Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) appoints Wesley Bennett, commissioner-Department of Local Government Finance, to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, effective June 26; replacing Stefanie Krevda, who stepped down … Public Service Commission of West Virginia promotes Andy Gallagher to communications director … Alan Chartock retires as WAMC Albany president-CEO; Operations and Engineering Director Stacey Rosenberry is interim CEO … CBS Stations promotes Kari Patey to vice president-producer development for 14 CBS local newsrooms across country, new position; she remains vice president-news director, CBS News Minnesota, until successor is found.
With the FCC facing growing interest from space operators seeking approval for operations on and above the moon's surface, the agency also needs to update its rules for that lunar future, space policy experts told us. The commercial interest in the moon also should trigger ITU action, they said. The FCC didn't comment.
Industry opposed extending California service-quality rules to VoIP and wireless -- and to sharpening the current penalty mechanism for plain old telephone service (POTS) -- in comments Thursday at the California Public Utilities Commission. Consumer groups urged the CPUC to expand and sharpen the teeth of its oversight regime. The responses to a staff outages report largely tracked with previous comment rounds in docket R.22-03-016 (see 2212220052 and 2205100048).
An FCC draft NPRM, released Thursday, on the 42 GHz band seeks comment on three versions of a shared licensing approach. A proposed NPRM on facilitating the launch of next-generation 911 is a follow-up to a National Association of State 911 Administrators' petition seeking a rulemaking or notice of inquiry to fully implement NG911 (see 2110190066 and 2201200043), a draft makes clear. The FCC also released a draft NPRM proposing to strengthen robocall and robotext rules. All are scheduled for commissioner votes at the June 8 meeting. Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel unveiled the agenda Wednesday (see 2305170059).
The Nebraska Public Service Commission reviewed challenges to applications for federal Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund grants Tuesday. Commissioners voted 5-0 for the order in docket CPF-1 at a livestreamed meeting. The commission upheld two and denied four Windstream challenges to Allo Communications projects, while upholding three challenges by Allo to Windstream applications. The PSC upheld three of 10 challenges by Windstream and one by Zito Midwest to Nextlink Internet applications. The agency upheld three of five Windstream challenges, while denying one Nextlink challenge, to Pinpoint Communications projects. The PSC denied three challenges by Nextlink and one by Midstates Data to Lumen projects. It upheld one of three Windstream challenges to Charter Communications projects. The PSC upheld one Windstream challenge to a Vyve Broadband project and denied one Nextlink challenge to a Stealth Broadband application. Also, the PSC said one application by Cox, one by Windstream and six by Great Plains Communications were withdrawn or incomplete and therefore not eligible for funding. Also at the meeting, Nebraska PSC members voted 5-0 for an order to release a 2023 schedule and application materials for the Nebraska Broadband Bridge Program. Applications will be accepted June 16-26. The program provides up to $20 million annually for broadband networks with at least 100 Mbps symmetrical speeds.
The Public Safety Spectrum Alliance (PSSA) urged the FCC to change course on the 4.9 GHz band and issue a single national license, in reply comments in docket 07-100. PSSA had some support, but most commenters who commented on that want the band to remain independent of FirstNet. Comments were due Monday in docket 07-100.
Liberty Broadband subsidiary GCI Communications agreed to pay $40.24 million to settle allegations it breached the False Claims Act by knowingly inflating its prices and violating FCC competitive bidding rules in connection with its participation in the commission’s Rural Health Care (RHC) program, said DOJ and the FCC in a statement Thursday. Just over $26 million of the settlement amount will be USF restitution payments directly to the FCC under a contemporaneous consent decree with the commission, said the settlement agreement.
The GOP leads on the House and Senate Communications subcommittees were noncommittal in interviews before a Wednesday House Commerce Oversight Subcommittee hearing about what kind of modifications they would like for the FCC’s affordable connectivity program. Current estimates peg ACP as likely to exhaust the initial $14.2 billion in funding from the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act during the first half of 2024, perhaps as early as Q1. The Commerce Oversight hearing highlighted partisan fault lines over how much Congress should modify the existing federal broadband funding apparatus.
Top Republican leaders on the House and Senate Commerce committees want the FCC's Office of Inspector General to review the commission's management of broadband money it received during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying in a Monday letter to acting IG Sharon Diskin "it's important to understand" the affordable connectivity program's "record to date" as they decide whether to back extending its life. They are seeking answers by June 1. The request came before two congressional hearings later this week on federal broadband spending and may provide further insight into whether there’s a consensus for making legislative changes to existing programs.
Some of the most important decisions to be made at this year's World Radiocommunication Conference will be on future agenda items, industry officials agreed during the second part of an FCBA webinar Thursday (see 2305040086). A bifurcated approach, with separate committees developing industry and government positions, may no longer make sense in a 5G world, they said. WRC starts Nov. 20 in Dubai.