The FCC activated the disaster information reporting system for eight counties in Maine and two in Massachusetts for Hurricane Lee, said a public notice Friday. DIRS Reports were due starting Sunday. The alert encompasses Cumberland, Hancock, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Waldo, Washington, and York counties in Maine, and Barnstable and Nantucket in Massachusetts. The agency also issued public notices on emergency contact procedures for licensees that need special temporary authority, priority communications services and on 24-hour availability of FCC staff. The Public Safety Bureau sent a reminder to entities working to clear debris and repair utilities to avoid damaging communications infrastructure.

A draft rule published in the Federal Register Friday by the Office of Personnel Management would protect the due process rights of federal employees from “a president hostile to the civil service,” said a news release from the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents FCC employees. The draft rule is intended to block future versions of President Donald Trump’s Schedule F plan, which would have taken away civil service protections from many federal workers (see 2010300048). That plan was rescinded by President Joe Biden before ever being implemented. Under the new draft rule, federal employees affected under a resurrected Schedule F “would retain their basic rights to notice of an adverse action and an opportunity to respond,” said NTEU: “These rights would help shield them from unlawful and politically motivated firings.” Said NTEU National President Doreen Greenwald in the release: “We never want another attempt at Schedule F but just in case, this rule establishes some important guardrails to ensure that whatever is done is consistent with civil service laws and regulations": “The merit-based civil service is a critical part of our democracy, and no one should be able to undo that by Executive Order.” The draft rule stems from an NTEU petition that was supported by the Federal Worker’s Alliance, a coalition of 13 unions representing federal employees. “Today’s action by President Biden is a reminder that we have a responsibility to take action to shore up the civil service and prevent any president from pursuing these corrupt schemes,” said American Federation of Government Employees National President Everett Kelley in a release.

Residential phone service costs in the U.S. in August rose 6.1% over last year, and cable, satellite and livestreaming TV service costs were up 6.3%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index unadjusted data out Wednesday. Wireless phone service costs were down 0.8% year over year, but internet was up 5.2%. Smartphones prices dropped 17.2%, and computers, peripherals and smart home assistants fell 5%, it said. June prices overall were up 3.7% year over year before seasonal adjustment, BLS said.

The administration’s selection of Steve Lang to replace Anna Gomez as head of the U.S. delegation to the World Radiocommunication Conference (see 2309120069) didn’t come as a surprise to WRC watchers. Lang was viewed as the most likely choice. An email went to members of the U.S. delegation Tuesday confirming the change. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., told us before the email went out she would raise “concerns” with the State Department if this far into preparations it replaces Gomez as WRC delegation lead. The potential leadership shift was the chief reason Blackburn voted against Gomez’s confirmation both within the Senate Commerce Committee (see 2309070081) and on the chamber floor. “This is an important conference” with implications for U.S. spectrum policymaking in the years ahead, Blackburn said Tuesday. “The preparation is important,” as is “representation” of the U.S. delegation head given that person needs to be “able to respond quickly” to developments. “It should not be taken lightly or haphazardly,” she said. Lang, an economist, has been deputy assistant secretary of state-international information and communications policy since November and has held numerous postings in the department. He is expected to be designated as ambassador, which doesn't require Senate confirmation. The other potential choice, unless the State Department tapped an outsider, was Erica Barks-Ruggles, a veteran diplomat who has headed the U.S. delegation to other recent ITU meetings, including last year's plenipotentiary conference, but is nearing retirement and currently heading the U.S. delegation to UNESCO in Paris, industry officials said. Gomez was widely seen as facing a major challenge serving both as a commissioner and also as the eventual ambassador to the WRC, which starts Nov. 20 in Dubai (see 2309080060). Industry officials said they expect Gomez to remain active on WRC matters and likely attend parts of the conference as an FCC commissioner. One former delegation member said that while Gomez has led recent meetings with other nations headed into WRC, she is always joined by staff who will play the same role under Lang.

The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline added American Sign Language services nationwide for the deaf and hard of hearing, Health and Human Services said Friday. "This is a testament to our ongoing commitment to ensure that no one is left behind when it comes to mental health support," said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. The agency said deaf and hard of hearing users can reach a 988 Lifeline counselor in ASL by clicking the "ASL Now" button at 988lifeline.org and following the prompts. It said direct dialing to 988 from a videophone will be available in the coming weeks, and ASL users can call 800-273-8255 from their videophone for ASL service.

NTIA's IT systems for managing federal use of spectrum are "outdated" and the agency has an "acute" need to modernize them, the agency said Wednesday in a request for information (RFI). "The current systems are inadequate to execute NTIA’s spectrum functions in a timely manner and limit NTIA’s ability to accommodate the demands of advanced technologies, such as deploying 5G, advancing space commerce, and securing government missions dependent on spectrum," it said. The RFI asks for input such as feedback on the agency's proposed acquisition approach.

IoT device manufacturers "are heavily engaged" on the FCC's cybersecurity labeling proceeding, Commissioner Nathan Simington said Tuesday in an online Hacker News chat as he urged tech-savvy users to also file comments. "The FCC and White House are not likely to take a strong stand if they only hear the device manufacturer's side of the story," he said. He said he favors requiring device manufacturers to support their devices with security updates for "a reasonable" time period, but he was able to get commissioners behind exploring "something a little more moderate addressing this problem." He said by pushing for the labeling NPRM to include disclosure of how long a product will receive security updates, the label's commitments might be legally enforceable in contract and tort litigation. "A thorny implementation problem" will be defining security risks, he said. Commissioners approved the smart device labeling NPRM last month (see 2308100032).

Vodafone and Amazon's Kuiper will join on mobile supplemental coverage from space in Europe and Africa, Vodafone said Tuesday. The Kuiper constellation will "bring the benefits of 4G/5G connectivity to areas that may otherwise be challenging and prohibitively expensive to serve via traditional fibre or microwave solutions," it said. Vodafone said, as part of the collaboration, Amazon "plans to partner with Vodafone to roll out Project Kuiper’s high-speed broadband services to unserved and underserved communities around the world." Vodafone said it and Kupier will start deploying services to Africa and Europe as Amazon's production satellite come online. It said it plans to participate in Amazon's beta testing of Kuper services in late 2024.

Industry associations asked the FCC to delay by 30 days the Sept. 25 deadline for filing comments on an NPRM on a voluntary cybersecurity labeling program for smart devices (see 2308100032). The groups said they will need at least 45 days to develop reply comments. The current deadline for replies is Oct. 10. The filing was signed by CTIA, the Consumer Technology Association, NCTA, the Security Industry Association, the Telecommunications Industry Association and USTelecom. They asked for deadlines of Oct. 24 for initial comments, Dec. 8 for replies. “The NPRM in this proceeding asks more than 120 questions on fundamental aspects of the proposed labeling scheme,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 23-239: “This proposal, by definition, raises new and novel issues of a type that the Commission has not examined before. Implementing the program will thus require the Commission to consider many complex and consequential questions.” They called the proceeding “incredibly complex.”

The FCC Wireline Bureau is waiving some rules and deadlines for Lifeline, the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), E-rate, the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) Program, and Rural Health Care Program for areas affected by Tropical Storm Idalia, said an order Friday. “Because of these compelling and unique circumstances, we find good cause to waive certain rules and deadlines to assist program participants, service providers, and USF contributors in the affected areas,” the order said. The waived rules include Lifeline non-usage, recertification and reverification requirements, ACP non-usage and de-enrollment rules, and the deadlines to file E-Rate appeals. The waivers “promote the maintenance and rebuilding of communities affected by the hurricane” and “facilitate continued access to telecommunications services for disaster victims,” the order said. The FCC announced Thursday it was scaling back the storm-affected areas being monitored through the disaster information reporting system: DIRS was deactivated for all of South Carolina and for all but 13 counties in Florida. Friday’s DIRS report shows 5.4% of cellsites down in the covered area and 4,752 cable and wireline subscribers without service. No broadcast stations were reported out of service.