Public interest groups, wireless ISPs and some industrial players are expected to make a push at the FCC over the next two weeks for changes to the revised geographic sizes for priority access licenses in the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band. Chairman Ajit Pai last week circulated revised rules, as crafted by Commissioner Mike O’Rielly (see 1810020050). The draft would auction PALs on a countywide basis rather than by census-tracts, the approach of Obama-era rules.
The Senate Commerce Committee has a staff briefing scheduled this week with Facebook to discuss the recent hack (see 1810020046), a committee aide said Friday. A House Commerce Committee aide said leadership will pursue follow-up briefings with Facebook after a preliminary phone conversation with staff Thursday. Questions remain about the impact on third-party apps from the breach, the House Commerce aide said. The House Judiciary Committee, which didn’t comment, also requested a briefing from the platform. Facebook didn’t comment.
Cable industry support for the cable basic tier regulation Further NPRM and order on October's FCC agenda (see 1810010027) doesn't appear to have coalesced, while localities are tied up responding to and fighting other FCC matters, officials on both sides told us. The import of the eventual rules may be limited by the relative lack of local cable regulation, too.
The midterm elections in 2018 will generate vastly more broadcast political advertising spending than the 2014 midterms, broadcasters and analysts said in interviews. A host of tight congressional races, an early focus on negative ads, and high rates of spending by outside groups are seen as reasons for the increase. That’s going to lead to “healthier than expected” political ad revenue for radio and TV stations, said BIA/Kelsey Chief Economist Mark Fratrik. E.W. Scripps projects revenue in 2018 will grow more than 50 percent over 2014. “It feels more aggressive,” Alpha Media CEO Bob Proffitt told us.
Some parties object to the FCC's plan to require use of a Lifeline national verifier in six states without ensuring an electronic interface for carriers and database access to determine low-income consumer eligibility. Lifeline providers and a NARUC official said the NV's lack of an application programming interface and automated access to key databases will complicate eligibility verification, increasing administrative costs, burdening consumers and undermining enrollment.
ThePirateBay.org, an illicit torrent indexing service, remains a prominent target for the music, film and video game industries, show comments to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative posted this week. USTR collected comments through Monday for its Special 301 report on countries and groups that infringe U.S. intellectual property.
Michigan lawmakers advanced 5G wireless legislation Thursday, while Georgia went back to the drawing board, as states come to terms with the FCC’s order last month to lower state and local barriers. The Michigan Energy Policy Committee voted 15-4 to clear two wireless bills, SB-637 and SB-894, with one lawmaker noting the measures expand on the FCC decision. Later, a Georgia Senate study committee talked about a possible second attempt to update local right-of-way policies. In California, a state court decision could cause problems for Sacramento and Verizon’s 5G launch (see 1810010028).
Bipartisan interest in federal broadband funding mechanisms and criticism of FCC coverage data collection practices dominated Thursday's Senate Commerce Committee hearing on rural broadband, as expected (see 1810030055). The panel also became a forum for Senate Commerce Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., and other committee members to tout broadband-related legislation eyed for potential combination into a package bill (see 1807250056).
ORLANDO -- Smaller providers at the Competitive Carriers Association are likely to pursue priority access licenses in the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band when they become available, as early as next year, based on interviews at CCA’s meeting. They are more dubious on the outlook for high-band spectrum in their mostly rural markets. Attendees expect a PALs auction as early as the last quarter of 2019, though maybe not until early 2020.
DOJ will soon conclude a criminal case against companies using search algorithms to effectuate price fixing, creating an anticompetitive effect, Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim told lawmakers Wednesday. Calling the case “the first of its kind,” he declined to name the companies involved, during a hearing on tech platform antitrust concerns. “We actually have a case, a criminal case, that’s going to be coming to a conclusion in the next two weeks,” he told the Senate Antitrust Subcommittee. Delrahim answered questions about various investigations of Google throughout the discussion.