Wednesday’s Senate Commerce Committee hearing comes as a referendum on the new chairmanship of FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, who received his nomination from the White House Tuesday for another five-year term at the agency following his term’s July 1, 2016, expiration. Pai met with President Donald Trump Monday (see 1703060055), and all eyes are on the administration for any information about forthcoming FCC nominations for the two open commissioner spots, one typically for a Republican and one for a Democrat.

“Exceptions" and elaborate "waiver" provisions abound in President Donald Trump’s revised immigration executive order, released Monday, that bans citizens of six Muslim-majority countries from traveling to the U.S. for 90 days. Few in the tech industry reacted Monday to the revised order, but it’s questionable whether the new order will placate all the objections of major tech companies that backed the states of Washington and Minnesota in their court fight to keep the Trump administration’s original Jan. 27 order from being reinstated.

“Exceptions" and elaborate "waiver" provisions abound in President Donald Trump’s revised immigration executive order, released Monday, that bans citizens of six Muslim-majority countries from traveling to the U.S. for 90 days. Few in the tech industry reacted Monday to the revised order, but it’s questionable whether the new order will placate all the objections of major tech companies that backed the states of Washington and Minnesota in their court fight to keep the Trump administration’s original Jan. 27 order from being reinstated.

Critics of the FCC’s ISP privacy rules joined Monday to press for use of a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution of disapproval to nullify the regulations. A spokesman for Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., told us the CRA resolution likely is coming this week as soon as Tuesday. “There is no gap; it’s not the Wild West,” said 21st Century Privacy Coalition General Counsel Howard Waltzman during a press call hosted by Tech Knowledge, disputing claims from Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and others that CRA use would create a regulatory void (see 1702270035). An aide to acting FTC Chairman Maureen Ohlhausen also slammed the rule and said the trade commission would work with the FCC to prevent any gaps.

Critics of the FCC’s ISP privacy rules joined Monday to press for use of a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution of disapproval to nullify the regulations. A spokesman for Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., told us the CRA resolution likely is coming this week as soon as Tuesday. “There is no gap; it’s not the Wild West,” said 21st Century Privacy Coalition General Counsel Howard Waltzman during a press call hosted by Tech Knowledge, disputing claims from Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and others that CRA use would create a regulatory void (see 1702270035). An aide to acting FTC Chairman Maureen Ohlhausen also slammed the rule and said the trade commission would work with the FCC to prevent any gaps.

“Exceptions" and elaborate "waiver" provisions abound in President Donald Trump’s revised immigration executive order, released Monday, that bans citizens of six Muslim-majority countries from traveling to the U.S. for 90 days. Few in the tech industry reacted Monday to the revised order, but it’s questionable whether the new order will placate all the objections of major tech companies that backed the states of Washington and Minnesota in their court fight to keep the Trump administration’s original Jan. 27 order from being reinstated.

Critics of the FCC’s ISP privacy rules joined Monday to press for use of a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution of disapproval to nullify the regulations. A spokesman for Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., told us the CRA resolution likely is coming this week as soon as Tuesday. “There is no gap; it’s not the Wild West,” said 21st Century Privacy Coalition General Counsel Howard Waltzman during a press call hosted by Tech Knowledge, disputing claims from Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and others that CRA use would create a regulatory void (see 1702270035). An aide to acting FTC Chairman Maureen Ohlhausen also slammed the rule and said the trade commission would work with the FCC to prevent any gaps.

Sens. Steve Daines, R-Mont., and Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., raised concerns Friday with the General Services Administration’s practice of leasing “high-security” government space from foreign owners, saying the practice poses a cyber risk for the federal government. A recent GAO report found that GSA leased high-security space in foreign-owned buildings for at least two agencies, including the FBI. “Federal agencies are among the top targets for cyber criminals, with many agencies experiencing thousands of attempted attacks daily,” Daines and Duckworth said in a letter to acting GSA Administrator Timothy Horne. “Agencies must have the information necessary to assess and address the risks to their high-security facilities, including cybersecurity vulnerabilities that exist in foreign-owned buildings.” The senators sought a response by March 31 on how GSA will address their concerns. GSA didn't immediately comment.

Sens. Steve Daines, R-Mont., and Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., raised concerns Friday with the General Services Administration’s practice of leasing “high-security” government space from foreign owners, saying the practice poses a cyber risk for the federal government. A recent GAO report found that GSA leased high-security space in foreign-owned buildings for at least two agencies, including the FBI. “Federal agencies are among the top targets for cyber criminals, with many agencies experiencing thousands of attempted attacks daily,” Daines and Duckworth said in a letter to acting GSA Administrator Timothy Horne. “Agencies must have the information necessary to assess and address the risks to their high-security facilities, including cybersecurity vulnerabilities that exist in foreign-owned buildings.” The senators sought a response by March 31 on how GSA will address their concerns. GSA didn't immediately comment.

Chairman Ajit Pai employed what some say was a surprisingly aggressive strategy on transparency Thursday when he released the text of all six items up for a vote at the March 23 commissioners' meeting (see 1703020063). Pai is getting generally high marks for making the process more transparent. For the first time, industry officials will be able to see how an order changes from initial draft to the final version, though not the interim drafts. But some industry officials also note that for dedicated FCC watchers, like communications lawyers, having orders available won’t be that much of change. The process reform puts more pressure on key staffers who prepare items to have them ready for public release, rather than merely as documents circulated on the eighth floor at FCC headquarters.