Southern state lawmakers stressed their concern for kids’ safety as they supported bills Thursday to require age verification for social media and pornography websites. At a Florida House Regulatory Reform Subcommittee, Chair Tyler Sirois (R) defended banning children from social platforms even if their parents would allow it. During a South Carolina House Constitutional Laws Subcommittee hearing, the state's attorney general, Alan Wilson (R), strongly supported blocking kids from porn websites.
Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., and Senate Agriculture Rural Development Subcommittee Chairman Peter Welch, D-Vt., led filing Wednesday of the Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act to give the initiative stopgap funding through the rest of the year, as expected (see 2401090074). The measure would allocate ACP $7 billion for FY 2024, mirroring an earlier draft of the measure Clarke circulated in recent weeks. The FCC estimates the program could exhaust its original $14.2 billion appropriation in April. Congress’ appetite for providing the program more money remains in question given misgivings among top Republicans on the House and Senate Commerce committees (see 2312210074), although several Republicans signed on as ACP Extension Act sponsors at filing: Sen. J.D. Vance (Ohio), Sen. Kevin Cramer (N.D.), Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), and New York Reps. Anthony D’Esposito, Mike Lawler and Marc Molinaro. The measure “provides a transformative opportunity to bridge the gap of the digital divide for communities of color, urban and rural families, and so many more underserved Americans,” Clarke said in a statement. “Access to high-speed internet isn’t a luxury anymore, it’s a necessity,” Welch said. “That’s why it’s never been so important to avoid this funding cliff and extend the ACP.” Welch’s office cited support from more than 400 companies, groups and other entities, including FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and her fellow Democratic Commissioners Anna Gomez and Geoffrey Starks. In addition, several major ISPs and related industry groups are backing the measure: AT&T, Charter, Comcast, Cox Communications, Incompas, NTCA, T-Mobile, USTelecom, Verizon, Wireless Infrastructure Association and WTA. Others supporting the ACP Extension Act: the AFL-CIO, American Civil Liberties Union, Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, Communications Workers of America, Fiber Broadband Association, Free Press, NAACP, Pew Charitable Trusts and Public Knowledge.
Generative AI is expanding Big Tech’s data monopoly and worsening news outlets' financial crisis, Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Josh Hawley, R-Mo., agreed Wednesday while hearing testimony about The New York Times Co. (NYT) lawsuit against Microsoft and OpenAI.
CTIA promotes Sarah Yi to assistant vice president-executive director, ACTwireless; Justin Perkins to director-cybersecurity and policy; and Courtney Tolerico to director-regulatory affairs … Ritter Communications advances Heath Simpson to CEO, effective Jan. 31, succeeding Alan Morse, moving to executive chairman ... Sinclair advances Ryan Moore to senior vice president-chief revenue officer.
The National Content & Technology Cooperative joined the Associated Carrier Group, which should grease the path for NCTC cable operator members wanting to launch mobile virtual network operator service, NCTC said Tuesday. ACG membership lets NCTC members take advantage of discounts with mobile original equipment manufacturers, it said.
Streaming music company Roxi is partnering with Sinclair on an offer of interactive music channels broadcast over ATSC 3.0 in U.S. homes starting this year, said a Sinclair news release Tuesday. The initial Roxi music, karaoke and games channels will “feature the interactivity and capabilities of a music app, without having to download or launch an app,” the release said. “Our viewers will be able to pause, play and skip on broadcast TV for the first time,” said Roxi CEO Rob Lewis in the release. The Roxi Music Video Channel will feature “curated collections of the very best high-quality music videos from the biggest names in music” and allow viewers to pay for an ad-free version. The Roxi Music Games Channel features interactive music games, and the Roxi Music Video Karaoke Channel will feature karaoke tracks with original music videos and scrolling lyrics, the release said. “We’re confident this partnership will help accelerate the adoption of NextGen TV by delivering entertainment features that consumers will increasingly come to demand on their televisions,” said Skip Flenniken, Sinclair vice president-general manager, technology business development.
The five-year satellite disposal requirement that just went into effect won't trigger a faster pace of low earth orbit satellite launches as operators won't try to put vehicles in orbit under the regulatory wire, space experts tell us. In addition, the new rule shouldn't propel LEO missions to seek licensing in nations outside the U.S., they believe. The five-year deorbit rule adopted in 2022 (see 2209290017) covers all launches after Sept. 29.
The FCC should dismiss three counterproposals from Pacific Radio Group for allocating FM channels on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, said SSR Communications in an opposition filing posted Friday in docket 23-197. The counterproposals are defective because PRG already owns four FM facilities in that market, SSR said. SSR originally proposed allocation of three channels on the island, and PRC's counterproposals involve the same three channels but would allocate them to different communities with larger populations, the SSR filing said. In addition, PRG said it would seek construction permits to build stations for each channel: “PRG certifies that [it] will participate in a future Commission spectrum auction for a new permit at Princeville, Hawaii, and if it is the winning bidder, will build the station promptly,” said one PRG filing. As PRG already owns four full-service FMs in that market, FCC radio ownership limits would prevent it having additional stations on Kaui, SSR said. “Because PRG is not eligible to receive a construction permit for any of the channels that are the subject of the counterproposals, the counterproposals are akin to ‘strike applications’” filed to delay competitors, SSR said. PRG didn’t comment.
Comments are due Feb. 2 on a petition asking the FTC to protect consumers’ right to repair products, the agency announced Wednesday. U.S. Public Interest Research Group and iFixit filed a petition for rulemaking in November asking the agency to implement rules making independent repair “easier” and “more widely available.” In addition, they asked the FTC to require makers of parts that routinely wear out ensure there are replacements readily available during a product’s lifespan. An example is batteries. Moreover, consumers should be able to choose repair providers or fix a product themselves, the petition said. Components from “identical devices should be interchangeable without needing manufacturer intervention,” and independent repair shops shouldn’t be forced to share a customer’s personal information with the original manufacturer, they said.
The House Communications Subcommittee plans a Jan. 11 hearing on the subject of improving U.S. communications networks’ cybersecurity, the Commerce Committee said Thursday. “Every day, there are more than 2,200 cyberattacks" on U.S. communications infrastructure and many "originate from foreign adversaries, like communist China, that exploit vulnerabilities in our networks and compromise our national security,” said House Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., and Communications Chairman Bob Latta, R-Ohio. The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn.