Incompas and some of its members met with FCC Wireline Bureau staff on infrastructure issues, said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 17-84. Among the companies represented were Crown Castle, C-Spire, Arcadian Infracom, PBI Fiber and Zayo. Incompas members “discussed the substantial investments in infrastructure and technologies they have made to deliver competitive communications services to customers in urban, suburban, and rural communities across the country,” the filing said. “Members also described current state and local permitting and franchising requirements, including the timelines and costs impacting broadband deployment. We also provided examples of variances in these requirements between jurisdictions.”
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the FCC’s USF contribution scheme in a 6-3 opinion Friday in Consumers’ Research v. FCC, but dissenting and concurring opinions from several conservative justices appeared to invite future challenges, attorneys told us.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and Democratic Commissioner Anna Gomez were among many communications policymakers and stakeholders who congratulated Republican Commissioner-designate Olivia Trusty on Tuesday night and Wednesday. The Senate voted 53-45 Wednesday to confirm Trusty to a five-year term that begins July 1 (see 2506180076). It cleared her Tuesday to finish the term of former Democratic Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, which ends June 30 (see 2506170072).
Republican Olivia Trusty’s confirmation Wednesday to a full five-year FCC term cements an incoming GOP majority at the commission, but there's still substantial uncertainty about whether President Donald Trump will pick nominees to succeed ex-Commissioners Nathan Simington and Geoffrey Starks, former officials and other observers told us. The Senate voted 53-45 Wednesday to confirm Trusty, as expected (see 2506170072). Senators also cleared her Tuesday to finish former Democratic Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel's term, which ends June 30.
The Senate Finance Committee's portion of the chamber’s proposed budget reconciliation package, released Monday night, omits language from the Broadband Grant Tax Treatment Act (HR-1873/S-674) that Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., and others were seeking. The measure would amend the Internal Revenue Code to allow broadband grants enacted via the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and American Rescue Plan Act, including NTIA's $42.5 billion BEAD program, to not count as gross income (see 2503050073). Moran said during an Incompas event in March that the reconciliation process was “probably the only possibility” for moving S-674, given that the forthcoming legislative package aims to extend tax cuts enacted during the first Trump administration (see 2503110058).
Telecommunications infrastructure provider FBR Solutions appoints Matthew Glass, formerly Bluestream Professional Services, as CEO ... Incompas names Jane Hopson as administrative and policy support manager.
Senate Commerce Committee Republicans released the panel's portion of a budget reconciliation bill Thursday night with language that proposes mandating that the FCC sell at least 800 MHz of reallocated spectrum, as expected (see 2506050064). Some communications industry groups praised the measure, but observers said they expect other stakeholders to criticize it. Lobbyists said they expect that Senate Commerce Democrats will likely vote against the proposal, as party-affiliated House Commerce Committee members did last month when that panel marked up its part (see 2505140062) of what became the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (HR-1).
If the U.S. wants to win on AI, it must focus on telecom regulatory issues like permitting, Incompas CEO Chip Pickering told the House Communications Subcommittee on Wednesday. Pickering spoke during a hearing on how U.S. communications networks can support AI.
As the subject of two FCC probes, EchoStar has received backing from various industry groups and others, but it also faces new questions about how well it's complying with the terms of its 5G network buildout. That's according to docket 25-173 and 22-212 comments, which were due Tuesday in a pair of public notices: one on whether EchoStar is using the 2 GHz band for mobile satellite service (MSS), consistent with its authorizations, and the other seeking further comment on VTel Wireless' recon petition regarding an extension of EchoStar's 5G network buildout deadlines (see 2505130003).
SpaceX's efforts to access the 2 GHz band -- where EchoStar enjoys sole use -- are key to its direct-to-device ambitions, but they're also creating a major spectrum fight between the two companies, spectrum and satellite experts told us. Some see SpaceX eyeing the spectrum to enhance its D2D service and to block EchoStar's and are asking if SpaceX anticipates competing directly with wireless carriers.