Globalstar and Iridium shouldn't face notable regulatory hurdles or opposition to their direct-to-handset services, we were told. Iridium said last week it had inked a smartphone service provider agreement. In an SEC filing, it said the deal could mean revenue in the form of development fees, royalties and network usage fees. Apple debuted its Globalstar-enabled SOS emergency messaging service on iPhone 14s in November (see 2211100005).
Senate Commerce Committee Republicans will insist that panel leaders allow another full vetting process for Gigi Sohn following her expected Tuesday renomination (see 2212300044), Communications Subcommittee ranking member John Thune of South Dakota said in a Tuesday interview. President Joe Biden formally renominated Sohn to the FCC seat Tuesday, after a senior White House official confirmed to us that her reselection was imminent (see 2301030026).
M&A activity in the technology, media and telecom (TMT) sector is down from the more heated pace during the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic but could pick up in 2023, TMT M&A experts told us. However, expect fewer big, transformative deals and more a series of bolt-on deals, they said.
Supporters of FCC nominee Gigi Sohn have gotten indications the Biden administration wants to renominate her in January, but there’s been no definitive word this will happen amid uncertain internal Senate dynamics. That lack of clarity in part stems from Senate leaders not yet being able to guarantee Sohn would get as swift a confirmation process as the White House and others want, lawmakers and lobbyists said in interviews. The Senate failed to hold any floor votes on Sohn before the chamber left town just before Christmas, and it won’t return until just before the 118th Congress gavels in Tuesday. Sohn’s 2022 confirmation process stalled in March after the Commerce Committee tied 14-14 on advancing her to the floor (see 2203030070). Biden first nominated her in October 2021 (see 2110260076).
Standard General continues to battle retransmission consent concerns about its proposed buy of Tegna, according to releases and FCC filings this week. Standard Thursday touted a retrans deal with Comcast as evidence of its willingness to comply with conditions on the transaction (see 2212190063), while MVPD Dish sent the FCC a completely redacted retrans letter from Cox Media Group – owned by deal participant Apollo Global Management -- in response to Cox’s denial (see 2212130061) it had sought to include Tegna stations in retrans negotiations. An FCC comment period on Standard’s proposed conditions is set to end in late January, just weeks before a Feb. 22 milestone in the Standard/Tegna merger agreement that would allow Tegna to choose to exit the deal.
An NPRM on out-of-band emissions limits into the 24 GHz band, proposed by Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel a year ago, remains on hold at the FCC. She circulated the NPRM Dec. 27, 2021, but it has yet to get the required four votes. Rosenworcel and Commissioner Geoffrey Starks have voted for the item, but Republicans Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington haven’t voted. NTIA endorsed the limits, on behalf of NASA, NOAA and the National Science Foundation.
Providers in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands disagreed over whether the FCC should cut transitional support for incumbent providers on the islands, in reply comments posted Wednesday in docket 18-143. Puerto Rico's Negociado de Telecomunicaciones (NET) is now calling on the FCC not to slash transitional support, as proposed in an October NPRM (see 2210270046). Initial comments were filed earlier this month (see 2212120053).
The FCC, having opened the 17 GHz band to geostationary orbit fixed satellite service, is facing some divides among satellite and wireless operators about doing the same for non-geostationary orbit FSS operations, per docket 22-273 comments this week. The commissioners adopted a 17 GHz GSO order in August on circulation that included an NPRM about an NGSO FSS downlink allocation in the 17.3-17.8 GHz band (see 2208040055).
The revised March 9 expiration date for the FCC’s auction authority included in the FY 2023 appropriations omnibus package (HR-2617) is spurring House Communications Subcommittee leaders’ interest in quickly reaching a new deal on a spectrum legislative package when talks reconvene at the start of the 118th Congress. Capitol Hill passed the short-term reauthorization after the leaders of the House and Senate Commerce committees weren’t able to attach the Spectrum Auction Reauthorization Act (see 2212190069), a package of modified language from the upper chamber's version of the Spectrum Innovation Act (S-4117) and other related measures, to the omnibus. Senate Commerce leaders are divided on whether they will be able to advance the legislative package largely in its current form in the next Congress (see 2212270029).
Broadcasters and wireless carriers urged the FCC not to impose proposed new rules designed to make the emergency alert system and wireless emergency alerts more secure. Industry said cybersecurity requirements would be difficult to implement and are unnecessary. FCC commissioners approved an NPRM 4-0 in October (see 2210270058). Comments were posted Tuesday in docket 15-94.