Amazon scuttled plans to establish a second headquarters in Long Island City, Queens, Thursday after saying last week (see 1902080046) it was focused on “engaging with our new neighbors.” The company doesn’t plan to reopen its HQ2 search “at this time,” it said. It will proceed as planned in Northern Virginia and Nashville and “continue to hire and grow across our 17 corporate offices and tech hubs in the U.S. and Canada." Amazon has more than 5,000 employees in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Staten Island and plans to continue expanding those teams, it said.
Amid the FTC's "huge portfolio that’s much different" from his agency's, FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly said, are "a bunch of things that are unrelated. It makes it a very challenging opportunity for them." He was answering a question about the two agencies' coordination on net neutrality, during an episode of C-SPAN's The Communicators to be online Friday and televised this weekend. He repeated that net neutrality is a federal, not state, issue and raised national security concerns about Chinese 5G gear.
The FCC North American Numbering Council is leaning toward handing the agency a list of what it doesn't recommend regarding feasibility of designating a three-digit dialing code for a suicide prevention and mental health hotline, including opposing repurposing any existing N11 number. It likely won't recommend to the agency what it should do, though some members say repurposing 611 makes sense.
Commissioners approved 5-0 a Connect America Fund order to transition from legacy, Phase I price-cap incumbent telco support to CAF II support won at auction last year. As some expected (see 1902130054), the FCC stuck to a draft decision to decline a USTelecom proposal for interim voice support in certain areas, though it did make tweaks in response to ILEC requests. At Thursday's meeting, members also unanimously approved an IP captioned telephone service order, Further NPRM and order aimed at enhancing program management, combating abuse and improving emergency call management.
Commissioners voted 5-0 Thursday to launch a rulemaking on curbing spoofed robocalls, implementing as expected (see 1902120050) part of Ray Baum's Act. Chairman Ajit Pai led with the item during a news conference. Commissioner Mike O’Rielly raised concerns the U.S. can’t take action against some international spoofers. Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel questioned whether the FCC is doing enough to take enforcement actions against robocallers.
A waiver proposed by the 5G Automotive Association to use part of the 5.9 GHz band for cellular vehicle-to-everything technology in the upper 20 MHz of the band may not have the votes needed to move forward. FCC Commissioners Mike O’Rielly and Jessica Rosenworcel, who have sought action on 5.9 GHz, said in news conferences after Thursday’s commissioners’ meeting they instead support a broad-based Further NPRM.
The FCC’s media modernization effort should be scrutinized for ignoring “foundational statutory obligations” and bypassing policies “truly in need of modernization,” said new Commissioner Geoffrey Starks in an extended statement at Thursday’s commissioners’ meeting. Starks and Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel voted “concur” on a unanimously approved order eliminating redundant midterm equal employment opportunity reports (see 1901180043). They urged the FCC to restore long-stalled collection of employment data on diversity. The agency will issue an Further NPRM on broad EEO enforcement within 90 days, Chairman Ajit Pai said.
Dish Network Chairman Charlie Ergen shot down an analyst who questioned Wednesday whether it makes sense for Dish to discuss a joint venture with AT&T’s DirecTV to "share costs" amid subscriber declines for both "core" satellite TV businesses. “If they’re sticking a gun to your head and taking HBO away, you’re probably not having a lot of conversations,” said Ergen of AT&T on a Q4 call (replay here). “We’re not real good at guns at our heads.”
The House Consumer Protection Subcommittee’s Feb. 26 hearing is a starting point for developing “comprehensive privacy legislation,” House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., told reporters Wednesday, the day the hearing was announced. Asked if he has his own privacy bill in the works, Pallone said, “We’re working on it, but we want to have the hearings, and we’re gradually putting something together.”
Donald Trump's administration released its American Broadband Initiative milestones report Wednesday, outlining a strategy for spurring wireless and wireline broadband using federal lands. It includes opening Department of Interior (DOI) towers for communications use and streamlining other buildout. The Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing on ways to ensure U.S. infrastructure keeps up with economic growth.