailable today. Additionally, we have proposed that NOAA use a fiber cable and cloud-based delivery system for its weather data. This proposal and Ligado’s commitment to protect NOAA’s own operations will allow an auction of the 1675-1680 MHz band and preserve NOAA’s mission. Today’s filing contains no new information, no new technical analysis, no new data. It is simply a re-packaging of the same old complaints, all of which have already been amply addressed in the record.” In an ex parte filing posted Tuesday in docket 11-109, Ligado recapped a phone call with the Wireless Bureau employees about aviation industry concerns (see 1706210030) in which it said the concerns raised previously were discussed as part of the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics review and presented to the Federal Aviation Administration.

A renegotiated NAFTA should require Mexico’s strict compliance with Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) standards, include relief mechanisms for the U.S. to offset depressed wages for Mexican farm workers, and protect organic equivalency arrangements reached between parties, agriculture industry representatives told interagency Trump administration officials June 27. During a hearing at the International Trade Commission convened by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, J&J Family of Farms Director of Farming Richard Bowman said along with requiring imports of Mexican food to undergo the same requirements as U.S.-farmed foods under FSMA, an updated NAFTA should also address dumping of cheap Mexican produce in the U.S., perhaps through mechanisms such as weekly quotas.