Industry groups sought clarification of a draft FCC order and Further NPRM that would address concerns about numbering resources for VoIP providers and general oversight of numbering access. Commissioners will consider the item during their open meeting Thursday (see 2308310059). The Voice on the Net Coalition urged the FCC to make targeted edits on certification requirements and compliance with state regulations.
Country of origin cases
The FCC can’t take the same approach on robotexts as it does on robocalls, said Wilkinson Barker’s Matt Gerst, representing CTIA, during an FCBA webinar Wednesday. Other industry speakers said the FCC’s attack on robocalls since 2017 appears to be paying dividends, though work remains.
The FCC seems likely to adopt the 5G Fund Further NPRM largely as proposed by FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel (see 2308300062), industry officials said. Only the Rural Wireless Association raised questions at the FCC or asked for changes tied to preserving some legacy support (see 2309120044).
A Pennsylvania Senate panel unanimously supported a kids’ social media bill while removing the original proposal’s private right of action. At a livestreamed hearing Tuesday, the Communications Committee voted by voice on a bipartisan basis for SB-22, which would amend the state’s mental health statute to add rules for minors on social platforms, with penalties for violations. It would require parental consent for anyone under 16 to open a social media account and prohibit data mining for any user under 18. Legislators crafted an amendment after months of negotiations with tech companies, said Vice Chair Kristin Phillips-Hill (R), the bill’s co-sponsor. It replaces a private right of action with exclusive enforcement by the state attorney general, revises the definition of a social media platform, elaborates on social media companies duties for age verification and tweaks the bill’s data mining section, she said. The bill doesn’t apply to e-commerce companies, said the vice chair, responding to a question by Sen. Frank Farry (R). “The data shows that far too many minors are struggling with mental health and that social media is a contributing factor,” said Phillips-Hill. The Computer and Communications Industry Association opposed the bill before the amendment, including because of the private right of action. CCIA declined to say Tuesday if the amendment addressed its concerns.
Senate Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee member Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., raised doubts during a Tuesday hearing on the FCC’s FY 2024 funding request (see 2309190001) about how much commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel prioritizes a push for fully funding the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program. Rosenworcel and others repeatedly prodded lawmakers this year to allocate an additional $3.08 billion to fully satisfy reimbursement costs for carriers beyond the initial $1.9 billion Congress originally allocated the program. Rosenworcel cited the commission’s statutory obligation to begin prorating those payments absent appropriations (see 2305040085). Still, the matter “must not be your highest priority” because “it’s not in your budget request,” Manchin told Rosenworcel Tuesday. Rosenworcel cited her past communications with lawmakers about rip and replace funding. “We have made it a priority and we’re working with the carriers that have it in their networks right now to identify a way forward” amid the shortfall, she said. Senate Appropriations Financial Services Chairman Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., noted Congress allocated the program’s $1.9 billion in the FY 2021 appropriations and COVID-19 aid omnibus package as a “one-time expenditure” (see 2012210055). Lawmakers also hope to include language in a spectrum legislative package from the House Commerce Committee-approved Spectrum Auction Reauthorization Act (HR-3565) that would give the FCC the rip and replace money up front and use some future auction revenue to cover the loan (see 2305240069), Van Hollen said.
Telecom-focused congressional leaders are voicing interest in including a temporary restoration of the FCC’s auction authority in a continuing resolution to extend federal appropriations past the end of FY 2023 Sept. 30. Lobbyists and observers told us they remain doubtful about Capitol Hill’s appetite for such a move due to the factors that hindered talks on a broader spectrum legislative package (see 2308070001). Senate Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee members sounded alarms about the remit’s lapse during a Tuesday hearing on the FCC’s FY 2024 funding request. House Communications Subcommittee member Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, also raised concerns during a Punchbowl News event the same day.
California legislators voted to require wireless eligibility for state broadband funds on the last day of their session Thursday. Wireless is a “reliable substitute … when it’s impossible to use fiber,” said Assembly Communications Committee Vice Chair Jim Patterson (R) in an interview Friday. The Utility Reform Network (TURN) prefers fiber and remains opposed.
Expect the rapid growth in space launches to continue in coming years, driven by NASA and national security demands as well as by “almost unquenchable demand” for data via satellite connectivity, Peter Knickerbocker, Bank of America space practice manager, said Wednesday at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce aerospace conference in Washington. He said as many as 40,000 satellites could be in orbit by 2030. Knickerbocker also said venture capital investing in space dropped 50% in 2022, and investors' confidence will rebound when they see investment success stories.
Industry and consumer advocacy groups continued to disagree on whether the FCC should extend certain robocall rules to all voice service providers in reply comments posted Monday in docket 17-97 (see 2305180036). Many debated the use of rich call data and the standard that should be set regarding the use of a do-not-originate (DNO) list.
Industry continued to raise concerns on an FCC proposal on rules to speed a move to next-generation 911 and to call for flexibility, while public safety groups generally supported the agency’s proposed approach, per reply comments posted Monday in docket 21-479. The replies were consistent with initial comments last month (see 2308100025).