The Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council easily approved three reports by its working groups Wednesday, including on risks to stand-alone 5G networks from new standards by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and on standard operating procedures for emergency alerts. None was immediately made available by the FCC.
Maine faced questions about constitutionality of its cable a la carte programming law during a 1st Circuit Court of Appeals oral argument Wednesday, as the state challenged a lower court's preliminary injunction stopping it from enforcing that law (see 2004300011). A lawyer involved in the proceeding told us odds are good of seeing a decision this year, early Q1 at latest.
First responder concerns about accuracy of emergency dispatching in the nation's capital took another turn in the early hours of Wednesday. Fire-rescue personnel lectured 911 staff during questioning about where on Southern Avenue in the Southeast quadrant Washington's Fire and EMS Department should respond for someone with chest pains. Later in the day, the firefighter's union weighed in on overall 911 dispatching accuracy concerns.
The goal of the FCC Communications Decency Act Section 230 proceeding is to “push back on concentrations of power” held by big tech companies, said FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr during a virtual Lincoln Network Q&A Wednesday. Carr said his push for “light-touch regulation” represents a growing shift among conservatives, and existing conservative Washington think tanks are dominated by “abject corporatism” and opposition to all regulation. “My approach to net neutrality is consistent with my approach to big tech,” Carr said. “It’s easy to say ‘let's not change anything,’” Carr said. “This is not simply competition in a free market; this is taking advantage of a landscape skewed by law to favor their business model.”
Oregon justices wrestled with how to make a cellphone privacy rule outlining when it’s permissible for police to require someone to unlock an encrypted device. At livestreamed Supreme Court oral argument Tuesday in State v. Pittman, Chief Justice Martha Walters questioned state arguments that entering a password reveals nothing more than knowledge of the code and that the user plays no big role in decryption. The U.S. Supreme Court might take up the issue that has split state courts, said Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and National Police Association (NPA) officials in Wednesday interviews.
Trademark modernization takes legislative priority over efforts to update the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Senate Intellectual Property Subcommittee Chairman Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told us Wednesday before a hearing on the DMCA. The Trademark Modernization Act recently passed the House Judiciary Committee unanimously. Getting that bill enacted into law this Congress is one of Tillis' “top priorities,” his office said. “We’ll be working with them to make sure that whatever we lay down has got consensus,” the lead Senate sponsor said.
A Thursday House Communications Subcommittee hearing is expected to feature partisan dueling assessments of the FCC's performance under Chairman Ajit Pai, capping off subcommittee Democrats’ often-rancorous relationship with commission Republicans this Congress (see 1901160031). Communications Democrats said the hearing will focus on FCC “lost opportunities” during President Donald Trump’s administration, including actions they say widened the digital divide (see 2009100066). The hearing begins at 10 a.m.
Public safety officials are starting to build a case against FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s proposal to rewrite the rules for the 4.9 GHz band, a long-standing focus of the FCC that's concerned it has never been fully utilized. Agency officials said it’s too early to tell whether any commissioner will object since meetings with public safety officials are getting underway. On a webinar Wednesday, Public Safety Spectrum Alliance supporters asked viewers to file comments and contact their congressional representatives before the Sept. 30 vote.
It’s unlikely the Senate will significantly move forward in consideration of FCC nominee Nathan Simington before the November election, if at all this year, lawmakers and lobbyists said in interviews this week. The White House said Tuesday President Donald Trump intended to nominate Simington, currently a NTIA senior adviser, to the seat held by Commissioner Mike O’Rielly (see 2009150074). The White House formally sent Simington's nomination to the Senate Wednesday. Trump revoked O’Rielly’s renomination in early August (see 2008030072).
Apple energized its growing services business at its Tuesday event, announcing a subscription-based fitness app, Fitness+ ($9.99 a month; $79 yearly), and an expected bundled services offering (see 2008130029) under the moniker Apple One. “It’s all about recurring subscription revenue,” tweeted Futurum analyst Daniel Newman. Gartner's Mikako Kitagawa called the prices “competitive,” questioning if they will be enough to pull in users “other than existing Apple service customers.” Heavy Spotify or Netflix users need to have “a good reason to add Apple Music or TV," she emailed.