House Commerce Republican lawmakers are beginning to consider legislative vehicles for enacting broadband infrastructure bills championed in President Donald Trump’s February infrastructure proposal (see 1802120001), though they told us they're also still considering ways to advance stand-alone measures. House Digital Commerce Subcommittee Chairman Bob Latta, R-Ohio, suggested earlier this month the possibility of lawmakers using a yet-to-be-introduced NTIA reauthorization bill as a vehicle (see 1804170059). Entities lobbying on the broadband infrastructure push remained relatively steady in Q1 compared with the previous quarter, though some lobbyists told us the rapid closing of the legislative window is narrowing lawmakers’ options for advancing bills in this Congress.
NAB and Comcast led among communications and tech sector Q1 lobbying expenditures reported by Friday early evening, though most companies and groups hadn't filed yet. NAB spent $3.89 million in Q1, down 4 percent from the same period in 2017. Outside firms reported $340,000 in income from lobbying on NAB’s behalf. Outside firms were already reporting $1.57 million in income for lobbying on Comcast’s behalf for the quarter. Hired firms claimed at least $1.25 million for lobbying on behalf of AT&T. There was at least $785,000 in lobbying income on behalf of T-Mobile, while consultants posted $711,000 in reports for Verizon.
A draft item hit the FCC's top floor Thursday on Northstar Wireless and SNR Wireless applications for new licenses in the AWS-3 bands, said the circulation list updated the next day. The designated entities and Dish Network recently restructured their relationship after the FCC clawed back spectrum awarded at a discount to those DEs in a major spectrum auction (see 1804040004). The Commission said the proceeding is restricted, so officials were tight-lipped. One analyst has said the agency may again nix the DEs' attempt to get an approximately 25 percent discount on the several billion dollars of spectrum.
Expect the Senate Judiciary Committee to pursue a package of music copyright legislation like the one House Judiciary recently advanced (see 1804110060), industry attorneys and lobbyists told us. Music Modernization Act (S-2334) author Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, told us he plans to discuss Senate Judiciary Committee consideration of the bill with Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. Grassley “knows it’s important,” Hatch said.
An FCC freeze on new or modifications of fixed satellite service licenses in the 3.7-4.2 GHz band is seemingly the next step toward the agency issuing an NPRM on an Intelsat/Intel/SES plan for freeing up part of the C-band for mobile wireless use (see 1710020047), experts told us. Action on the band seems imminent, given the freeze announced Thursday. The agency is apparently "moving aggressively" toward an NPRM regarding mobile and high-capacity fixed wireless in the band, emailed Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Program at New America's Open Technology Institute.
Commissioner Brendan Carr is starting to sketch out details on what are expected to be the FCC’s next big steps toward making it easier for carriers to deploy small cells tied to 5G. In a speech last week at a CTIA 5G event (see 1804190050), Carr said his proposal is being worked out, and one of the principles will be that local and state governments mustn't use siting review as a revenue generator. Industry officials repeatedly complained during the CTIA forum about how long it takes to install small cells.
The FCC had a more difficult time in court Friday than some expected (see 1804190056) in defending its change of the UHF discount so that stations in that part of the TV band could have twice the concentrated ownership as those lower down the dial. Every member of a three-judge panel took issue with the FCC’s lack of justification for restoring the UHF discount.
Congress should pass legislation for countering bad unmanned aerial vehicles, DOJ and Homeland Security Department officials said Thursday on an Information Technology and Innovation Foundation panel. Public safety agencies' ability to fight criminal or terrorist use of drones is “hamstrung” by outdated laws and legal uncertainty, said Brendan Groves, counsel to the deputy attorney general. To integrate drones safely into airspace, government must assure the public it has tools to deal with malicious or errant uses, said DHS Program Executive Officer-Unmanned Aerial Systems Anh Duong. Hogan Lovells attorney Lisa Ellman, co-chair of Global Unmanned Aircraft Systems, supported legislation but said “the devil is in the details.”
The State Department is fighting to maintain the free flow of data and maximize monetary value of the internet, as new international privacy laws threaten the ease of cross-border data transfer, said Deputy Assistant Secretary-Cyber and International Communications and Information Policy Robert Strayer Thursday. At a Media Institute event, Strayer cited Vietnam’s new digital economy strategy as an area of concern. From the audience CTA CEO Gary Shapiro cited efforts in China to “blockade” American tech sector progress and Europe’s “cumbersome” general data protection regulation, which he said further hampers U.S. competitiveness.
U.S. spectrum issues and inability to site new infrastructure are the reasons that the U.S. has fallen behind South Korea and China in the race to 5G, CTIA President Meredith Baker said at the group’s fifth-generation Thursday. The wireless industry otherwise is leading the world but needs spectrum and help getting facilities built, Baker said. CTIA reported Monday the U.S. is falling behind (see 1804160056).