Many state utility commissions are still evaluating when to fully bring back employees and the public, as more COVID-19 vaccines become available, agency representatives said in response to a Communications Daily survey. Two Southern commissions said they’re at least mostly back, though coronavirus protocols continue. Commissions reported such safety measures as plexiglass barriers, temperature checks, and masking and social distancing requirements. Communications companies, law firms and federal agencies also are still deciding, our earlier report found (see 2104140030).
Groups representing smaller carriers emphasized the importance of giving carriers with fewer than 2 million subscribers priority as the FCC establishes rules to pay for ripping and replacing network gear from Chinese vendors. Huawei protested any requirement that equipment be removed from networks and said the program should be voluntary. The FCC should be aware that a global shortage of chipsets (see 2104120057) could complicate replacement, USTelecom warned. Comments were posted Tuesday in docket 18-89.
National Music Publishers’ Association hires Chris Bates, ex-DOJ, as senior vice president-legal and business affairs, and Ashley Jones, ex-Hyperscience, as manager-external affairs … Lam Research hires Chantal Lakatos de Alcantara, ex-Commerce Department Bureau of Industry and Security, as senior director-regulatory affairs and Taylor Sholler, ex-Applied Materials, as senior director-legislative affairs ... Resolution Economics adds Victoria Lipnic, former acting chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, as a partner.
The FCC should do more to ensure a smooth rollout of its $3.2 billion emergency broadband benefit program, consumer advocates said in recent interviews (see 2102250066). The commission’s website isn’t sufficiently user-friendly, and it should be more transparent on when the program will actually start, they said. Others praised the FCC for the consumer outreach actions it has already taken.
Big wireless carriers sounded the alarm about California considering a connections-based USF contribution mechanism. Some wireline companies and consumer advocates supported the change, in Monday comments at the California Public Utilities Commission. They highlighted ways to mitigate possible regressive impacts of moving from a revenue-based mechanism for California’s public purpose programs (PPPs). Oklahoma and Nebraska commissions may soon adopt state USF contribution changes, said agency officials in those states.
FCC action on Verizon’s proposed $7 billion buy of Tracfone likely isn’t imminent, industry and agency officials said. The FCC recently created a new docket on the deal, 21-112, following a recommendation by Public Knowledge, but that could mean further delays rather than a faster approval, officials said. The California Public Utilities Commission is also reviewing the transaction, and its work could push a decision into the fall. The deal was announced in September (see 2009140010).
Providers would have to implement texting to the 988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, space launches would get new spectrum, 911 outage reporting rules would be harmonized, and the 800 MHz rebanding would end, if all items on the agenda for the FCC commissioners' April 22 meeting are approved. Also on tap are an NPRM to revise technical rules for wireless microphones, an order to require disclosures for foreign-sponsored broadcast content, a public notice to cap applications at 10 for the upcoming noncommercial educational FM window, and an unspecified enforcement matter.
Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel is pressing to get the FCC’s first version of broadband maps ready in four months, which Commissioner Brendan Carr supports. Experts said in recent interviews that it's doable to get something out, but the kinds of maps the FCC needs will likely take much longer. The maps are considered critical to the 5G Fund auction and the next phase of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. Those representing smaller carriers that are likely to contend for the 5G Fund were hopeful but uncertain that maps can be developed in a tight time frame.
Public safety advocates asked the FCC not to cast a wide net in defining what constitutes 911 fee diversion, as required by the Don’t Break Up the T-Band Act (see 2102160064). Doing so runs the risk of excluding states from several federal resources due to the actions of a few bad actors, said filings in docket 20-291. Comments on proposed rules were due Tuesday. Some telecom associations also sought more certainty.
The FTC shouldn’t police speech, but it can enforce whether platforms are honoring terms of service through content moderation and Communications Decency Act Section 230 activity, FTC Commissioner Christine Wilson said Friday. Speaking on a Free State Foundation webcast, she said Section 230 blanket immunity is an intrusion into the market with a significant impact on competition.