Some don’t see New Hampshire’s no to FirstNet as final, even though Gov. Chris Sununu (R) announced two weeks ago it would choose Rivada's alternative. FirstNet isn’t saying New Hampshire officially opted out and the New Hampshire Executive Council has final say on that alternate contract. Councilor Joseph Kenney (R) supports opt-in, more so after Tuesday's letter from FirstNet CEO Mike Poth to Attorney General Gordon MacDonald (R) about potentially missed benefits of AT&T's plan. New Hampshire businesses and union workers urged opt-in in.
Lack of positive train control was potentially a contributing cause of an Amtrak derailment Monday that killed three passengers and injured more than 100, as the train careened off a bridge outside Tacoma, Washington. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating and said Tuesday the train was traveling at 80 mph on a 30-mph stretch. PTC is designed in part to slow speeding trains through automatic breaking.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., vowed Friday to "force" a floor vote on a planned Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval to counteract the FCC order to repeal 2015 net neutrality regulation. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Mike Doyle, D-Pa., are leading the CRA push and will file their respective resolutions in the Senate and House once the order is promulgated (see 1712110050, 1712120037 and 1712140044). Industry lawyers and governance experts noted diverging opinions on the procedural timeline for bringing up CRA resolutions on the net neutrality repeal. The precise timetable for court challenges to the order is also somewhat murky due to the item's structure, attorneys told us.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., vowed Friday to "force" a floor vote on a planned Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval to counteract the FCC order to repeal 2015 net neutrality regulation. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Mike Doyle, D-Pa., are leading the CRA push and will file their respective resolutions in the Senate and House once the order is promulgated (see 1712110050, 1712120037 and 1712140044). Industry lawyers and governance experts noted diverging opinions on the procedural timeline for bringing up CRA resolutions on the net neutrality repeal. The precise timetable for court challenges to the order is also somewhat murky due to the item's structure, attorneys told us.
All commissioners spoke in support of the FCC’s order creating a dedicated Blue Alert code, but Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel was a lone partial dissent, voicing objection to the cost-benefit analysis. That analysis “puts a price on the death of first responders and then nets it out against industry expenses,” Rosenworcel said. “There is a way to do cost-benefit analysis thoughtfully and with dignity for those who wear the shield,” she said. “This isn’t it.” With Rosenworcel’s partial dissent, the order was approved 4-1, as some expected (see 1712130055).
Industry officials expect a unanimous FCC vote Thursday to approve a draft item that would create a new emergency alert system code for law enforcement officers in danger, but they left open the possibility one of the agency’s Democrats could vote against it. Those inside and outside the FCC told us the relatively noncontroversial Blue Alert item isn’t their main focus at a commissioners' meeting that also will feature votes on net neutrality (see 1712130053) and the national broadcast coverage ownership cap (see 1712060051). The draft order hasn’t been the target of many suggested edits and has changed little since being released, an FCC official said.
A group led by the Competitive Carriers Association met with FCC Public Safety Bureau staff on the wireless network resiliency cooperative framework, proposed by carriers and agreed to by the FCC last year (see 1612210008). “CCA noted its members’ continued collaboration with Public Safety Answering Points,” said a filing in docket 11-60. “CCA discussed its commitment to ‘provide relevant contact information for appropriate carrier and PSAP databases only within a reasonable period of time when an emergency situation is announced, subject to promises of confidentiality.’” CCA reminded that competitive carriers’ ability to comply with the voluntary commitments “is contingent upon their technical feasibility and prioritizing the needs of their consumers." Officials from APCO, CTIA, National Association of State 9-1-1 Administrators and Verizon also attended.
The National Taxpayers Union (NTU) in a Dec. 12 letter requested a halt to the Commerce Department-led Section 232 investigations into the national security impacts of steel and aluminum imports, saying any trade actions activated pursuant to the probe would be a “misuse of policy” intended for genuine emergencies, hurt U.S. alliances and break “longstanding precedent.” “Providing the military with dependable metal is important,” the letter says. “However, the amount of steel and aluminum used for defense is a relatively small portion of the total demand, given that the defense industry consumes roughly 1 percent of all aluminum and 3 percent of steel.” NTU also called China the “scapegoat” of U.S. economic woes, adding that the nation “only” accounts for 4 percent of imported steel and 6 percent of imported aluminum. Imposing tariffs would increase costs for manufacturers who rely on lower-priced steel and aluminum imports, and in turn, raise consumer costs for such goods as automobiles, housing, soda cans and dishwashers, the NTU said. Commerce didn't comment.
The FCC’s newly rechartered Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council is closing in on its first reports, some maybe ready at the next meeting in March, members said during an abbreviated meeting Tuesday. This year’s storms demonstrated the importance of CSRIC work, said Chair Brian King, T-Mobile senior vice president-national technology service delivery and operations. “It has been quite a challenging year I think from a hurricane and windstorm perspective,” and now California wildfires (see 1712070070), he said. “Nothing underscores the mission of CSRIC more than some of those events.”
The FCC’s newly rechartered Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council is closing in on its first reports, some maybe ready at the next meeting in March, members said during an abbreviated meeting Tuesday. This year’s storms demonstrated the importance of CSRIC work, said Chair Brian King, T-Mobile senior vice president-national technology service delivery and operations. “It has been quite a challenging year I think from a hurricane and windstorm perspective,” and now California wildfires (see 1712070070), he said. “Nothing underscores the mission of CSRIC more than some of those events.”