The Senate Commerce Committee will hold its third confirmation hearing for FCC nominee Gigi Sohn Feb. 14, a panel aide told us Tuesday night. President Joe Biden re-selected Sohn in January following stalled confirmation processes in 2021 and 2022.

President Joe Biden called during his State of the Union speech Tuesday night for Congress to “pass bipartisan legislation to stop Big Tech from collecting personal data on kids and teenagers online, ban targeted advertising to children, and impose stricter limits on the personal data these companies collect on all of us.” The government “must finally hold social media companies accountable for the experiment they are running on our children for profit,” Biden said. He called for similar legislation last month amid hopes for more collaboration on privacy legislation.

The FCC released an NPRM Wednesday seeking comment on rules allowing the use of the 5030-5091 MHz band by drones, which commissioners approved Dec. 23. Comments will be due 30 days after publication in the Federal Register, replies 60 days after publication.

President Joe Biden intends to nominate Gigi Sohn for a third time to a vacant FCC seat, as expected, a senior White House official confirmed to us Tuesday. The Senate formally adjourned sine die just before noon EST Tuesday, formally sending Sohn’s stalled 2022 nomination to the commission back to the White House. Biden first nominated Sohn in October 2021, kicking off more than a year of partisan fighting about her confirmation that saw a handful of Democrats raise misgivings about her amid unified GOP opposition. Sohn’s supporters hope her third try for the FCC will be easier given the Senate shifted to an outright Democratic majority Tuesday, but lawmakers and lobbyists told us there’s no guarantee the Commerce Committee will be able to swiftly move her to the floor.

An objection from Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., appears to have all but killed a deal telecom-focused congressional leaders struck over the weekend to attach modified language from the Senate version of the Spectrum Innovation Act (S-4117) to a planned FY 2023 appropriations omnibus package, a congressional aide and several communications industry lobbyists told us Monday. Another short-term renewal of the FCC’s auction authority is, however, still expected to be in the package, lobbyists said. Hill leaders were expected to release the omnibus’ text Monday, but it still wasn’t available that afternoon.

Given the exploding space economy and rocketing demand for FCC regulatory reviews of space-related matters, the commission hopes to create a Space Bureau, Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said Thursday. A stand-alone Office of International Affairs also would be set up, she said. The chairwoman's office didn't comment on its hoped-for time frame for an agency reorganization. At a Satellite Industry Association organized event announcing the reorg, Rosenworcel aide Umair Javed said the chairwoman's office has already begun discussions with lawmakers and unions. The commission has applications representing 64,000 satellites pending before it, while it has seen an eightfold increase in the past year for fixed satellite service earth stations, she said.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel circulated for a vote Wednesday an order and NPRM on the 4.9 GHz band, industry and FCC officials confirmed. The item wasn't circulated for action at the FCC’s Nov. 17 meeting. The order would establish a national band manager, which would govern the leasing process in the band, and the NPRM asks for feedback on details of how the leasing process could work, officials said. The order would allow public safety to interrupt any commercial operations. In May 2021, shortly after becoming acting chair, Rosenworcel got the FCC to stay a 2020 order that gave states control over how the band is used (see 2105270071), over a dissent by Commissioner Brendan Carr. Both Rosenworcel and fellow Democrat Geoffrey Starks had opposed the earlier order (see 2009300050). In September 2021, commissioners asked new questions in a Further NPRM (see 2109300053).

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said Monday she will seek a vote on a 12 GHz for 5G notice of inquiry at the commission’s Oct. 27 open meeting. Rosenworcel told NTIA’s Spectrum Policy Symposium she shared a draft NOI with NTIA earlier this month.

Competitive Carriers Association President Steve Berry will retire at the end of the year, citing health reasons, the group announced Wednesday. Berry will be replaced by Tim Donovan, now the group's senior vice president-legislative affairs, CCA said. CCA Senior Vice President Lucy Tutwiler Hodas is being named chief operating officer. Berry joined the group 13 years ago when it was still the Rural Cellular Association. He was formerly a top lobbyist for NTCA and CTIA.

T-Mobile, as expected, dominated the 2.5 GHz auction (see 2208300021), winning 7,156 licenses for $304.3 million, the FCC announced Thursday. The auction had gross proceeds of $427.8 million. PTI Pacifica was the second-highest bidder, at $17.7 million. TeleGuam Holdings bid $16.6 million. By number of licenses won, the No. 2 bidder was North American Catholic Educational Programming Foundation, with 107. The FCC said 63 bidders won a total of 7,872 licenses.