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.
Satellite operators remain divided on the FCC assessing satellite application and regulatory fees on foreign-licensed satellites with U.S. access (see 1912090053), in docket 19-105 replies posted Tuesday. The fees are proposed as part of the FY 2020 fee schedule. A broadcaster urged changing the methodology for calculating VHF regulatory fees.
LAS VEGAS -- CES formally kicked off Tuesday with a keynote by CTA President Gary Shapiro reassuring attendees that the “roaring 2020s” will be huge for tech. Shapiro repeated the theme (see 2001060028) that the IoT now means the “intelligence of things.” Every company “has to be a tech company,” Shapiro said.
LAS VEGAS -- FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said Tuesday the U.S. will lead in 5G. He didn’t offer any update on when the FCC would act on the C band for licensed and 6 GHz for unlicensed use. Pai said the FCC is evaluating the latter band and plans action this year. FTC Chairman Joe Simons called for a new federal privacy law, noting that the FTC must use one that's 100 years old. As is the tradition at CES, both answered questions in a sit-down with CTA President Gary Shapiro.
TV stations that must change frequencies following the incentive auction continue (see 1908090050) to make their phase deadlines by shifting their signal to interim antennas that don’t reach all viewers, said broadcasters, FCC officials and antenna manufacturers in recent interviews. Phase seven -- out of 10 -- of the post-incentive auction repacking ends Jan. 17.