Obama administration pushback to the Senate’s Mobile Now drafts last year targeted core bicameral and bipartisan spectrum proposals from Capitol Hill. Federal officials successfully killed attempts to provide financial incentives to federal agencies to relinquish spectrum and a mandate to free up a higher amount of spectrum, largely through criticisms never made public but shown in emails that Communications Daily acquired through a Freedom of Information Act open records request to NTIA. Emails also show the administration’s hand in adding language on bidirectional sharing and its objections to spectrum leasing language, which surprised some we interviewed who saw the critique.
Obama administration pushback to the Senate’s Mobile Now drafts last year targeted core bicameral and bipartisan spectrum proposals from Capitol Hill. Federal officials successfully killed attempts to provide financial incentives to federal agencies to relinquish spectrum and a mandate to free up a higher amount of spectrum, largely through criticisms never made public but shown in emails that Communications Daily acquired through a Freedom of Information Act open records request to NTIA. Emails also show the administration’s hand in adding language on bidirectional sharing and its objections to spectrum leasing language, which surprised some we interviewed who saw the critique.
It's a "pretty good bet" BlackBerry will begin deriving revenue in 2019 or 2020 from software developed in its new Ottawa innovation center for autonomous vehicles based on its QNX connected-car platform, CEO John Chen said on a Tuesday earnings call. “But I’m hoping we’ll get something more in 2018,” he said. The 2019-2020 period is when Mobileye and other components suppliers in the autonomous-vehicle space have said their products will begin reaching the commercial market (see 1611150018).
SoftBank is putting $1 billion into satellite operator OneWeb, with the money to go toward OneWeb setting up a high-volume satellite production facility on Kennedy Space Center land in Florida, the Japanese conglomerate said in a news release Monday. The facility is expected to employ 3,000 within four years, with OneWeb starting production there in 2018, it said. Other investors have put in an additional $200 million, SoftBank said. SoftBank Group Director Ronald Fisher will join OneWeb's board, it said. SoftBank is the majority owner of wireless carrier Sprint. SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son said the development follows his meeting with President-elect Donald Trump, during which Son said he “shared my commitment to investing and creating jobs” in the U.S. (see 1612060073). “This is the first step in that commitment,” Son said.
SoftBank is putting $1 billion into satellite operator OneWeb, with the money to go toward OneWeb setting up a high-volume satellite production facility on Kennedy Space Center land in Florida, the Japanese conglomerate said in a news release Monday. The facility is expected to employ 3,000 within four years, with OneWeb starting production there in 2018, it said. Other investors have put in an additional $200 million, SoftBank said. SoftBank Group Director Ronald Fisher will join OneWeb's board, it said. SoftBank is the majority owner of wireless carrier Sprint. SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son said the development follows his meeting with President-elect Donald Trump, during which Son said he “shared my commitment to investing and creating jobs” in the U.S. (see 1612060073). “This is the first step in that commitment,” Son said.
Commissioner Ajit Pai, the presumptive interim FCC chairman, remains a strong candidate to be named permanent chairman in the Republican administration, industry officials told us Thursday and Friday (see 1611140066). Pai is highly respected and well connected, including to Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), Trump's attorney general choice, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., some said. Tapping Pai -- who's experienced and doesn't need Senate confirmation near term -- as permanent chairman could also accelerate GOP efforts to roll back regulation, including of the net neutrality and broadband reclassification order, some said. "They're trying to hit the ground running," said Scott Cleland, a Republican and chairman of NetCompetition, whose group receives broadband industry funding.
Commissioner Ajit Pai, the presumptive interim FCC chairman, remains a strong candidate to be named permanent chairman in the Republican administration, industry officials told us Thursday and Friday (see 1611140066). Pai is highly respected and well connected, including to Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), Trump's attorney general choice, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., some said. Tapping Pai -- who's experienced and doesn't need Senate confirmation near term -- as permanent chairman could also accelerate GOP efforts to roll back regulation, including of the net neutrality and broadband reclassification order, some said. "They're trying to hit the ground running," said Scott Cleland, a Republican and chairman of NetCompetition, whose group receives broadband industry funding.
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler confirmed he met with Trump transition team members. Responding to a reporter's question, Wheeler said he had two meetings, one with the FCC transition team of President-elect Donald Trump and a separate one with Jeffrey Eisenach, a member of the team. "They were good meetings," said Wheeler, at his Thursday news conference after his last FCC commissioners' meeting (see 1612150034). "It’s not my role to talk about what happened in those meetings. If they want to talk about that, that's great," he said. The Trump transition and its FCC "landing team" members didn't comment. Wheeler said the commission designated two staffers as transition contacts and set up an office for Trump team members. "I made clear to them that if there were any issues that came up along the way, that I was the guy to call first," he said. Trump team members also met this week with Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, an aide told us. Aides to other commissioners didn't comment.
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler confirmed he met with Trump transition team members. Responding to a reporter's question, Wheeler said he had two meetings, one with the FCC transition team of President-elect Donald Trump and a separate one with Jeffrey Eisenach, a member of the team. "They were good meetings," said Wheeler, at his Thursday news conference after his last FCC commissioners' meeting (see 1612150034). "It’s not my role to talk about what happened in those meetings. If they want to talk about that, that's great," he said. The Trump transition and its FCC "landing team" members didn't comment. Wheeler said the commission designated two staffers as transition contacts and set up an office for Trump team members. "I made clear to them that if there were any issues that came up along the way, that I was the guy to call first," he said. Trump team members also met this week with Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, an aide told us. Aides to other commissioners didn't comment.
The FCC Wednesday posted a petition by the Alaska Wireless Network (AWN), and parent General Communication, Inc. (GCI) that asked for revised buildout rules for a single lower 700 MHz A-block license covering the entire state. The Wireless Bureau this week sought comment on the petition (see 1612120049). “As the Commission knows, it is extremely difficult to provide wireless coverage or, indeed, any other form of terrestrial telecommunications service in rural Alaska,” AWN said. “In the case of the Commission's Lower 700 MHz geographic build-out requirements, this challenge is compounded by the vast tracts of unpopulated land that cover most of Alaska. These realities make it virtually impossible for any statewide licensee in Alaska to meet the Commission's construction deadlines, if these rules are rigidly applied.” AWN said while geographical requirements aren’t achievable, it will commit to cover at least 50 percent of the population, representing more than 350,000 Alaskans. “Acquiring the 700 MHz license in June 2016 provided GCI with an important tool to advance its effort to bring wireless service to remote areas of Alaska,” the company said. “This license will allow GCI to reach more Alaskans at lower cost, to expand its current coverage radii around many rural communities, and to improve indoor coverage.”