Action on the FCC’s Further NPRM on the 6 GHz band likely has been pushed until later this year, industry and agency officials said, mainly because the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit is considering a challenge to the April 2020 rules, filed by AT&T, APCO, electric utilities and other plaintiffs. The Office of Engineering and Technology is also still working through technical questions, officials said.
Country of origin cases
The FCC needs to refresh the record on spectrum allocated for space launch operations, rather than go ahead with the draft order on its April agenda (see 2103310050), United Launch Alliance (ULA) representatives told aides to Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, per a docket 13-115 ex parte post Thursday. It said the agency shouldn't create a secondary allocation in the 2200-2290 MHz band without evidence the industry would be better served by that than the status quo. It said there should be discussion of a means for "deconfliction" of vying for spectrum among the various nonexclusive licensees. In calls with the regular commissioners' staffs this week, Blue Origin, Launcher, Planet, Relativity Space, Sierra Nevada, SpaceX, Virgin Galactic and Virgin Orbit, said the April item is "a positive first step," but the agency needs to maintain access to other bands through the special temporary authority licensing process. They suggested an edit to the draft order to make clear it doesn't change the existing STA process or the odds of approvals for band use requests outside the covered allocation.
Expect a committee markup on the Endless Frontier Act in the coming weeks, Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., told reporters Tuesday. He said he’s negotiating with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., lead sponsor of S-3832, after receiving text from the White House. The bill is meant to increase domestic semiconductor manufacturing and strengthen U.S. competitiveness with China. Schumer said he wants a vote this month, with the bill wrapped into an infrastructure package.
Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, led a bipartisan letter with 70 other lawmakers Tuesday urging President Joe Biden to “prioritize securing funding” in his FY 2022 budget request “to implement” the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (Chips) for America Act, which was enacted as part of the FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (see 2101030002). The Chips language authorizes federal incentives to promote semiconductor manufacturing and public-sector investments in semiconductor R&D (see 2012170061). “We would specifically request you consider joining us in support of funding levels that are at least the authorized amounts proposed in the original bill as you work with Congress on a package of policies to better compete with China and how best to strengthen our country’s economic competitiveness and resiliency as well as national security,” the senators and House members said. The original measure proposed $10 billion to match state and local incentives to encourage semiconductor manufacturing and $3 billion for a Commerce Department grant program. Others senators signing the letter included Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.; Homeland Security Committee Chairman Gary Peters, D-Mich.; and Commerce Committee ranking member Roger Wicker, R-Miss.
Intel “generally” opposes U.S. imposition of “unilateral export controls” on foreign tech companies suspected of threatening U.S. national security, said Tom Quillin, senior director-security and trust policy, at a virtual forum convened Thursday by the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security to identify risks in the semiconductor supply chain. BIS said it will use feedback from the forum, plus comments received in its notice of inquiry, to help shape recommendations to the White House on President Joe Biden’s Feb. 24 executive order to relieve supply chain bottlenecks (see 2103110054). BIS export restrictions “place undue hardship on U.S. semiconductor companies, especially when similar items are available in foreign markets,” said Quillin. “The foreign availability of products and technology typically leads to the substitution of U.S-origin products and technology for comparable non-U.S.-origin items that are not similarly controlled.” He avoided mention of Huawei and other Chinese companies on the BIS Entity List.
Irell & Manella rehires ex-Patent and Trademark Office Director Andrei Iancu, rejoining as partner, working on intellectual property litigation and legal advising ... The Center for a New American Security promotes Paul Scharre to vice president-director of studies … OneWeb appoints Per Borgklint, ex-Ericsson, as chief commercial officer … IHeartMedia promotes Charlie Thomas to area president-Mid-North area, which includes Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and Rochester, Minnesota, markets ... In ViacomCBS Networks International buying Chilevision from AT&T’s WarnerMedia (see 2104050031), Chilevision comes under President-ViacomCBS International Studios and Networks Americas JC Acosta.
FCC action on Verizon’s proposed $7 billion buy of Tracfone likely isn’t imminent, industry and agency officials said. The FCC recently created a new docket on the deal, 21-112, following a recommendation by Public Knowledge, but that could mean further delays rather than a faster approval, officials said. The California Public Utilities Commission is also reviewing the transaction, and its work could push a decision into the fall. The deal was announced in September (see 2009140010).
Providers would have to implement texting to the 988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, space launches would get new spectrum, 911 outage reporting rules would be harmonized, and the 800 MHz rebanding would end, if all items on the agenda for the FCC commissioners' April 22 meeting are approved. Also on tap are an NPRM to revise technical rules for wireless microphones, an order to require disclosures for foreign-sponsored broadcast content, a public notice to cap applications at 10 for the upcoming noncommercial educational FM window, and an unspecified enforcement matter.
Huawei disputed the need for the FCC to clamp down on equipment certifications, as proposed by Commissioner Brendan Carr Tuesday (see 2103300071). “Extending the FCC’s evaluation and approval process to prohibit equipment that is already accredited by the FCC is misguided and costly to American companies,” emailed a Huawei spokesperson later Tuesday: “Blocking the purchase of such equipment, based on a ‘predictive judgment,’ related to country of origin is without merit, discriminatory and will do nothing to protect the integrity of U.S. communications networks or supply chains.”
FuboTV will carry Chicago Cubs games, it said Wednesday, signing an agreement with Marquee Sports Network. Fans can stream Cubs games, pregame and postgame shows, exclusive content and original programming on Android and iOS smartphone and tablets; Amazon Fire TV; Android TV and smart TVs; Apple TV and the Apple TV app; Chromecast; Hisense and Samsung smart TVs; the Roku platform; and Xbox consoles.