Public Knowledge said the FCC’s proposed new robocall rules could cost consumers. Also Friday, other consumer and public interest groups and providers were digesting the draft docket 17-59 declaratory ruling on robocalls released Thursday. Agency officials say questions about costs are likely as commissioners move toward a vote June 6.
The industry-sponsored TV Parental Guidelines Oversight Monitoring Board (TVOMB) has been “insufficiently accessible and transparent to the public,” said the FCC Media Bureau in a report to Congress. It was posted Thursday on the TV ratings body and the accuracy of its ratings, as expected (see 1905140069).
The Senate Commerce Committee’s privacy working group is leaving the most contentious legislative issues for latter stages of negotiation (see 1905010198), Senate Majority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., told us Tuesday. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, who insists committee collaboration is necessary to resolve sectoral issues, told us he isn’t ruling out moving forward with his own privacy bill.
The topic of supply chain security got hotter with Wednesday’s presidential executive order that could mean rules banning some companies from the U.S. supply chain, speakers said a U.S. Chamber of Commerce Global Supply Chain Summit Thursday (see 1905150066). China is starting to fire back.
The White House Wednesday declined to endorse the Christchurch Call, an international campaign for curbing social media extremists. The campaign has the support of 18 governments, including Australia, Canada and the U.K. Major platforms back it, including Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Twitter.
The U.S. likely will be headed to the 2019 World Radiocommunication Conference with an agenda that ranges from a possible fight over high-band spectrum to efforts again to reduce the problem of registration of nonexistent satellite systems, an FCBA event heard Wednesday.
A Connecticut bill to resolve a long-standing fight about municipal broadband is headed to the Senate floor. SB-846 got wide support from the Joint Finance Committee, which voted 42-6 Tuesday. It clarifies local governments may use a reserved space on poles called the “municipal gain” for municipal broadband. Frontier Communications claims the bill would stunt broadband growth.
A draft order on cable leased access rules set for the June commissioners’ meeting would eliminate requirements that cable companies provide part-time access to leased access programmers and include a Further NPRM on modifying the rate formula, FCC General Counsel Tom Johnson said Wednesday at a Media Institute luncheon. Cable companies have supported eliminating the part-time requirement, while leased access programmers want it preserved (see 1905140059). Along with leased access, Johnson discussed upcoming FCC legal cases and the Office of General Counsel (OGC) under Chairman Ajit Pai.
The FCC will take up cable leased access rules and an NPRM on aviation safety, in addition to the declaratory ruling and Further NPRM on robocalls (see 1905150041), Chairman Ajit Pai blogged Wednesday. The FCC isn’t slated to tackle the 2.5 GHz educational broadcast service (EBS) band or a notice on the 5.9 GHz band, as some had expected (see 1905130054 and 1905140050). "We’ve certainly had monthly meetings with more items on the agenda, but with a major item to crack down on unwanted robocalls, this could be one of our most impactful meetings of the year," Pai said.
House Communications Subcommittee Democrats criticized FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on a range of actions during a Tuesday hearing. That fulfilled expectations House Commerce Committee's oversight of the majority-GOP commission would be more critical since Democrats gained a majority in the chamber (see 1905140060). Lawmakers' ire was tempered by other communications policy interests. Top House Communications members used the hearing as a venue to float legislative proposals on broadband infrastructure, C-band spectrum reallocation and 911 fee diversion.