An FCC proposal prioritizing processing of applications from broadcasters that offer local programming (see 2401180074) won’t have much of an effect and doesn’t do enough, according to a wide swath of comments filed to docket 24-14 by Monday’s deadline.
Country of origin cases
SpaceX already dominates the U.S. commercial space launch market and many commercial space industry experts expect that trend will continue for the next few years. Its under-development Starship rocket -- able to carry upward of 100 tons of cargo per launch and potentially put satellites in orbit for a fraction of the cost on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket -- could further cement that dominance, launch experts told us.
Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Communications Subcommittee ranking member John Thune, R-S.D., filed their long-circulating 2024 Spectrum Pipeline Act Monday with some changes from a draft version proposed in the fall (see 2311220063). The proposal drew sharply divided reactions from communications policy stakeholders. Some lobbyists suggested Cruz and Thune filed the measure Monday to get ahead of NTIA's planned release later this week of its implementation plan for the Biden administration's national spectrum strategy (see 2403050048).
NCTA told the FCC it agrees with comments that the commission should target the 7.125-8.4 GHz band for wireless broadband (see 2311290040), in response to an NPRM on implementing 2015 and 2019 decisions by the World Radiocommunication Conference. The FCC’s proposal in the NPRM “is based on an NTIA recommendation from 2018 that does not reflect the 2023 National Spectrum Strategy -- and could undermine that strategy by unnecessarily complicating the future of the 7/8 GHz range,” said a filing Wednesday in docket 23-120. “The circumstances … have changed significantly since the Commission issued the NPRM in April 2023 and even more since NTIA made its original recommendation to the Commission in 2018,” NCTA said.
The Indiana Senate unanimously supported a bill that would require the state broadband office to be inclusive when awarding grants under NTIA’s broadband equity, access and deployment program. Senators voted 47-0 Thursday for HB-1277 to create an Indiana Code chapter governing BEAD administration. The office may not exclude cooperatives, nonprofits, public-private partnerships, private companies, public or private utilities, public utility districts or local governments, the bill said. The House on Jan. 23 voted 94-0 to pass the bill but now must concur with Senate tweaks. Meanwhile, the Indiana House on Thursday voted 92-0 for a state 911 bill (SB-232) and returned it to the Senate with amendments on Friday. The Senate previously voted 49-0 on Jan. 29 for the bill (see 2401310070, which would require originating service providers to connect to state 911 using an industry standard or functional equivalent, update certain 911 terminology, increase penalties for giving false information, and exempt information about 911 system security from public disclosure.
Wireless Infrastructure Association hires Karen Groppe, ex-ACT|The App Association, as vice president-communications … SpaceFund announces Kfir founder Sagi Kfir, ex-Blue Origin, as general counsel … Snowflake cloud company promotes Sridhar Ramaswamy to CEO and adds him to its board, effective immediately; Frank Slootman retires as CEO, but remains chairman ... E.W. Scripps promotes Kate O'Brian to president-news, newly created role ... Airwavz smart building tech provider elevates Perry Welch to chief sales officer ... Lantronix appoints Calumet Park Advisors’ Kurt Hoff, ex-Synaptics, as vice president-worldwide sales, effective March 4, succeeding Roger Holliday, retiring … Pionaire Podcasting taps Ben Juster, ex-iHeartMedia, as vice president-podcasting operations ... Quantum computing company IonQ adds Bill Scannell, Dell Technologies president-global sales and customer operations, to its board.
President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed an executive order directing DOJ to establish rules blocking large-scale transfers of Americans’ personal data to entities in hostile nations.
Apple eclipsed Samsung in Q4 2023 for the top spot globally in the smartphone market, Counterpoint blogged Tuesday. It said the global smartphone market grew 7% in 2023, and 8% in Q4 compared with Q4 2022, reaching 323.2 million units. Beyond losing share to Apple in the premium market, Samsung gave up market share in the mid-tier segment to Chinese original equipment manufacturers such as Xiaomi and in the entry-level segment to Transsion brands, Counterpoint said.
The wireless industry disputed the need for additional requirements to block texts, including extending requirements to originating providers and requiring use of “reasonable analytics” to block texts likely to be illegal, in response to a December Further NPRM (see 2312130019). But other groups said the FCC should consider additional rules and can’t rely on the wireless industry's voluntary efforts. Comments were posted this week in docket 21-402.
Congressional Republican leaders are determined to advance a Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval to undo the FCC’s digital discrimination order (H.J.Res. 107) despite widespread acknowledgment the measure faces long odds of making it through the majority-Democratic Senate and an all-but-certain veto from President Joe Biden. GOP leaders’ intent in pursuing H.J.Res. 107 appears to be to bolster legal challenges of the digital discrimination order, officials and lobbyists told us. House Communications Subcommittee member Rep. Buddy Carter of Georgia and more than 60 other Republicans filed the measure in late January (see 2401310003).