Grain Management will buy all of T-Mobile's 800 MHz spectrum in exchange for cash and Grain's 600 MHz spectrum portfolio, the companies announced Thursday night. Grain confirmed it plans to make the spectrum available “to U.S. utilities to support mission-critical communications, improve grid resilience, and enhance emergency response capabilities.”
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said Friday that the FCC won’t approve mergers and acquisitions for companies with diversity, equity and inclusion policies, according to Bloomberg. He also met with a conservative influencer Wednesday who has been involved in online campaigns against corporate diversity policies.
Eight conservative groups want the FCC to dismiss its news distortion complaint against CBS to prevent setting precedent that could be used against conservative media, said a letter posted Thursday in docket 25-73. The letter -- from Americans for Tax Reform, the Center for Individual Freedom, Digital Liberty and others -- also called for the FCC to eliminate the news distortion and news hoax rules. “All of these rules and procedures open the door for politicians to play politics with broadcasting.”
Representatives from the Wi-Fi Alliance spoke with an aide to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr about how to “further unlock the full potential of 6 GHz Wi-Fi,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 18-295. The alliance discussed the importance of “allowing client-to-client communications under the control of a low-power indoor (LPI) access point” and allowing “higher spectral power density limits for LPI and Very Low Power (VLP) devices,” the filing said. Also discussed were “permitting standard-power access points to operate in motion or with directional antennas” and “alleviating the restriction on VLP devices operating on oil platforms.”
NextNav objected to the International Bridge, Tunnel & Turnpike Association’s (IBTTA) request that the FCC add a question on “interference implications for incumbent spectrum users” to a draft notice of inquiry on alternatives to GPS for positioning, navigation and timing (see 2503170013). Commissioners are slated to vote on the NOI on March 27 (see 2503060061). “Adding this question may be inconsistent with footnote 83 of the draft NOI, which states that the proceeding seeking comment on NextNav’s Petition for Rulemaking in the Lower 900 MHz band ‘remains ongoing and independent of this inquiry,’” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 25-110. “Any interference implications of NextNav’s proposal are best evaluated in that separate Commission proceeding, in which IBTTA is actively participating.”
CTIA representatives met with aides to FCC Commissioners Geoffrey Starks, Nathan Simington and Anna Gomez on changes the group is seeking to a draft Further NPRM on 911 wireless location accuracy (see 2503190025). “CTIA and its member companies stand ready to work with the FCC and public safety partners to take a fresh look at the FCC’s regulatory framework to further enhance wireless 911 location accuracy,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 07-114. The FNPRM is set for a commissioner vote March 27 (see 2503060061).
The Senate Commerce Committee plans to hold a confirmation hearing March 27 for NTIA nominee Arielle Roth, as expected (see 2503070065). The panel will begin at 2:15 p.m. in 253 Russell. Senate Commerce leaders previously eyed a mid-March hearing for Roth in tandem with Republican FCC nominee Olivia Trusty (see 2503060066). President Donald Trump nominated Roth, Senate Commerce Republicans’ telecom policy director, in early February (see 2502040056).
The House Oversight Delivering on Government Efficiency Subcommittee said Wednesday it plans a March 26 hearing to examine conservatives' claims that public broadcasters’ content has a pro-Democratic bias, as expected (see 2502270071). PBS CEO Paula Kerger and NPR CEO Katherine Maher will testify starting at 10 a.m. in HVC-210. Republican lawmakers have filed several measures this year to end funding for NPR, PBS and CPB and claw back advance appropriations to the broadcasting entities (see 2502110072 and 2502120044), in part for alleged bias. PBS and other U.S. broadcasters are also facing scrutiny from the FCC via investigations that Chairman Brendan Carr has launched since taking over Jan. 20 (see 2502130060).
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a mandate Thursday closing the fight over the court’s decision against the FCC’s 2024 net neutrality order and transmitting its decision to the FCC. The mandate wasn’t a surprise. The 6th Circuit recently rejected a public interest group petition for en banc review of the decision (see 2503110050).
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s letter to Google over faith-based programming (see 2503070052) goes against the intent of his “In Re: Delete, Delete, Delete” proceeding and appears to be more of a political gesture than an indication of FCC action, said retired telecom attorney Jonathan Nuechterlein in a blog post Thursday for the Technology Policy Institute.