Last year, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposed sweeping updates to its 911 reliability and interoperability regulations. The proposed changes, under consideration by the FCC in response to the Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM), would expand reliability requirements with an eye towards supporting the nationwide transition from legacy networks to fully Next Generation 911
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Unpacking the Commission’s Priorities for 2026
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr has been leading the agency for just over a year. Keller and Heckman’s Communications and Technology Practice has been monitoring key actions taken by the FCC that were priorities of the Chairman (highlighted here), as well as anticipated actions we expect the agency to take in 2026.
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T-Mobile Settles FCC Investigation Into Marketing and Sale of Unauthorized Phones
On September 11, 2025, the FCC released a Consent Decree with T-Mobile US, Inc. (“T-Mobile”) formally resolving an investigation into whether T-Mobile violated section 302 of the Communications Act of 1934 and parts 2 and 15 of the FCC Rules, specifically concerning the import, marketing, and sale of its REVVL 7 PRO 5G smartphone. The…
Bonus Depreciation and Fiber Optic Networks
The following post discusses legal and financial matters and is provided for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to serve as legal or financial advice, particularly with respect to an individual entity’s tax status. Readers should consult qualified legal, accounting, and tax planning professionals for advice as to their specific circumstances.
On July…
Playing Defense Under the New BEAD
By Casey Lide
Under the BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice issued by NTIA on June 6 (“Policy Notice”),[1] state and territory broadband offices must rescind all preliminary and provisional BEAD awards made under the prior rules and must, in very short order, run a single competitive round with a strong preference for providers that promise to…
Commerce Department’s New BEAD Reform Notice Upends Structure of Program
This is the first of several planned blogs on the recently released NTIA BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice (“Notice”).
In early March, Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick paused all funding under the $42.5 billion BEAD program pending a “rigorous review” by the new administration. At that time, the Secretary announced his intention to “rip out”…
BEAD Reform Raises a Number of Policy Issues and Potentially Adds Delay
Even before taking office, incoming members of the Trump Administration and some Republican members of Congress criticized various regulatory requirements in the $42.5 billion BEAD program as being unnecessarily burdensome and contributing to a perceived slow rollout of BEAD funding. The Commerce Department and Congress have now begun efforts to streamline and reform the BEAD…
Broadband Grants Are Still Taxable Income. Will the Broadband Grant Tax Treatment Act Finally Fix It?
By Casey Lide
In March 2022, we published a blog post explaining that broadband grants are apparently subject to federal income taxation. Three years later, and with $42.5 billion in BEAD grants on the verge of disbursement, nothing has changed.
As discussed in 2022, the taxability of broadband grants seems to be an unplanned quirk of the 2017…
FCC Proposes Increased Broadband Availability in the 900 MHz Band
FCC Responds to Cybersecurity Threats with CALEA Ruling
By Casey Lide
Earlier this month, in the waning days of Jessica Rosenworcel’s tenure as Chair of the Democrat-led FCC, the FCC released a Declaratory Ruling concluding that Section 105 of the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) requires telecommunications carriers to secure their networks from unlawful access and interception of communications. Effectively, the FCC determined that…