Space sustainability advocates are pessimistic about the chances that the FCC will require environmental reviews for proposed satellites and constellations anytime soon. Such reviews were a central part of the International Dark-Sky Association's (ISDA) unsuccessful legal challenge of the FCC's approval of SpaceX's second-generation satellite constellation (see 2407120031). Last month, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) launched a letter-writing campaign urging environmental reviews of satellite mega constellations (see 2408280002).

The FCC released its order approving 3-2 radio broadcaster Audacy’s request for a temporary waiver of its foreign-ownership requirements. The dissents from both FCC Republicans condemn the order as a deviation from normal FCC procedure, but neither mentions by name the involvement of the Soros family in the deal, though that has been the main focus of Republican lawmakers and conservative media critical of the restructuring. Commissioner Brendan Carr previously called the waiver a “Soros shortcut.” To suggest that Audacy is receiving special treatment is “cynical and wrong,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, pointing to numerous similar grants from the FCC going back to 2018. “Our practice here and in these prior cases is designed to facilitate the prompt and orderly emergence from bankruptcy of a company that is a licensee under the Communications Act.”

Kids’ online safety bills at the federal and state levels are creating compliance concerns with their vague language that potentially runs afoul of the First Amendment, a compliance attorney said Friday. Mark Brennan, a tech and telecom attorney with Hogan Lovells, told a webinar that bills like the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which passed the Senate and the House Commerce Committee (see 2409230044), presents a legal framework with a lot of compliance “mystery.” He noted federal courts have ruled similar state-level bills are unconstitutional. The Computer & Communications Industry Association and NetChoice are leading several tech industry challenges against state laws around the country, including measures in Texas, Florida, Mississippi and Georgia (see 2409260053, 2409260062 and 2407170046). The knowledge standard contemplated in KOSA effectively tells companies they don’t necessarily need to verify age, but they’re also subject to “significant penalties” for harms minors suffer when interacting on platforms, said Brennan. It creates an environment where companies feel like they “have no choice but to verify" the age of all users, not just minors. Tech associations have argued age-verification requirements are a First Amendment violation because of their impact on access to protected speech.

President Joe Biden signed the Launch Communications Act (S-1648) Thursday night, the White House said. The measure, which the House passed earlier this month (see 2409180049), will require that the FCC streamline the authorization process for commercial launches’ access to spectrum. The Senate approved S-1648 last year. Lead sponsors Sens. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., and Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., hailed its enactment Friday. It's “a win for American innovation,” Hickenlooper said. Now “we can lead the next era of space exploration.” The U.S. “must maintain its edge in the 21st century space race against China, and this legislation is a necessary step in maintaining American space dominance,” said Schmitt, who is Senate Commerce Space Subcommittee ranking member.

House Oversight Committee GOP leaders said Thursday night they launched an investigation into the FCC’s handling of radio group Audacy’s request for a temporary waiver of FCC foreign-ownership rules to complete a bankruptcy restructuring that includes George Soros-affiliated entities purchasing its stock. Panel Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., claim the FCC’s expected approval of Audacy’s request (see 2409170015) represents a politicization of the review process just more than one month before the Nov. 5 presidential election. Langworthy briefly raised the issue during a House Oversight hearing earlier this month (see 2409190063).

President Joe Biden signed off Thursday on a continuing resolution (HR-9747) that maintains funding for the FCC, FTC, Commerce Department agencies and all other federal entities through Dec. 20 after both chambers swiftly cleared the measure. HR-9747’s enactment averts a government shutdown that would have otherwise begun when FY 2024 funding expires Monday night. The Senate voted 78-18 for the CR Wednesday night, mirroring the House’s similarly lopsided approval earlier in the day (see 2409250036). Congress’ approval of HR-9747 gives lawmakers “more time to pass full-year funding bills by the end of this year,” Biden said Wednesday night. The Senate also approved the Rural Broadband Protection Act (S-275) Wednesday night by unanimous consent. The measure, which the Senate Commerce Committee advanced in late July (see 2407310048), would require that the FCC launch a rulemaking to change vetting rules for USF high-cost applicant ISPs. S-275 lead sponsor Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., hailed Senate passage of the measure. “By verifying that providers can actually deliver on the promises made to bring high-speed internet to specific areas, we can maximize the influx of broadband dollars coming to West Virginia and move toward our goal of closing the digital divide in communities of all sizes across our state,” she said: “I encourage my House colleagues to pass this important legislation quickly.”

The House voted 341-82 Wednesday to pass a continuing resolution (HR-9747) that would maintain funding through Dec. 20 for the FCC, FTC, Commerce Department agencies and all other federal entities. The resolution's passage would avert a government shutdown that would otherwise begin after FY 2024 funding expires Monday. The Senate was expected to take up the measure Wednesday night. “It would be political malpractice to shut the government down” just weeks before the Nov. 5 presidential election, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters. “I think everyone understands that.”

The House voted 257-125 Monday night to approve the Senate-cleared Building Chips in America Act (S-2228), sending it to President Joe Biden's desk. S-2228 would streamline federal permitting rules for projects that the 2021 Chips for America Act funded. It would in part make the Commerce Department the lead federal agency for conducting National Environmental Policy Act reviews for Chips for America Act projects and narrow the number of projects that would require those evaluations. The Senate approved the measure in December by unanimous consent. S-2228 lead sponsors Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Commerce Committee ranking member Ted Cruz, R-Texas, hailed the legislation's passage in the House. “This is a major step forward for our economy and national security,” Kelly said. “By preventing unnecessary delays in the construction of microchip manufacturing facilities, this bill will help maximize our efforts to bring this industry back to America, creating thousands of good-paying jobs and strengthening our supply chains.” Cruz called it “a crucial step in onshoring jobs and making our country less dependent on China for semiconductors critical to national defense.”

House leaders will likely take up kids’ privacy legislation, but not before more legislative work is done on the House Commerce Committee-passed bills, a high-ranking Senate Commerce Committee staffer said Wednesday.

The Commerce Department is proposing that no Chinese or Russian software or hardware be imported that enables cars to use GPS or connect to cellphones or other external communication facilitators. Such imports pose security risks, the government believes. Stakeholders have until Oct. 28 to comment on the proposal, which, according to a call with reporters, will be finalized before President Joe Biden leaves office. The prohibition covers telematics control units, Bluetooth, cellular, satellite and Wi-Fi modules and advanced battery management, as well as components that allow driverless operation of a vehicle, said a White House fact sheet Monday. In addition, the proposal covers cars, motorcycles, trucks, including class 8 commercial trucks, RVs and buses, but not agricultural or mining equipment. The bans don't take effect immediately -- the one for software would begin with model year 2027 equipment, and the ban on hardware would begin in model year 2030, or Jan. 1, 2029, for vehicles that lack model years.