Other nations are increasingly interested in regulatory alignment or reciprocity with the U.S. on space sustainability-related issues, leadership at Commerce's Office of Space Commerce told an FCBA audience Wednesday. But a murkier issue is who would handle that harmonization, OSC Director Richard DalBello said.

EchoStar's initial move into the postpaid wireless market "was rushed," as the company had spent a lot of focus on its wireless network infrastructure and not as much on its go-to-market strategy, CEO Hamid Akhavan said Wednesday as the company announced results for the quarter ending March 31. He said the prepaid and postpaid wireless businesses will do better in the second half of the year. Raising cash is one of its biggest objectives, given looming debt and lack of sufficient cash on hand, he said. EchoStar shares closed Wednesday at $15.44, down 11%.

A new bid by Senate Communications Subcommittee Chairman Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., and other senators to attach stopgap funding for the FCC’s affordable connectivity program and additional money for the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program to the FAA Reauthorization Act (see 2405070083) faces resistance from chamber leaders. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and other leaders are skeptical about including nongermane language in the FAA package. A previous proposal to attach ACP money drew opposition during a Tuesday night “hotline” that Senate leaders ran to gauge lawmakers’ support for amendments in the package.

Industry representatives raised concerns about potential negative effects for consumers should the FCC adopt an NPRM Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel circulated among fellow commissioners last month that bans bulk billing arrangements between ISPs and multi-dwelling unit (MDU) owners (see 2403050069). "We built our business around" MDUs because "there was a gap in the marketplace" and a "demand to provide an alternative to the incumbent providers," said Pavlov Media President-MDU Bryan Rader.

Space operations need more data sharing and openness about who is operating where, satellite operators and space industry representatives and regulators said Tuesday in an FCBA CLE. Multiple speakers expressed the need for more global, integrated rules as well as added consistency in space situational awareness (SSA) data.

Most comments support an Enterprise Wireless Alliance petition at the FCC seeking modifications to Part 90 rules to eliminate the assignment of frequencies within the band's 809-816/854-861 MHz portion to specific pools of eligible entities (see 2402280033). Public safety groups opposed the change.

Adell Broadcasting will bring legal action against Nexstar and Mission Broadcasting if Mission doesn’t accept the FCC’s conditions for approving Mission’s proposed $75 million buy of Adell’s WADL Mount Clemens, Michigan (see 2404240070), Adell CEO Kevin Adell told us in an interview Tuesday.

Congressional Republicans’ recent renewed interest in ending federal funding for NPR is a major issue in a memo from House Commerce Committee GOP aides and in written testimony from witnesses ahead of a Wednesday Oversight Subcommittee hearing on recent claims of pro-Democratic Party bias at the public broadcasting network (see 2405010081). Several Republican lawmakers filed legislation or are eyeing crafting measures aimed at ending NPR’s federal funding (see 2404190060), including the Defund NPR Act (HR-8083). The Commerce Oversight hearing will begin at 10 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn.

The Universal Service Administrative Co's. (USAC) role in administering the FCC's Universal Service Fund programs "is purely administrative," the FCC told the U.S. Supreme Court in response to Consumers' Research's challenge of how the commission determines quarterly contribution factors (see 2401100044). USAC "must comply with detailed regulations issued by the FCC" and "helps the FCC compute the amount of each quarterly payment" carriers must contribute, the agency said in an opposition brief filed in docket 23-456.

Minnesota won’t craft a law that might put the state's $652 million allocation from NTIA’s broadband equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program in jeopardy, Senate Broadband Committee Chair Aric Putnam (D) pledged shortly after midnight Tuesday. Up late considering a labor budget bill that included an industry-opposed broadband safety proposal, senators voted 35-32 to reject amendments from Sen. Gene Dornink (R) that would have scrapped the worker safety plan.