Senate Democrats are gearing up to unveil a draft of the Next Generation 911 Act of 2017 and are eyeing ways to include 911 as part of the year’s bigger infrastructure effort, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said Tuesday during an NG-911 tech showcase in Rayburn hosted by the NG-911 Institute. Klobuchar, a co-chair of the NG-911 Caucus, is working on legislation long promised by Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Bill Nelson, D-Fla. He first mentioned working on a NG-911 transition bill in September and told us he had hoped to introduce it by January (see 1612290031).
Large multichannel video programming distributors and small cable programmers remain apart on restricting some carriage contract conditions, in FCC docket 16-41 reply comments posted Thursday on the independent and diverse programming NPRM. The American Cable Association and indie programmers jointly attacked large programmer arguments that the market is working, saying the "modicum of diversity" that comes from bundled conglomerate networks "foreclos[es] access to others [and] disserves the public interest." They said determination of whether most-favored nation language is unconditional will be relatively easy from the text of the provision itself. Joining ACA were programmers MAVTV Motorsports Networks, Ride TV and sister networks One America News Network and AWE. Charter Communications and Mediacom together said given the vast array of content choices available to consumers, no regulation promoting carriage of a particular program channel or channel group is needed. NAB continued its defense of bundling (see 1701270006), replying that no one provided any empirical evidence of large programmers having market power that rivals that of MVPDs. Public Knowledge said the FCC has authority under sections 616 and 628 of the Communications Act to tackle carriage agreement terms that hurt competition and said there's ample evidence to back the prohibition of unconditional MFNs and unreasonable alternative distribution method (ADM) language. Saying there was widespread agreement that defining indie programmers as those not vertically integrated with an MVPD is too broad, RFD-TV backed a definition meaning unaffiliated with a broadcast network, movie studio or MVPD. Along with backing a prohibition on unconditional MFN and unreasonable ADM clauses in carriage agreements, RFD-TV said the FCC should tackle bundling practices and the high switching costs and early termination fees. Charter/Mediacom also supported the agency taking a narrow definition of indie programmer, pushing one that doesn't include programmers that command significant market power through their offerings of must-have programming. NAB urged that broadcasters not be excluded from the indie programmer definition. Calling itself "a potential entrant to the video distribution marketplace," T-Mobile said the FCC should ensure unconditional MFNs don't block emerging video competitors and that unreasonable ADMs don't block over-the-top competition.
Four groups representing first responders want the FCC to provide better access to data on wireless industry testing of location accuracy technologies, said a letter to the agency. The industry is collecting data as required by the FCC in a January 2015 order (see 1501290066). CTIA is lining up companies to participate in Stage 3 of its 911 location technologies test bed (see 1702030031). “We believe our organizations have an ongoing public interest, both for our membership and for the public at large, to understand as fully as possible the performance of these life-saving technologies,” the first responder filing said. “To do so effectively requires visibility into both the test results from existing and emerging technologies (at a summary level) as well as the live E911 call reporting results from the various carriers. To expect less or accept less would be a disservice to our memberships, our missions, and the public at large.” The International Association of Chiefs of Police, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the National Association of State Emergency Medical Services Officials and the National Sheriffs’ Association made the filing in docket 07-114. The groups also raised concerns about the FCC’s definition of “dispatchable location” (DL) for the purpose of sending first responders to a call. Under one definition under consideration, the DL would need to direct first responders only to a location “either one floor above or below from where the individual is in a multi-level structure” or even to “an adjacent building or one across the street,” the filing said. That level of detail isn’t high enough, the groups said.
A European Commission (EC) request for a waiver of FCC licensing requirements to allow nonfederal, receive-only earth stations in the U.S. to operate with signals of the Galileo Radionavigation-Satellite Service system is getting some pushback from satellite operators. Galileo serving U.S. devices would open the door to more-precise GPS, but first the EC has to do a better job proving compatibility with adjacent operations, Ligado said in a Wednesday filing in docket 17-16. Tuesday was the deadline for comments on the EC request, with replies due March 23.
President Donald Trump seems receptive to prioritizing broadband access, potentially through his infrastructure proposal, senators who raised the issue with him told us. During last year’s presidential campaign, Trump invoked plans for an infrastructure stimulus of as much as $1 trillion, and this year several lawmakers from both chambers and parties pressed the White House to incorporate broadband funding through such a vehicle. Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., a key Trump liaison to the House, cautioned it’s too soon to say.
President Donald Trump seems receptive to prioritizing broadband access, potentially through his infrastructure proposal, senators who raised the issue with him told us. During last year’s presidential campaign, Trump invoked plans for an infrastructure stimulus of as much as $1 trillion, and this year several lawmakers from both chambers and parties pressed the White House to incorporate broadband funding through such a vehicle. Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., a key Trump liaison to the House, cautioned it’s too soon to say.
The FCC is set to approve at its meeting Thursday, on a 2-1 vote, an extension of the small-carrier waiver of the enhanced transparency requirements in the 2015 net neutrality order, FCC officials told us. Meanwhile, in a nearly six-minute interview on CNBC Wednesday, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai declined to say how quickly the FCC would move to undo parts of the open internet order, particularly the reclassification of broadband as a common carrier service.
The FCC is set to approve at its meeting Thursday, on a 2-1 vote, an extension of the small-carrier waiver of the enhanced transparency requirements in the 2015 net neutrality order, FCC officials told us. Meanwhile, in a nearly six-minute interview on CNBC Wednesday, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai declined to say how quickly the FCC would move to undo parts of the open internet order, particularly the reclassification of broadband as a common carrier service.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said Thursday he intends to “serve as a bridge between [President Donald Trump] and the tech community” to convey the sector's myriad policy interests to the White House. “I think the president trusts me” on tech issues, Hatch said. Tech sector stakeholders have been highly critical of Trump's executive order curtailing immigration, at least temporarily, from seven Muslim-majority countries. The tech sector strongly backed the states of Washington and Minnesota in their fight to keep Trump’s now-suspended order from being reinstated (see 1701290001, 1702060016 and 1702100042). Hatch, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, told tech officials Thursday his “innovation agenda” for the 115th Congress will include reintroduction of his Immigration Innovation (I-Squared) Act “in the near future.” The bill may cap the number of H-1B visas for high-skilled foreign workers that a company can seek, Hatch said. The tech sector has been one of the top fields seeking H-1B visas. Hatch's tech agenda emphasizes policy priorities such as promoting broadband investment, IP law revamps and discouraging countries from adopting data localization laws. Hatch said he believes it's “past time” for the Senate to pass legislation aimed at updating the 30-year-old Electronic Communications Privacy Act. The House unanimously passed its ECPA update, the Email Privacy Act (HR-387), earlier this month but it's unclear when a Senate version might progress (see 1702070011). Hatch also emphasized the importance of Congress continuing to maintain a “light regulatory touch” on IoT and other emerging technologies in a way that also protects consumers. CTA CEO Gary Shapiro praised Hatch's agenda. “Empowering innovators to create new jobs, markets and industries will provide countless benefits to the U.S. economy and American consumers, while enabling our nation to remain one of the world's best places to do business,” Shapiro said in a statement. Hatch's plan will "boost innovation and remove obstacles that are holding back a leading sector of the economy -- technology," said Computer & Communications Industry Association President Ed Black in a statement. The Software and Information Industry Association believes Hatch is “committed to working across the aisle and with the Trump administration to promote a comprehensive slate of policies that will advance U.S. global leadership and job creation,” said Senior Vice President-Public Policy Mark MacCarthy in a statement. “At a time when American companies face more global competition than ever, this Innovation Agenda is a must-do list for Congress.” CTIA believes Hatch's agenda will “ensure that the U.S. remains the world leader in high-tech innovation,” said Senior Vice President-Government Affairs Kelly Cole in a statement. TechNet CEO Linda Moore said the agenda “will bring focus to many of the issues that matter most to the technology industry, such as high-skilled immigration, STEM education and workforce training, tax reform” and the ECPA revamp.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said Thursday he intends to “serve as a bridge between [President Donald Trump] and the tech community” to convey the sector's myriad policy interests to the White House. “I think the president trusts me” on tech issues, Hatch said. Tech sector stakeholders have been highly critical of Trump's executive order curtailing immigration, at least temporarily, from seven Muslim-majority countries. The tech sector strongly backed the states of Washington and Minnesota in their fight to keep Trump’s now-suspended order from being reinstated (see 1701290001, 1702060016 and 1702100042). Hatch, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, told tech officials Thursday his “innovation agenda” for the 115th Congress will include reintroduction of his Immigration Innovation (I-Squared) Act “in the near future.” The bill may cap the number of H-1B visas for high-skilled foreign workers that a company can seek, Hatch said. The tech sector has been one of the top fields seeking H-1B visas. Hatch's tech agenda emphasizes policy priorities such as promoting broadband investment, IP law revamps and discouraging countries from adopting data localization laws. Hatch said he believes it's “past time” for the Senate to pass legislation aimed at updating the 30-year-old Electronic Communications Privacy Act. The House unanimously passed its ECPA update, the Email Privacy Act (HR-387), earlier this month but it's unclear when a Senate version might progress (see 1702070011). Hatch also emphasized the importance of Congress continuing to maintain a “light regulatory touch” on IoT and other emerging technologies in a way that also protects consumers. CTA CEO Gary Shapiro praised Hatch's agenda. “Empowering innovators to create new jobs, markets and industries will provide countless benefits to the U.S. economy and American consumers, while enabling our nation to remain one of the world's best places to do business,” Shapiro said in a statement. Hatch's plan will "boost innovation and remove obstacles that are holding back a leading sector of the economy -- technology," said Computer & Communications Industry Association President Ed Black in a statement. The Software and Information Industry Association believes Hatch is “committed to working across the aisle and with the Trump administration to promote a comprehensive slate of policies that will advance U.S. global leadership and job creation,” said Senior Vice President-Public Policy Mark MacCarthy in a statement. “At a time when American companies face more global competition than ever, this Innovation Agenda is a must-do list for Congress.” CTIA believes Hatch's agenda will “ensure that the U.S. remains the world leader in high-tech innovation,” said Senior Vice President-Government Affairs Kelly Cole in a statement. TechNet CEO Linda Moore said the agenda “will bring focus to many of the issues that matter most to the technology industry, such as high-skilled immigration, STEM education and workforce training, tax reform” and the ECPA revamp.