Congress should extend the Internet tax moratorium before Oct. 1, Verizon said. If not, about 10,000 state and local taxing authorities will be able to impose taxes on consumers’ broadband connections regardless of whether they are wireline or wireless -- a threat even more imminent in light of recent FCC reclassification of such services as Communications Act Title II telecom services, the ISP said in a blog post Wednesday. Access to the Internet has become too important to the economy and society to saddle it with new taxes, it said. "When we're attempting to close the digital divide, policy makers should be looking for ways to expand access to the Internet and grow the economy, not price this important resource out of reach for millions of Americans by allowing the ban on Internet access taxes to expire." It’s time for the Senate to approve the Internet Tax Freedom Forever Act to ensure the Internet remains a hub for innovation for the economy, as well as a resource for society’s needs in education, healthcare and entertainment, said the carrier.

Democratic Sens. Ed Markey, Mass., and Richard Blumenthal, Conn., sent a letter to 18 automakers Wednesday, asking for an update on how each company is working to protect against cyberattacks or unwarranted invasions of privacy related to the integration of electronic systems into cars, a joint news release said. The senators also asked the companies to describe changes made to their vehicle fleets or characteristics, policies, practices and experiences that occurred since the companies first responded to automotive cybersecurity questions that Markey posed in 2013. Companies were asked to provide a response to the senators by Oct. 16.

Trade associations and organizations wrote House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., and ranking member John Conyers, D-Mich., Tuesday, urging them to support the Judicial Redress Act (HR-1428) during a markup (see 1509150044) Thursday. The U.S. government and tech industry have “experienced a substantial degradation in trust worldwide” since U.S. surveillance revelations began more than two years ago, said the letter signed by the Application Developers Alliance, BSA | The Software Alliance, CEA, Computer and Communications Industry Association, CompTIA, Information Technology Industry Council, Software & Information Industry Association and TechNet. “Enactment of the Judicial Redress Act would constitute another step in rebuilding the trust of citizens worldwide in both our industry and the U.S. government” by signaling to consumers worldwide the U.S. government is “committed to appropriately protecting the privacy of individuals,” the letter said. It said the legislation is also the last “hurdle to finalizing the Data Privacy and Protection Agreement,” also known as the Umbrella Agreement.

Dish is a likely witness for the hearing the Senate Commerce Committee is putting together on the future of video (see 1509090047), tentatively scheduled for Sept. 30 at 10 a.m., industry officials told us. The expected Dish witness is Roger Lynch, CEO of Dish’s Sling TV service. Another likely witness is FCC Media Bureau Chief Bill Lake. Commerce hasn't announced the hearing but Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., confirmed in interviews that a hearing is on the way.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., will unveil an amendment to the Federal Aviation Administration’s reauthorization bill this week that would require manufacturers to implement geofencing technology or a similar solution on all drones, “to prevent them from flying in to ‘No Fly Drone Zones’ like airports, the Pentagon, major parades, large sporting events and more," a news release said Monday. Geofencing technology “limits where unauthorized drones can fly through the installation of built-in software, firmware and GPS tracking in the device,” it said. The FAA released draft rules on drones in February that don’t go far enough because geofencing technology isn't required, Schumer said. If the amendment isn't adopted, “legislative action on geo-technology could be stalled until at least 2016,” the release said. “There needs to be a clear strategy to address the public safety dilemma of reckless drone use because a future drone crash could spell real trouble,” Schumer said. Provisions of the Schumer Drone Amendment include: a requirement that all drones in the U.S. have tamper-proof geofencing technology that can prevent drones from flying “within an unsafe distance from an airport or protected airspace” and limiting altitude; create punitive measures in addition to existing federal law for those who knowingly fly a drone too high, too close to an airport or other restricted airspace, or who attempt to tamper with or override altitude or airspace limiting technology; prohibit those who violate drone laws from using a drone; require the FAA to begin public education campaigns to promote safe drone usage; and give the FAA additional authority to “institute other drone regulations and requirements as needed to promote and protect public safety,” the release said.

The House passed the Senate-passed 2015 E-Warranty Act (S-1359) Tuesday 388-2. The Senate in May passed the bill, by Sens. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., and Bill Nelson, D-Fla. “It makes perfect sense to modernize the Federal Trade Commission's regulations to allow for the online posting of manufacturers' warranties,” said CEA CEO Gary Shapiro. Telecommunications Industry Association Senior Vice President-Government Affairs James Reid said the “bipartisan, common sense legislation will increase consumer access to important information while decreasing production costs,” and urged President Barack Obama to “quickly sign this bill into law."

The House IP Subcommittee plans a hearing Thursday at 3 p.m. on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and their public policy implications, said a Judiciary Committee news release Wednesday. Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., said the hearing will be on “policy and legislative implications for this new area of technology and the potential effects on issues including privacy, safety and intellectual property." "An expanded use of UAV technology requires that the public and private sectors work together to ensure consumers’ safety and privacy are fully protected,” said IP Subcommittee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif. Witnesses include Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International CEO Brian Wynne; Center for Democracy & Technology Vice President-Policy Chris Calabrese; National Association of Realtors President Chris Polychron; and National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies General Counsel-Federal Tom Karol. The hearing will be in 2141 Rayburn.

The Senate version of the E-Warranty Act is among legislation the House is scheduled to consider Tuesday under suspension of the rules when it returns from August recess, according to a schedule from House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., released Friday. Under suspension, no amendments are allowed and the bill must receive a two-thirds majority to pass. The House Commerce Committee approved its version of the bill in July (see 1507290031). The Senate Commerce Committee passed its version of the bipartisan legislation earlier this year (see 1505200042).

The House IP Subcommittee scheduled a hearing on the commercial applications and public policy implications of unmanned aerial vehicles at 2 p.m. Sept. 10 in Rayburn 2141. Witnesses weren't announced.

“The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has progressed toward its goal of seamlessly integrating unmanned aerial system (UAS) flights into the national airspace,” a GAO report published Monday said. FAA has issued its UAS comprehensive plan and UAS integration roadmap, and is working with Mitre to “develop a foundation for an implementation plan,” and expects to enact the plan by December, GAO said. FAA approves UAS operations on a case-by-case basis, but the number of approvals in the U.S. has increased each year since 2010, it said. Commercial UAS operations were approved in the U.S. for the first time in 2014, it said. Canada and France allow more commercial operations than the U.S., it said. The FAA’s six designated test sites have been operational since 2014 and had seen more than 195 test flights as of March, GAO said. The test sites faced some challenges such as a need for additional guidance from the FAA on the type of research they should conduct, it said. FAA said it can’t direct the test sites to do specific research, but provided a list of potential research areas to the sites. Other countries, including Australia, Canada, France and the U.K., with well-established UAS regulations have experienced similar “technology shortfalls,” including “unresolved issues involving limited spectrum that limit the progress toward full integration of UASs into the airspace in these countries,” it said.