President Donald Trump signed the Preventing Illegal Radio Abuse Through Enforcement (Pirate) Act (HR-583/S-1228) Friday, as expected (see 2001080061). The law increases fines for illegal pirate operations from $10,000 per violation to $100,000 per day per violation, up to a maximum of $2 million. It also streamlines FCC enforcement to empower state and local law enforcement agencies (see 1901170042). The Pirate Act “provides the FCC with additional tools to combat pirate radio,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. “These transmissions can interfere with licensed radio signals -- including broadcasters’ sharing of vital public safety information with their communities. To enforce the law and protect American radio listeners and lawful businesses, the FCC has made a concerted effort in recent years to step up our enforcement efforts against pirate radio stations.” Trump’s signing of the Pirate Act is “great news for the efforts to eliminate these illegal operators causing harm to their communities and local broadcasters,” tweeted FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly, who supported increased pirate enforcement (see 1707280046). “The burden is now on [the FCC] to implement & enforce its provisions until every last pirate has ended operations,” he added. “Pirate broadcasts have long been a nuisance to millions of radio listeners and pose a public safety threat by interfering with communications between airline pilots and air traffic controllers,” said NAB Executive Vice President-Communications Dennis Wharton in a statement. “We're pleased that on a bipartisan basis, Congress and the White House are giving the FCC and law enforcement authorities additional tools to put illegal radio operators out of business.” The Hill also weighed in. “This law will help protect our public airwaves from illegal pirate radio disruptions, which is crucial to safeguarding important public safety communications like our nation's Emergency Alert System and critical aviation frequencies,” said House Commerce Committee ranking member Greg Walden. R-Ore., and House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Bob Latta, R-Ohio. “This legislation … arms the FCC with needed tools to take down illegal broadcasts and strengthens the penalties for the bad actors engaged in this criminal activity.”
The FCC had to take on revised wireless infrastructure rules, despite opposition from local and state governments (see 1909250062), because in some areas the federal government has to step in, said General Counsel Tom Johnson in a podcast released Friday. The question regulators have to ask is “what is the competent authority in a particular area?” Johnson said: “It's got to be the lowest level of government that's competently able to deal with an issue.” In wireless siting, states and localities have a role to play but “can't impose rules that would unnecessarily delay that deployment, that would make it prohibitively expensive, because ultimately these are not local networks,” he said. Telecom is an area that only the federal government can “effectively” address “because a lot of these networks, especially when you get into broadband networks, emerging 5G networks” are national or regional, he said: A state or locality imposing a particular rule on these networks “makes it either impossible or extremely costly for [providers] to comply and deploy across multiple jurisdictions.” When the FCC was preparing to defend its 2017 order (see 1712140039) overturning parts of the 2015 net neutrality rules, Johnson said it got support from small wireless carriers, “particularly in rural or less prosperous parts of the country, that said that the conduct rules that had been imposed on a nationwide level by the prior administration were preventing them from deploying, because they couldn't afford to take on the regulatory or litigation risk.” The companies found it “too costly” to “figure out how to comply,” he said. “In many parts of the country, these were the only option for wireless service for consumers.” Johnson looks to the work of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia in understanding federalism. The general counsel’s job lies “at the intersection of law and policy,” he said: “Sometimes … the commission will want to do something and you'll find that if you do X, it's legally risky. Maybe if you do part of X, it's less risky. So you do have these tradeoffs as to what a litigation risk is and how much policy you can get without taking on unnecessary litigation risk.” Evan Swarztrauber, an aide to Chairman Ajit Pai, interviewed Johnson.
The FCC had to take on revised wireless infrastructure rules, despite opposition from local and state governments (see 1909250062), because in some areas the federal government has to step in, said General Counsel Tom Johnson in a podcast released Friday. The question regulators have to ask is “what is the competent authority in a particular area?” Johnson said: “It's got to be the lowest level of government that's competently able to deal with an issue.” In wireless siting, states and localities have a role to play but “can't impose rules that would unnecessarily delay that deployment, that would make it prohibitively expensive, because ultimately these are not local networks,” he said. Telecom is an area that only the federal government can “effectively” address “because a lot of these networks, especially when you get into broadband networks, emerging 5G networks” are national or regional, he said: A state or locality imposing a particular rule on these networks “makes it either impossible or extremely costly for [providers] to comply and deploy across multiple jurisdictions.” When the FCC was preparing to defend its 2017 order (see 1712140039) overturning parts of the 2015 net neutrality rules, Johnson said it got support from small wireless carriers, “particularly in rural or less prosperous parts of the country, that said that the conduct rules that had been imposed on a nationwide level by the prior administration were preventing them from deploying, because they couldn't afford to take on the regulatory or litigation risk.” The companies found it “too costly” to “figure out how to comply,” he said. “In many parts of the country, these were the only option for wireless service for consumers.” Johnson looks to the work of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia in understanding federalism. The general counsel’s job lies “at the intersection of law and policy,” he said: “Sometimes … the commission will want to do something and you'll find that if you do X, it's legally risky. Maybe if you do part of X, it's less risky. So you do have these tradeoffs as to what a litigation risk is and how much policy you can get without taking on unnecessary litigation risk.” Evan Swarztrauber, an aide to Chairman Ajit Pai, interviewed Johnson.
There will be more trade uncertainty in 2020 than in 2019 despite a phase one deal with China, trade experts said during a Jan. 22 panel hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. As trade tensions with Europe come to the foreground and as the U.S. potentially negotiates a more comprehensive deal with Japan, one expert said, the administration will not have enough time and resources to start on phase two of the deal with China as it tries to implement the first phase. Another panelist said the U.S. and China will likely come to a “narrow” phase two deal as the election approaches, but that deal will not provide relief for the international trade environment.
Artificial intelligence is among top tech priorities for the new European Commission and EU presidency. One key policy area for new EC President Ursula von der Leyen, a "Europe fit for the digital age," calls for legislation within her first 100 days in office on a coordinated European approach to "the human and ethical implications" of AI. The Croatian presidency, which took office Jan.1, is focused on 5G and looking toward AI and other emerging technologies. The EC approach backs a more collaborative, cross-topic approach to policymaking, those we spoke with said.
Artificial intelligence is among top tech priorities for the new European Commission and EU presidency. One key policy area for new EC President Ursula von der Leyen, a "Europe fit for the digital age," calls for legislation within her first 100 days in office on a coordinated European approach to "the human and ethical implications" of AI. The Croatian presidency, which took office Jan.1, is focused on 5G and looking toward AI and other emerging technologies. The EC approach backs a more collaborative, cross-topic approach to policymaking, those we spoke with said.
Artificial intelligence is among top tech priorities for the new European Commission and EU presidency. One key policy area for new EC President Ursula von der Leyen, a "Europe fit for the digital age," calls for legislation within her first 100 days in office on a coordinated European approach to "the human and ethical implications" of AI. The Croatian presidency, which took office Jan.1, is focused on 5G and looking toward AI and other emerging technologies. The EC approach backs a more collaborative, cross-topic approach to policymaking, those we spoke with said.
At ViacomCBS (see 2001160038), now at combined firm under DeDe Lea, the executive vice president in charge (see 1910090044), are: Viacom's Keith Murphy is senior vice president-government relations and regulatory counsel; Josh Brown from CBS, vice president-government relations; and all from Viacom Stacey Dansky and Danny Fernandez, vice presidents-government relations; and Emorie Broemel director-government relations ... Charter Communications hires from Plus Communications Avery Boggs for government affairs team as group vice president-policy communications, succeeding Tamara Smith, moving to the newly created role at company's subsidiary of group vice president-partnerships and strategy, Spectrum Networks.
Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said states like hers are closing the digital divide. Government needs to find a way to clear spectrum of DOD and other incumbents, while safeguarding government communications, she said at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing Wednesday.
FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel warned the Senate Commerce Committee Wednesday the U.S. isn’t leading the world on 5G and can’t without more mid-band spectrum. Rosenworcel asked the committee to develop C-band legislation. Commissioner Mike O’Rielly said the FCC isn’t necessarily behind, though a winner won’t be known for some time.