The FCC is statutorily required to handle the 2018 and 2022 quadrennial reviews separately, said Media Bureau staff at an FCBA virtual panel Thursday. The law says the FCC “shall” review broadcast ownership rules every four years, and that means “this is something we must do,” said MB Attorney-Adviser William Durdach, saying the law doesn’t allow the agency to “roll a quad into another quad.” Stakeholders speculated the agency could seek to skip the 2018 QR (see 2112200018).
Senate Commerce Committee officials are hoping they will be able to act next week on Democratic FCC nominee Gigi Sohn, after repeated delays in scheduling an advancement vote over the past two months. The committee is eyeing including Sohn and Democratic FTC nominee Alvaro Bedoya (see 2201240055) on the agenda for a potential Feb. 2 executive session, Senate aides and communications lobbyists told us. Opponents hope the delays resulted in traction for their ethics concerns about Sohn’s role as a board member for Locast operator Sports Fans Coalition (see 2201130071).
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit’s decision on 5.9 GHz may not be as straightforward as its ruling on 6 GHz, because the court will have to grapple with a novel issue -- whether the FCC ignored the Transportation Equity Act and the Department of Transportation’s role in encouraging intelligent transportation systems when it reallocated the band, experts said. The FCC’s 2020 5.9 GHz order allocated 45 MHz of the band for Wi-Fi and 30 MHz for cellular vehicle-to-everything technology.
Woods Aitken adds Shana Knutson as partner, working on telecom, business services and real estate law; she was Nebraska Public Service Commission general counsel ... Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden reappoints Judge David Strickler as copyright royalty judge (economics) for six-year term ... Karen Modlin says she's leaving Dish Network for Zayo, which hires her as director-communications.
Commenters disagreed on the FCC's role in oversight and implementation of next-generation 911, in comments posted Thursday in docket 21-479 on the National Association of State 911 Administrators' (NASNA) petition seeking a rulemaking or notice of inquiry to fully implement NG-911 (see 2110190066). Some public safety organizations backed a rulemaking clarifying demarcation points for cost allocations.
Commenters disagreed whether the voluntary wireless network resiliency cooperative framework, launched in 2016, is working and whether to codify some or all of the framework, in reply comments posted in docket 21-346 through Wednesday. Commissioners approved a network resilience NPRM 4-0 in September, amid hints regulation could follow (see 2109300069). State and public interest groups want rules, which they say would make networks more resilient.
Carriers resisted a California Public Utilities Commission staff proposal to apply a utility affordability framework to telecom services through the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF). Don't adopt a staff proposal to apply affordability metrics to essential communications services “because the purpose of this proceeding should be to develop the metrics, not apply them,” AT&T commented Monday in docket R.18-07-006: The CPUC "lacks jurisdiction to set prices for wireless and broadband services” and consumers can get affordable broadband through the new federal affordable connectivity program. California lacks wireless jurisdiction and the CPUC addresses affordability through the state LifeLine program, said CTIA: competition keeps wireless service cheap. Applying the staff proposal "to communications services that are not rate-regulated telecommunications services would run counter to the Staff’s goal to bridge the digital divide,” said the California Cable and Telecommunications Association. "The Commission has expressly abstained from regulating the intrastate rates of nearly all competitive voice service providers” and “is precluded by law from regulating broadband prices, which are controlled by a competitive market.” CalTel and other small rural LECs agreed the agency lacks broadband authority. Limit using the metrics “to informing consumers in the Commission’s annual affordability report” and in the commission’s LifeLine proceeding, they said. Communications services mostly aren't rate-regulated, but the CPUC should consider affordability when providers submit merger and other kinds of applications, commented the Center for Accessible Technology. Applying an affordability framework could help the CPUC identify broadband projects for state funding, said the National Diversity Coalition. The Utility Reform Network agreed with CPUC staff that CASF could benefit from incorporating affordability metrics, but added that the commission should incorporate the framework in all of its communications decision-making processes. The agency should revise its proposal so the metric is used to “analyze affordability generally” rather than set prices for low-income broadband plans, said the CPUC’s independent Public Advocates Office.
Minim, marketer of Motorola-brand networking products, announces Chief Financial Officer Sean Doherty will transition away from his role to pursue a new career opportunity with a private company, staying with Minim through March 31; Dustin Tacker, vice president-accounting and corporate controller, named interim chief accounting officer while Minim searches for Doherty’s successor.
Government agencies and law firms, like other institutions, appear to be still coming to terms with the new, more infectious COVID-19 omicron variant and what it will mean for work headed into the new year. State commissions so far report few changes.
Ex-NARUC President Paul Kjellander will retire Dec. 31 from the Idaho Public Utilities Commission, he told us Tuesday. After nearly 20 years with the PUC, he will pursue independent contract work, initially in energy, though he isn’t ruling out telecom work, he said. The commissioner had one year left in his term. He will depart NARUC’s board and executive committee but still plans to attend NARUC meetings including Feb. 13-16 in Washington, D.C., he said. Gov. Brad Little (R) would need to appoint a replacement in the new year, the commissioner said. State commissioners’ telecom role “has evolved significantly since I started as a regulator,” the former NARUC Telecom Committee chair said. “I actually am one of the few regulators left -- at least for another week -- who understands the old legacy form of regulation.” Kjellander said he now sees a big “nexus” among the telecom, energy and water sectors, and a “huge opportunity” coming up to use federal infrastructure funding for broadband and advanced communications.