U.S. Magistrate Judge Mustafa Kasubhai for Oregon ordered discovery to be complete by April 1 in AT&T’s wireless infrastructure lawsuit against Lane County, Oregon, said a text entry Tuesday (docket 6:22-cv-01635). Dispositive motions are due June 1, said the judge. The court “will set further deadlines in this action following its ruling on the parties' anticipated motions for summary judgment,” he said. AT&T has been trying for more than a year to place a 150-foot-tall cell tower with accompanying communications electronics on a 40-by-40-foot fenced lease area on a five-acre parcel of land in western Oregon to provide and improve local wireless services, but the county violated the Telecommunications Act by denying approval of the proposed facility, alleged AT&T in an October complaint (see 2210260009).

Senate Communications Subcommittee members from both parties targeted FCC and NTIA implementation of connectivity programs created in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and COVID-19 aid measures Tuesday, as expected (see 2212120064), including concerns about deficient data the commission used to develop its new broadband maps. Lawmakers also touched on other telecom policymaking matters they hope Capitol Hill can address during the lame-duck session or in the next Congress. Senate Commerce Committee leaders saw a potential one-week extension of their talks on one lame-duck priority, a compromise spectrum legislative package (see 2212070068), appear via a proposed continuing resolution to fund the federal government past Friday.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Dec. 9. designated "a diverse array" of over 40 people and entities connected to corruption or human rights abuses in recognition of International Anti-Corruption Day and Human Rights Day. The sanctions target people and entities across nine countries, OFAC said.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will “effective immediately” allow imports from Canada of breeding water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) and yak (Bos grunniens), APHIS said in an update Dec. 9. An import permit is required, and the shipment “must also be accompanied by a health certificate endorsed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency,” APHIS said. “The importer/ transporter must contact the Northern Border Port of entry at least 14 days in advance to arrange inspection details if the animals are transported by land,” the agency said.

The European Council and Parliament struck a provisional deal to minimize deforestation and forest degradation risk for EU imports and exports, the council announced. The deal, if formally adopted by both bodies, would set mandatory due diligence rules for all traders who "place, make available or export" palm oil, beef, timber, coffee, cocoa, rubber and soy from the EU market.

Plaintiff AT&T and defendant Lane County, Oregon, propose that fact discovery be completed by April 1, and dispositive motions be filed by June 1, they said Tuesday in a joint Rule 26(f) report (docket 6:22-cv-1635) in U.S. District Court for Oregon in Eugene. AT&T alleges it has been trying for more than a year to place a 150-foot-tall cell tower on a five-acre parcel of land in western Oregon to improve local wireless services, but the county denied approval of the proposed facility in violation of the Telecommunications Act (see 2210260009). The county responded by saying AT&T failed to exhaust its “administrative remedies” under local Oregon law (see 2211180029). AT&T and the county agree the lawsuit “likely will be suitable for resolution on summary judgment and, if not, that a summary judgment ruling may significantly affect the scope of any issues to be tried,” said the Rule 26(f) report. They asked that any further dates on the calendar be set after the court’s ruling on their anticipated summary judgment motions.

The State Department approved four potential military sales -- two to Taiwan, one to Poland and one to South Korea -- worth more than $5.6 billion combined, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Dec. 6.

The FCC Precision Ag Task Force unanimously adopted its working groups’ reports and recommendations Friday at a virtual meeting that also heard updates from the Broadband Data Task Force on how agricultural lands are accounted for in the broadband serviceable location fabric.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned three people for being members of the Workers’ Party of Korea and helping North Korea develop weapons of mass restriction and ballistic missiles. The designations target Jon Il Ho, Yu Jin and Kim Su Gil, OFAC said. Brian Nelson, Treasury's undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said the sanctions were in response to North Korean missile launches (see Ref:2211070016]).

The FCC chair, secretary of the Interior and the Commerce Department's assistant secretary for communications and information will meet at least quarterly to plan policies and programs aimed at broadband and wireless services on tribal lands, per an MOU signed by the agencies. The MOU said the aim is better coordination among federal agencies on ways to help deploy and develop broadband and other wireless services on tribal lands, plus expanded access to spectrum over tribal lands and the Hawaiian homelands. Under the MOU, the agencies will also discuss initiatives aimed at encouraging tribes and the Native Hawaiian community to take part in existing programs such as Lifeline through outreach and promotion to eligible households on tribal lands. Interior said it also is establishing an Office of Indigenous Communications and Technology to help tribal nations and tribal entities manage and develop wireless services on tribal lands. Interior said OICT will try to facilitate work between tribes and the tech industry, review spectrum leasing opportunities as a route to advancing Tribal self-determination and help develop national tribal broadband policy guidance. The MOU was announced during a White House Tribal Nations Summit Wednesday. The MOU "is an important, concrete step to ensure that Tribal voices are at the table when decisions are being made on how best to promote deployment of broadband to their communities," Public Knowledge said. It also will ensure a coordinated effort by the FCC, Interior and NTIA to engage with tribal leaders and communities and help ensure they have necessary information for getting access to resources, such as E-rate and the tribal Broadband Connectivity Fund, PK said.