AT&T outlined its much-anticipated HBO Max service Tuesday. It said subscribers will have access on launch day to six “Max Originals”: scripted comedy Love Life; feature documentary On the Record; dance competition series Legendary; Craftopia; new Looney Tunes Cartoons; and Sesame Workshop’s The Not Too Late Show with Elmo.
The FCC isn't backing down against robocalls, Wireline Bureau Chief Kris Monteith told an FCBA webinar Tuesday. “Work is ongoing at the commission and growing on all fronts,” she said. “We will continue to make policy to allow for better enforcement to promote industry efforts to prevent robocalls."
The FCC will take on the long-stalled 900 MHz realignment, allowing broadband in the swath that has been used for narrowband communications including two-way dispatch, Chairman Ajit Pai blogged Tuesday, previewing the May 13 meeting agenda. Also slated are regulatory fees for foreign-licensed satellite operators, a proposed streamlining and revision of broadcaster license notifications, and an earth stations in motion (ESIM) order.
The full FCC unanimously approved a reconsideration order clarifying some aspects of the agency’s previous clarification of its political file rules (see 2003300046). As industry sought, the regulator clarified that the political advertising reporting policies it instituted in October apply only to third-party issue ads, not candidate ads. The agency said it will use “a standard of reasonableness and good faith” in judging whether broadcasters are complying with rules for commercials in determining whether the spots trigger disclosure obligations, concern a national issue, or appropriately use acronyms or abbreviations. All other issues raised in recon petitions by NAB and broadcasters including Scripps and Meredith are “pending,” said a footnote.
Some want more clarity about the FCC's role regulating broadband, said comments posted through Tuesday. The agency asked to refresh dockets including 17-287, on how broadband service's reclassification as an information, not telecom, service affects authority over Lifeline, pole attachment agreements and public safety. Commenters disagreed whether the FCC should reconsider based on the public safety considerations.
President Donald Trump renewed his support Tuesday for efforts to include broadband funding in a fourth major COVID-19 legislative package, amid continued Capitol Hill interest in addressing broadband in future pandemic-related measures. The fortunes of broadband funding as part of future pandemic-related bills fluctuated in the weeks since Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, the most recent aid bill (see 2003270058). Many tech and telecom entities listed proposals to include broadband funding in HR-748 and future aid legislation as one of the issues they lobbied the Hill on during Q1.
Disney, Huawei and ViacomCBS were among telecom and tech entities reporting increased Q1 lobbying spending by Monday afternoon. Microsoft, NAB and the Telecommunications Industry Association showed declines over the same period in 2019.
The “past few weeks” have seen a “dramatic drop” in robocall reports FTC Consumer Protection Bureau Director Andrew Smith said Monday, citing COVID-19’s economic disruption as one potential reason. Many robocalls originate in India, and stay-at-home orders might be affecting the volume, he told the American Bar Association, noting the agency’s recent warning letters with the FCC against VoIP service providers (see 2004030052). When the FTC acts against VoIP providers, it sees measurable drops in robocall volume, which shows existing laws are helping, he said.
AT&T told members of Congress’ Commerce and Judiciary committees it’s working to address expected customer upheaval once the latest Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act reauthorization law takes effect, including informing some DirecTV subscribers they will lose access to stations after May 31. STELA set that deadline for satellite providers using the distant-signal license to serve all 210 designated market areas (see 1912190068). Congress “can avoid having customers deal with these issues during” the COVID-19 pandemic “by delaying the new law’s June 1 effective date until January 1, 2021,” AT&T emailed to lawmakers. Public Knowledge and some others interpret the message as a bid to delay STELA’s start.
The FCC commissioners' approval of the long-pending Ligado plan for terrestrial use of its L-band spectrum (see 2004200011) might not be the end of the proceeding, since a legal appeal is considered possible by some proceedings watchers. The 5-0 approval of the order was announced Monday, but the order wasn't released. An FCC official said it was approved as circulated and there were no changes to the draft order.