Some Congressional Black Caucus leaders urged President Joe Biden to nominate DLA Piper’s Smitty Smith as FCC chairman, amid lawmakers' amplified calls for the administration to name people of color as commissioners. Lawmakers and others told us there’s uncertainty about Biden’s timeline for selecting a nominee to cement a Democratic FCC majority, seen as necessary to make changes to net neutrality rules and other potentially controversial matters, given the current 2-2 split (see 2101060055).
A cable programmer suing Comcast for alleged racial discrimination for not being picked up for carriage is getting support before the Supreme Court from some members of Congress, in docket 18-1171 amicus briefs. Pointing to how the high court's construction of Section 1981 of federal anti-discrimination law could affect interpretation of other anti-discrimination statutes the U.S. enforces or that apply to the federal government, the Solicitor General is asking to take part in Nov. 13 oral argument.
The perspectives from Congress, Canada and Mexico -- and a former acting U.S. trade representative -- diverge wildly on how much can be changed in the new NAFTA to garner votes for approval and how difficult it will be to get it passed in 2019. Miriam Sapiro, who was acting USTR and is now with SVC Public Affairs, used the term “lovely miracle” to describe how she’d feel if it passed this year. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, the ranking member on the House Ways and Means Committee, said it's clear that the metals tariffs on Canada and Mexico -- without quotas -- have to have a date certain to come off before Congress members are really about to start “to count the noses.”
While most of the witnesses on the first day of Section 301 tariffs hearings on Aug. 20 asked that items be taken off the tariff list, several companies and a trade group asked that more products be taxed. Mike Branson, executive vice president of Rheem Manufacturing's air conditioning division, said he was pleased that several subheadings in heading 8415 were on the latest list of targets. But he said 8415.94.40 and 8414.90.80 need to be added, "otherwise Chinese exporters of finished good air conditioners will be able to avoid the tariffs."
Commissioner Brendan Carr will visit southern Nevada Monday to assess the “impact that high-speed broadband can have on small businesses, healthcare, education, and economic development in these rural communities,” the FCC said in a Friday news release. Carr plans to visit Beatty, Amargosa Valley, Pahrump and Mountain Springs in rural parts of Nye and Clark counties. Chairman Ajit Pai last year assigned Carr the task of leading work on wireless infrastructure rules. Carr will be in Las Vegas next week for the NAB Show.
Commissioner Brendan Carr will visit southern Nevada Monday to assess the “impact that high-speed broadband can have on small businesses, healthcare, education, and economic development in these rural communities,” the FCC said in a Friday news release. Carr plans to visit Beatty, Amargosa Valley, Pahrump and Mountain Springs in rural parts of Nye and Clark counties. Chairman Ajit Pai last year assigned Carr the task of leading work on wireless infrastructure rules. Carr will be in Las Vegas next week for the NAB Show.
Commissioner Brendan Carr will visit southern Nevada Monday to assess the “impact that high-speed broadband can have on small businesses, healthcare, education, and economic development in these rural communities,” the FCC said in a Friday news release. Carr plans to visit Beatty, Amargosa Valley, Pahrump and Mountain Springs in rural parts of Nye and Clark counties. Chairman Ajit Pai last year assigned Carr the task of leading work on wireless infrastructure rules. Carr will be in Las Vegas next week for the NAB Show.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai names ex-Deputy Managing Director Dana Shaffer Wireless Bureau deputy bureau chief/chief of staff ... Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., announces promotions of Crystal Tully to policy director and counsel-communications and technology, Cort Bush to senior professional staff member, communications and technology policy team, and Brianna Manzelli, ex-Republican National Committee, joins committee as press secretary and digital director ... In Ballard Spahr's combining with Levine Sullivan First Amendment and media law firm effective Oct. 1, all of the latter law firm's 25 lawyers join the bigger firm; they include name partners Lee Levine, Michael Sullivan, Elizabeth Koch and David Schulz; plus attorneys Jay Ward Brown, Chad Bowman, Cameron Stracher and others.
VerifyMe adds Keith Goldstein, ex-American Banknote, as chief operating officer ... Groupon hires Jennifer Carr-Smith, ex-Peapod, as senior vice president/general manager-North America local ... Nardello & Co. picks Mark Ray, ex-PwC, as managing director/head-digital investigations ... Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., announces promotions of Crystal Tully to policy director and counsel-communications and technology, Cort Bush to senior professional staff member, communications and technology policy team, and Brianna Manzelli, ex-Republican National Committee, joins committee as press secretary and digital director.
The House appeared all but certain at our deadline to be on track to pass the Register of Copyrights Selection and Accountability Act (HR-1695) Wednesday, with several lobbyists telling us they will closely watch the margin of opposition the bill gets from House Democrats as an indicator of the bill's trajectory in the Senate. House Republicans appeared likely to give unanimous support to the bill, while House Democrats have been divided on it (see 1704200047). HR-1695 would make the register a presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed position with a 10-year term (see 1703230068).