CommLaw Monitor

News and analysis from Kelley Drye’s communications practice group

FCC Previews Summer Blockbuster Meeting, With USF Reform, Smallsat Licensing, and Anti-Spoofing Measures on Tap for August

Even with the dog days of summer upon us, the FCC shows no signs of slowing down on its policymaking priorities in a jam-packed agenda for its next open meeting on August 1, 2019. Headlining the agenda is a proposal to…

FCC Tees Up Mid- and High-Band Spectrum Auctions to Support 5G at July Open Meeting

Continuing its push to free up spectrum to support next-generation 5G services, the FCC plans to move forward on auctions of both mid- and high-band spectrum for commercial mobile use at its next open meeting…

Proposed USF Cap Comment Deadlines Announced

The FCC’s proposed rulemaking to establish an overall budget cap on the Universal Service Fund (“USF”) was published in the Federal Register on June 13, 2019, which sets the comment deadline on July 15, 2019, and the…

Does the Universal Service Fund Need a Cap? A Divided FCC Begins its Inquiry

On Friday, May 31, 2019, the FCC released a much-anticipated notice of proposed rulemaking (“NPRM”) to consider the adoption of an overall budget cap on the Universal Service Fund (“USF”), separate from any individual…

FCC Plans to Eliminate Rural “Rate Floor,” Heading Off Potential Price Hikes

The FCC plans to adopt an order eliminating the controversial rural “ rate floor ” that restricts the amount of Universal Service Fund (“USF”) support received by some carriers to build and maintain networks in…