Verizon would “very much like to see federal privacy legislation passed in 2019,” said Vice President-Public Policy Melissa Tye Thursday at an FCBA event. Director-Regulatory Affairs Rachel Sanford Nemeth also pledged CTA’s support for federal legislation to avoid a patchwork of state regulations.
The poor could be in danger of losing support for phone service due to shortcomings of the Lifeline national verifier (NV), state commissioners told us this week. NARUC plans to vote at its Feb. 10-13 meeting in Washington on a resolution proposing changes to reduce barriers to accessing Lifeline (see 1901290029). Lifeline providers and a consumer advocate hope the resolution is a wake-up call. The FCC said critics seek to undermine efforts to protect the fund’s integrity.
SiriusXM CEO Jim Meyer sees “a lot I love about Pandora” but worries about the streaming service’s steady “decline in listening hours,” he said on a Q4 call Wednesday. Meyer expects SiriusXM’s $3.5 billion all-stock buyout to close Friday, after Pandora shareholders approved the transaction Tuesday (see 1901290056).
After Jan. 2's warning on weak China sales, Apple (see Jan. 4 issue) continued efforts to promote its higher margin services business on the company's fiscal Q1 call Tuesday. Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri for the first time broke out gross margin into categories -- 34.3 percent for hardware, 62.8 percent for services in the year-end quarter -- saying the new reporting strategy “will foster a better understanding of our business.” The company is on track to reach its goal to double services from 2016 by 2020, said CEO Tim Cook.
FirstNet is on 40 percent of AT&T's network and the telco likely will complete the network ahead of a five-year deadline, AT&T executives said on an analyst call Wednesday. The company reported adding fewer wireless subscribers in Q4 and losing more video subscribers than expected. The stock closed down 4.3 percent at $29.37.
Amazon will recruit New York City public-housing tenants for at least 30 customer-service jobs and invest millions in a “pathway to employment” cloud-computing “certificate program" with LaGuardia Community College of the City University of New York, testified Vice President-Public Policy Brian Huseman Wednesday. It was the second in a series of City Council oversight hearings on impact of the planned HQ2 in Long Island City, Queens (see 1901280001).
NTIA posted comments Wednesday on the national spectrum strategy, many of them released by those who wrote them during the prolonged federal shutdown (see 1901230028 and 1901250040). Apple and Facebook were among additional companies offering advice. Comments are here.
Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., is defending a letter she and other lawmakers wrote the FCC and DOJ Antitrust Division to support T-Mobile's proposed buy of Sprint amid criticism from groups opposed to the deal. House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle, D-Pa., said he's not concerned opinion among subcommittee Democrats may be divided on the transaction. House Communications and the House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee are to examine T-Mobile/Sprint during a Feb. 13 hearing (see 1901280051). Two other House Communications members joined Eshoo in signing the letter -- Reps. Billy Long, R-Mo., and Kurt Schrader, D-Ore.
Nexstar proposed divesting stations in 11 overlap markets for its anticipated buy of Tribune. It's seeks one top four showing for an existing combination, in the application posted Tuesday.
Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel criticized the shutdown’s effect on FCC staff at an agenda-less January commissioners’ meeting -- the first for new Commissioner Geoffrey Starks (see 1901030042). “This past month has been trying for everyone at the FCC,” said Pai. Staff lived under “a cloud of uncertainty” during the government-funding impasse, he said.