State lawmakers backed telecom bills on the municipal right of way and caller-ID spoofing this week. The Texas House passed a bill meant to stop municipalities from charging telecom providers twice when they use the ROW for phone and video. The House voted 92-50 Wednesday after the Senate last month voted 26-5 for SB-1152, which would require a provider to pay the municipality only the greater of the two sums due. The bill needs the governor’s signature to become law. The same day in Maine, the Senate concurred with the House to pass LD-1192, a pole-attachments bill that exempts municipalities from pole expenses (see 1904220023). To stop robocalls that use fake phone numbers to trick consumers, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts (R) signed LB-693 Wednesday. It unanimously cleared the legislature last week (see 1905030038). Wednesday in California, the Assembly Appropriations Committee unanimously cleared AB-1132 to fine spoofers $10,000 per violation. California senators Tuesday ordered the Consumer Call Protection Act (SB-208) to third reading. The telecom industry raised concerns about the Senate bill, which would set a July 1, 2020, deadline for providers to implement Signature-based Handling of Asserted Information Using toKENs (Shaken) and Secure Telephony Identity Revisited (Stir) protocols (see 1903270039).
The House Communications Subcommittee plans a May 15 FCC oversight hearing with Chairman Ajit Pai and the four other commissioners, as expected (see 1905010189), the House Commerce Committee said Wednesday night. The panel will begin at 10 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn. It will be the first House Communications FCC oversight hearing since Democrats gained a majority in the chamber after the November elections. Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle, D-Pa., and House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., said soon after the election that they intended to conduct more critical oversight hearings on the agency after Democrats regained the House majority (see 1811140055). House Commerce Democrats saw those efforts initially stymied by the 35-day government shutdown that ended in January and leadership's decision to fast-track consideration of the Save the Internet Act net neutrality bill (HR-1644) last month (see 1903270045). House Commerce will “examine past FCC decisions that have harmed consumers and question the Commissioners about proposals before the FCC that raise serious public interest and policy concerns,” Pallone and Doyle said in a news release. “Congress charged the FCC with regulating the communications sector to promote the public interest, competition, public safety, and protect consumers. Unfortunately, the current FCC has too often sided with corporate interests over the needs of the American people.” Pai already has testified before House and Senate appropriators since the beginning of this Congress about the FCC's FY 2020 budget request to (see 1904030082 and 1905070072).
Committees need to collaborate on privacy legislation to ensure there aren’t sectoral inconsistencies, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, told reporters Tuesday. His post-hearing comments again sought financial sector involvement as Senate Commerce Committee privacy talks continue (see 1904040073).
Satellite will play a role in 5G, but not immediately, because it will take time for deployment outside the denser urban areas, and in the meantime satellite's big focus will be on 4G, satellite operator CEOs said Tuesday at Satellite 2019. 4G “still has a long, long way to go” and its deployment will remain the main route for satellite operators participating in mobile until 5G starts rural deployment, said SES' Steve Collar. Cybersecurity, IoT and other tech issues came up elsewhere at the show.
Satellite will play a role in 5G, but not immediately, because it will take time for deployment outside the denser urban areas, and in the meantime satellite's big focus will be on 4G, satellite operator CEOs said Tuesday at Satellite 2019. 4G “still has a long, long way to go” and its deployment will remain the main route for satellite operators participating in mobile until 5G starts rural deployment, said SES' Steve Collar on a panel.
Telecom policy issues ultimately drew the most attention during a Senate Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee hearing Tuesday on the FCC and FTC FY 2020 budget requests, including work to combat illegal robocalls and reallocate spectrum to support 5G. Some subcommittee members also talked about what language the FTC and FCC believe should be in a final privacy legislative package, though that garnered far less focus than expected (see 1905020057). President Donald Trump’s administration proposed more than $335.6 million in combined FY 2020 funding for the FCC and its Office of Inspector General and $312.3 million for the FTC (see 1903180063).
Committees need to collaborate on privacy legislation to ensure there aren’t sectoral inconsistencies, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, told reporters Tuesday. His post-hearing comments again sought financial sector involvement as Senate Commerce Committee privacy talks continue (see 1904040073).
Telecom policy issues ultimately drew the most attention during a Senate Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee hearing Tuesday on the FCC and FTC FY 2020 budget requests, including work to combat illegal robocalls and reallocate spectrum to support 5G. Some subcommittee members also talked about what language the FTC and FCC believe should be in a final privacy legislative package, though that garnered far less focus than expected (see 1905020057). President Donald Trump’s administration proposed more than $335.6 million in combined FY 2020 funding for the FCC and its Office of Inspector General and $312.3 million for the FTC (see 1903180063).
Industry reacted with shock, fear and fury to President Donald Trump’s surprise tweet Sunday hiking to 25 percent the Section 301 tariffs currently at 10 percent on $200 billion in Chinese imports, effective Friday (see 1905050002). Late Monday, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer confirmed his office would put out a Federal Register notice Tuesday mandating that the tariff increase would take effect 12:01 a.m. Friday. It dashed the hopes of many who said they thought Trump might be bluffing as a negotiating tactic.
Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, became the latest lawmaker to urge House and Senate Commerce and Judiciary committees considering reauthorization of the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act to allow at least the statute's distant signal license provision to sunset at the end of 2019. NAB, which opposes STELA renewal, publicized Cloud's letters and here Friday. The distant signal provision “is preventing residents” in Victoria, Texas, in Cloud's district, “from receiving local weather, news, and alerts by providing multi-billion dollar satellite companies with the ability to import distant signals from places like New York City and Los Angeles,” he said. Congress' goal in creating the distant signal license in 1988 was to give “nascent” satellite companies “significantly discounted copyright license” so they could “compete with what were essentially cable monopolies.” The “rapid expansion of technological advances and market growth” meant satellite companies “are no longer in need of this subsidy,” Cloud said. Six senators also raised concerns about the underserved markets: John Barrasso, R-Wyo.; Michael Bennet, D-Colo.; Susan Collins, R-Maine; Mike Enzi, R-Wyo.; Angus King, I-Maine; and Jon Tester, D-Mont.