Federal Regulatory Agencies
Here's a look at documents from federal regulatory agencies
Featured Stories
NRC Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards to Fill Open Position
WASHINGTON, May 2 -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued the following news release:
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NRC Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards to Fill Open Position
ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is seeking qualified candidates for an open position on its Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards. The ACRS is a part-time advisory group that provides independent expert review and advice to the Commission on matters related to the safety of existing and proposed nuclear reactor facilities and on the adequacy of proposed reactor safety standards. The committee has a primary focus
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WASHINGTON, May 2 -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued the following news release:
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NRC Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards to Fill Open Position
ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is seeking qualified candidates for an open position on its Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards. The ACRS is a part-time advisory group that provides independent expert review and advice to the Commission on matters related to the safety of existing and proposed nuclear reactor facilities and on the adequacy of proposed reactor safety standards. The committee has a primary focuson unique and noteworthy safety issues associated with new licensing applications for existing and advanced reactors, regulatory initiatives and the increased utilization of fuels for novel power uprate applications for the operating reactor fleet.
Interested individuals can find candidate criteria and details in the Federal Register notice published today. Resumes will be accepted until July 30.
Resumes should be sent to Sandra Walker, ACRS, Mail Stop T2B50, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.
More information on the ACRS is available on the NRC's website (https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/organization/acrsfuncdesc).
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Original text here: https://www.nrc.gov/sites/default/files/cdn/doc-collection-news/2026/26-050.pdf
FEC Issues Digest for Week of April 27 - May 1, 2026
WASHINGTON, May 2 -- The Federal Election Commission issued the following weekly digest:
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Commission meetings and hearings
No open meetings or executive sessions were scheduled this week.
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Litigation
Bernegger v. FEC (Case No. 25-4072) On April 20, Plaintiff filed a Declaration in Support of Request for Clerk's Entry of Default Under Fed. R. Civ. P. 55(a) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Bernegger v. FEC (Case No. 26-106) On April 20, Plaintiff filed a Declaration in Support of Request for Clerk's Entry of Default Under Fed. R. Civ. P. 55(a) in the U.S.
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WASHINGTON, May 2 -- The Federal Election Commission issued the following weekly digest:
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Commission meetings and hearings
No open meetings or executive sessions were scheduled this week.
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Litigation
Bernegger v. FEC (Case No. 25-4072) On April 20, Plaintiff filed a Declaration in Support of Request for Clerk's Entry of Default Under Fed. R. Civ. P. 55(a) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Bernegger v. FEC (Case No. 26-106) On April 20, Plaintiff filed a Declaration in Support of Request for Clerk's Entry of Default Under Fed. R. Civ. P. 55(a) in the U.S.District Court for the District of Columbia. On April 29, the District Court issued a Minute Order granting in part Plaintiff's Motion for Entry of Default and Default Judgment.
McDonald v. FEC (Case No. 25-10830) On April 24, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued an Order Withholding Issuance of the Mandate and a Court Directive Requesting Response to the Appellant's Petition for Rehearing En Banc by May 4, 2026.
Seegers v. FEC (Case No. 26-276) On April 24, the Commission filed a Notice of Lack of Quorum in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
SMP v. FEC (Case No. 26-336) On April 27, Intervenor-Defendant National Republican Senatorial Committee filed a Motion to Dismiss and a Memorandum of Points and Authorities in Support of Its Motion to Dismiss in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
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Outreach
On April 28, Commissioner Dara Lindenbaum discussed Commission operations with students from Brigham Young University Law School.
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Regulations and agency procedures
Civil Penalty Adjustments. Civil monetary penalties within the Commission's jurisdiction will remain unchanged in 2026 from the amounts that were announced in the Federal Register for calendar year 2025. Per a Memorandum from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Commission's 2025 civil monetary penalties will continue to be used because OMB was unable to calculate the cost-of-living adjustment multiplier required to determine 2026 inflation adjustments as a result of the lapse in federal government appropriations that occurred in October 2025.
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Reports Due in 2026
The Commission has posted the 2026 Congressional Pre-Election Reporting Dates. Reporting schedules for all filers in 2026 are also available.
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Election Dates
The Commission has posted a list of 2026 Congressional Primary Dates.
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Upcoming educational opportunities
May 12-13, 2026: The Commission is scheduled to host a webinar for membership and labor organizations and their PACs.
June 2-3, 2026: The Commission is scheduled to host a webinar for trade associations and their PACs.
For more information on upcoming training opportunities, see the Commission's Trainings page.
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Upcoming reporting due dates
May 20: May Monthly Reports are due. For more information, see the 2026 Monthly Reporting schedule.
The Commission has posted filing information regarding the California 1st District Special General Election, scheduled for June 2, 2026, and Special Runoff Election (if necessary), scheduled for August 4, 2026.
The Commission has posted filing information regarding the California 14th District Special General Election, scheduled for June 16, 2026, and Special Runoff Election (if necessary), scheduled for August 18, 2026.
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Additional research materials
Contribution Limits: In addition to the current limits, the Commission has posted an archive of contribution limits that were in effect going back to the 1975-1976 election cycles.
Federal election results are available. The data was compiled from the official vote totals published by state election offices.
FEC Notify: Want to be notified by email when campaign finance reports are received by the agency? Sign up here.
The Combined Federal State Disclosure and Election Directory is available. This publication identifies the federal and state agencies responsible for the disclosure of campaign finances, lobbying, personal finances, public financing, candidates on the ballot, election results, spending on state initiatives, and other financial filings.
The Presidential Election Campaign Fund Tax Checkoff Chart provides information on balance of the Fund, monthly deposits into the Fund reported by the Department of the Treasury, payments from the Fund as certified by the FEC, and participation rates of taxpayers as reported by the Internal Revenue Service. For more information on the Presidential Public Funding Program, see the Public Funding of Presidential Elections page.
The FEC Record is available as a continuously updated online news source.
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Original text here: https://www.fec.gov/updates/week-of-april-27-may-1-2026/
FCC Wireline Competition Bureau Issues Public Notice: Reminding Providers of Incarcerated People's Communications Services of June 1, 2026 Deadline for Annual Reports & Certifications
WASHINGTON, May 2 -- The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau issued the following public notice (WC Dockets No. 23-62, 12-375) on May 1, 2026:
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By this Public Notice, the Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) reminds providers of incarcerated people's communications services (IPCS) that Annual Reports and Certifications, which are ordinarily due April 1 of each year, pursuant to section 64.6060 of the Commission's rules,/1 are due on June 1, 2026, this year consistent with the Bureau's March 2026 Public Notice extending the filing deadline./2 The current forms
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WASHINGTON, May 2 -- The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau issued the following public notice (WC Dockets No. 23-62, 12-375) on May 1, 2026:
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By this Public Notice, the Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) reminds providers of incarcerated people's communications services (IPCS) that Annual Reports and Certifications, which are ordinarily due April 1 of each year, pursuant to section 64.6060 of the Commission's rules,/1 are due on June 1, 2026, this year consistent with the Bureau's March 2026 Public Notice extending the filing deadline./2 The current formsand instructions, which are suitable for use for this year's Annual Reports and Certifications are available at https://www.fcc.gov/general/ipcs./3 All required data must be submitted using the electronic Word and Excel templates provided by the Commission, and in a machine-readable and manipulable format./4 Public versions of the reports shall also be filed in the electronic Word and Excel templates provided by the Commission, and in a machine-readable and manipulable format, using the Commission's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) at https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/./5
Any request for confidential treatment must adhere to the standard set forth in section 0.459(b) of the Commission's rules,/6 as applied in the ICS Annual Report Transparency Order./7 In that Order, the Bureau explained that information in the then-current Annual Reports regarding "facility names, inmate calling services rates, [and] the amounts of ancillary service charges" was not entitled to confidential treatment, given the "strong public interest in transparency surrounding rates, charges, terms, and fees for inmate calling services."/8 The Bureau also denied confidential treatment of information on average daily population, because it found no persuasive reason for protecting such information from public disclosure./9 These same confidentiality determinations applied to the Annual Reports filed in 2021 through 2025,/10 and remain applicable to the Annual Reports due June 1, 2026, providing required information for calendar year 2025.
As a result, the Bureau expects the majority of each Annual Report to be filed publicly via ECFS, with only limited requests, if necessary, for redaction from public inspection. We remind providers that requests for confidential treatment will be reviewed and will not be granted unless warranted./11
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Footnotes:
1/ 47 CFR Sec. 64.6060.
2/ The Annual Reports filing deadline was extended for 2026 filings by the Bureau in an Order released on February 25, 2026. See Incarcerated People's Communications Services; Implementation of the Martha Wright-Reed Act; Rates for Interstate Inmate Calling Services, WC Docket Nos. 23-62 and 12-375, Order, DA 26-189, at 1 (WCB Feb. 25, 2026); see also Wireline Competition Bureau Reminds Providers of Incarcerated People's Communications Services of the June 1, 2026 Deadline for Annual Reports and Certifications, WC Docket Nos. 23-62, 12-375, Public Notice, DA 26-276 (WCB Mar. 23, 2026).
3/ In preparing their annual reports, IPCS providers should use the current annual reporting instructions, templates and certification form listed at the indicated site.
4/ Incarcerated People's Communications Services Annual Reporting and Annual Certification Forms (FCC Forms 2301(a) and 2301(b)) Instructions at 5, available at https://www.fcc.gov/general/ipcs (Current IPCS Annual Reporting Instructions).
5/ See id.; Electronic Filing of Documents in Rulemaking Proceedings, 63 Fed. Reg. 24121 (May 1, 1998).
6/ 47 CFR Sec. 0.459(b); see id. Sec. 0.459(c) (specifying that "[c]asual requests [for confidential treatment] (including simply stamping pages 'confidential') . . . will not be considered").
7/ Rates for Interstate Inmate Calling Services, WC Docket No. 12-375, Order, 35 FCC Rcd 9267 (WCB 2020) (ICS Annual Report Transparency Order).
8/ Id. at 9267, para. 1.
9/ Id.
10/ Wireline Competition Bureau Announces OMB Approval of Revised IPCS Annual Reporting and Certification Requirements, WC Docket Nos. 23-62, 12-375, Public Notice, 40 FCC Rcd 7457 (WCB 2025); Wireline Competition Bureau Reminds Providers of Inmate Calling Services of the April 1, 2024 Deadline for Annual Reports and Certifications, WC Docket Nos. 23-62, 12-375, Public Notice, 39 FCC Rcd 1472 (WCB 2024); Wireline Competition Bureau Reminds Providers of Inmate Calling Services of the April 1, 2023 Deadline for Annual Reports and Certifications, WC Docket No. 12-375, Public Notice, 38 FCC Rcd 1377 (WCB 2023); Wireline Competition Bureau Reminds Providers of Inmate Calling Services of the April 1, 2022 Deadline for Annual Reports and Certifications, WC Docket No. 12-375, Public Notice, 37 FCC Rcd 1214 (WCB 2022); Wireline Competition Bureau Reminds Providers of Inmate Calling Services of the April 1, 2021 Deadline for Annual Reports and Certifications, WC Docket No. 12-375, Public Notice, 36 FCC Rcd 4764 (WCB 2021).
11/ See Incarcerated People's Communications Services; Implementation of the Martha Wright-Reed Act; Rates for Interstate Inmate Calling Services, WC Docket Nos. 23-62, 12-375, Protective Order, 38 FCC Rcd 2498, 2500, para. 4 (WCB 2023).
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Original text here: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-26-433A1.pdf
FCC Wireline Competition Bureau Issues Public Notice: Comments Invited on Section 214 Application to Discontinue Domestic Non-Dominant Carrier Telecommunications Services
WASHINGTON, May 2 -- The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau issued the following public notice (WC Docket No. 26-86) on May 1, 2026:
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Unless otherwise specified, the following procedures and dates apply to the application(s) (the Section 214 Discontinuance Application(s)) listed in the Appendix.
The Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau), upon initial review, has found the Section 214 Discontinuance Application(s) listed herein to be acceptable for filing and subject to the procedures set forth in Section 63.71 of the Commission's rules./1 The application(s) request
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WASHINGTON, May 2 -- The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau issued the following public notice (WC Docket No. 26-86) on May 1, 2026:
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Unless otherwise specified, the following procedures and dates apply to the application(s) (the Section 214 Discontinuance Application(s)) listed in the Appendix.
The Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau), upon initial review, has found the Section 214 Discontinuance Application(s) listed herein to be acceptable for filing and subject to the procedures set forth in Section 63.71 of the Commission's rules./1 The application(s) requestauthority, under section 214 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended,/2 and section 63.71 of the Commission's rules,/3 to discontinue, reduce, or impair certain domestic telecommunications service(s) (Affected Service(s)) in specified geographic areas (Service Area(s)) as applicable and as fully described in each application.
In accordance with section 63.71(f) of the Commission's rules, the Section 214 Discontinuance Application(s) listed in the Appendix will be deemed granted automatically on June 1, 2026, the 31st day after the release date of this public notice, unless the Commission notifies any applicant(s) that their grant will not be automatically effective./4 We note that the date on which an application for Commission authorization is deemed granted may be different from the date on which applicants are authorized to discontinue service ("Authorized Date"). Any applicant whose application has been deemed granted may discontinue their Affected Service(s) in their Service Area(s) on or after the authorized discontinuance date(s) specified in the Appendix, in accordance with their filed representations. Accordingly, pursuant to section 63.71(f), and the terms outlined in each application, absent further Commission action, each applicant may discontinue the Affected Service(s) in the Service Area(s) described in their application on or after the authorized discontinuance date(s) listed in the Appendix for that application. For purposes of computation of time when filing a petition for reconsideration, application for review, or petition for judicial review of the Commission's decision(s), the date of "public notice" shall be the later of the auto grant date stated above in this Public Notice, or the release date(s) of any further public notice(s) or order(s) announcing final Commission action, as applicable. Should no petitions for reconsideration, applications for review, or petitions for judicial review be timely filed, the proceeding(s) listed in this Public Notice shall be terminated, and the docket(s) will be closed.
Comments objecting to the application(s) listed in the Appendix must be filed with the Commission on or before May 18, 2026. Comments should refer to the specific WC Docket No. and Comp. Pol. File No. listed in the Appendix for the Section 214 Discontinuance Application. Comments should include specific information about the impact of the proposed discontinuance on the commenter, including any inability to acquire reasonable substitute service. Comments may be filed using the Commission's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS). Electronic Filers: Comments may be filed electronically using the Internet by accessing the ECFS: https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs. Filers should follow the instructions provided on the Web site for submitting comments. Generally, only one copy of an electronic submission must be filed. In completing the transmittal screen, filers should include their full name, U.S. Postal Service mailing address, and the applicable docket number.
Paper Filers: Parties who choose to file by paper must file an original and one copy of each filing. Filings can be sent by hand or messenger delivery, by commercial courier, or by the U.S. Postal Service. All filings must be addressed to the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission. Hand-delivered or messenger-delivered paper filings for the Commission's Secretary are accepted between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. by the FCC's mailing contractor at 9050 Junction Drive, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701. All hand deliveries must be held together with rubber bands or fasteners. Any envelopes and boxes must be disposed of before entering the building. Commercial courier deliveries (any deliveries not by the U.S. Postal Service) must be sent to 9050 Junction Drive, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701. Filings sent by U.S. Postal Service First-Class Mail, Priority Mail, and Priority Mail Express must be sent to 45 L Street NE, Washington, DC 20554.
This proceeding(s) shall be treated as a "permit-but-disclose" proceeding(s) in accordance with the Commission's ex parte rules./5 Persons making ex parte presentations must file a copy of any written presentation or a memorandum summarizing any oral presentation within two business days after the presentation (unless a different deadline applicable to the Sunshine period applies). Persons making oral ex parte presentations are reminded that memoranda summarizing the presentation must (1) list all persons attending or otherwise participating in the meeting at which the ex parte presentation was made, and (2) summarize all data presented and arguments made during the presentation. If the presentation consisted in whole or in part of the presentation of data or arguments already reflected in the presenter's written comments, memoranda or other filings in the proceeding, the presenter may provide citations to such data or arguments in his or her prior comments, memoranda, or other filings (specifying the relevant page and/or paragraph numbers where such data or arguments can be found) in lieu of summarizing them in the memorandum. Documents shown or given to Commission staff during ex parte meetings are deemed to be written ex parte presentations and must be filed consistent with rule 1.1206(b). In proceedings governed by rule 1.49(f) or for which the Commission has made available a method of electronic filing, written ex parte presentations and memoranda summarizing oral ex parte presentations, and all attachments thereto, must be filed through the electronic comment filing system available for that proceeding, and must be filed in their native format (e.g., .doc, .xml, .ppt, searchable .pdf). Participants in this proceeding(s) should familiarize themselves with the Commission's ex parte rules.
People with Disabilities: To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530.
For further information, please see the contact(s) for the specific discontinuance proceeding you are interested in as listed in the Appendix. For further information on procedures regarding section 214 please visit https://www.fcc.gov/general/domestic-section-214-discontinuance-service.
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Footnotes:
1/ 47 CFR Sec. 63.71.
2/ 47 U.S.C. Sec. 214.
3/ 47 CFR Sec. 63.71.
4/ See 47 CFR Sec. 63.71(f)(1) (stating, in relevant part, that an application filed by a non-dominant carrier "shall be automatically granted on the 31st day... unless the Commission has notified the applicant that the grant will not be automatically effective.").
5/ 47 CFR Sec. 1.1200 et seq.
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Original text here: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-26-436A1.pdf
FCC Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Issues Public Notice Seeking Comment on Eligible-Areas Map Version 1.2
WASHINGTON, May 2 -- The Federal Communications Commission's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau issued the following public notice (WC Docket No. 23-328) on May 1, 2026:
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The Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB), in coordination with the Office of Economics and Analytics (OEA), seeks comment on the next version of the Eligible-Areas Map (EA Map) for the Alaska Connect Fund, EA Map version 1.2, which was published today and can be found at the following link: https://www.fcc.gov/wireline-competition/alaska-connect-fund#mobile-eligible-areas-map./1 The Alaska Connect Fund Order requires
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WASHINGTON, May 2 -- The Federal Communications Commission's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau issued the following public notice (WC Docket No. 23-328) on May 1, 2026:
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The Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB), in coordination with the Office of Economics and Analytics (OEA), seeks comment on the next version of the Eligible-Areas Map (EA Map) for the Alaska Connect Fund, EA Map version 1.2, which was published today and can be found at the following link: https://www.fcc.gov/wireline-competition/alaska-connect-fund#mobile-eligible-areas-map./1 The Alaska Connect Fund Order requiresWTB, in coordination with OEA, to publish a map or maps of areas eligible and ineligible for Alaska Connect Fund mobile support, and for the subset of eligible areas, to identify which are in duplicate-support areas, single-support areas, or other eligible areas./2
WTB, in coordination with OEA, has sought comment on previous versions of the EA Map./3 Version 1.2 of the EA Map is the first to integrate providers' feedback regarding their own support areas. This version of the map also includes recent updates to the December 31, 2024 Broadband Data Collection data sets that affect eligible areas in Alaska. In addition, this map removes the incorrect "newly ineligible" designation from some areas that were already ineligible under the Alaska Plan, updates census boundaries consistent with the most recent version of the 2020 census, and shifts some single-support eligible blocks from the areas in and around Newtok to Mertarvik./4 We rejected submissions that conflict with BDC data/5 or where one provider claimed another provider's coverage was inaccurate./6
We now seek comment on EA Map version 1.2. Providers must ensure that this version of the map accurately reflects their support areas or file further corrections within the comment period.
We provide some reminders on the Alaska Connect Fund requirements to assist providers in their determination of whether the EA Map accurately reflects their support areas. When defining their Alaska Connect Fund support areas, providers should recognize that the Alaska Connect Fund is a mobile broadband plan./7 Voice-only coverage areas should not be a part of the EA Map or the provider's commitments unless the provider intends to upgrade to broadband service in those areas./8 In short, providers should only include in their coverage areas for this version of the EA Map those hex-9s where they receive Alaska Plan support and offer or intend to offer broadband service, consistent with the requirements of the Alaska Connect Fund. We also remind providers that they must commit to cover any eligible hex-9 in their support area,/9 and there is a strong presumption against accepting less than a 4G LTE at 5/1 Mbps commitment at any milestone./10
Additional Information. For further information about this proceeding, email ACF@fcc.gov.
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Footnotes:
1/ See generally FCC, Alaska Connect Fund, https://www.fcc.gov/wireline-competition/alaska-connect-fund; see also Connect America Fund; Alaska Connect Fund et al., WC Docket Nos. 10-90, 23-328, 16-271, 14-58, 09-197, WT Docket No. 10-208, Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 39 FCC Rcd 12099 (2024) (Alaska Connect Fund Order); Connect American Fund; Alaska Connect Fund et al., WC Docket Nos. 23-328 et al, Alaska Connect Fund Order on Reconsideration and Clarification, Alaska Plan Waiver Order, and Order, 40 FCC Rcd 7716 (2025) (ACF Reconsideration Order).
2/ 47 CFR Sec. 54.318(c)(2).
3/ Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Seeks Comment on the Initial Eligible-Areas Map and Performance Plan Template for the Alaska Connect Fund, WC Docket No. 23-328, Public Notice DA 25-916 (WTB rel. Sept. 30, 2025) (EA Map Notice), https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-25-916A1.pdf; Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Extends Comment Deadlines for Alaska Connect Fund Eligible-Areas Map And Performance Plan Template, WC Docket No. 23-328, Public Notice, DA 25-959 (WTB rel. Nov. 19, 2025) (EA Map Comment Extension Notice); Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Extends Reply Comment Deadline for Alaska Connect Fund Eligible-Areas Map and Performance Plan Template And Provides Additional Information Regarding Updated Eligible Areas Map, WC Docket No. 23-328, DA 25-1061, Public Notice (WTB Dec. 16, 2025) (extending reply comment period until Jan. 7, 2026). The map is based on mobile providers' Broadband Data Collection (BDC) mobile availability data as of December 31, 2024. See Alaska Connect Fund Order, 39 FCC Rcd at 12102, para. 6. Previous versions of the EA Map can be found on the Alaska Connect Fund webpage. See FCC, Alaska Connect Fund, Mobile Eligible Areas Map--Version History, https://www.fcc.gov/wireline-competition/mobileeligible-areas-map-version-history.
4/ See Connect America Fund--Alaska Plan, WC Docket No. 16-271, Order, DA 26-249 (WTB 2026) (Newtok Waiver Order).
5/ We remind providers that to be "deemed covered" under the Alaska Connect Fund, the provider needs to cover 70% of the hex-11s within the hex-9. 47 CFR Sec. 54.318(g). Some providers submitted hex-9 coverage based on an incorrect understanding of "deemed covered."
6/ See 47 CFR Sec. 1.7006(e) (setting forth the mobile challenge process for challenging providers' coverage data). Where a provider claimed an area was inaccessible for testing in another provider's support area, those too were rejected. See 47 CFR 54.318(h)(6) ("Where two providers cover the same hex-9 and one provider claims that the area is inaccessible for testing, but the other provider does not, the area would become a part of the latter provider's single-support area").
7/ See, e.g., 47 CFR Sec. 54.318(f)(6), (f)(8); Alaska Connect Fund Order, 39 FCC Rcd at 12102-03, para. 6; ACF Reconsideration Order, 40 FCC Rcd at 7730, para. 29.
8/ While providers are obligated to provide voice service in all of their Alaska Connect Fund commitment areas and maintain at least the same amount of voice service coverage provided in the Alaska Plan, that is a separate public interest obligation. See ACF Reconsideration Order, 40 FCC Rcd at 7723-24, para. 17 nn.61 ("In other words, the 2G commitment areas of the Alaska Plan will receive different treatment than the voice areas that are the result of signal bleed beyond the mobile broadband data cell edge: the former needs to be improved pursuant to the mobile provider's ACF commitments; the latter, maintained pursuant to public interest obligations."); see also 47 CFR Sec. 54.318(f)(6) ("for voice-only areas that exist beyond the cell edge of the mobile commitment areas--based on Alaska Plan service areas--mobile providers do not need to upgrade those areas to 5G-NR or commit to a minimum data speed and may maintain the facilities and voice service already in place, unless otherwise committed to in the Alaska Connect Fund").
9/ 47 CFR Sec. 54.318(f)(2).
10/ ACF Reconsideration Order, 40 FCC Rcd at 7725, para. 15 ("WTB will have a strong presumption against approving a technology commitment lower than 4G LTE at 5/1 Mbps for any milestone.")
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Original text here: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-26-426A1.pdf
FCC Modernizes Spectrum Sharing Rules to Boost Space-Based Broadband
WASHINGTON, May 2 -- The Federal Communications Commission issued the following statement on May 1, 2026, by Chairman Brendan Carr:
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Re: Modernizing Spectrum Sharing for Satellite Broadband, Report and Order, SB Docket No. 25-157 (April 30, 2026).
Americans today benefit from increased competition for their broadband dollars. Wireless carriers are now competing for in-home subscribers. Cable companies are competing for wireless customers. And satellite is competing with both cable and wireless. Today's FCC decision will help supercharge that competition while expanding our country's technological
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WASHINGTON, May 2 -- The Federal Communications Commission issued the following statement on May 1, 2026, by Chairman Brendan Carr:
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Re: Modernizing Spectrum Sharing for Satellite Broadband, Report and Order, SB Docket No. 25-157 (April 30, 2026).
Americans today benefit from increased competition for their broadband dollars. Wireless carriers are now competing for in-home subscribers. Cable companies are competing for wireless customers. And satellite is competing with both cable and wireless. Today's FCC decision will help supercharge that competition while expanding our country's technologicalleadership.
Even though high-speed, next-generation satellite services provide essential connectivity across the country already, Americans are now about to see another big upgrade. With today's decision, consumers could now see a seven-fold increase in capacity for these high-speed, satellite offerings.
You see, the Commission has had the same technical restrictions on LEO satellite power levels going all the way back to the 1990s. But those decades-old rules no longer reflect today's offerings. In fact, they are holding them back. Modern satellite designs make it far easier to share spectrum than what yesterday's regulations assume. We can do much better.
Today, low-Earth orbit satellite providers are scaling at a rapid pace. Starlink alone now serves millions of Americans and millions more around the world. Once dismissed as a niche offering, satellite broadband is a real--and growing--competitor in the connectivity marketplace.
That should inform how we approach power levels on satellite broadband. Are our rules keeping up with this new reality? Are they holding it back? For years, our framework has relied on legacy constructs like EPFD. Those rules were designed for a different generation of satellite systems, one defined by a small number of geostationary operators and primitive networks.
That is not the world we live in anymore. Today's systems move differently. They scale differently. They compete differently. So, our rules should too.
Updating our approach--moving beyond outdated EPFD limits and toward more modern interference protections--also promotes competition. It allows satellite providers to operate with greater parity alongside terrestrial broadband offerings.
And that competition matters. Because when you increase competition, you increase consumer choice. You drive investment. You push providers across technologies to do better.
The benefits will be felt most by the Americans who need them the most. Rural communities. Hard-to-reach areas. Places where the business case for traditional deployment remains challenging. For those Americans, high-speed satellite broadband is not theoretical. It is tangible. It is available now. And it is improving rapidly.
This is also about American leadership. U.S. companies are leading the world in next-generation satellite services. We should have a regulatory framework that matches that energy, not one that slows it down. And we are not going to leave Americans waiting on the wrong side of the digital divide while other countries debate whether they want the same types of next-gen systems operating in their parts of the world. We are going to act now in the interests of the American people.
For their excellent work on this item, I thank Clay DeCell, Jennifer Gilsenan, Stephanie Neville, Sankar Persaud, and Jay Schwarz at the Space Bureau, and Mohammad Ahmad, Patrick Sun, and Aleks Yankelevich from the Office of Economics and Analytics.
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Original text here: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-26-26A2.pdf
FCC Imposes Short-Term License Renewal on Mississippi Radio Station
WASHINGTON, May 2 -- The Federal Communications Commission Media Bureau has modified its previous agreement with SPB LLC, the licensee of WABG(AM) in Greenwood, Mississippi, following a discovery of additional rule violations. This action, titled "Application of SPB LLC For Renewal of Licensee for Station WABG(AM), Greenwood, Mississippi" (No.: DA 26-434), replaces a standard renewal path with a strictly limited one-year license term.
In April 2026, the Media Bureau entered into a consent decree with the station to resolve an investigation into whether the station violated the Communications Act
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WASHINGTON, May 2 -- The Federal Communications Commission Media Bureau has modified its previous agreement with SPB LLC, the licensee of WABG(AM) in Greenwood, Mississippi, following a discovery of additional rule violations. This action, titled "Application of SPB LLC For Renewal of Licensee for Station WABG(AM), Greenwood, Mississippi" (No.: DA 26-434), replaces a standard renewal path with a strictly limited one-year license term.
In April 2026, the Media Bureau entered into a consent decree with the station to resolve an investigation into whether the station violated the Communications Actand Commission rules. The initial agreement required the station to pay a $1,000 voluntary contribution and implement a compliance plan regarding the online public inspection file (OPIF) rule.
However, the Bureau found that the station failed to upload its quarterly issues and programs list for January through March 2026 by the April 10 deadline. This failure occurred less than ten days after the licensee signed the initial consent decree. Because this happened after the settlement was reached, the FCC determined it was a separate violation that warranted a change in the renewal terms.
The OPIF rule is a requirement for broadcasters, as quarterly lists serve as evidence that a station is providing service to meet the needs and interests of its local community. These files allow the public to monitor station performance and participate in the license renewal process.
The Bureau categorized the continued noncompliance as a serious violation. The record indicated a pattern of abuse that spanned more than a full license term. While the FCC decided not to hold an evidentiary hearing to deny the license entirely, the agency concluded that a routine renewal was not appropriate.
Under the modified order, the station will receive a short-term renewal of only one year. This period allows the Commission to monitor the station's future behavior and ensure it adheres to its community service obligations. The grant of this limited license is still dependent on the licensee paying the previously agreed-upon $1,000 contribution to the United States Treasury.
-- Vidhi Gianani, Targeted News Service
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Original text here: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-26-434A1.pdf
