Good afternoon from Washington, DC! Below you will find this week’s Weekly Wireless Wrap-Up, your update on the wireless telecommunications regulatory landscape, important wireless decisions, and more! Here’s your wrap-up:
FCC:
- Late last Wednesday, the Enforcement Bureau released a Public Notice requesting letters of intent from consortia interested in becoming the registered industry consortium for tracebacks, as required by the Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act (“TRACED Act”). Interested consortia are required to submit letters of intent on or before May 30, 2022. For more information and to view a copy of the Notice, see our post here.
- Last Thursday, the FCC held its April Open Meeting, where the Commission considered and adopted three items, two of which are explained in greater detail below. Five items were originally set for consideration, however, the FCC removed two restricted adjudicatory matters from the agenda in this Deletion Notice. For more information and to view a copy of the Agenda, see our post here. The FCC adopted the following items of note:
- A Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“FNPRM”) seeking comment on proposals to strengthen the effectiveness of Wireless Emergency Alerts (“WEA”). For more information and to view a copy of the FNPRM, see our post here.
- A Notice of Inquiry (“NOI”) seeking to develop a record on the role of receivers in spectrum management and how the Commission may promote improvements in receiver immunity performance to make spectrum management more effective. For more information and to view a copy of the NOI, see our post here.
- On Monday, the FCC published in the Federal Register the Public Notice seeking comment on the District of Columbia Circuit Court’s remand of the FCC’s 6 GHz Report and Order (“R&O”), thereby setting the comment and reply comment dates. Comments are due on or before May 25, 2022. Reply comments are due on or before June 9, 2022. For more information and to view a copy of the Notice, see our post here.
- This morning, Commissioner Starks announced that there would be several staffing changes in his office. William Davenport, Commissioner Starks’s Chief of Staff and Senior Legal Advisor will be departing his office at the end of April. Austin Bonner, Commissioner Starks’s legal advisor for media and consumer protection issues, will serve as Acting Chief of Staff. After Mr. Davenport’s departure, Georgios Leris will serve as Acting Legal Advisor for wireless and international issues through the Commission’s May Open Meeting. In mid-May, Shiva Goel will join Commissioner Starks’s office as permanent Legal Advisor for wireless and international issues. For more information, see the announcement here.
Congress:
- This morning, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a hearing titled “Department of Commerce Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Priorities.” Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo was the sole witness and her testimony focused on the Department of Commerce’s budget needs for the upcoming year, which includes the NTIA. For more information and to view the hearing, see the Committee’s website here.
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