Consumers have a mushrooming array of options for blocking or otherwise avoiding unwanted robocalls, but legitimate callers are increasingly caught up in those nets, robocall service vendors said Monday at an FCC/FTC expo on illegal robocall technology. Legitimate callers "are getting Heismaned" by robocall-blocking tech, said Deirdre Menard, Transaction Network Services director of product management.
Don’t cite state law to justify New York diversion of 911 fees for things not directly related to 911, an aide to FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly said Monday. O’Rielly and Rep. Chris Collins (R) condemned New York diversion Friday while visiting the Niagara County Emergency Management Office public safety answering point in Buffalo. A New York department said it uses fee revenue for first responder communications and state tax law prevents the state from using the money differently. But Niagara County Sheriff James Voutour said the policy keeps 911 funding from counties responsible for handling many emergency calls.
The FCC advisory committee on preparation for the 2019 meeting of the World Radiocommunication Conference fell short of reaching consensus on three agenda items approved Monday. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai spoke at the WRC Advisory Committee (WAC) meeting, assuring members the commission is watching closely and urging them to find consensus. The WAC formulates industry’s positions while a group coordinated by NTIA works with government agencies.
House Commerce Republican lawmakers are beginning to consider legislative vehicles for enacting broadband infrastructure bills championed in President Donald Trump’s February infrastructure proposal (see 1802120001), though they told us they're also still considering ways to advance stand-alone measures. House Digital Commerce Subcommittee Chairman Bob Latta, R-Ohio, suggested earlier this month the possibility of lawmakers using a yet-to-be-introduced NTIA reauthorization bill as a vehicle (see 1804170059). Entities lobbying on the broadband infrastructure push remained relatively steady in Q1 compared with the previous quarter, though some lobbyists told us the rapid closing of the legislative window is narrowing lawmakers’ options for advancing bills in this Congress.
NAB and Comcast led among communications and tech sector Q1 lobbying expenditures reported by Friday early evening, though most companies and groups hadn't filed yet. NAB spent $3.89 million in Q1, down 4 percent from the same period in 2017. Outside firms reported $340,000 in income from lobbying on NAB’s behalf. Outside firms were already reporting $1.57 million in income for lobbying on Comcast’s behalf for the quarter. Hired firms claimed at least $1.25 million for lobbying on behalf of AT&T. There was at least $785,000 in lobbying income on behalf of T-Mobile, while consultants posted $711,000 in reports for Verizon.
A draft item hit the FCC's top floor Thursday on Northstar Wireless and SNR Wireless applications for new licenses in the AWS-3 bands, said the circulation list updated the next day. The designated entities and Dish Network recently restructured their relationship after the FCC clawed back spectrum awarded at a discount to those DEs in a major spectrum auction (see 1804040004). The Commission said the proceeding is restricted, so officials were tight-lipped. One analyst has said the agency may again nix the DEs' attempt to get an approximately 25 percent discount on the several billion dollars of spectrum.
Expect the Senate Judiciary Committee to pursue a package of music copyright legislation like the one House Judiciary recently advanced (see 1804110060), industry attorneys and lobbyists told us. Music Modernization Act (S-2334) author Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, told us he plans to discuss Senate Judiciary Committee consideration of the bill with Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. Grassley “knows it’s important,” Hatch said.
An FCC freeze on new or modifications of fixed satellite service licenses in the 3.7-4.2 GHz band is seemingly the next step toward the agency issuing an NPRM on an Intelsat/Intel/SES plan for freeing up part of the C-band for mobile wireless use (see 1710020047), experts told us. Action on the band seems imminent, given the freeze announced Thursday. The agency is apparently "moving aggressively" toward an NPRM regarding mobile and high-capacity fixed wireless in the band, emailed Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Program at New America's Open Technology Institute.
Commissioner Brendan Carr is starting to sketch out details on what are expected to be the FCC’s next big steps toward making it easier for carriers to deploy small cells tied to 5G. In a speech last week at a CTIA 5G event (see 1804190050), Carr said his proposal is being worked out, and one of the principles will be that local and state governments mustn't use siting review as a revenue generator. Industry officials repeatedly complained during the CTIA forum about how long it takes to install small cells.
The FCC had a more difficult time in court Friday than some expected (see 1804190056) in defending its change of the UHF discount so that stations in that part of the TV band could have twice the concentrated ownership as those lower down the dial. Every member of a three-judge panel took issue with the FCC’s lack of justification for restoring the UHF discount.