The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation promotes Daniel Castro to president, effective May 2026, replacing Robert Atkinson, retiring April 30 … ACA Connects taps Jack Latzer, ex-NCTI, as COO and executive vice president, effective at the end of September, succeeding John Higginbotham, who will retire in March; the two will serve together during the transition ... Network services provider GTT Communications names Andrea Genschaw, ex-Lumen, as CFO, replacing Tim Medina, retiring ... Space technology provider Aegis Aerospace adds Matt Ondler, formerly Axiom Space, as chief strategy officer.
Broadband interests are warning the U.S. Supreme Court of "dire consequences for internet access" if the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' ruling in online piracy litigation against Cox Communications stands. Cox also saw support from the U.S. Solicitor General, tech giants, law professors and library groups in docket 24-171 amicus briefs posted Friday. The cable ISP is challenging the 4th Circuit decision upholding a lower court's copyright infringement finding against Cox for piracy by some of its internet subscribers (see 2408160034).
The cable ISP industry has assembled a coalition of senior executives to combat vandalism and other damage to communications networks. Chairing the Strategic Threat Response & Infrastructure Knowledge Exchange (STRIKE) is Comcast Chief Network Officer Elad Nafshi. Tom Monaghan, Charter Communications' executive vice president of field operations, is vice chairman. NCTA and CableLabs subsidiary SCTE, which are spearheading STRIKE, said members also include Altice USA, Cable One, Cox, Mediacom, Rogers and GCI.
Nexstar agreed to purchase Tegna in a $6.2 billion deal that could receive regulatory approval only if the national ownership cap is relaxed or eliminated, Nexstar said in a news release and conference call Tuesday. If the deal is consummated, Nexstar would control 265 TV stations, become the largest owner of affiliates for "all four of the biggest networks, and reach 80% of U.S. households. The current rule caps audience reach for a single station owner at 39%, but the FCC has a proceeding that will possibly change the cap. Reply comments in the proceeding are due in docket 17-318 Friday. Nexstar CEO Perry Sook said he doesn't “want to presume where [FCC Chairman Brendan Carr] will come out in his national ownership proceeding” but also that Nexstar feels “very, very positive about moving forward to the regulatory approval process.”
ACA Connects elects Greg Wheeler, altafiber, to its board and reelects Patricia Jo Boyers, Boycom Cablevision (chair), John Reardon, Schurz Communications (vice chair), Marty Carollo, All West Communications, Paul Cowling, Cogeco/Breezeline, Carla Framil, Liberty Puerto Rico, Ed McKay, Shentel, and Drew Petersen, TDS … Mollie Timmons, ex-American Petroleum Institute, joins NTIA as senior adviser for public affairs.
States and territories can't set forth a specific rate for a low-cost service option in BEAD, even if that rate is required by state law, according to new NTIA guidance issued Tuesday. The agency's 63-page FAQ document on BEAD covers an array of topics, including whether subgrantees can use BEAD-funded facilities to provide other offerings, such as telephone and video (they can), and how applicants are supposed to track their 2% administrative costs.
Trade groups are urging federal agencies to treat deliberate damage to communications networks, such as fiber-optic cable cuts, as domestic terrorism in some instances and increase investigative and enforcement resources in regions with more incidents. Widespread, organized attacks on communications networks represent "a significant and rapidly growing threat demanding urgent, coordinated federal, state, and local action," the groups said in a letter Wednesday to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and FBI Director Kash Patel.
NTIA should "expressly condition" BEAD funding on a state's commitment not to enforce rate regulation, ACA Connects said in a letter Tuesday to recently confirmed NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth. The agency should also clarify that it won't issue waivers, the group added. Doing so "will have the most immediate impact" in New York, ACA Connects said, noting that ISPs are subject to the state's Affordable Broadband Act (see 2505290045). The law requires ISPs operating there to offer an affordable service plan for low-income households.
The Senate confirmed Republican Arielle Roth as NTIA administrator Wednesday on a largely party-line 52-42 vote, as expected (see 2507160076). Senate Commerce Committee member John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the only Democrat who joined Republicans in backing Roth, as he was when the panel advanced her in April (see 2504090037). The chamber invoked cloture on Roth last week 50-34 (see 2507170065). President Donald Trump nominated Roth, who was Senate Commerce Republicans’ telecom policy director, to the NTIA role in February (see 2502040056).
Utility and broadband interests are pushing the FCC for changes to the agency's pole attachment item on its July 24 meeting agenda. In a speech earlier this month laying out his "Build America" agenda, Chairman Brendan Carr highlighted the pole attachment draft order and a copper line retirement draft NPRM, also on July's agenda, as prime examples of an intertwined focus on infrastructure deployment and deregulation (see 2507020036). Communications infrastructure deployment experts have mixed feelings about whether the pole attachment item notably eases pole attachment gripes. Commissioners' unanimous approval is expected, as pole attachment issues are generally nonpartisan.