Vermont net neutrality litigation will be further stayed until the 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals resolves a New York appeal of the state’s broadband affordability law, the U.S. District Court in Burlington ruled Tuesday. Judge Christina Reiss said the court’s Dec. 17 injunction on enforcing Vermont’s net neutrality law and executive order expired April 15. Defendant Vermont and plaintiffs ACA Connects, CTIA, USTelecom and the New England Cable and Telecommunications Association sought the order in a Friday stipulation. The district court in December paused the until April 15 or when the 9th Court resolved suits on California’s net neutrality law (see 2112170032). The 9th Circuit upheld California’s law, but industry in February filed a petition for rehearing en banc that's pending (see 2202100072). “The scope and conduct of this action could be significantly shaped by” 2nd Circuit resolution of the New York case, the Vermont parties said Friday.
Hasbro faces the “potential risk” of $100 million in lost sales this year to Russia, equaling about 2% of 2021 revenue, said Chief Financial Officer Deborah Thomas on a Q1 earnings call Tuesday. “We have paused shipments into Russia” in the aftermath of its Feb. 24 Ukraine invasion, she said.
California legislators urged the Public Utilities Commission to pause before approving rules for a $2 billion last-mile federal funding account (FFA) required by the state’s $6 billion broadband law. At a hearing livestreamed Wednesday, Assembly Communications Committee members grilled CPUC Communications Division Director Rob Osborn on a proposed rule to prevent ISPs from increasing prices for FFA-funded plans for 10 years.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals extended until July 14 a stay on proceedings for a lawsuit by the League of California Cities challenging the FCC’s June 2020 wireless infrastructure declaratory ruling. “If no motion for further relief is filed before this date, the remaining briefing schedule will be reset in a future order,” said the court in case 20-71765. The FCC said last month the court should extend abeyance because the agency lacked a full complement of commissioners (see 2203160042).
The USDA is recruiting U.S. exporters to join the agency on a June trade mission to the U.K. The trip, one of four upcoming international trade missions hosted by the agency, could be especially beneficial for exporters of nuts, fruit, seafood, ethanol and wood pellets, USDA said, because of the U.K.’s growing demand for U.S. consumer-oriented food and beverages. The deadline to apply for the June 22-24 trip is April 8. The USDA recently resumed in-person trade missions nearly two years after they were paused at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic (see 2202180010).
T-Mobile’s pending shutdown of its 3G/CDMA network Thursday isn’t raising the same level of concerns as when AT&T shuttered its legacy network last month (see 2202240002), experts said. T-Mobile has far fewer security or other alarm systems attached to its network than AT&T. Dish Network raised concerns about 3G handsets used by Boost customers, the prepaid provider it acquired from T-Mobile, but those have been largely addressed, experts said.
T-Mobile’s pending shutdown of its 3G/CDMA network Thursday isn’t raising the same level of concerns as when AT&T shuttered its legacy network last month (see 2202240002), experts said. T-Mobile has far fewer security or other alarm systems attached to its network than AT&T. Dish Network raised concerns about 3G handsets used by Boost customers, the prepaid provider it acquired from T-Mobile, but those have been largely addressed, experts said.
Big Law firms with telecommunications, media and technology (TMT) practices are pulling out of Russia, and whether they will return after the end of Russia's Ukraine invasion is questionable. Some see the one-two punch of Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic making it less likely Big Law will return someday. Several TMT companies are also opting to end or limit their Russian presence.
Big Law firms with telecommunications, media and technology (TMT) practices are pulling out of Russia, and whether they will return after the end of Russia's Ukraine invasion is questionable. Some see the one-two punch of Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic making it less likely Big Law will return someday. Several TMT companies are also opting to end or limit their Russian presence.
Industry disagreed whether the FCC should pause some of its high-cost Universal Service Fund programs amid the recent $65 billion federal broadband support from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, in reply comments posted Friday in docket 21-476 (see 2202180046). Others debated whether to expand the fund's contribution base or turn to direct congressional appropriations. The FCC sought comments on USF's future as part of its report to Congress due by Aug. 12.