Non-geostationary orbit constellation operators put proposals for more than 80,000 satellites before the FCC International Bureau, in NGSO fixed satellite service processing round applications submitted Tuesday (see 2003240059). It was driven by OneWeb, Kuiper and New Spectrum Satellite applications outside past rounds. The vast bulk of the proposed additional satellite traffic came from SpaceX and OneWeb. Numerous applications noted satellite's role in closing the digital divide.
Legislatures took up broadband bills in California and other states this week. Bills address grants or change state policies including for electric cooperatives. “The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the acute need to expand broadband access across the country,” and “some states have recognized -- and are responding to -- that need in their legislative responses to the public health crisis,” said Anna Read, Pew Charitable Trusts broadband researcher.
Petitions for reconsideration, and possibly a legal appeal, are expected to the FCC’s 6 GHz order. APCO appears the most likely to file a recon petition and maybe take the agency to court, industry officials said. Commissioner Mike O’Rielly said during a Lincoln webinar he expects some to challenge.
Prospects for advancing legislation on allocating proceeds from the FCC’s coming auction involving of spectrum in the 3.7-4.2 GHz C band have become increasingly doubtful after more than two months in which negotiations were largely in stasis due to Capitol Hill's shift in priority to the COVID-19 pandemic, lawmakers and communications sector officials said in interviews. Senate Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee Chairman John Kennedy, R-La., and Democratic backers of C band remain interested in pressing forward. Republicans on the House and Senate Commerce committees believe the time for pursuing legislation has largely passed given FCC moves to advance the auction. Wireless and satellite interests cited concerns with the FCC's order in petitions for reconsideration filed Wednesday (see 2005270031).
Intelsat, SES and Telesat committed to clear the C band on the FCC's incentivized accelerated timeline days before the deadline. SES said it's also filing a petition for review and notice of appeal in federal court to protect itself if the accelerated payments regime falls through. Other C-band satellite operators are expected to do likewise. The elections deadline is Friday.
Municipal broadband networks see a spike in subscribers and users upgrading speeds amid the coronavirus, said executives in recent interviews. The pandemic supports allowing muni broadband, they and other local advocates said. Skeptics countered that a short-term boom doesn’t set aside questionable economics. A North Carolina bill allowing public-private partnerships but keeping other limits has bipartisan support, but ISPs remain staunchly opposed, said state Rep. Josh Dobson (R).
Communications law firms remain busy two months-plus into the COVID-19 pandemic. Transactional work slowed, but the FCC has stayed busy. With states starting to reopen, lawyers said in interviews this month they expect a normally busy summer. Some expect an inevitable slowdown after the November election, especially if there's a change in leadership in Washington.
If enforcers pursue an antitrust case against Google, it will be difficult to prove and is unlikely to result in major platform restructuring, ex-DOJ officials said in interviews. Econ One Research Managing Director Hal Singer argued there's a case to be made against Google’s advertising technology practices, and Public Knowledge Senior Policy Counsel Charlotte Slaiman cautioned against predictions until all facts are known.
Cable, state and consumer officials say legal fights in Maine and New Jersey with cable operators challenging state prorating laws aren't likely to be replicated elsewhere because momentum is unlikely for other statehouses to adopt such rules and many states lack cable authority. Not offering pro rata refunds is a relatively new cable practice, and Maine and New Jersey losing their fights with Charter and Altice, respectively, could be "a green light" for other cable operators to follow suit, said Consumers Union (CU) Senior Policy Counsel Jon Schwantes.
The FCC’s $48 million settlement with Sinclair Broadcast doesn’t find the company in violation of the FCC’s candor rules, nor require the company to admit violations of the good faith negotiation or of candor requirements, said the order and consent decree released Friday. It also prevents any future enforcement action or petitions to deny based on the company’s sponsorship ID violations or other matters (see 2005060063).