Vermont’s net neutrality law seems in good shape legally following two significant, late-April decisions by the FCC and the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, said experts on the statute. ISP groups must decide what to do with their 2018 lawsuit at U.S. District Court of Vermont now that the case can resume following the 2nd Circuit ruling.
The low earth orbit (LEO) satellite boom is aping the consumer electronics model of cheap and standardized, meaning the industry must focus more on rapid replacements that are also environmentally sustainable, said Aaron Boley, University of British Columbia Outer Space Institute co-director, speaking at an IEEE event Thursday on LEO and sustainability. Darren McKnight, LeoLabs senior technical fellow, said the proliferation of spent rocket bodies left in orbit is an increasing concern. Among regulatory agencies, the FCC has "set a good example" in trying to tackle orbital debris, McKnight said. The commission has said it would refresh its space debris mitigation docket (see 2405020048).
The FCC’s digital discrimination rule “has gone far beyond what Congress intended” when it enacted the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the National Association of Manufacturers said in an amicus brief Tuesday (docket 24-1179) in the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The brief supports the 20 industry petitioners that want the rule vacated as unlawful in part, they say, because the FCC imposed it without clear congressional intent (see 2404230032).
The FTC should narrow the scope of its online impersonation rule, preventing unnecessary liability for broadband and wireless providers, NCTA, CTIA, USTelecom and the Consumer Technology Association told the agency in comments posted through Wednesday. Consumer advocates urged the agency to make the rule broad enough to stop companies from turning a blind eye to scams.
The federal government is progressing in its understanding of the extent of threats to federal technology systems, Eric Goldstein, executive assistant director-cybersecurity at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said at a Center for Strategic and International Studies event late Wednesday. Other speakers noted private companies have slowly become more willing to share information when they experience a cyberattack.
The FCC released the text Thursday of a draft NPRM proposing to bar labs from entities on the agency’s “covered list” of unsecure companies from participating in the equipment authorization process. Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Republican Commissioner Brendan Carr announced the NPRM Wednesday. It will get a vote at the commissioners' open meeting May 23 (see 2405010073).
Top Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act (HR-6929/S-3565) backers Sens. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, and Peter Welch, D-Vt., said Thursday they plan to press forward with an amendment to the bipartisan 2024 FAA Reauthorization Act that would appropriate $7 billion in stopgap funding for the ailing FCC broadband program (see 2405010055) despite opposition from Senate leaders. ACP stopgap funding advocates used a Senate Communications Subcommittee hearing that day to implore that Congress act while critics raised objections about what they said was a lack of clear information about the program's efficacy.
The 5G cycle is reaching the middle stages, with strong growth over the past two years, Ericsson executives said during a Mobile World Live webinar on Thursday. At the end of 2023, 63% of wireless subscribers in the U.S. were using 5G, which is “remarkable,” especially given the 42% reported a year earlier, said Peter Linder, head-5G marketing at Ericsson North America.
The term smart city can be useful for policymakers as they discuss using advanced communications and other tools to move cities forward, Bill Maguire, founder of Connected Communities, said during a Broadband Breakfast webinar Wednesday. Smart cities aren’t a destination, but a process, he said. Maguire believes individual cities must define smart city for themselves and act accordingly.
Policymakers, industry officials and broadband experts emphasized the demand for additional rural broadband deployment and affordability programs during an NTCA policy conference Wednesday in Washington. With uncertainty looming around the FCC's affordable connectivity program, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks urged Congress to replenish the program and keep rural communities connected (see 2405010055).