The FCC asked a court to postpone Feb. 1 oral argument on the agency's net neutrality reversal, citing the partial government shutdown and the need of its attorneys to prepare. The commission said petitioners challenging the order oppose its Tuesday motion, its industry supporting intervenors don't oppose it, and others took no position (see 1901150057).
Though critical cyber offices at the Department of Homeland Security are understaffed because of the partial federal government shutdown, DHS can manage its duties for now, former department officials told us. The bigger issue is that a dysfunctional government makes the public sector less attractive to cyber professionals, who already have more incentive to work in the private sector, they said.
Possible violations of Minnesota law by Frontier Communications have state legislators’ attention, they told us. Comments are due early next month to the Public Utilities Commission on the state Commerce Department finding the carrier may be violating at least 35 laws and rules, based on about 1,000 customer comments (see 1901040039).
Former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler slammed the Donald Trump administration’s work on 5G. Wheeler, now at Brookings, said many from the FCC to satellite companies to T-Mobile/Sprint use 5G as a justification for doing things they wanted to do anyway. Unless 5G is more secure than 4G and reaches parts of the U.S. now left unserved, its significance will be underwhelming, Wheeler blogged Friday.
LAS VEGAS -- On a final 5G panel at CES, speakers discussed advantages of the next generation of wireless. Verizon and AT&T already have launched 5G in some markets, with T-Mobile and Sprint scheduled to do so as well. Speakers repeatedly said Thursday they had never seen as much focus on a single topic at a CES as they saw on 5G.
A draft NPRM that would simplify processes for prospective low-power FM and noncommericial educational (NCE) station operators to apply for licenses during filing windows isn’t expected to draw controversy or much pushback at the FCC, said broadcast attorneys and industry officials in interviews. Most of the proposed rule changes would have little practical effect until a filing window for LPFM or NCE licenses is opened. It’s unlikely such windows would be opened until the rulemaking proceeding kicked off by the NPRM is complete, said Garvey Schubert's Melodie Virtue. The current proposals would mostly “get rid of some regulatory gotchas” that were barriers to entry, Virtue said. The NPRM is set for commissioners' Jan. 30 meeting.
Concerns about the partial government closure's impact on FCC device approvals (see 1901040008) mounted Friday, a day before the impasse reached a record length (see 1901100020). Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel also expanded on her concerns about the hiatus' impact on device authorizations (see 1901080023), seeking an end to the shuttering. A wireless charger maker also complained of the delay (see 1901110023).
LAS VEGAS -- The partial federal shutdown hung like a dense cloud over CES, with almost all federal officials staying home. Attendees, most of whom are focused on business rather than federal policy, told us they heard few complaints. Lawyers here mostly seemed to focus on business meetings, staying away from the policy discussions with no regulators.
LAS VEGAS -- The 8K Association (8KA) nonprofit formed to address concerns of the 8K ecosystem (see 1901090026) is banking on over-the-top video as its content source, said Executive Director Chris Chinnock at a CES news conference. “OTT will drive the adoption of 8K, so we’re going to be reaching out to those key players to see what they’re going to need to see,” said Chinnock Wednesday, “and see what we can do to encourage the development of all the components.”
The Commerce Department shouldn’t support overly strict export controls on new technology like artificial intelligence that could harm tech innovation and bolster bad actors like China, industry groups commented. The Bureau of Industry and Security published an advance NPRM in November, seeking comment by Thursday on potentially tighter export controls in docket 2018-25221. The department is exploring technology for conventional weapons, intelligence collection and weapons of mass destruction, including AI and machine learning (ML), microprocessors, advanced computers, data analytics, quantum computing, robotics and advanced surveillance.