Much of the tech industry -- though CTA was silent -- blasted the Trump administration Tuesday for announcing it plans to go ahead with 25 percent Trade Act Section 301 tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese imports. The products affected won’t be known until the U.S. Trade Representative's office releases its final tariffs list by June 15. Tariffs will be imposed “shortly thereafter,” said the White House.
An ICANN injunctive action against a German domain name registrar seeks to "preserve Whois," the internet body said. The case, filed in Bonn Friday against EPAG Domainservices GmbH, asks the court for "assistance in interpreting" the EU general data protection regulation (GDPR). EPAG said it will no longer collect registrants' administrative and technical contact information when it sells new domain names because that would violate the GDPR. ICANN, with a "temporary specification" for registries and registrars to follow to comply, said EPAG's "position has identified a disagreement with ICANN and others as to how the GDPR should be interpreted." While clarification might be helpful, the GDPR trumps ICANN's specification, ICANN players told us Tuesday.
Rural telcos asked the FCC to increase their USF support and take other steps to ensure subsidy flows meet statutory mandates and help carriers improve broadband service. Tribal groups said the agency had to do more to support tribal carrier broadband efforts and operations expenses. But NCTA opposed proposals to increase Connect America Fund spending for rate-of-return (RoR) telcos without offsets, and both it and the Wireless ISP Association suggesting using reverse auctions to award some support. Comments on an NPRM attached to an order providing $545 million in new support for RLECs (see 1803230025) were posted Friday and Tuesday in docket 10-90.
The National Weather Service asked the FCC to require inclusion of multimedia content in wireless emergency alerts, joining the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which made a similar request last week (see 1805240035). FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is coming under increasing pressure to address multimedia content, but wireless and public safety officials said Pai doesn't appear to have decided how to proceed. Comments were due last week on a Public Safety Bureau notice to update the record (see 1803280029) on the feasibility of carriers including multimedia content in WEAs.
Advocates rallied for California net neutrality legislation Tuesday before a Senate floor vote expected this week on the bill by state Sen. Scott Wiener (D). Opposed by industry and backed by former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and other 2015 open internet rule supporters, SB-822 “is more far reaching than the bills put forth in the other states,” emailed Sherry Lichtenberg, National Regulatory Research Institute telecom principal. A June 5 primary for U.S. Senate may affect politics around the California effort, said Tellus Venture Associates President Steve Blum.
The FCC approved enhanced USF support for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to help them recover from 2017 hurricanes Irma and Maria, as expected (see 1803060039). Commissioners voted 4-1 May 8 to adopt an order and NPRM, which was released Tuesday, with Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel partially dissenting and departing Commissioner Mignon Clyburn participating. The agency will make available $750 million in subsidies through an "Uniendo a (Bringing Together) Puerto Rico Fund" and $204 million through a "Connect USVI Fund." About $256 million of it is additional funding, the rest repurposed; and about $64 million will be provided immediately and almost $900 million over the mid-to-long term.
Expect a Senate Judiciary Committee markup on the Music Modernization Act (S-2823) as early as mid-June, with plans of moving forward with the copyright package as originally introduced, despite an alternative bill floated by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., industry observers told us (see 1805230068). Broad support for the original package means the bill should move quickly, bill sponsors said (see 1805110056).
CTA, the National Retail Federation and 50 other trade groups from various industries want the U.S. Trade Representative’s office to “immediately make public” the details of the Trade Act Section 301 "process" it will use to add more Chinese-sourced products to the proposed 25 percent tariffs list, if it heeds the suggestions of "several stakeholders” to do so, they said in comments posted Thursday in docket USTR-2018-0005. “We strongly believe there needs to be additional public input for any products that USTR is considering adding to the proposed list,” said the comments, which also were signed by the Information Technology Industry Council, the Internet Association and the Telecommunications Industry Association.
With less than two weeks before the June 7 commissioners’ meeting, how the votes will shape up on the high-band Further NPRM (see 1805160051) remains unclear. The draft NPRM proposes to eliminate the pre-auction limit of 1250 MHz on the amount of millimeter-wave spectrum in the 28 GHz, 37 GHz and 39 GHz bands that any party can buy at auction. FCC Democrats historically favored aggregation limits, usually opposed by Republicans. FCC Democrat Jessica Rosenworcel is still studying the draft and has reached no conclusions, industry and FCC officials said Friday. The item is one of 12 on one of the biggest agendas in a long time for an FCC open meeting.
Artificial intelligence algorithm bias is one issue the FTC will potentially address in upcoming public hearings on emerging consumer protection and competition issues, said Consumer Protection Bureau Senior Attorney Tiffany George Thursday. Chairman Joseph Simons recently testified the agency plans a series of hearings throughout the country on consumer protection (see 1805170073). A spokesman said Thursday the agency is working through details on timing and scope.