Despite a rift between two of the parties challenging the FCC's C-band order in federal court, PSSi's effort to get SES' appeal dismissed isn't expected to significantly affect the consolidated challenges to the order, we were told. A lawyer involved in the FCC proceeding said SES isn't really a petitioner but a conditional cross-petitioner. The company has told the court it won't file a petitioner's brief.
Texas' Public Utility Commission disagrees with Lifeline providers telling the FCC the PUC's Texas Low-Income Discount Administrator (LIDA) process is preventing reimbursement and hurting low-income consumers. Texas commissioners voted 3-0 at a Thursday meeting livestreamed from Austin to clear staff comments due July 10 at the FCC on a National Lifeline Association (NaLA) petition to revoke Texas’ opt-out of the national Lifeline accountability (NLAD) (see 2006110023).
The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously advanced the Earn It Act (S-3398) (see 2007010058) Thursday. A manager’s amendment from Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and another amendment from Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., passed.
Customers are seeing speeds on 5G “dramatically faster” than on 4G, except in the U.S., said Ian Fogg, Opensignal vice president-analysis, at GSMA’s virtual China conference Wednesday. 5G won’t replace Wi-Fi in the U.S., he said. Others said Asia-Pacific carriers are adopting many of the same approaches as in the U.S.
CTA, CTIA and other industry groups urged reallocating more spectrum for 5G across the radio spectrum and cutting red tape, and stressed the importance of a collaborative process on security, responding to NTIA’s “Request for Comments on the Implementation Plan for the National Strategy to Secure 5G.” Others said the federal government isn’t doing enough about security. FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr said on a podcast Wednesday the tide is turning worldwide against the Chinese companies that have been the focus of security concerns.
The House Armed Services Committee voted Wednesday to include in its FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (HR-6395) two amendments aimed at hindering the FCC’s approval of Ligado’s L-band plan, as expected (see 2006260051). The Senate continued to consider its Armed Services Committee-cleared NDAA version (S-4049) with anti-Ligado language intact (see 2006110026). Senate Armed Services Chairman Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., attempted but failed to advance by unanimous consent a manager’s amendment to S-4049 containing additional telecom and tech language.
With not all on board with stakeholder calls to end eligible telecom carrier designation requirements, momentum may not be sufficient to change FCC policy before would-be bidders in the upcoming Rural Digital Opportunity Fund take first steps to participate in the auction, according to recent interviews. Most think a repeal would take a law.
The California Consumer Protection Act enforcement kicked off Wednesday. Senate Majority Leader Robert Hertzberg (D) told us he expects Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D) to act shortly to enforce CCPA, even with some matters unresolved. Privacy attorneys, consumer advocates and others expect the AG to tackle egregious violations of the statute in enforcement’s early days, they said in interviews.
GSMA opened its China conference Tuesday with speakers from Chinese companies under fire in the U.S., including Huawei and China Mobile. The conference is completely virtual, which was unimaginable a year ago, said Mats Granryd, GSMA director general. “This pandemic has highlighted to the world what we have all known for decades, the true relevance of robust and resilient mobile networks.”
The pandemic is intensifying media trends toward digital advertising, streaming video and direct-to-consumer offerings, said Wells Fargo analyst Davis Hebert Tuesday during The Media Institute’s teleconferenced “virtual luncheon,” the group’s COVID-19 replacement for its speaker series. There has been “steady leakage” from traditional media to digital for the past three-five years, Hebert said. The pandemic and stay-at home orders enhanced that, he said.