The Senate Commerce Committee will likely advance an amended version of the draft Spectrum and National Security Act during a Wednesday executive session with unanimous support from the panel’s 14 Democratic members, but lobbyists will watch closely how many Republicans don’t openly object to the measure as a means of determining its viability. The spectrum bill, led by Senate Commerce Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., would restore the FCC’s lapsed auction mandate through Sept. 30, 2029. The measure proposes using future license sales revenue to repay a proposed loan to the commission to fund the affordable connectivity program in FY 2024 and $3.08 billion for the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program (see 2404250061).
Pennsylvania lawmakers should reject a plan deregulating incumbent local exchange carriers, the state’s Consumer Advocate Patrick Cicero said Tuesday. Yet with two 7-4 party-line votes, majority Republicans on the Senate Communications Committee advanced a deregulation bill (SB-85) with an amendment that says the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission lacks VoIP and broadband authority. The Democratic minority -- which controls the governor’s office and has a slim House majority -- raised concerns that the bill would harm consumers.
House Innovation Subcommittee members appeared overwhelmingly supportive of a revised draft version of the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act during a Tuesday hearing, though some expressed reservations about imposing a mandate on automakers. The revised draft and earlier version HR-3413/S-1669 would require DOT to mandate AM radio's inclusion in future electric vehicles. S-1669 lead sponsors earlier that day announced a filibuster-proof Senate majority formally back the measure.
With legacy satcom operators seeing new competition from low earth orbit entrants and rapidly changing technologies, big scale and multi-orbit capabilities are "critical to success," SES CEO Adel Al-Salah said Tuesday in a call with analysts as the company announced its $3.1 billion purchase of Intelsat. Combined, the two will have a $9 billion backlog, a constellation of well more than 100 satellites covering 99% of the globe and revenue focused heavily on growth areas such as maritime and aviation connectivity, he said. The companies said the deal is expected to close in the back half of 2025, pending regulatory approval.
The Biden administration could impede U.S. competitiveness if it codifies new cloud service regulations that force the tech industry to monitor and share data about foreign customers with the government, Amazon, Google, Microsoft and IBM told the Commerce Department in comments due Monday. Telecom associations worried that definitions for cloud service companies might be too broad.
Wi-Fi advocates and 6 GHz incumbents disagreed sharply on an FCC proposal to expand the parts of the 6 GHz band where very-low power (VLP) devices can operate without coordination, beyond the initial 850 MHz commissioners approved last year (see [Ref:2310190054). In one development of note, tech companies saw support for a proposal to create a geofenced variable power (GVP) device class. Replies were posted Monday in docket 18-295.
Alliance for Automotive Innovation President John Bozzella and CTA CEO Gary Shapiro sharply criticize a draft revised version of the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act in written statements ahead of their testimony at a Tuesday Innovation Subcommittee hearing. Conversely, Navajo Nation Washington Office Executive Director Justin Ahasteen and Midway Broadcasting CEO Melody Spann Cooper endorse the updated measure in their written testimony. The revised AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, like earlier version HR-3413/S-1669 (see 2305260034), would mandate that U.S. automakers keep AM radio technology in future domestic-made vehicles. House Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., signaled a change in position on the AM radio requirement by leading the revised draft released earlier this month (see 2404160067). Rodgers and other panel Republicans were previously skeptical about enacting a mandate (see 2306060088). The hearing will begin at 10:30 a.m. in 2322 Rayburn.
HOT SPRINGS, Virginia -- Restoring the FCC’s lapsed spectrum auction authority is a major priority of the Senate Commerce Committee and the House Communications & Technology Subcommittee, Democratic and Republican staffers said Saturday at the FCBA annual retreat here. John Lin, House Communications and Technology Subcommittee Republican senior counsel, said while Republicans would consider discussing continuing the affordable connectivity program, changes to it must come first. Speakers also covered next steps for the cyber trust mark and interagency relations on spectrum conflicts.
FCC commissioners approved fines against the then-four national wireless carriers for allegedly not safeguarding data on customers' real-time locations, in orders released Monday. The vote was 3-2. AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon plan to appeal.
Tuesday marks the last day that eligible households enrolled in the affordable connectivity program will receive full funding, Miriam Montgomery, chief of the FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau’s Consumer Affairs and Outreach Division, noted during a National Association of Telecommunication Officers and Advisors webinar on Monday. The webinar also included an update on the national broadband map.