The window for applying to be designated as a cybersecurity labeling administrator (CLA) or lead administrator under the new voluntary cyber-trust mark program will open Wednesday and close Oct. 1, the FCC Public Safety Bureau said Tuesday. The notice provides guidance on the application format, filing fees, selection criteria, the sharing of expenses, lead administrator neutrality and confidentiality and security requirements. The bureau declined imposing “selection criteria” beyond those in an order that commissioners approved 5-0 in March (see 2403140034). As discussed in the order, “authorizing one or more CLAs subject to Commission oversight to handle the routine administration of the program will help to ensure its timely and consistent rollout, and independent third-party CLAs will bring trust, consistency, and an impartial level playing field to the IoT Labeling Program and will provide the required expertise for the administration of the program,” the notice said. Applications will be treated as “presumptively confidential” and the FCC won't assess application fees “at this time,” the bureau said. CLAs will share the cost of a lead administrator, but the bureau declined to lay out how that would work. The commission will “rely on CLAs and the Lead Administrator to determine the sharing methodology, which should be reasonable and equitable and will be subject to ongoing oversight by the Commission,” the notice said. Each applicant must submit an “attestation that it already has created and implemented -- or upon selection will create and implement -- a cybersecurity risk management plan,” the bureau said: Each applicant must show it will comply with agency requirements, as well as demonstrate its “cybersecurity expertise and capabilities, knowledge of [the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s] cybersecurity guidance, and knowledge of federal law and guidance governing the security and privacy of information systems.” The program should be “narrowly tailored to cybersecurity so as not to dilute its effectiveness, confuse consumers, and deter manufacturer participation,” CTA and other groups said in a letter to the FCC. The letter warned against imposing a requirement on disclosures about IoT products and privacy. It was posted Tuesday in docket 23-239. “Expanding required disclosures from cybersecurity risks to privacy topics would dilute the effectiveness of the Mark, risk consumer confusion, and undermine the careful balance that the Commission has struck to provide simple and tailored educational cybersecurity information to consumers,” the filing said. Other groups signing the letter were CTIA, the Information Technology Industry Council and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association. The groups said the regulator should “treat as confidential” both cybersecurity label administrator and manufacturer applications to join the program.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel noted work the agency has done in recent months that addresses broadband for students following the loss of the emergency connectivity fund and affordable connectivity program in a Monday speech. Speaking to the Consortium of State School Boards Association, Rosenworcel mentioned a July FCC order that lets schools and libraries use E-rate support for off-premises Wi-Fi and an order from 2023 allowing use of E-rate to support school bus Wi-Fi, both of which have been challenged in court (see 2408300027). She also discussed a three-year, $200 million cybersecurity pilot program for schools and libraries that commissioners approved in June (see 2406060043). Republican commissioners dissented on all three items. “Every child needs internet access at home to really thrive,” Rosenworcel said: “This was not true when I was growing up. I didn’t need the internet for homework. All I needed was paper, a pencil, and my brother leaving me alone.” Rosenworcel warned that the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' recent 9-7 en banc decision that found the USF contribution factor is a "misbegotten tax” that could undermine FCC education efforts (see 2408140055). The 5th Circuit decision “is misguided and wrong,” she said. “It reflects a lack of understanding of the statutory scheme that helped create the world’s best and most far-reaching communications network” and “that is why we are asking the Supreme Court to overturn” the decision.

Spectrum policy will continue receiving significant attention headed into and following the November election, New Street’s Blair Levin said in a Friday note to investors. “Almost no new spectrum has been repurposed for commercial uses in the last four years,” Levin noted: “If the status quo lingers, that is positive for fixed wireline broadband, particularly cable. If new spectrum becomes available that can be utilized for fixed wireless, that is positive for the wireless companies.” Levin said there is a growing divide on Capitol Hill, with Republicans favoring a policy that will lead to more licensed spectrum and Democrats seeking more sharing. “The Republican aspirations will run into the roadblock related to the Department of Defense not wanting to lose control of spectrum it currently uses.” Democratic aspirations “will run into the roadblock of the technical challenges of figuring out how to avoid interference in a way that all stakeholders can live with.” If former President Donald Trump retakes the White House, the national spectrum strategy will likely survive, he said. Republican criticism “was that the strategy was ‘too little, too late,’ but did not focus on the direction or specifics.” The process, he warned, “could be significantly delayed if [a] Trump Administration replaces all the spectrum experts at NTIA with Trump loyalists.”

The FCC on Friday released the latest version of its broadband competition notice of inquiry. Comments are due Oct. 7, replies Nov. 6, in docket 24-214. “We initiate our latest statutorily mandated annual review, soliciting comment and data to inform our [Telecom Act] section 706 analysis,” the NOI says: “In the next section 706 report, we propose to maintain the standards and goals adopted by the 2024 Report and seek comment here on potential additional metrics as well as potential data sources by which to measure them.” The FCC seeks “objective data and other evidence, as well as methodologies and analytical frameworks, to assist us in evaluating the universal service goals for broadband.” Commissioner Brendan Carr approved in part and concurred in part on the NOI. In a statement, Carr said he was able to partially support the inquiry after several lines of questions were added at his request. “The NOI now seeks comment on whether the FCC should report how many unserved locations are subject to enforceable federal commitments to deploy broadband infrastructure,” he said, noting that much of this data “is available” only “on a piecemeal basis today.” The NOI also now “tees up the concept of measuring progress by comparing results from the FCC’s Broadband Data Collection,” Carr said. Additional added questions should provoke “a more sophisticated discussion of high-speed satellite broadband services, such as those broadband services offered by constellations in low-Earth orbit.” Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel attached a brief comment to the NOI. “We need to know not just where and how broadband is being deployed across the country but also how accessible, affordable, and available it is nationwide,” she said.

The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials and National Emergency Number Association want Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, GOP nominee ex-President Donald Trump and their running mates to make support for funding next-generation 911 tech upgrades “a central tenet” of their campaign platforms. Talks between lawmakers aimed at reaching a deal on a spectrum legislative package that would fund NG-911 and other telecom projects remain stalled (see 2408150039). “Enactment of NG9-1-1 funding legislation will provide the more than 100,000 9-1-1 professionals across the country with improved situational awareness, resulting in a faster and more efficient response for the members of the public they protect,” NENA CEO Brian Fontes and APCO CEO Mel Maier said in letters to Harris, Trump, GOP vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance of Ohio and Harris' running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D). “NG9-1-1 will begin saving lives the moment it is implemented. Achieving NG9-1-1 is also a national security imperative, as it will lead to enhanced response to natural and man-made disasters, protection against cyberattacks including state-sponsored attacks, and support for homeland defense efforts in the event of a national emergency.”

Verizon isn’t stressing about the November election, Sowmyanarayan Sampath, executive vice president and CEO of Verizon Consumer Group, said Wednesday at a Bank of America financial conference. Verizon has “a very strong track record of working with both the Democrats and the Republicans,” he said: “We know how to work with them to get better outcomes and connectivity for everyone.” Priorities for Verizon include a program like the expired affordable connectivity program and support for rural broadband, he said. Verizon is also focused on Communications Act Title II “reforms” and tax policy. The company had 1.1 million ACP customers, and 65% are now paying customers, Sampath said. He projected further growth in Verizon’s fixed wireless access offering, and expects the program to hit 4 million this quarter. “Very soon, we have to come back and explain how we grow the next tranche,” he said: “We have a lot more capacity. As they say, they build the church for Easter.” Sampath said the wireless industry will continue to add customers, partly as a result of “strong immigration,” which adds several million potential subscribers each year. Verizon is pleased with its prepaid position. “With our Tracfone acquisition, plus some of our brands that we put into the mix that were legacy Verizon, we have what is, I think, the best prepaid business in the market today.” He projected the carrier will have net positive prepaid adds this quarter, excluding any SafeLink ACP losses, after losing customers in recent quarters. Sampath declined to comment, in general, on media reports that Verizon is considering acquiring Frontier. “We like to own our own fiber assets for the most part,” he noted. New Street said Wednesday it views the reports as “credible.”

Communications Workers of America announced Tuesday it would withdraw from the mediation process between AT&T and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service as it entered its third week of strikes (see 2408220053). More than 17,000 workers across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee are striking545. CWA said that as a result of the strike, AT&T is using "undertrained managers and contractors," resulting in "widespread outages" and long wait times for repairs or service. CWA District 3 Vice President Richard Honeycutt said in a statement that the group appreciated the mediator's efforts, but AT&T was "using the mediation process as another delaying tactic" to "stall negotiations." An AT&T spokesperson also thanked the mediator and told us CWA's decision was "unexpected, since withdrawing from mediation seems inconsistent with the union’s allegation of unfair labor practices." The decision "also goes against their stated intention to bargain toward a mutually agreeable resolution," the spokesperson said: "Regardless of whether a neutral third-party is present, progress will not be made without a willingness to compromise." AT&T is "focused on reaching a fair and competitive agreement that benefits our hard-working employees as quickly as possible, and this won’t change. In the meantime, we will remain prepared for all contingencies to ensure our customers receive the excellent service they deserve," the spokesperson added.

The FCC Wireless Bureau on Friday agreed to delay by three weeks the comment deadlines on a Further NPRM on the broadband data collection process as sought by CTIA, USTelecom and the Competitive Carriers Association (see 2408260010). With the delay, comments are now due Oct. 7, replies Nov. 5 in docket 19-195. “Given the importance of receiving both timely and accurate BDC data submissions as well as robust input on the questions raised in the Fourth Further Notice, we find there is good cause to grant Joint Petitioners’ request,” the bureau said.

FCC commissioners released an order Thursday approving initial rules allowing drone use of the 5030-5091 MHz band (see 2303100028). Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel circulated the order in April for a commissioner vote (see 2404080065). The order permits operators of uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) to obtain direct frequency assignments in a portion of the band for non-networked operations. The band is one of five targeted for further study in the national spectrum strategy (see 2403120056). The rules “rely on dynamic frequency management systems to manage and coordinate access to the spectrum and enable its safe and efficient use,” an FCC news release said: These systems “provide requesting operators with temporary frequency assignments to support UAS control link communications with a level of reliability suitable for operations in controlled airspace and other safety-critical circumstances.” Currently, operators “largely rely on unlicensed airwaves to communicate with and control” drones, Rosenworcel said in statement. “But the use of unlicensed spectrum leaves these aircraft more vulnerable to interference that could disrupt operations,” she said: The order, for the first time, allows UAS operators “to access dedicated spectrum for control operations in circumstances where safety is essential.” The FCC’s job isn’t finished, said Commissioner Geoffrey Starks. “We still need to address a number of remaining issues, including spectrum for networked UAS operations in the 5030-5091 MHz band to fully realize the promise and public interest benefits of UAS,” he said. The order was approved 5-0. None of the other commissioners released statements. “A revolution in aviation” is starting “and sufficient spectrum availability for UAS will be crucial to unleashing the vast transformational power of Advanced Air Mobility,” emailed AURA Network Systems CEO Bill Tolpegin. “Equally critical is that the spectrum used to support uncrewed flights is not only licensed and fully dedicated for aviation but also managed to guarantee coverage along flight routes.”

Telecom and broadband regulatory lawyer Kristopher Twomey was suspended from practicing in the District of Columbia for two years, the D.C. Court of Appeals ordered Thursday. Accepting the recommendation of its Board of Professional Responsibility, the court said Twomey gave two clients false assurances about the status of their eligible telecommunication carrier applications. In addition, Twomey, the board said, created a false docket number for a California application so he could cover up that he had not filed it in a timely manner. That caused another lawyer working on the application to repeat a false statement to the FCC, it said. The board said Twomey also told a client to repeat false claims to the FCC that the Tennessee authority had declined jurisdiction by returning an application. In fact, Twomey never filed it, according to the board. Twomey, the board noted, should have kept his clients better informed about significant deadlines that might not be met. It said he received an interim suspension on July 17. Deciding were Judges Corinne Beckwith, Roy McLeese and Vanessa Ruiz. Twomey -- seemingly the sole practitioner of his California firm, with no other lawyers listed on its website -- didn't comment.