Milwaukee’s Deer District, which seeks to intervene to prevent Verizon's installation of small cells and mounting poles for July’s Republican National Convention in the public pedestrian plaza it controls outside the Fiserv Forum (see 2401230017), seeks Husch Blackwell's disqualification as Verizon’s counsel in the case, said its motion Tuesday (docket 2:23-cv-01581) in U.S. District Court for Eastern Wisconsin in Milwaukee. Verizon's opposition, also filed Tuesday, contends the district has waived its disqualification argument.

The Florida House supported removing kids younger than 16 from social media platforms in a 106-13 bipartisan vote Wednesday. Lawmakers approved HB-1 one day after rejecting an amendment that would have allowed parents to choose whether their children may use social media (see 2401230078). The bill now goes to the Senate. If the upper chamber approves it and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signs it, social media companies would need to terminate kids’ accounts July 1. "These companies know what they are doing is wrong,” said sponsor Rep. Tyler Sirois (R). “They have not acted … In Florida, we will.” The state government must step in to protect children from online threats, bullying and crime, agreed co-sponsor Rep. Fiona McFarland (R): Companies won’t self-police and the federal government isn’t acting. Most of the House’s 36 Democrats voted for HB-1, though several raised concerns in floor debate. Judiciary Committee ranking member Michael Gottlieb (D) doesn't oppose regulating social media but dislikes HB-1’s “very broad brush,” he said. "What we're saying is essentially that kids don't have the right to assemble," which the First Amendment protects. "When we take that from somebody" it must be through the "least restrictive means,” said Gottlieb. Rep. Daryl Campbell (D) said the bill’s intent “sounds good,” but it’s “complete governmental overreach” to tell parents they’re not fit to make the best decision for their children. Saying the bill is unconstitutional, Rep. Ashley Gantt (D) asked when Florida will stop telling parents that lawmakers know better. But Democrat Rep. Michele Rayner asked how lawmakers can tell parents that the First Amendment is more important than their child’s life. Rep. Kevin Chambless (D) said that "for every success story" on social media, there is "a negative story of exploitation." Rep. Katherine Waldron (D) said that while HB-1 “may not be popular among those 16 or under -- or perhaps among some parents -- the positives will far outweigh the negatives.”

Behrouz Mokhtari of McLean, Virginia, and Tehran pleaded guilty Jan. 9 to two conspiracies to violate U.S. sanctions on Iran "by engaging in business activities on behalf of Iranian entities" without getting a license from the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, DOJ announced Jan. 9. Mokhtari will forfeit money, property and assets obtained from the schemes, including a Campbell, California, home, and a money judgment of over $2.8 million, DOJ said. The defendant faces a maximum of five years in prison for each of the two conspiracy counts.

Parents aren't the only ones responsible for protecting their children online, and social media companies should do more as their safety obligations evolve with the rise of AI, NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson said Monday.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Mustafa Kasubhai should deny AT&T’s Nov. 17 motion to reconsider and reverse his Oct. 25 opinion and order granting summary judgment for Lane County, Oregon, and to approve AT&T’s application that the county denied for a 150-foot cell tower (see 2311200016), said the county’s opposition Tuesday (docket 6:22-cv-01635) in U.S. District Court for Oregon in Eugene.

An FCC proposal prioritizing application processing for broadcasters that originate local programming may not offer enough incentive to change behaviors and would likely favor the largest broadcasters that already create their content, said broadcast attorneys and academics in interviews Thursday. Since the proposal would apply only to applications facing holds or petitions to deny, it also may not have a wide reach, said Fletcher Heald broadcast attorney Anne Crump. “Ultimately, it won't really make that much difference because the vast majority of applications just run a normal course.”

Groups representing wireless carriers and cable operators urged the FCC to take a cautious approach as it responds to a November Further NPRM on protecting consumers from SIM swapping and port-out fraud (see 2311150042). Additional rules beyond those approved in an accompanying order aren’t warranted, industry groups said. However, the Electronic Privacy Information Center urged the agency to go further in protecting consumers. Comments were posted on Wednesday and Thursday in docket 21-341.

NEW YORK -- The Court of International Trade held oral argument on Jan. 18 in Chinese exporter Ninestar's case challenging its placement on the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List, addressing the company's motion for a preliminary injunction against its listing and its bid to unseal and unredact the record in the case (Ninestar Corp. v. U.S., CIT # 23-00182).

While the FCC received support for moving forward on a November proposal permitting schools and libraries to get E-rate support for off-premises Wi-Fi hot spots and wireless internet services (see 2311090028) many commenters raised questions. Commissioners Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington dissented on an NPRM, questioning the proposal's legal underpinnings, and several comments agreed. The comments were filed the same week as the U.S. Supreme Court considered the Chevron doctrine's future and how strictly regulators must adhere to statutory language (see 2401170074).

The retransmission consent blackout rebate NPRM that FCC commissioners adopted 3-2 along party lines last week (see 2401100026) asks numerous questions about agency authority and implementation but has few tentative conclusions about how such a rebate regime might work. The approved NPRM was released Wednesday.