Government responses to the January 2018 false missile emergency alert in Hawaii (see 1801160054) resulted in fixes, but there's room for improvement, said emergency communications officials and lawyers in interviews. The false alarm drew scrutiny from the FCC, Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Hawaii agencies (see 1804110064). Some are pushing to bring back legislation filed last Congress to address some of the issues identified in reviews of the incident. Telecom-focused lawmakers said they're considering just that.
Jimm Phillips
Jimm Phillips, Associate Editor, covers telecommunications policymaking in Congress for Communications Daily. He joined Warren Communications News in 2012 after stints at the Washington Post and the American Independent News Network. Phillips is a Maryland native who graduated from American University. You can follow him on Twitter: @JLPhillipsDC
The House Commerce Committee's upcoming telecom policy focus is likely to include a mix of issues that will provide opportunities for lawmakers to highlight bipartisan agreement on robocalls and increasing commercial spectrum availability, as well as potential mudslinging over FCC oversight matters, lawmakers and lobbyists told us. The Senate Commerce Committee's coming telecom agenda is less well defined, amid an increased focus on privacy legislation. Lobbyists will scrutinize the committee's next moves as it considers whether to reauthorize the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act. Both chambers reconvene Monday after Congress' two-week recess.
The House Communications Subcommittee set an April 30 hearing on robocalls legislation, as expected (see 1904190033). "It’s time for Congress to act, and next week we will discuss legislation that will protect consumers, stop the abusive practices of robocallers and better restrict unauthorized calls," said House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and House Communications Chairman Mike Doyle, D-Pa., in a Tuesday news release. The hearing begins at 10 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn.
Tech and telecom entities that reported Q1 lobbying spending this week had a range of large swings in their totals, continuing a trend seen among earlier filers like AT&T, Google and Sprint (see 1904220057). Comcast spent $3.5 million on lobbying, a 17 percent decrease from the year-ago quarter. Facebook spent $3.4 million, roughly flat. Verizon spent $2.57 million, down more than 8 percent. Disney had $810,000, up 8 percent. Fox expended $750,000 on lobbying in its iterations before and after it sold its nonbroadcast assets to Disney, down 23 percent. The transfer of Fox's nonbroadcast assets happened in March (see 1903190049).
Rivada adviser and former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove registered as a lobbyist on behalf of the company, he said in a filing to Congress released Monday. His registration was effective Jan. 8. Rove said he's lobbying on the importance of “wholesale, open access 5G,” a reference to Rivada’s support for the concept of the U.S. government's making spectrum being reserved for 5G available to carriers on wholesale. The Bachner Group said it also registered, effective Jan. 1, to lobby for Rivada on 5G. Rivada’s backing for wholesale 5G drew attention after President Donald Trump's re-election campaign released a statement in favor of the concept (see 1903040058). Trump said earlier this month he believes U.S. efforts to lead on 5G must be “private sector driven and private sector led,” while government-led efforts “won't be nearly as good” nor “nearly as fast” (see 1904120065). Rivada has been talking to Capitol Hill this year on 5G, including on the Secure 5G and Beyond Act (S-893) to require the president develop a strategy for ensuring security of 5G networks and infrastructure (see 1903280064). Rove met earlier this month with House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows, R-N.C., on 5G wholesale. Rove "registered out of an abundance of caution," a Rivada spokesperson emailed now. "It does not represent a change in his role with us."
Several top tech and telecom companies reported major swings in their Q1 lobbying spending. Google and AT&T showed significant drops, while Twitter and Sprint saw increases. Tech companies and groups generally had big upticks, as did at least one telecom provider being taken over.
The House Communications Subcommittee is eyeing a potential April 30 hearing on illegal robocalls, communications sector lobbyists told us. The potential hearing would come immediately after the House reconvenes after its two-week Easter/Passover recess. The House Commerce Committee didn't comment. The Senate Commerce Communications Subcommittee held a similar robocalls hearing earlier in April amid a push to pass the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act (S-151) by unanimous consent once the Senate reconvenes (see 1904110066).
The White House won't “provide the Committee with protected communications between [President Donald Trump] and his most senior advisors” related to the House Judiciary Committee's questions about whether the president pressured two now-former administration officials to ensure the DOJ filed a now-ended lawsuit to block AT&T's buy of Time Warner, Counsel Pat Cipollone wrote committee Democratic leaders. House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., and Antitrust Subcommittee Chairman David Cicilline, D-R.I., pressed the Trump administration in March for the documents amid reports that Trump in 2017 ordered then-National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn and then-White House Chief of Staff John Kelly to pressure DOJ into mounting the legal challenge to AT&T/TW (see 1903080044). DOJ said in February it wouldn't further appeal its challenge of the deal after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled against it (see 1902260040).
Officials in President Donald Trump's administration and the FCC spoke optimistically about the U.S. path forward on rural broadband and spectrum policy during a Monday NTCA event, citing 2018 successes and actions slated for this year. The FCC's plans to follow up the USF Connect America Fund with a new $20.4 billion Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (see 1904120065) received some attention at the event, but more focus was on upcoming spectrum auctions and ways to increase rural broadband deployments.
The White House's Friday push to highlight FCC actions to improve 5G deployments and rural broadband connectivity was more notable for giving President Donald Trump an opportunity to go on record as opposing 5G nationalization, industry officials and lobbyists told us. Concerns about the Trump administration's direction on 5G policy have continued for more than a year, including on Capitol Hill (see 1903050069).