As the State Department plans guidance for exports of surveillance technology, companies and associations are concerned about consequences of separate Commerce Department efforts to restrict sales of emerging technologies. The stakeholders said in interviews in recent weeks they're growing impatient with a Commerce delay of several months. State will publish its surveillance export guidelines by early January and will make changes based on industry comments, an Information Systems Technical Advisory Committee meeting was told Wednesday.
Whether Dish Network can keep going its Q3 video subscriber-loss rebound remains to be seen. CEO Erik Carlson called the 66,000 decline in direct broadcast satellite subscribers "notable progress." Wall Street was less bullish but saw Dish as increasingly confident in its wireless strategy.
Senate Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee Chairman John Kennedy, R-La., told us Thursday he now expects a planned second hearing on his concerns about a potential private auction of spectrum on the 3.7-4.2 GHz C band to happen Nov. 20. Kennedy grilled FCC Chairman Ajit Pai in October on whether he favors a private auction similar to what the C-Band Alliance proposes (see 1910170038). Pai's expected to propose a private auction plan for a vote at commissioners' Dec. 12 meeting (see 1910100052). The C-Band Alliance countered what it believes are other stakeholders' “misstatements” about its private auction proposal, writing House Communications Subcommittee leaders.
With T-Mobile buying Sprint and divestitures to Dish Network in court, T-Mobile offered additional inducements Thursday to make the deal seem sweeter to the states in the lawsuit and other opponents. Industry officials told us the FCC order approving the transaction may not do much to help T-Mobile win the case. T-Mobile promised to launch 5G Dec. 6, with 200 million POPS covered at launch and two devices immediately available. Critics told us they're not swayed.
The FCC and NAB petitioned Thursday for a full panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a three-judge panel’s 2-1 decision against the FCC in the Prometheus IV ownership case, as expected (see 1910250006). For 15 years, “the same divided panel of this Court has frustrated the Commission’s repeated attempts to modernize its media ownership rules,” the FCC said. Prometheus is “irreconcilable” with “the proper role of courts in reviewing agency action,” NAB wrote.
Senate Judiciary Committee members weren’t swayed by intelligence officials Wednesday to reauthorize a controversial Patriot Act-related phone records program (see 1908160057). “I’m torn,” Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told us after a hearing on USA Patriot Act Section 215 and other surveillance authorities set to expire in December. Graham generally agrees with ranking member Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., that tools should be “taken off the table,” unless there’s good reason to reauthorize.
LOUISVILLE -- Providers competing in broadband and companies that support them are projecting strong demand from consumers, businesses and government, they told Incompas Wednesday. Incompas CEO Chip Pickering recommended letting "every entrant enter this space because there is such a demand," especially rural. He called the push for ubiquitous deployment an issue "of national consensus" when few such issues are to be found. "It's good to be in our business right now."
The plethora of municipality and state plaintiffs that have challenged the FCC’s cable TV local franchise authority order in court XXXXX points to how problematic so many of them see that order, localities, lawyers and allies tell us. While no more suits are coming, some foresee multiple intervenors filing on the plaintiffs’ behalf in next couple weeks.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., filed his Satellite Television Access Reauthorization Act (S-2789) Wednesday to renew the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act, as expected (see 1911050028). The committee confirmed Wednesday night it will mark up the bill during a Nov. 13 executive session, also as expected. The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. in 216 Hart.
The FCC is again under pressure to mandate backup power for cellsites, after widespread outages during California wildfires. The issue isn’t new, and questions are growing. Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel told us now is time to act.