FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said Wednesday that the FCC will consider three items during its June 26 open meeting, though he acknowledged in his blog the uncertainty about whether any votes could occur. Leading the proposed items is an order that would eliminate a “dated and reticulated” group of cable TV rate regulations, consistent with the FCC’s “Delete” proceeding.
NASHVILLE -- State broadband officers said Wednesday that the best thing the Commerce Department and NTIA can do for them in the forthcoming BEAD guidance is allow states to be fast and flexible in how they get broadband infrastructure deployed. At the Fiber Broadband Association's annual trade show and conference, state officials expressed concerns that delays could chill ISPs' interest.
A decision by the U.S. Supreme Court is expected in a matter of weeks in the Consumers' Research case challenging the USF contribution factor and the USF generally, even as SCOTUS wades through numerous emergency petitions from the Trump administration, industry experts said Wednesday during a Broadband Breakfast webinar. USF likely needs an overhaul, they added, but that could be difficult if the FCC loses at SCOTUS, which typically issues several high-profile decisions in June.
Top Senate Republicans told us Wednesday that they're likely to prioritize confirmation votes for GOP FCC nominee Olivia Trusty much earlier than expected as a result of Commissioner Nathan Simington’s abrupt exit. Simington said Wednesday he plans to depart the FCC “at the end of this week,” as we reported (see 2506030069). Democratic Commissioner Geoffrey Starks said he will resign Friday, also as expected (see 2505220043). The departures mean the FCC's party makeup will stand at a 1-1 tie by week’s end. That will also leave the commission below the statutory three-commissioner quorum, posing potential problems for Chairman Brendan Carr’s agenda heading into the commission’s planned June 26 meeting (see 2506040061).
Low-power TV (LPTV) broadcasters said in FCC comments that their industry is dying, and ATSC 3.0 won’t be enough to save it. Those comments, in docket 25-168, were in response to HC2’s petition proposing LPTV stations be allowed to switch to 5G broadcast. NAB disagreed, saying 5G broadcast advocates haven’t done enough to show that it won’t cause unacceptable interference.
A federal appeals court Tuesday upheld the FCC's decision to deny LTD Broadband more than $1.3 billion in rural broadband subsidies, ruling that the agency didn't violate the Administrative Procedure Act when it found the company unqualified.
House GOP leaders are hoping to tee up votes next week on the Trump administration’s promised budget rescission proposal that would claw back CPB’s advance funding for FY 2026 and FY 2027 (see 2505280050), congressional aides and lobbyists told us Tuesday. Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, told reporters that the White House had transmitted its rescission proposal to Congress on Tuesday, as expected (see 2506020056). Meanwhile, Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., said Tuesday he’s filing legislation to codify President Donald Trump’s May executive order blocking CPB from distributing funding for PBS and NPR (see 2505020044).
AI will mean “fundamental changes” to the way carriers build and operate their networks, Deutsche Telekom’s Franz Seiser said Tuesday during a TelecomTV digital signal processing forum, streamed live from Windsor, U.K. Seiser and other speakers agreed that most carriers are making their first, still-tentative steps to embrace AI.
NASHVILLE -- BEAD deployment activity will necessitate permitting reform at the federal, state and local levels, C Spire Vice President-Government Relations Chris Champion said Tuesday at the Fiber Broadband Association's annual conference and trade show. Agencies are aware “they are about to be bombarded” with applications, he said. Those permitting reforms must be paired with appropriations that allow agencies to staff up to handle applications, he said. Numerous other speakers echoed the call for permitting reform.
Numerous industry and FCC officials told us Tuesday that FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington is expected to leave the agency or announce an imminent departure this week. Simington and his office didn’t respond to requests for comment. Simington’s term expired last year, but he was expected to stay until the end of 2025.