With many commenters opposing receiver rules from the FCC, and supporting voluntary, industry-led standards (see 2207280050), the agency hasn’t necessarily reached a dead end on the issue, industry experts said. One potential next step would be a policy statement saying the FCC has the authority and intends to specify expectations about receiver vulnerability on a proceeding-by-proceeding basis. Commissioner Brendan Carr said Friday all options remain on the table.
The U.S. would be in a “better place” if social media companies took “more responsibility” for misuse of their platforms, FBI Director Christopher Wray told the Senate Judiciary Committee during an oversight hearing Thursday. Wray told members the bureau is doing what it can to monitor social media to combat domestic terrorism and other criminal activity.
Citing an increasingly shaky global economy, telecom, media and tech companies are starting to warn of softening ad markets, hiring slowdowns and reduced output. Questions about the economy are increasingly common in quarterly earnings calls, with numerous TMT companies being pressed by analysts in recent days. However, many say they don't foresee major difficulties.
Consumer advocacy organizations welcomed a draft order aimed at increasing awareness of and boosting enrollment in the FCC’s affordable connectivity program, highlighting the need for organizations on the ground to enroll hard to reach populations (see 2207150063). Commissioners during the agency’s meeting Friday will consider an outreach grant effort and a pilot program targeting households receiving federal housing assistance.
The nominee for ambassador at large-cyberspace and digital policy told Senate Foreign Relations Committee members Wednesday he intends to “try to expand” the number of nations signed on to the Declaration for the Future of the Internet that the U.S., EU and more than 60 other countries signed in April (see 2204280043). Nate Fick said during the committee hearing he supports deploying funding included in the Chips and Science Act (HR-4346) to develop secure 5G technology and believes the U.S. needs to promote open radio access networks and other technologies to ensure telecom infrastructure security. Fick, if confirmed, would also head the State Department’s new Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy (see 2206070047).
The “competitive environment’s good” for Dish Network’s wireless 5G network rollout, said Chairman Charlie Ergen on a Q2 earnings call Wednesday. The “big picture” amid historically high inflation is that everyone's wireless connection “is a necessity,” he said. “After food and water and shelter, it’s just about next in line.”
Massachusetts inmates might be denied free phone calls with their families due to a disagreement between Gov. Charlie Baker (R) and the Democratic-controlled legislature. The California legislature will decide this month the fate of a similar bill that was opposed by sheriffs. California’s Assembly Appropriations Committee on Wednesday teed up a vote on that measure, a few broadband bills and two industry-opposed social media bills.
The FCC “reopened” for in-person meetings in June, but the agency hasn’t seen a wholesale return to them, and most meetings between staff and industry remain virtual, as they have been since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, based on a review of ex parte filings and interviews with lawyers and FCC officials. Some expect more in-person meetings starting after Labor Day, depending on what happens on COVID infection rates during August.
Major U.S. tower companies, buoyed by the ongoing 5G buildout, had positive Q2s, in contrast with major wireless carriers, with AT&T and Verizon both navigating rough waters during the quarter (see 2207270054). SBA Communications, the last of the big three tower companies to report, released results Monday.
If the FCC asks the in-space servicing, assembly and manufacturing (ISAM) universe about how to help it along, the agency should expect to hear about spectrum needs and suggested Part 25 rules changes, space operators told us. The space industry expects an ISAM notice of inquiry and a draft order for opening the 17 GHz band to geostationary orbit (GSO) fixed satellite service downlinks (see 2207150063) to be readily adopted at the FCC commissioners' August meeting Friday.