The fiber industry and proponents of alternative connectivity technologies butted heads Wednesday over the viability of their solutions. During a Broadband Breakfast webinar, Fiber Broadband Association CEO Gary Bolton repeatedly called low earth orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity, such as SpaceX's Starlink service, "unreliable" -- language that other panelists challenged.

District of Columbia emergency officials opposed a D.C. Council bill aimed at increasing transparency at the Office of Unified Communications 911 center. During a livestreamed Judiciary and Public Safety Committee hearing Wednesday, OUC Director Heather McGaffin raised privacy concerns about the bill, noting calls from people in sensitive situations might be made public. However, Dave Statter, a former journalist who regularly blogs about OUC errors, said privacy concerns are overblown and more transparency could help. But he said the bill doesn't go far enough.

Digital First Project Executive Director Nathan Leamer on Wednesday said whoever chairs the FCC during the next administration should take on a more forceful role in advocating for Congress to renew the commission’s lapsed spectrum auction authority. Leamer, who served as an aide to former FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, said during a Georgetown University Center for Business and Public Policy webcast that whichever party wins the White House Nov. 5 will reexamine broadband affordability issues. He believes the FCC will have to brace for the impact of potential federal court rulings striking down its recent orders reclassifying broadband as a Communications Act Title II service and instituting anti-digital discrimination rules.

Incarcerated people's communications services (IPCS) providers and public interest groups urged the FCC to revise its proposed rules on rate caps for video IPCS (see 2409200019). Commissioners adopted the Further NPRM in July along with an order lowering rates for audio IPCS and establishing interim rate caps for video IPCS. Providers opposed establishing service quality standards and expanding the definition of a correctional facility in comments posted Tuesday in docket 23-62. Public interest groups sought additional data, allowing more refinement of interim rate caps.

The California Public Utilities Commission is mulling ways it can support broadband adoption in the wake of the federal affordable connectivity (ACP) program ending, Communications Division Director Rob Osborn said during the California Broadband Council’s meeting Tuesday. The state is making significant progress advancing its broadband-for-all goals, reported Scott Adams, deputy director of the California Department of Technology (CDT) broadband and digital literacy office.

A staunch opponent of giving FirstNet access to the 4.9 GHz band says the FCC decision to do that will head to court. The approved order, released Tuesday, said its aim is "more robust use" of the band, with FirstNet able to use unassigned spectrum in the band. Coalition for Emergency Response and Critical Infrastructure (CERCI) Chairman Kenneth Corey called the FCC order "unlawful, unnecessary, and an affront to public safety communications professionals across the country." He added, "This decision will be challenged and will be litigated."

NAB CEO Curtis LeGeyt denounced threats of government action against broadcast licenses after Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump sent CBS legal threats and a court affidavit indicated the Florida Governor's Office was behind that state’s efforts to prosecute TV stations that carried an abortion rights ad (see 2410180050). Although Trump has publicly called for federal action against broadcast licenses nearly every other week since his September debate with the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, NAB was silent on the issue until now.

DOJ will push to end Google’s distribution agreements with companies like Apple, but a structural breakup isn’t likely to gain traction in the department’s antitrust lawsuit against the search giant, former DOJ and FTC officials said Tuesday (see 2410090035, 2410100036 and 2410160035).

Some candidates for state utility commissions promised to take on broadband and other telecom matters if they win election this year. Eight states will elect utility regulators this year: Alabama, Arizona, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota. In addition, a New Mexico ballot question will ask voters to authorize millions of dollars for upgrading public safety communications. Meanwhile, Oregon voters will consider a universal basic income that would require Comcast and other big companies to foot the bill.

The FCC’s order on collecting broadcaster workforce diversity data is outside its authority and violates the Constitution, said a reply brief from the National Religious Broadcasters, the American Family Association and the Texas Association of Broadcasters filed Friday in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (see 2410070023). “The FCC fails to identify any statutory provision or delegated function furthered by the Order,” said the filing. “Noticeably absent is any quote from statutory text. That’s because none exists,” it added. The equal employment opportunity order is “unlawful because the government requires race- and sex-based classifications, and seeks to pressure broadcasters to treat applicants differently based on race and sex,” said the groups.