House Commerce Committee members divided on broadband and next-generation 911 language in Democrats’ Leading Infrastructure for Tomorrow’s (Lift) America Act during Monday's hearing. Republicans indicated they may not support HR-1848 without significant changes. A similar partisan divide was on display last week during a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on federal connectivity programs (see 2103170068).
House Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., pressed the FCC to “take a more measured approach to the 5.9 GHz band” during President Joe Biden’s administration due to ongoing concerns about the commission’s November vote to reallocate the frequency for Wi-Fi and cellular vehicle-to-everything (see 2011180043). Some House Armed Services Committee members, meanwhile, emphasized during a Friday hearing the need for solutions to ensure DOD is able to maintain spectrum superiority over other nations for warfare purposes, while also allowing for telecom companies to gain access to more frequencies for commercial use.
The FTC shouldn’t police speech, but it can enforce whether platforms are honoring terms of service through content moderation and Communications Decency Act Section 230 activity, FTC Commissioner Christine Wilson said Friday. Speaking on a Free State Foundation webcast, she said Section 230 blanket immunity is an intrusion into the market with a significant impact on competition.
Two startup satellite operators expect to light up their “cell tower in space” services within two years. Some see regulatory red flags.
Senate Homeland Security Committee leaders said they’re interested in pursuing a major overhaul of the federal government’s cyberattack response process following the Russia-linked SolarWinds hack and other recent incidents, during a Thursday hearing. Panel Chairman Gary Peters, D-Mich., and ranking member Rob Portman, R-Ohio, also want a clearer sense of what federal official should ultimately be deemed responsible if hackers infiltrate government networks as happened in the SolarWinds incident.
To address threats to 5G security, the FCC needs to work closely with the rest of the federal government, said acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Congressional Spectrum Caucus co-Chair Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Calif., at a Center for Strategic and International Studies webinar Thursday. That was Rosenworcel’s theme as a minority commissioner -- that spectrum conflicts occurred in the past four years because agencies weren’t working together.
The FTC needs to review past agency antitrust analysis to determine where tools have been misused and what predictions have been incorrect, acting Chair Rebecca Kelly Slaughter told the House Antitrust Subcommittee Thursday. She responded to Chairman David Cicilline, D-R.I., and ranking member Ken Buck, R-Colo. Those lawmakers' opening remarks questioned FTC reported reluctance in 2013 to pursue an antitrust lawsuit against Google, despite a recommendation from agency investigators.
The FCC's recent infusion of money from Congress will likely help millions of students and low-income households stay connected during the pandemic, experts said in recent interviews. They said the commission must overcome longstanding institutional barriers to find a solution to shore up USF financially over the long haul (see 2102010059).
Frontier Communications could soon emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy after getting final regulatory OK Thursday (see 2103150030). A late change to the proposed decision might cause turbulence. California Public Utilities Commissioners voted 5-0 at their virtual meeting to clear the reorganization -- with conditions. The order is a "critical moment of really ensuring that Frontier be a better company for California,” said Commissioner Martha Guzman Aceves.
FCC commissioners approved a notice of inquiry 4-0, asking questions about the future of open radio access networks and how they can help make 5G more secure. Officials told us several questions were added, as expected (see 2103160041), including on affordability for low-income and rural consumers and increasing deployments outside the urban core, as suggested by Commissioner Geoffrey Starks. Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel added questions on competition and smaller market players, as suggested in ex parte filings, officials said.