Federal Communications Commission

The Federal Communications Commission proposed $4,353,773.87 in fines against 73 applicants in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund auction (Auction 904) for apparently violating FCC requirements by defaulting on their bids between July 26, 2021 and March 10, 2022. The FCC provided clear guidance in its rules and notices on the monetary forfeitures associated with defaults in Auction 904. The bid defaults prevented 1,702 census block groups with 129,909 estimated locations in 36 states from seeing timely new investments in broadband infrastructure.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel sent letters to Reps Bob Latta (R-OH) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) on June 30, 2022, in response to their letter on the FCC’s fiscal year 2023 proposed budget and full-time equivalent employees.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel wrote to the top 15 mobile providers requesting information about their data retention and data privacy policies and general practices. In the letters of inquiry, Chairwoman Rosenworcel asks about their policies around geolocation data, such as how long geolocation data is retained and why and what the current safeguards are to protect this sensitive information.

Federal Communications Commissioner Geoffrey Starks announced several changes to his team. Austin Bonner, Acting Chief of Staff and Legal Advisor for media and consumer protection issues, has departed Starks’s office. She heads to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy on detail. Justin Faulb, Starks’s Wireline and National Security Advisor, will serve as Chief of Staff. Joining the office as Legal Advisor for media and consumer protection issues is Hannah Lepow.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said the FCC needs an additional $3 billion to fund the removal and replacement of telecommunications equipment from Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE over national security concerns, which would bring the total cost of the program to $4.98 billion. In a letter to Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Rosenworcel said without extra funds, the FCC would use the "prioritization scheme" specified by Congress for the program.

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau announces the approved applications for reimbursement submitted in the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program. The funding made available through these approvals will support providers of advanced communications services as they remove potential national security vulnerabilities from their systems. A total of 181 applications seeking approximately $5.6 billion in gross program support were filed in the Reimbursement Program.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has circulated to her colleagues a Notice of Inquiry that would kick off the agency’s annual evaluation of the state of broadband across the country. As part of this assessment, Chairwoman Rosenworcel proposed increasing the national standard for minimum broadband speeds and proposed setting a long-term goal for broadband speed.