A Thursday Senate Communications Subcommittee hearing showed there's bipartisan support for a “strong telehealth initiative” that the Commerce and Health committees could together advance to the Senate floor this year, said subpanel Chairman Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., in an interview. Lawmakers noted interest in advancing the Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment Act (HR-708/S-168) and Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies for Health Act (HR-2903/S-1512), among other telehealth measures. Lujan and others also used the hearing to promote the need for further broadband money and air grievances about President Joe Biden’s delay in announcing nominees to the FCC and NTIA.
Unless President Joe Biden makes nominations soon and the Senate acts (see 2110080043), in just three months the once nearly unthinkable could happen -- a 2-1 majority-GOP FCC with Geoffrey Starks the acting chairman and sole Democrat. Industry observers said if that happens it will probably mean a continuation of the current FCC under acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. Starks will set the agenda but can seek votes only on items where there's Republican buy-in. Contentious issues like rewriting net neutrality rules would be pushed to a time when Democrats have a majority. Rosenworcel and Starks didn't comment.
A Thursday Senate Communications Subcommittee hearing showed there is bipartisan support for a “strong telehealth initiative” that the Commerce and Health committees could together advance to the Senate floor this year, said subpanel Chairman Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., in an interview. Lawmakers noted interest in advancing the Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment Act (HR-708/S-168) and Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies for Health Act (HR-2903/S-1512), among other telehealth measures. Lujan and others also used the hearing as a venue to promote the need for further broadband money and air grievances about President Joe Biden’s delay in announcing nominees to the FCC and NTIA.
House Communications Subcommittee Republicans used a Wednesday hearing ostensibly aimed at highlighting bipartisan cooperation on a dozen communications bills to criticize subpanel Democrats’ legislative and oversight process. Democrats appeared interested in moving at least some of the dozen bills before year's end, including the Spectrum Innovation Act (HR-5378). Republicans’ targets for criticism, as expected (see 2110050072), included the Senate-passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (HR-3684) and a pending reconciliation package, both in legislative limbo.
The FCC notice of inquiry on future spectrum needs of the IoT was changed from the draft to ask whether rules or standards were slowing progress. Our review is based on a side-by-side comparison of the NOI's final and draft versions. The disaster preparedness NPRM also saw changes, as discussed by FCC officials Thursday (see 2109300069). Both were posted in Friday's Daily Digest.
Her agency's effort with NTIA last week on the latter's annual Spectrum Policy Symposium (see 2109210066) was an important step on collaboration, FCC acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said Thursday at the virtual CTIA 5G Summit. “5G is an essential part of unlocking technologies we've been talking about and slowly developing for years,” including the IoT, “telemedicine, virtual and augmented reality, smart transportation networks, smart energy grids,” she said: “This in turn is going to drive the future of industry and expand the potential for machine learning and the possibilities of artificial intelligence.” The 3.45 GHz auction is important because of more than the mid-band spectrum it will make available for 5G, she said. It will “demonstrate the future viability of coordination zones that require private carriers to depend on other federal actors for information or access,” she said. The FCC is “continuing to work with our federal partners” on opening 3.1-3.45 GHz for a future auction, she said. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said Congress should pass legislation like the Secure Equipment Act (S-1790), which the Senate Commerce Committee cleared in August (see 2108040077). 5G “can be the best of technologies or the worst of technologies, if we don't address the safety and security threats that come alongside expanded connectivity,” he said: “We must take the proper steps to keep compromised equipment out of our networks, as well as safeguard all of the connected technology that is proliferating in consumers' homes and across our critical infrastructure.” Many trends from this pandemic, “including touchless retail, work from home and hybrid work and school arrangements,” will continue, predicted Verizon Consumer Group CEO Ronan Dunne. A survey Verizon commissioned found “more than half of employed adults said that they were working at least partially remotely, nearly twice the share before the pandemic began,” he said: And 60% of respondents “said that they expect kids to be able to attend remote school during inclement weather.”
Her agency's effort with NTIA last week on the latter's annual Spectrum Policy Symposium (see 2109210066) was an important step on collaboration, FCC acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said Thursday at the virtual CTIA 5G Summit. “5G is an essential part of unlocking technologies we've been talking about and slowly developing for years,” including the IoT, “telemedicine, virtual and augmented reality, smart transportation networks, smart energy grids,” she said: “This in turn is going to drive the future of industry and expand the potential for machine learning and the possibilities of artificial intelligence.” The 3.45 GHz auction is important because of more than the mid-band spectrum it will make available for 5G, she said. It will “demonstrate the future viability of coordination zones that require private carriers to depend on other federal actors for information or access,” she said. The FCC is “continuing to work with our federal partners” on opening 3.1-3.45 GHz for a future auction, she said. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said Congress should pass legislation like the Secure Equipment Act (S-1790), which the Senate Commerce Committee cleared in August (see 2108040077). 5G “can be the best of technologies or the worst of technologies, if we don't address the safety and security threats that come alongside expanded connectivity,” he said: “We must take the proper steps to keep compromised equipment out of our networks, as well as safeguard all of the connected technology that is proliferating in consumers' homes and across our critical infrastructure.” Many trends from this pandemic, “including touchless retail, work from home and hybrid work and school arrangements,” will continue, predicted Verizon Consumer Group CEO Ronan Dunne. A survey Verizon commissioned found “more than half of employed adults said that they were working at least partially remotely, nearly twice the share before the pandemic began,” he said: And 60% of respondents “said that they expect kids to be able to attend remote school during inclement weather.”
FCC commissioners approved an NPRM on making networks more resilient during disasters 4-0 Thursday, as expected (see 2109280051). Commissioners said more mandates could come as a result of the investigation. Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said the FCC plans a virtual field hearing as part of the Oct. 26 meeting on Hurricane Ida. Rosenworcel and Commissioner Brendan Carr traveled to Louisiana this week to tour areas hit by the latest storm. Commissioners also unanimously adopted an order on foreign ownership and an NPRM about closing two methods for scammers taking control of victims' mobile phones, SIM swapping and port-out fraud. Such actions were as expected (see 2109280009).
FCC acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel says Sanford Williams moves up to Office of Managing Director deputy managing director and remains special adviser to Rosenworcel "on agency efforts to identify and expand opportunities for communities that have been historically underserved"; Joy Ragsdale, Enforcement Bureau field counsel, ascends to lead Office of Communications Business Opportunities ... AT&T Assistant Vice President-Corporate Communications, Policy Michael Balmoris leaves, effective Dec. 1 ... Staff Director David Strickland, ex-Senate Commerce Committee, named General Motors vice president-global regulatory affairs.
FCC acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Commissioner Brendan Carr will visit Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Tuesday to tour areas hit by Ida, before Thursday’s FCC meeting, which includes an NPRM on ways to bolster network resiliency. “They plan to meet with government and industry officials to assess the status of recovery efforts and consult on next steps that the FCC should take to assist in the restoration of communications networks,” said a Monday news release.