Russia's developing anti-satellite (ASAT) capabilities, even if they violate the Outer Space Treaty (OST), are unlikely to lead other space-faring nations to abandon the agreement, space policy experts tell us. OST has "shown it has good bones" in past instances of countries being bad actors in space, said Victoria Samson, Secure World Foundation chief director. Russia's ASAT effort could help the U.S. gather support for a global voluntary ban on destructive ASAT testing, Michelle Hanlon, executive director-Center for Air and Space Law at the University of Mississippi, wrote in an email. The White House said last week Russia is developing an ASAT capability. It called that work "a national security threat" and "troubling" but provided scant details.
Sen. Lindsey Graham wants to introduce legislation with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., that will repeal Section 230 when Congress returns from break Feb. 26, the South Carolina Republican told us before the start of recess.
Smaller online platforms operating in the EU must comply with the Digital Services Act (DSA) starting Feb. 17, the European Commission said during a virtual briefing. Smaller platforms are defined as those with fewer than 45 million users per month. National digital services coordinators (DSCs) will oversee compliance. Consumers cheered the expansion of the measure but urged proper enforcement.
House Communications Subcommittee members were universally positive about the Future Uses of Technology Upholding Reliable and Enhancing Networks Act (HR-1513) and four other communications network security bills during a Thursday hearing. House Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., and other lawmakers used the hearing to continue the drumbeat for Congress to allocate an additional $3.08 billion to close a funding shortfall for the FCC’s Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program, as expected (see 2402140055). Several Democrats touted the stopgap funding push for the FCC’s affordable connectivity program (see 2402130074) as another priority for securing U.S. networks.
The FCC unanimously approved its entire open meeting agenda Thursday, including an order making it easier for consumers to revoke consent for being robocalled, an order revising wireless mic rules (see 2402150037), an NPRM on a licensing framework for in-space servicing, assembly and manufacturing missions, and an NPRM seeking comment on using prerecorded script templates aimed at facilitating multilingual emergency alerts. “In the United States, over 26 million people have limited or no ability to speak English,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel at the open meeting. “That means we have to get creative and identify new ways to reach everyone in a disaster.”
The California Public Utilities Commission will release more than $7 million in California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) support for broadband, commissioners decided Thursday. They voted 3-0 on three separate items that clear the way for projects by fixed wireless ISPs Cruzio and Kwikbit and the Anza Electric Cooperative. The CPUC delayed voting on an AT&T service quality enforcement item and a plan making the California LifeLine foster youth program permanent.
FCC commissioners unanimously approved an order allowing wireless multichannel audio system (WMAS) use, a technology of special interest to wireless mic companies and users. The vote came Thursday during the commissioners' open meeting. Agency officials said the order was tweaked to address broadcasters' concerns, but power levels proposed in the draft order weren’t changed.
Public interest and consumer groups urged the FCC take a more aggressive stance on a November Further NPRM about protecting consumers from SIM swapping and port-out fraud (see 2311150042). CTIA said the commission should “pursue a flexible and risk-based approach” toward customer account security and fraud deterrence. Reply comments were due this week in docket 21-341, and they largely mirror initial comments (see 2401180053).
NOAA'S Office of Space Commerce (OSC) expects it will have some form of a civil and commercial space situational awareness (SSA) service available by year's end, according to OSC Director Richard DalBello. DOD is in the midst of a phased handover of civil and commercial SSA oversight to OSC, stemming from the White House's 2018 space policy directive on space traffic management (see 21806180028). Designed to be slow and deliberate, that transition will be complete within five years, DalBello said Wednesday in a Washington Space Business Roundtable talk.
Witnesses set to testify during a House Communications Subcommittee hearing Thursday (see 2402090072) want lawmakers to consider longer-term initiatives for curbing China’s risk to U.S. communications networks. The push for Congress to allocate an additional $3.08 billion for the FCC’s Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program (see 2401240001) will likely receive attention during the hearing, as it has in other recent panels, lobbyists said. The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn.