The FCC and NAB petitioned Thursday for a full panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a three-judge panel’s 2-1 decision against the FCC in the Prometheus IV ownership case, as expected (see 1910250006). For 15 years, “the same divided panel of this Court has frustrated the Commission’s repeated attempts to modernize its media ownership rules,” the FCC said. Prometheus is “irreconcilable” with “the proper role of courts in reviewing agency action,” NAB wrote.
Senate Judiciary Committee members weren’t swayed by intelligence officials Wednesday to reauthorize a controversial Patriot Act-related phone records program (see 1908160057). “I’m torn,” Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told us after a hearing on USA Patriot Act Section 215 and other surveillance authorities set to expire in December. Graham generally agrees with ranking member Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., that tools should be “taken off the table,” unless there’s good reason to reauthorize.
LOUISVILLE -- Providers competing in broadband and companies that support them are projecting strong demand from consumers, businesses and government, they told Incompas Wednesday. Incompas CEO Chip Pickering recommended letting "every entrant enter this space because there is such a demand," especially rural. He called the push for ubiquitous deployment an issue "of national consensus" when few such issues are to be found. "It's good to be in our business right now."
The plethora of municipality and state plaintiffs that have challenged the FCC’s cable TV local franchise authority order in court XXXXX points to how problematic so many of them see that order, localities, lawyers and allies tell us. While no more suits are coming, some foresee multiple intervenors filing on the plaintiffs’ behalf in next couple weeks.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., filed his Satellite Television Access Reauthorization Act (S-2789) Wednesday to renew the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act, as expected (see 1911050028). The committee confirmed Wednesday night it will mark up the bill during a Nov. 13 executive session, also as expected. The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. in 216 Hart.
The FCC is again under pressure to mandate backup power for cellsites, after widespread outages during California wildfires. The issue isn’t new, and questions are growing. Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel told us now is time to act.
The FCC should reduce equal employment opportunity filing obligations rather than accede to diversity group calls for stiffer enforcement, said broadcasters, NAB, NCTA and America’s Communication Association in reply comments posted through Tuesday in docket 19-177. Broadcast opponents said stiffer EEO rules would likely be unconstitutional, but diversity groups such as the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights disagreed.
A Maine commissioner compared Consolidated Communications to a railroad monopoly as he rejected the telephone incumbent’s opposition to new pole-attachment rates based on the FCC cable rate formula. The Public Utilities Commission voted 3-0 at its Tuesday meeting, livestreamed from Hallowell, Maine, to amend Chapter 880 rules. Meanwhile, at the Vermont PUC, cable, wireless and other commenters sought to fine-tune proposed make-ready rules.
TikTok is collecting enormous amounts of data (see 1911040034), which the Chinese government can legally access through parent company ByteDance, posing a major national security threat, Senate Crime and Terrorism Subcommittee Chairman Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told reporters Tuesday.
LOUISVILLE -- Dish Network Chairman Charlie Ergen wants to partner with fiber-network builders and U.S. manufacturers as the company moves to replace Sprint as the fourth nationwide wireless network and build its 5G infrastructure, he said in a keynote Tuesday at the Incompas Show. "Our best days are ahead of us," Ergen said. "We're not looking in the rear-view mirror."