The House Communications Subcommittee plans a Nov. 16 hearing on potential benefits of deployment of 5G networks, the House Commerce Committee said Thursday. The hearing will examine how those deployments “will add to the economy and America’s global leadership in wireless innovation,” the committee said. It will look at potential impediments, “including lack of available spectrum and burdensome regulations,” the committee said. “It is essential that we maintain our position as the global leader of technological innovation,” said House Communications Chairman Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. “I look forward to discussing solutions to deployment challenges and how to maximize efficient use of spectrum.” The hearing is set to begin at 10 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai told House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and 51 other House and Senate members the agency is “actively” communicating “with state and local law enforcement and corrections officials,” and others about finding “effective, efficient solutions to address the problem of contraband wireless devices in prisons.” The lawmakers wrote to Pai in early October expressing concerns about “exploitation” of contraband mobile devices in prisons. The lawmakers said some in Congress want to “impose a solution” to the problem and said that should happen as a “last resort.” The lawmakers sought an FCC-led meeting with corrections officials, the FBI and major wireless carriers aimed at finding solutions to the contraband problem. Pai committed to have his agency “try to facilitate” the requested meeting and report back to Congress on its results. He noted FCC ongoing “concrete steps to facilitate more expeditious deployment of interdiction systems,” including engagement with law enforcement and corrections officials, “officials from the federal Bureau of Prisons, representatives from the Justice Department, and representatives from industry to hear their concerns, learn from their experiences, and facilitate discussions.” Pai has been seen as unlikely to press for rules that would allow corrections facilities to deploy cell jammers to combat contraband cellphones, despite an apparent September DOJ OK (see 1709050072).

Most major tech and telecom firms increased Q3 lobbying spending over the same period last year, according to disclosure reports (see 1610210052). Google increased spending 9 percent to $4.17 million, and paid an additional $1.12 million to 25 outside firms. Consumer Watchdog Privacy Project Director John Simpson noted Google’s spending was close behind AT&T’s $4.43 million, with the two firms "spending the most money in the period to influence federal policymakers." AT&T reported an 8 percent increase. Comcast wasn't far behind, with $3.51 million, a 3 percent increase. Amazon continued its pace of gains, with a 25 percent increase to $3.41 million. It paid over a dozen firms $790,000 to work on a range of tech and business issues: immigration, digital ads, privacy, cybersecurity, tax and buying Whole Foods. Facebook spent $2.85 million, up 41 percent. Microsoft was an outlier, cutting spending 12 percent to $1.95 million. The company separately paid more than $1 million to 22 firms to work on cybersecurity and privacy, encryption and surveillance, copyright and IP, and tax-related issues. Uber, concerned about autonomous vehicle and privacy issues, reported a 50 percent jump to $510,000.

Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., jointly urged CEO Tim Cook Thursday to explain reports Apple removed VPN applications from the version of its App Store available in China, saying the action “may be enabling the Chinese government’s censorship and surveillance of the Internet” in what they dubbed the “Great Firewall.” The Chinese government announced earlier this year software developers offering VPN apps would need a government license. The “threat that the Great Firewall poses to the freedom of the people of China is similar to the threat that the Berlin Wall imposed on the people of East Berlin for twenty-eight years,” Cruz and Leahy said in a letter to Cook. “As long as the Great Firewall operates and is enabled by American technology companies, Internet freedom in China will remain at risk.” The senators asked Cook to detail how many VPN apps it removed from the Chinese version of the App Store, whether the company fought against Chinese laws on VPN and cybersecurity, and whether employees played any role in Chinese government-sponsored World Internet Conference events. Apple was “required to remove some VPN apps in China that do not meet the new regulations,” the company said in a statement. “These apps remain available in all other markets.”

A malware outbreak in healthcare dictation and transcription technology prompted House Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., to send a letter to Nuance, a computer software firm that was affected by NotPetya malware, the committee said Thursday. The company reportedly restored services that were infected, but Walden said the incident "adds to the growing list of concerns about the potential consequences of cyber threats to the health care sector." Nuance didn't comment.

Home Depot backs Senate legislation to combat sex trafficking, said a letter sent to S-1693 sponsors Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., joining several companies, advocacy and law enforcement groups expressing support, as many in the tech industry have concerns (see 1710030042).

Former Republican Rep. Chris Cox, an author of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, will be among witnesses testifying to a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing Tuesday on online sex trafficking and CDA. Others are Evan Engstrom, executive director of policy, advocacy and research group Engine; U.S. Naval Academy assistant professor Jeff Kosseff; and Catholic University law professor Mary Leary. The hearing will focus on controversial House and Senate legislation that would amend Section 230 as a means to curb online sex trafficking (see 1709190065). The 10 a.m. Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations Subcommittee hearing will be in 2141 Rayburn.

A disclosure by SEC Chairman Jay Clayton that its filings system was hacked last year shows better efforts are needed by government and businesses to protect sensitive information, said Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., co-founder of the bipartisan Senate Cybersecurity Caucus, in a Thursday statement. An agency Wednesday news release said Clayton indicated the commission learned the 2016 incident "may have provided the basis for illicit gain through trading." The SEC said the software vulnerability in EDGAR (Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval) was patched. The hack allowed nonpublic information to be stolen, but not personally identifiable information. Warner intends to question Clayton, scheduled to appear at a Senate Banking Committee SEC oversight hearing Tuesday, "about the effectiveness of current SEC thresholds for requiring companies to disclose a cybersecurity breach." Warner said fewer than 100 of about 9,000 publicly listed companies have reported a material breach to the commission since 2010 despite a "flurry" of high-profile breaches. Warner said he's finalizing a bipartisan bill to establish a national data breach notification standard. Equifax recently announced personal data of 143 million Americans was compromised (see 1709140014 and 1709110035).

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and three left-leaning public interest groups urged Senate Democrats Wednesday to place a hold on FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's reconfirmation amid concerns about what the groups believe is special FCC treatment of Sinclair. Several Senate Democrats said they plan to focus a floor debate on Pai's reconfirmation on their concerns about FCC handling of controversial policy issues under Pai, including Sinclair's proposed buy of Tribune. Senate Republicans are aiming to bring Pai up for a final vote before the Columbus Day recess (see 1709130054 and 1709150060). Congress “seems to be asleep at the wheel” on Sinclair/Tribune given that key congressional committees haven't held hearings on the deal and have given no indication they plan to do so, said Allied Progress Executive Director Karl Frisch during a conference call with reporters: “I don't think there should be a vote” on Pai's reconfirmation to a new five-year term “until some serious questions are answered and until hearings are held in Congress" on Sinclair/Tribune. A hold on Pai would be “first step” to allow hearings to occur, Frisch said. IBEW also supports a hold on Pai to allow Congress to “look at the steps that [Pai] is taking” that affect Sinclair, including reinstatement of the UHF discount, said International Representative Vinny Butler. Senators “should be prepared to ask tough questions” about Sinclair/Tribune, said Credo Action Campaign Manager Brandy Doyle. Pai recently told several top House Democrats that Sinclair hasn't received any special treatment, noting any actions that affect the company “have been motivated by my belief that a strong over the air broadcast service advances the public interest” (see 1709190060). The FCC, the House and Senate Commerce committees and Sinclair didn't comment.

Technology, business and manufacturing associations commended House members' reintroducing the International Communications Privacy Act (HR-3718). BSA|The Software Alliance, the Computer and Communications Industry Association, CompTIA, CTA, the Internet Association, the U.S Chamber of Commerce and others said the bill, introduced Sept. 8, strikes "a delicate balance between citizens’ inviolable privacy rights and the law enforcement community’s imperatives for gathering evidence in support of legitimate criminal investigations." They said the bill reinforces that law enforcement must get a warrant to gain access to U.S. persons' electronic content, provides certainty on getting information from foreign nationals and establishes a multilateral framework for processing law enforcement requests for information. The letter was addressed to Reps. Doug Collins, R-Ga., the bill's sponsor; co-sponsors Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Suzan DelBene, D-Wash.; and House Judiciary Courts, IP and Internet Subcommittee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif. The coalition also commended companion legislation in the Senate (S-1671).