NTIA joined the submarine cable industry in voicing concerns about parts of the FCC's proposed rewrite of its subsea cable rules. In docket 24-523 reply comments this week, NTIA, the subsea cable industry and allies called instead for using the proceeding to streamline existing rules. FCC Commissioners adopted the subsea cable NPRM unanimously in November (see 2411210006). Initial comments on the NPRM saw pushback from industry (see 2504150002).

A few tweaks are likely for the “bad labs” order and Further NPRM set for a vote at Thursday's FCC meeting, industry officials active in the proceeding told us. The item is expected to receive unanimous approval. It would prohibit FCC recognition of a telecommunications certification body, lab or lab accreditation body owned by a company on the agency’s covered list and other government rosters of unsecure companies (see 2505010037).

Incompas is asking to add 30 days to what it called an "extremely short comment deadline" for public notices related to EchoStar's 5G network buildout and spectrum use. The notices raise "important and complex policy questions ... pertaining to the rights of licensees to their spectrum and the Commission’s authority to impinge upon those rights," it said in a time-extension motion posted Monday (docket 25-173). Both public notices -- about whether EchoStar is using the 2 GHz band for mobile satellite service consistent with its authorizations and about a proposed reconsideration of EchoStar's extended 5G network buildout deadlines -- have an initial comment deadline of May 27 (see 2505130003).

Incompas names Staci Pies, formerly Crown Castle, as senior vice president-government affairs and policy, effective June 2 ... Telus elects to board: Raymond Chan, ex-Baytex Energy; Hazel Claxton, formerly Morneau Shepell; Lisa de Wilde, York University; Victor Dodig, CIBC; Darren Entwistle, Telus; Thomas Flynn, ex-BMO Financial Group; Mary Jo Haddad, MJH & Associates; Martha Hall Findlay, University of Calgary; Christine Magee, Sleep Country Canada; John Manley, Bennett Jones and Jefferies Securities (chair); David Mowat, formerly ATB Financial; Marc Parent, CAE; Denise Pickett, American Express; and Sean Willy, Des Nedhe Development … Commerce Department adds Christy Lewis, ex-Senate Commerce Committee, to its Office of the General Counsel.

Incompas is joining telecom industry voices in raising concerns about the FCC's proposed $4.5 million fine against Telnyx. The proposed penalty (see 2503050026), which stems from robocalls made on Telnyx's network, goes against the FCC's "know your customer" (KYC) guidelines and is essentially regulation by enforcement, Incompas said Tuesday (docket 17-59). Fining Telnyx when it promptly addressed the issue "risks subjecting voice service providers to a strict liability standard, compelling the adoption of KYC measures that may be ineffective for a particular provider, and chilling providers self-reporting for fear of punitive consequences," Incompas said. The Cloud Communications Alliance and Voice on the Net Coalition have also criticized the notice of apparent liability (see 2503110023).

What will come out of the FCC’s “Delete” proceeding is hard to say at this point, since it builds on other FCC efforts to cut regulations, experts said during a webinar Wednesday by the Center for Business and Public Policy at Georgetown University. The FCC has logged more than 1,100 comments so far in docket 25-133, with replies due this week (see 2504290054 and 2504290038).

SpaceX urged the FCC to tweak a draft order on the 37 GHz band to make clear that the coordination mechanism proposed for sharing the spectrum is based on the Part 101 rules for the 70/80/90 GHz band. Others also weighed in just ahead of the FCC’s sunshine notice Monday, cutting off further lobbying. Commissioners are to vote on the order Monday (see 2504070054).

Incompas CEO Chip Pickering said Tuesday’s White House memorandum on permitting “will accelerate the deployment of high-speed broadband networks, robust energy grids and advanced data centers” and help America win the global AI race, according to a release Friday. “By directing federal agencies to eliminate paper-based processes, implement automation and establish the Permitting Innovation Center, the administration is removing the roadblocks that have hindered our technological advancement,” Pickering said. The memorandum called for the Council on Environmental Quality and the National Energy Dominance Council to issue a plan for modernizing federal environmental review and permitting processes for infrastructure projects. “The administration's commitment to deliver results at 21st-century speeds demonstrates a clear understanding that America's AI leadership depends on our ability to build physical infrastructure efficiently,” Pickering said.

Better submarine cable network security starts with walling off untrusted vendors and adversary nations, trade groups and national security interests told the FCC in docket 24-523 this week. Many criticized the NPRM -- which proposes rules changes aimed at addressing national security and law enforcement threats to cables -- as creating more complexity and burdensome regulations and flying in the face of the FCC's "Delete, Delete, Delete" deregulatory agenda. Commissioners adopted the subsea cable NPRM unanimously in November (see 2411210006). The subsea cable industry has said it hoped the Trump administration would alleviate the particularly onerous regulatory burdens it faces (see 2502260042).

CTIA offered the FCC a list of programs for streamlining through the commission’s “Delete” proceeding in comments posted Monday in docket 25-133. In addition, USTelecom recommended “eliminating, streamlining, or reforming” some 3,000 rules in the "Code of Federal Regulations." The comments provide commission staff with thousands of suggestions to wade through as they evaluate changes the telecom industry suggested. As of late Monday, the commission has received nearly 900 comments in the proceeding (see 2504140063 and 2504140037).