Telecom Alert: April Open Meeting Agenda; USF Reporting Changes; Salt Typhoon Hearing; Undersea Cable Control Act [Volume XXII, Issue 14]
Carr Announces April Open Meeting Agenda Items
For the Commission’s April Open Meeting, Chairman Brendan Carr announced that he plans for the Commission to address a new licensing framework for the lower 37 GHz band in order to utilize underused spectrum more efficiently in the band, and expand shared public and private opportunities by freeing up 600 MHz of spectrum. Carr’s announcement mirrors recommendations from the Biden Administration to adopt a shared-use framework for the lower 37 GHz band, and public notices seeking comment on non-federal uses. Additionally, Carr announced the Commission will consider updates to the satellite spectrum rules, such as revising power limits for non-geostationary satellite systems, as well as further revisions to the STIR/SHAKEN framework regarding caller ID authentication measures. These agenda items are tentative, and a finalized schedule will be issued via public notice one week before the meeting scheduled for April 28th. For more information, please contact Wes Wright (wright@khlaw.com; 202.434.4239) or Tim Doughty (doughty@khlaw.com; 202-434-4271).
FCC Proposes Changes to USF Reporting
The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB) is seeking comment on proposed changes for the 2026 Forms 499-A and 499-Q, used to report 2025 revenues on an annual and quarterly basis. The WCB wishes to make line-item clarifications to the Form 499-A, including requirements to report tower leases under “non-telecommunication services revenues” while removing reporting for the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program on Line 308 of the form, among other changes. Additionally, the WCB wishes to update the circulatory factor measurement on the Form 499-Q to reflect the Fourth Quarter 2025 contribution factor announcement. The WCB has provided redlined versions of the forms for review, and is requesting all comments be filed by May 5, 2025. For more information, please contact Casey Lide (lide@khlaw.com; 202.434.4186) or Sean Stokes (stokes@khlaw.com; 410.458.1342).
House Oversight Holds Salt Typhoon Hearing
Last Wednesday, members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s military and foreign affairs subcommittee heard testimony from subject-matter experts on the fallout from the Salt Typhoon cyberattack on critical infrastructure. Panelist Matt Blaze, a professor of computer science and law at Georgetown University, stated that the federal government needs to revisit the CALEA protocols implemented by telecommunications providers to assist in wiretaps, as the same security plans also created backdoor vulnerabilities for third-party hacking. Panelist Josh Steinman, CEO of Galvanick, Inc., recommended increased resilience measures and testing to ensure all critical infrastructure can withstand foreign cyberattacks. Subcommittee members echoed these sentiments, calling for more detailed annual certifications and inter-agency coordination. For more information, please contact Wes Wright (wright@khlaw.com; 202.434.4239) or Tim Doughty (doughty@khlaw.com; 202-434-4271).
Kean Introduces Undersea Cable Bill
Last week, Representative Tom Kean Jr. (R-NJ) introduced the Undersea Cable Control Act, which would have the Secretaries of Commerce and State develop a strategy to restrict foreign adversaries form acquiring equipment and services necessary for constructing undersea cables. The Act would also have the President enter into bilateral and multilateral agreements with allies to secure existing undersea cables, and cooperate on protecting further sabotage from foreign interference. Rep. Kean’s efforts build upon prior momentum to pass a similar bill in 2018 by Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL). For more information, please contact Wes Wright (wright@khlaw.com; 202.434.4239) or Tim Doughty (doughty@khlaw.com; 202-434-4271).
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