New DISH CEO Hamid Akhavan, Data Submission on Affordable Connectivity Program

November 13, 2023 – Satellite and mobile wireless company DISH Network announced Monday that Hamid Akhavan will be the company’s CEO and president when it gets approval for its announced acquisition of satellite provider Echostar.

Akhavan will oversee the new company’s video services and wireless businesses in addition to overseeing any subsidiaries.

“An engineer by background, he’s financially astute and a seasoned manager. He currently serves EchoStar, DISH’s sister company, as CEO and will lead both companies in order to hit the ground running, once the merger with EchoStar is complete,” said DISH co-founder Charlie Ergen.

DISH and Echostar announced the merger in August of this year, which still requires regulatory approval.

The companies expect the deal to close by the end of the year.

FCC moves back deadline for ACP transparency data

The Federal Communications Commission announced Thursday it is extending the deadline for Affordable Connectivity Program providers to submit transparency data about the program.

The FCC is extending the submission deadline to November 30, 2023 because providers identified technical issues which they note may have impacted providers’ ability to file data with the Universal Service Administrative Co., which administers the ACP.

The ACP was initially funded by $14.2 billion to support low-income families financially cover the cost of their connectivity bills.

In August of 2022, the FCC established the ACP Transparency Data Collection, which requires providers who participate in the ACP to submit data on prices, subscription rates and plan details.

The FCC outlined that the goal in collecting that data is to use information that would go into broadband consumer labels, which are fact sheets for consumers about internet plans, and to quantify the value that the ACP was bringing to consumers.