Commissioners voiced support Tuesday for two telehealth items Chairman Ajit Pai announced Monday (see 2003300048). Commissioner Geoffrey Starks said he voted yes before Tuesday's meeting. Brendan Carr had previously said similar. To be approved, FCC actions need three votes. When a chairman circulates an item, it usually signals the chair has voted yes.
Commissioner Mike O’Rielly vowed to prevent broadcast ownership regulations from applying to ATSC 3.0, in his written remarks Tuesday on the FCC NPRM on distributed transmission systems. That NPRM and media items on program carriage and significantly viewed stations were, as expected (see 2003300054), approved unanimously before a brief teleconference-only commissioners’ meeting Tuesday. Commissioners mostly held off on comments (see 2003310067). Telecom items also were OK'd (see 2003310039).
Commissioners approved secure telephone identity revisited and secure handling of asserted information using tokens call authentication rules electronically before their abbreviated meeting Tuesday (see 2003310012). No items were discussed in detail. Commissioners released statements expressing some concerns about Stir/Shaken authentication rules and urging more action in response to COVID-19. The meeting lasted about 14 minutes.
T-Mobile/Sprint opponents rang alarm bells after the carriers laid the foundation to possibly close their deal without California OK (see 2003310017). Sprint advised the California Public Utilities Commission Monday evening it's relinquishing its state certificate. The two carriers moved to withdraw their wireline transfer-of-control application. It could mean the companies close the multibillion-dollar combination as soon as Wednesday, analysts said.
Parties interested in the FCC Rural Digital Opportunity Fund debated how auction procedures should measure satellite providers' performance, in comments posted through Monday in docket 20-34. The Wireline Bureau sought feedback on whether newer low earth orbit satellite technologies like SpaceX should be offered a special carve-out (see 2003020075).
At the direction of intelligence officials, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board refused to release its deep dive report on a key intelligence-related executive order, according to a Freedom of Information Act response. The Cato Institute filed the FOIA request seeking PCLOB reports on executive order No. 12333 to determine if agencies are abusing their authority. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C., said earlier this month the president can use 12333 to exercise surveillance authorities without congressional approval, including controversial authority central to the USA Freedom Act debate (see 2003180042).
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai circulated telehealth items Monday. One would allocate the $200 million in emergency COVID-19 funding Congress appropriated in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (see 2003270058). Another would direct $100 million in USF spending for a three-year Connected Care pilot (see 1906190013).
Advocates want the FCC to use emergency authority to mandate free inmate calling service phone calls and videos, for at least 60 days, they said in a petition to the agency. COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders and suspended visits make access to ICS more important, they told us. ICS providers said they're responding to inmates' needs.
OneWeb's Chapter 11 filing could result in fundraising challenges for other broadband non-geostationary orbit constellation plans, NGSO experts told us. Some said it could stoke doubts about the mega-constellation-delivered broadband business model. The company said it's using bankruptcy as a way to buy time until global markets rebound from the COVID-19 slowdown so it can then sell itself.
Media items slated for Tuesday’s commissioners’ meeting -- on distributed transmission systems (DTS) for ATSC 3.0, the definition of significantly viewed, and revised program carriage rules -- are expected to be approved unanimously, FCC and industry officials told us. The agency’s COVID-19 meeting procedures include voting the meeting items on circulation (see 2003240057) by the meeting’s 10:30 a.m. start time. An official said eighth-floor offices were entering votes Monday on items that had completed the editing process. A spokesperson said deletion notices will be issued for any items adopted before the meeting -- “as we have said we expect them to be.” No media items are considered controversial.