All signs are the citizens broadband radio service auction will start July 23 as planned, especially with FCC Chairman Ajit Pai concerned about a December C-band auction, industry and FCC officials said in recent interviews. The auction of priority access licenses was delayed once from June 25, because of COVID-19 concerns (see 2003250052). The agency announced Monday that 348 companies or individuals filed short forms to participate; 106 were deemed complete while others require additional work.
At least two FTC employees working at the agency's Constitution Center reported potential COVID-19 symptoms in March, and another employee tested positive for the virus in Atlanta, according to emails we obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.
A draft FCC NPRM seeking comment on the future use of the 70, 80 and 90 GHz bands is expected to be approved Tuesday with unanimous support of commissioners, FCC officials said. Two satellite companies weighed in on protecting satellite operations. The NPRM contemplates using the spectrum for wireless backhaul for 5G and to provide broadband to aircraft and ships. Satellite industry officials said they haven’t heard anything definitive but hope for tweaks to the NPRM.
The FCC is expected to approve a draft declaratory ruling and NPRM on rules for ATSC 3.0 “broadcast internet” (see 2005180066) at Tuesday’s meeting with few changes. Commissioners already voted to approve a separate order that largely won't allow broadcasters to use vacant TV bands for the 3.0 transition but permits waivers of simulcast rules.
Working remotely will remain mandatory for FCC employees at least through June, and a voluntary option at least through the end of August, Chief of Staff Matthew Berry told us last week. Since results of mandatory telework during the pandemic have been generally favorable, longer-term the commission "almost certainly" will be more liberal in telework policies, he said.
COVID-19 is slowing development of 5G standards by all standard-setting groups, and the problem is getting worse, Technological Advisory Council members said at the group’s quarterly meeting Thursday, held virtually by the FCC. TAC heard from other working groups, in the early stages of preparing reports to the commission.
A petition asking the FCC to change the rules for the signals FM boosters are allowed to transmit to make geotargeted radio ads and content possible is widely supported and considered a likely candidate for eventual FCC approval, said broadcasters and their lawyers in recent interviews. Some big broadcasters have concerns, but that may not derail the whole proceeding, stakeholders said.
Businesses dissatisfied by final California privacy rules might sue the state, but an expected November ballot vote on another privacy proposal and other factors could discourage them, business privacy attorneys said this week. The Software & Information Industry Association raised constitutional concerns with the California Consumer Privacy Act and regulations released Tuesday. SIIA General Counsel Chris Mohr told us Thursday it’s “not in a litigation posture at this time.” Rumored suits probably would be a long, uphill fight, said Perkins Coie’s Dominique Shelton Leipzig on an Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) webinar Wednesday.
The FCC may wait a bit before taking up any NTIA petition for rulemaking to clarify the scope of the tech industry’s liability shield (see 2005290058), observers predicted in interviews this week. The Association of National Advertisers said it’s ready to defend marketers’ interests if threatened. A tech industry representative and academics told us President Donald Trump’s executive order last week sets a dangerous precedent and could compromise independent agencies.
COVID-19 highlights the need for federal baseline privacy legislation, which companies could have used to give consumers clarity about how data is used during the pandemic, FTC Commissioner Christine Wilson told the Brookings Institution Wednesday. The demand for privacy legislation has never been greater, she said.