Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

T-Mobile US said Wednesday it “officially completed” buying Sprint and its CEO transition, with Mike Sievert replacing John Legere ahead of schedule. Analysts expect a relatively smooth transition, much quicker than that which followed Sprint/Nextel 15 years ago. The deal got final federal signoff with the Tunney Act clearance by the U.S. District Court in Washington, hours after the carriers said they finished combining (see 2004010018). DOJ welcomed the decision.

T-Mobile/Sprint opponents rang alarm bells after the carriers laid the foundation to possibly close their deal without California OK (see 2003310017). Sprint advised the California Public Utilities Commission Monday evening it's relinquishing its state certificate. The two carriers moved to withdraw their wireline transfer-of-control application. It could mean the companies close the multibillion-dollar combination as soon as Wednesday, analysts said.

State commissioners should keep watch on telecom to protect consumers during the COVID-19 outbreak, said NARUC President Brandon Presley in a Thursday interview. “Once this crisis is behind us, we’ve got to view broadband service as a national security issue, in the sense of economic security,” he said. “I won’t have much toleration for anybody that comes to tell me that internet is a luxury.”

The FCC Technological Advisory Council heard early reports from working groups at an online meeting Tuesday. TAC Chairman Dennis Roberson warned the COVID-19 crisis might well not be over when the group next meets June 9. The kind of work TAC does is more important than ever, said Roberson, executive chairman of entigenlogicTM. Last year, TAC’s work was slowed by the prolonged federal government shutdown, Roberson said. That was “nothing compared to what we’re dealing with now, of course,” but TAC never got started until June, he said.

The FCC’s March 31 commissioners' meeting will be livestream only (see 2003240030). Items will be voted ahead of time on circulation and commissioner remarks will be shortened, agency officials said in interviews. The meeting’s changed format takes into account the agency’s COVID-19 preventive measures, which include closing headquarters to most visitors and staff being asked to telework.

Replies show little emerging consensus on an NPRM commissioners approved 5-0 at their December meeting (see 1912120063) proposing to remove existing nonfederal secondary and amateur allocations in the 3.3-3.55 GHz band and to relocate incumbent nonfederal operations. Amateur radio operators raised concerns right after the rulemaking was approved (see 2002180056). Replies were posted through Tuesday in docket 19-348.

Negotiations dragged on Monday on a third economic stimulus bill addressing the effects of COVID-19, with congressional lawmakers having yet to reach a bipartisan deal. A second bid for the Senate to invoke cloture on the legislative vehicle for the hoped-for compromise measure (HR-748) failed on a 49-46 vote amid continued Democratic objections to the current contours of a legislative proposal that has GOP buy-in. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was circulating her Take Responsibility for Workers and Families Act counterproposal, which includes pandemic-specific Lifeline and distance learning funding.

The COVID-19 pandemic comes as Ajit Pai enters what is likely to be the homestretch of his time as FCC chairman. Pai has sketched out an ambitious agenda for the rest of 2020, but no one knows how long the pandemic will last. Industry officials agree it will likely slow work on at least some items due to refocusing on coronavirus-related orders. The crisis offers Pai a chance to write a new legacy, they said.

Talks on a third economic stimulus bill addressing the effects of COVID-19 appeared likely to drag on into the weekend, with telecom-related provisions likely still in the negotiations mix. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Friday he considers “inadequate” the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (S-3548) from Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Schumer and other Democrats were pushing strongly for the third COVID-19 bill to address pandemic-related infrastructure, including broadband capacity and distance learning resources (see 2003180066), lobbyists told us.

Four Senate Democrats and House Communications Subcommittee Vice Chair Doris Matsui, D-Calif., pressed the FCC on Lifeline access matters amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Three other Senate Commerce Committee Democrats urged the FCC Thursday to create a “consumer-friendly web portal” to help Americans find Wi-Fi hotspots, telecom companies’ contact information and federal assistance information. “The coronavirus and resulting public safety measures taken by states, municipalities, and vigilant citizens are a resounding demonstration of the importance of Lifeline and other FCC assistance programs," Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and the others said Thursday in a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. “We strongly urge the FCC to commit that no one loses access to Lifeline at this time of crisis.” The commission should “take swift steps to provide information about Lifeline to the public and ensure carriers more aggressively advertise their Lifeline services to all eligible individuals,” the senators said. “Americans must know that help is available.” The other three senators who signed were Communications Subcommittee ranking member Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii; Michael Bennet, D-Colo.; and Ed Markey, D-Mass. Matsui wrote Pai Wednesday to “take immediate steps to provide any Americans that become eligible for Lifeline due to effects of COVID-19 access to the support they need as quickly as possible.” She’s “pleased to see that recertification and reverification activity will be put on hold for the immediate future to prevent unnecessary service interruptions for current Lifeline subscribers. However, these steps will not do anything to assist Americans that become eligible for Lifeline or other qualifying assistance programs due to a loss in work or drop in income.” An FCC spokesperson pointed to Pai's success at getting ISPs to keep everyone online for the next 60 days amid the coronavirus (see 2003130066). Pai has also "exhorted those companies with low-income broadband programs like the Connect2Compete program to expand and improve them (for example, by increasing speeds to 25/3 Mbps and expanding eligibility) and those without to adopt such programs," the FCC spokesperson emailed. "He also called on broadband providers to relax their data cap policies in appropriate circumstances and on those that serve schools and libraries to work with them on remote learning opportunities. In the meantime, Commission staff have been busy at work exploring additional ways to keep students and all Americans connected during the coronavirus pandemic."