Marcus Maher, ex-FCC Office of General Counsel, joins Commissioner Olivia Trusty's office as senior legal adviser; William Holloway, her acting legal adviser, takes that role permanently; Fatimah Brown, Space Bureau, joins as her staff assistant; Jessica Kinsey steps down as acting legal adviser … Consulting firm Kepler’s Nick Spina steps down as director of launch and regulatory affairs, plans unannounced.
Members of the Ad Hoc Broadband for Rural Health Group complained to the FCC about their difficulty understanding the rules for the rural health care program’s Healthcare Connect Fund (HCF). They met with aides to Commissioners Anna Gomez and Olivia Trusty and agency staff, said a filing Friday in docket 25-133.
The Ecommerce Innovation Alliance reported on meetings at the FCC about the group’s pursuit of a declaratory ruling that people who provide prior express written consent to receive text messages can't claim damages under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act for messages received outside the hours of 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. (see 2503030036). The group is being represented on the issue by former FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly, who met with Commissioner Olivia Trusty and aides to Trusty and Chairman Brendan Carr, according to a filing Friday in docket 02-278.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation highlighted the issues before the FCC most critical for its members in a letter to Commissioner Olivia Trusty, posted Thursday in 18-89 and other dockets. Among the issues cited was the auto industry’s need for more spectrum for cellular-vehicle-to-everything operations. “The current 30 MHz spectrum allocation (5.895-5.925 GHz) does not support advanced use cases, such as the sharing of sensor data between vehicles,” the filing said. The alliance also stressed its opposition to revising the FCC “covered list” to put more focus on connected vehicles (see 2506300052).
The FCC on Thursday approved 3-0 an NPRM examining potential changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), which have been a focus of the Trump administration. Commissioner Anna Gomez said she was able to get a few changes in the NPRM, which led to her yes vote.
The FCC hacked away at licensing requirements for satellite and earth stations and slashed an array of broadcast rules in its August meeting Thursday. Four of the five items -- orders on submarine cable licensing and satellite and earth station licensing and NPRMs on improving emergency alerts and reviewing the commission's National Environmental Protection Act rules (see 2508070052) -- were approved unanimously. Democratic Commissioner Anna Gomez partially dissented on an order repealing 98 broadcast rules and requirements.
The FCC’s "Build America Agenda," outlined by FCC Chairman Brendan Carr last month (see 2507020036), will mean faster broadband deployment, Commissioner Olivia Trusty said in a speech Wednesday in Mississippi. She spoke at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, noting that faster broadband is key to telehealth.
Representatives of the Wi-Fi Alliance met with FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty to support a proposal that the commission authorize very-low-power operations at higher-power spectral density levels in the 6 GHz band. The group also raised concerns about NextNav’s proposal to reallocate the 900 MHz band to support its 5G-based positioning, navigation and timing service, said a filing Tuesday in docket 18-295. The issues raised mirror those discussed in the alliance's meetings in June with aides to the other commissioners (see 2506300040).
President Patrick Halley and others from the Wireless Infrastructure Association discussed the FCC’s moves to streamline wireless siting in a meeting with Commissioner Olivia Trusty, said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 19-250. WIA “highlighted the many positive effects that the FCC’s wireless infrastructure reforms have had on wireless deployment and the critical importance of maintaining and strengthening the FCC’s wireless siting rules.”
Representatives of the National Sheriffs’ Association met with an aide to FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty about the group’s concerns over last year’s rules on incarcerated people’s communications services (see 2501280053). The group “summarized the major arguments in its past filings, with particular emphasis on the role of safety and security measures in enabling access to IPCS,” said a filing this week in docket 23-62. It also “discussed the role tablets play in the carceral setting.”