The FCC Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee will have new life after it finalizes the last of its reports to the commission. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai stopped by the meeting Friday to announce a new focus -- how to make communications infrastructure more resilient, with hurricane season looming and after major storms hit the Gulf Coast and U.S. territories last year. Pai asked BDAC to complete the report by February.
The New York Public Service Commission’s extraordinary revoking of approval of Charter Communications’ buy of Time Warner Cable (see 1807270027) surprised observers Friday. Commissioners voted 3-0 to rescind the state's 2016 conditional approval of Charter's purchase, directing the acquirer to cease operations and submit a transition plan within 60 days. At Friday's special session, commissioners also voted 3-0 to direct counsel to initiate a civil enforcement case against Charter in New York Supreme Court seeking civil financial penalties for past failures.
Dolby CEO Kevin Yeaman hailed “the combined experience” of Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision on the company’s fiscal Q3 earnings call Wednesday, highlighting the Apple TV 4K as the first digital media adapter (DMA) to support Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision.
Spotify put to rest reports it's becoming a music label Thursday. Responding to questions on its Q2 earnings report, CEO Daniel Ek said the company doesn’t hold any rights to any music. The company finished Q2 with 180 million monthly average users (MAUs) and 83 million premium subscribers. Revenue rose 26 percent to 1.27 billion euros ($1.5 billion) vs. 1 billion euros in the year-ago quarter. The stock closed up 4.4 percent at $196.28.
Qualcomm’s decision to terminate its $44 billion agreement to buy NXP Semiconductors (see 1807250062) “was a difficult one,” but “continued uncertainty overhanging such a large acquisition introduces heightened risk,” said Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf on a Wednesday earnings call hours after announcing the decision. Ending the deal triggered Qualcomm’s payment to NXP Thursday of a $2 billion termination fee, said Qualcomm. Its shares closed 7 percent higher Thursday at $63.58, while NXP shares closed 5.7 percent lower at $92.81.
Creating an FTC Technology Bureau would let the agency better evaluate competition and consumer protection cases, said Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter Thursday. Former Commissioner Terrell McSweeny, a fellow Democrat, championed the idea, Slaughter noted at New America's Open Technology Institute.
The U.S. could be headed down the same unproductive path for the 2019 World Radiocommunication Conference that it trod at WRC-15, when it faced international pushback against its positions, FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly said at a Federalist Society event Thursday. He said there needs to be more cooperation on a U.S. position to avoid that outcome. He's "incredibly troubled" by nations that act on parochial interests and try to block the U.S. for competitive purposes.
Parties bombarded the FCC with conflicting advice on one-touch, make-ready plans and other pole-attachment proposals in a draft order aimed at facilitating broadband deployment. Electric utilities pushed for changes to proposed communications provider self-help in the power spaces on poles, and cable continued voicing concern about OTMR treatment of existing attachments. Incumbent telcos sought stronger action to lower the attachment rates they pay pole owners, though Verizon backed OTMR and others supported agency proposals. Filings were posted in docket 17-84 Thursday as lobbying restrictions took effect and the draft was included in the agenda for the Aug. 2 commissioners' meeting.
The FCC attaching deadlines to the Sinclair/Tribune hearing designation order to help speed the proceeding was a relative novelty for the agency, but other federal agencies frequently use deadlines for administrative law proceedings, administrative law judges and other experts told us. Brooke Ericson, chief of staff for Commissioner Mike O'Rielly, who spearheaded the HDO deadlines language, said O'Reilly has about 50 other agency process changes he hopes to pitch to Chairman Ajit Pai. She said it includes others dealing with the ALJ process like eliminating such hearings.
The FCC Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee approved tweaks to its model code for municipalities, which is designed to speed siting and eliminate roadblocks imposed by cities. BDAC earlier approved the code itself, subject to harmonization with a state code. It was voting Thursday on sections of the model for states later in the afternoon. The full panel approved the harmonized muni code with a single abstention.