In recent years, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has worked closely with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and other executive branch national security agencies to restrict China’s influence on U.S....more
2/4/2022
/ China ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Security ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
FCC ,
National Security ,
Privacy Laws ,
Revocation ,
Technology ,
Telecommunications ,
Trump Administration
President Biden recently signed the long-awaited bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The law allocates over $1 trillion in new and repurposed funds to upgrade the country’s infrastructure. This funding...more
11/12/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Broadband ,
Community Development ,
FCC ,
Infrastructure ,
Infrastructure Financing ,
Internet ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Legislation ,
Nutrition Facts Labels ,
Telecommunications Act
President Biden’s recent “Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy” (Order) promotes fair competition regulations across a diverse group of key U.S. industries, including telecom, technology, banking...more
7/14/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Broadband ,
Executive Orders ,
FCC ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Government Agencies ,
Net Neutrality ,
Right to Repair ,
Technology Sector ,
Telecommunications ,
Trump Administration
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in FCC v. Prometheus Radio Project et al. is significant for both the decision’s effect on the regulation of the broadcast television industry and its clarifications of administrative law. ...more
Shortly after his inauguration, President Biden appointed Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel as acting chairwoman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Acting Chairwoman Rosenworcel is expected to pursue the...more
2/2/2021
/ 5G Network ,
Acquisitions ,
Biden Administration ,
Broadcasting ,
Caller ID Services ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cybersecurity ,
Digital Divide ,
Disabilities ,
Emergency Response ,
Enforcement ,
FCC ,
Infrastructure ,
Media ,
Mergers ,
Net Neutrality ,
New Legislation ,
Popular ,
Relief Measures ,
Robocalling ,
Spam ,
Telecommunications ,
Transparency ,
Trump Administration
What can we expect from the Federal Communications Commission from the incoming administration of President-elect Biden? While we don’t have a crystal ball, we know that the president-elect has pledged to “build back better,”...more
11/18/2020
/ 5G Network ,
Biden Administration ,
Broadband Privacy Rules ,
Communications Decency Act ,
Digital Divide ,
End-Users ,
Enforcement ,
FCC ,
Misrepresentation ,
Net Neutrality ,
Reversal ,
Section 230 ,
Social Media ,
Social Networks ,
Telecommunications ,
Trump Administration
In a recent decision, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit largely upheld three Federal Communications Commission (FCC) orders intended to facilitate the rapid deployment of 5G wireless facilities...more
8/23/2020
/ 5G Network ,
Cell Towers ,
Deadlines ,
FCC ,
Fees ,
Infrastructure ,
Land Use Restrictions ,
Moratorium ,
Municipalities ,
Popular ,
State and Local Government ,
Telecommunications ,
Wireless Industry
The Federal Communications Commission unanimously voted on June 9, 2020, to adopt a Declaratory Ruling and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to promote broadcast internet services through a new broadcast standard called ATSC 3.0....more
International trade and cyber security issues, compounded by the coronavirus pandemic, have increased existing tensions and distrust between the United States and China. At the same time, the Federal Communications Commission...more
In response to great interest from Silicon Valley, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai has released draft rules that would make valuable spectrum available for unlicensed wireless broadband services (i.e.,...more
Update 04.10.2020: The FCC has launched an online portal explaining the application process for grants from the $200 million in funding to support telehealth services described in this client update. The FCC will begin...more
4/16/2020
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Emergency Response ,
FCC ,
Filing Requirements ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
Medicare ,
OCR ,
Physician Medicare Reimbursements ,
Physicians ,
Public Health ,
Relief Measures ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine ,
Waivers
The U.S. government and industry face pressure to compete with China, the EU, and others in the race to implement the next great advance in wireless network technology known as 5G. To this end, the Federal Communications...more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit added a new chapter in the ongoing saga over how and whether to regulate providers of broadband internet access service when, on October 1, 2019, it largely...more
10/14/2019
/ Arbitrary and Capricious ,
Broadband ,
Communications Act 2003 ,
FCC ,
Internet ,
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) ,
Net Neutrality ,
Open Internet Rules ,
Preemption ,
Regulatory Authority ,
Telecommunications ,
Title I ,
Title II ,
Vacated
In a recent decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit struck down key portions of a 2018 order by the Federal Communications Commission that would have exempted certain small wireless facilities from...more
8/15/2019
/ 5G Network ,
Administrative Procedure Act ,
Amended Rules ,
Environmental Review ,
FCC ,
Historic Preservation ,
National Historic Preservation Act ,
NEPA ,
Telecommunications ,
Tribal Lands ,
Vacated ,
Wireless Facilities ,
Wireless Industry
The Federal Communications Commission recently adopted new measures to combat unwanted robocalls in a unanimous Declaratory Ruling and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. The Declaratory Ruling clarifies that carriers can...more
In a recent decision, the U.S. Supreme Court held that a federal district court was not necessarily bound by the Federal Communications Commission’s prior interpretation of a federal statute over which the agency has...more
6/24/2019
/ Administrative Orders ,
Administrative Procedure ,
Appellate Courts ,
Binding Precedent ,
Dismissals ,
Due Process ,
Exclusive Jurisdiction ,
FCC ,
Hobbs Act ,
Interpretive Rule ,
Judicial Review ,
Legislative Rule ,
PDR Network LLC v Carlton & Harris Chiropractic Inc ,
Remand ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Set-Asides ,
TCPA ,
Unsolicited Advertisements ,
Unsolicited Faxes ,
Vacated
As of January 1, 2019, video game developers and publishers are now subject to certain accessibility requirements under the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA) that apply to manufacturers...more
As of January 3, 2019, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has suspended most of its operations for the duration of the government shutdown due to the agency’s exhaustion of available funds. This alert summarizes how...more
In an effort to reform and streamline its formal complaint procedures, the Federal Communications Commission has issued a new uniform set of procedural rules. As the FCC acknowledged in its earlier Notice of Proposed...more
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently adopted a number of orders and proposed rules affecting the availability and use of millimeter-wave spectrum for advanced fifth generation (5G) wireless networks. This is...more
The Federal Communications Commission recently adopted an order containing sweeping regulatory changes to speed the deployment of advanced wireless services to provide connectivity for innovative Internet of Things, augmented...more
4/17/2018
/ 5G Network ,
Cell Towers ,
Deregulation ,
Environmental Assessments ,
FCC ,
Infrastructure ,
Land Use Restrictions ,
NEPA ,
NHPA ,
Statutory Requirements ,
Technology Sector ,
Telecommunications ,
Tribal Lands ,
Wireless Devices ,
Wireless Industry
Last Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (D.C. Circuit) issued its long-awaited decision in ACA International v. Federal Communications Commission, No. 15-1211 (D.C. Cir. Mar. 16, 2018). The...more
On the eve of Thanksgiving, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a draft order to repeal its own net neutrality rules. The order, which is expected to be voted upon and approved by a partisan 3-2 vote on...more
11/28/2017
/ Broadband Internet Access Services (BIAS) ,
Broadband Privacy Rules ,
Communications Act of 1934 ,
Congressional Review Act ,
FCC ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Net Neutrality ,
Open Internet Rules ,
Repeal ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Section 706 ,
Title I ,
Title II
Last year, the contentious net neutrality debate appeared to be finally settled when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit affirmed the FCC’s 2015 Open Internet Order.[1] But in May, the FCC launched...more
9/13/2017
/ Appeals ,
Broadband ,
Broadband Internet Access Services (BIAS) ,
Common Carriers ,
FCC ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) ,
Net Neutrality ,
Open Internet Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Rollbacks ,
Telecommunications ,
Title II ,
Trump Administration
Unsolicited robocalls are the top consumer complaint made to the Federal Communications Commission, which receives over 200,000 complaints a year. An estimated 2.5 billion robocalls are being made to consumers each month,...more
8/1/2017
/ Auto-Dialed Calls ,
Call Blocking ,
Comment Period ,
Consumer Fraud ,
FCC ,
Notice of Inquiry ,
NPRM ,
Public Comment ,
Robocalling ,
Spoofing ,
Unsolicited Phone Calls