Washington, D.C.’s, 911 center did little in response to recommendations in an October audit that found the Office of Unified Communications (OUC) failed in many months to meet national standards for getting timely help to callers, said a follow-up report Friday. Of 31 recommendations, OUC completed one, made “minimal progress” on 24, and “no observed progress” on two, said the Office of D.C. Auditor (ODCA): OUC still faces issues identified in the original audit, “including call-taking confusion, glitches in dispatch operations, and insufficient management follow-up on after-action reviews.”
Additional money to fully fund the FCC’s Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program and a short-term extension of the FCC’s expiring spectrum auction authority both remain under consideration as additions to a planned continuing resolution to extend federal appropriations past Sept. 30, but talks remain highly fluid, lawmakers and lobbyists told us last week. Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Communications Subcommittee Chairman Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., and other committee leaders left open the possibility of a short-term auction authority renewal as a stopgap, telling us they hadn’t reached a deal during the August recess on a broader spectrum legislative package.
The FCC appears increasingly likely to take a deeper dive into the data retention and privacy policies of wireless carriers. In recent days, Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel sent follow-up letters of inquiry to major wireless carriers and mobile virtual network operators, asking for documents and including further, highly detailed questions about their policies (see 2209070077).
A congressionally mandated report by the National Academies of Sciences, released Friday, found that while most GPS receivers won't face interference from Ligado’s wireless network, Iridium’s mobile satellite services used by the DOD would likely see “harmful interference.” An NAS committee examining the FCC’s authorization of Ligado’s network also examined interference to DOD systems, but its conclusions there were classified and not publicly released. The report also highlighted the importance of receivers in addressing harmful interference.
5G hype is in danger of outpacing reality, speakers said during an IEEE virtual event Thursday. At the same time, experts warned, no killer app has emerged that is driving consumers to think they need a 5G phone. House Communications Subcommittee member Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., meanwhile voiced optimism during a Thursday Punchbowl News event (see 2209080053) about 5G’s potential role in increasing innovation in telehealth and autonomous vehicles.
The prospects for the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act are uncertain after a Senate Judiciary markup hearing Thursday in which co-sponsor Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., supported an amendment from Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, that led JCPA sponsor Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., to withdraw the legislation. The result was “a surprise,” said Judiciary Committee Chair Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., in an interview. “Sen. Klobuchar thought she had an agreement with Sen. Kennedy, but he switched his position.” The JCPA (S-673) would create a limited antitrust exemption to allow news publishers to collectively bargain with tech platforms for the use of their content.
California’s public advocate raised concerns about communications resiliency plans submitted by big wireline and cable companies to the California Public Utilities Commission. AT&T, Comcast and Cox resiliency reports omitted important details regarding compliance with the CPUC’s 72-hour backup power requirement, the agency’s independent Public Advocates Office (PAO) said in protest filings filed Wednesday at the CPUC. Require the three providers to file supplemental information, including on storage locations of mobile generators, to compliance letters that were due last month, it said.
Policymakers should remove special legal protections for tech platforms under Communications Decency Act Section 230, increase algorithm transparency and set clear data collection limits, the White House said Thursday, outlining principles for enhancing competition and tech accountability.
The FCC will tackle the growing problem of low-orbit space debris, legacy analog TV rules, inmate calling and rules for emergency alerts at the commissioners' Sept. 29 meeting, the agency said Thursday. Unlike for other meetings, Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel was traveling Wednesday and didn’t preview the drafts released.
The FTC’s authority will be challenged if it issues a privacy rulemaking, former agency and industry officials said Wednesday, a day before the FTC is set to host a public forum on its rulemaking effort (see 2208110068).