The petitioner in an antidumping duty case supported its motion for summary judgment Jan. 31 by saying that, since the passage of the Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015, the Commerce Department is no longer required to consider accuracy when setting antidumping margins. On the same day, an exporter and several importers also fought opposition to their own motions for judgment (Cambria Company v. U.S., CIT # 23-00007).
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel confirmed to congressional leaders Thursday that the Wireline Bureau will move forward with freezing new affordable connectivity program enrollments Feb. 8 amid the continued push to provide the program stopgap funding to keep it running once its original $14.2 billion allocation runs out in April (see 2401250075). Senate Communications Subcommittee ranking member John Thune, R-S.D., is beginning to cite a recent FCC Office of Inspector General report on its audit of ACP’s 2022 performance (see 2401300090) as vindicating Republicans’ misgivings about the program, which some lobbyists believe may complicate those funding efforts.
The Fish and Wildlife Service is increasing civil penalties for violations of the laws and regulations it administers, including the Lacey Act and the Endangered Species Act, it said in a final rule. The annual increase for inflation raises penalties about 3.2% over those set in 2023, the FWS said.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday apologized to the families of social media-related victims during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. As in previous hearings, the lawmakers vowed they would approve laws holding Big Tech more accountable for children's online safety.
As live sports content continues what many see as an inexorable move to streaming, traditional pay TV is left in an increasingly tighter spot and the future of such deals is in limbo, media and sports industry experts tell us. The future of sports league and team deals with broadcasters is seen as more stable. House Communications Subcommittee members at a Wednesday hearing repeatedly highlighted sports programming's move from traditional pay TV to streaming services, at times expressing frustration with rising prices and fragmented access to games. Testimony from DirecTV Chief Content Officer Rob Thun and other witnesses reflected earlier written statements that agreed the sports marketplace is in a state of flux (see 2401300078).
The U.S. and the EU held the fifth meeting of the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council in Washington on Jan. 30, where the two sides again committed to increasing trade and cooperating on economic security and emerging technology issues, according to a European Commission readout of the meeting. The commission said the EU and the U.S. agreed to “explore ways to facilitate trade in goods and technologies that are vital for the green transition” and strengthen approaches to investment screening, export controls, outbound investment and “dual-use innovation.”
Comcast is asking the U.S. District Court for Southern New York in Manhattan to dismiss MaxLinear’s misappropriation of trade secrets counterclaims in their entirety under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) for failure to state a claim, said Comcast’s memorandum of law Friday (docket 1:23-cv-04436) in support of its motion to dismiss.
CTIA broke with some trade associations in urging FCC approval of a November proposal permitting schools and libraries to use E-rate support for off-premises Wi-Fi hot spots and wireless internet services (see 2311090028). Other industry groups questioned whether the FCC has authority under the Communications Act to expand the E-rate program as proposed in November (see 2401180033). Commissioners Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington dissented on the NPRM. Replies were due Monday in docket 21-31.
Congress should approve legislation protecting children on social media, Fairplay said Monday, launching an initiative led by families of children who have died in social media-related suicides and accidents. Fairplay and David’s Legacy Foundation launched Parents for Safe Online Spaces, a parent-led initiative whose goal is raising awareness of social media's dangers for children. Members plan to attend the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing Wednesday when the CEOs of Meta, X, TikTok, Discord and Snap are scheduled to testify (see 2311290072). The advocacy groups called for passage of the Kids Online Safety Act (see 2312040058). KOSA is a “needed corrective to social media platforms’ toxic business model, which relies on maximizing engagement by any means necessary, including sending kids down deadly rabbit holes and implementing features that make young people vulnerable to exploitation and abuse,” said Josh Golin, Fairplay's executive director.
The U.S. and the EU held the fifth meeting of the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council in Washington on Jan. 30, where the two sides again committed to increasing trade and cooperating on economic security and emerging technology issues, according to a European Commission readout of the meeting. The commission said the EU and the U.S. agreed to “explore ways to facilitate trade in goods and technologies that are vital for the green transition” and strengthen approaches to investment screening, export controls, outbound investment and “dual-use innovation.”