The California Public Utilities Commission adopted wireline resiliency rules for emergencies, including a requirement to provide 72-hour backup power in tier one and two high fire threat districts. Earlier Thursday, New York Department of Public Service (DPS) staff recommended the Public Service Commission revise cable and telco storm response rules, following alleged Altice and Frontier Communications violations during Hurricane Isaias.
The FCC’s draft supply chain NPRM, set for a vote its Wednesday meeting (see 2101270060), is likely to get unanimous approval with few changes, and industry officials told us. Unanimity is especially likely since the focus is to reconcile the language in the reimbursement program with that in the combined FY 2021 appropriations and COVID-19 aid omnibus bill that Congress approved in December, they said. This meeting is the first under acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.
NARUC's Telecom Committee unanimously agreed the FCC should closely review Rural Digital Opportunity Fund long-form applications to ensure RDOF providers have what's needed to deliver on promises. The committee cleared that proposed resolution Wednesday at NARUC's virtual meeting. Earlier, an analyst raised concerns about young companies winning bids. Committee Chair Karen Charles Peterson urged the new FCC to revisit broadband reclassification and net neutrality rules, revamp USF contribution and restore Lifeline voice support.
The FTC’s indefinite suspension of granting early termination (ET) will “have a real-world impact,” and the policy justification isn’t sufficient, Commissioner Noah Phillips told us Monday. An aide for Commissioner Christine Wilson also criticized the suspension Monday. Acting Chair Rebecca Kelly Slaughter announced last week the FTC and DOJ would temporarily suspend ETs for Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) merger and acquisition reviews (see 2102040025).
The FTC’s indefinite suspension of granting early termination (ET) will “have a real-world impact,” and the policy justification isn’t sufficient, Commissioner Noah Phillips told us Monday. An aide for Commissioner Christine Wilson also criticized the suspension Monday. Acting Chair Rebecca Kelly Slaughter announced last week that the FTC and DOJ would temporarily suspend ETs for Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) merger and acquisition reviews (see 2102040025).
The FTC’s indefinite suspension of granting early termination (ET) will “have a real-world impact,” and the policy justification isn’t sufficient, Commissioner Noah Phillips told us Monday. An aide for Commissioner Christine Wilson also criticized the suspension Monday. Acting Chair Rebecca Kelly Slaughter announced last week that the FTC and DOJ would temporarily suspend ETs for Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) merger and acquisition reviews (see 2102040025).
Verizon’s proposed TracFone buy is likely to be one of the first such transactions before the FCC that's now under Democratic control. The deal has raised some competitive concerns. Friday, 16 state attorneys general led by Virginia’s Mark Herring (D) asked the FCC to further investigate implications for Lifeline before approving the deal.
One of the largest impacts felt from the drastic change in mandate and reach of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. in the last few years is how lawyers, business people and investors are viewing the committee. Speaking at a Capitol Forum webinar on Feb. 4, three CFIUS industry experts highlighted how far more resources are being exerted on CFIUS compliance measures than at any time since its inception. This is largely due to the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018, which greatly overhauled CFIUS's responsibilities, including introducing certain mandatory filings for certain foreign transactions (see 1910310053).
The National Institute of Standards and Technology plans to release a report soon on developing the vocabulary and measurements needed for “trustworthy” artificial intelligence, Eric Lin, NIST acting associate director-laboratory programs, told the Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology (VCAT) virtual meeting Wednesday. The NIST advisory committee met for the first time under Biden.
The Senate Commerce Committee voted 21-3 Wednesday to advance commerce secretary nominee Gina Raimondo, likely setting up a floor confirmation vote in the coming days. Committee Republicans continued to raise concerns that Raimondo hasn’t unequivocally ruled out the Commerce Department rolling back restrictions on Huawei and other Chinese telecom and tech firms.