The FCC Wireline Bureau granted a request by groups including Public Knowledge, the Communications Workers of America and Incompas to extend the comment period for Embarq's, now Century/Lumen, petition to discontinue its legacy phone service, said an order Friday in docket 21-298 (see 2110180067). Comments are now due by Nov. 24, replies Dec. 16.

Collecting regulatory fees from tech companies and users of unlicensed spectrum would be a huge task, outside FCC authority, and hamper broadband adoption, said trade associations and others in comments posted to docket 21-190 by Thursday’s deadline. Comments about establishing a small satellite regulatory fee also had multiple calls in the commercial space sector for creating new fee categories for other types of space operations.

The FCC received mixed reaction as it sought to refresh the record on broadband access in multi-tenant environments, in comments posted through Thursday in docket 17-142 (see 2109070047). Many telecom and consumer groups urged to limit or outright exclusivity agreements and other practices that limit MTE options for ISPs and consumers. Others argued against additional regulation.

Extend the comments until Nov. 24, replies until Dec. 1, on Embarq Florida's Communications Act Section 214 discontinuance application of its legacy phone service, urged Public Knowledge, the Benton Institute for Internet & Society, Center for Rural Strategies, Common Sense Media, the Communications Workers of America, Incompas and the Media Alliance, in a request posted Monday in docket 21-298. Embarq's, now CenturyLink/Lumen, application "presents novel questions of law and policy" because the FCC "has never relied on wireless services alone to substitute for time-division multiplexing Incumbent local exchange carrier voice service," the groups said.

Congressional leaders and telecom policy observers signaled Thursday they expect major cuts to a budget reconciliation package that Democrats have aimed to include connectivity money. Some believe any move to reduce the scope from the $3.5 trillion congressional Democrats envisioned in August could endanger proposed money for the FCC Emergency Connectivity Fund and next-generation 911 (see 2110010001).

Industry disagrees if the FCC should preempt rights-of-way fees charged Columbia, Missouri, as a violation of Communications Act Section 253, in replies posted Wednesday in docket 21-323 (see 2109230078). Bluebird asked to defer action on its petition "until the legal status of House Bill 271 is settled," which would ban local jurisdictions from charging per linear foot fees, or preempt the city's linear ROW fee if it decides to act. The fees are "excessive, unreasonable, and discriminatory," said Frontier. Granting the petition "will send a strong message to other municipalities," the telco said. Bluebird’s petition is “not a new or novel issue, and the facts as presented, clearly violate Section 253,” said Incompas, saying its members face similar obstacles. The Wireless Infrastructure Association agreed. Commenters showed the monetary amount "is not an isolated problem," said USTelecom, noting the city didn't file an opposition. Localities in Oregon, Washington and California, the League of Minnesota Cities, Metropolitan Area Communications Commission, and ROW Consultants disagreed, saying Congress "did not intend Section 253(d) to authorize the commission to decide local rights of way disputes." The coalition said a public comment process "does not provide an adversarial fact-finding process through which factual issues might be resolved." Localities "should not be forced to come to the FCC to litigate uniquely local issues," said the Communications Workers of America.

Commissioner Rohit Chopra’s last day at FTC was Friday; Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says his first day at CFPB was Monday ... Womble Bond adds to Communications, Technology and Media team with hiring of Jeff Lanning from Lumen as of counsel ... Software & Information Industry Association adds to Policy team Divya Sridhar, ex-ExcelinEd, as senior director-data policy ... CTIA hires Trevor Jones from USTelecom as assistant vice president-government affairs ... Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission elects Commissioner John Coleman as vice chairman through 2022, succeeding ex-Vice Chairman David Sweet, whose term as commissioner ended Sept. 30.

Municipal interests are on one side, telecom interests largely on the other, over a Mediacom petition seeking FCC preemption of a deal between Google Fiber and West Des Moines, Iowa, on constructing a conduit network to provide broadband in unserved parts of town, per comments last week in docket 21-217.

Few consumers' phone service will likely be affected if their provider hasn't filed in the FCC robocall mitigation database, experts said in recent interviews. Some had raised concerns that consumers may be unable to make calls if their provider failed to file in the database by the June 30 deadline (see 2104200042).

An FCC draft Further NPRM tightening rules for gateway providers to curb illegal robocalls originating abroad is expected to be unanimously approved during the agency’s open meeting Thursday. That's despite some industry concerns about the proposal to pause enforcement of the foreign provider prohibition until a final decision on addressing illegal robocalls originating abroad. The item is expected to be approved without any major revisions to the draft, an FCC official said Friday.