California Public Utilities Commission members pondered their power to increase broadband adoption, at an en banc livestreamed Wednesday from San Francisco. The CPUC should take an active role, including by funding open networks and issuing more aggressive speed guidelines, said Preston Rhea, engineering director of local ISP Monkeybrains. AT&T and Comcast officials described an informational role for the agency to spur adoption as they promoted their own low-costs programs. Commissioner Martha Guzman Aceves cited flaws in programs like AT&T Access and Comcast Internet Essentials.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer should leave Section 230-like protections out of future trade deals, House Consumer Protection Subcommittee Chair Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., said during a hearing Wednesday. She wrote a letter to Lighthizer last week, joining House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and ranking member Greg Walden, R-Ore., with the same request (see 1908060064).
Senate Commerce Committee leaders floated additional telecom supply chain security bills Wednesday to build on fixes included in the recently passed Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act (HR-4998). Later in the day, the Senate passed the Secure 5G and Beyond Act (HR-2881/S-893). The bill would require the president develop a strategy for ensuring security of 5G networks and infrastructure (see 1903270065).
Every incumbent C-band satellite operator being compensated for clearing the band took a slight haircut from what the FCC initially said except Intelsat. That company came out slightly better when it comes to recalculated accelerated clearing incentive payments. That's according to our side-by-side comparison of the order approved 3-2 at the agency's Friday meeting (see 2002280044) and released Tuesday evening with the draft order. Among changes, phases I and II of the transition are decoupled and clearing deadlines are pushed back.
Univision’s acquisition by two investment firms in the wake of Apollo Global Management’s Terrier deal isn’t a sign of investor cash heading into broadcasting, industry analysts told us this week. The purchase of a majority stake in Univision by Searchlight Capital Partners and Forgelight, announced Feb. 25 (see 2002250053), isn’t expected to hit regulatory snags at the FCC or DOJ. The Univision deal “isn’t a bellwether of a flow of private equity into broadcasting,” said Patrick Communications media broker Gregory Guy.
There's a need for a new federal broadband plan, with different metrics and tasked outside the FCC, panelists said Tuesday during the Incompas Policy Summit. They commented on the 10-year-old FCC National Broadband Plan.
In an unusual collaboration, Verizon joined with the National Consumer Law Center and Consumer Federation of America to urge the Supreme Court to preserve the Telephone Consumer Protection Act when it decides later this year on Barr v. American Association of Political Consultants. To be heard April 22, the case could have big implications for the FCC and companies concerned about enforcement (see 2001130044). Verizon and the consumer groups filed an amicus brief in docket 19-631. Members of Congress and states supported the importance of preserving the TCPA. Retailers said TCPA is leading to lawsuits never envisioned by Congress, and should be reined in.
House Commerce Committee ranking member Greg Walden, R-Ore., expressed some doubt about reaching a deal on legislation to allocate proceeds of a coming FCC auction of spectrum of the 3.7-4.2 GHz C band (see 2002070044), amid ongoing talks with committee Democrats. Senate Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee Chairman John Kennedy, R-La., finalized plans for a hearing on his concerns with the FCC’s plan for the C-band auction.
Tentative plans by DOJ's Antitrust Division and the FTC not to challenge a vertical transaction if the parties have a share of less than 20% of a relevant market raised several red flags in comments submitted last week. The agencies got several recommendations that we received earlier (see 2002270043). We asked both Wednesday for all the submissions, and received a link from the FTC. Last week, we had filed a Freedom of Information Act request for them, which we are seeking on Monday to withdraw.
Privacy advocates differed in interviews Monday if the FCC’s $208 million in proposed fines against the four national carriers for failing to safeguard data (see 2002280065) was adequate, given the consumer impact and how its calculated. Friday, Commissioner Geoffrey Starks questioned whether the agency failed to properly calculate consumer harm in reaching the fine amount. Commissioner Mike O’Rielly suggested the agency should have considered more information from the companies.