CommLaw Monitor

News and analysis from Kelley Drye’s communications practice group

FCC Announces May 15th Deadline for Rural Call Completion Intermediate Provider Registration

Continuing to implement the FCC’s rules to improve service to rural areas, the FCC announced that all “intermediate providers” (i.e., entities that carry, but do not originate, long distance traffic) must register with…

FCC to Deny Chinese Telecom Provider Access to U.S. Market, Citing National Security Concerns

The FCC plans to bar a Chinese telecommunications provider from offering international telecommunications service between the United States and foreign points based on national security concerns at its next open…

4th Circuit Declares Government Debt Exemption to the TCPA Unconstitutional, But Leaves the Rest of the Statute Intact

Since its adoption, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”) has periodically been attacked as unconstitutional on grounds that it violates the First Amendment right to free speech due to its content-based…

FCC Plans to Bar Chinese Telecom Provider from U.S. Market and Open Up More Shared Use Spectrum at May Open Meeting

Highlighting recent network security and corporate espionage issues involving foreign-owned carriers, the FCC plans to take the unprecedented step of denying a Chinese telecommunications provider’s application to offer…

FCC Adopts Procedures to Set the Stage for Second-Ever Incentive Auction in Late 2019

The Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”), at its April 12, 2019 Open Meeting, voted to adopt a Public Notice that proposes application and bidding procedures for the single, simultaneous auction of three mmW…