The ongoing license hearing for radio broadcaster Entertainment Media Trust -- with Sinclair Broadcast’s hearing designation order (see 2001270054) and the action against prison phone provider Securus (see 1904020076) --- could indicate an FCC crackdown on issues related to misrepresentation or a lack of candor, attorneys told us. The case at hand is expected to be dismissed over EMT’s failure to participate if the company doesn’t make a Monday deadline to demonstrate why that shouldn’t happen (see 2001240052).
The House Commerce Committee’s telecom agenda is set to be dominated in the coming weeks by leaders’ work to reach a deal on legislation on allocating the proceeds of a coming FCC auction of spectrum on the 3.7-4.2 GHz C band, lawmakers and lobbyists told us. Committee members are being pressed by a planned Feb. 28 FCC vote on Chairman Ajit Pai’s C-band plan, which he unveiled Thursday (see 2002060057) and released Friday. Other items are also percolating, including on public safety communications, network resiliency and broadband.
The up-to $9.7 billion in payments the FCC is proposing be spent on satellite operators seems to be a hard-and-fast figure with little to no commission wiggle room, we are told. Chairman Ajit Pai's office didn't comment. The 185-page C-band draft order released Friday says Intelsat would be eligible for up to half -- $4.85 billion -- of the accelerated relocation payments for making 2021 and 2023 spectrum clearing deadlines. SES would be eligible for $4 billion, Eutelsat for $467 million, Telesat for $374 million and Star One for $13.6 million.
Opponents of an FCC proposal to forbear from imposing unbundling obligations on ILECs said it would harm competition and limit consumer choice. CLECs use ILECs' dark fiber and other unbundled network elements (UNEs) to gain customers before funding fiber deployments, stakeholders commented, posting through Thursday in docket 19-308 (see 1911220052). ILECs backed the NPRM, saying there's enough competition to justify forbearance. California regulators had concerns, as did telcos in areas rebuilding from disasters.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai proposes holding Phase I auctions for the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund on Oct. 22. Pai circulated a public notice among commissioners Thursday proposing procedures for the Phase I auctions, which would allot up to $16 billion of the $20.4 billion USF rural broadband program, he blogged, outlining his agenda for the Feb. 28 meeting. The RDOF auction procedural PN is one of eight items for what Pai is calling "spectrum month." Drafts are expected to be released Friday. Pai's proposal Thursday to pay up to $9.7 billion to C-band incumbents to free the spectrum for a Dec. 8 auction (see 2002060057) will lead the February meeting.
Local governments and the FCC are gearing up for oral argument Monday at the 9th U.S. Court of Appeals in Pasadena, California, on two commission orders the agency and industry say are needed to streamline 5G infrastructure deployment. Judges’ decision about whether the commission legally pre-empted local authority in the right of way could have broader impact for local authority in telecom, municipal attorneys and others told us.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai proposed accelerated relocation payments of up to $9.7 billion for C-band incumbents to clear the band quickly for an auction to start Dec. 8, in a speech (see 2002060031) Thursday at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. Those would be above compensation for relocation costs, estimated to be between $3 billion and $5 billion, he said. Pai has the three votes he needs for approval at the commissioners' Feb. 28 meeting (see 2002060048) with quick endorsements of Commissioners Mike O’Rielly and Brendan Carr.
Spotify shares closed down 4.7 percent Wednesday at $147 after the company reported Q4 revenue of $1.85 billion, below its forecast of $1.89 billion. The company reported an earnings-per-share loss of $1.22 vs. a year-ago gain of 41 cents. It agreed to buy sports podcast service Ringer. That brings more “lifestyle value” and marks a trend of things to come, said Spotify CEO Daniel Ek on the company’s earnings call. The deal is expected to close this quarter.
DOJ Antitrust Division Chief Makan Delrahim could recuse himself from other tech industry investigations, he told reporters Wednesday, after news of his Google probe recusal. Asked after a Media Institute event if there could be other conflicts, he said, “There could be perhaps, but we’ll see. I’ll let you all know.” The division is sorting through tech companies to see if there are any “appearance” issues, he said.
A TV white spaces NPRM circulated on the eighth floor by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai Wednesday seems to incorporate concepts pushed by Microsoft, a broadcast industry official said Wednesday. The TVWS NPRM is set for a vote at the Feb. 28 commissioners’ meeting (see 2002050013). The proposal "would allow white space devices to reach users at greater distances, thus enabling improved broadband coverage," said an FCC release. The item includes proposals to increase the minimum separation distances for white space devices operating at higher power.