A White House executive order on regulation of novel space activities by the Commerce Department leaves uncertain what role, if any, the FCC will have in overseeing in-space servicing, assembly and manufacturing, we're told. The EO, which President Donald Trump issued Wednesday, also looks to ease the regulatory hurdles for commercial space launches. The FCC commissioners unanimously approved an ISAM licensing framework NPRM 18 months ago (see 2402150053).
Industry will likely turn to the FCC to address a 6th U.S. Circuit Appeals Court decision on Wednesday upholding the agency’s 2023 data breach notification rules (see 2508130068). When the rules were approved, now Chairman Brendan Carr and former Republican Commissioner Nathan Simington dissented (see 2312220054).
Communications Daily is tracking the lawsuits below involving appeals of FCC actions.
The Canadian broadband market is similar to the U.S., with most people having internet service that’s at least 100 Mbps for downloads and 20 Mbps for uploads, experts said during a Broadband Breakfast webinar Wednesday. However, speakers noted that, as in the U.S., Canada still faces a digital divide. Similar to the $42.45 billion BEAD program, Canada is making about $4.4 billion available for broadband under its current fund, they said. The smaller fund reflects, in part, that the population of Canada is 41.3 million, versus 340.1 million in the U.S.
Bill Baker, CEO of Texas-based ISP Nextlink, and Gary Bolton, CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA), said Wednesday that satellite broadband isn’t a true substitute for fiber or fixed wireless access. Speaking at an FBA webinar, both questioned the move of some states to embrace low earth orbit (LEO) proposals from SpaceX's Starlink and Amazon's Kuiper as part of a restructured BEAD program (see 2507290070).
Regulatory approval of cable ISP WideOpenWest going private should be "relatively straightforward," UBS analyst Batya Levi told us Tuesday. WOW announced the $1.5 billion all-cash deal with investment funds DigitalBridge and Crestview Partners after the market's close Monday. The transaction should close by year-end or in Q1 2026, with shareholder and regulatory approval to come, WOW said.
Carolina West is getting support for a petition from June 2024 seeking a waiver that would permit it to receive supplemental high-cost universal service support. The Competitive Carriers Association urged the FCC to grant a blanket waiver or initiate further proceedings on expanding the availability of support beyond Carolina West. CCA also filed at the FCC a new report by the Brattle Group discussing the unique challenges faced by rural carriers. Comments were due Monday in docket 19-197 and posted Tuesday.
Broadband experts applauded state officials for moving quickly to submit new BEAD proposals to NTIA following the agency's June 6 policy restructuring notice for the program (see 2507290070), but they warned that the delays are only furthering the digital divide.
TV broadcasters are positioning for a wave of deals in anticipation of changes to FCC limits on broadcast ownership, according to broadcasters, media brokers and recent announcements from station groups. Sinclair Broadcast announced in a release Monday that it's evaluating “all value-enhancing opportunities,” and Nexstar and Tegna are reportedly negotiating a possible deal. The rumors are likely an indication of pent-up demand but could also be aimed at mollifying shareholders, said broadcasters and media brokers.
As the FCC moves forward on revised copper retirement and other rule changes (see 2507240048), AT&T is quickly retiring parts of its network, said Jeremy Legg, chief technology officer for AT&T Services, at a KeyBanc financial conference Monday.