Year in review and a preview of 2024 with Former FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly

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Date: December 13, 2023 at 12:00pm ET

Mike O’Rielly

Former FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly joined Carolyn Brandon and Jennifer Fritzsche for a review of 2023 and a preview of 2024 for the tech and telecom sectors. See below for highlights.

  • Spectrum – the U.S. is suffering from a lack of leadership at the highest levels when it comes to spectrum. Although it’s expected Congress will renew the FCC’s auction authority in 2024, it likely won’t happen till Q2. Coming out of the World Radio Conference this month, folks expect that the U.S. will find itself on a “spectrum island” on 6 GHz among other bands, creating the risk of rising costs for consumer devices.
  • ACP – Mike O’Rielly believes it will be very hard to get ACP extended but is holding out hope that it will be.  
  • USF Reform – the issues are looming, and more evidence is piling up that a complete overhaul of USF is needed. 
  • Net Neutrality – the FCC’s newest proposals regarding “Net Neutrality” will be front and center in 2024 and are likely to be overturned on appeal. Carolyn noted that the newest proposals have little to do with an Open Internet and are instead, a roadmap for regulating broadband into the ground.  
  • Looking ahead to 2024 – USF reform, the future or death of ACP, “net neutrality”, more state efforts to regulate broadband and increased efforts at the FCC to pursue more enforcement efforts. 
  • What is the word of the year as we head into 2024… “Buckle up!”

Little Nuggets of Tech and Telecom — A Lunch Series with Jen and Carolyn is a monthly lunch time discussion series featuring national, international, and local experts from business, law, policy, and economics. For 30 minutes each month, Jen and Carolyn will pose a “What If?” question to analyze different scenarios and factors impacting our sector as they and their guests challenge the status quo on hot topics like how to close the digital divide, the myths of spectrum sharing, and the emerging use cases for 5G that might drive a new wave of growth and innovation in the U.S.