The FCC Enforcement Bureau on Monday imposed a $10,000 fine against Western Iowa Wireless for allegedly failing to file FCC Form 477 16 times and filing the form late five times. The FCC uses the form to collect data on broadband deployment and local telephone competition. The Enforcement Bureau noted that it initially proposed a $10,000 forfeiture in 2021 “consisting of a $3,000 base forfeiture for the one violation that occurred within the one-year statute of limitations and a $7,000 upward adjustment for the company’s history of noncompliance.” The amount “comports” with fines imposed “in substantially similar cases.”
Consolidated Communications notified the FCC on Monday that the transfer of indirect ownership and control of its local subsidiaries to Condor Holdings is complete. Consolidated also delisted on NASDAQ and is now privately held. Affiliates of Searchlight Capital Partners and British Columbia Investment Management acquired its assets, Consolidated noted. The deal faced scrutiny from state regulators, including those in Maine (see 2407110027) and New Hampshire (see 2406210040).
The FCC Wireline Bureau on Monday issued an order that gives certain carriers additional six-month extensions on deadlines to remove Huawei and ZTE components from their networks to comply with the rip-and-replace program. Congress recently provided additional funding for the FCC’s Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program, providing $3.08 billion to close the funding gap (see 2412240036). The order highlights problems providers face beyond funding. Gogo Business Aviation, which in October updated the commission on its struggles to complete work (see 2410040028), received an extension from Jan. 21 to July 21. The bureau said it found Gogo’s complaints persuasive. “Rather than rely on commercial off-the-shelf parts and equipment, Gogo states that much of its replacement ground network will rely on newly developed software and hardware that require lab testing and FCC equipment authorization,” the order said: “However, Gogo’s ground-based equipment vendor is continuing to face delays from component manufacturers due to long lead times, which affects the delivery of replacement network equipment at scale.” Northern Michigan University (NMU) received an extension from Jan. 20 to July 20. “NMU states it has experienced significant delays in replacing customer premises equipment units because multiple deliveries of those units contained a high percentage of defective equipment and therefore had to be re-shipped months later.” The units also “require software updates from the manufacturer before NMU can begin mass testing and deployment.” Alaska’s Copper Valley Wireless received an extension from Jan. 21 to July 21 after complaining about the lack of tower construction crews in the state. Copper Valley “adds that delivery of equipment to Alaska requires the use of long and multiple modes of transport to reach remote sites, which further delays progress when construction seasons are so short,” the order said. The extension for Flat Wireless is from Jan. 14 to July 14. It told the FCC the funding shortfall “limited its deployment efforts, which has resulted in delays and additional costs that have necessarily extended its project timeline beyond the current term expiration date.” Hargray Communications was granted an extension from Jan. 13 to July 13 after complaining of problems obtaining nondefective gear and accessing private property to install it. LigTel Communications got an extension from Jan. 22 to July 22 after complaining of supply chain issues, and Pine Belt Cellular, an extension from Jan. 17 to July 17. Pine Belt cited “delays involving key hardware needed to replace the core of its network, as well as delays in obtaining the experienced skilled labor necessary to work on both the core and the radio access network.” Other carriers getting extensions, and the revised deadlines were: Nemont Telephone Co-op (Aug. 26), Santel Communications Co-op (July 25), Union Telephone (July 6-15 for parts of its network) and Windy City Cellular (July 27).
AT&T and Verizon acknowledged Saturday that their networks were part of the U.S.-based infrastructure that was hacked in Salt Typhoon Chinese government-affiliated operation (see 2411190073), but both carriers insisted their operations are now secure. “We detect no activity by nation-state actors in our networks at this time,” an AT&T spokesperson said. “Based on our current investigation of this attack, the People's Republic of China targeted a small number of individuals of foreign intelligence interest.” The carrier said it monitored and secured its networks following the attack to protect other consumers’ data. Verizon Chief Legal Officer Vendana Venkatesh likewise said the carrier has “not detected threat actor activity in Verizon's network for some time, and after considerable work addressing this incident, we can report that Verizon has contained the activities associated with this particular incident.” Anne Neuberger, deputy national security adviser-cyber and emerging technology, said during a Friday conference call with reporters that the federal government has identified a ninth U.S.-based telecom provider compromised in the Salt Typhoon hack. The “Chinese gained access to networks and essentially had broad and full access,” which allowed them to “geolocate millions of individuals, to record phone calls at will,” Neuberger said. She said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel’s draft declaratory ruling finding that Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act Section (CALEA) Section 105 requires telecom carriers to secure their networks against cyberattacks (see 2412050044) would help limit the impact of future hacks.
Consumer groups representing the blind support NAB’s request for FCC clarification of its audible crawl rule, according to comments filed in docket 12-107 by last week’s deadline. The FCC has continuously waived the rule for nearly a decade because compliance isn’t technologically feasible, according to broadcasters. Last week, the FCC granted its latest, a six-month retroactive waiver (see 2412200055). “To the extent that information provided in an accessible text crawl is the same as the information provided by a nontextual graphic, we are tentatively supportive of a minor modification of the rule,” the American Foundation for the Blind and the American Council of the Blind said in a joint filing. In addition, any FCC effort to enforce the audible crawl waiver would be “legally suspect’ in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling overturning Chevron deference, Gray Local Media commented.
USTelecom, NCTA and the Wireless ISP Association separately opposed Fine Point Technologies' request (see 2411270048) that the FCC launch a rulemaking on standardized broadband speed testing protocols. Comments were posted Monday in RM-11991 in response to a Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau inquiry.
Logos Space Services CEO Milo Medin, meeting with FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr's office, urged that his company's non-geostationary orbit constellation application be put on public notice expeditiously, said a Space Bureau posting last week. Logos' plans call for a 3,960-satellite constellation to offer business connectivity (see 2410310003).
Letting SpaceX provide supplemental coverage from space service in the 1429-2690 MHz band runs contrary to FCC efforts to limit the interference potential that SCS operations pose, Viasat said in a petition filed Thursday with the FCC Space Bureau. Seeking a reconsideration of the agency's November SCS authorization for SpaceX (see 2411260043), Viasat said the authorization improperly lets SpaceX operate in band segments not available for SCS or mobile satellite service. Viasat said the order improperly lets SpaceX conduct operations without using the modified processing-round procedures that the FCC requires.
The FCC Enforcement Bureau issued a warning to the Brockton, Massachusetts, property owners allegedly hosting pirate radio broadcasters, threatening penalties of more than $2 million, said a notice in Friday’s Daily Digest. The notice was sent to Maridane Aunaxe and Marie Aunaxe over illegal broadcasts on 87.9 MHz emanating from their property on Dec. 7, 2023, and again on Jan. 12, 2024, the notice said. “You are hereby notified and warned that the FCC may issue a fine of up to $2,391,097 if, following the response period set forth below, we determine that you have continued to permit any individual or entity to engage in pirate radio broadcasting.”
The FCC is rechartering its Disability Advisory Committee for a two-year term, said a notice in Friday’s Federal Register. More details, including the first meeting date and agenda topics, will be announced later. The last iteration of the DAC held its final meeting in October (see 2410180032).