The FCC plans to prioritize bids for high-speed, low-latency broadband networks in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, said a draft rulemaking for docket 19-126 released Thursday. RDOF is one of several items that circulated from Chairman Ajit Pai. So far, it's shaping up to be the most watched item, and legislators expressed some related concerns.
Efforts to end 911 fee diversion face more headwinds in four states that the FCC found continued the practice in 2018 (see 1912190077), 911 advocates said in interviews. Commissioner Mike O’Rielly told us he’s following up with West Virginia, which hasn’t acted despite a 2018 promise by Gov. Jim Justice (R), and Rhode Island, which last year addressed the practice in a way he called problematic.
LAS VEGAS -- The next generation of Bluetooth, LE Audio, adds support for hearing aids and has broadcast audio for audio sharing, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group announced at CES. Specifications that define LE Audio are expected to be released throughout first half 2020, it said.
LAS VEGAS -- The Trump administration unveiled nonbinding guidelines for regulating driverless cars and trucks at CES in Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao's Wednesday keynote. Industry officials told us the department floated the guidelines to such stakeholders Tuesday. The agency calls the guidelines Automated Vehicles 4.0 (AV 4.0). The White House also announced principles Wednesday to govern private sector artificial intelligence development.
The House Consumer Protection Subcommittee is closer to releasing a privacy bill than bipartisan Senate negotiators, Chair Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., told reporters Wednesday after a subcommittee hearing with Facebook. At the hearing, she and ranking member Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., had contrasting views on the need to regulate media manipulation and deepfakes.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and other lawmakers are restarting talks to advance legislation to provide funding to help U.S. communications providers remove from their networks Chinese equipment determined to threaten national security. December's bid to advance it quickly in the Senate had failed (see 1912190068). The House voted Wednesday to pass the Secure 5G and Beyond Act (HR-2881) and three other 5G-centric bills, as expected (see 2001030049).
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai placed action on the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund atop his agenda for the new year in announcing the Jan. 30 meeting, he blogged Wednesday. Commissioners will vote on auction rules for bidders on the first phase of a $20.4 billion RDOF program (see 1912190073). Also on the agenda are updated standards for hearing-aid compatibility on smartphones, an item on a program to allow video relay service-qualified sign language interpreters to work from home, and a media modernization item about MVPDs emailing required notices to TV stations rather than using certified mail. Missing from Jan. 30's meeting, the agency indicated, will be a vote on the C band.
LAS VEGAS -- This year will be one of “execution” on making more spectrum available for 5G and Wi-Fi, FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly said in an interview at CES. O’Rielly and Commissioners Geoffrey Starks and Brendan Carr spoke on a panel, after remarks by Chairman Ajit Pai. Pai wasn’t asked about and didn’t provide any additional details on the 6 GHz band or C band (see 2001070054).
LAS VEGAS -- Samsung envisions an “age of experience” where artificial intelligence works with advanced hardware to tailor technology experiences to consumers' lifestyle and needs, said Samsung Consumer Electronics division CEO H.S. Kim in a CES keynote Monday. A connected ecosystem will enable new experiences encompassing virtual and augmented reality, robotics, in-vehicle safety and entertainment, personalized health and wellness and smart cities, he said. More details here.
Facebook wants uniform tech platform standards for deepfakes, Vice President-Global Policy Management Monika Bickert plans to tell the House Consumer Protection Subcommittee Wednesday (see 1912310003). Her testimony was released the same day Facebook announced it’s banning manipulated content like deepfakes, which fabricate a person’s words. The announcement initially indicated political candidates would be allowed to include manipulated media in ads, according to Democrats who immediately criticized the policy change. The platform issued a correction.