A Florida resident was arrested for trying to illegally export dual-use goods to Libya, the Justice Department said in an Oct. 30 press release. Peter Sotis was charged with violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Export Administration Regulations.
Senate Communications Subcommittee ranking member Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Reps. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., and Peter Welch, D-Vt., led refiling of the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (Connect) for Health Act Wednesday. The bill aims to expand telehealth services through Medicare (see 1602030054). It would give the Health and Human Services secretary authority to waive some restrictions. Telehealth “is advancing, more providers and patients are relying on it, and we have broad bipartisan support,” Schatz said. It “will help bring access to telehealth to more areas across our nation by expanding use to services like mental health and emergency care, improving the implementation process, including new sites that can provide telehealth care like Federally-qualified health centers, and helping providers better monitor patients,” Thompson said. Original Senate co-sponsors include Communications Chairman John Thune, R-S.D.; and Ben Cardin, D-Md.; Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss.; and Mark Warner, D-Va. The House version's original co-sponsors are Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, and David Schweikert, R-Ariz. Lawmakers touted endorsements from 120-plus organizations.
China plans 20 national pilot zones to promote artificial intelligence development and manufacturing, reported the Hong Kong Trade Development Council Thursday. The sites will be located across the country, including in the “Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area, the Yangtze River Economic Belt, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Yangtze River Delta,” the report said. The U.S. Commerce Department is considering export controls on emerging technologies -- including AI -- to limit countries from gaining access to sensitive technology (see report, Oct. 25). The Chinese Embassy in Washington didn't comment Friday.
China plans 20 national pilot zones to promote artificial intelligence development and manufacturing, reported the Hong Kong Trade Development Council Thursday. The sites will be located across the country, including in the “Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area, the Yangtze River Economic Belt, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Yangtze River Delta,” the report said. The U.S. Commerce Department is considering export controls on emerging technologies -- including AI -- to limit countries from gaining access to sensitive technology (see report, Oct. 25). The Chinese Embassy in Washington didn't comment Friday.
China recently announced plans for 20 national pilot zones to promote the development and manufacturing of artificial intelligence, according to an Oct. 24 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The pilot zones aim to make China an internationally recognized AI innovation hub, the report said. The sites will be located across the country, including in the “Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area, the Yangtze River Economic Belt, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Yangtze River Delta,” the report said. China’s plans come as the U.S. Commerce Department considers export controls on emerging technologies -- including artificial intelligence -- to limit China and other countries from gaining access to sensitive technology (see 1910040045).
Senate Communications Subcommittee ranking member Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, and Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Calif., refiled the Reliable Emergency Alert Distribution Improvement (READI) Act Thursday to further address emergency alerts system issues highlighted by a 2018 false missile alert in Hawaii (see 1801160054). Communications Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., is the main Senate co-sponsor. Reps. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, and Pete Olson, R-Texas, signed the House companion. The bill would eliminate the option for people to opt out of receiving certain federal alerts on cellphones and require active alerts issued by the White House and Federal Emergency Management Agency to 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 1807180053). “The missile alert exposed real flaws in the way people receive emergency alerts,” Schatz said. “Our bill fixes a number of important problems.” CTIA and NCTA lauded the refiling. The Senate in June passed a separate bill from Schatz addressing the Hawaii incident -- the Authenticating Local Emergencies and Real Threats Act (see 1906270051) -- via its FY 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (S-1790). The Alert Act would give the federal government sole authority to issue missile threat alerts and pre-empt state and local governments' role (see 1802070052). Lawmakers are working on a compromise between S-1790 and the House-passed FY 2020 NDAA (HR-2500) (see 1909180048).
Senate Communications Subcommittee ranking member Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, and Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Calif., refiled the Reliable Emergency Alert Distribution Improvement (READI) Act Thursday to further address emergency alerts system issues highlighted by a 2018 false missile alert in Hawaii (see 1801160054). Communications Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., is the main Senate co-sponsor. Reps. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, and Pete Olson, R-Texas, signed the House companion. The bill would eliminate the option for people to opt out of receiving certain federal alerts on cellphones and require active alerts issued by the White House and Federal Emergency Management Agency to 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 1807180053). “The missile alert exposed real flaws in the way people receive emergency alerts,” Schatz said. “Our bill fixes a number of important problems.” CTIA and NCTA lauded the refiling. The Senate in June passed a separate bill from Schatz addressing the Hawaii incident -- the Authenticating Local Emergencies and Real Threats Act (see 1906270051) -- via its FY 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (S-1790). The Alert Act would give the federal government sole authority to issue missile threat alerts and pre-empt state and local governments' role (see 1802070052). Lawmakers are working on a compromise between S-1790 and the House-passed FY 2020 NDAA (HR-2500) (see 1909180048).
The U.S. is extending a national emergency to continue sanctions on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the White House said in an Oct. 22 message to Congress. The emergency is being extended due to the continued “widespread violence and atrocities” in the Congo that “pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the” U.S. foreign policy, the White House said. The sanctions, introduced in a 2006 executive order, block property and transactions with certain people and entities in the Congo.
Google hires Scott Deutchman, ex-Neustar, as senior policy adviser-telecom, spectrum, export controls, privacy and intellectual property ... At new joint venture between Public Safety Network and P3 North America, Allerio PSN founders TJ Kennedy and Jason Karp, both ex-FirstNet, CEO and general counsel, respectively; also names to board Kennedy, Karp and P3 executives Samit Ghosh and Marc Althoff.
Google hired Scott Deutchman, ex-Neustar, as senior policy adviser-telecom, spectrum, export controls, privacy and intellectual property ... USA Technologies appoints board member Donald Layden interim CEO, as Stephen Herbert steps down as CEO and director.