The 2018 draft quadrennial review NPRM’s absence of conclusions makes it hard to know what the proceeding will lead to, broadcasters and their lawyers told us. Though the item asks many questions about possible changes to radio subcaps, top-four ownership rules and the broadcast market, lack of concrete proposals leaves open the possibility the agency may not act on any of those matters (see 1811200048), they said. “They didn’t reveal their hand,” said Garvey Schubert's Melodie Virtue.
Telecom-focused lawmakers are beginning to look at how the net neutrality debate will advance in the 116th Congress, as the deadline looms for the House to act on a Congressional Review Act resolution aimed at undoing FCC rescission of 2015 rules. Supporters of House Joint Resolution-129 campaigned again Thursday for House passage (see 1811260028), which faces long odds in the still-majority GOP chamber. Democrats, who will control the House next Congress, aren't completely discounting a path toward legislation but also see other uses of power to progress. Republicans, who will still control the Senate, remain hopeful but wary about the prospects for compromise legislation.
The House Republican Steering Committee is likely to recommend a member for the top GOP House Judiciary Committee seat by Thursday, lobbyists and officials told us. The race to succeed retiring Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., is between Reps. Doug Collins, Georgia; Steve Chabot, Ohio; and Jim Jordan, Ohio, with Collins the favorite (see 1810310025). The committee vote wraps up Thursday, a House aide said, and the recommendation is subject to Republican caucus ratification. Senate GOP leaders are eyeing a reduction in Senate Commerce Committee membership for the 116th Congress (see 1811280058).
The FCC's focus is on granting the legions of C-band earth station registrations received in its six-month-plus application window. What kind of time frame that might entail is a big question. Satellite and broadcast interests urge any 3.7-4.2 GHz earth station operators who didn't register to do so. July's NPRM on terrestrial use in the C-band (see 1807120037) included an order directing incumbent fixed satellite service earth station operators to certify the accuracy of existing International Bureau filing system (IBFS) information and to provide more information. It's not clear when that PN might be issued, said satellite lawyer Michelle McClure of Fletcher Heald.
The rosters and party balance of the House and Senate Commerce committees for the 116th Congress remain on the minds of telecom-focused officials and lobbyists, as Capitol Hill leaders grapple with deciding lawmakers' assignments on all panels. The election upended the committees' leadership, and the incoming Democratic majority in the House (see 1811190045) appears likely to mean changes to House Commerce telecom policy staff (see 1811230027). The House Republican Steering Committee is likely to recommend a member for the top GOP House Judiciary Committee seat this week (see 1811280064).
Digital trade is a “significant competitive advantage for the U.S. economy,” and the Trump administration should view any U.S.-Japan free-trade agreement as an “important opportunity to expand commitments to the free flow of data,” commented IBM in docket USTR-2018-0034. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative sought feedback to help shape the administration’s negotiating posture in future trade talks with Japan (see 1811260011).
Carriers said a wireless resiliency cooperative framework promoted industry efforts to maintain and restore service affected by recent hurricanes. They said their networks generally held up, with disruptions often due to power outages and fiber cuts by others. AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, Southern Linc, U.S. Cellular and GCI Communications responded to recent FCC Public Safety Bureau queries seeking information on their implementation of the framework and best practices during disasters (see 1811060052). Filings were posted Tuesday in docket 11-60. AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and Southern Linc redacted various details.
The FTC’s goal is to reach the “right result” as fast as possible for privacy probes, Chairman Joe Simons testified when pressed by lawmakers for a timeline on the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica investigation. Simons wouldn't address specific cases during the first oversight hearing with all five new commissioners before the Senate Consumer Protection Subcommittee (see 1811230021). Hours earlier Tuesday, Facebook also faced heat at a multicountry hearing in U.K.'s House of Commons (see 1811270014).
States and rural wireless carriers remained concerned with the FCC’s Mobility Fund Phase II broadband-service subsidy process after the challenge window shut Monday. The commission didn’t act on NARUC’s request to extend the deadline to March 15, an FCC spokesperson confirmed Tuesday. The challenge process opened March 29 and the agency previously extended the deadline by 90 days.
An American Cable Association petition asking the FCC to force Sinclair to resolve early the candor issues raised by the Sinclair/Tribune hearing designation order may not lead to much, communications lawyers told us. Sinclair and Chairman Ajit Pai aren't likely to want to address the matter before Sinclair’s currently scheduled license renewals in 2020, they said. The ACA petition’s reception at the FCC is uncertain, they added. “No one” expected Pai to issue the HDO and spike the deal, said Free Press Policy Manager Dana Floberg.