FTC Commissioner Rohit Chopra told states’ attorneys general Monday “the ball really is in” their court to go deeper in their investigations of Facebook, which he hopes will delve further into the social media company’s data privacy practices than the FTC’s recently concluded probe. Commissioners voted 3-2 in July to approve a settlement with Facebook, which agreed to pay $5 billion and install an independent privacy committee to oversee compliance. Chopra and fellow Democratic Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter voted against the settlement (see 1907240042). GOP Commissioner Christine Wilson defended the strength of the FTC settlement during a National Association of Attorneys General conference.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai told the new Precision Agriculture Task Force that America's need for broadband on farms and ranches will only increase, at its first meeting Monday. Farmers and ranchers want to upload huge amounts of data to the cloud, "and that's why broadband is going to be central," he said. Pai said task force insights will be important in advising the FCC on how to spend at least $1 billion of the proposed $9 billion 5G Fund that he announced last week (see 1912040027). He said without such USF support for precision agriculture, there might be no business case for 5G in many rural areas.
A Sprint executive said price increases are a “hypothetical" synergy of combining with T-Mobile, in a 2017 text exchange with then-CEO Marcelo Claure, states showed Monday in an exhibit at the first day of trial at U.S. District Court in lower Manhattan. Questioning Sprint Chief Marketing Officer Roger Sole, states painted the wireless market as highly competitive with Sprint as a player. Sole noted Sprint has higher churn than rivals and customers have fallen over the past two years.
FCC staff, announcing the next states to get soft rollouts of a national verifier of Lifeline eligibility, appeared to some stakeholders to have given more time than the agency had previously planned for the move. States and others had been calling for that for many months. The NV rollout will start Monday in Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin, said a Wireline Bureau public notice. Earlier Monday, an FCC enforcement advisory said it emphasized eligible telecom carriers (ETCs) getting government money for the broadband and phone service program "remain responsible for claiming Lifeline support only for eligible low-income consumers."
NTIA's letter to the FCC on Ligado's planned broadband terrestrial low-power service seems to point to no consensus among the federal agencies, we were told. Ligado's requested license modifications are back in FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's lap. The letter seemingly ends consideration by the Interdepartment Radio Advisory Committee (see 1910300050).
Tech companies and advertisers made a last stand, raising concerns about the California Consumer Privacy Act before it takes effect Jan. 1. Comments were due Friday on implementing rules Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D) proposed in October and that must be finalized by July 1 when enforcement begins (see 1910100042). The AG office didn’t post the most recent comments online. Some sent theirs to us.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., isn't foreclosing the possibility of a deal to advance Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act reauthorization legislation out of the committee at a coming markup session. Other Senate Commerce members told us they believe it's going to be difficult to reach an agreement soon. Some want to attach short-term renewal language to must-pass legislation in a bid to extend negotiations. Wicker and others are also closely eyeing a pair of House STELA bills that are awaiting formal combination before floor action. The law expires Dec. 31.
States that spent time and money challenging carrier coverage maps submitted for Mobility Fund Phase II are frustrated the FCC said Wednesday it will terminate it (see 1912040027). They asked in interviews last week what a $9 billion replacement for rural 5G will mean for areas that never had any wireless. Small rural carriers that challenged larger national competitors through speed tests on foot, horseback and all-terrain vehicles wonder if there's any way to recoup those funds.
Almost two years after Chairman Ajit Pai announced the media modernization effort, many items taken up under that umbrella have had a small scope, an uncontentious docket, and sometimes don’t even draw formal responses from the opposing party. General agreement and a tight focus aren't bad things, broadcast and MVPD attorneys and FCC officials said of the program. “That the items are often unanimous is a compelling case for getting rid of the rules,” said Matthew Berry, Pai’s chief of staff.
Senate Communications Subcommittee members focused on 5G, need for rural broadband and potential for freed-up federal spectrum during a Thursday hearing on implementing the Making Opportunities for Broadband Investment and Limiting Excessive and Needless Obstacles to Wireless Act. The Mobile Now Act was enacted as part of the FY 2018 omnibus spending bill (see 1803230038). The law requires DOD and other federal agencies identify at least 255 MHz for broadband use by 2022. It requires the FCC and NTIA identify at least 100 MHz for unlicensed use below the 8 GHz band.