House Communications Subcommittee members largely but not completely avoided using a Thursday FCC oversight hearing to make partisan points, amid the commission’s focus on bipartisan issues during the ongoing 2-2 split, as expected (see 2203300001). Lawmakers instead focused on questions about the FCC’s work to produce improved broadband connectivity data maps, its handling of the affordable connectivity program and Emergency Connectivity Fund programs, and how commissioners believe Congress should structure a renewal of the commission’s spectrum auction authority.
The Commerce Department should add ZTE to its Entity List now that its five-year probation period and U.S. criminal case has ended, said Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., in a Monday letter to Commerce and the Justice Department. Rubio also expressed “disappointment and concern” that a U.S. court ruled this month against further penalties against the Chinese telecommunications company despite “credible evidence” that ZTE violated its probation. Rubio said the judge in the case “appeared unconvinced of any serious commitment to reform” by ZTE officials. “Given that the decision effectively marks the end of ZTE’s five-year probationary period, the net result is that a firm explicitly identified by the Federal Communications Commission as a national-security threat is today rewarded with relaxed oversight, despite its acknowledged noncompliance,” Rubio said in the letter. He said Commerce and DOJ should “take all appropriate measures against ZTE to ensure it cannot pose a threat to Americans,” including adding the company to Commerce’s export control blacklist. Spokespeople for Commerce and DOJ didn’t respond to requests for comment.
The Senate appeared highly likely Tuesday to vote this week on discharging Democratic FTC nominee Alvaro Bedoya from the Commerce Committee’s jurisdiction, lawmakers and aides told us. The chamber may also do a discharge vote this week on FCC nominee Gigi Sohn, but that’s less likely since leadership is prioritizing action on Bedoya over her, officials said. Senate leaders previously eyed initial votes on Bedoya and Sohn last week (see 2203220058) but scuttled that plan when it was clear all 50 chamber Democrats wouldn’t be present to ensure their advancement.
An upcoming sequel audit of the District of Columbia’s 911 center will be a “deeper dive than we do with most of our audits,” reflecting “the incredible importance of the issues,” D.C. Auditor Kathy Patterson said in a Friday interview. Patterson raised questions about the return of Karima Holmes to lead the Office of Unified Communications (OUC). Advocates for D.C. 911 improvements said they want results.
The FCC and most other tech and telecom-focused federal agencies would get a funding increase in FY 2023 under a budget proposal President Joe Biden released Monday. Five entities -- the DOJ Antitrust Division, Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), NTIA, FTC and National Institute of Standards and Technology -- would get double-digit percentage increases compared with FY 2022. Biden signed off earlier this month on the FY22 omnibus appropriations package, which itself increased funding for the FCC, FTC and other agencies (see 2203150076).
The EU and U.S. "found an agreement in principle" on trans-Atlantic personal data transfers, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted Friday. The U.S. made "unprecedented" commitments to put in place new safeguards to ensure that signals intelligence activities are "necessary and proportionate in the pursuit of defined national security objectives," and to create a new mechanism for EU individuals to seek redress if they believe they're unlawfully targeted by such activities, said a White House fact sheet. The deal addresses the concerns of the European Court of Justice in Schrems II, it said.
T-Mobile’s pending shutdown of its 3G/CDMA network Thursday isn’t raising the same level of concerns as when AT&T shuttered its legacy network last month (see 2202240002), experts said. T-Mobile has far fewer security or other alarm systems attached to its network than AT&T. Dish Network raised concerns about 3G handsets used by Boost customers, the prepaid provider it acquired from T-Mobile, but those have been largely addressed, experts said.
Big ISPs warned the California Public Utilities Commission that proposed price and speed requirements could discourage participation in a $2 billion last-mile federal funding account (FFA) required by the state’s $6 billion broadband law. Consumer and local government groups debated how best to prioritize funds in other comments posted Tuesday and Wednesday on a proposed decision (PD) up for vote at the commission’s April 7 meeting (see 2203020062).
It remained unclear Tuesday afternoon if Senate leaders would move to hold initial votes later this week on Democratic FCC nominee Gigi Sohn and FTC nominee Alvaro Bedoya, amid uncertainties about whether all 50 Democratic caucus members will be available to appear on the floor. Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., told us earlier in the day that chamber Democratic leaders were eyeing floor votes this week to discharge Bedoya and Sohn from the committee’s jurisdiction (see 2203220034). Senate Commerce voted 14-14 earlier this month on Bedoya and Sohn, meaning the full chamber would need to vote to discharge both nominees before lawmakers could act on their confirmations (see 2203030070).
The New York Public Service Commission should strive to reduce broadband deployment barriers, said Verizon and Charter Communications in Friday comments in docket 21-02182. Verizon urged the PSC to tackle fiber right-of-way fees and multiple-tenant building restrictions. “While we recognize that the Commission cannot eliminate these barriers on its own,” a 2021 law requiring the PSC to study broadband barriers “provides it with a ‘bully pulpit’ that it can use to urge the Administration and the Legislature to adopt appropriate regulatory and legislative reforms.” Charter said to urge legislators to pass S-7494, which would prohibit the Transportation Department from imposing right-of-way fees on fiber. And the PSC should update pole attachment rules, it said. Use the influx of federal dollars to bring “broadband access to the limited, remaining unserved and underserved areas, improve digital literacy and adoption, and connect more low-income households with high-speed broadband,” Charter said. “It would be a waste of limited resources to use the funds on duplicative building in already-served areas.” Make state grant programs simple and flexible with a “reliable challenge process,” it said.