A proposal to make California the first state with a surveillance transparency law cleared the Senate but divided senators Thursday. No member spoke against SB-1186 on the floor, and the vote was 21-15, getting the minimum number of supporters needed in the 40-member body to send the bill to the Assembly. Sheriffs continued to oppose the bill requiring local law enforcement to have public notice and comment before using new surveillance technologies (see 1804030043). Senate passage Wednesday of a net neutrality bill (see 1805300084) picked up more kudos, including from ex-FCC chairman Tom Wheeler and a New York state senator.
Tests demonstrate the 3.7-4.2 GHz band can be safely shared, the Broadband Access Coalition (BAC) commented in docket 13-1. The FCC is preparing a report to Congress on the spectrum, also known as the C-band, as required by the Mobile Now Act. This offer a preview of arguments to come, with Chairman Ajit Pai promising to tee-up a C-band NPRM for commissioners' July meeting (see 1805230031).
Decisions by the FCC and Media Bureau in a long-running Indiana FM translator interference dispute could indicate leanings in the upcoming proceeding on such complaints, said several radio attorneys, though others disagree. A bureau letter denying motions appears to take aim at efforts by Radio One disputing the validity of complaints against the translator and against arguments that full-power signals aren’t entitled to protection outside a station’s contour. Those are two of the more contentious items covered in an NPRM (see 1804270065).
To reduce the global threat of botnets dramatically, it’s vital the tech industry “support and reward” continuous development of innovative security technology, the secretaries of commerce and homeland security told President Donald Trump in a report released Wednesday (see 1801110006). It responded to a May 2017 executive order. The order directed the secretaries to lead a cybersecurity effort with the goal of “dramatically reducing threats perpetrated by automated and distributed attacks.” The agencies hosted two workshops, issued as many requests for comment and published a stakeholder inquiry through the president’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee. The agencies consulted DOD, DOJ, the State Department, FBI, FCC and FTC, among other agencies.
Two more IP captioned telephone service providers opposed a draft order's cuts in their compensation rate, though they suggested smaller cuts as a backup. CaptionCall said the FCC shouldn't reduce a $1.95 per minute rate by 10 percent in each of the next two funding years -- to $1.75 on July 1, and to $1.58 on July 1, 2019 -- but the Sorenson Communications subsidiary floated a $1.75 rate for two years if the agency insists on an interim rate. ClearCaptions suggested $1.85 for FY 2018-19 and $1.75 for FY 2019-20. Hamilton previously offered a $1.75 rate for both years (see 1805250056). The draft seeks to reduce IP CTS funding approaching $1 billion per year.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., wants more answers from the FBI in a debate about the agency allegedly misleading Congress on encryption back doors (see 1805230027). Though the bureau repeatedly claimed in 2017 it couldn't unlock 7,775 devices, officials recently acknowledged the number is closer to 1,200.
The FCC fielded multiple requests for tweaking the requirements for registering C-band receive-only earth stations to help grease the path to registration, but it's not clear whether the agency will go that route, experts told us. With only a fraction of earth stations registered now, whether a significant percentage will end up registered similarly isn't clear. If the FCC can't get even a majority registered, it will be making rulings “on an invalid database," said Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) President Jim Leifer. "That’s my biggest concern.” The FCC didn't comment.
The California Senate voted 23-12 to pass a net neutrality bill by state Sen. Scott Wiener (D) that was endorsed by former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. On the Senate floor Wednesday, one Democratic senator doubted SB-822 would hold up to legal scrutiny, but said he would vote for it anyway on principle. Republicans opposed the bill as harmful and illegal. In the lead-up to the vote, industry clashed with supporters of the FCC’s 2015 open internet rules.
CTIA asked the FCC to act on changes to rules for the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band at the July 12 commissioners' meeting. The Wednesday letter by President Meredith Baker said unless the FCC acts soon, the U.S. will fall behind other countries in the race to 5G. CTIA asked the FCC to approve rules based on its April proposal made with the Competitive Carriers Association (see 1804240067). The Public Interest Spectrum Coalition (PISC) pushed for small priority access licenses (PALs) in the band, with no major changes from the Obama administration rules.
Supporters of a Congressional Review Act resolution aimed at reversing the FCC's order to rescind 2015 net neutrality rules are beginning to focus on targeting potential House GOP supporters. Lawmakers and lobbyists we spoke with differed on whether the priority will be on targeting vulnerable incumbents as the most likely to flip to supporting the measure. The Senate voted 52-47 for the resolution earlier this month with the support of three Republicans (see 1805160043 and 1805160064). It faces tougher odds in the House since the GOP has a 235-193 advantage in that chamber.