Senate Commerce Committee Democratic and Republican leaders divided along party lines during a Tuesday Communications Subcommittee hearing on their preferences for extending the FCC’s spectrum auction authority, the dominant focus during the panel, as expected (see 2208010030). Communications Chairman Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., strongly backed a longer-term renewal than the House proposes in its Spectrum Innovation Act (HR-7624). Commerce ranking member Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Communications ranking member John Thune, R-S.D., back HR-7624’s proposed 18-month renewal.
Bipartisan legislation that would ban Big Tech platforms from self-preferencing products won’t get to the Senate floor, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told us last week. Other Republicans voiced frustration in interviews over comments from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who reportedly told fundraiser attendees last week that the American Innovation and Choice Online Act (S-2992) doesn’t have the 10 Republican votes needed to clear the 60-vote threshold.
The internet industry raised alarms with a California social media bill as state Senate appropriators teed up the bipartisan measure for possible vote next Thursday, at a livestreamed hearing Monday. The Appropriations Committee could also soon vote whether to advance to the floor three other website regulation measures focused on children, plus a bill to implement the national 988 suicide prevention hotline and a proposal to require standards for emergency alerts.
An anticipated FCC order on ATSC 3.0 multicasting is taking longer than expected and may be slowing aspects of the transition to the new standard, broadcast industry officials told us. The Media Bureau has continued to grant requests for special temporary authority as a workaround, but some say that’s not enough. “We have markets backed up where we aren’t going to be able to launch until we have this flexibility,” said John Hane, CEO of 3.0 consortium BitPath.
Senate Commerce Committee leaders remain intent on pursuing their own spectrum legislative package before a Tuesday Communications Subcommittee hearing, despite House Commerce Committee heads’ call for their colleagues to just concur with the chamber-passed (see 2207280052) Spectrum Innovation Act (HR-7624) given the Sept. 30 expiration of the FCC’s auction authority. That deadline is expected to be a focus during the hearing, with the subpanel likely to get divided opinions from witnesses on the wisdom of HR-7624’s proposal for an 18-month auction authority renewal that would last through March 31, 2024. The hearing is to begin at 2:30 p.m. in 253 Russell.
“It's no longer a question of whether global consumers will come back to the cinema for blockbuster movies," said Imax CEO Richard Gelfond on a Q2 earnings call Thursday. “They are back,” he said. Imax's domestic box office in June surpassed pre-COVID-19 pandemic June 2019, he said. Q2 was on par with Q2 that year, he said.
Industry officials welcomed FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel’s announcement that the commission is considering a notice of inquiry proposing to update the national broadband standard from 25/3 Mbps to 100/20 Mbps (see 2207150065). Some said the proposed increase may show an even greater number of unserved or underserved households throughout the country.
Qualcomm, the Alliance for Innovation, the main automaker trade group, ITS America and most commenters urged the FCC to approve a December waiver request by proponents of cellular-vehicle-to-everything use of the 5.9 GHz band asking to be able to deploy as fast as possible (see 2112140070). NCTA sounded a note of caution, as did the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA).
Charter Communications, like Comcast (see 2207280035), saw its broadband growth slow to a halt between Q1 and Q2. Charter ended Q2 with 28.26 million residential broadband subscribers -- up 54,000 year over year but roughly flat from the previous quarter. The sputtering growth had some analysts bearish. The two companies' broadband news "had a decidedly 'end of an era' feel," MoffettNathanson's Craig Moffett wrote investors.
The FCC’s final scheduled 5G auction, of 2.5 GHz spectrum, opened Friday at $103.5 million after one round of bidding. Two more rounds are scheduled for Monday. Industry analysts tell us T-Mobile looks likely to dominate, filling in gaps in its 2.5 GHz holdings, with some smaller carriers likely to jump in if they see the opportunity for a bargain. Verizon, AT&T and Dish Network qualified to bid but appear unlikely to make much of a play, analysts said. T-Mobile already has 159 MHz of 2.5 GHz spectrum nationwide.