A coalition of 24 members of Congress, led by Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., and Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wis., urged the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to rehear en banc an August decision that upheld the FCC’s data breach notification rules, despite a Congressional Review Act action in 2017 that overturned similar requirements in other privacy rules (see 2508140052). Right-leaning interest groups also asked for rehearing, as sought by ISPs (see 2509290066). Briefs were filed Monday in case 24-3133.
A tug-of-war is continuing in the Senate over language from the FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (S-2296) that Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said last month would give the DOD and the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman excessive authority to veto commercial use of the 3.1-3.45 and 7.4-8.4 GHz bands (see 2509100064). The Senate Armed Services Committee approved the spectrum language in Section 1564, but Cruz filed an amendment in September to remove the proposal. He's also negotiating to remove it as part of a manager's amendment (see 2509110073). The House-passed FY26 NDAA (HR-3838) doesn't include similar language.
Dan Schulman, a Verizon board member and the former CEO of PayPal, is replacing Hans Vestberg as Verizon CEO, effective immediately, the company announced Monday. Unlike T-Mobile, which is also going through a CEO transition (see 2509220029), Verizon hadn’t indicated in recent months that change was coming. Mark Bertolini, a Verizon director and the CEO of Oscar Health, was named chairman. Vestberg will stay on as a special adviser for a year, Verizon said.
Consumers’ Research and its allies renewed their attack on the legality of the USF contribution factor, filing a petition with the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last week challenging it for Q4. Last month, the group withdrew an earlier challenge at the 5th Circuit, but industry observers predicted at the time that it would file a new one (see 2509170072). In August, Consumers’ Research asked the FCC to zero out the factor for Q4 (see 2506130016).
The American Library Association is disappointed that the FCC’s order canceling the Biden-era internet hot spots program cuts grants for FY 2025 applicants, said Megan Janicki, the group’s deputy director for strategic initiatives. FCC items eliminating that program, as well as one that provided Wi-Fi connections for students on school buses, passed Tuesday in a pair of 2-1 votes (see 2509300051), with dissents by Commissioner Anna Gomez.
New Street analyst Blair Levin ends affiliation with Brookings and joins the Center for Strategic International Studies’ Strategic Technologies Program as a senior associate (nonresident) … Morgan Lewis promotes Danielle Burt and Patricia Cave to partner in the firm’s telecommunications, media and technology practice … Changes at broadband fiber connectivity provider Clearfield: Anis Khemakhem promoted to chief commercial officer, replacing Allen Griser, who becomes executive adviser until he leaves by year-end; Mike Ward, ex-Charles Industries, joins as vice president of sales for broadband; and Marc Temple, formerly Meritec, becomes vice president of channels and strategic alliances ... Correction: Douglas Kyle retires from the FCC's Public Safety Homeland Security Bureau after 36 years of service (see 2509300059).
Public Knowledge (PK) and the Communications Workers of America (CWA) warned that the FCC would violate the Communications Act if it abandons universal service in favor of speeding copper retirement. In a joint filing posted Tuesday, the groups reminded the FCC that in the Improving Rural Call Quality and Reliability Act of 2017, Congress found that “maintaining quality voice service to rural America remains essential even in the Internet Age.”
The Trump administration is making its support increasingly clear for dedicating the 6 GHz band to Wi-Fi, WifiForward Executive Director Mary Brown said Wednesday. The FCC dedicated the band to unlicensed use during the first Trump administration and has indicated continued support for that position, but that doesn’t mean issues have gone away, she said. Brown and other officials spoke during a Broadband Breakfast webinar on the outlook for the next World Radiocommunication Conference in 2027.
The FCC suspended most of its operations early Wednesday when federal appropriations lapsed, as expected (see 2509300060). The agency furloughed 81% of its 1,288 staff members, less than the 88% it planned for ahead of a March shutdown that was averted when Congress agreed on its now-lapsed funding extension (see 2503140069). More than 77% of NTIA’s 600 employees remain at work, in part because of spectrum funding included in the Republicans’ reconciliation package, previously known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (see 2507030056). The shutdown is also already affecting at least one telecom-related case in federal court, although the overall judicial system remains open for now.
FCC commissioners approved 2-1-- over dissents from Democrat Anna Gomez -- a declaratory ruling finding that school bus Wi-Fi is no longer eligible for E-rate support. Also approved over Gomez's dissent at Tuesday's meeting was an order canceling the funding of internet hot spots off school and library premises. Unlike other items voted on Tuesday, both were late additions to the meeting agenda, and drafts weren’t made public in advance.