Countries need to decide the way forward on a broadcast protections treaty, the chair of the World Intellectual Property Organization's Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) said at a Nov. 6-8 meeting in Geneva, according to a transcript. A review of the third revised draft text accomplished two things, said Owen Ripley, Canadian Heritage associate assistant deputy minister-cultural affairs. It identified issues that could be improved for clarity or to move toward a consensus document and it allowed delegates to map the areas where outstanding issues remain.
Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., told us Thursday she will try to hotline kids privacy legislation in the Senate.
CTIA and NCTA locked horns in reply comments on whether the FCC should examine spectrum aggregation limits. AT&T asked for a rulemaking in 2021, focused on mid-band holdings, but the FCC's questions in a September notice (see 2309220064) go beyond what AT&T sought (see 2310060051). T-Mobile took fire from Dish Network and AT&T.
An FCC NPRM released Thursday proposes allowing schools and libraries to apply for funding from the E-rate program for Wi-Fi hot spots and wireless internet access services that can be used off-premises. FCC Republican Commissioners Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington dissented, as they did last month on a declaratory ruling clarifying that the use of Wi-Fi on school buses is an educational purpose eligible for E-rate funding (see 2310190056).
More work is still needed to ensure providers of all sizes can participate in NTIA's broadband, equity, access and deployment program, broadband experts and industry officials said during a Broadband Breakfast webinar Thursday. Panelists welcomed the agency's recent programmatic waiver regarding the BEAD program's letter of credit (LOC) requirements and sought additional action regarding performance bonds among other policies (see 2311010040).
The House approved an amendment Wednesday night to the FY 2024 Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee funding bill (HR-4664) that would defund the FCC's Communications Equity and Diversity Council, but the proposal’s prospects remained in doubt Thursday after chamber leaders abruptly pulled the measure off the floor amid misgivings from some Republicans. House GOP leaders are eyeing a pivot to a continuing resolution to fund the government past Nov. 17 but were still deliberating on its contours Thursday afternoon.
AI, quantum science and other emerging technologies can make telecom networks more secure, but they also create new challenges when used by bad actors, Rich Baich, AT&T chief information security officer, said during an AT&T forum Wednesday. Former Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Christopher Krebs said the government will always be limited in the role in can play in making networks more secure. The forum comes as the FCC considers a notice of inquiry on using AI to curb unwanted robocalls (see 2310250070).
New Hampshire legislators addressed the state DOJ’s concerns about not having enough resources to enforce a comprehensive consumer data privacy bill, a department spokesperson said Wednesday. The state legislature’s House Judiciary Committee voted 17-3 that day to amend and advance SB-255 to the floor. With the changes, "uniformly, everyone is a little unhappy, and so I consider that a success,” state Rep. Marjorie Smith (D) told the committee at a livestreamed meeting Wednesday.
The House voted 172-257 Wednesday against an amendment to the FY 2024 Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee funding bill (HR-4664) from Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry, R-Pa., that would have reduced the FTC’s annual funding to the almost $310 million it received for FY 2019 (see 1902150055). The chamber, meanwhile, approved on voice votes a trio of amendments aimed at curbing some FTC practices. The House was set to debate some other FCC and FTC-related amendments ahead of a final vote on HR-4664 that could happen as soon as Thursday. House GOP lawmakers are attempting to claw back additional federal funding for CPB via additional amendments to the House Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee FY24 funding bill (HR-5894).
The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduling a hearing on Section 230 and prospects for repealing the tech industry’s liability shield, ranking member Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told us Tuesday.