Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross confirmed Thursday that AT&T was selected as head of a team to build the national communications network for first responders (see here and here), during an event this morning (see here). AT&T will spend $40 billion to build and operate the network, creating 10,000 U.S. jobs, said CEO Randall Stephenson. The deal is for 25 years. Motorola Solutions confirmed it's involved, and AT&T identified others, too, which a FirstNet spokeswoman confirmed to us are participating.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said he would seek to undo the agency's process for designating Lifeline broadband providers (LBP). Pai said Wednesday he supported including broadband in the Lifeline low-income subsidy program but that the federal LBP process bypassed state authority to designate eligible telecom carriers (ETCs). He noted 12 states had mounted a legal challenge to the LBP process, in a case that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has put on hold while the FCC considers its course.
The FirstNet board Tuesday formally approved the selection of a team to build the national network for first responders, as we previously reported was likely to occur today. FirstNet didn’t announce that AT&T had won the contract, though that choice is widely expected. The contracting process and resulting court case remain shrouded in secrecy amid federal contracting rules and a potential appeal.
Staff in several FCC bureaus, sometimes acting jointly, undid numerous actions from the administration of then-Chairman Tom Wheeler. All withdrawn Friday afternoon: a report raising questions on zero rating practices of AT&T and Verizon; an inquiry about Comcast's video streaming practices; staff guidance that could have placed additional standards of review on mergers and acquisitions of TV stations involving some resource and other sharing pacts; actions on TV station political advertising that highlighted a need for disclosure of certain information; and a report on E-rate modernization. Other actions effectively canceled were on cybersecurity and 5G device security.
In an FCC pilot begun Thursday morning, the agency will release the full text of draft items before commissioners vote on them, when they're slated for consideration at members' monthly public meetings. Chairman Ajit Pai did just that, releasing a draft NPRM on broadcasters' envisioned move to next-generation ATSC 3.0 TV, plus an order on AM revitalization, of which he has been a major proponent.
President Donald Trump’s immigration executive order Friday blocking citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. for 90 days awakened an outcry in the tech industry over the weekend. The order "hurts our nation -- both morally and economically -- and runs counter to our country's long-standing values,” CTA President Gary Shapiro said in a Sunday statement. CTA understands the president’s “superseding role” in protecting the U.S. from terrorism, Shapiro said. But "blocking access en masse of employees of U.S. companies who are lawful visa and green card holders based on religion or national origin raises constitutional issues.”
In one of Ajit Pai's first steps as chairman, the FCC removed from circulation some draft items, including at least two high-profile orders. Draft actions on updating broadband data services (BDS) rules and on making it easier for pay-TV customers to connect to subscription video services without an operator-provided set-top box were removed from consideration Friday afternoon. That's according to our review of the circulation list and an interview with an FCC spokesman Saturday.
The FCC TV incentive auction won't total more than about $10 billion, according to just-released agency figures. The reverse auction clearing cost for Stage 4 is $10.05 billion, said the FCC Public Reporting System. That's down from approximately $40 billion that previously would have been needed to close the auction in the past stage. Some we previously canvassed expected a major drop from that $40 billion figure, but not all the way to $10 billion.
Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Pa., will lead Democrats on the House Communications Subcommittee this Congress, replacing longtime ranking member Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif. Commerce Committee Democrats approved Doyle’s position by voice vote Thursday during a closed-door meeting in the Rayburn House Office Building that lasted about 50 minutes. Doyle told us he wants to prevent the incoming Republican FCC from rolling back regulations from recent years. He confirmed he received the position in a unanimous voice vote.
Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., will now chair the House Communications Subcommittee, according to Capitol Hill and industry sources tracking the process. She’s a key net neutrality opponent and ally to President-elect Donald Trump, serving as an executive vice chairwoman on his transition team. She was expected to have the edge in the contest for the position due to her influence within the House GOP caucus, although her rhetoric has concerned some public interest advocates.