Telecom Alert - AT&T to Acquire Straight Path; Acumen Licenses Revoked; Satellite Consensus Plan; Pai Terminates Airplane Cellphone Docket; Upcoming Events - Vol. XIV, Issue 16
AT&T to Acquire Straight Path
AT&T announced the Company’s intention to acquire Straight Path Communications Inc. for $1.6 billion last week. In January, the FCC Enforcement Bureau entered a consent decree with Straight Path Communications, which required Straight Path to forfeit $15 million in civil penalties and 196 of its 39GHz licenses, and sell the remainder of its license portfolio (Vol. XIV, Issue 3). The acquisition would give AT&T access to additional millimeter-wave band spectrum in the 28 and 39 GHz bands to support and accelerate 5G deployment. Reportedly, Verizon may be readying a more aggressive bid. For more information, please contact Greg Kunkle (kunkle@khlaw.com; 202.434.4178).
FCC Revokes all Acumen Licenses
An FCC Administrative Law Judge issued an Order revoking all current Acumen licenses and denying all pending wireless radio applications filed by the company for failing to appear at a recent show cause hearing (Vol. XIV, Issue 3). The hearing was scheduled to determine whether Acumen “repeatedly made misrepresentations to and lacked candor with the Commission in failing to disclose the felony conviction” of Acumen executive, Hector Mosquera. For more information, please contact Wes Wright (wright@khlaw.com; 202.434.4239).
Satellite Broadband Operators Recommend Plan for 47 GHz and 50 GHz Bands
Last week, EchoStar Satellite Operating Corporation, Hughes Network Systems, LLC, Inmarsat, Inc., Intelsat Corporation, and WorldVu Satellites Ltd. d/b/a OneWeb submitted an ex parte filing, which set forth a consensus plan for the 47 GHz and the 50 GHz bands. The plan divides the spectrum into four sub-bands, intending to balance the needs of Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) and Upper Microwave Flexible Use Service (UMFUS). UMFUS will have primary designation in bands 47.2-48.2 GHz, 50.4-51.4 GHz, and 51.4-54 GHz, and will not use 48.2-50.2 GHz. FSS will have primary designation in 48.2-50.2 and conditional operation in the other three bands. For more information, please contact Greg Kunkle (kunkle@khlaw.com; 202.434.4178).
Chairman Pai Circulates Order Terminating Airplane Cellphone Docket
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced that he is terminating an FCC proceeding that would have permitted airlines to allow passengers to use voice communication via cell phone above 10,000 feet. In a statement the Chairman stated that terminating the proposed rules is in the public interest and that “taking it off the table permanently will be a victory for Americans across the country who, like me, value a moment of quiet at 30,000 feet.” For more information, please contact Wes Wright (wright@khlaw.com; 202.434.4239).
S.E.E. Joint Use Committee Meeting
The Southeastern Electric Exchange Joint Use Committee Meeting will be held April 18-19, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. KH Partner Tom Magee will participate in a legal panel. For more information, please contact Tom Magee (magee@khlaw.com; 202.434.4128).
NTIA Technical Workshop Announcement
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced it will be hosting a technical assistance workshop to explain the funding and planning associated with broadband infrastructure projects for state and local governments. The workshop will be held this Wednesday, April 19, 2017, from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM at the Mesa Arts Center in Mesa, Arizona.
NEDAS NYC Spring Summit
The NEDAS NYC Spring Summit will be held this Thursday, April 20, 2017 from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. NEDAS focuses on in-building wireless DAS and small cell infrastructure.
ENTELEC Conference & Expo
The ENTELEC Conference & Expo will be held April 25-27, 2017 in Houston, Texas. The Conference & Expo is a great opportunity to network and build relationships with a diverse group of professionals from the petroleum, pipeline, natural gas and electric utility sectors. KH Partners Greg Kunkle and Wes Wright will be presenting at the Washington Roundtable on April 25, 2017 from 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM.
Join Us for The Connected Product Intensive
Keller and Heckman LLP will be holding a new seminar, The Connected Product Intensive: A Framework for Regulatory Compliance and Risk Management, May 2-3, 2017 in San Francisco, CA. The seminar will focus on the regulatory and litigation risks affecting connected products, and offer practical tips for compliance, risk avoidance, and risk management. Topics include drafting privacy policies, responding to data breaches, environmental considerations, FCC issues, handling product recalls and product liability litigation, energy efficiency considerations, advertising and marketing, and end-user license agreements.
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Keller and Heckman LLP's Telecom Business Alert is a complimentary weekly electronic update created by the Telecommunications Practice Group of Keller and Heckman LLP. All articles, videos, and quotations are on topics of general interest and do not constitute legal advice for particularized facts. Keller and Heckman LLP's Telecom Business Alert © 2015. All rights reserved. Articles may be copied with attribution. To sign up for our weekly alert, please send us an email at telecomalert@khlaw.com and provide us with your name and email. Please follow us on Twitter at @KHtelecom.