Telecom-focused lawmakers are trying to beat the legislative clock as they seek a way to renew the FCC’s spectrum auction authority, currently set to expire when FY 2022 ends Sept. 30. The House Communications Subcommittee is eyeing a March 16 hearing on auction authority reauthorization and potential ways to spend revenue from additional auctions, Hill aides and lobbyists told us. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel recently asked Congress to authorize the agency to use proceeds to pay for next-generation 911 tech upgrades (see 2202220057). Congress last extended the FCC’s auction authority via the 2012 spectrum law.
Utah could be the fourth state with a comprehensive privacy law. The Senate voted 25-0 Thursday to concur with House amendments to SB-227. In Connecticut, a privacy bill (SB-6) got thumbs up from Microsoft, Consumer Reports and the state attorney general’s office at a livestreamed hearing Thursday. Comcast and TechNet said the bill would be mostly interoperable with other state laws, but suggested some edits.
Congress and the FCC “need to make permanent a lot of the regulatory relief” and waivers that “enabled a real spike in telehealth usage,” said Commissioner Brendan Carr during a virtual symposium Thursday recognizing broadband access, adoption and use as a social determinant of health. The FCC has “got to make sure that we get affordable internet connections to every community,” Carr said.
Democratic FCC nominee Gigi Sohn and FTC nominee Alvaro Bedoya cleared an initial confirmation hurdle Thursday after the Senate Commerce Committee voted 14-14 on both picks, but they still face a long road to floor approval, said lawmakers and other officials in interviews. Panel Democrats uniformly backed Sohn and Bedoya, but all Republicans opposed them. Six of the 14 Republicans attended the executive session, fulfilling expectations they wouldn’t boycott the meeting (see 2203020076). The committee also tied 14-14 on Consumer Product Safety Commission nominee Mary Boyle. It advanced National Institute of Standards and Technology director nominee Laurie Locascio and International Trade Administration nominee Grant Harris on voice votes.
European operators are barred from broadcasting Russian state-sponsored media outlets Russia Today and Sputnik, effective immediately, the European Council said Wednesday. Officials adopted a regulation Tuesday prohibiting operators from broadcasting, facilitating or otherwise contributing to broadcast any content by the listed organizations, "including through transmission or distribution by any means such as cable, IP-TV, internet service providers, internet video-sharing platforms or applications, whether new or pre-installed." Meanwhile, Ukraine pressed ICANN to close down Russian top-level domains (TLDs).
The Florida House voted 103-8 to pass a comprehensive privacy bill Wednesday with a private right of action (PRA). HB-9 sponsor Rep. Fiona McFarland (R) “stood strong against an onslaught of special interest opposition to do what is right for the people of Florida,” said Speaker Chris Sprowls (R) at the livestreamed floor session. The House bill's fate is uncertain in the Senate, which opposed including a PRA in the privacy bill that passed the House last year.
Russia, under growing pressure internationally since its invasion of Ukraine, is also taking hits at the ITU. Industry officials said it's not a sure thing, but U.S. candidate Doreen Bogdan-Martin’s chances of being elected ITU secretary-general are likely enhanced because her opponent is Russian nominee Rashid Ismailov (see 2201310055). Gerald Gross was the last American to hold that job, from 1960 to 1965. Bogdan-Martin would be first woman to be elected to the top spot at the ITU.
It's unlikely all 14 Senate Commerce Committee Republicans will boycott a Thursday executive session that's scheduled to include votes on Democratic FCC nominee Gigi Sohn and FTC nominee Alvaro Bedoya, based on interviews this week with ranking member Roger Wicker of Mississippi and other GOP members. At least one Republican would need to attend the Thursday meeting to give Senate Commerce a quorum needed to proceed on both nominees. It's likely Commerce would tie 14-14 along party lines on both nominees if all 28 members attend, Senate aides and lobbyists told us. Wicker and other Republicans previously left open the possibility they would boycott a Sohn vote (see 2202240067). Senate Commerce jettisoned votes on Sohn and Bedoya from a Feb. 2 committee meeting after Republicans threatened not to show up (see 2202020069).
Low earth orbit satellite startup E-Space's plan to launch as many as 100,000 satellites (see 2202080004) licensed by Rwanda is seen by critics as an effort to skirt the heavier regulatory or spectrum burdens of more-traditional space regulatory regimes. Some see such moves potentially leading to bigger orbital debris problems.
Media companies and organizations, including Google, DirecTV and the NAB, are taking action against Russian-sponsored content in reaction to the invasion of Ukraine. “The First Amendment protects freedom of speech; however, it does not prevent private actors from exercising sound, moral judgment,” said NAB CEO Curtis LeGeyt in a statement Tuesday, asking all broadcasters to cease airing “state-sponsored programming with ties to the Russian government or its agents.”