About 350 SpaceX satellites are in orbit with deployable visors to reduce the reflective light pollution they give off, and Amazon's Kuiper is taking astronomy concerns into consideration in its plans, in design stage for its low earth orbit (LEO) mega constellation. That's according to satellite operators Monday in a Satellite Industry Association/American Astronomical Society virtual panel about an AAS/National Science Foundation report released in August on some possible mitigations (see 2010020036). Jeff Hall, chairman of the AAS Committee on Light Pollution, Radio Interference and Space Debris, said a second report with more policy focus is being planned.
The FCC is expected to vote on an order on ATSC 3.0 distributed transmission systems (see 2007140047) by year-end, an agency official told us after Commissioner Brendan Carr referenced ongoing work on the item in prerecorded remarks for Monday's virtual NextGen Broadcast Conference. The FCC is working “on a proceeding to expand the use of single-frequency networks, which will ultimately help 3.0 reach its full potential,” Carr said. The proposed changes to the interference rules in the DTS proceeding would allow expanded use of single-frequency networks, which ATSC 3.0 advocates said is important for the new standard's future.
There’s likely to be bipartisan interest in fixing the dysfunctional relationship between the FCC and other federal agencies on spectrum management no matter who wins the Nov. 3 presidential election and control of Congress, telecom officials and others said in interviews. Lawmakers we spoke with expressed interest in ending the brawling, which has hounded President Donald Trump’s administration in recent years. Observers see the issue as an outlier and expect no major shifts in other aspects of U.S. spectrum policy after the election.
President Donald Trump’s recent actions against TikTok “certainly” gave the company “profile and visibility,” but it would have been better had that not happened, ex-CEO Kevin Mayer told the Technology Policy Institute in an interview shared Friday (see 2009280028). Profile and visibility are “usually not bad things,” he said. It's a “good enough product with a good enough team behind it and good enough technology behind it, that it would have succeeded just fine, and it was succeeding just fine without any of that.”
FCC draft orders on expanding video description and allowing voluntary all-digital AM service are expected to be approved unanimously at Tuesday’s open meeting, said FCC and industry officials in interviews. Neither item has substantively changed from the draft versions released earlier this month (see 2010050056), FCC officials said. Ben Downs, vice president for early all-digital AM supporter Bryan Broadcasting, said he’s not surprised by the broad support for the AM radio order: “This is the right thing for everyone.” Items with unanimous support are sometimes voted ahead of open meetings, but that’s unlikely to happen with these, FCC officials said.
The FCC’s proposed 5G Fund, set for a vote Tuesday, is raising concerns, especially for Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks, but it could get support from all five commissioners, industry and FCC officials said. The Democrats partially dissented on the NPRM (see 2004230046) and see the order as moving in the right direction from what was proposed in April. Partial dissents are possible, officials said. Carriers are proposing various changes.
Election watchers expect California to revamp its state privacy law through a Nov. 3 ballot vote. The replacement for the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) could have national ramifications, experts told us. If voters agree, the proposed California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), or Proposition 24, would take effect Jan. 1, 2023. “The one-two punch here for the biggest platforms would be CPRA passing and Democrats sweeping the elections,” said Cowen analyst Paul Gallant.
SiriusXM has had “very productive conversations” with Howard Stern toward a “long-term renewal” of his contract, said CEO Jim Meyer Thursday on a quarterly earnings call, his last before retiring Dec. 31. “From my perspective, we are far along, but it’s never done until it’s done.” Meyer didn't say and wasn't asked if he thinks a Stern deal will be done before he leaves as CEO. Meyer will remain on the SiriusXM board as vice chairman.
AT&T reported mostly positive Q3 results Thursday, adding wireless subscribers as revenue beat Wall Street estimates. Among negatives, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to take a toll and the entertainment unit is struggling. AT&T shares closed 5.9% higher Thursday at $28.29. The stock had declined 30% this year, despite a 7% dividend.
Broadcasters see the progress of the ATSC 3.0 rollout as one of several promising signs for the future of broadcast TV, despite the difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic, said industry officials at the virtual NAB Show New York event Thursday. COVID-19 is “a double-edged sword” because the increase in TV and over-the-top viewing brought by the pandemic plays to 3.0 strengths, said John Taylor, LG Electronics senior vice president-public affairs and communications.