The FCC will tackle the growing problem of low-orbit space debris, legacy analog TV rules, inmate calling and rules for emergency alerts at the commissioners' Sept. 29 meeting, the agency said Thursday. Unlike for other meetings, Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel was traveling Wednesday and didn’t preview the drafts released.
The FTC’s authority will be challenged if it issues a privacy rulemaking, former agency and industry officials said Wednesday, a day before the FTC is set to host a public forum on its rulemaking effort (see 2208110068).
The first open radio access network projects are starting across the world, though when deployments will happen at scale remains an open question, experts said Wednesday during a Fierce Wireless virtual summit. Dish Network launched a 5G ORAN-based network in the U.S. and the administration began to develop rules for ORAN grants (see 2209060052), but questions have been raised about open networks security and several ORAN players downsized operations (see 2208180052).
NAB takes no position on the “merits” of the 5G Broadcast technology espoused by Qualcomm for over-the-air TV content delivery to mobile devices as a complement to ATSC 3.0 (see 2208080065), said the association in reply comments Tuesday at the FCC in docket 16-142.
If the FCC doesn’t allow the substantially similar requirement for ATSC 3.0 broadcasters to sunset in June, an extension should be short and include a predictable endpoint, said NAB and Pearl TV in reply comments posted Wednesday in docket 16-422.
Industry largely backed the FCC’s Further NPRM on curbing access stimulation, in comments posted Wednesday in docket 18-155 (see 2207140055). The item proposes clarifying rules adopted in 2019 to include IP-enabled services (IPES) providers.
Facing a growing number of partnerships that would meld satellite and terrestrial mobile coverage, the FCC is likely to continue to take an ad hoc approach with applications rather than instituting a proceeding on satellite use of terrestrial spectrum, satellite and spectrum experts told us. Hughes repeatedly pressed the agency to start such a proceeding and reject pending applications from AST SpaceMobile and Lynk Global (see 2206290004). The commission, AST and Lynk didn't comment.
The broadband industry will shift attention to passing a national privacy law, after dropping a lawsuit against Maine, said telecom and cable associations Tuesday. Plaintiffs USTelecom, NCTA, CTIA and ACA Connects decided not to continue a nearly 2-year-old challenge of the state’s ISP privacy law. Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey (D) said the state law’s survival is important for protecting consumers. The case’s end should encourage more states to act, said consumer privacy advocates in interviews.
The RF modules and stacked chipsets that will allow convergence of satellite and terrestrial IoT networks should be commercially available and getting deployment within the next year or so, IoT satellite system operators told us.
The $54.2 billion Chips and Science Act, signed into law in August (see 2208090062) will be significant for how industry will look down the road, experts said Tuesday during a USTelecom webinar. The act includes $1.5 billion to spur open radio access networks. Experts also said they don’t expect big future moves from the FCC on ORAN, after a 2021 notice of inquiry.