LAS VEGAS -- Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg told CES 5G is just starting to deploy and will change how everyone communicates: “It will change everything.” Vestberg channeled one of the big themes here so far -- 2019 will be the year of 5G. How that will look is taking shape. “Last year, Verizon launched the first 5G network in the world,” Vestberg said Tuesday. “There’s so much more to come from 5G this year and in years to come.” The new technology is “just radically different” and “a quantum leap compared to 4G,” he said.
Judges for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit appeared skeptical of the FCC’s position on a 15-year-old defaulted debt by former C-block spectrum licensee GLH, during oral argument Wednesday. Courts are operating during the shutdown (see 1901080004) but FCC attorneys were able to proceed only because the hearing concerned a spectrum auction, and spectrum auction matters are funded independently of other commission operations, the agency said.
House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., told us Tuesday he’s more interested in drafting privacy legislation than having additional tech-focused hearings. Tech is absent from the agendas for the committee’s first three hearings under Pallone.
LAS VEGAS -- Chinese telecom companies have a lower profile this CES than past years, but China remains a big player at the show, CTA said. Industry officials said given concerns from the U.S. government, it’s no surprise some are keeping their heads down. China came under fire from NSA's general counsel Monday (see 1901070065).
The halt in regular FCC operations isn't having a large impact on communications law firms and most clients yet, said attorneys who continue to draft pleadings, provide advice, handle litigation and do other work. But if the shuttering lasts an extended period, it will cause delays and backlogs that increasingly have negative fallout on matters large and small, rippling through industry, they said this week.
LAS VEGAS -- Building smart cities, with their emphasis on sophisticated communications networks, is a major theme at CES. Panelists said Tuesday many challenges remain, though some cities have momentum. They warned every city is unique, with its own politics and challenges.
LAS VEGAS -- Speakers at CES warned of the cybersecurity dangers posed by the growing IoT, during a panel Monday. For years, one of the biggest trends here has been expansion of the IoT, and thousands of IoT devices are on display. The discussion also played into the FCC focus on security threats from China and elsewhere (see 1812210032).
Incoming Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., hired Joe Keeley, an intellectual property veteran on Capitol Hill who handled IP issues for ex-House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., said lobbyists and others. Keeley, who was House Internet Subcommittee chief counsel and helped negotiate the Music Modernization Act (MMA) (see 1810110038), will be Senate Judiciary Committee deputy staff director and chief IP counsel. Graham’s office and the Senate Judiciary Committee didn’t comment.
The Arizona Corporation Commission plans to revisit its ethics code next week under a new chairman who brought scrutiny to last year’s efforts and with an added Democratic commissioner who pledged to end ACC corruption. The membership bodes well for making significant revisions, said Chairman Bob Burns (R) in an interview Tuesday. They “are very promising developments for freeing the commission from undue influence by the regulated utilities,” Public Citizen Government Affairs Lobbyist Craig Holman told us.
With advocates pushing different N11 options for a nationwide, three-digit number for suicide prevention and mental health crises calls (see 1812110033), there may not be consensus or compromise. Some told us that the FCC may ultimately have to choose. Some may lobby Congress, where legislators are monitoring the situation.