A House Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday on the American Music Fairness Act (see 2109200050) will include testimony that broadcasters are falsely “crying poor” on compensating performers for radio play, and that musician groups failed to come to the negotiating table with radio stations, said the two sides in dueling previews of the testimony on AMFA. HR-4130 would charge radio stations a performance royalty fee for the artists, in the form of yearly payments based on station size and profitability. “NAB put forward serious proposal after serious proposal” on compensating artists but “received no serious counteroffer,” said President Curtis LeGeyt in an interview Tuesday. LeGeyt will testify, along with singer Gloria Estefan, American Federation of Musicians (AFM) International Executive Officer Dave Pomeroy and others. LeGeyt said it's “disappointing” to broadcasters to be relitigating the issue before legislators. In a virtual news briefing Tuesday, musicFIRST Coalition Chairman Joe Crowley slammed NAB for not producing a broadcaster to address legislators, and condemned iHeart Media CEO Bob Pittman for not testifying. MusicFIRST is made up of several music industry entities, including AFM, SoundExchange and RIAA. Pittman is “unwilling to flip open his laptop” and “defend the indefensible,” Crowley said. IHeart declined to comment. Large radio groups make billions of dollars from the “unpaid labor” of artists, and the AMFA would charge lower rates to 63% of radio stations -- only the largest radio groups would face significant fees, Crowley said. “We are not an industry rolling in revenue,” LeGeyt said. Even the largest groups maintain community stations that require resources, he said. In addition to iHeart, he said the bill would affect middle-size radio groups such as Beasley and Hubbard. The AMFA would draw a bright line for stations with revenue of over $1.5 million that would cause fees to shoot up. A “performance tax” is “not a workable business model,” LeGeyt said. “NAB loves to call any attempt to ensure fair pay for artists a performance tax,” Crowley said. “This legislation doesn’t direct money to the government, it directs money to performers.” Former Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate and the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters wrote the committee this week in support of NAB.
A House Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday on the American Music Fairness Act (see 2109200050) will include testimony that broadcasters are falsely “crying poor” on compensating performers for radio play, and that musician groups failed to come to the negotiating table with radio stations, said the two sides in dueling previews of the testimony on AMFA. HR-4130 would charge radio stations a performance royalty fee for the artists, in the form of yearly payments based on station size and profitability. “NAB put forward serious proposal after serious proposal” on compensating artists but “received no serious counteroffer,” said President Curtis LeGeyt in an interview Tuesday. LeGeyt will testify, along with singer Gloria Estefan, American Federation of Musicians (AFM) International Executive Officer Dave Pomeroy and others. LeGeyt said it's “disappointing” to broadcasters to be relitigating the issue before legislators. In a virtual news briefing Tuesday, musicFIRST Coalition Chairman Joe Crowley slammed NAB for not producing a broadcaster to address legislators, and condemned iHeart Media CEO Bob Pittman for not testifying. MusicFIRST is made up of several music industry entities, including AFM, SoundExchange and RIAA. Pittman is “unwilling to flip open his laptop” and “defend the indefensible,” Crowley said. IHeart declined to comment. Large radio groups make billions of dollars from the “unpaid labor” of artists, and the AMFA would charge lower rates to 63% of radio stations -- only the largest radio groups would face significant fees, Crowley said. “We are not an industry rolling in revenue,” LeGeyt said. Even the largest groups maintain community stations that require resources, he said. In addition to iHeart, he said the bill would affect middle-size radio groups such as Beasley and Hubbard. The AMFA would draw a bright line for stations with revenue of over $1.5 million that would cause fees to shoot up. A “performance tax” is “not a workable business model,” LeGeyt said. “NAB loves to call any attempt to ensure fair pay for artists a performance tax,” Crowley said. “This legislation doesn’t direct money to the government, it directs money to performers.” Former Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate and the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters wrote the committee this week in support of NAB.
Lawmakers submitted a host of amendments to the House’s recently released China competition bill, including measures that would introduce new export controls and sanctions authorities and requirements. One submission, a 115-page amendment from Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, would create more congressional oversight of the Commerce Department’s emerging and foundational technology control effort and calls for expanded export restrictions against Chinese military companies.
American Doreen Bogdan-Martin likely faces a tough election to become ITU secretary-general, facing a formidable challenger in Russian nominee Rashid Ismailov, a former Russian deputy telecommunications minister and former Huawei executive. ITU watchers told us Bogdan-Martin is in a strong position and has been consolidating support from around the world, but Ismailov is also mounting a robust campaign. Gerald Gross was the last American to hold that job, from 1960 to 1965. Bogdan-Martin would be first woman to be elected to the top spot at the ITU.
Saber Fakih of the United Kingdom pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to illegally exporting and attempting to export an industrial microwave system (IMS) and counter-drone system to Iran, the Department of Justice said. Fakih also admitted conspiring with Bader Fakih of Canada; Altaf Faquih from the United Arab Emirates; and Alireza Taghavi of Iran. Fakih's actions violated the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulation, DOJ said Jan. 27.
Saber Fakih of the United Kingdom pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to illegally exporting and attempting to export an industrial microwave system (IMS) and counter-drone system to Iran, the Department of Justice said. Fakih also admitted conspiring with Bader Fakih of Canada; Altaf Faquih from the United Arab Emirates; and Alireza Taghavi of Iran. Fakih's actions violated the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulation, DOJ said Jan. 27.
In her first public remarks since joining the Bureau of Industry and Security, Thea Kendler said BIS has been constantly looking for new emerging technologies that should be subject to controls and is close to publishing its first foundational technology rule. Kendler, who was confirmed last month as assistant secretary for export administration, also said she plans to prioritize multilateral export controls that protect American technology from China’s military and wants to work closely with industry so those controls don’t harm U.S. competitiveness.
The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology is extending the comment period for a study on investment, supply chain and marketplace trends in eight emerging technology areas, the agency said in a notice. NIST is specifically seeking feedback to help guide the development of artificial intelligence, the internet of things in manufacturing, quantum computing, blockchain technology, new and advanced materials, unmanned delivery services, IOT and 3D printing. The comments, originally due Jan. 31 but now due Feb. 15, will help inform a NIST report to Congress on those emerging technologies. The Bureau of Industry and Security is studying each of these areas for potential export controls as part of its emerging and foundational technology effort under the Export Control Reform Act (see 2110280040).
As the U.S. and the European Union both prepare their own set of Russian sanctions and export controls, a senior U.S. official said the measures may not be identical but will align very closely to avoid hurting the competitiveness of U.S. firms. Peter Harrell, a National Security Council official, also said the trade restrictions won’t amount to an embargo against “everyday” Russian consumers, and will likely include exemptions and a wind-down period.
The following are short summaries of recent CBP NY rulings issued by the agency's National Commodity Specialist Division in New York: