NARUC’s Telecom Committee approved a proposed resolution Monday aimed at forestalling U.S. phone number exhaustion. Also during state utility regulators’ meeting in Washington, telecom industry officials urged state commissioners to join them in calling on Congress to renew funding for the affordable connectivity program (ACP). Another panel flagged pole attachment issues remaining after a December FCC order (see 2312130044).

Utility companies, ISPs and advocacy groups sparred over the FCC's proposed revisions to its pole attachment and replacement rules, in comments posted Wednesday in docket 17-84. The FCC should abandon its Further NPRM, adopted in December with a related order and declaratory ruling and instead encourage greater communication between pole owners and attackers, some said (see 2312130044). Others sought greater oversight of the process and urged quick action.

Broadband experts emphasized the need for the FCC to reclassify broadband internet access service as a Communications Act Title II telecom service Thursday. "Today, there is no expert agency ensuring the internet is fast, open, and fair," Ramesh Nagarajan, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel's chief legal adviser, said during a New America Open Technology Institute event (see 2310190020). Multiple court decisions have made it clear that "Title II is the foundation of strong, legally sustainable net neutrality rules," Nagarajan said, adding it would also aid in the commission's efforts in addressing national security, cybersecurity and public safety. Hooman Hedayati, Communications Workers of America senior strategic research associate, agreed. Title II allows regulators to "require service quality standards and basic safeguards so that networks are there at times of emergencies," Hedayati said. Title II reclassification and net neutrality are "incredibly relevant to individual privacy for lots of reasons" said Stacey Gray, Future of Privacy Forum senior director-U.S. policy. "The most obvious one is that it's the most clear hook, arguably mandate, that the FCC has for promulgating specific and robust privacy rules" for broadband providers, Gray said. Future of Music Director Kevin Erickson noted net neutrality protections would also allow online creators to have more choice when deciding on platforms that best fit their business models. It gives smaller creators "the same level of access to audiences that huge corporations have," Erickson said. "Net neutrality policy is competition policy" because it ensures that consumers and small businesses can access online content and services "without undue interference by their ISP," said Incompas President Angie Kronenberg. Consumers "don't have a lot of choice" in the home broadband marketplace, Kronenberg said. Providers offering broadband service need only the nondiscriminatory access and rights provided through reclassification to "build the networks faster and more affordably," she said. "Most consumers do not have Title II-regulated services for their communications needs," Hedayati added. A national framework established at the FCC that is ultimately responsible for ensuring consumers and businesses have access to affordable services and choice is necessary, Kronenberg said, because "we don't have a place to really go right now to say there's an issue" when one is identified.

FCC Enforcement Bureau announces Alice Suh Jou, ex-DOJ, as assistant bureau chief and Jolina Cuaresma, former Common Sense Media, as senior policy counsel, with both to participate on Enforcement Bureau-led Privacy and Data Protection Task Force … Future of Privacy Forum appoints Anne Flanagan, ex-World Economic Forum’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, as vice president-AI … Incompas hires Keith Matthews, Mortgage Bankers Association, as digital media manager.

IRobot announces departure of CEO-Chairman Colin Angle, with Chief Legal Officer Glen Weinstein becoming interim CEO and board member Andrew Miller becoming chairman (see 2401290044); Amazon and iRobot announced Monday their agreement to terminate their pending merger, citing "no path to regulatory approval in the European Union" … FCC Enforcement Bureau announces Alice Suh Jou, ex-DOJ, as assistant bureau chief and Jolina Cuaresma, former Common Sense Media, as senior policy counsel, with both to participate on Enforcement Bureau-led Privacy and Data Protection Task Force … Future of Privacy Forum appoints Anne Flanagan, ex-World Economic Forum’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, as vice president-AI … Incompas hires Keith Matthews, Mortgage Bankers Association, as digital media manager … Ericsson promotes Chafic Nassif to senior vice president-head, Northeast Asia market area … Mitel hires Black Box’s Jonathan Buckle, also former Carousel Industries and Avaya, to lead sales strategy and execution-the Americas ... Cadent, converged TV advertising platform, adds Greg Coleman, entrepreneur in residence at Lerer Hippeau Ventures, also former BuzzFeed president, to its board ... Sonos adds Rocket Companies Chief Marketing Officer Jonathan Mildenhall to its board ... SES AI, developer and producer of lithium-metal batteries for electric vehicles, adds former Intel CEO Brian Krzanich to its board, expanding it to seven members.

Public Knowledge hires Stephen Bennett, ex-Institute for Palestine Studies-USA, as director-development and external affairs; Alisa Valentin, ex-National Urban League and ex-FCC, as broadband policy director; Nat Purser, former Center for Economic and Policy Research, as government affairs policy advocate; and Georgetown Law Communications and Technology Law Clinic’s Lauren Harriman as fellow … Free State Foundation announces former FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly as adjunct senior fellow, launching video podcast, TMT With Mike O’Rielly.

Public Knowledge hires Stephen Bennett, ex-Institute for Palestine Studies-USA, as director-development and external affairs; Alisa Valentin, ex-National Urban League and ex-FCC, as broadband policy director; Nat Purser, former Center for Economic and Policy Research, as government affairs policy advocate; and Georgetown Law Communications and Technology Law Clinic’s Lauren Harriman as fellow … Free State Foundation announces former FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly as adjunct senior fellow, launching video podcast, “TMT With Mike O’Rielly” … Ericsson promotes Niklas Heuveldop to head-business area global communications platform and CEO-Vonage and Yossi Cohen to senior vice president-head, market area North America, both effective Feb. 1; Heuveldop succeeds Rory Read, stepping down Feb. 1 and leaving end of Q1 … Protiviti Consulting elevates 36 staffers including for technology: Nick Britton, Pierce Chakraborty, Andre Cilurzo, James Eick, Joseph Emerson, Chris Hanson, Joe Marcum and Hirun Tantirigama as managing directors and Willy Alvarado as senior director … Verrill names Keefe Clemons, ex-Verizon, partner-energy, telecommunications and natural resources group.

Twenty-six attorneys general urged the FCC to use its AI notice of inquiry to clarify that AI-generated calls mimicking human voices are considered “an artificial voice” under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Reply comments on a November notice of inquiry (see 2311160028) were due Tuesday and posted Wednesday in docket 23-362. In initial comments, CTIA and USTelecom urged that the FCC allow flexibility in how providers use AI (see 2312200039).

Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., and Senate Agriculture Rural Development Subcommittee Chairman Peter Welch, D-Vt., led filing Wednesday of the Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act to give the initiative stopgap funding through the rest of the year, as expected (see 2401090074). The measure would allocate ACP $7 billion for FY 2024, mirroring an earlier draft of the measure Clarke circulated in recent weeks. The FCC estimates the program could exhaust its original $14.2 billion appropriation in April. Congress’ appetite for providing the program more money remains in question given misgivings among top Republicans on the House and Senate Commerce committees (see 2312210074), although several Republicans signed on as ACP Extension Act sponsors at filing: Sen. J.D. Vance (Ohio), Sen. Kevin Cramer (N.D.), Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), and New York Reps. Anthony D’Esposito, Mike Lawler and Marc Molinaro. The measure “provides a transformative opportunity to bridge the gap of the digital divide for communities of color, urban and rural families, and so many more underserved Americans,” Clarke said in a statement. “Access to high-speed internet isn’t a luxury anymore, it’s a necessity,” Welch said. “That’s why it’s never been so important to avoid this funding cliff and extend the ACP.” Welch’s office cited support from more than 400 companies, groups and other entities, including FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and her fellow Democratic Commissioners Anna Gomez and Geoffrey Starks. In addition, several major ISPs and related industry groups are backing the measure: AT&T, Charter, Comcast, Cox Communications, Incompas, NTCA, T-Mobile, USTelecom, Verizon, Wireless Infrastructure Association and WTA. Others supporting the ACP Extension Act: the AFL-CIO, American Civil Liberties Union, Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, Communications Workers of America, Fiber Broadband Association, Free Press, NAACP, Pew Charitable Trusts and Public Knowledge.

Leaders of the 12 GHz for 5G Coalition told us they expect an order opening use of the lower 12 GHz band for fixed-wireless in Q1 2024. The group's leaders had hoped for action by the end of this year, after commissioners approved a Further NPRM in May examining the band's future (see 2309110061).