President Joe Biden this week extended for one year beyond July 24 a national emergency that authorizes certain sanctions against transnational criminal organizations, the White House said. The groups continue to “pose a direct threat to the safety and welfare of the United States and its citizens,” the White House said July 21.
Although the U.S. should be concerned about university espionage and research theft, it shouldn’t place restrictions on fundamental research, said Arati Prabhakar, President Joe Biden’s nominee for director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, speaking during a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation hearing this week. She said the U.S. has some “real issues” involving research security, which “have to be wrestled with” but not in a way that stifles innovation and hurts American competitiveness.
The record is clear that performance measurements proposed in a Further NPRM on wireless emergency alerts are “incompatible with the existing WEA system and could raise privacy concerns,” CTIA said in reply comments. Comments were posted Wednesday in docket 15-91 on the April FNPRM (see 2204190053). In initial comments, APCO and the National Weather Service asked the agency to impose reporting requirements on carriers (see 2206220033).
The National Retail Federation applauded President Joe Biden’s executive order Friday creating a presidential emergency board of independent arbitrators, effective Monday, to help bring labor peace to major U.S. rail freight carriers and their unions. Thousands of retailers and other enterprises rely on rail freight carriers to move goods through the supply chain, said NRF Senior Vice President-Government Relations David French. “Now that we are in the peak shipping season for back-to-school and winter holiday merchandise,” it’s critical that freight railroads and their unions reach agreement on a new labor contract “without any kind of rail service disruption this fall,” he said Friday. The board will “provide a structure for workers and management to resolve their disagreements,” said the White House Friday. The board will issue a report within 30 days recommending how the dispute should be resolved, it said. The EO triggers a new 30-day cooling-off period to keep the parties working toward a negotiated settlement, said the White House. The existing cooling-off period expired Sunday. NRF CEO Matthew Shay wrote Biden July 6 urging him to appoint a board to avert a possible rail strike in September (see 2207070001).
SAN DIEGO -- States could speed 5G deployment by harmonizing rules for accessing poles and power, state commission staffers were told Sunday by wireless infrastructure industry officials at NARUC’s summer meeting. Meanwhile, the Telecom Staff Subcommittee cleared a resolution meant to increase affordable connectivity program (ACP) enrollment (see 2207080016).
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is telling senators to expect a floor vote as early as Tuesday to start moving a smaller chips package that would include, at a minimum, emergency chips funding and an investment tax credit for semiconductor manufacturing (see 2207130053), a source familiar with discussions told us Thursday.
CBP is making progress on its new vessel entrance and clearing system (VECS) and hopes to release a pilot program “later this year,” said Brian Sale, CBP’s branch chief for vessel operations. The agency will release a Federal Register notice this week announcing a new Vessel Agency Account type within the Automated Commercial Environment, Sale said, which will allow users to eventually participate in the pilot.
A group of Senate Republicans this week introduced a bill that would restrict certain U.S. crude oil exports from being shipped to foreign “adversaries.” The No Emergency Crude Oil for Foreign Adversaries Act would block U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve auctions from selling oil to China, Russia, North Korea and Iran, with certain exceptions for “national security reasons.” The bill would also require the Energy Department to report on the destinations of exported oil from previous auctions.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is telling senators to expect a floor vote as early as Tuesday to start moving a smaller chips package that would include, at a minimum, emergency chips funding and an investment tax credit for semiconductor manufacturing (see 2207130053), a source familiar with discussions told us Thursday.
The House voted Wednesday and Thursday to approve a slate of telecom and tech-focused amendments to the FY 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (HR-7900), including proposals to require more DOD transparency on its implementation of its 2020 spectrum sharing strategy and modifications to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s remit (see 2207070064). House lawmakers, meanwhile, refrained from filing any FCC-related amendments to the FY23 omnibus appropriations package that includes funding for that agency (HR-8294) but proposed several aimed at restraining the FTC. The chamber is likely to take up HR-8294 and floor votes on amendments next week.