The expected January draft order establishing a C-band spectrum auction method might also lay out an incentive payment scheme for the spectrum's stakeholders, such as satellite and earth station operators, said wireless and industry experts and watchers Tuesday evening at an FCBA CLE. But the FCC incentive regime the agency lays out might not be the final word. The chairman's office didn't comment Wednesday.
Privacy proposals from Senate Commerce Committee Republicans and Democrats both provide stronger consumer protections than California’s privacy law, said Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Wednesday. During a long-awaited hearing, ranking member Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., raised concerns about third-party data sharing. Lawmakers gave varying views on a private right of action.
Local government action on net neutrality could pick up next year after relative quiet in the two years since many municipalities protested the FCC's repeal of open-internet rules, said local advisers and others in interviews. Cities have been waiting for state policies and legal resolution. Applying restrictions to broadband public-private partnerships, as done by Tacoma, Washington, could be a model.
The House Communications Subcommittee's Thursday FCC oversight hearing is expected to include criticism of commission actions and a focus on telecom policy priorities like deciding how to allocate proceeds from a coming auction of the 3.7-4.2 GHz C band, said lawmakers and others in interviews. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and the other four commissioners are to testify during the panel, which will begin at 10 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn. The hearing will happen a day after the House easily passed another FCC-related policy priority, the Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (Traced) Act (S-151).
The FCC plans an NPRM early next year to take recommendations on a 10-year, $9 billion rural 5G Fund proposed Wednesday by Chairman Ajit Pai (see 1912040037). It would replace the Mobility Fund Phase II auction for which the FCC had planned $4.53 billion in USF spending over 10 years. Staff recommended the proposal because of mapping problems, and now seeks an audit of some carriers. One of those companies, Verizon, turned the focus back to the regulator.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative rightly concludes in its Trade Act Section 301 investigative report Monday (see 191202006) that France’s digital services tax (DST), enacted in July, discriminates against U.S. companies, said tech and business trade associations. USTR seeks comment by Jan. 6 in docket USTR-2019-0009 at regulations.gov on its proposal to slap up to 100 percent retaliatory tariffs on 63 subheadings of French imports worth about $2.4 billion in 2018 customs value, mainly cheese, beauty products, handbags and kitchenware. The French government didn’t comment Tuesday.
TV stations should drop the use of signal blackouts as negotiation tools, a Phoenix Center panel heard Tuesday. Some sought congressional action, which MVPDs have long requested. Broadcasters declined invitations to participate, the organizers said. NAB said that's because the panel was stacked against its industry.
Localities shouldn't underestimate broadband infrastructure deployment as a form of disaster preparedness, said Wireless Infrastructure Association President Jonathan Adelstein and Doug Dimitroff of the New York State Wireless Association. They spoke at Tuesday's meeting of the FCC Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss. is “open to discussing” a narrowly tailored private right of action provision in a compromise data privacy bill. He told reporters Monday any discussion of such a provision would be part of broader negotiations “in good faith" to try to win Democrats' support. The committee plans a hearing 10 a.m. Wednesday (see 1911250058).
On the cusp of an expected boom, commercial space sector worries range from a space business "bubble" to outdated rules regimes that require replacing and the need to show investors regulatory burdens are waning, said corporate and government space executives Tuesday at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said the agency is committed to matching the tempo of the commercial satellite industry and avoiding a "Byzantine approval system" that could be a regulatory bottleneck. He remains concerned about prospects for orbital debris. His prepared remarks were later posted.