Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., urged the FCC to open a proceeding to review revoking Communications Act Section 214 certifications of China Unicom and China Telecom to operate on U.S. networks. Chairman Ajit Pai “has made it clear” the FCC “is reviewing” the two Chinese government-owned telecom companies' Section 214 statuses, a spokesperson said. The agency has had the two providers' Section 214 licenses in its crosshairs since May, when commissioners voted 5-0 to revoke the license of Chinese government-owned provider China Mobile (see 1905090039). China Mobile's license “posed special concerns due to its size and resources,” but “the evolving national security environment and increased knowledge of the Chinese government’s role in economic and other forms of espionage suggest that effectiveness of prior mitigation measures require re-examination” for China Telecom and China Unicom, Schumer and Cotton wrote Pai Monday. Both providers “continue to have access to our telephone lines, fiber optic cables, cellular networks and satellites in ways that could give it the ability to target the content of communications of Americans or their businesses and the U.S. government, including through the 'hijacking' of telecommunications traffic by redirecting it through China.”

As 5G launches, everyone and every community must benefit, FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks told the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference Friday. We're “talking about a world with smart manufacturing, automation, and driverless cars,” Starks said: “I don’t have to tell you how many people drive cars for a living -- whether it is a taxi cab or an Uber or a Lyft. The benefits of a 5G world need to do just that -- benefit all of us.” Starks said the U.S. must “re-train and up-skill our most senior workers who will be displaced” by new technology. Low-income communities are taking a hit because of technology, he said. “These communities are disproportionately targeted by biased artificial intelligence systems yet at the same time they are not captured by hiring algorithms that scour the internet to make determinations about job candidates,” he said. Starks said Congress should pass HR-4008 by House Democrats to ban the Department of Housing and Urban Development from using facial recognition technology in most of its housing (see 1907250062).

Federal policymakers are looking backward in technology assessments, observers said on a podcast emailed Friday. FAANGs -- Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google -- "are the past," said Needham & Co.'s Laura Martin Aug. 20 after moderating a panel on content (see first Notebook 1908200027) at the Technology Policy Institute in Aspen, Colorado. "They’re the past decade. They got big, now they’re being looked at. But the thing that’s going to get big based on consumer time will get ignored" by government "until it’s really, really big and hurtful." Esports and videogame dominance are rising in terms of time consumers spend there, the analyst noted. "Even Wall Street is just coming to grips with this, which means it’s probably three years in the future." CNBC's Brian Sullivan, who earlier that day spoke with DOJ Antitrust Division Chief Makan Delrahim, noted government "isn’t the fastest moving entity." That mantra could be "move slow and break things," responded podcast moderator and TPI President Scott Wallsten. DOJ didn't comment and the FTC declined to comment now. While media companies are focused on over the top video, they may be missing out on the rise of esports popularity, especially among those younger than 25, Martin said in an interview Friday. "They’re not even watching TV," she said of that demographic. Scrutinizing advertising-based incumbent platforms means "government is late," Martin told us. "All those monopolists are going to compete with each other, they are going to put each other out of business. The government doesn’t need to." Policymaker views tend to look "backwards, but only a few years. They seem to have no historical perspective," Wallsten emailed us Friday. "It's difficult to know how to look forward since nobody can predict the future, but they do seem inclined to believe that the present is forever despite being much different than even a few years ago."

FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly wants a U.S. unified nonemergency wireless number. Keep 911 for emergencies, yet "streamline the myriad of existing wireless numbers that are used in many parts of the country to report critical situations that do not rise to the level of true emergencies,” he told the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Emergency Number Association Thursday. “These calls offload routine incidents and other non-emergencies, usually to the state police or highway patrol, while preserving 9-1-1 for more serious purposes.” Many states have a number, including #77 in Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey for dangerous driving, he said. “If you live close to state lines, jurisdictional boundaries, or travel extensively, good luck remembering all of the different short codes,” he said. O’Rielly also highlighted the work he did to fight 911 fee diversion and that colleagues of both parties are against such fee shifting. ATSC 3.0 offers “super-advanced emergency alerting” beyond what's available on most platforms, he said. “No one is quite sure how ATSC 3.0 will develop, if at all, or whether it will be a smashing success,” he said: “While a number of the larger broadcast station groups have embraced the technology and see the benefits that it can bring, the technology remains in the testing phase.”

Wireless carriers need to explain to the FCC Public Safety Bureau how they plan to maintain wireless service in areas of California should there be intentional power outages to prevent wildfires, said bureau Chief Lisa Fowlkes Thursday in a blog and letters to AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon and U.S. Cellular. “California energy providers have announced plans to potentially shut down power at times and in areas where the wildfire risk is high,” Fowlkes blogged. The letters noted reports about the planned outages quote wireless companies as saying they can maintain service. The bureau “would like to understand how AT&T intends to provide continued wireless service in the event of a power shutoff,” said a letter. She gave the companies 10 days to provide a written description of each step to continue service, including customer outreach and coordination plans with local public safety officials. The bureau wants to know what the carriers have done to protect their own infrastructure from the fires. AT&T received the letter and will respond, a spokesperson said. The other carriers didn't comment.

Comments are due Sept. 26, replies Oct. 11 on Boulder Regional Emergency Telephone Service Authority petitions asking that guaranteeing interoperability be a FirstNet responsibility, the FCC Public Safety Bureau said in a public notice Wednesday on docket 19-254. The bureau dismissed as untimely a BRETSA petition for reconsideration that the bureau revisit an order dismissing a Colorado Public Safety Broadband Governing Body request for clarification (see 1810230043). CPSBGB asked to clarify that FirstNet has responsibility for guaranteeing interoperability with networks, services, applications and devices. The bureau said Wednesday that since the Colorado dismissal was an interlocutory action, not final, it's unripe for review.

A Commerce Department agency clarified more questions (see 1908210078) about what amounts to an partial ban related to Huawei products, without saying if the reprieve would be extended past Nov. 18. The Bureau of Industry and Security isn't offering more export license exceptions, said FAQs, as of Tuesday. Current authorization allows certain activities supporting existing U.S. networks with Huawei, including supporting operators on “debugging, configuration, and other activities to maintain services." Also OK: “emergency and planned software updates necessary to maintain network operability; in-life upgrades of equipment and components to maintain (but not expand) capacity; and in-life replacements of defective hardware.” Not allowed are things that would "increase or enhance the functionality of the network." Services “are generally not subject” to these restrictions, though in the telecom industry, services describing “export or transfer (in-country) of software or technology in terms of, inter alia, operation and/or management of a telecommunications network” do fall under restrictions, said additional new FAQs. “General purpose computing devices” aren't covered under the mandates, which do include “personal consumer electronic devices” of “phones and other personally-owned equipment, such as tablets, smart watches, televisions, and mobile hotspots such as MiFi devices.”

The FCC deactivated the disaster information reporting system Saturday “at the request of the Department of Homeland Security, National Coordinating Center for Communications, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” said a public notice in Monday's Daily Digest. The final DIRS report for Hurricane Dorian Saturday reflected only affected counties in the Carolinas, and showed no public safety answering points down. Plus 2.1 percent of cell sites in North Carolina were out of service, as were 0.9 percent in South Carolina. Cable and wireline subscriber outages in South Carolina improved to 48,484 subscribers from over 106,000. North Carolina’s out-of-service subscribers increased to 53,000 from 40,999. South Carolina had one TV station and two FM radio stations inoperative.

CTIA petitioned the FCC for a declaratory ruling to put additional pressure on local governments to act on wireless siting applications: Clarify that under 2012 Spectrum Act Section 6409, if a siting authority “fails to timely act on an application,” it's “deemed granted” and “applicants may lawfully construct.” And “clarify that the term ‘concealment element’ in its rules applies only to a stealth facility or design element, such as an artificial tree limb or screen, and that concealment requirements may not be used to disqualify an application as an eligible facilities request,” the wireless association asked. It requests more certainty on pole attachments, citing 5G, and posted Monday in docket 17-79. Commissioner Brendan Carr, the FCC lead on changes to wireless infrastructure rules, says more work is likely (see 1908060065). The National League of Cities declined to comment. Best Best local government attorney Gerard Lederer noted the Wireless Infrastructure Association is making a similar push (see 1908230052). “CTIA has now joined WIA in predictably pressing for additional FCC preemption of community authority without a legal foundation or factual basis for additional FCC action,” Lederer emailed. “Every complaint raised against a local government in the CTIA Petition has an avenue for resolution in the local federal district. If CTIA and its members were so positive that local government action was inconsistent with the FCC’s rules, why not pursue that avenue and let the FCC complete its work on a revised RF standard that would help providers and communities alike deal with the explosive growth in wireless deployments,” he asked.

There were 106,680 cable and wireline subscribers out of service in South Carolina Friday morning, said a disaster information reporting system report on areas affected by Hurricane Dorian. That’s nearly double the 53,266 reported for South Carolina Thursday. North Carolina had 40,999 cable and wireline subscribers down, compared to 2,894 Thursday. In Georgia those numbers have improved to just 93 subscribers down from 11,805 Thursday. One broadcast TV station was reported out of service in South Carolina, and five South Carolina radio stations. Georgia had one radio station out of service, but North Carolina had no broadcasters down. The report showed 3.4 percent of cellsites out of service in the affected areas, with 4.6 percent -- a marginal improvement from Thursday -- down in South Carolina, and 3.8 percent down in NC. Thursday’s report showed 0.1 percent of cell sites down in NC. Georgia improved in Friday’s report from 0.3 percent of cell sites down to 0.1 percent. Only a single public safety answering point was reported down in South Carolina. In an order posted Friday, the Wireless Bureau granted the American Radio Relay League’s request for a waiver to permit higher speed data transmissions to allow licensed amateur radio users involved in hurricane relief communications to better aid the relief effort. ARRL was already shipping radio modems to the southeastern U.S. for use in connection with Hurricane Dorian disaster relief, the order said.The FCC deactivated DIRS for Georgia Friday evening.