Consumer advocates and industry disagreed on whether it's necessary to codify FCC rules to ensure callers may revoke prior express consent through any reasonable means under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, in comments posted Tuesday in docket 02-278. Some carriers warned it could inhibit certain important information being provided to consumers. Commissioners adopted the item in June (see 2306080043).
Cable and direct broadcast satellite (DBS) interests are all out against the FCC's proposed "all-in" video pricing disclosure rules for video service providers, while local franchise authorities and allies are all in, per docket 23-203 comments posted Tuesday. The all-in pricing NPRM was adopted in June (see 2306200042).
Cybersecurity officials and industry experts urged widespread implementation of best practices to improve border gateway protocol (BGP) security, speaking during a hybrid FCC event Monday on securing internet routing (see 2306160050). Many agreed more collaboration between the public and private sector is needed to strengthen BGP security.
Geography and topography could be a big hurdle for states in NTIA's broadband equity, deployment and access (BEAD) program. In draft five-year action plans, many states cited terrain as a chief challenge for getting service to high-cost areas, with several looking at options including satellite broadband and fixed wireless to serve high-cost areas. Numerous states also cited challenges such as labor shortages and affordability, longer supply chain lead times and regulatory hurdles, according to our review of draft plans made public so far.
Allocating the 6 GHz band for unlicensed use can help cut overall energy use relative to using carrier networks, argues a new study by WIK, released by the Wi-Fi Alliance Monday. European nations are considering whether to follow the U.S. lead and allocate the full 6 GHz band for Wi-Fi, and a key decision on the spectrum is expected at the World Radiocommunication Conference, which starts Nov. 20 in Dubai.
Attendance at this week’s Senate AI briefing wasn’t as strong as the first two sessions, but Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s working group remains focused on establishing a regulatory framework for the rapidly evolving technology, members told us Thursday (see 2307260039).
Verizon renewed a request for leeway to migrate many California Tracfone customers despite getting rejected last month by the California Public Utilities Commission’s executive director. Taking a fresh procedural tack, Verizon petitioned Thursday to modify the CPUC’s 2021 Verizon/Tracfone conditional OK to remove a two-year deadline and eliminate penalties (docket A.20-11-001). The carrier pledged to keep serving unmigrated customers “for an indefinite time period that will last at least through 2025.”
The wireless industry would likely welcome a sale of returned and unsold spectrum licenses, especially Dish Network’s surrendered AWS-3 licenses if the agency holds a remnants auction, as proposed by FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel last week, industry experts told us.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., filed cloture Thursday on Democratic FCC nominee Anna Gomez, teeing up likely floor votes leading to her confirmation during the first full week of September. That means movement on Gomez and the resulting shift to a 3-2 Democratic FCC majority will be slower than her supporters wanted but provides a clear timeline for the changeover to take place, officials and observers told us. Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and others filed a cloture petition on Gomez earlier this month in hopes Schumer would hold floor votes on the nominee before Congress left for the month-plus August recess (see 2307200071).
Linear network revenue is down, but Comcast is offsetting that via Peacock subscription and advertising growth, Chief Financial Officer Jason Armstrong said as the company announced its Q2 results Thursday. He said Comcast is reallocating some linear network resources to the streaming service. The ad market is likely to remain soft in the second half of the year, Comcast President Mike Cavanagh said. Advertising revenue for the quarter was $993 million, down 10.7% from the same quarter in 2022, Comcast said.