Alaska’s U.S. senators sounded the alarm over federal maps that will be used for determining funding under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) broadband equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program. The Republicans’ remarks Tuesday at a livestreamed Alaska Broadband Summit followed state officials raising concerns about holes in the FCC’s broadband serviceable location fabric to be used in upcoming maps (see 2208080056). State, local, tribal and federal officials stressed the need for engagement and collaboration to ensure funding goes where it’s needed.
Opinions varied among the comments received in the FCC’s June 22 NPRM on ATSC 3.0, five years into its voluntary deployment (see 2207060019), about whether the technology scored a hit with consumers. There appeared to be consensus in the comments posted Tuesday in docket 16-142 about keeping in place for now the requirement that TV broadcasters transmit their primary 3.0 video streams in compliance with ATSC's A/322 physical layer protocol standard. The A/322 requirement is due to expire March 6 unless the FCC reinstates it.
Broadcasters want the FCC to allow the ATSC 3.0 substantially similar requirement to sunset and remove other limits on 3.0 broadcasts, but MVPD groups and Public Knowledge say those restrictions must remain to avoid pressure on consumers, according to comments posted Tuesday in docket 16-142.
MPEG LA and InterDigital urged the FCC not to get involved in regulating patent licensing for ATSC 3.0 amid evidence that the free market was working well and showing no signs of license irregularities or abuses, in comments posted Monday in docket 16-142. The comments were due Monday in the FCC’s NPRM on all aspects of the ATSC 3.0 deployment, including whether 3.0-essential patents are being licensed on reasonable and nondiscriminatory (RAND) terms (see 2207060019).
Alaska found holes in the broadband serviceable location fabric the FCC is using for upcoming maps for determining Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funding, Alaska officials told us. Also, some states initially had problems accessing the fabric created by the FCC’s contractor CostQuest. GCI Communications initially raised the potential for gaps, telling the FCC the "potential consequences for Alaska are serious.”
The 2.5 GHz auction is limping along and seems unlikely to hit the $3.4 billion New Street had projected, and could struggle to hit $1 billion. The auction was at almost $160 million after 13 rounds Monday, with numbers growing at a glacial pace. The auction is expected to be the last of mid-band spectrum for 5G for several years.
The House Judiciary Committee is moving forward with plans to mark up the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, a source familiar with discussions told us Friday. That could mean potential movement in both chambers as the Senate Judiciary Committee eyes the first week of September for marking up S-673, after holding the bill last week (see 2208020063).
With more than 13 million households now enrolled in the FCC’s affordable connectivity program, commissioners approved an order Friday establishing an outreach grant program to further boost participation (see 2207150063). Commissioners at the monthly meeting also adopted an order establishing a one-year pilot program to increase ACP enrollment among households receiving federal housing assistance and a notice of inquiry seeking comment on space innovation and operations.
With many commenters opposing receiver rules from the FCC, and supporting voluntary, industry-led standards (see 2207280050), the agency hasn’t necessarily reached a dead end on the issue, industry experts said. One potential next step would be a policy statement saying the FCC has the authority and intends to specify expectations about receiver vulnerability on a proceeding-by-proceeding basis. Commissioner Brendan Carr said Friday all options remain on the table.
The U.S. would be in a “better place” if social media companies took “more responsibility” for misuse of their platforms, FBI Director Christopher Wray told the Senate Judiciary Committee during an oversight hearing Thursday. Wray told members the bureau is doing what it can to monitor social media to combat domestic terrorism and other criminal activity.