A Supreme Court decision to hear a challenge by the American Association of Political Consultants questioning a 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in a key Telephone Consumer Protection Act case could have much bigger implications, TCPA lawyers told us Monday. DOJ also asked the court to hear the case. AAPC sought to have the entire ban thrown out on constitutional grounds, in Barr v. American Association of Political Consultants, docket 19-631. The high court granted cert Friday.
LAS VEGAS -- In the last policy panel at CES 2020, attention turned to whether some tech companies are too large and government should break them up. Earlier last week, FTC Chairman Joe Simons emphatically called it a terrible idea to break up a company just because it’s big (see 2001070054). Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., a candidate for president, made breaking up big tech a campaign focus.
There’s no timeline for reintroducing a Senate bill that would create a legal framework for autonomous vehicles, Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., told us Thursday. Members are actively engaged, and the legislation remains a priority for Senate Majority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., a Thune aide said Friday.
The FCC doesn’t need to clarify or firm up noncommercial educational station underwriting rules, said broadcasters and their attorneys in interviews last week. Underwriting violations led to a $76,000 penalty for two stations connected with the University of Arkansas last week (see 2001070048). The Enforcement Bureau noted the agency hasn’t adopted “quantitative guidelines” for underwriting announcements and the FCC “affords some latitude” to licensees that exercise reasonable good faith judgment.
With the FCC's Jan. 30 meeting agenda not including a draft order for a C-band auction, as earlier anticipated (see 1912130061), parties in the proceeding now expect one to land in February. Consensus isn't universal, and action could come later. Commissioners meet publicly Feb. 28, that month's last business day.
LAS VEGAS -- Most cities aren’t that “smart” yet and are struggling to keep on top of technology, CES was told. Localities face challenges securing vast amounts of data they receive in an interconnected world.
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.