Ten of the 11 replacement satellites scheduled to be launched in 2022 by Intelsat and SES as part of the C-band clearing could be operational by year's end, the companies' officials told us. Both companies said the pandemic affected some suppliers and their subcontractors, but those suppliers found workarounds and delays haven't been material delays. Intelsat Space Systems Senior Vice President Jean-Luc Froeliger said there were concerns early during the pandemic about contractors being hit by COVID-19, but almost all the components, coming from suppliers around the globe, have been delivered to manufacturers Maxar and Northrop Grumman. He said ultimately the work was delayed maybe a month. The FCC's 2020 C-band clearing order set a Dec. 5, 2023, clearing deadline (see 2003040042).
NAB and board member Byron Allen appeared to be partially at odds Monday on FCC nominee Gigi Sohn, before her Wednesday Senate Commerce Committee confirmation hearing (see 2111230066). NAB wants Sohn to submit an amended ethics agreement with more information on her association with broadcast programming streaming service Locast, but Allen declared his strong support for her confirmation. Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy and a group of five Republican current and former elected officials said Monday they support Sohn, whose nomination has already drawn strong GOP pushback (see 2111170071). Sohn and NTIA administrator nominee Alan Davidson, who’s also to appear before the Senate Commerce panel, highlighted improving U.S. broadband access and affordability, in responses to prehearing questionnaires.
The House Science Committee has been ready to go to conference on science and tech legislation since passing its bills in June, but members are waiting for Democratic leadership to take action on the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (S-1260), House Science Committee ranking member Frank Lucas, R-Okla., told us last week.
State broadband leaders see opportunity for transformational change with at least $100 million coming to each state from the infrastructure law’s Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. States are in planning stages as NTIA prepares to distribute funding, said officials and other experts in interviews after President Joe Biden signed the bill Nov. 15 (see 2111150074).
Senate Commerce Committee Republicans’ questioning of Democratic FCC nominee Gigi Sohn at a planned Wednesday confirmation hearing (see 2111230066) is likely to partially focus on her views on the fairness doctrine in a bid to suggest her joining the commission would increase the chances the agency would seek to bring back the long-rescinded rules, lawmakers and officials told us. Sohn backers question the likely GOP focus on that issue, arguing that while she and others in the past preferred bringing back the rules, such erstwhile supporters see virtually no momentum in its favor under a 3-2 Democratic majority.
Many employers in the communications universe don't see the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's COVID-19 vaccination emergency temporary standard (ETS) released earlier this month having a big impact on their workplace policies, as vaccination requirements are already the norm. The ETS would require workplaces of more than 100 people to mandate either vaccinations for their workers or weekly COVID-19 testing. Some companies pointed to September's executive order (EO) requiring federal contractors mandate vaccinations for their workforces and said they would comply.
The FCC is likely to face minimal implementation obstacles as it transitions from the $3.1 billion emergency broadband benefit program to the $14.2 billion affordable connectivity program, advocacy and industry groups told us (see 2111180067). A central concern is ensuring EBB-enrolled households can switch to the new program with minimal hiccups once eligibility and subsidy amount changes take effect. That could be mitigated with education and outreach efforts, stakeholders said.
Saying they're sensitive to the FAA wanting more analysis about possible 5G impacts to radio altimeter performance and air safety, AT&T and Verizon on Wednesday told the FCC they would adopt a series of temporary voluntary power limits and antenna restrictions on C-band deployments near airports. That commitment ends July 6 "unless credible evidence exists that real-world interference would occur if the mitigations were relaxed," they said in a docket 18-122 letter Wednesday. After an FAA air safety warning about 5G use on the C band, AT&T and Verizon earlier this month agreed to a one-month delay to the first phase of deployment to allow an agency probe of altimeter issues (see 2111040042).
The FCC’s last open meeting of 2021 will include votes on making emergency alert systems messages more accessible, changes to competitive bidding regulations for E-rate, and revisions to spectrum sharing rules for low-orbit satellite systems, Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel blogged. The virtual meeting is Dec. 14 at 10:30 a.m.
The Senate Commerce Committee will vote Dec. 1 on advancing confirmation of FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Democratic FTC nominee Alvaro Bedoya, as expected (see 2111170071), the panel said Tuesday. FTC Commissioner Christine Wilson backed Bedoya's nomination in a statement Tuesday, saying that if confirmed, he would “bring a wealth of privacy expertise to the commission."