INCOMPAS member companies EchoStar and Amazon testified during the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology hearing on “Launching Into the State of the Satellite Marketplace.” The FCC also issued an order that permits Amazon’s Kuiper to begin deployment of its constellation to bring high-speed broadband connectivity to customers around the world.

“INCOMPAS represents broadband competitors that use every modern technology to bring choice to consumers and businesses. We are delighted to have members working in the evolutionary frontier of satellite connectivity. Amazon’s Project Kuiper and EchoStar are leading-edge companies that are unleashing new capabilities to bridge the digital divide and unveil new competitive options via space," said INCOMPAS CEO Chip Pickering.

"The developments in this arena would not have been possible without the leadership of FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel to prioritize satellite policy and support U.S. leadership in satellite technology. We appreciate her efforts, including the creation of the Space Bureau, and are delighted that she shares our objective in maximizing connectivity options and competition in satellite broadband from the get-go. Competition drives innovation, investment and success, and we look forward to working hand in hand with our members and the FCC to deliver another solution to bridge the digital divide.”  

DC BLOX focuses on building Tier 3 data centers, connecting them with a high-speed optical network, and hosting cloud services to enable area businesses to effectively serve their local customers, efficiently scale their infrastructure and ensure business continuity. In 2022, DC BLOX acquired Network Assets from Light Source Communications and Ascendant Capital Fiber, which spurred the development of a new division called DC BLOX Fiber.

Visit the INCOMPAS website to learn more about our newest member, DC BLOX.

For more information on submitting a member profile, or updating an existing one, email Gail Norris.

In a recent blog, INCOMPAS President Angie Kronenberg reviewed the significant work the association's policy team did in 2022. 

"I was really taken aback at all we had done given our small staff. We made over 50 filings in 25 federal proceedings. In addition to our weekly meetings with our members, we managed three member working groups focused on their most pressing needs, meeting a total of 40 times during the year. We spent countless hours talking with policymakers, including the White House, Congress, FCC, NTIA, and State Broadband Offices. We published two major white papers, hosted the INCOMPAS Policy Summit, and our largest INCOMPAS Show in recent history. And that’s just the tip of the spear," she said.

Read the blog to learn more about all of the accomplishments from last year. 

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, will convene a full committee hearing this Tuesday, February 14, at 10 a.m. ET to consider the nomination of Gigi Sohn to be a member of the Federal Communications Commission. Watch the hearing here.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) recently requested comment on the implementation of the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund, as directed by the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. Through this Notice and Request for Comment, NTIA sought broad input and feedback from all interested stakeholders—including private industry, academia, civil society, and other experts—on this grant program to support the promotion and deployment of open, interoperable, and standards-based radio access networks (RAN). View all submitted comments.

Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Jerry Moran (R-KS), along with Reps. Mike Kelly (R-PA) and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) reintroduced the Broadband Grant Tax Treatment Act (BGTTA) — legislation that would amend the Internal Revenue Code to ensure that funding for broadband deployment from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the American Rescue Plan (ARP) will not be considered taxable income. This legislation was first introduced last Congress in both the Senate and the House of Representatives with bipartisan support. 

Grants awarded for the purposes of broadband deployment are currently factored into a company’s income and are subject to taxation. This bipartisan, bicameral legislation moves to exclude broadband deployment grants awarded through the IIJA, ARP, and Tribal Broadband Connectivity Fund from an organization’s income, ensuring the entirety of federal dollars awarded to companies for the purpose of deploying broadband around the country can be used wholly for that purpose, rather than making their way back to the government through taxes.

Joining Sens. Warner and Moran as co-sponsors are Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Rev. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Angus King (I-ME), James Risch (R-ID), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI). Original co-sponsors in the House of Representatives are Reps. Terri Sewell (D-AL), Drew Ferguson (R-GA), Buddy Carter (R-GA) and Dan Kildee (D-MI).

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee and a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wisc.) last week reintroduced the bipartisan Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency (FACT) Act to counter the influence of China and other foreign adversaries on U.S. telecommunications infrastructure.

Specifically, this bill would provide critical telecommunications transparency by requiring the FCC to publish a list of companies that hold FCC authorizations, licenses or other grants of authority any ownership by foreign adversarial governments, including China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela and Cuba.

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, announced Democratic subcommittee chairs for the 118th Congress:

• Aviation Safety, Operations and Innovation: Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)
• Communications, Media and Broadband: Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM)
• Surface Transportation, Maritime, Freight and Ports: Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI)
• Oceans, Fisheries, Climate Change and Manufacturing: Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
• Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Data Security: Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO)
• Space and Science: Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ)
• Tourism, Trade and Export Promotion: Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV)