A broad group of local governments and associations on Wednesday protested the FCC’s direct final rule (DFR) order that commissioners approved 2-1 last month, with a dissent from Commissioner Anna Gomez (see 2507240055). The order clarified that the FCC’s bureaus have delegated authority to delete rules under the process without commission votes.

FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez said Wednesday that, despite concerns, she voted for a notice of inquiry to study revisions in how the FCC examines competition in its Telecom Act Section 706 reports to Congress. Commissioners approved the NOI earlier in the week, and it was taken off the agenda for Thursday’s meeting (see 2508050056). While Gomez’s comments on the NOI were predominantly negative, she said she voted yes to give the public a chance to weigh in.

States and territories can't set forth a specific rate for a low-cost service option in BEAD, even if that rate is required by state law, according to new NTIA guidance issued Tuesday. The agency's 63-page FAQ document on BEAD covers an array of topics, including whether subgrantees can use BEAD-funded facilities to provide other offerings, such as telephone and video (they can), and how applicants are supposed to track their 2% administrative costs.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision limiting the scope of environmental reviews in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado is very broad in its impact, said Venable’s Jay Johnson, who represented the coalition in the case. The decision (see 2506180059) doesn’t apply only to National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) enforcement in regard to new railroad projects, “this applies to NEPA as a whole,” Johnson said during an Incompas webinar Thursday. “The court made that exceptionally clear.”

The FCC hasn’t experienced a large-scale workforce reduction and can still operate despite a roughly 6% decrease in staff between October and May, Chairman Brendan Carr said in letters to Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md. Sent at the beginning of May, the letters were posted Thursday by the FCC. Carr was replying to March letters from Cantwell and Hoyer expressing concern about the effects of staff cuts and the involvement of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) at the FCC.

EchoStar is again making previously delayed interest payments to holders of company notes as it said it continues to try to address issues with the FCC. In an SEC filing Wednesday, EchoStar said it was paying the interest originally due July 1 on 2026 and 2028 notes. Beyond its talks with the FCC, the company said it's engaged in "wide-ranging efforts to explore alternative or complementary pathways that could, if successfully implemented, resolve the FCC’s stated concerns in a manner acceptable to the Company."

The FCC announced that its new Consumer Protection and Accessibility Advisory Committee (CPAAC) will meet for the first time Sept. 10 at 9 a.m. at FCC headquarters. Chairman Brendan Carr appointed Elizabeth Hill, board member-at-large of the National Association of State Agencies for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and Logan Kolas, director of technology at the American Consumer Institute, as co-chairs.

T-Mobile’s buy of a stake in fiber-based provider Metronet as part of a joint venture with investment firm KKR closed Thursday, T-Mobile announced. T-Mobile closed its JV with Lumos in July. T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert, during a call with analysts Wednesday, highlighted the closing of the deals (see 2507230066). “With both up and running under the T-Fiber banner in the second half, we are poised to deliver 100,000 or more fiber nets on top of our planned 5G broadband nets this year,” Sievert said. “We are off to the races.”

Multiple personnel items that were added to the FCC's Thursday meeting agenda (see 2507170058) have been adopted and deleted, the agency said Wednesday.

Randolph May is president of the Free State Foundation (see 2507180048).