State senators cleared a bill to tighten enforcement of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) after fierce debate over possible consequences of adding a private right of action to the 2018 measure. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 6-2 Tuesday after several members voiced reservations and industry trade groups lined up against the first draft (see 1902250067) of SB-561 by Chair Hannah-Beth Jackson (D) and Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D). "There is grave concern about the condition that it is in," said Sen. Anna Caballero (D), voting yes but warning she will later vote no without changes.

There was bipartisan agreement among Senate Commerce Committee members Wednesday that the federal government's practices for collecting broadband coverage data remain deficient and that Capitol Hill needs to begin taking action. Senate Commerce and others on the Hill repeatedly have raised those issues in recent years. NTIA's increased role in coordinating federal work on broadband mapping got scrutiny earlier this month at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on the Commerce Department's fiscal year 2020 budget request (see 1904020070). Deficiencies in the FCC's data collection practices was a central issue at a Senate Communications Subcommittee hearing last month on rural broadband (see 1903120069).

State senators cleared a bill to tighten enforcement of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) after fierce debate over possible consequences of adding a private right of action to the 2018 measure. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 6-2 Tuesday after several members voiced reservations and industry trade groups lined up against the first draft (see 1902250067) of SB-561 by Chair Hannah-Beth Jackson (D) and Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D). "There is grave concern about the condition that it is in," said Sen. Anna Caballero (D), voting yes but warning she will later vote no without changes.

Akin Gump got some support in seeking FCC clarity on fax “sender” under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, so it's harder to sue companies whose products are unknowingly hawked in junk faxes (see 1903070051). Comments were posted through Tuesday in dockets including 02-278. Educational Testing Service noted "federal courts have divided over how to apply the TCPA and the Commission’s regulations" here. "Why would Congress or this Commission impose liability on someone who had nothing to do with sending an allegedly unlawful fax?" asked the educational test developer. "What sense could there be in stringing companies up for massive statutory damages when, as everyone acknowledges, they did not send the fax (or cause it to be sent) in any ordinary sense of those terms?" AmeriFactors Financial supported much of the law firm's petition, with the company raising more fax scenarios where the FCC ought to not find one liable for violating the TCPA. RingCentral agrees with the petition that the agency should say “sender” doesn't include entities that merely dispatch others’ faxes but only those that compose the fax or choose recipients. That would ensure "TCPA continues to protect injured consumers by holding accountable the bad actors who initiate unsolicited" ads, commented the provider of virtual fax and other communications services. Bais Yaakov of Spring Valley, New York, which litigated a TCPA case against the FCC, asked, along with Roger Kaye MD PC and a few others that Akin's request be denied. They supported a definition/test backed by Cin-Q Automobiles. The Edelman Combs law firm that represents consumers who got unsolicited junk faxes opposed the petition: "Akin Gump has failed to identify any ambiguity in the 2006 Junk Fax Order that necessitates clarification."

FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly urged New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island governors to end 911 fee shifting. “The practice of diverting 9-1-1 fees gives your states proverbial black eyes, harms public safety, and makes your states ineligible for funding to modernize your emergency call centers,” O'Rielly wrote in an April 5 letter, released Tuesday, to Democrats Andrew Cuomo of New York, Phil Murphy of New Jersey and Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island. The FCC said those states lead the practice (see 1812190059). “The mere act undermines the willingness of consumers, feeling duped by their local and state representatives, to support current levels and future raises in program spending, even when there is a compelling need to modernize individual systems,” O’Rielly said. Diversion reduces “overall support for the entire fee structure, even in areas outside your states,” and “shortchanges the budgets of emergency call centers and has prevented systems from being upgraded,” the commissioner said. The governors didn't comment.

Akin Gump got some support in seeking FCC clarity on fax “sender” under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, so it's harder to sue companies whose products are unknowingly hawked in junk faxes (see 1903070051). Comments were posted through Tuesday in dockets including 02-278. Educational Testing Service noted "federal courts have divided over how to apply the TCPA and the Commission’s regulations" here. "Why would Congress or this Commission impose liability on someone who had nothing to do with sending an allegedly unlawful fax?" asked the educational test developer. "What sense could there be in stringing companies up for massive statutory damages when, as everyone acknowledges, they did not send the fax (or cause it to be sent) in any ordinary sense of those terms?" AmeriFactors Financial supported much of the law firm's petition, with the company raising more fax scenarios where the FCC ought to not find one liable for violating the TCPA. RingCentral agrees with the petition that the agency should say “sender” doesn't include entities that merely dispatch others’ faxes but only those that compose the fax or choose recipients. That would ensure "TCPA continues to protect injured consumers by holding accountable the bad actors who initiate unsolicited" ads, commented the provider of virtual fax and other communications services. Bais Yaakov of Spring Valley, New York, which litigated a TCPA case against the FCC, asked, along with Roger Kaye MD PC and a few others that Akin's request be denied. They supported a definition/test backed by Cin-Q Automobiles. The Edelman Combs law firm that represents consumers who got unsolicited junk faxes opposed the petition: "Akin Gump has failed to identify any ambiguity in the 2006 Junk Fax Order that necessitates clarification."

Washington state legislators failed to agree on a privacy bill, House sponsor Rep. Zack Hudgins (D) said Tuesday. Legislators seemed to run out of time to move the much-debated measure after the House Appropriations Committee didn’t act Monday on SB-5376 “after 12 hours of work on a large agenda,” Hudgins said in an email update. "In legislative language, we would describe the bill as 'dead for now.'"

LAS VEGAS -- Radio license renewals are moving to a new system, the delayed FCC decision on a top-four combination in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, isn't related to the quadrennial review, and the chairman's office nixed a prison phone company deal before it reached other eighth-floor offices, said commissioners and Media Bureau staff on panels Monday and Tuesday at NAB 2019. There was heated onstage back-and-forth between Commissioners Mike O'Rielly and Geoffrey Starks on pirate radio. And Video Division Chief Barbara Kreisman suggested broadcasters walk back calls to relax some reporting requirements.

Washington state legislators failed to agree on a privacy bill, House sponsor Rep. Zack Hudgins (D) said Tuesday. Legislators seemed to run out of time to move the much-debated measure after the House Appropriations Committee didn’t act Monday on SB-5376 “after 12 hours of work on a large agenda,” Hudgins said in an email update. "In legislative language, we would describe the bill as 'dead for now.'"

SpaceX plans to relocate more than 1,500 satellites to a lower orbit is getting pushback from satellite operators on spectrum interference and orbital congestion grounds. Given the expected boom in satellite traffic, including Amazon acknowledging plans for its own mega constellation (see 1904040034), the industry has "got to figure this out" and coordinate more, with the current status quo insufficient, space consultancy Lquinox President Charity Weeden said.