Autonomous vehicles aren’t possible without a steady supply of microchips, Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Gary Peters, D-Mich., said Monday during a field hearing in Detroit on China package implications for the auto industry (see 2203230065).
Country of origin cases
The Arizona Corporation Commission would like to hear from more than just telecom companies on possible sweeping changes to Arizona USF (AUSF), Chairwoman Lea Marquez Peterson wrote Monday in docket T-00000A-20-0336. Only Cox, Lumen, Frontier Communications and CTIA commented by the original March 18 deadline and nobody else has commented since, Peterson said. Four responses don’t provide “an adequate basis” for the commission to consider what AUSF changes could advance its connectivity and universal service goals, she said. The ACC “must also hear from the communities in Arizona that lack ‘broad connectivity’ as well as from non-traditional service providers,” said Peterson, specifying she wants comment from tribes, municipalities and electric cooperatives. They should comment by April 18, she said. The ACC didn’t get much support in March 18 comments for transitioning the fund to broadband; cable and wireless companies suggested canceling the fund (see 2203210031). The chairwoman's office "is conducting additional outreach," an ACC spokesperson said.
ISPs sought minor modifications of the FCC’s 2016 broadband consumer labels as the agency works to create new labels required by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. In reply comments posted Friday in docket 22-2 (see 2203100059), disagreement continued on what details should be included in the labels. Others raised issues with calls to require privacy disclosures in the eventual labels, suggesting links that include more detailed information instead.
The FCC expanded its list of "covered" equipment suppliers -- deemed to present security concerns -- adding three companies Friday, including Russian cybersecurity powerhouse Kaspersky Lab. The FCC has been scoping steps it could take in reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (see 2203180051). The others added are China Telecom (Americas) and China Mobile International. The FCC previously revoked China Telecom’s domestic and international authorities (see 2110260060). In May 2019, in a first shot at Chinese providers, commissioners voted 5-0 to deny China Mobile’s long-standing Section 214 application (see 1905090039). The FCC released its original list of five covered companies, including Huawei and ZTE, a year ago (see 2103120058). Kaspersky is the first non-Chinese company to make the list. “Last year, for the first time, the FCC published a list of communications equipment and services that pose an unacceptable risk to national security, and we have been working closely with our national security partners to review and update this list,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel Friday. This action “is the latest in the FCC’s ongoing efforts, as part of the greater whole-of-government approach, to strengthen America’s communications networks against national security threats, including examining the foreign ownership of telecommunications companies providing service in the United States and revoking the authorization to operate where necessary,” she said. None of the companies immediately commented. The expansion of the list is “welcome news,” said Commissioner Brendan Carr: “I am pleased that our national security agencies agreed with my assessment that China Mobile and China Telecom appeared to meet the threshold necessary to add these entities to our list. Their addition, as well as Kaspersky Labs, will help secure our networks from threats posed by Chinese and Russian state-backed entities seeking to engage in espionage and otherwise harm America’s interests.” Kaspersky is a Moscow-based company that offers artificial intelligence-driven “protection against hackers and the latest viruses, ransomware and spyware,” according to its website. The company claims 400 million users worldwide. Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security warned against use of Kaspersky security products earlier this month, citing the danger of cyberattacks, according to Hackread.
The FTC and Frontier will go to trial Sept. 6 on the agency's claim the telco misrepresented its DSL speeds to customers, pending the FTC's review of a proposed settlement Frontier presented, wrote U.S. District Court for the Central District of California Judge Gary Klausner in a Friday order in case 2:21-cv-04155 (see 2110040066). Frontier didn't comment on its proposed settlement. The case was originally scheduled to go to trial in July.
Senate Judiciary Committee members pressed Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson Tuesday and Wednesday on how the top court should interpret First Amendment, privacy and child porn statutes to reflect cases involving social media and other technologies. Jackson said during Senate Judiciary’s Tuesday confirmation hearing Congress generally can’t institute government regulation “along viewpoint lines,” calling into question proposals to condition Communications Decency Act Section 230 immunity on online public forums not discriminating against certain viewpoints (see 2203220064).
Backers of the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act (S-1541) believe changes to the measure the Senate Commerce Committee approved Tuesday greatly strengthened its prospects of passing Congress this year. S-1541 and the similar Martha Wright Prison Phone Justice Act (HR-2489) would bar communications providers from receiving site commissions from prisons and other confinement facilities (see 2104160067). Senate Commerce advanced the amended S-1541 and two other measures -- the Next Generation Telecommunications Act (S-3014) and Low Power Protection Act (S-3405) -- on voice votes.
Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., and Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Calif., expressed optimism Monday that Congress can begin conference negotiations on its China package before the end of the work period, as planned by Senate leadership (see 2203140059).
Geotargeted radio delivered by originating content on FM boosters “could improve the economics for any size radio station as well as promote localism and other public interest benefits,” GeoBroadcast Solutions told FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr in a meeting Monday, said an ex parte filing in docket 20-401. Radio stations that deploy the tech could get increased rates and revenue, the filing said. Analyst firm BIA Advisory Services estimated overall revenue for radio would increase if every radio station adopted the tech, the filing said. A group of larger broadcasters including iHeartMedia and the NAB argued the targeted ads would lower rates for the entire radio industry (see 2202090047).
A Tennessee bill to regulate social media as common carriers cleared the House Business and Utilities Subcommittee in a voice vote Wednesday. The bill, which goes next to the Commerce Committee, would authorize the Tennessee Public Utilities Commission to probe and fine social websites for “intentionally deplatforming or shadow banning a user … if the basis of such action is rooted in political ideology, viewpoint discrimination, personal animus, or discrimination because of race, creed, color, religion, sex, age, or national origin,” said a HB-2369 summary. The bill responds to outrage from constituents banned by Big Tech, said sponsor Rep. Dennis Powers (R). Websites are censoring misinformation even though Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act restricts only obscene, lewd, filthy, excessively violent, harassing or objectionable things, said Rep. Jason Zachary (R): “Misinformation is not part of that.” Treating sites as common carriers is a good way to keep the bill from running into legal trouble faced by similar Texas and Florida laws, he said. Some members raised concerns. Rep. Dwayne Thompson (D) said he doesn’t like the government stepping on private businesses. Rep. Patsy Hazlewood (R) appreciates the goal but worries about ceding so much control to the PUC and allowing the agency to levy large fines, she said. The Senate Commerce Committee cleared companion bill SB-2161 Tuesday (see 2203160053).