The House Communications Subcommittee plans a Feb. 27 hearing on the newly filed Reinforcing and Evaluating Service Integrity, Local Infrastructure, and Emergency Notification for Today’s (Resilient) Networks Act (HR-5926) and seven other public safety communications measures, as expected (see 2002070044). The hearing will begin at 10:30 a.m. in 2322 Rayburn, the House Commerce Committee said Thursday. HR-5926, filed by House Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Calif., would require the FCC to issue rules to “provide for coordination among providers of advanced communications service during times of emergency.” It would mandate FCC rulemakings aimed at improving coordination between providers and public safety answering points and creating a master point-of-contact directory “to provide for effective communication during times of emergency between public safety and communications entities." The measure would make the FCC do triennial reviews of whether those rulemakings “are substantially improving the resiliency of advanced communications services in times of emergency.” HR-5926 “requires the creation of stronger, enforceable protections for consumers,” Pallone and McNerney said Thursday. “This will ensure that Americans have access to vital and lifesaving communications service before, during and after major disasters. We look forward to moving this bill through the Committee process soon.” Also on the docket: the Don’t Break Up the T-Band Act (HR-451/S-2748), the Preserving Home and Office Numbers in Emergencies Act (HR-1289), the Wireless Infrastructure Resiliency during Emergencies and Disasters Act (HR-3836), the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act (HR-4194), the Reliable Emergency Alert Distribution Improvement (READI) Act (HR-4856), a bill to direct the FCC to issue reports after activating the Disaster Information Reporting System and to make improvement to network outage reporting (HR-5918) and the Fee Integrity and Responsibilities and To Regain Essential Spectrum for Public-safety Operators Needed to Deploy Equipment Reliably (First Responder) Act (HR-5928). HR-451/S-2748 would repeal a provision of the 2012 spectrum law that mandates public safety move off the 470-512 MHz T band by 2021. HR-1289 would restrict the reassignment of phone numbers during a declared natural disaster except at a subscriber’s request. HR-2165 would bar states from engaging in 911 fee diversion and give the FCC the power to decide on “acceptable” uses for the money (see 1905140060). HR-3836 would authorize states to require wireless companies to deploy infrastructure that can withstand natural disasters. HR-4194 would designate 988 the hotline code and give the FCC a one-year deadline to finish the nationwide upgrade of the legacy switches to support it (see 1908200070). HR-4856 would eliminate the option for people to opt out of receiving certain federal alerts on cellphones and require active White House and Federal Emergency Management Agency alerts be repeated. It would update the process for creating and approving state plans and examine the feasibility of expanding EAS to also distribute warnings to online streaming services (see 1910240060). HR-5928, filed earlier this week by House Commerce ranking member Greg Walden, R-Ore. (see 2002180065), addresses both T-band mandate repeal and 911 fee diversion.
With FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks hosting a field hearing in Puerto Rico Friday about the need for telecom network resiliency after widespread damage from hurricanes in 2017 (see 1710030057) and more recent earthquakes (see 2002130056), scheduled witnesses hope the hearing will call attention to Puerto Rico's plight and help the telecom industry strengthen its communications infrastructure. The Wireline Bureau is moving ahead with plans to allocate millions in funding to help such efforts.
With FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks hosting a field hearing in Puerto Rico Friday about the need for telecom network resiliency after widespread damage from hurricanes in 2017 (see 1710030057) and more recent earthquakes (see 2002130056), scheduled witnesses hope the hearing will call attention to Puerto Rico's plight and help the telecom industry strengthen its communications infrastructure. The Wireline Bureau is moving ahead with plans to allocate millions in funding to help such efforts.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai released a compilation of comments Wednesday supporting his proposal for converting 280 MHz of C band spectrum to 5G through an auction later this year. Whether the order will include aggregation limits is emerging as a key issue on the eighth floor at the FCC. FCC Democrats Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks both appear to favor some limits, while Commissioner Mike O’Rielly is a hard no, industry and FCC officials told us.
President Donald Trump said he does not want to make it more difficult to export U.S. goods, adding that he has “instructed” his administration to make it easier for countries to do business with the U.S. “The United States cannot, & will not, become such a difficult place to deal with in terms of foreign countries buying our product, including for the always used National Security excuse, that our companies will be forced to leave in order to remain competitive,” Trump said in a series of Feb. 18 tweets. He added that the U.S. wants to sell to “China and other countries” and “We don’t want to make it impossible to do business with us. That will only mean that orders will go to someplace else.”
Discussions within the Commerce Department to expand U.S. export control jurisdiction over foreign exports to Huawei and beyond would have a chilling effect on the U.S. semiconductor industry, said John Neuffer, president of the Semiconductor Industry Association. Neuffer said current U.S. export restrictions on Huawei are already hurting the industry’s ability to sell to China -- which represents about 35% of U.S. semiconductor sales -- and more restrictions would further alienate Chinese customers who are weary of being added to Commerce’s Entity List. “Some of them are afraid they’re next,” Neuffer said during a Feb. 18 panel hosted by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.
The Commerce Department Bureau of Industry and Security asked for an 8% boost in funding for the 2021 fiscal year to increase export control compliance and enforcement, bolster initiatives to counter China, and to better identify emerging and foundational technologies. BIS’s request for a $10 million budget increase, submitted to Congress last week, comes as the agency plans to roll out a series of export controls on sensitive technologies (see 1912160032), which will increase its involvement in the Trump administration's effort to sustain the U.S.'s technological advantage over China. BIS specifically asked for just over $1 million and five new positions to help it control emerging and foundational technologies and enforce those controls.
House Intelligence Strategic Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Subcommittee GOP members boycotted a Wednesday hearing on barriers to the U.S. government using machine learning and other emerging technologies for national security purposes. Subcommittee Republicans criticized House Intelligence Democratic leaders for not holding hearings on intelligence community abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in its wiretapping of Carter Page, an adviser to President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign. “Despite the seriousness of these issues and our clear jurisdiction, you have failed to hold a single briefing or hearing on this matter,” wrote House Intelligence ranking member Devin Nunes of California and other Republicans to committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif. “Until the Committee prioritizes oversight activities related to urgent and critical concerns, Republican Members cannot support distractions from our core responsibilities.” STAR Chairman Jim Himes, D-Conn., criticized the boycott during his opening statement. “I received a letter this morning explaining the Republican absence from this hearing, which is as wrongheaded as it is mendacious,” Himes said. “It basically says that the Republicans disagree with the priorities of this subcommittee.”
National Emergency Number Association members began their annual Capitol Hill meetings Wednesday to urge Congress to pass the 911 Supporting Accurate Views of Emergency Services Act (HR-1629/S-1015) and Next Generation 9-1-1 Act (HR-2760/S-1479). HR-1629/S-1015 would change the federal government's classification of public safety call-takers and dispatchers to "protective service occupations" (see 1904050054). HR-2760/S-1479 would provide $12 billion in federal grants for NG-911 projects and directs NTIA to provide further technical assistance while also maintaining state and local control of 911 systems. Democrats included the bill’s text (see 1905220076) in their Leading Infrastructure for Tomorrow’s (Lift) America Act (HR-2741), which NENA also supports. Lead HR-1629 sponsor Rep. Norma Torres, D-Calif., urged NENA members before their meetings to counter opponents’ arguments against the measure, including that it could increase personnel costs due to a change in dispatchers’ job classification. The bill “comes with zero costs,” leaving it up to government agencies to decide whether the change in job classification should lead to higher pay for dispatchers, Torres said at the event. She noted OMB concerns torpedoed an effort to attach the text of HR-1629 to the FY 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (see 1912120061).
House Intelligence Strategic Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Subcommittee GOP members boycotted a Wednesday hearing on barriers to the U.S. government using machine learning and other emerging technologies for national security purposes. Subcommittee Republicans criticized House Intelligence Democratic leaders for not holding hearings on intelligence community abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in its wiretapping of Carter Page, an adviser to President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign. “Despite the seriousness of these issues and our clear jurisdiction, you have failed to hold a single briefing or hearing on this matter,” wrote House Intelligence ranking member Devin Nunes of California and other Republicans to committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif. “Until the Committee prioritizes oversight activities related to urgent and critical concerns, Republican Members cannot support distractions from our core responsibilities.” STAR Chairman Jim Himes, D-Conn., criticized the boycott during his opening statement. “I received a letter this morning explaining the Republican absence from this hearing, which is as wrongheaded as it is mendacious,” Himes said. “It basically says that the Republicans disagree with the priorities of this subcommittee.”