New rules for internet platforms cleared the European Parliament Tuesday, with lawmakers overwhelmingly approving the Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA). Under the DSA, digital services providers such as social media or marketplaces will have to act to prevent the spread of illegal content, disinformation and other risks, Parliament said. These include new requirements to react quickly to illegal content, stronger checks on online traders to ensure services and products are safe, requiring platforms to be more transparent about their algorithms for recommending content and bans on practices such as advertisements that target children or use sensitive data. Platforms and search engines with 45 million users or more monthly will be subject to stricter rules, including making their algorithms accessible by authorities and vetted researchers. Under the DMA, very large platforms acting as "gatekeepers" will have to allow third parties to interoperate with their services and let business users access the data they generate, Parliament said. They won't be allowed to rank their own offerings more favorably or process users' personal data for targeted advertising without express consent. Noncompliance could result in fines of up to 10% of a company's total worldwide revenue in the preceding fiscal year or up to 20% in cases of repeated failure to comply. The measures need formal approval from EU governments, expected this month and in September. "The European Parliament has adopted a global first: Strong ambitious regulation of online platforms," said European Commission Vice President Margrethe Vestager. The DSA and DMA are "turning the page on 'too big to care' platforms," said Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton. The European Telecommunications Network Operators Association and GSM Association praised EU efforts to balance preventing the spread of illegal content online while respecting fundamental rights "by recognising that intermediaries should bear responsibilities proportionate to their role in disseminating such material." Consumers and digital rights groups warned the laws must be closely monitored. The DMA is a "gamechanger" for users but the EC must allocate the necessary resources to enforce it, emailed European Consumer Organization Deputy Director General Ursula Pachl. The DSA "is only a first step in ensuring people's rights online are protected," said European Digital Rights.

Nokia won a five-year deal with Norwegian carrier Ice to upgrade and expand its 5G network, Nokia said Tuesday. Nokia said deployment has started and will run through 2026. Ice has more than 700,000 customers and its network covers 95% of the population in Norway.

Chinese equipment maker Dahua told the FCC it has been unable to determine how much of its gear sold in the U.S. is “used for public safety, government facilities, critical infrastructure, and national security purposes,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 21-232. Dahua said the FCC asked for this information in a meeting last month. Dahua USA sells gear only through 20 authorized distributors and 5,000 dealers, the company said. “Dahua USA has no control whatsoever over a Dahua Dealer’s final decision on what kind of products they choose to purchase, and this is because each system integrator or installer works with multiple manufacturers, and the decision on whose products to use depends on a range of factors such as budget, product compatibility, the specific requirement(s) of the end-user, among other things,” the company said. The FCC is looking at whether Dahua should be deemed to pose a security risk and its products barred from use in the U.S. (see 2205020036).

Blanket internet shutdowns by governments "inherently impose unacceptable consequences for human rights and should never be imposed," the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said Thursday. Any state-implemented shutdowns, if they do happen, should be "clearly grounded in unambiguous, publicly available law," necessary for some legitimate aim as defined in human rights law and as narrow as possible in terms of duration and the networks and services affected, it said. ISPs and communications companies should take "all possible lawful measures to prevent a shutdown that they have been asked to implement" and do what they can to prevent or mitigate the worst human rights impacts. The report said they should challenge shutdown requests and implement such requests narrowly. It said the #KeepItOn coalition of detection networks, advocacy groups and media outlets reported 931 shutdowns in 74 countries between 2016 and 2021. It said a dozen countries implemented more than 10 shutdowns during that five-year span.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel signed a memorandum of understanding Monday with her counterpart in Canada, Ian Scott, chairperson-CEO Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, on combating robocalls. “Robocall scams are an international problem,” Rosenworcel said: “People all over the world can be victims of these bad faith campaigns to defraud and trick consumers. And we know that many of these calls cross international borders before entering domestic phone networks.”

NTT DoCoMo and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone said Monday they’re working with vendors Fujitsu, NEC and Nokia on experimental trials ahead of the eventual launch of commercial 6G. “Launching the envisioned 6G services will require verification of numerous new mobile technologies, including those needed to newly use frequencies in the millimeter and sub-terahertz … bands, in addition to bands for existing 5G services,” the companies said. The trials will also test artificial intelligence-based wireless transmission methods. 6G will “greatly exceed the performance of 5G and simultaneously provide high-speed, large capacity, and low latency capabilities, use new high-frequency bands such as sub-terahertz bands above 100 GHz, expand communication coverage in the sky, at sea and in space, and enable both ultra-low-power consumption and low-cost communications,” they said. The companies predicted a 2030 time frame for 6G to start.

Hytera Communications executives defended the company in a call with FCC staff as the agency looks at whether gear from suppliers on the FCC’s “covered list” of companies deemed to pose a security risk should be barred from being authorized for use in the U.S. (see 2205020036). “We discussed that Hytera’s products in the United States are all ‘customer premise equipment’; Hytera does not supply ‘telecommunications equipment’ as defined in the Communications Act,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 21-232. The Chinese company met virtually with acting Chief Ron Repasi and others from the Office of Engineering and Technology and staff from across the agency.

Canada’s government prohibited the use of equipment from Huawei and ZTE, calling it a security threat and requiring removal from networks over a phased-in period. “The Government of Canada is ensuring the long term safety of our telecommunications infrastructure,” said a statement Thursday by Francois-Philippe Champagne, minister of Innovation, Science and Industry: “As part of that, the government intends to prohibit the inclusion of Huawei and ZTE products and services in Canada’s telecommunications systems. This follows a thorough review by our independent security agencies and in consultation with our closest allies.” The statement directs companies to end the procurement of 4G and 5G gear and associated services by Sept. 1. Existing 5G equipment and managed services must “be removed or terminated by June 28, 2024,” the statement said. Existing 4G equipment and managed services must be removed or terminated by Dec. 31, 2027. The government also plans “to impose restrictions on Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) equipment used in fibre-optic networks.” This is "an unfortunate political decision that has nothing to do with cybersecurity or any of the technologies in question,” a Huawei Canada spokesperson emailed Friday. “Huawei equipment, including both hardware and software, has been routinely and closely scrutinized by the government and its security agencies according to stringent quality standards. There have been zero security incidents caused by Huawei equipment throughout this entire period. We are proud of our security record in Canada.” Huawei said the ban “will lead to significant economic loss in Canada and drive up the cost of communications for Canadian consumers” but is “beyond our control as a business.” Huawei plans to do what it can “to protect the legitimate rights and interests of our customers, partners, and ourselves,” the spokesperson said. ZTE didn't comment.

Ericsson is still awaiting approval from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. for its acquisition of Vonage (see 2111220034) but is hopeful the deal will go through. The company hopes to complete the acquisition during the second quarter of this year, emailed an Ericsson spokesperson Wednesday. “We are fully committed to moving ahead to close the deal,” the spokesperson said.

U.S. and EU collaboration in the Trade & Technology Council remains strong and has helped the regions coordinate actions against Russia, officials said Monday. The second TTC meeting, which took place May 15-16 in France, had several main outcomes, said the European Commission. Among them were a pact to make supply chains more resilient and an agreement to strengthen collaboration on swift and aligned export controls on advanced technologies such as aerospace and cyber-surveillance to undermine Russian attempts to boost industrial and military capabilities. It's in the interests of both parties to cooperate on all aspects of supply chains, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said at a briefing: "A certain level of coordination" aligned to TTC's goal of expanding the ecosystem is good for both sides. Other areas where the council has had progress include platform governance, where the EU and U.S. reaffirmed support for an open, global, interoperable, secure internet in line with their Declaration for the Future of Internet (see 2204280043); and trade barriers, where they will consider ways to increase trans-Atlantic trade and investment, and coordinate efforts to address non-market policies. Raimondo noted the group has had positive results in its first eight months, allowing it to push back against Russia. Because of the council's work on export controls, she said, the EU and U.S. were able to cut Russia off from all the advanced technology it needs to advance its operations, and they have now agreed to align technological standards in a way that will advance democratic values. The discussion of nonmarket economies such as China's has been an essential part of the partners' trade collaboration in the TTC, said U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai. The council began by looking at nonmarket practices that involve state influence on a market economy but has now expanded its view to include Russia's invasion of Ukraine. That's a nonmarket decision that affects the entire world, Tai added. In less than a year, the "TTC has become a pillar of transatlantic cooperation," said President Joe Biden and EC President Ursula von der Leyen. In addition to the measures announced, the parties should use the council "to ensure new regulations are implemented in a non-discriminatory, transparent manner that limits unintended consequences," said the Computer & Communications Industry Association.