The FCC on Thursday adopted long-awaited final rules for cellular-vehicle-to-everything technology in the 5.9 GHz band. “These rules will improve transportation safety and permit more efficient mobility as this advanced communications technology is integrated into vehicles and infrastructure,” said a news release. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel circulated proposed rules in July.
President-elect Donald Trump said Sunday night he will name Republican FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr as permanent chairman when he takes office Jan. 20, as expected. Communications sector officials and lobbyists have long pointed to Carr as the prohibitive favorite to take over the gavel if Trump won the election. Carr in part has benefited from strong ties to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who will play a role via Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency in recommending a potentially major structural revamp of federal agencies. Musk recently spoke in favor of Carr’s elevation to the chairmanship in conversations with members of Trump’s team, lobbyists told us.
Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Ted Cruz of Texas pressed FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel Thursday night to stand down from working on controversial matters during the transition from President Joe Biden to President-elect Donald Trump, as expected. Cruz's “pencils down” request to Rosenworcel followed a similar Wednesday call from House Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash. Republican FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, the favorite to lead the agency when Trump takes office in January, backed a similar pencils-down measure Thursday.
Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Ted Cruz of Texas appears on course to take the panel's gavel next year, having prevailed Tuesday night in his reelection bid as Republicans won back control of the chamber. All major news organizations called the election for Cruz, who led Democratic Rep. Colin Allred Wednesday 53%-44% with 95% of votes counted.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel’s office pulled a draft order on robotexts and robocalls from the agenda for the commissioners' open meeting Thursday and returned it to circulation. The FCC issued a notice late Tuesday that the item was deleted from the agenda. Some observers warned last week of potential opposition from Commissioners Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington over First Amendment concerns, though they noted commissioners have traditionally embraced additional robocall rules as one of the FCC's top consumer items.
The FCC gave the go-ahead to EchoStar's request this week for extensions of milestones in its 5G network buildout. In a notation Friday in the FCC's Universal Licensing System, the agency said it granted the extension request contingent on EchoStar fulfilling the conditions it made with its application. EchoStar previously cited issues ranging from the pandemic's impact on supply chains to the cost of moving Boost subscribers from the legacy Sprint CDMA network to the T-Mobile network as reasons for delaying its 5G work. Accordingly, it asked that the FCC extend 2025 milestone deadlines into late 2026.
Ron Repasi, chief of the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology, is leaving the agency. An email sent to industry on Monday announced a retirement party in the commission meeting room Sept. 26. Repasi took over from longtime OET Chief Julius Knapp, initially in an acting capacity, in late 2019. Knapp had led the OET since 2004. Repasi has been in the middle of most spectrum policy issues at the FCC, from 6 GHz rules to the future of the citizens broadband radio service, lower 12 GHz and other bands, industry officials said. Repasi became chief FCC engineer on a permanent basis 18 months ago. “Please join us for a retirement celebration honoring … Repasi on his many accomplishments during his 32 years of Government service,” said the email on his retirement.
The FCC approved an order establishing a multi-round reverse auction to pay out up to $9 billion to bring voice and 5G mobile broadband service to rural areas of the U.S. otherwise unlikely to see 5G. The vote was 4-1, with a dissent by Commissioner Brendan Carr. The commission plans a public notice to announce the start date of the auction. It also released a Further NPRM on related tribal issues.
A three-judge panel in the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals stayed the FCC's net neutrality order Thursday (see 2407220044). Chief Judge Jeffrey Sutton concurred with the ruling, noting that in only the past three years has the FCC "taken its current position that broadband internet access service qualifies as a telecommunications service as opposed to an information service." The panel noted that ISPs have "shown that they are likely to succeed on the merits and that the equities support them" (docket 24-7000). The court found that the final rule "implicates a major question" and the FCC "failed to satisfy the high bar for imposing such regulations." Net neutrality "is likely a major question requiring clear congressional authorization," the ruling said, adding that the Communications Act "does not plainly authorize the commission to resolve" this issue. The court declined to reach a determination on the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court's Brand X decision. The court set oral argument for its fall sitting "so that a randomly drawn merits panel may consider the case." Opening briefs for petitioners are due by Aug. 12. The FCC has until Sept. 11 or 30 days after petitioners file to submit its own brief. The FCC didn't immediately comment.
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is temporarily staying the FCC's net neutrality order until Aug. 5. In an order Friday (docket 24-7000), the three-judge panel granted an administrative stay "to provide sufficient opportunity to consider the merits of the motion to stay" the order. The judges gave a July 19 deadline for filing supplemental briefs regarding the application of the U.S. Supreme Court's 2005 Brand X decision. The FCC didn't immediately comment.