Competition/Antitrust
FCC Announces Tentative Agenda for April 2023 Open Meeting
Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced that the items below are tentatively on the agenda for the April Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, April 25, 2024:
Competition in Multi Dwelling Units
Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced plans to introduce a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would expand customer choice in apartments, condos, public housing, and other multi-tenant buildings. The NPRM would allow tenants to opt out of bulk billing arrangements where landlords build broadband or cable TV into the price of rent.
Justice Department Sues Apple for Monopolizing Smartphone Markets
The Justice Department, joined by 16 other state and district attorneys general, filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Apple for monopolization or attempted monopolization of smartphone markets in violation of Section 2 of the Sherman Act. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, alleges that Apple illegally maintains a monopoly over smartphones by selectively imposing contractual restrictions on, and withholding critical access points from, developers.
Lawmakers Introduce the Bipartisan Satellite and Telecommunications Streamlining Act
U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) introduced the Satellite and Telecommunications Streamlining Act. This legislation would:
Shifting Signals Create Uncertainty for Rural Broadband Consolidation
CoBank's report reviews why the wireless and cable industries consolidated, and assess what could happen in the rural broadband market. Findings include:
Internet providers have left rural Americans behind. One county is fighting back
Congress is spending $65 billion to connect the rural United States to the world. Orangeburg (SC) knows the stakes better than anywhere. Like hundreds of rural counties across the US, Orangeburg is ignored by commercial broadband service providers who think it’s not profitable to lay fiber optic lines in the area. In the absence of service from companies like AT&T, Comcast, Verizon and Charter, counties and small towns in rural America could build broadband networks for their residents themselves, which can make the difference between prosperity and poverty.
Edison (NJ) gets $2 million grant to kick-start municipal broadband but feasibility questions remain
The township of Edison (NJ) has received a $2 million grant from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs to expand municipal broadband services. The Township Council passed a resolution accepting the grant, and Edison now has a 24-month period to build a portion of the infrastructure, part of which is a server, as well as a business plan which is expected to be completed soon, officials said. Previously officials have said the business plan would look at the strengths and weaknesses of municipal broadband and determine market competition.
UScellular grapples with cable's rise in wireless
The good news is UScellular ended 2023 with 114,000 fixed wireless access (FWA) customers. The bad news? The company lost about 53,000 postpaid phone customers, exacerbating a string of previous losses. Besides competing with the Big 3 mobile carriers, UScellular, a regional wireless carrier, is grappling with the rise of cable companies in wireless.
Lumen to maintain fiber buildout pace in 2024—but is it fast enough?
Lumen Technologies expects to build fiber to an additional 500,000 locations in 2024, matching its pace for 2023. However, some industry watchers believe Lumen could open itself up to fiber overbuilders if it can't accelerate its pace. During Q4 2023, Lumen deployed fiber to another 126,000 new locations, down from 141,000 in the prior period, but ahead of the 113,000 that analysts were expecting.