With initial satellite launches still targeted for this year to test their mobile supplemental coverage from space service, SpaceX and T-Mobile representatives met with FCC staffers to urge approval of their pending applications. That according to a filing Wednesday in docket 23-135 recapping discussions with the Space and Wireless Bureau and Office of General Counsel and Engineering and Technology staffers.

The Biden administration asked Congress Wednesday afternoon to allocate $6 billion in stopgap funding for the FCC’s affordable connectivity program, more than communications sector officials anticipated last week (see 2310200067). The White House also urged Capitol Hill appropriate an additional $3.08 billion to close the FCC’s Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program funding shortfall (see 2310120067). The additional ACP money would “strengthen” ACP "by extending free and discounted high-speed internet for eligible households through December 2024,” the White House said in a fact sheet. ACP “is already helping over 21 million households save over $500 million per month on their monthly internet bills.” The program is “critical for the Administration’s high-speed internet deployment programs for rural, remote, and Tribal communities,” the administration said: “Without this funding, tens of millions of people would lose this benefit and would no longer be able to afford high-speed internet service without sacrificing other necessities.” USTelecom CEO Jonathan Spalter hailed the administration for seeking the ACP stopgap, saying the program “is a critical part of reaching our shared goal of universal connectivity” and “has already enabled more than 21 million low-income households to participate in our digital economy. We urge Congress to find a long-term solution to sustain this vital program.”

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit scheduled Dec. 14 oral argument at 9:30 a.m. EST in the consolidated petitions of Hikvision USA (docket 23-1032) and Dahua Technology USA (docket 23-1073) to review the FCC’s Nov. 25 order barring the authorization of network equipment considered a threat to U.S. national security (see 2303200023), said a clerk’s order Friday. Both petitions allege the order violates the Communications Act and the Administrative Procedure Act, that it was arbitrary and capricious, and that it wasn’t supported by substantial evidence.

An online survey of how respondents received the Oct. 4 nationwide emergency alert test shows AM radio isn’t the most effective way to disseminate alerts, said CTA in a post on X Thursday. The survey -- done online by CTA over two days among 800 adults -- shows 92% of U.S. adults received the Oct. 4 emergency alert test via their smart phones, 5% heard it on FM radio and 1% on AM radio, CTA said. “Thrilled to unveil new @CTATech research that debunks the myth that #AMradio is the most effective emergency alerting system,” said the post from CTA Policy Affairs Manager India Herdman. CTA said the test shows Congress shouldn’t mandate inclusion of AM radios in automobiles. "Rather than rely on a survey following an EAS test made under ideal circumstances, one should look at the countless real-world examples of broadcast radio providing lifesaving information when all other communications networks -- including and especially wireless networks -- go down," said an NAB spokesperson. NAB has championed legislation requiring AM on the basis of its effectiveness at emergency alerting (see 2305260034. Wireless alerts during disasters often direct recipients to their local news outlets, which are often broadcasters, for emergency information, NAB said.

Crowdsourced social media content supported by tech platforms “can never replace what journalists do,” said NAB CEO Curtis LeGeyt in a keynote at The Media Institute’s Free Speech America Gala Thursday. NCTA CEO Michael Powell and journalist Bob Woodward were honored at the event. Journalism outlets and the information they provide “are the antidote to misinformation,” LeGeyt said. Recent international conflicts “are constant reminders that the threat of disinformation is equally damaging beyond our borders, and in many cases a tool of war,” LeGeyt said. “We all need to up our game and be relentless to ensure that future generations can access and easily identify factual news and information, the very information that keeps us safe and helps us make informed decisions.”

The FCC released a public notice Thursday seeking partners to test alternative technologies for wireless emergency alerts when cell towers are disabled during disasters. “The Commission is seeking partners to examine the feasibility of using complementary technologies, such as satellite service, to address this public safety gap,” said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel: “This initiative is the latest in our ongoing effort to strengthen the nation’s alerting systems, working closely with our government partners.” The Public Safety Bureau notice asks for responses by Dec. 18 in docket 22-160. “WEAs can provide immediate, life-saving information when a mobile device user is in harm’s way,” the notice said. “The utility of this critical tool, however, can be significantly reduced or eliminated when the infrastructure needed to deliver WEAs, such as cell towers, is damaged or disabled due to disaster circumstances.” The bureau said alternate possibilities include satellites, high-altitude platforms systems and drones. The bureau “seeks to partner with any entities that have a technology, method, or other solution for delivering a WEA to a mobile device when the device is not connected to a functioning cell tower.”

The latest RKF Engineering study about terrestrial/satellite sharing of the 12 GHz band (see 2309110061) is laden with "analytical flaws and factual errors," SpaceX said in a letter posted Wednesday in docket 20-443. SpaceX laid out half a dozen technical criticisms of the RKF report, submitted by Dish Network. Dish didn't comment.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Commissioner Brendan Carr released new statements disagreeing on a draft NPRM on net neutrality Wednesday (see 2310170066). Broadband is "essential infrastructure for modern life," Rosenworcel said: "We need broadband to reach 100 percent of us -- and we need it fast, open and fair." Rosenworcel released a fact sheet highlighting 10 reasons for net neutrality, including the need to address network security and consumer data protection. Carr continued to express opposition to the proceeding, saying the "entire debate over whether Title II regulations are necessary or justified was settled years ago." Carr noted broadband speeds have increased while prices decreased since the commission's 2017 repeal of net neutrality rules, saying the internet "is not broken and the FCC does not need Title II to fix it."

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr criticized the agency's draft NPRM renewing efforts to reestablish net neutrality rules, during a call Tuesday with reporters (see 2310130051). FCC commissioners are set to vote on the NPRM during their open meeting Thursday. Title II classification of broadband "is very different than net neutrality rules" because it "has a host of sweeping regulations that are really all about control," Carr said. The "absence of action by Congress on any issue is not itself vesting of authority for the agency to do something that it doesn't have the authority to do," he said. Consumer advocates disagreed, in a separate call with reporters Tuesday. "At the end of the day, what this proceeding is about is protecting American consumers and ensuring broadband providers don't rip us off, don't discriminate against us, and that they provide reliable connections," said Free Press co-CEO Jessica Gonzalez. "We deserve better than empty promises from ISPs" and "real accountability," Gonzalez said. The FCC could use Title II authority to more effectively study broadband competition, said Public Knowledge CEO Chris Lewis. Consumers "have a right to know" the marketplace has "been given the quality oversight that it needs and that they are not paying higher prices for substandard service," Lewis said. Title II also "gives the FCC the power to close any competitive loopholes," he said.

The Rural Wireless Association and AT&T apparently are coordinating "a desperate, 11th-hour campaign" to stop SpaceX from testing its mobile supplemental coverage from space payload with "baseless procedural claims while offering no substantive reason" for denying its pending special temporary authority application, SpaceX said Monday in docket 23-135. The companies' arguments (see 2310100055, 2310130038) that SpaceX's STA application should have to go through the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology ignore that the Space Bureau in consultation with the Wireless Bureau can clearly grant it under agency rules. SpaceX also rejected claims its STA application requires numerous waivers. RWA General Counsel Carri Bennet emailed that while the FCC's SCS rulemaking is pending, there are legitimate concerns about adjacent channel interference and experimental authorizations allow for testing in a real-world environment. "SpaceX’s desire to plow through and obtain Special Temporary Authority so that it can begin commercial operations to customers prior to the completion of the FCC’s rulemaking and analysis raises a huge red flag," she said. "SpaceX needs to cool its rockets and let the rulemaking run its course and, in the interim, utilize the experimental authorization process for testing the validity of its claims."