Advanced Warning and Response Network Alliance founder John Lawson steps down as executive director, succeeded by Dave Arland, Arland Communications ... The Rural Broadband Association elects Roxie Jorgenson, MTA, as board chair; Ben Foster, ISG Technology, as vice chair; Ross Petrick, Alliance Communications Cooperative, as secretary/treasurer; and Terry Nelson, Woodstock Communications, to board.

A plan for cutting regulations and federal institutions such as the FCC could target broadband access programs and media regulations, but it's likely that a wave of litigation will stymie it, administrative law professors and attorneys told us. Future Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) heads Vivek Ramasawamy and Space X CEO Elon Musk laid out their plans in a Wall Street Journal opinion column. “It's not to say that maybe some of these changes shouldn't be happening, but, you know, they're taking a wrecking ball to fix something that requires a little bit more finesse than that,” said University of Idaho law professor Linda Jellum. Asked about possible DOGE cuts at the FCC, incoming FCC Chairman Brendan Carr last week told reporters, “There's no question, there's tons of room for driving more efficiency at the FCC." He didn't elaborate.

FCC staff changes: Wireless Bureau’s Jessica Campbell becomes acting legal adviser-public safety for Commissioner Anna Gomez, stepping in for Hayley Steffen, on maternity leave, and Cierra Nokes, ex-NTT Data, joins Gomez’s office as executive assistant; Howard Parnell retiring as division chief-Web and Print Publishing; Enforcement Bureau Chief Loyaan Egal becomes special adviser, with Deputy Bureau Chief Peter Hyun becoming acting bureau chief; Office of Economics and Analytics Deputy Bureau Chief Catherine Matraves becoming acting bureau chief with Bureau Chief Giulia McHenry’s departure … Cloud security provider Sysdig appoints William Welch, previously Talkdesk, as CEO.

The Committee for the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the U.S. Telecommunications Service Sector asked the FCC to refer to it T-Mobile’s proposed buy of wireless assets from UScellular (see 2405280047) for further examination. DOJ asked for the referral “to determine whether these applications pose a risk to the national security or law enforcement interests” of the U.S., said a filing this week in docket 24-286. The committee -- informally known by its former name, Team Telecom -- is an interagency review body composed of DOJ, DOD and the Department of Homeland Security. DOJ “believes that such risk may be raised by the foreign participation (including the foreign relationships and ownership) associated with the applications, and a review by the Committee is necessary to assess and make an appropriate recommendation as to how the Commission should adjudicate these applications,” the filing said. It cites executive order 13913 issued in 2020 by then-President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, petitions to deny the transfer of UScellular authorizations and spectrum licenses to T-Mobile are due Dec. 9 (see 2410300051), but the National Wireless Independent Dealer Association (NWIDA) made its opposition known on Wednesday. NWIDA cited “T-Mobile's documented history of post-merger conduct that has proven detrimental to independent dealers and the communities they serve.” T-Mobile’s conduct, “particularly following the Sprint acquisition, demonstrates a concerning trend of eliminating independent dealers despite pre-merger assurances,” the group said: “Currently, T-Mobile faces multiple lawsuits from independent dealers, and their Chief Operating Officer has publicly expressed a preference for corporate-owned stores over independent dealers.”

Federal permitting problems could become notable impediments to BEAD deployment projects, Lukas Piertzak, NTIA senior broadband policy adviser, acknowledged Wednesday. Yet Piertzak also said a clawback of BEAD funding next year seems unlikely. BEAD, as well as NTIA's tribal connectivity and middle-mile programs, are perhaps insulated because of their bipartisan support not just from federal lawmakers but also governors and local officials, he added. Piertzak spoke during a panel discussion in T-Mobile's Washington office organized by ALLvanza, Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council, LGBT Tech, and OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates.

John Windhausen, executive director of the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition, said Wednesday his organization is willing to work with FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr and other Republicans to save a program that lets schools and libraries use E-rate support for off-premises Wi-Fi hot spots and wireless internet services. On tap to lead the FCC next year under President-elect Donald Trump, Carr voted against the E-rate program's creation, as did fellow Republican Nathan Simington (see 2410070028).

House Communications Subcommittee member Rep. John Joyce, R-Pa., said during a Wednesday USTelecom event he wants renewed pushes to restore the FCC’s lapsed spectrum auction authority and enact a broadband permitting revamp legislative package to be among the subpanel’s top priorities in the next Congress. Broadband executives likewise named Capitol Hill action on broadband permitting legislation as their top congressional priority once Republicans have control of both chambers in January. The officials also noted interest in lawmakers’ work on a potential USF revamp.

Comtech Telecom promotes Daniel Gizinski to president-satellite and space communications segment ... Digital infrastructure investment firm DigitalBridge appoints Yoshiaki Fujimori, ex-Oracle, as senior executive adviser, Japan and Asia-Pacific region ... Fiber provider Light Source Communications hires Joe Patton, ex-Sifi Networks, as chief revenue officer, and Dan Enright, previously GW Communications, as COO ... GeoLinks appoints Kevin Hetrick, ex-Strategic Venue Partners, as CEO ... Kathryn Ford, previously Armstrong Teasdale, joins digital network services provider Congruex as general counsel ... ISP software provider Airties appoints John Lancaster-Lennox, ex-Nokia, as executive vice president-general manager-Asia.

Wireless carriers across the world are making huge investments in their networks, and in AI, but have yet to see the return on investment they’re seeking, executives said Tuesday during an RCR Wireless telco AI forum. Colin Bannon, chief technology officer at BT, confirmed carriers' big AI bets, though he acknowledged many questions remain.

The Biden administration is making progress on each of the five bands it's studying as part of the national spectrum strategy (see 2311130048), Shiva Goel, NTIA senior adviser-spectrum policy, said during a Center for Strategic and International Studies webinar late Thursday. Other speakers said the government must make available more high-powered licensed spectrum to ensure the nation doesn’t fall behind China and other competitors.