Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., bucked the FCC's order to rescind its 2015 net neutrality rules and congressional Democrats' planned Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval aimed at undoing the FCC action, saying at an Incompas event Wednesday his planned 21st Century Internet Act is aimed at reaching a bipartisan compromise. Coffman was one of the few congressional Republicans who urged FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to delay the commission's December vote on rescission of the 2015 rules (see 1712120037). Coffman began teasing his legislative plans soon after the December vote (see 1712140044). He told us Tuesday he's aiming to file the bill by late this month.

Commissioner Mignon Clyburn slammed FCC competition policy but saw two "bright spots" ripe for a bipartisan approach: promoting competition in multiple-tenant environments (MTEs) and lowering pole-attachment barriers to infrastructure deployment. She spoke at an Incompas conference Wednesday where speakers cited pole attachments and the "make ready" process as inhibiting broadband expansion. Despite a "backlash" from incumbents and some policy setbacks, new competitors are driving market improvements and winning the battle for public opinion, including on net neutrality, said Incompas CEO Chip Pickering.

Commissioner Mignon Clyburn slammed FCC competition policy but saw two "bright spots" ripe for a bipartisan approach: promoting competition in multiple-tenant environments (MTEs) and lowering pole-attachment barriers to infrastructure deployment. She spoke at an Incompas conference Wednesday where speakers cited pole attachments and the "make ready" process as inhibiting broadband expansion. Despite a "backlash" from incumbents and some policy setbacks, new competitors are driving market improvements and winning the battle for public opinion, including on net neutrality, said Incompas CEO Chip Pickering.

The FCC is expected to embrace technology trials that could include jamming as one alternative for keeping contraband cellphones out of correctional facilities, industry lawyers said Wednesday. Chairman Ajit Pai met with prison and wireless industry officials in a closed-door meeting at the agency (see 1802050034). Carriers traditionally opposed jamming as a potential violation of the Communications Act but are expressing an open mind, according to statements by AT&T and Verizon.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and House IP Subcommittee Vice Chairman Doug Collins, R-Ga., led filing Tuesday of the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data (Cloud) Act, as expected (see 1802050057). It would establish a formal framework to resolve disputes over law enforcement access to communications and data stored on overseas servers via international bilateral agreements. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., were lead Democratic sponsors. “We need a commonsense framework to help law enforcement obtain critical information to solve crimes while at the same time enabling email and cloud computing providers to comply with countries’ differing privacy regimes,” Hatch said. “I am encouraged that the legal framework included in today’s bill is supported by law enforcement and the tech community,” Coons said. The act “would help address these issues by establishing a clear mechanism for U.S. law enforcement to seek some data stored abroad, while also providing a balanced legislative framework that permits requests from foreign investigators whose countries remove conflicts of law, raise privacy standards, and respect human rights,” said Computer & Communications Industry Association President Ed Black. “Passing the [Cloud] Act would be a critical step to safeguard our citizens’ privacy rights, ensure law enforcement has the tools they need to protect us, and enhance cooperation between governments,” said TechNet CEO Linda Moore.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and House IP Subcommittee Vice Chairman Doug Collins, R-Ga., led filing Tuesday of the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data (Cloud) Act, as expected (see 1802050057). It would establish a formal framework to resolve disputes over law enforcement access to communications and data stored on overseas servers via international bilateral agreements. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., were lead Democratic sponsors. “We need a commonsense framework to help law enforcement obtain critical information to solve crimes while at the same time enabling email and cloud computing providers to comply with countries’ differing privacy regimes,” Hatch said. “I am encouraged that the legal framework included in today’s bill is supported by law enforcement and the tech community,” Coons said. The act “would help address these issues by establishing a clear mechanism for U.S. law enforcement to seek some data stored abroad, while also providing a balanced legislative framework that permits requests from foreign investigators whose countries remove conflicts of law, raise privacy standards, and respect human rights,” said Computer & Communications Industry Association President Ed Black. “Passing the [Cloud] Act would be a critical step to safeguard our citizens’ privacy rights, ensure law enforcement has the tools they need to protect us, and enhance cooperation between governments,” said TechNet CEO Linda Moore.

FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly said USF contributions won't target broadband while he's chairman of a federal-state joint board that advises the agency. Although open to other approaches to shoring up the eroding USF industry contribution base, O'Rielly said he's focused on bringing fiscal discipline to USF programs. The FCC "should set a topline budget and then ensure that spending increases are paired with offsets elsewhere," he said at a Hudson Institute event Tuesday. He also explained his libertarian-tinged conservativism, backed serious cost-benefit analysis in the new Office of Economics and Analytics, and voiced optimism Congress will remove a legal hurdle to new spectrum auctions.

FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly said USF contributions won't target broadband while he's chairman of a federal-state joint board that advises the agency. Although open to other approaches to shoring up the eroding USF industry contribution base, O'Rielly said he's focused on bringing fiscal discipline to USF programs. The FCC "should set a topline budget and then ensure that spending increases are paired with offsets elsewhere," he said at a Hudson Institute event Tuesday. He also explained his libertarian-tinged conservativism, backed serious cost-benefit analysis in the new Office of Economics and Analytics, and voiced optimism Congress will remove a legal hurdle to new spectrum auctions.

Attempts at amending non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite applications pending before the FCC could result in delay and uncertainty in the licensing process and "threaten the integrity" of the processing round regime, SpaceX said (here and here) in meetings with International Bureau staffers and an aide to Chairman Ajit Pai. It said the agency has clear rules against manipulating processing rounds. SpaceX didn't name any particular amendments but said the agency in the past acted against potential spectrum warehousing or speculation by prohibiting a party having an attributable interest in more than one NGSO system in a band and ensuring pending applications for which wholesale changes are proposed are relegated to a later processing round. Boeing has argued its attempt to transfer its NGSO application to OneWeb Chairman Greg Wyler doesn't violate those NGSO attributable interest rules (see 1801020007).

As a result of EPA’s 2011 imposition of mandatory third-party certifications of CE products qualifying for Energy Star, the process “is significantly more expensive and time-consuming to manufacturers than the successful self-certification system which existed previously,” CTA told EPA in comments posted Thursday at the Energy Star website. Of the 18 companies or groups that filed comments on EPA’s stated goals to build more “transparency” into the Energy Star program (see 1712150033), filings of CTA, the Natural Resources Defense Council and Samsung were directly germane to consumer tech.