CTA got support from CTIA and other tech industry groups on its June petition asking the FCC to allow presale of new RF devices before they're authorized (see 2006030044). Commissioner Mike O’Rielly urged the change before the petition was filed (see 2006020069). CTA said it hopes the next step will be an NPRM in the next few months. Initial comments were posted Friday in RM-11857.
Eligible telecom carrier designation is valuable to state commissioners and mustn't be eliminated, NARUC Telecom Committee members said in interviews last week. The committee plans to vote at the state regulator association’s July 20-22 virtual meeting on a proposed resolution that would reject an idea supported by some industry and FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly that raised state alarm (see 2007070057). State commissioners supporting the draft by Chair Karen Charles Peterson of Massachusetts said they haven’t seen the process discouraging providers from seeking USF funding. Two industry groups disagreed.
The vertical location order is expected to be approved largely as proposed by Chairman Ajit Pai, though some concerns are expected to be raised and a few tweaks are likely, FCC and industry officials said in interviews last week. Aides to commissioners have taken numerous meetings and are wading through the arguments made for and against the draft, officials said. Public safety groups have come in with different views.
The 39-month repacking officially ends July 13 and the vast majority of TV outlets have switched channels. That doesn't mean the job is finished.
Standardizing data shared on software components is vital for identifying cyber vulnerabilities and will have an impact across industries, stakeholders told NTIA Thursday. The agency held a virtual meeting on the multistakeholder process on software component transparency (see 2006180024).
The FAA is embracing the “new reality” that drones are here to stay, said Ali Bahrami, associate administrator-aviation safety, Thursday at the start of day two of a symposium (see 2007080059) co-sponsored by the agency and the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. “We are right where we need to be."
The House Appropriations Committee voted by voice Thursday to advance the Agriculture Subcommittee’s FY 2021 bill, which includes a major increase the Agriculture Department's rural broadband funding allocation. The panel urged USDA in a report on the measure to examine how it can address broadband mapping issues separate from the FCC and do more on precision agriculture and connectivity in tribal areas. House Appropriations also released its report on the Legislative Branch Subcommittee’s FY21 bill, which includes $91.4 million for the Copyright Office (see 2007070063).
Charter Communications should expect public interest groups to oppose its ask that the FCC set a May sunset to the data caps and interconnection conditions from its purchase of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks (see 2006180050). The cable ISP could face watered-down opposition compared with what it faced to get regulatory OK, with some groups telling us it's question of available resources. The commission might be hesitant to act on the petition before the November election, we were told.
Safety and FAA pending remote ID rules are critical to drones' growth, speakers said at a symposium co-sponsored by the agency and the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI). The annual unmanned aircraft system (UAS) event was postponed from June and began virtually Wednesday.
Sen. Ron Wyden remains opposed to the Earn It Act because it threatens free speech and security, his spokesperson told us Tuesday when asked if the Oregon Democrat plans to place a hold on the bill (see 2007070060). The spokesperson emailed that the bill won’t do anything to “stop the monsters who produce and spread” child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and “threatens the security and free speech of every American.” Wyden’s Invest in Child Safety Act (S-3629) (see 2007010072) would “provide resources to help protect children from becoming victims and to catch the predators responsible,” his office said.