FCC commissioners voted out two wireless items scheduled for Thursday, before the meeting. The more controversial of the two, on notification requirements for white spaces devices, provoked a fight between NAB and Microsoft. Microsoft asked the FCC to scale back the notification requirements for white spaces devices in the draft. The company urged the FCC to “maintain its existing requirement that narrowband fixed WSDs be required to check the white space database once a day to ensure capturing wireless microphone reservations rather than the proposed 24 times a day.” NAB, long concerned about interference in the white spaces, asked the FCC to stick with the draft proposal. Commissioners added a short NPRM to the item, which explores Microsoft’s request, FCC officials said Wednesday. Commissioners also OK’d a draft NPRM seeking comment on whether to adopt four new or updated standards for equipment authorization and the certification of the telecommunication certification bodies that review new RF devices.
AT&T, Dish Network and T-Mobile were the three biggest bidders in the 3.45 GHz auction, the FCC announced Friday. AT&T bid $9.1 billion; Weminuche, a Dish entity, $7.3 billion; and T-Mobile $2.9 billion. Columbia Capital’s Three Forty-Five Spectrum bid $1.4 billion and UScellular $579.6 million. Verizon didn’t bid.
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.
President Joe Biden renominated Democratic FCC nominee Gigi Sohn and FTC pick Alvaro Bedoya Tuesday, as expected. Senate leaders agreed to carry over Alan Davidson's nomination for NTIA administrator from last year, aides confirmed.
The White House is compiling a shortlist of priority candidates to renominate in 2022, an official in the executive office confirmed Wednesday. The list could include noncontroversial candidates to be sent to the Senate as soon as possible.
The FCC Enforcement Bureau settled investigations into AT&T, Lumen, Intrado and Verizon 911 outages that happened last year, the agency announced Friday. The companies will pay a combined $6 million-plus in settlement payments. They will also start compliance plans, as part of the consent decrees.
Intelsat said it plans to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in early 2022, following U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Keith Phillips of Richmond OK'ing its emergence plan Thursday. The hearing, set to start at 10 a.m., was postponed three hours as Intelsat and creditors hammered out remaining issues. That unanimity, given the competing claims, is "a remarkable achievement," Phillips said.
The Senate Commerce Committee won't consider Democratic FCC nominee Gigi Sohn at an expected Dec. 15 executive session, a panel aide confirmed Wednesday night. That likely means President Joe Biden would have to renominate Sohn when the Senate reconvenes in January, lobbyists told us.
The Senate reconfirmed FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel Tuesday on a healthy 68-31 bipartisan vote, as expected. The chamber previewed its coming approval Monday night, when senators invoked cloture by a similar 64-27 margin.