The House Financial Services Committee unanimously approved several bills March 5 dealing with foreign investment and sanctions.

The House on Jan. 12 passed a bill aimed at helping the Treasury Department find terrorists, Russian oligarchs and corrupt government officials.

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Aiming to resolve claims about poor service in Pennsylvania, Frontier Communications plans to file a proposed settlement with state consumer and small-business advocates Wednesday, the parties said at a Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission hearing here Tuesday. If that schedule holds, comments would be due Dec. 11, with responses from parties due Dec. 26, said PUC Administrative Law Judge John Coogan.

Neither the current definition of "video service" under Illinois state law nor the modified language taking effect in 2024 entitles East St. Louis to franchise fees from streaming services, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday (docket 22-2905) in the city's appeal of dismissal of its suit against numerous streamers (see 2209230059). The 2024 language "makes pellucid what most readers of the older definition would have understood: content streamed over the Internet is outside the scope of this regulatory system," the three-judge panel said, upholding the dismissal by U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Beatty. The panel also rejected the streamer defendant-appellees use the public right of way for communication, ruling if "phone calls over landline cables, electricity over wires, and gas routed through pipes are not trespasses on the City’s land -- and they are not -- neither are the electrons that carry movies and other videos." And it rejected city arguments about a municipal law barring resale of cable TV services, saying over-the-top streamers don't do that. Deciding were 7th Circuit Judges Frank Easterbrook, David Hamilton and Doris Pryor. Oral argument was in September (see 2309120039).

Neither the current definition of "video service" under Illinois state law nor the modified language taking effect in 2024 entitles East St. Louis to franchise fees from streaming services, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday (docket 22-2905) in the city's appeal of dismissal of its suit against numerous streamers (see 2209230059). The 2024 language "makes pellucid what most readers of the older definition would have understood: content streamed over the Internet is outside the scope of this regulatory system," the three-judge panel said, upholding the dismissal by U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Beatty. The panel also rejected the streamer defendant-appellees use the public right of way for communication, ruling if "phone calls over landline cables, electricity over wires, and gas routed through pipes are not trespasses on the City’s land -- and they are not -- neither are the electrons that carry movies and other videos." And it rejected city arguments about a municipal law barring resale of cable TV services, saying over-the-top streamers don't do that. Deciding were 7th Circuit Judges Frank Easterbrook, David Hamilton and Doris Pryor. Oral argument was in September (see 2309120039).

Incompas adds Jeff Garte, Boldyn Networks president-Northeast business, to its board ... Global Satellite Operators Association names ManSat Chief Financial Officer Rachel Beattie its new treasurer ... Universal Music Group announces Vice Chair Anna Jones, former Hearst Magazines U.K. CEO, retiring from its board, effective Sept. 30 ... Live events producer ASM Global names Live Nation’s Alex Bowen vice president-live entertainment ... Instacart adds Sequoia Capital partner Ravi Gupta to its board; Gupta was Instacart’s chief financial officer and chief operating officer before leaving for Sequoia in 2019 ...

Incompas adds Jeff Garte, Boldyn Networks president-Northeast business, to its board ... Global Satellite Operators Association names ManSat Chief Financial Officer Rachel Beattie its new treasurer ... Universal Music Group announces Vice Chair Anna Jones, former Hearst Magazines U.K. CEO, retiring from its board, effective Sept. 30 ... Live events producer ASM Global names Live Nation’s Alex Bowen vice president-live entertainment ... Instacart adds Sequoia Capital partner Ravi Gupta to its board; Gupta was Instacart’s chief financial officer and chief operating officer before leaving for Sequoia in 2019.

FCC personnel changes: Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel Chief Legal Adviser Priscilla Delgado-Argeris moves to chief counselor, Competition Policy Division’s Ramesh Nagarajan becomes Rosenworcel’s chief legal adviser, and Wireline Bureau’s Rashann Duvall becomes legal adviser; Wireline Bureau’s Lauren Geary becomes legal adviser to Commissioner Brendan Carr, replacing Danielle Thurmann, resigned; and John Stein from Officer of the Chief Information Officer and John Kuzma from the Chicago field office are both retiring … T-Mobile names DLA Piper’s Smitty Smith to replace Kathleen Ham as senior president-government affairs, when Ham retires Oct. 2 (see 2307200052) … Georgia Public Service Commission elects Commissioner Jason Shaw chairman for a two-year term, succeeding Tricia Pridemore, who remains commissioner.

FCC announces personnel changes: Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel Chief Legal Adviser Priscilla Delgado-Argeris moves to chief counselor, Competition Policy Division’s Ramesh Nagarajan becomes Rosenworcel’s chief legal adviser and Wireline Bureau’s Rashann Duvall legal adviser; Wireline Bureau’s Lauren Geary becomes legal adviser to Commissioner Brendan Carr, replacing Danielle Thurmann, resigned; and John Stein from Officer of the Chief Information Officer and John Kuzma from the Chicago field office both retiring … T-Mobile names DLA Piper’s Smitty Smith senior vice president-public policy and government affairs, newly created role, effective after planned Oct. 2 retirement of Senior Vice President-Government Affairs Kathleen O’Brien Ham ... Yahoo names Chipotle’s Tressie Lieberman chief marketing officer ... Veza, identity security company, adds Google Chief Information Security Officer Phil Venables to its board; Venables also is on the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

Illinois' Cable and Video Competition Law (CVCL) doesn't give East St. Louis a right of action to seek video service provider franchise fees from streaming services, U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Beatty of East St. Louis ruled Sept. 22, dismissing a putative class action complaint brought by the city. In the docket 3:21-CV-561 order Friday granting the streaming service defendants' motions to dismiss (see 2203290039), Beatty said CVCL explicitly says the state attorney general can institute a lawsuit for CVCL violations, but it doesn't say that local government units can do likewise. That the AG's office hasn't pursued a suit "does not somehow mean the statutory enforcement framework is an inadequate remedy," said the order. There was no oral argument, with Beatty in the order calling it "not necessary." The city didn't comment.