House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle, D-Pa., demanded Thursday the FCC reassure broadcasters the agency won’t revoke licenses for airing legally protected speech amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Commissioner Brendan Carr criticized Free Press’ petition for an investigation into whether broadcasters are airing false and misleading information about COVID-19 and require broadcasters “prominently disclose” when the information they air is “false or scientifically suspect,” including in Trump administration news briefings (see 2003260065). Pallone and Doyle wrote FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. The lawmakers responded to letters President Donald Trump’s campaign sent last week to some broadcasters telling them their licenses could be “in jeopardy” if they continued to air ads from the anti-Trump Priorities USA Action Fund political action committee that say Trump called the epidemic a “hoax.” The federal government “must reaffirm -- not undermine -- America’s commitment to a free press” because “autocratic governments around the world are using the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to suppress press freedoms,” Pallone and Doyle told Pai. “By remaining silent, the FCC sends a disturbing signal.” The FCC “has a duty to provide clear guidance to broadcasters and the public that threats by politicians about protected speech will not influence the agency or broadcaster licenses,” they said. “To stay silent could undermine the First Amendment and the Communications Act.” The agency didn’t comment. FP’s petition “is a sweeping and dangerous attempt by the left to weaponize the FCC against conservative broadcasters and politicians,” Carr tweeted. “It is a clear signal of the agenda the left will pursue if they regain control of the FCC,” including “censoring speech that does not fit their orthodoxy.” Carr stands “with the First Amendment and strongly oppose[s] this.” He noted FP was among groups that pressed for “greater government control of the Internet” via 2015 net neutrality rules. FP stands by its petition because it believes "it's quite possible that certain broadcasts have amounted to ‘hoaxes’ as defined by the FCC’s own regulations," co-CEO Jessica Gonzalez said in a statement. "We will not stand down in the face of flip comments from a misguided FCC commissioner and his band of seven-cent trolls. We expect an official response from the agency mandated by Congress to protect the public interest on our nation’s airwaves, not a right-wing firing squad lobbing insults over Twitter."
The Trump administration should “lift” tariffs on more than 60 categories of “healthcare-essential” information and communications technology (ICT) products to help fight COVID-19, urged the Information Technology Industry Council Thursday. “Relief” would "directly contribute to the U.S. economic and public health response,” said ITI. “A range of ICT products and components are at the heart of detecting and treating illnesses, recording and tracking vital signs, and conducting tests." Processors, controllers and integrated circuits imported from China under the 8542.31.00 tariff code are “foundational to a variety of medical equipment,” it said. List 2 tariffs on 8542.31.00 goods were imposed in August 2018 and now are at 25%. "Tariffs act as direct impediments to U.S. governments, consumers and businesses, and we would encourage the removal of tariffs by any means to increase confidence in the COVID-19 response and support economic recovery,” the tech group said. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce urge deferring levies for 90 days. ITI seeks full removal.
U.S. communications networks are holding up under increased demand during a pandemic, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said Thursday, after a conference call with industry groups and companies. He said providers report network usage up 20-35% for fixed networks and 10-20% for cellular networks in recent weeks, with increased demand in suburban, exurban and residential areas and during daytime. He said no providers expressed concern about their networks' capacity. Pai said the resilience is "in part to networks being designed to handle ever-higher peak traffic loads and in part to a market-based regulatory framework that has promoted infrastructure investment and deployment." He said the agency will "continue to closely monitor the situation." The FCC said the call was with ACA Connects, the Cloud Communications Alliance, Competitive Carriers Association, CTIA, Incompas, NCTA, NTCA, Rural Wireless Association, Satellite Industry Association, Wireless ISP Association, Western Telecommunications Alliance, Altice, AT&T, CenturyLink, Charter, Cincinnati Bell, Consolidated Communications, Comcast, Cox, Dish Network, Frontier, Hughes, Mediacom, Northwest Fiber, Sprint, T-Mobile, TDS, TracFone, U.S. Cellular, Verizon, ViaSat and Windstream. President Donald Trump spoke similarly this week with major ISPs (see 2003310070).
While the Commerce Department had suggested the FCC pause its orbital debris rules update (see 1904080033), there's no time to wait, according to the 119-page draft order the commission released Thursday in advance of the April 23 meeting. The April agenda also has media items on increasing video description requirements and relaxing interference restrictions for low-power FM.
The FCC proposed a $6 million fine against Lifeline prepaid wireless service provider TracFone, in a Thursday notice of apparent liability. The Enforcement Bureau said that in 2018, TracFone obtained federal Lifeline support for hundreds of ineligible subscribers in Florida. The 5-0 NAL came with statements from the two Democratic commissioners, citing in part the coronavirus. Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon and 21 other Senate Democrats pressed TracFone and 20 other ISPs that receive Lifeline funds to improve service to low-income customers amid the pandemic.
The state's attorney general isn’t backing off plans to enforce the California Consumer Privacy Act starting July 1 despite a push by business groups to delay it by six months amid COVID-19. Lawyers are advising businesses to expect enforcement that day. The public health crisis must delay some things but shouldn't postpone this, said California Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Hannah-Beth Jackson (D) in an interview.
The FCC will allow indoor operations over the full 1,200 megahertz of 6 GHz, without automated frequency control and at power levels lower than what the cable industry and others sought, said a draft order released Thursday. As expected, the FCC will regulate indoor use on a power-spectral density (PSD) basis (see 2004010065). The draft proposed these devices be limited to 5 dBm/MHz radiated PSD, lower than the 8 dBm/MHz sought by cable and others (see 2003260049). Industry officials said that means less throughput for devices using the wide channels. The draft proposes higher limits for outdoor devices using AFC.
President Donald Trump doesn’t oppose deferring tariffs on Chinese imports for 90 days during the pandemic, he told a White House briefing Tuesday. “I’m going to have to approve the plan,” said Trump. “I approve everything. And they haven’t presented it to me.” He sees “nothing wrong” with deferring the levies. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, wrote Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer Friday to back a 90-day delay because “the response to COVID-19 has now added another layer of pressure as businesses are facing severe cash flow problems” (see 2003300012). The U.S. Chamber of Commerce also came out Wednesday in support of “tariff relief,” saying it would “provide some welcome breathing room for American businesses and consumers.”
Comments will be due 45 days after Federal Register publication, replies 30 days later, on an FCC proposal to deregulate phone access charges and prohibit voice providers from itemizing them on customers' bills, said an NPRM adopted Tuesday (see 2003310039) and released Wednesday. The draft cycle was 30/15 (see 2003100065). Incompas sought four months total because of the pandemic (see 2003260043). The FCC made other changes. “We’re grateful the FCC asked about alternatives to mandatory detariffing of these surcharges (including permissive detariffing), and hopefully these additional questions will aid in the development of a more complete record,” emailed NTCA Senior Vice President-Industry Affairs & Business Development Mike Romano. The docket is 20-71.
COVID-19 forced ATSC to postpone its Next Gen Broadcast Conference to Aug. 27-28, said President Madeleine Noland Wednesday. It will hold a members-only remote annual meeting on the original May 20 date, she said: “Only time will tell what the long-term impact this pandemic will have on the broadcasting industry.”