LA QUINTA, California -- NARUC attendees this week buzzed about the surprising election of Donald Trump. While speakers at the state commissioner association’s annual meeting stressed the uncertainty about what a President Trump means for telecom policy, some predicted an increased role for state utility regulators under a GOP-controlled presidency and Congress. Meanwhile, the National Governors Association (NGA) predicts little impact to the deployment timeline for the FirstNet public safety network even with a new administration and more than 10 new governors to educate, NGA Center for Best Practice's Homeland Security and Public Safety Division Director Jeffrey McLeod said in a phone interview Wednesday. “Timelines are in place and things will continue to move.”

Niantic CEO John Hanke, who developed the popular smartphone game Pokemon Go, and other witnesses at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on augmented reality said Wednesday that cybersecurity must be addressed for the technology to flourish.

Niantic CEO John Hanke, who developed the popular smartphone game Pokemon Go, and other witnesses at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on augmented reality said Wednesday that cybersecurity must be addressed for the technology to flourish.

The FCC decision to pull all major items from Thursday's commissioners' meeting was a response to mounting pressure from congressional Republicans -- backed by GOP commissioners -- citing the transition from President Barack Obama to President-elect Donald Trump. "In light of the congressional letters we received, we have revised the meeting agenda," said an FCC spokesman Wednesday. "The meeting is still on, with the only item on the agenda being the consent agenda item." Chairman Tom Wheeler made the decision, said an FCC official. Some at the agency said party-line split votes on the items had been likely.

Senate Democrats changed up committee leadership roles Wednesday in ways that could affect how the committees pursue policy on telecom, cybersecurity, surveillance, copyright and antitrust. The shake-up also removed Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., from her perch as ranking member on the Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), which this Congress gave McCaskill a prime opportunity to subpoena and investigate cable and satellite-TV companies. She will assume the role of Homeland Security ranking member next Congress, replacing Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del.

Senate Democrats changed up committee leadership roles Wednesday in ways that could affect how the committees pursue policy on telecom, cybersecurity, surveillance, copyright and antitrust. The shake-up also removed Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., from her perch as ranking member on the Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), which this Congress gave McCaskill a prime opportunity to subpoena and investigate cable and satellite-TV companies. She will assume the role of Homeland Security ranking member next Congress, replacing Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del.

The FCC decision to pull all major items from Thursday's commissioners' meeting was a response to mounting pressure from congressional Republicans -- backed by GOP commissioners -- citing the transition from President Barack Obama to President-elect Donald Trump. "In light of the congressional letters we received, we have revised the meeting agenda," said an FCC spokesman Wednesday. "The meeting is still on, with the only item on the agenda being the consent agenda item." Chairman Tom Wheeler made the decision, said an FCC official. Some at the agency said party-line split votes on the items had been likely.

There were new questions and even doubts about the FCC's planned actions on business data services and other items after key lawmakers Tuesday warned the agency not to take controversial steps during the transition from President Barack Obama to President-elect Donald Trump. The FCC is scheduled to vote on a BDS order and Further NPRM, among other items, at its monthly meeting Thursday (see 1610270054). Also on the commissioners' meeting agenda are items on a mobility fund Phase II, roaming and video description. A draft set-top box order and other items are also pending on circulation. The BDS action was already seen as complicated by the Republican election victory (see 1611100041).

President-elect Donald Trump's hard-line trade stance expressed throughout his campaign is seen by some as more of a negotiating tactic than a clear indicator of likely policy changes. While scholars still wonder how Trump would react if such talks don’t meet his goals, there's much debate as to what authority the president has to enact many of the Trump campaign promises. Among other things, Trump has said the U.S. should renegotiate NAFTA (see 1611100040), collect up to 45 percent tariffs to counter alleged Chinese currency manipulation (see 1601150029), and raise tariffs on companies that move operations overseas, withdrawing from the World Trade Organization if it disapproves of that policy (see 1607260043). Withdrawing from the WTO seems the least likely of those proposals, but a greater effort to engage China from a Trump administration is especially likely, observers said.

There were new questions and even doubts about the FCC's planned actions on business data services and other items after key lawmakers Tuesday warned the agency not to take controversial steps during the transition from President Barack Obama to President-elect Donald Trump. The FCC is scheduled to vote on a BDS order and Further NPRM, among other items, at its monthly meeting Thursday (see 1610270054). Also on the commissioners' meeting agenda are items on a mobility fund Phase II, roaming and video description. A draft set-top box order and other items are also pending on circulation. The BDS action was already seen as complicated by the Republican election victory (see 1611100041).