With the rocketing number of commercial space launches in the U.S. and mushrooming potential commercial space activities, a big challenge for regulators is keeping up with the commercial space industry, experts said at a Federal Aviation Administration commercial spaceflight conference Tuesday. That proliferation of commercial launch activity means the FAA needs to change how it licenses launches, Administrator Michael Huerta said, calling the current system “not sustainable" because of the large amount airspace that gets blocked off for each launch. The nation’s airspace system is built for traditional aircraft, and each commercial space launch license “is essentially an exception,” Huerta said.
Jessica Rich, who has headed the FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection since 2013, will resign Feb. 17 after more than a quarter century at the agency, said the commission in a Tuesday news release. The FTC didn't comment on a replacement. Consumer protection experts don't expect much of a change in the agency's enforcement mission, though one consumer advocate fears it will be curtailed under President Donald Trump's administration.
Jessica Rich, who has headed the FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection since 2013, will resign Feb. 17 after more than a quarter century at the agency, said the commission in a Tuesday news release. The FTC didn't comment on a replacement. Consumer protection experts don't expect much of a change in the agency's enforcement mission, though one consumer advocate fears it will be curtailed under President Donald Trump's administration.
Both new leaders on the House Communications Subcommittee plan to wait before rushing into a grand legislative negotiation on net neutrality, they told us Tuesday. This is counter to the ambitions laid out among some Senate counterparts, with Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., saying in a speech last month he wants to re-open negotiation with Democrats on such legislation. Key Republicans in both chambers told us they plan to talk with FCC Chairman Ajit Pai in the coming weeks during oversight hearings.
Both new leaders on the House Communications Subcommittee plan to wait before rushing into a grand legislative negotiation on net neutrality, they told us Tuesday. This is counter to the ambitions laid out among some Senate counterparts, with Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., saying in a speech last month he wants to re-open negotiation with Democrats on such legislation. Key Republicans in both chambers told us they plan to talk with FCC Chairman Ajit Pai in the coming weeks during oversight hearings.
President Donald Trump’s immigration executive order blocking citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. for 90 days (see 1701290001) “is inflicting substantial harm on U.S. companies.” So said an amici brief (in Pacer) signed by dozens of prominent tech companies filed Sunday at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco backing Washington and Minnesota in their fight to keep Trump’s now suspended order from being reinstated.
President Donald Trump’s immigration executive order blocking citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. for 90 days (see 1701290001) “is inflicting substantial harm on U.S. companies.” So said an amici brief (in Pacer) signed by dozens of prominent tech companies filed Sunday at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco backing Washington and Minnesota in their fight to keep Trump’s now suspended order from being reinstated.
President Donald Trump’s immigration executive order blocking citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. for 90 days (see 1701290001) “is inflicting substantial harm on U.S. companies.” So said an amici brief (in Pacer) signed by dozens of prominent tech companies filed Sunday at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco backing Washington and Minnesota in their fight to keep Trump’s now suspended order from being reinstated.
Federal judges questioned the sustainability of FCC inmate calling service regulations contained in a 2015 order that limited ICS rates and charges, major parts of which the new Republican-run commission is no longer defending. Citing the agency's shift, Judge Laurence Silberman seemed skeptical about the legal justification for much of the order, and Judge Harry Edwards also raised some doubts, while Judge Cornelia Pillard hypothesized the panel could still uphold the order. The three judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit pressed litigants to clarify what they wanted their panel to do about the case, Global Tel*Link v. FCC, No. 15-1461, as they struggled to sort out various complexities in oral argument Monday that ran 90 minutes, after being scheduled for 40 minutes.
Emergency 911 apps for smartphones may not be safe, cautioned public safety, phone companies and others, in comments last week in FCC docket RM-11780 about a National Association of State 911 Administrators (NASNA) request for a proceeding on how smartphone 911 apps may interface with 911 systems (see 1612190055). Mobile apps are “not ready to replace traditional voice calls and SMS messages to 9-1-1, APCO commented. Apps could one day enhance 911, but critical issues must first be addressed, it said. The National Emergency Number Association supported an FCC proceeding, agreeing the apps are an opportunity but also a challenge for public safety. The apps must be held to the same standards as other parts of 911 systems, NENA said. AT&T said mobile 911 apps hold promise, but it has seen that certain apps can interfere with the normal operations of 911 calling provided by mobile service providers. “Wireless carriers cannot be the gate keepers for these third-party emergency services apps over which the carrier has no control,” AT&T commented. But it said there’s no legal basis for the FCC to assert authority over 911 apps, and it would be better to develop industry standards. NTCA also raised concerns about FCC legal authority, saying the FTC may be better positioned to act. ACT|The App Association agreed the FTC is a more appropriate venue. It commented that FCC actions could stunt growth of the app industry: “Emergency communications are no exception to the app revolution, and the Commission should ensure that its policies enhance, rather than disrupt, the benefits that this innovative ecosystem can bring to 911 communications.”