DENVER -- Colorado will try to end a state restriction on municipal broadband at the next legislative session, Colorado Broadband Office Executive Director Brandy Reitter said at the NATOA conference Tuesday. In panels on the broadband, equity access and deployment (BEAD) program and other federal infrastructure money, FCC and NTIA officials urged local governments to engage in state and federal broadband efforts.
Wireless carriers supported a December waiver request by proponents of cellular-vehicle-to-everything use of the 5.9 GHz band asking to be able to deploy now (see 2112140070). Most initial comments supported approval of that, and other subsequent waiver requests, though NCTA and a few other commenters had reservations (see 207290032). Other commenters raised patent concerns. Replies were due Monday in docket 19-138.
The FTC sued an Idaho data-marketing company Monday for allegedly buying and selling “geolocation data from hundreds of millions of mobile devices” that can be used to track individuals to and from “sensitive locations” like reproductive health clinics.
Canadian mental health advocates and telcos expect that country will act on establishing a three-digit suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline, with 988 being the likely number. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) should issue recommendations within weeks in its open proceeding about the feasibility of a three-digit suicide prevention number, Chairman Ian Scott emailed us. The U.S. 988 system went live nationwide in July (see 2207150036), and a variety of other nations have had similar three- and four-digit mental health hotline systems for years.
On one of the big spectrum inquiries of the summer, most commenters agreed the FCC can do more to address spectrum offshore needs, though there was little consensus on what the agency should do. One big area of disagreement is the role unlicensed should have. Replies were due Friday on a notice of inquiry commissioners approved 4-0 in June (see 2206080055) and most were posted Monday in docket 22-204. In initial comments, carriers urged caution (see 2207280032).
Industry continued to disagree whether the FCC should revisit its cost allocation framework for utility pole replacements or attachments, in reply comments posted Monday in docket 17-84 (see 2206280066). Central to the debate was whether pole owners directly benefit from pole replacements and how much information owners should be required to disclose to requesting attachers.
The FTC’s various rulemaking efforts are designed to put “market participants on notice,” and the commission is committed to activating all legal authorities necessary for enforcement, Chair Lina Khan said in a statement with Commissioners Rebecca Kelly Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya in support of the agency’s five-year strategic plan, issued Friday.
Action on a proposal to revive FCC collection of equal employment opportunity workforce diversity data using Form 395-B isn’t expected soon despite recent calls from public interest and diversity groups for swift action, industry and FCC officials told us. The National Urban League, Common Cause, the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council and others said in recent joint supplementary comments in docket 98-204 that the agency needs to act within six months to produce useful reports by mid-2024, but industry and FCC officials said they don’t anticipate action on the matter while the FCC is without a Democratic majority.
California bills to require wireless eligibility for California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) grants and to fund the 988 mental health line passed the legislature Thursday and will go to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) for signature. As California legislators head into their final week, several communications bills on broadband, social media and free inmate calls await floor votes (see 2208120039).
SpaceX and T-Mobile's partnering on satellite-to-cellular service is the latest competition in what's becoming an increasingly crowded market, said satellite executives and industry watchers. SpaceX and T-Mobile announced plans Thursday for SpaceX coverage, using mid-band T-Mobile PCS spectrum, to provide voice and messaging service in parts of the U.S. and territorial waters not covered by T-Mobile's network. Some see SpaceX/T-Mobile raising regulatory issues.