NTIA is “near the finish line” on release of a national spectrum strategy (see 2301090035), Scott Harris, NTIA senior spectrum adviser, told the Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee Thursday. Harris said the agency doesn’t view the strategy as an end point.
House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Bob Latta, R-Ohio, and ranking member Doris Matsui, D-Calif., said during a Thursday hearing they’re signing on to the USF working group that Senate Communications Subcommittee leaders formed in May to evaluate how to move forward on a comprehensive revamp of the program that may update its contribution factor to include non-wireline entities (see 2305110066). The Thursday hearing largely focused on USF revamp and possible integration of the affordable connectivity program, as expected (see 2309120059).
The FCC approved a Further NPRM on launching a 5G Fund, as expected (see 2309200048). Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel noted that because of improved data the agency now knows that 14 million homes and businesses in the U.S. don’t have mobile 5G coverage today. Commissioner Nathan Simington concurred at the FCC's Thursday open meeting, complaining about how the FNPRM proposes to allocate funding.
The FTC was right to redact an opinion from a former Republican commissioner over Chair Lina Khan’s decision not to recuse herself in an in-house challenge of Meta’s buy of Within Unlimited (see 2304180077), Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter said Wednesday.
The FCC can’t take the same approach on robotexts as it does on robocalls, said Wilkinson Barker’s Matt Gerst, representing CTIA, during an FCBA webinar Wednesday. Other industry speakers said the FCC’s attack on robocalls since 2017 appears to be paying dividends, though work remains.
The narrow targeting of Maryland’s so-called tax on digital ad revenue may suggest it’s primarily a punishment that federal courts are permitted to review under the U.S. Tax Injunction Act (TIA), 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Julius Richardson said at oral argument Wednesday. The 4th Circuit is reviewing an appeal by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce of the March 2022 decision by the U.S. District Court in Baltimore to dismiss the Chamber’s challenge of the tax, plus the district court’s December dismissal of the Chamber’s challenge to the tax’s pass-through ban (case 22-2275). The 4th Circuit should remand all counts back to district court, argued the Chamber’s attorney Michael Kimberly of McDermott Will.
Some state broadband directors said they don't anticipate multiple rounds of broadband equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program bidding by providers due to the tight 12-month time frame between when NTIA approves initial state proposals and when finalized proposals with the list of subgrantees are due to the agency. There's also concern there will be serviceable locations that don't get provider bids, and it's not clear how to address those without more bidding rounds, said Brian Newby, North Dakota broadband program director, at a Broadband Breakfast webinar Wednesday.
Industry groups sought clarification of a draft FCC order and Further NPRM that would address concerns about numbering resources for VoIP providers and general oversight of numbering access. Commissioners will consider the item during their open meeting Thursday (see 2308310059). The Voice on the Net Coalition urged the FCC to make targeted edits on certification requirements and compliance with state regulations.
The FCC seems likely to adopt the 5G Fund Further NPRM largely as proposed by FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel (see 2308300062), industry officials said. Only the Rural Wireless Association raised questions at the FCC or asked for changes tied to preserving some legacy support (see 2309120044).
The 2024 presidential election shouldn’t, and likely won’t, deter FCC Democrats from moving forward on their policy agenda now that they're on the cusp of a 3-2 majority well over two years into President Joe Biden’s term, said lawmakers and former commission officials in interviews. Many expect a flurry of FCC activity once Democrat Anna Gomez, confirmed by the Senate earlier this month, formally signs on as a commissioner 2309070081). Multiple FCC-watchers and former officials pooh-poohed the conventional wisdom that the agency avoids major, controversial actions during election years.