An NPRM on technical changes to low-power FM rules is considered noncontroversial. It doesn’t go as far as some LPFM stations would like, LPFM industry officials and broadcast attorneys who represent full-power stations said in interviews. Since the NPRM doesn’t tee up previously contentious proposals to increase LPFM power levels (see 1807230039), it's unlikely full-power broadcasters will be concerned with it, broadcast attorneys said. REC Networks founder Michelle Bradley said in posts on her website she wishes for more expansive rule changes but supports all the NPRM’s proposals.
The FCC made some major changes to its focus in the three weeks the 2.5 GHz educational broadband service order was before commissioners. They approved the order last week, with Democrats Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks dissenting to most parts (see 1907100054). A side-by-side comparison shows significant changes. While the FCC has often changed course on an item on the way to a vote, the decision of Chairman Ajit Pai to post drafts three-weeks before a meeting make the changes more apparent than they were in the past, former officials said.
Debate over the best plan for clearing spectrum on the 3.7-4.2 GHz C-band is expected to be the big draw for stakeholders during the House Communications Subcommittee's Tuesday hearing on spectrum policy issues. It won't be the only focus. Six other bands are known to be on subcommittee members' radar amid ongoing Capitol Hill interest in U.S. strategy for taking a lead role in 5G development, lawmakers and lobbyists said in interviews. The panel is set to start at 10:30 a.m. in 2322 Rayburn (see 1907100069).
The FTC “will determine next steps” in its inquiry into manufacturer restrictions on third-party consumer product repairs after its ‘Nixing the Fix’ workshop, emailed a spokesperson. The commission is billing Tuesday’s workshop as a chance to examine whether third-party repair limitations can undercut the consumer protections in the 1975 Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (MMWA). The agency has been silent about punitive actions it might take or rules it could propose to thwart practices it deems possible violations of the statute.
It’s not legitimate to claim Silicon Valley is biased against conservatives, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said in an interview on C-SPAN's The Communicators set to have been televised this weekend. President Donald Trump offered anecdotal evidence of social media’s anti-conservative bias at a White House summit Thursday (see 1907110066).
Third-party streaming of local live TV broadcasts is growing, with Locast adding markets and Didja, trialing in three markets, hoping to sign retrans agreements with major broadcasters soon. Though the copyright and retans lawsuits some saw as possible with the early 2018 launch of Sports Fans Coalition's Locast (see 1801110026) haven't materialized, some say it's not in the clear.
Consumer and public interest groups said the FCC should deny a petition by the P2P Alliance asking to clarify peer-to-peer text messages to cellphones aren't subject to Telephone Consumer Protection Act restrictions (see 1805040028). It's late in the game. Industry and agency officials said Chairman Ajit Pai supports acting on the P2P petition, likely with the support of the other Republicans. Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks haven't staked out a position.
President Donald Trump offered anecdotal evidence of social media bias and alleged throttling of his followers and activity on Twitter. Speaking Thursday to hundreds of invitees at his Presidential Social Media Summit (see 1907100040), he cited dramatic fluctuations of follower counts and Twitter interaction. “It would be like a rocket ship when I put out a beauty,” he said, claiming nowadays it takes him 10 times as long to gain 100,000 followers.
The New York Public Service Commission voted 3-1 to approve the state’s settlement with Charter Communications. At a livestreamed Thursday meeting, commissioners noted regrets and lessons learned from the sometimes-contentious process between the PSC's threatening in July 2018 to boot Charter out of the state (see 1807270027) and this year’s settlement (see 1904190059).
The FTC should remain the U.S. privacy enforcer but needs more resources, House Consumer Protection Subcommittee ranking member Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., told us Thursday. Two House Democrats from California are contemplating draft legislation that would replace it with a new data privacy agency. A prospective privacy bill will need bipartisan, bicameral support to pass, she said after an appearance at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event.