The FCC likely gained some useful insights through its notice of inquiry on offshore spectrum, but industry officials said they don’t expect a quick turnaround from the FCC on rulemakings or further steps in the proceeding. The FCC logged 22 initial comments (see 2207280032) and 12 replies, posted last week in docket 22-204 (see 2208290038). Most agreed there are steps the agency can take, but there was little consensus on what to do next.
DENVER -- Give states enough time with maps to plan broadband spending under the federal infrastructure act, said Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser (D) at the NATOA conference Wednesday. Weiser also supported removing barriers to muni broadband and accessing the right of way.
The House Commerce Committee’s bipartisan privacy legislation isn’t strong enough to replace privacy laws like those in California, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a statement Thursday. Some 50 public interest groups demanded she hold a vote on the American Data Privacy and Protection Act (see 2208250040).
With the comment cycle complete, proponents of a December waiver request seeking permission to start using the 5.9 GHz band for cellular-vehicle-to-everything technology expect a relatively quick order from the FCC. Other requests have followed. But industry observers also note that FCC staff still must wade through all the comments, and the timing of agency decisions on such issues can be difficult to handicap.
DENVER -- Over-the-top streaming is a rising concern for local governments, said NATOA General Counsel Nancy Werner in an interview at the association’s annual conference. Local governments could be losing cable franchise revenue as customers cut the cord for the OTT services that don’t pay local fees, said a panel Wednesday.
NTIA awarded Louisiana nearly $3 million in funding through the broadband, equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program and Digital Equity Act, said Special Representative for Broadband Andy Berke Wednesday during the state’s inaugural broadband summit (see 2207130047).
The California State Senate passed potential social media regulations Monday that sponsors say will help protect children and combat hate speech. Tech groups and open-internet advocates said the regulations are heavy-handed, unconstitutional and will harm innovation.
FCC nominee Gigi Sohn's supporters are countering a recent Coalition of Large Tribes (COLT) letter to Senate Commerce Committee leaders opposing her confirmation, questioning the truth behind the group’s claims about her past interactions with the leaders of some member tribes and calling them character assassination. Telecom policy stakeholders see COLT’s letter as targeted at maintaining pressure on Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and Mark Kelly of Arizona, Democrats who have remained publicly undecided on the nominee for months (see 2205050050).
The FCC Consumer Advisory Committee approved a report on robotexts Tuesday, during what is scheduled to be the last meeting of the group's current iteration. The vote was unanimous with only AARP abstaining. AARP didn’t comment on why it abstained. The committee turned down an Incompas amendment on the difficulty some public interest groups are reporting gaining access to 10-digit long codes (10DLCs) (see 2208160054). CAC meetings have been virtual since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The FCC should be on the lookout for alternative sources of market data aside from Nielsen, said NAB in comments posted Tuesday in docket 22-239. Though the proceeding narrowly concerns changing references in FCC rules from the now-defunct Station Index Directory to the company’s Local TV Report, NAB and Nielsen filings also responded to questions about the FCC’s dependence on Nielsen raised by Commissioner Nathan Simington in July (see 2207140055). Both MVPD and broadcast commenters agreed with FCC proposals to update references in the rules to Nielsen’s Local TV Report.