There's no grace period for companies to continue transferring data from Europe to the U.S. without assessing its legal basis, the European Data Protection Board said in FAQs published Friday. Some stakeholders were hoping for a grace period after the European Court of Justice invalidated Privacy Shield (see 2007160002).
The FTC received at least two complaints through July 13 in response to President Donald Trump’s May 28 social media executive order (see 2007100052). The filings, which we obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, allege “deception/misrepresentation” by Facebook and Twitter.
A federal judge sought more case law on how much deference to give an FCC statement of interest (SOI) interpreting its RF safety policy as preempting an RF disclosure law in Berkeley, California. At virtual argument Thursday evening Eastern time at U.S. District Court in San Francisco, Judge Edward Chen gave CTIA and Berkeley seven days to provide legal citations on that question and the appropriate standard for overcoming courts’ usual presumption against preemption of local police power. Berkeley outside counsel Larry Lessig told us the Supreme Court supports the city's position that the SOI shouldn't get deference. Other experts differed.
The FCC will allow workers who are teleworking now to continue doing so until at least June 2021, and delayed its move to new headquarters until September 2020 over concerns about staff being infected with COVID-19 during the packing process. That's according to interviews with staff, the employee union, and a memo emailed to workers Friday by Chairman Ajit Pai’s Chief of Staff Matthew Berry. (Our earlier news bulletin on this is in front of this publication's pay wall here and the other one is at 2007240038).
AT&T continues to see big pandemic challenges and believes effects will long linger, executives said Thursday as it became the first national wireless carrier to report Q2 earnings. “We’re planning and operating under the assumption that significant accommodations for COVID will be the business norm well into next year,” said CEO John Stankey on an investor call. The stock closed 0.9% lower Thursday at $29.90. Verizon reports results Friday.
Backing Charter Communications' ask the FCC sunset two Time Warner Cable-Bright House Networks transaction conditions in May (see 2006180050) are free-market and small-government advocacy groups, swarms of local business groups and local elected officials. Opponents are primarily public interest groups, as expected (see 2007090009), in docket 16-197 postings Thursday. Replies are due Aug. 6.
Bids stood at $357 million after the first, six-hour round of the citizens broadband radio service priority access license auction Thursday. The FCC has two bidding rounds scheduled for Friday. Industry officials are watching the auction closely as an expression of interest in the 3.5 GHz shared band.
Senate Communications Subcommittee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., and other lawmakers expressed interest Thursday in pursuing legislation and other solutions to address what they see as a dysfunctional relationship between the FCC and other federal agencies on spectrum management. Thune later told us Capitol Hill is unlikely to address the issue this Congress given the dwindling legislative calendar. FCC approval of Ligado’s L-band plan wasn’t directly mentioned despite earlier expectations (see 2007220066).
The FCC applauded NARUC's asking members to review inmate calling service rates (see 2007230041) Thursday. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai asked state utility regulators Monday to reduce intrastate ICS prices (see 2007200058), with federal commissioners to vote Aug. 6 on lowering interstate rates (see 2007160072).
The Senate Homeland Security Committee advanced two bills by voice vote Wednesday targeting tech threats from China. One seeks to address Chinese theft of American research and intellectual property, and the other would ban federal employees from using the social media app TikTok on government-issued devices.