The FCC won Tuesday in a court challenge by former 700 MHz C-block spectrum licensee GLH in a defaulted debt case in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Still, GLH has options for reducing the payment demand by the regulator, said its lawyer. A judge appeared somewhat skeptical of FCC arguments at oral argument in January (see 1901090057).
Increased tech sector concentration is killing innovation, said House Antitrust Subcommittee Chairman David Cicilline, D-R.I. During Tuesday's hearing with Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google, he cited examples of each company engaging in anticompetitive behavior to privilege their platforms. It was the second hearing on the topic since the House Judiciary Committee announced a bipartisan tech industry investigation (see 1906110072).
Several petitions for reconsideration and a stay request were filed against aspects of the FCC’s revamped FM translator interference rules. That's according to filings posted in docket 18-119 through Tuesday. The LPFM Coalition, radio consultants Skywaves Consulting, and full-power and LPFM licensees are among those challenging the translator interference rules on the 45 dBu contour limit on interference claims and arguing the rules violate the Local Community Radio Act (LCRA).
With a majority of commissioners seen likely to adopt the local franchise authority item on the Aug. 1 agenda (see 1907110071), locality and public, educational and government channel advocates see at best lemonade in that some PEG draft items didn't go as far as proposed in the NPRM. Many also still consider a legal challenge. That has long been expected (see 1812200042).
House Communications Subcommittee members focused on the spectrum policy fracas between the Commerce Department and the FCC during a Tuesday hearing to a far greater extent than expected (see 1907150020). The quarrel involves NASA and NOAA concerns about potential effects of commercial use of spectrum on the 24 GHz band, sold in the recent FCC auction, on federal technology using adjacent frequencies (see 1905230037). Lawmakers also showed significant interest in the debate over the best plan for clearing spectrum on the 3.7-4.2 GHz C-band, though an industry-focused panel that appeared centered on the issue was truncated amid House votes.
Verizon solved a “conundrum” in the U.S. mobile industry in the first half by meeting consumers’ desire for “unfettered video consumption while maintaining a quality video experience,” OpenSignal reported Monday.
An NPRM on technical changes to low-power FM rules is considered noncontroversial. It doesn’t go as far as some LPFM stations would like, LPFM industry officials and broadcast attorneys who represent full-power stations said in interviews. Since the NPRM doesn’t tee up previously contentious proposals to increase LPFM power levels (see 1807230039), it's unlikely full-power broadcasters will be concerned with it, broadcast attorneys said. REC Networks founder Michelle Bradley said in posts on her website she wishes for more expansive rule changes but supports all the NPRM’s proposals.
The FCC made some major changes to its focus in the three weeks the 2.5 GHz educational broadband service order was before commissioners. They approved the order last week, with Democrats Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks dissenting to most parts (see 1907100054). A side-by-side comparison shows significant changes. While the FCC has often changed course on an item on the way to a vote, the decision of Chairman Ajit Pai to post drafts three-weeks before a meeting make the changes more apparent than they were in the past, former officials said.
Debate over the best plan for clearing spectrum on the 3.7-4.2 GHz C-band is expected to be the big draw for stakeholders during the House Communications Subcommittee's Tuesday hearing on spectrum policy issues. It won't be the only focus. Six other bands are known to be on subcommittee members' radar amid ongoing Capitol Hill interest in U.S. strategy for taking a lead role in 5G development, lawmakers and lobbyists said in interviews. The panel is set to start at 10:30 a.m. in 2322 Rayburn (see 1907100069).
The FTC “will determine next steps” in its inquiry into manufacturer restrictions on third-party consumer product repairs after its ‘Nixing the Fix’ workshop, emailed a spokesperson. The commission is billing Tuesday’s workshop as a chance to examine whether third-party repair limitations can undercut the consumer protections in the 1975 Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (MMWA). The agency has been silent about punitive actions it might take or rules it could propose to thwart practices it deems possible violations of the statute.