AT&T Q2 results were mixed, Wells Fargo’s Jennifer Fritzsche told investors Thursday. AT&T reported Wednesday (see 1907240053). “With exception of wireless phone adds, sub trends were weaker than expected but the EBITDA & [free-cash flow] beat -- offering evidence of AT&T’s focus on profitable customer relationships is paying off.” Video subscriptions will continue to see declines as AT&T “works through the remaining [one million] subs left on pricing promotions and as it prepares for its launches of AT&T TV,” she said. AT&T was upgraded Thursday by analysts at Credit Suisse from “underperform” to “neutral.”
Right-of-way fees charged by localities don't affect broadband deployment, with a correlation between communities that charge fees for ROW use and high levels of deployment, localities and their organizations said in an FCC docket 05-311 posting Wednesday. That shows cable operators' obligations to local governments aren't such a burden that they affect deployment of cable or other services, they said. Included were third-party analyses of cable operator profitability in 2013-15 and a Columbia Telecommunications report. Signers included Atlanta; Boston; Dallas; Washington, D.C.; Fairfax County, Virginia; and Montgomery County, Maryland.
The FCC said most communications with its Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council will be treated as not requiring an ex parte filing. This covers presentations to the CSRIC or its subcommittees and working groups, points made at any roundtable discussions sponsored by the CSRIC, and presentations between CSRIC members and FCC staff or commissioners “incidental to and in connection with such CSRIC meetings or roundtable discussions,” the FCC said in Monday notice. This “modification” of the rules is “in the public interest because it will allow the CSRIC to develop and shape its advice and recommendations to the Commission more efficiently and effectively,” the FCC said. The new CSRIC met for the first time Friday (see 1907190053).
The FCC is ready to authorize support for 1,122 new winning bids in the Connect America Fund Phase II Auction 903, it said Monday in docket 10-90. The 10-year USF broadband funding support is pending an irrevocable letter of credit and bankruptcy code opinion letter from legal counsel for each state where a provider has winning bids. The deadline for the materials is Aug. 5. Any long-form applicants that fail to file the required documents in time will be in default and subject to forfeiture. The FCC also said Crocker Communications doesn't intend to pursue its winning bids and is subject to forfeiture.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has seen an “acceleration” in the past three months in global 5G developments that will “speed up the introduction and deployment of 5G networks and smartphones in several major markets,” said CEO C.C. Wei on a Q2 call Thursday. Wei expects new product launches of premium smartphones, including those with 5G capability, to drive TSMC’s Q3 business. “We are working closely” with smartphone OEM customers “to carefully plan out capacity to meet their demand,” he said. Wei expects “implementation” of 5G in smartphones will be “stronger” and faster than that of the 4G “ramp-up,” he said.
The Supreme Court will decide Oct. 1 whether to hear an appeal of the 8th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals' decision VoIP is an information service exempt from state regulation. The high court said Wednesday it distributed briefs in the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission appeal (docket 18-1386, see 1905010191) for the Oct. 1 conference. Charter Communications, which sued MPUC over the state's VoIP regulation, opposed the state's petition for writ of certiorari (see 1907050030).
Antitrust authorities cleared the way for networking company Extreme Networks to buy Aerohive Networks. The deal was valued at $272 million. An FTC early termination notice dated Tuesday and released Wednesday ended the transaction’s Hart-Scott-Rodino waiting period.
Comments are due Aug. 16, replies Sept. 3 on an FCC proposal to modernize the E-rate program for schools and libraries, says a notice for Wednesday's Federal Register on docket 13-184. The NPRM would make permanent a 5-year-old budget approach to USF funding for internal broadband connectivity technology such as Wi-Fi routers to anchor institutions (see 1906190019).
The U.S., in opposing litigation challenging use of Pacer fees to fund some non-Pacer expenses (see 1901170031), doesn't address the constitutional issues or what the E-Government Act says about charging fees, and flies in the face of lengthy precedent that the Little Tucker Act gives jurisdiction to recover illegal exaction by government. That according to a docket 19-1081 response and reply brief (in Pacer) Friday by plaintiff-appellants National Veterans Legal Services Program, National Consumer Law Center and Alliance for Justice. DOJ had said the lower court's denial to dismiss the case should be vacated. The Tucker and Little Tucker Act permits claims against government seeking return of money paid to it.
The FCC Wireline Bureau plans an auction Dec. 17 as an experiment in competitive bidding to assign toll-free numbers in the 833 code, said a draft public notice in Friday's Daily Digest for an Aug. 1 vote and in docket 17-192. Toll free numbering administrator Somos will be auctioneer. More than 17,000 numbers that were requested by more than one responsible organization will be up for bid. Industry wants the application process less burdensome than originally proposed (see 1906040024). Auction participants must register by Sept. 11, apply Oct.7-18 and make upfront payments by Nov. 27. A mock auction will be Dec. 13. Bidders must adhere to prohibitions against certain communications on their bidding strategies in order to comply with antitrust laws.