A Pennsylvania bill meant to spur broadband by waiving Public Utility Commission ILEC rules “is not full deregulation,” stressed sponsor and Senate Communications Committee Chair Kristin Phillips-Hill (R) at a livestreamed meeting. The panel voted 7-3 for SB-341 and the same for SB-442 ordering an inventory of state-owned broadband assets. Also Tuesday and in California, a Senate panel supported a bill to increase PUC authority to check if state video franchisees are deploying enough broadband.
President Joe Biden’s administration isn’t ruling out technologies or ISP models as it looks to implement $100 billion in broadband money in its $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan (see 2103310064), Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told Senate Appropriations Committee members Tuesday. Some Appropriations Republicans said during a Tuesday hearing they favor addressing broadband affordability in an infrastructure package. Senate GOP leaders noted their interest in a bid by Public Works Committee ranking member Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia and others to craft a counterproposal to the Biden plan (see 2104140069).
Congress needs to protect FTC Act Section 13(b) authority, all four current commissioners told the Senate Commerce Committee Tuesday. Acting Chairwoman Rebecca Kelly Slaughter asked not to wait for a Supreme Court decision (see 2104190059). Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., said he’s open to engaging in bipartisan legislative discussions with committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.
A tide of late opposition to the FCC draft order on foreign-sponsored content identification is considered unlikely to shift the item enough to fully assuage broadcasters' concerns (see 2104190044), industry officials told us. A draft item establishing a 10-application cap for the upcoming noncommercial educational (NCE) auction window is viewed as relatively uncontroversial at the FCC and is unlikely to change before Thursday’s commissioners’ meeting, industry and agency officials said.
The NPRM proposing to allow the use of new wireless multichannel audio system (WMAS) technology by wireless mics is expected to be approved 4-0 Thursday, though a few tweaks are possible based on ex parte filings, FCC officials told us. The NPRM hasn’t faced opposition since circulation by acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. A few questions were raised on implications for the 6 GHz band, which the FCC reallocated for Wi-Fi a year ago. An order terminating the 800 MHz rebanding proceeding is also expected to get unanimous approval.
State legislators are proposing bills to rein in social media, amid the federal debate about Communications Decency Act Section 230. Reasons and approaches differ by party. Left- and right-leaning advocacy organization officials told us they see possible constitutional problems and voiced discomfort with states acting. The Florida Senate Appropriations Committee narrowly passed a bill at a Monday hearing despite GOP and Democratic objections.
Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., is exploring legislation to protect FTC Section 13(b) authority if the agency gets an adverse decision from the Supreme Court in AMG Capital Management v. FTC (see 2102040049), she told us last week. Cantwell wants to discuss the agency’s authority Tuesday when the commission testifies before her committee (see 2104140046). Section 13(b) authority allows the agency to seek an injunction against FTC Act violations and obtain restitution for consumers simultaneously.
New York state will require all ISPs to sell a $15 monthly internet plan to low-income households. Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signed a budget Friday including the affordable broadband program and spending $1 million on a statewide map measuring broadband availability, reliability and cost. The plan got praise from the state’s consumer advocate, but the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation said it might foreshadow more price regulation.
Foreign-flagged satellite operators challenging FCC regulatory fees approved last year (see 2012300046) faced apparently dubious judges in oral argument Friday at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The three-judge panel appeared dismissive of petitioner arguments that there wasn't requisite notice and that the FCC's interpretation of the Communications Act allowing it to charge such fees is inconsistent with how it's written. A decision could come around June or July, we were told.
Action on the FCC’s Further NPRM on the 6 GHz band likely has been pushed until later this year, industry and agency officials said, mainly because the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit is considering a challenge to the April 2020 rules, filed by AT&T, APCO, electric utilities and other plaintiffs. The Office of Engineering and Technology is also still working through technical questions, officials said.