Texas and Nevada settlements with T-Mobile buying Sprint won’t stop state attorneys general from going to trial in less than two weeks, New York and California AGs said Monday. States challenging the takeover lost Texas' Ken Paxton, the only Republican colleague who had joined them in challenging the transaction. Democratic AGs from Colorado and Mississippi had made similar pacts to withdraw from the suit (see 1910210053). Fourteen AGs remain. Observers gave to us high odds to the trial opening Dec. 9 at U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Commissioners voted 3-2 along party lines to issue an NPRM in FCC docket 19-308 on eliminating regulations on certain unbundling and resale requirements for ILECs to make parts of their facilities-based networks available to CLECs that want to use the unbundled network elements (UNEs) to sell voice and broadband services (see 1911190009). Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks dissented. The new rules would eliminate most requirements for ILECs to unbundle and resell certain voice-grade and DSL loops except for residential use in certain rural areas. The NPRM proposes a three-year transition.
New York should pass a state privacy law to set proper standards and push federal legislators to take action, Senate Democrats told a hearing. Industry opposed including a private right of action. Consumer advocates applauded the provision.
The FCC approved national security supply chain rules Friday, barring equipment from Chinese vendors Huawei and ZTE from networks funded by the USF and establishing rules that could block other providers (see 1910290054). Commissioner Mike O’Rielly voted yes, with reservations. Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel said the FCC needs to do more and should have acted more quickly. Commissioner Geoffrey Starks said smaller carriers using USF should be reimbursed for ripping Chinese gear out of their networks. Officials acknowledged the item got late changes sought by commissioners (see 1911200030).
President Donald Trump asked for nothing on the C band (see 1911180065) when he called Oct. 30, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai told reporters. “The president called me and told me that Sen. [John] Kennedy had called him and he was just calling to ask what the issue was.” Pai recounted after Friday's commissioners meeting that Trump “did not express a view on the merits of the proceeding at all. It did not affect our decision.”
FCC staff approved about $3.5 billion worth of broadcast deals, over opposition from some opponents of media consolidation. A company affiliated with Apollo Global Management is buying what stakeholders have said are all of Cox Enterprises' TV stations and most of its radio stations. Also being purchased are apparently all of Northwest's TV stations (see 1910180027).
The 2019 World Radiocommunication Conference accomplishments include providing additional bands for international mobile telecom and high-altitude platform systems, expanded coverage by global maritime distress and safety systems (GMDSS), and teeing up issues to be looked at in 2023 including high-altitude international mobile telecom (IMT) base stations (HIBS). That's according to WRC-19 and industry officials Friday as WRC-19 in Egypt ended.
The FCC approved over a dissent by Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel rules requiring carriers to provide height above ellipsoid (HAE) data from wireless calls to 911, within 3 meters accuracy for 80 percent of calls, starting in the largest markets in April 2021. APCO and some others in public safety are concerned the mandate will mean an FCC retreat from dispatchable location. Such more specific location is a concept endorsed by commissioners 5-0 in January 2015 under former Chairman Tom Wheeler (see 1501290066).
DOD has been raising issues behind the scenes with the FCC to avoid technical or legal review of its arguments against Ligado's license modification applications, and its opposition isn't grounded in data in the docket, said the company in a docket 11-109 filing Thursday to be posted. It includes a June 7 letter to the FCC from then-acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and Nov. 18 letter from now-Secretary Mark Esper. DOD opposition "appears to be an attempt to grab spectrum" not allocated to it, Ligado said, saying the lack of public communication on its views "means the DOD lacks any legitimate basis" for opposition.
The FCC’s draft NPRM on the 5.9 GHz band says segmenting the band, with 45 MHz allocated for Wi-Fi and other unlicensed and 30 MHz for intelligent transportation systems, is the best approach to the long underutilized band. ITS “remains a critical priority” but times have changed since the FCC allocated spectrum for dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) 20 years ago, the draft says. The agency released items set for a vote at commissioners' Dec. 12 meeting. They include media and suicide prevention hotline actions and an NPRM on clearing the 3.3-3.55 GHz band.