President Donald Trump plans to nominate Jessica Rosenworcel to again be an FCC member, as expected (see our May 26 report), the White House said just before midnight last night. It noted that she was a commissioner from 2012 until January.
Federal judges struck down FCC intrastate rate caps on inmate calling services and several other provisions of a 2015 ICS order. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit Tuesday also vacated the commission's use of industry-averaged cost data and the imposition of video visitation reporting requirements in Global Tel*Link v. FCC, No. 15-1461. It said FCC exclusion of site commission payments from its cost calculus couldn't stand as currently constituted, and vacated and remanded that decision for further proceedings, but it denied challenges to site commission reporting requirements.
Judges Friday morning rejected incumbent Neustar's challenge to FCC decisions choosing Telcordia (iconectiv) as the next local number portability administrator.
House Commerce aide David Redl was picked to be this administration's nominee to head the NTIA, the White House said Tuesday evening. The plan to nominate him was expected, as we previously reported.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear en banc an FTC appeal of a panel ruling that threw out the commission's case against AT&T Mobility alleging it inadequately informed customers of its data-throttling program (see 1608290032).
A federal court denied appeals of a 2016 panel ruling that upheld the FCC's net neutrality and broadband reclassification order under Title II of the Communications Act. The petitions for rehearing en banc of the June three-judge ruling were rejected by a majority of the active judges of the U.S Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in an order Monday in USTelecom v. FCC, No. 15-1063.
The FCC issued a draft rulemaking notice that proposes to reverse broadband Title II reclassification under the Communications Act and eliminate an internet conduct standard, as expected. It's also seeking comment on how to address open internet rules. Chairman Ajit Pai, who previewed the item in a speech Wednesday, put the draft NPRM on the tentative agenda Thursday for commissioners' May 18 meeting.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a speech at the Newseum Wednesday he is circulating to the two other commissioners a rulemaking notice that would reverse the 2015 reregulation of broadband as a Communications Act Title II service, as expected. Pai said he will release the full text of the draft NPRM Thursday afternoon for a vote at the May 18 commissioners’ meeting. The FCC later posted on its website two fact sheets (here and here) and a copy of Pai's Newseum speech, which we attended.
Among incentive auction results drawing analyst interest shortly after the FCC identified winning bidders were Dish Network winning 486 licenses for $6.2 billion through ParkerB.com Wireless and Comcast getting 73 blocks and $1.7 billion in licenses through CC Wireless. Our earlier bulletin incorrectly listed the winning totals for those two companies.
A total of 50 wireless carriers bid $19.8 billion in the TV incentive auction, the FCC said Thursday. The FCC said 175 broadcasters elected to participate in the auction -- of those, 30 stations will get money for agreeing to move to a lower channel and 133 others will give up their licenses. The FCC also announced new channel assignments, and effective dates, for 957 nonwinning stations that must change channels as a result of the auction, with the first phase of stations set to relocate by Nov. 30, 2018. The largest payout for a single TV station was $304 million.