FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr said Thursday he’s “not weighing in at all” in favor of either of the dueling proposals under Senate consideration for temporarily extending the FCC’s spectrum auction authority, amid the continued impasse that led to the mandate lapsing last week (see 2303100084). Senators left town for the weekend Thursday without a deal to pass a House-approved bill to extend the FCC’s authority until May 19 (HR-1108) or a rival proposal that would renew it through Sept. 30 (S-650), meaning there won’t be further action until at least next week. The Senate is expected to return Tuesday, while the House will return from more than a week-long recess Wednesday.
FCC commissioners unanimously approved a supplemental coverage from space (SCS) NPRM at their March open meeting Thursday, but Republican commissioners sounded alarms about the proceeding potentially slowing agency processing of pending applications regarding satellite connectivity to smartphones. The NPRM's approval was expected (see 2303090047). Also getting 4-0 OK was an inmate calling services (ICS) NPRM on implementing the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act and a Further NPRM on expanding the number of broadcast TV markets required to provide audio description (see 2303100043). The approved items weren't released.
Congress must end the intelligence community’s practice of doing warrantless searches of American phone calls, texts and emails, said Reps. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio; Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.; and Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., in separate remarks Wednesday.
The administrative law judge process at the FCC is “completely broken” and “something you would find in a banana republic,” not the U.S., former FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly said during a Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy webinar Wednesday. O’Rielly noted review by an ALJ was recently “activated” as part of the review of the Standard/Tegna deal (see 2303100082.)
The District of Columbia’s 911 office will improve processes and be “transparent and accountable to the public,” said its possible next director, Heather McGaffin, at a D.C. Council committee roundtable livestreamed Wednesday. Judiciary and Public Safety Committee Chair Brooke Pinto (D) pressed McGaffin on how she will make the Office of Unified Communications (OUC) more open about errors responding to emergency calls. The committee mulled confirming McGaffin (PR25-0115) to lead OUC and Lindsey Appiah to be deputy mayor-public safety and justice.
The full FCC approved a proposed $2.3 million forfeiture against two New York City pirate radio operators, plus an $80,000 proposed fine for another pirate radio operator in La Grande, Oregon, said a pair of notices of apparent liability released Wednesday. The NALs had been set for a vote at the FCC commissioners' open meeting Thursday, but a deletion notice on the items was released Tuesday.
Inmate calling services providers and consumer advocacy organizations welcomed a draft NPRM and order the FCC will consider during the commissioners' open meeting Thursday that would begin implementation of the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act of 2022. Advocates sought some clarifying language in the final item, and ICS providers sought additional language in the draft on how the agency should establish just and reasonable rates.
NTIA is moving forward on its long-awaited national spectrum strategy, releasing a request for comments Wednesday that poses more than 60 questions on what that strategy should include. NTIA also scheduled two “listening sessions.” Comment deadlines are to come in a Federal Register notice, to be filed in NTIA-2023-0003.
Vermont legislators mulled a more restrictive telecom siting process at a livestreamed hearing Tuesday. The House Environment and Energy Committee considered whether to revise the state’s Section 248(a) application process as part of a proposed three-year extension. The Vermont Public Utility Commission, which administers the state process, supports an extension but has concerns that proposed changes could have “unforeseen consequences,” said Greg Faber, the PUC’s legislative liaison.
Industry groups and broadband experts want flexibility in the buy American provision of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, per comments to OMB posted through Tuesday in docket OMB-2023-0004-0001. OMB sought comments on proposed revisions and clarifications to the IIJA's Build America, Buy America Act provisions. Some raised concerns about how the requirements could affect broadband deployment projects funded through NTIA's broadband, equity, access and deployment program and backed establishing a waiver process.