Dish Network hires Dave Mayo, from T-Mobile, as executive vice president-network deployment, responsible for wireless buildout strategy; promotes Jeff Blum to executive vice president-external and legislative affairs; gives Chief Operating Officer John Swieringa added responsibilities as group president-retail wireless; and advances Michael Schwimmer to group president-Sling TV ... LPTV Spectrum Rights Coalition head Mike Gravino retires ... Internet Association hires Dylan Hoffman, ex-aide to Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel, D-Encino, as director-government affairs, California.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai questioned Twitter’s policies, as the platform for a second day flagged President Donald Trump’s tweets (see 2005280060). Pai asked Friday whether tweets from Iran Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei violate platform rules about glorifying violence, rules that Twitter cited in flagging Trump.
Since it began holding commissioners’ gatherings via teleconference March 31, the FCC reduced news briefings it holds after monthly meetings. Eighth-floor officials suggested logistical and technical concerns could be factors. Republican commissioners have held all of the few post-meeting media briefings, while Democratic commissioners and bureaus held none. Chairman Ajit Pai held one.
The California Public Utilities Commission suspended the state LifeLine renewal process for 90 days in a unanimous vote on the consent agenda at the agency’s livestreamed virtual meeting Thursday. The proposed decision authorized staff to extend renewals “for so long as the renewal processes of other state public assistance programs remain suspended due to the COVID-19 emergency,” temporarily suspend the non-usage rule as long as the FCC does the same for the federal program, and reimburse providers for federal subsidies they can’t collect if the state renewals suspension goes beyond federal suspension. During the pandemic, LifeLine “has been very important for people to be able to communicate,” said Commissioner Genevieve Shiroma. Also by unanimous consent, the CPUC adopted a resolution to streamline the eligible telecom carrier designation process for the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund recipients. It applies only to bidders with existing operating authority in California. The CPUC postponed until the June 11 meeting a vote on allowing staff to file comments due July 6 on an FCC NPRM about eliminating price regulation and tariffing of phone access charges (see 2005200006).
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday that would remove liability protections for online platforms that censure or edit content (see 2005270016). There would be a role for antitrust agencies and the FCC, whose commissioners reacted along party lines to the EO. “We’re here today to defend free speech from one of the greatest dangers,” Trump said, claiming tech monopolies have “unchecked power” to censor and restrict human interaction.
Legislatures took up broadband bills in California and other states this week. Bills address grants or change state policies including for electric cooperatives. “The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the acute need to expand broadband access across the country,” and “some states have recognized -- and are responding to -- that need in their legislative responses to the public health crisis,” said Anna Read, Pew Charitable Trusts broadband researcher.
Net neutrality stakeholders didn't budge on three remanded issues (see 1910010018), in replies to the FCC posted through Thursday in dockets including 17-287. "Concerns noted by the Mozilla court on three discrete issues do not justify abandoning the Commission’s decision to return to [Communications Act] Title I classification as the benefits of the regulatory framework ... vastly outweigh any potential costs," USTelecom said. Common Cause, Public Knowledge and New America’s Open Technology Institute want the FCC to retain Title II common carrier authority over broadband and "restore legal certainty for the Lifeline program, empower the Commission to protect public safety during the COVID-19 pandemic." The Greenlining Institute wants the FCC to "acknowledge the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic and the importance strong net neutrality protections" have for public safety. CTIA said "concerns regarding paid prioritization’s impact on public safety are theoretical, have not materialized." The Alarm Industry Communications Committee said "state and local laws often impose service standards that alarm companies may not be able to meet without adequate protection of their use of broadband networks." Verizon said there's ample evidence to find "no reason to revisit its decision to restore the information service classification for broadband." NCTA wants the FCC to conclude its current regime "is fully warranted from the perspective of public safety, pole access, and the Lifeline program." Incompas countered claims there have been no major net neutrality violations since the repeal: "In addition to the fact that there is no longer a federal 'cop on the beat' ... there very well could be violations occurring that customers do not realize." AT&T said the FCC "has ample ancillary authority to extend section 224 rights to standalone broadband providers if it concludes that doing so is necessary for competitive parity in non-certifying states, just as it has ancillary authority to extend Lifeline support to standalone broadband services." ACA Connects said the FCC "cannot and should not upend its entire regulatory framework for broadband merely to cater to the interests of broadband-only providers in invoking" one-touch, make-ready pole attachment rules. The Wireless ISP Association wants the FCC to use its statutory authority to eliminate practices that slow down broadband deployment, such as discriminatory infrastructure access. Other replies came from the Broadband Institute of California at the Santa Clara University School of Law (here), Center for Democracy and Technology (here) Free Press (here) and the California Public Utilities Commission (here), which unsuccessfully sought a longer deadline extension due to the pandemic (see 2005200013). Initial comments came in last month (see 2004210019).
Major associations wrote congressional leaders Thursday backing legislation funding replacement of Huawei and ZTE equipment in U.S. networks. Industry questioned the FCC approach on equipment by the two Chinese companies, in comments on how provisions in the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act affect supply chain security rules. The March law lacks funding for gear replacement (see 2003130083). Industry representatives told us they hope lawmakers fund it soon.
Many small and mid-sized broadband and voice providers quickly signed up for the Keep Americans Connected pledge extension (see 2005140063). Now, some said in interviews, expenses associated with KAC could start to become serious if it goes beyond its current June 30 span. Some don't expect the FCC pledge to get another extension.
Frontier Communications service quality needs improvement in New York state, said a Public Service Commission staff report released Friday. Staff became concerned in 2018 “due to increased PSC complaints and inquiries from local, county, and State government representatives, including emergency response entities, regarding long repair durations and repeated out-of-service conditions, as well as Internet access and speed issues,” it said. Staff sought data but found accuracy issues that “reflect negatively on company methods and procedures impacting the generation of the data used to calculate its service quality results.” While gathering data for the agency, “Frontier discovered that it had omitted a number of customer trouble reports from the routine monthly service quality data it had reported for years,” staff said. “Although the company did resubmit three years of corrected data, the full extent and history of this problem has not yet been developed.” Frontier continues “to work cooperatively with the Commission to address their questions on Frontier’s reporting methods and procedures," said Kenneth Mason, senior vice president-federal regulatory affairs, in an emailed statement.