The 911 Fee Integrity Act (HR-6424) and two other public safety telecom-related bills drew bipartisan backing during a Wednesday House Communications Subcommittee hearing, though some Democrats insisted more federal funding will be needed for the legislation to be effective. House Commerce Committee ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and others invoked the Next Generation 9-1-1 Act (HR-4672/S-2061). The subcommittee also examined the National Non-Emergency Mobile Number Act (HR-5700) and Anti-Swatting Act (HR-6003).
Broadcasters seeking broad relaxation of children's TV rules found themselves at odds with programmers and consumer groups, in comments on the FCC's kidvid NPRM in docket 18-202 in time for Monday's deadline. Though almost all commenters agreed existing rules are outdated, nearly every broadcaster filing supported the FCC's proposed rule changes. “The existing children’s TV regulatory regime leads to less than optimal use of limited air time to the detriment of stations and their local audiences,” said NAB. House Communications Subcommittee Democrats are expected to note their concerns about the kidvid NPRM during a Thursday hearing on the state of the media marketplace (see 1809260054).
The FCC adopted 4-0 an NPRM that proposes to ensure direct-dial 911 calling from centralized phone systems in larger buildings and on campuses, and to ensure "dispatchable location" information is conveyed with emergency calls. At their monthly meeting Wednesday, commissioners also unanimously approved an order to begin auctioning off toll-free phone numbers.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., expects to finalize draft data privacy legislation before year-end, he told reporters. Earlier Wednesday, the committee heard testimony (see 1809250049) from Amazon, Apple, AT&T, Charter Communications, Google and Twitter that edge providers and ISPs should be subject to the same pre-emptive federal privacy legislation.
ORLANDO -- The radio industry is looking forward to 2019 for possible ownership deregulation and the emergence from bankruptcy of industry leaders Cumulus and iHeartMedia, said the CEOs of Beasley Media, Townsquare Media and Hubbard Radio on a Wednesday finance panel with Wells Fargo analyst Davis Hebert at the NAB Radio Show. Outside investors have “a wait and see mentality” towards radio, Beasley CEO Caroline Beasley said. This is a “a major transition year,” Hebert said.
Communications sector expectations for Thursday's House Communications Subcommittee hearing on the state of the media market are nearly universally low. But some lobbyists told us they will be listening for potential clues about contours of the looming 2019 debate on Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act (STELA) reauthorization. The hearing, called largely at the behest of House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., is expected to include a major focus on his Next Generation Television Marketplace Act (HR-6465). Lobbyists and Capitol Hill aides noted substantial House Commerce Committee pique over Scalise's push to hold the hearing, including expectations of sparse lawmaker attendance. The panel will begin at 3 p.m. in 2123 Rayburn.
The FCC approved a declaratory ruling and order designed to speed the deployment of small cells and 5G across the U.S. Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, whose vote had been in doubt (see 1809200007), partially dissented and partially concurred Wednesday.
Parties urged new FCC actions to combat unwanted robocalls, differing on specifics. Telecom providers seek more call-blocking authority with regulatory flexibility; consumer groups recommend a more prescriptive approach; and telemarketers want fine-tuning to better target illegal calls and reduce "false positives" blocking legal calls. Comments were posted through Tuesday on a public notice to update the record in docket 17-59, after a November order authorized voice providers to block calls deemed highly likely to be illegal: from phone numbers on a "Do-Not-Originate" list and "those that purport to be from invalid, unallocated, or unused numbers."
With one Missouri community attempting to levy fees on Netflix and Hulu like it does cable TV, other states and localities are likely to try to head down the same road, experts told us. “I don't know that anybody is jumping on the bandwagon per se but I think [other communities] are interested in seeing how [the city's litigation] plays out," said Creve Coeur, Missouri, Mayor Barry Glantz.
The Senate Commerce Committee’s privacy hearing Wednesday (see 1809200050) is a good opportunity for prominent platforms to weigh potential federal legislation, Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., told us Monday. Asked about committee criticism for its all-industry witness list, Thune looked forward to listening to privacy groups at a future hearing. Representatives from Google, Twitter, Apple, Amazon, AT&T and Charter Communications will testify Wednesday (see 1809120036).