The lame-duck session will provide a good chance to get kids’ privacy legislation signed into law, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told us Thursday.

Lawyers for Maurine and Matthew Molak slammed an FCC pleading asking the 5th U.S. Circuit Appeals Court to reject the couple’s challenge seeking review of a commission order from July that lets schools and libraries use E-rate support for off-premises Wi-Fi hot spots and wireless internet services (see 2408300027). The FCC said the challenge wasn’t ripe because the commission had yet to address a petition by the Molaks seeking reconsideration of the order (see 2409130063).

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) vetoed a privacy bill the same day that he signed a measure aimed at protecting children on social media websites. On Monday, the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) applauded Newsom’s veto of a privacy bill on Friday that would have required global opt-outs in web browsers and mobile operating systems. But Consumer Reports slammed the decision to kill the bill that was sought by the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA). Meanwhile, CCIA slammed his signing of legislation meant to reign in algorithms on social platforms.

5G is a success story for the U.S. and is changing how people communicate, even though they may not always recognize it, Umair Javed, CTIA general counsel, said during the 6G Symposium Monday. Javed emphasized that the U.S. should make spectrum available at the same level as it is in other countries. Meanwhile, FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks warned the next 18-24 months are “an absolutely critical period for 6G.”

NTIA urged the FCC to defer action for now on NextNav's proposal that would reconfigure the 902-928 MHz band, "enabl[ing] a high-quality, terrestrial complement” to GPS for positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) services (see 2404160043). NextNav, meanwhile, defended the proposal but agreed testing is needed. Other commenters objected to the proposal, reflecting concerns raised in initial comments (see 2409060046). Replies were due Friday in docket 24-240; many were posted Monday.

The FCC gave the green light to extended milestone deadlines for EchoStar's 5G network buildout Friday, three days after the company filed its request (see 2409190050). EchoStar called the approval "a significant step to promote competition in the wireless market."

A phone company may be held liable for illegal robocalls transmitted over its network, a federal court ruled Thursday. Partly granting Florida’s motion for summary judgment, the U.S. District Court of Southern Florida found that Smartbiz Telecom violated the Truth in Caller ID Act and the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR). While the court will move to trial on Florida’s additional counts alleging Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) violations, Judge Jose Martinez disagreed with Smartbiz, which, as an intermediate provider that didn't initiate the calls, argued it can't be held liable under the TCPA. Smartbiz, Martinez wrote, "was involved in the placing of the telephone calls because it knowingly allowed fraudulent calls to transit its network.”

Legislators, broadcasters, cable groups, the Heritage Foundation and civil rights groups disagree on whether the FCC can or should require disclosures for political ads created with generative AI, according to comments filed in docket 24-211 by Thursday’s deadline.

The FCC is getting lots of advice on potential changes to its draft order tackling robocalls and robotexts, set for a vote on Thursday (see 2409050045). Republican Commissioners Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington have mentioned concerns about the order but aren't necessarily expected to dissent on what is usually considered a top consumer priority, industry officials said Friday.

Cable is increasingly employing fiber to the home (FTTH) in its networks, and competition is accelerating that drive, cable industry experts said Thursday during an SCTE webinar. Cable operators' expansions into greenfield areas like converted farmland almost exclusively are fiber, said Jack Burton, Broadband Success Partners principal. Anyone operating a coaxial cable network and not planning to incorporate or add fiber "is in for a rude awakening" from fiber competition, he said.