Industry disagreed on allowing use of session initiation protocol 603 as a permanent notification option for blocked calls, in comments posted Monday in docket 17-59 (see 2201040034). The code allows call recipients to block a call without identifying a reason. The FCC Wireline Bureau previously partially granted USTelecom’s request for reconsideration and clarification that SIP code 603 could be used during the transition to SIP codes 607 and 608 (see 2112150039).

The Senate Commerce Committee will “probably” postpone planned Wednesday votes on Democratic FCC nominee Gigi Sohn and FTC nominee Alvaro Bedoya amid expectations that Senate Communications Subcommittee Chairman Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., would be unable to appear at the meeting after having a stroke, Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., told reporters Tuesday afternoon. Also see our news bulletin. Sohn’s prospects of making it through the committee were already uncertain as a handful of uncommitted panel members kept mum about their intentions.

CTIA, Edison Electric Institute, NCTA and USTelecom representatives met virtually last week with FCC staff about progress being made by an industry Cross-Sector Resiliency Forum. “Highlighting the development of the Cross-Sector contact list and recent coordination between communications providers and electric companies, some participants noted an improvement in coordination ahead of rolling blackouts -- aiding communications providers’ ability to plan for the impact on network services,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 11-60. “There is more work to be done,” the groups said. They met separately with staff from the Public Safety Bureau and an aide to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.

California’s net neutrality law survived an appeal by ISP associations at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The panel’s Friday opinion that the FCC can’t preempt states after giving up its own broadband authority could affect ISP challenges of Vermont net neutrality and New York state affordable broadband laws, said legal experts.

California’s net neutrality law survived an appeal by ISP associations at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The 9th Circuit panel agreed with the U.S. District Court in Sacramento, which last February denied a preliminary injunction against California’s 2018 law. ACA Connects, CTIA, NCTA and USTelecom last March appealed in case 21-15430.

Jenner & Block hires from Hogan Lovells Trey Hanbury as partner and co-chair, Communications, Internet and Technology Practice ... CTIA hires Amy Bender from NCTA as CTIA vice president-regulatory affairs ... Center for Democracy & Technology hires Eric Null, ex-Access Now, as director, Privacy & Data Project ... ASCAP promotes to senior vice presidents: Elizabeth Rodda, for international affairs; Matt DeFilippis, licensing; and Alex Grout, membership and business and legal affairs ... USTelecom appoints Emma Christman as senior director-media affairs and digital engagement; she joins from Glen Echo Group.

Articul8 made "millions of fraudulent and illegal telemarketing calls and robocalls" to consumers as a gateway provider, said a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina against the VoIP provider and its owner for allegedly violating the FTC's telemarketing sales rule and the state's Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices Act. Owner Paul Talbot's company "knowingly provided assistance and support to U.S.- and foreign-based fraudsters" since "at least 2018," said the complaint filed by North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein (D). The call traffic "shows patterns with the hallmarks of illegal and fraudulent telemarketing and robocall traffic." The complaint said Articul8 was "repeatedly informed" by the USTelecom-led industry traceback group that it was either a gateway or intermediate provider for fraudulent or illegal calls, but it continued to route such calls. “The only way telemarketers can inundate our phones with robocalls is with the complicity of gateway phone companies,” Stein said in a statement: “These phone companies turn a blind eye to illegal robocalls in order to make money on each call. It's wrong. It violates state and federal law, and I won't tolerate it." Talbot didn't comment.

OpenText hires Sandy Ono from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, also former Disney, as chief marketing officer; Michael Acedo rises to chief legal officer and corporate secretary, succeeding Gordon Davies, who becomes senior adviser to the CEO until his retirement in September; Doug Parker ascends to executive vice president-corporate development ... Podcast hosting platform Liberated Syndication announces John Gibbons from Pocket Casts, also former Amazon, as president and chief product officer.

Facebook, Amazon and other tech and communications companies had Q4 lobbying spending increases, while most industry groups' outlays remained level or decreased from the same quarter in 2020. Huawei, the Computer & Communications Industry Association, the now-defunct Internet Association (see 2112150026), and ViacomCBS had the largest percentage increases; BSA|The Software Alliance, NCTA and Broadcom had the steepest decreases. Facebook was again the biggest tech and communications spender, reporting $5.42 million, up more than 15%. Amazon spent $4.92 million, almost 4% higher. NCTA laid out $4.17 million, down 19%. CTIA's was $4.1 million, declining 11%. Comcast spent $3.49 million, dropping almost 11%. Charter and Verizon each spent $2.99 million, a 24% increase for Verizon and a 2% decrease for Charter. AT&T spent $2.94 million, more than 11% up. T-Mobile reported $2.64 million, a 10% increase. Qualcomm posted $2.49 million, a more than 33% jump. Microsoft was $2.47 million, a more than 12% rise. Google disclosed $2.21 million, a more than 4% increase. NAB spent $1.96 million, a more than 8% decrease. Apple spent $1.86 million, a 28% increase. ViacomCBS spent $1.597 million, a 79% jump. Dell had $1.25 million, 37% higher. IBM expended $1.06 million, an almost 1% increase. Huawei spent $980,000, a 48-times jump. Cox spent $840,000, a 1% boost. Disney spent $800,000, up 11%. USTelecom was $720,000, an 11% decrease. The Information Technology Industry Council spent $650,000, up 16%. IA expended $470,000 on lobbying during its final quarter, up more than 113%. Broadcom spent $410,000, down 16%. Twitter was $310,000, 16% lower. BSA spent $240,000, dropping more than 38%. The Wireless Infrastructure Association was $190,000, up more than 5%. ACA Connects spent $160,000, little changed. CCIA's $115,000 was up 475%. The Wireless ISP Association spent $72,000, level with 2020. The Telecommunications Industry Association spent $70,000, also level.

Commenters disagreed whether the voluntary wireless network resiliency cooperative framework, launched in 2016, is working and whether to codify some or all of the framework, in reply comments posted in docket 21-346 through Wednesday. Commissioners approved a network resilience NPRM 4-0 in September, amid hints regulation could follow (see 2109300069). State and public interest groups want rules, which they say would make networks more resilient.