Facebook and Twitter removal of nearly 1,000 suspicious accounts this week signals social media platforms are making progress combating malicious content (see 1808220032), Senate Intelligence Committee leadership told us Wednesday. Ranking member Mark Warner, D-Va., said the committee’s Sept. 5 hearing with Facebook, Twitter and Google will let lawmakers determine what additional “guardrails” are needed from Congress.
The FCC, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Hawaii broadcasters and carriers were gearing up Thursday for landfall of Category 4 Hurricane Lane, we found. Though the storm isn’t expected to cause the same level of damage as Maria and Irma did last year to the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, broadcasters and emergency alert officials are making extensive preparations, said Hawaii Association of Broadcasters President Chris Leonard in an interview. “We don’t take any of these things lightly.” Lane "will bring life threatening conditions across Hawaii through Saturday with damaging winds, dangerous surf, coastal storm surge and INTENSE FLOODING RAINS,” tweeted the National Weather Service.
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director nominee Kelvin Droegemeier outlined his vision for the office to maintain a leadership role on spectrum policy, cybersecurity and emerging tech issues during President Donald Trump's administration. He said during a Thursday Senate Commerce Committee hearing he aims to ensure “continued American leadership in science and technology.” Members' questioned Droegemeier on OSTP's future role in the administration, as expected (see 1808220036). Most of the interest was on the office's function in science policymaking.
California state lawmakers plan to probe Verizon slowing Santa Clara County firefighters’ service, at a hearing Friday, State Capitol offices said Thursday. At a Wednesday hearing, Assembly Communications Committee members advanced two net neutrality bills after discussing the throttling of public-safety service during the state's largest wildfire (see 1808220059). A lobbyist repeated the carrier’s defense that it was a customer service mistake that has nothing to do with net neutrality.
Tariffs “remain the wrong solution to real problems” in thwarting allegedly unfair Chinese trade and IP practices, said the Internet Association in comments posted in docket USTR-2018-0026. The comments previewed testimony that Jordan Haas, the group’s director-trade and international policy, gave at hearings Wednesday. Haas testified on the same panel as a Telecommunications Industry Association representative, who said tariffs would “handicap” the U.S. in its 5G “contest” against China (see 1808130051).
New Mexico is the third state to decide carriers should contribute by connection count to state USF rather than by percentage of revenue, following Utah and Nebraska. The Public Regulation Commission voted 4-0 at their livestreamed Wednesday meeting to switch to a $1.17-per-connection monthly surcharge Oct. 1, and 4-0 to open a docket to revise the amount for 2019. Commissioners rejected exceptions suggested by CTIA and others. As Oklahoma also weighs state USF changes, big carriers warned the state commission not to regulate broadband or re-regulate competitive services.
Despite consumer groups clamoring for the FTC to conclude its Facebook-Cambridge Analytica probe (see 1808160075), Senators and ex-commission officials told us the agency is taking an acceptable amount of time. “I’d rather them do it sooner rather than later, but I want them to be thorough,” said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La. He acknowledged officials in the EU and globally are waiting to see what kind of authority the agency has for regulating privacy. “That’s probably why it’s taking a while,” Kennedy said, noting that when the agency reaches a conclusion, privacy will remain an issue for social media platforms.
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director nominee Kelvin Droegemeier is likely to face questions during a Thursday Senate Commerce Committee hearing on how he thinks the office can shape tech policymaking in President Donald Trump's administration, lawmakers and tech sector officials said in interviews. Officials are optimistic OSTP can still be influential in policymaking despite misgivings about the amount of time it took Trump to staff it (see 1704210055 and 1801180055). Trump nominated Droegemeier, vice president-research and professor of meteorology at University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma cabinet secretary of science and technology, earlier this month, more than a year and a half after John Holdren stepped down at the end of President Barack Obama's administration.
The FCC is widely expected to try to take on one of the remaining big wireless infrastructure orders at its Sept. 26 meeting. State and local government representatives are bracing for a fight. The order is expected to be based in part on the work of the Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee. The wireless industry is focused on above-cost fees and a push for cost-based rate, a revised shot clock for deciding siting issues, and eliminating duplicative reviews. It's difficult to say which will be tackled first, industry officials said. The FCC didn’t comment.
The private sector might benefit from hack-back authority, a controversial concept exempting the private sector from cyber prosecution when it acts in self-defense, said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I. Tuesday. His comments came the day after Microsoft announced action taken against Russia-linked hackers attempting to exploit visitors to websites of the Senate and conservative think tanks.