Reps. Donald McEachin and Abigail Spanberger, both D-Va., touted existing broadband legislation and sought input on additional measures during a Thursday event in Disputanta, Virginia. FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks noted his ongoing concerns about updated language in the commission’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund that won’t prevent ISPs that win bids for program funding from seeking additional support from state broadband programs but bars census block groups that received state subsidies for 25/3 Mbps from participation (see 2002070031). Industry and local representatives highlighted other barriers to rural broadband deployments.
DOJ is considering whether Section 230 creates the right incentives for platforms to maintain a safe internet, said Attorney General William Barr Wednesday. Tech companies are no longer underdog upstarts but titans of U.S. industry, he said during a workshop on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act: “Given this changing technological landscape, valid questions have been raised on whether Section 230’s broad immunity is still necessary, at least in its current form.”
DOJ is considering whether Section 230 creates the right incentives for platforms to maintain a safe internet, said Attorney General William Barr Wednesday. Tech companies are no longer underdog upstarts but titans of U.S. industry, he said during a workshop on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act: “Given this changing technological landscape, valid questions have been raised on whether Section 230’s broad immunity is still necessary, at least in its current form.”
A proposed amendment to VeriSign's registry agreement with ICANN provoked a barrage of negative comments from some stakeholders and a fierce counterattack by the .com registry operator. The consultation, which ended Friday, sought input on a plan to amend the contract to allow VeriSign to raise the price for .com domains by a maximum of 7% annually in years in which there's no other price increase. Foes accused ICANN of, among other things, failing to act in the public interest. In return, VeriSign blasted domain speculators for undermining the process for their own gain.
A proposed amendment to VeriSign's registry agreement with ICANN provoked a barrage of negative comments from some stakeholders and a fierce counterattack by the .com registry operator. The consultation, which ended Friday, sought input on a plan to amend the contract to allow VeriSign to raise the price for .com domains by a maximum of 7% annually in years in which there's no other price increase. Foes accused ICANN of, among other things, failing to act in the public interest. In return, VeriSign blasted domain speculators for undermining the process for their own gain.
Senate Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee Chairman John Kennedy, R-La., told reporters Thursday he plans to again meet with or talk to President Donald Trump to express his renewed ire about the FCC’s direction in planning an auction of the 3.7-4.2 GHz C band. Kennedy railed against FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s current C-band auction plan during a Senate floor speech, criticizing the proposal to allocate about $15 billion of sale proceeds for relocation and incentive payments to incumbents on the frequency (see 2002060057). Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel said she's supporting Kennedy’s C-band centric Spectrum Management And Reallocation for Taxpayers (Smart) Act (S-3246).
The House Judiciary Committee will “certainly” address encryption issues, Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., told us last week. Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans and Democrats recently suggested Congress could be forced to alter encryption standards if the tech industry doesn’t act (see 1912100039). Asked if House counterparts will address the debate between Apple and DOJ, which continues to push for encryption back doors on smartphone devices, Nadler said, “Maybe. We’re certainly going to be looking at the question of encryption generally.”
PASADENA, Calif. -- A federal judge appeared skeptical Monday of an FCC safe harbor threshold that lets communities charge wireless carriers up to only $270 yearly for each small-cell facility. Municipalities and others are challenging FCC wireless infrastructure orders in a consolidated case at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Judges’ decision about whether the commission legally pre-empted local authority in the right of way could have broader impact for local authority in telecom (see 2002060056).
The House Judiciary Committee will “certainly” address encryption issues, Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., told us last week. Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans and Democrats recently suggested Congress could be forced to alter encryption standards if the tech industry doesn’t act (see 1912100039). Asked if House counterparts will address the debate between Apple and DOJ, which continues to push for encryption back doors on smartphone devices, Nadler said, “Maybe. We’re certainly going to be looking at the question of encryption generally.”
Up against deadline to vote legislation out of committee, Washington state’s House Innovation, Technology and Economic Development Committee cleared a comprehensive privacy bill. It's based on a Senate bill that’s supported by Microsoft and opposed by consumer privacy advocates. The committee wrestled with nearly 30 amendments at Friday’s meeting, adopting some changes to tweak various definitions and rejecting sweeping proposals to add a private right of action and remove a section on private use of facial recognition technology.