President Donald Trump raised the idea of an AT&T boycott, to influence CNN coverage. "It is so unfair with such bad, Fake News!," he tweeted Monday, saying "if people stoped [sic] using or subscribing" to AT&T, it "would be forced to make big changes" at CNN. "Why wouldn't they act," he said. AT&T didn't comment.

Some LGBTQ organizations are raising red flags about expanded use of 211 for a national three-digit suicide prevention hotline, as the FCC North American Numbering Council recommended (see 1905080020). The Trevor Project (TTP), in a docket 18-336 posting Friday on meetings with Chairman Ajit Pai, Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel and aides to Commissioners Geoffrey Starks, Brendan Carr and Mike O'Rielly, said a 211 designation would require retraining 211 operators to effectively handle calls from LGBTQ youth in crisis. It said an independent N11 or three-digit code for mental health crises would prioritize suicide. TTP also said the FCC's report to Congress required under the National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act should include recommendations that national suicide prevention lifeline counselors be trained in LGBTQ cultural competency and that an integrated voice response to route calls to TTP be established. Adding the responsibility for suicide prevention and mental health crisis calls to 211 raises the risk of delayed access to experienced assistance, LGBTQ advocacy group Equality North Carolina (ENC) said. It said there's a danger in inexperienced 211 call center staffers who are unprepared for mental health crisis calls or in interactive voice response that increases wait times. The FCC instead should designate a currently undesignated N11 code or repurpose a designated-but-low-volume N11 code, it said. Suicide prevention organization Suicide Awareness Voices of Education said suicide prevention and mental health crises need their own N11 dialing code, and dual use of 211 or creation of a 10-digit number "could make things even worse."

President Donald Trump raised the idea of an AT&T boycott, to influence CNN coverage. "It is so unfair with such bad, Fake News!," he tweeted Monday, saying "if people stoped [sic] using or subscribing" to AT&T, it "would be forced to make big changes" at CNN. "Why wouldn't they act," he said. AT&T didn't comment.

The two FCC members who addressed the start of Consumer Advisory Committee meeting focused on combating illegal robocalls, with commissioners to vote Thursday on explicitly allowing technology to block such calls (see 1905310061) despite stakeholder requests for more time. "There has been some pushback on this, some folks asking the FCC to delay the vote, or asking the FCC to water down the decision," noted Commissioner Brendan Carr. "I’m absolutely opposed to those steps."

The two FCC members who addressed the start of Consumer Advisory Committee meeting focused on combating illegal robocalls, with commissioners to vote Thursday on explicitly allowing technology to block such calls (see 1905310061) despite stakeholder requests for more time. "There has been some pushback on this, some folks asking the FCC to delay the vote, or asking the FCC to water down the decision," noted Commissioner Brendan Carr. "I’m absolutely opposed to those steps."

Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa, is the latest lawmaker to raise concerns (see 1905130061) about the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act's distant signal statutory license provision. House Communications holds a STELA-reauthorization focused hearing Tuesday (see 1905280061). Witnesses are likely to include NAB CEO Gordon Smith and officials from AT&T and Public Knowledge, lobbyists said. NAB, which opposes STELA recertification, publicized Loebsack's letter Friday. Loebsack wrote leaders of the House Commerce and Judiciary committees on the distant signals license, citing the 12 media markets where AT&T's DirecTV subsidiary provides limited or no access to locally broadcasted networks' stations. Among the affected are the Ottumwa, Iowa-Kirksville, Missouri, market, which includes Loebsack's district. AT&T says the 12 markets have access to local stations' terrestrial signals. “There is no technological reason for this slight as” Dish offers access to local stations in all 210 media markets, while DirecTV “has elected to continue to use the distant signal license in my district and offer my constituents distant signal programming from outside their local” market, Loebsack said.

A push by 47 House Democrats for a “bipartisan working group” to create a compromise net neutrality bill has dim prospects despite offers of support from Commerce Committee GOP leaders, experts told us. The pro-working group Democrats, led by Reps. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey and Scott Peters of California, are pushing for a compromise bill. That's given what they view as low odds the House-passed Save the Internet Act net neutrality bill (HR-1644) will clear the Senate or be signed into law by President Donald Trump (see 1905230072).

A push by 47 House Democrats for a “bipartisan working group” to create a compromise net neutrality bill has dim prospects despite offers of support from Commerce Committee GOP leaders, experts told us. The pro-working group Democrats, led by Reps. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey and Scott Peters of California, are pushing for a compromise bill. That's given what they view as low odds the House-passed Save the Internet Act net neutrality bill (HR-1644) will clear the Senate or be signed into law by President Donald Trump (see 1905230072).

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said it is considering suing the Trump administration over its use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to levy tariffs on all Mexican imports beginning June 10. The administration said it will start at 5 percent, and if Mexico does not do more to stem the flow of Central American migrants to the U.S., it will raise that tariff to 10 percent July 1, then increase it by 5 percent each month until it reaches 25 percent Oct. 1.

The House and Senate Commerce committees are likely to begin focusing on whether to reauthorize the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act, during two upcoming hearings, but those panels will only be a first act in the debate, lawmakers and lobbyists told us. Both committees are expected to have hearings during the first week of June on media market issues, seen as a way to set the stage for the STELA debate (see 1905150062 and 1905210071). Lawmakers' interest in talking about STELA has risen in recent months, particularly after Senate Commerce Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., called recertification of the statute a must-pass bill (see 1902270018 and 1903150045). The 2014 STELA renewal expires at the end of 2019.