The FCC’s draft order on FM translator interference would create a 45 dBu contour limit for interference complaints, establish a minimum number of such complaints based on population served, and allow translators to move channels with a minor change application, according to the version released Thursday. The FCC also posted the China Mobile and other items also set for a vote at the May 9 open meeting.
Social media companies are boosting their artificial intelligence systems to identify harmful online content, but that alone won't solve the problem, they and others said. Twitter has suspended thousands of accounts under its violent extremist groups policy, most of which were flagged by its proprietary tools, it told us. Facebook is "scrutinizing how to employ AI more effectively," Public Policy Director Neil Potts told the House Judiciary Committee April 9. Google has "invested heavily" in automated flagging technology, said Global Human Rights and Free Expression Counsel Alexandria Walden at the hearing. But AI can't replace "nuanced human review," said DigitalEurope Director-General Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl, a member of the European Commission High-Level Expert Group on AI.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., shrugged off EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager’s suggestion that Warren’s proposal to break up big tech is “far-reaching” (see 1903180058). “It would give competition a better chance to flourish, and that’s what competition law should be all about,” Warren told us.
With a federal decision on T-Mobile/Sprint likely close, the deal's fate is anything but certain. T-Mobile/Sprint also must pass state review, which some analysts see as a potential sticking point. Both stocks were down Wednesday after The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that DOJ staffers told the two companies the deal's unlikely to be approved as structured (see 1904160036). T-Mobile closed at $72.46, down 2.2 percent; Sprint at $5.64, down 6.16 percent. Analysts said the transaction's still alive, even if it’s in trouble.
The FCC is poised to send a message on China at the commissioners’ May 9 meeting, rejecting China Mobile’s application to provide telecommunications services in the U.S. A draft order circulated by Chairman Ajit Pai says granting China Mobile a Section 214 authorization wouldn’t be in the public interest due to national security and law enforcement risks that can’t be addressed through a mitigation agreement, a senior FCC official said Wednesday. Unlike some meetings under Pai, there isn't a broader meeting-wide theme. The FCC also will consider a previously promised FM translator interference item, revised video relay service (VRS) rules, a proposal for the 1675-1680 MHz band sought by Ligado and satellite and a toll-free number auction items.
Groups representing the deaf and hard of hearing raised concerns about FCC proposals they say could mean some who need the IP captioned telephone service (IP-CTS) will have a harder time enrolling. The FCC proposed in a Feb. 14 Further NPRM to require providers to add user account identifiers to call records submitted for compensation, and allow users to receive service for up to two weeks while their identities are verified (see 1902140032). Comments were posted Tuesday in docket 03-123.
Only two Democrats took the opportunity to question Facebook and Twitter at a recent hearing on Silicon Valley’s alleged anti-conservative political bias (see 1904100072). Senate Constitution Subcommittee ranking member Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, told us her colleagues weren’t necessarily sending a message they rejected the premise by not attending, though she considers the issue a “sham.”
Proposed California pilot programs meant to expand service for low-income households drew concerns from industry and consumer groups, in comments this week at the California Public Utilities Commission. The CPUC scheduled votes April 25 in its consent agenda on proposed decisions (PD) to establish a $5 million California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) line extensions program pilot and to authorize state LifeLine pilot programs by Boost Mobile and iFoster (see 1903270011 and 1903260051). The agency plans to vote the same day on proposed changes to the California Teleconnect Fund for schools and libraries that also got opposition (see 1904120037 and 1904110032).
The White House won't “provide the Committee with protected communications between [President Donald Trump] and his most senior advisors” related to the House Judiciary Committee's questions about whether the president pressured two now-former administration officials to ensure the DOJ filed a now-ended lawsuit to block AT&T's buy of Time Warner, Counsel Pat Cipollone wrote committee Democratic leaders. House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., and Antitrust Subcommittee Chairman David Cicilline, D-R.I., pressed the Trump administration in March for the documents amid reports that Trump in 2017 ordered then-National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn and then-White House Chief of Staff John Kelly to pressure DOJ into mounting the legal challenge to AT&T/TW (see 1903080044). DOJ said in February it wouldn't further appeal its challenge of the deal after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled against it (see 1902260040).
Questions continue about a $20.4 billion Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) proposed in a Friday speech at the White House by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai (see 1904120065) and whether it will have much effect on closing the digital divide. Pai said the program would connect up to 4 million rural homes and small businesses to high-speed internet. Critics said the FCC appears to be rebranding the Connect America Fund, without any new proposed spending. Some hope the FCC won’t dig into funding for Lifeline and other USF programs.