DOJ Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim drew attention Monday to Attorney General William Barr’s recent questioning whether the tech industry’s content liability immunity is working as intended. Speaking at the Hudson Institute, Delrahim referenced Barr’s comments questioning application of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (see 1912110063).
NTIA acting Administrator Diane Rinaldo's exit (see 1912160022) about seven months after former Administrator David Redl’s abrupt departure likely means more turmoil ahead, industry observers said Monday. Rinaldo will apparently be replaced by Treasury Department acting Deputy Assistant Secretary-International Affairs Edward Hearst, lobbyists and observers said. It's unclear whether Hearst would be taking over as acting administrator or would be nominated to the role. The White House, NTIA, the Commerce Department and Treasury didn't comment.
If T-Mobile could turn itself around at the start of this decade, why not Sprint now, Judge Victor Marrero asked T-Mobile CEO John Legere at trial Friday at U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. After states grilled Legere, Marrero also asked if T-Mobile would be like ’60s "flower children" who turned into corporate bankers. Legere declined to answer our questions after leaving the courtroom in lower Manhattan.
House Democrats plan soon to release a draft privacy bill that tables areas of disagreement with Republicans like federal pre-emption and a private right of action, House Consumer Protection Subcommittee Chair Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., told us. They have “solid agreement” with Republicans on several issues, Schakowsky said. “Some things will be bracketed that clearly aren’t agreed to, and hopefully a few parts that are not bracketed that are more likely to be agreed to.”
The Jan. 30 FCC meeting is shaping up to be busy, including likely action on the C band and possibly 6 GHz, based on early indications. The agency has seven weeks to get ready, versus less than three weeks between the November and December meetings. Key staff are being asked to avoid taking time off headed into the meeting because Chairman Ajit Pai anticipates a heavy agenda. This period is typical and gives staff time to celebrate the holidays.
Some officials and lobbyists believe legislative efforts to repeal a provision of the 2012 spectrum law that mandates public safety move off the 470-512 MHz T band by 2021 and combat state and local-level diversion of 911 fees are unlikely to advance until the new year. Those issues are now tied to a bid to attach language on a pending FCC auction of spectrum on the 3.7-4.2 GHz C band to FY 2020 federal spending bills. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., is pushing to attach language from his C-band-centric 5G Spectrum Act (S-2881) to the spending bills despite Democrats' opposition. Senate Commerce last week approved adding language from the Don’t Break Up the T-Band Act (HR-451/S-2748) and the 911 Fee Integrity Act (HR-2165) to S-2881 (see 1912110038).
FCC Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks concurred during a unanimous vote to clarify the VoIP symmetry rule Thursday. That upholds reversal of a 2015 rule that would have allowed over-the-top VoIP providers to assess terminating fees on long-distance calls even if they had neither last-mile end-office facilities nor partnered with a local exchange carrier that did. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit later vacated the older rule and remanded it.
The FTC should continue presuming viewers of youth-directed online content are children, despite efforts from YouTube and the tech industry seeking carve-outs for adults watching it. It’s a central issue in the agency’s review of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act rule (see 1912090061), based on comments in docket 2019-0054 collected through Thursday.
The FCC approved 5-0 an NPRM that proposes to reallocate the 5.9 GHz band for Wi-Fi and cellular vehicle to everything, while potentially preserving a sliver for dedicated short-range communications. All commissioners said DSRC has never lived up to its promise. Chairman Ajit Pai said support for the change has been overwhelming.
Telecom and mental health interests cheered FCC 5-0 approval Thursday of an NPRM designating 988 for a national three-digit suicide prevention and mental health hotline number. The final version wasn't released.