Litigants disagreed on whether the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Nuclear Regulatory Commission v. Texas precludes the challenge to an FCC order that lets schools and libraries use E-rate support for off-premises Wi-Fi hot spots and wireless internet services. The U.S. government and attorneys representing Maurine and Matthew Molak filed briefs last week at the 5th U.S. Circuit Appeals Court (case 23-60641), which asked for their perspectives (see 2506180067). The government said the FCC may reverse the order regardless of what the court does.
A California privacy enforcer’s first use of a purpose-limitation requirement under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) makes this week’s record $1.55 million settlement with Healthline a significant enforcement action for companies in many sectors, privacy experts told Privacy Daily this week. Also significant was the highly technical, in-depth investigation that the office of Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) conducted, they said. Signs point to increased privacy enforcement ahead.
HMB Solutions will pay a $15,000 fine for not getting prior FCC approval for the substantial transfer of control of its cable landing license for the Japan-Guam-Australia North submarine cable system, the FCC Enforcement Bureau said Monday.
The U.S. and law firm Husch Blackwell again swapped briefs June 13 in the firm’s Freedom of Information Act dispute. Husch Blackwell said the government, which provided a list of more than 100 disclosed and undisclosed documents related to the firm’s FOIA request regarding an Entity List listing when it filed for summary judgment (see 2505300055), still wasn’t making clear which documents were actually responsive to the request (Husch Blackwell v. Department of Commerce, D.D.C. # 1:24-02733).
In a reversal, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently decided a privacy case against Bloomingdale's, ruling that the retailer violated the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA) when it tracked an online shopper's movement without consent. The decision indicates the court's favorable sentiment concerning protecting citizens' privacy and a shift in its approach to the wiretapping statute, Loeb & Loeb privacy lawyer Allison Cohen blogged.
The U.S. and law firm Husch Blackwell again swapped briefs June 13 in the firm’s Freedom of Information Act dispute. Husch Blackwell said the government, which provided a list of more than 100 disclosed and undisclosed documents related to the firm’s FOIA request regarding an Entity List listing when it filed for summary judgment (see 2505300055), still wasn’t making clear which documents were actually responsive to the request (Husch Blackwell v. Department of Commerce, D.D.C. # 1:24-02733).
A Wisconsin bill amending a state law protecting the privacy of judges passed the legislature this week. Meanwhile, in the wake of the shooting deaths earlier this month of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman (D) and her husband and the attempted killing of John Hoffman (D), a Minnesota senator, and his wife, a New Jersey assemblyman floated a bill to expand Daniel’s Law to additionally prohibit disclosure of state legislators’ personal information.
President Donald Trump would have issued an order ending collective bargaining for the FCC and numerous other federal agencies even if he didn’t have retaliatory motives, the White House said Monday in filings in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The filings were made in the National Treasury Employees Union’s challenge of Trump’s executive order that removed collective bargaining rights at roughly 40 agencies on national security grounds, affecting two-thirds of the federal workforce (see 2506100045). They included a motion for summary judgment, as well as a response to NTEU's own motion for summary judgment.
Don't duplicate the U.S. national security review process through a submarine cable rules update, the Submarine Cable Coalition urged FCC staffers. In a docket 24-523 filing posted Monday, the coalition said the Committee for the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the U.S. Telecommunications Services Sector already comprehensively reviews all cable landing license applications and puts binding mitigation measures on licensees and their customers. It also argued against the FCC's proposed licensing regime for submarine line terminal equipment, saying it would increase regulatory uncertainty and affect deployment timelines. The International Connectivity Coalition has previously lobbied against the FCC's subsea cable proposals (see 2505300038).
The European Commission on June 16 unveiled a proposal to gradually stop the import of Russian oil and gas by the end of 2027. The commission said the proposal follows a plan adopted last month to fully phase out Russian gas imports (see 2505060027).