Jimm Phillips

President Joe Biden defended Wednesday his administration’s role in addressing claimed aviation safety implications of commercial wireless operations on the C band amid pushback from FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr and top Republicans on the House Commerce and Transportation committees. AT&T and Verizon launched C-band operations Wednesday but are deferring around some airports amid frustration with FAA (see 2201180065). AT&T started to turn on its C-band spectrum in these areas Wednesday, a spokesperson emailed: Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, Chicago, Detroit, Miami, Jacksonville and Orlando. AT&T expects to reach 200 million people this year, the spokesperson said.

Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Roger Wicker, R-Miss., confirmed to us Monday he’s asking for a panel hearing on ethics concerns about Democratic FCC nominee Gigi Sohn’s role as a board member for Locast operator Sports Fans Coalition given the shuttered sports rebroadcaster’s $32 million lawsuit settlement, as expected (see 2201130071). “My initial review of the confidential settlement raises several troubling questions about” Sohn’s “nomination,” Wicker said in a statement. “The possibility of the nominee’s future financial liability to a number of companies regulated by the FCC, and the timing of this settlement in relation to her nomination, demands a full discussion by the committee to ensure that there is a clear understanding of the ability for this nominee to act without any cloud of ethical doubt. The committee needs to hold a new hearing on this matter to provide the nominee an opportunity to fully address these concerns.” A committee GOP spokesperson confirmed Wicker obtained a copy of the confidential version of the settlement from involved broadcasters. Senate Commerce Democrats are highly unlikely to agree to hold the hearing, but amplified attention on Sohn’s Locast connections could be problematic because the majority has been eyeing a panel vote on the nominee Jan. 26 (see 2201070058). The White House and Senate Commerce didn’t comment Tuesday.

Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Roger Wicker, R-Miss., was expected to have called as soon as Thursday night for the panel to hold a hearing on shuttered sports rebroadcaster Locast’s $32 million lawsuit settlement (see 2110280039), communications sector lobbyists and other officials told us. He has obtained a copy of the nonpublic, confidential version of the settlement from one of the involved parties, a GOP committee spokesperson said. Wicker plans to seek the hearing in a bid to endanger the confirmation prospects of Democratic FCC nominee Gigi Sohn, lobbyists said. Sohn’s role as a board member for Locast operator Sports Fans Coalition has gotten significant Capitol Hill scrutiny (see 2111290060).

Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Roger Wicker, R-Miss., pressed the FCC and NTIA Thursday to work on "improving the cooperation and collaboration between your agencies that is essential to spectrum management and the future of U.S. spectrum policy," including updating their memorandum of understanding for handling frequency allocations. Top House Commerce Committee Republicans, meanwhile, are pressing the Communications Subcommittee to "promptly schedule" an NTIA oversight hearing, after the Senate's Tuesday confirmation of Alan Davidson as agency administrator.

NTIA Administrator-to-be Alan Davidson is likely to take office Thursday, a Biden administration official and communications sector lobbyists told us. Davidson tweeted Tuesday he's "grateful" the Senate confirmed him (see 2201110066). "Now on to the work of connecting America and building a better Internet," he said. Davidson will be the agency's first permanent head in more than two years. NTIA didn't comment Wednesday. House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle, D-Pa., hailed Davidson's confirmation. "I look forward to working with [Davidson] to implement" distribution of $48 billion from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act under NTIA control "to close the digital divide" and "to efficiently manage the federal government’s spectrum resources," Doyle tweeted. Also congratulating Davidson were Connected Nation, the Fiber Broadband Association, Internet Infrastructure Coalition, Lumen, Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council and Satellite Industry Association.

Senators and industry officials are eyeing a laundry list of policy matters they want Alan Davidson to prioritize once he becomes NTIA administrator. The Senate confirmed Davidson Tuesday on a bipartisan 60-31 vote, as expected (see 2201050056). The chamber voted 64-30 Monday to invoke cloture on Davidson (see 2201100058).

The Senate confirmed Alan Davidson Tuesday as NTIA administrator on a bipartisan 60-31 vote, as expected. The chamber voted 64-30 Monday to invoke cloture on Davidson, clearing away for his Tuesday confirmation.

The Senate voted 64-30 Monday night to invoke cloture on NTIA administrator nominee Alan Davidson, as expected. The cloture motion sets up a likely Tuesday final confirmation vote for Davidson, Senate aides told us.

The Senate Commerce Committee is “shooting for” its next executive session to happen Jan. 26, a panel aide told us Friday. A “hiccup with scheduling” prevented the committee from holding the meeting next week as Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., previously hoped (see 201050056), the aide said. FCC nominee Gigi Sohn and FTC nominee Alvaro Bedoya are still likely to be included on the agenda, lobbyists told us. Bedoya and Sohn “have the political savvy and depth of legal and technical knowledge to take on the many challenges before them at both agencies,” said Free Press co-CEO Craig Aaron. “Further delay is unacceptable. We’re deeply disappointed to have no notice of a committee vote before the Senate goes home for its mid-month recess.” Commerce ranking member Roger Wicker, R-Miss., “and a few of his” GOP colleagues “have succeeded with cynical delay tactics, but the committee must call the votes before the end of this month to let these stellar public servants fill their roles,” Aaron said.

Senate Democrats are planning January action on FCC nominee Gigi Sohn, FTC nominee Alvaro Bedoya and NTIA administrator nominee Alan Davidson amid perceptions President Joe Biden’s tech and telecom picks have renewed momentum after the start of 2022, lawmakers and lobbyists told us. Biden renominated Bedoya and Sohn Tuesday, and Senate leaders agreed to carry over Davidson’s 2021 nomination (see 2201040027). Most or all Republicans are expected to oppose Bedoya and Sohn, as they did last year (see 2201040071). Confirmations would ensure 3-2 Democratic majorities at the FCC and FTC.