Broadcasters believe the estimated cost of the repacking is closer to $3 billion than the $1.86 billion figure last announced by the FCC, and that it won't be clear how well the repacking plan is functioning until late in 2018, when the process begins moving from one phase to the next, broadcasters and industry officials told us. The transition between phases of the repacking will demonstrate whether tower crews, manufacturers and broadcasters will be able to adhere to the FCC's repacking timeline. If broadcasters start missing their phase deadlines as the repacking goes on, it could have a cascading delay effect, said Gray Television Deputy General Counsel Robert Folliard. The first transition between repacking phases will be “a very telling day,” said PBS Assistant General Counsel Talia Rosen.
All five FCC commissioners, other officials and industry slammed a memo by a “senior National Security Council official” proposing the U.S. build a national 5G network, selling access on a wholesale basis to carriers. Axios published the leaked memo Sunday. Monday, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said it's a bad idea. The memo compares 5G to the push under President Dwight Eisenhower to build a national highway system in the 1950s and warns that China could otherwise build a network first.
Amendments pushed by some satellite operators to their pending non-geostationary orbit​ (NGSO) applications -- as well as the related push by ViaSat for a clear FCC route to propose such amendments without them constituting a major amendment that could get applications removed from the NGSO processing round (see 1801180060) -- are raising an array of questions, including what the FCC might do, satellite officials told us.
Movement toward a more fully staffed FTC is welcome news to industry and policymakers that work with the agency and would like the commission to take on a larger public policy role. If the Senate approves the four nominations the White House announced Thursday (see 1801250055 and 1801250066), the FTC will have a Republican majority after working with just two commissioners -- one Republican and one Democrat -- since February when Commissioner Edith Ramirez left (see 1701130030). The new nominees are Joseph Simons, who has been tapped as chairman; Noah Phillips, chief counsel to Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas; Christine Wilson, senior vice president-regulatory and international affairs at Delta Air Lines; and Rohit Chopra, former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau assistant director.
The federal government should support Puerto Rico to the same extent it has for past hurricane victims in the 50 states, said Puerto Rico Telecommunications Regulatory Board (PRTRB) President Sandra Torres in an interview last week. Torres updated FCC commissioners and staff in Tuesday and Wednesday meetings in Washington (see 1801250041). Telecom infrastructure restoration continues in Puerto Rico, but funding is also needed to advance the territory’s connectivity, she said. More can be done to help Puerto Ricans, said an official from the territory's telecom industry association.
Public interest groups’ request for emergency stay of the FCC’s November broadcast ownership order on reconsideration (see 1801250065) is considered a “big ask” but the agency’s record of defeat on ownership rules at the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals means it has a real chance, said attorneys, broadcasters and academics. Petitioners Prometheus Radio Project and Media Mobilizing Project’s request the 3rd Circuit block the ownership rule changes and pending transactions based on them, and appoint a special master to force the FCC to collect data on minority ownership, might be a “tall lift” in most circumstances, said University of Minnesota School of Journalism assistant professor-media law Christopher Terry. If the court agrees the regulator again failed to follow the court’s directives, it’s “not an unreasonable request,” he added.
A coalition of companies interested in unlicensed use of the 6 GHz band filed an FCC report explaining how the companies believe the band can be opened without harmful interference to incumbents. Industry officials said the report responds to concerns raised by the FCC, particularly Julius Knapp, chief of the Office of Engineering and Technology, who asked for details on an interference mitigation strategy. Commissioner Mike O’Rielly indicated his support and urged action.
DOJ's seeming doubling down on its presumption against behavioral remedies in antitrust consent decrees reinforces the idea settlement of its lawsuit to block AT&T's buy of Time Warner could be remote, experts said. Justice wouldn't be going to court on AT&T/TW if it thought a behavioral remedy could restore the competition lost by the deal, said American Antitrust Institute President Diana Moss. The odds of a settlement have been hazy (see 1801050010). DOJ and AT&T didn't comment.
The Department of Homeland Security's National Protection and Programs Directorate is aiming to tweak its Automated Indicator Sharing (AIS) program in the coming months in a bid to improve the quality of cybersecurity information the department sends to the private sector, said DHS Assistant Secretary-NPPD Office of Cybersecurity and Communications (OCC) Jeanette Manfra during a Thursday USTelecom event. The 2015 Cybersecurity Act, which made DHS the main civilian portal for cyber information sharing, directed the department to create AIS as its main civilian cybersecurity information sharing portal (see 1512180052).
Next-generation 911 is about as far as along as can be expected since Congress hasn’t provided adequate funding and a number of states have raided 911 funds, speakers said at an FCBA brown-bag seminar Thursday. A week ago, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said the agency was making a push on the development of best practices for calls to 911 and working to speed transition of public safety answering points to NG-911 (see 1801170047).