Significant AT&T money now backs the House speakership of Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. The carrier’s political action committee has given far more, by many tens of thousands of dollars, to Ryan’s joint fundraising committee than it has to past speakers and also more than the PACs of other major telecom and media players are giving to Ryan’s effort -- or to anyone at all in the political realm, according to Federal Election Commission records. Ryan is intent on laying out a 2017 agenda including telecom policy overhaul, with the possibility of a revived Telecom Act rewrite in the works (see 1608080022).
ORLANDO – FirstNet is encouraged by the industry proposals under evaluation for the contract to build the national public safety network, FirstNet CEO Mike Poth said Tuesday at the APCO 2016 conference. The likely high pricing of broadcast spectrum in the current incentive auction also is good news for FirstNet because it may make public-private partnerships in the D-Block more attractive, he said. Earlier, government and public safety officials said planning and coordination are key to maintaining communications in recent political conventions and other major national events.
An article last week in The Atlantic, which gave unwanted attention to FirstNet, has caused a public relations problem for the nascent network, industry observers said this week. The article said “the prize for the most wasteful post-9/11 initiative arguably should go to FirstNet.” The network is likely years from completion and may never be built at all, wrote author Steven Brill, founder of The American Lawyer and Court TV.
Significant AT&T money now backs the House speakership of Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. The carrier’s political action committee has given far more, by many tens of thousands of dollars, to Ryan’s joint fundraising committee than it has to past speakers and also more than the PACs of other major telecom and media players are giving to Ryan’s effort -- or to anyone at all in the political realm, according to Federal Election Commission records. Ryan is intent on laying out a 2017 agenda including telecom policy overhaul, with the possibility of a revived Telecom Act rewrite in the works (see 1608080022).
Significant AT&T money now backs the House speakership of Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. The carrier’s political action committee has given far more, by many tens of thousands of dollars, to Ryan’s joint fundraising committee than it has to past speakers and also more than the PACs of other major telecom and media players are giving to Ryan’s effort -- or to anyone at all in the political realm, according to Federal Election Commission records. Ryan is intent on laying out a 2017 agenda including telecom policy overhaul, with the possibility of a revived Telecom Act rewrite in the works (see 1608080022).
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has concerns about sharing NOAA's 1675-1680 MHz downlink spectrum with terrestrial commercial use. In reply comments posted Friday in FCC RM-11681, Ligado included a NOAA presentation given to Senate staff that was "deliberately and explicitly arguing against any sharing," the company said. In a statement to us Friday, NOAA said it's seen interference with test transmissions on bandwidth it uses for its satellites, and that losing 1675-1680 MHz would disrupt the download of satellite data and "interfere with our ability to receive and transmit data from approximately 27,000 terrestrial and remote systems, such as seismic stations, stream gauges, tsunami buoys and weather stations."
AT&T received more than 137,600 demands for customer information from federal, state and local criminal and civil government agencies in the first half of 2016, nearly 9,500 less than in the first half of 2015, the company said in a transparency report this week. About 103,000 of the 2016 requests were subpoenas, about 16,000 court orders and 18,500 were search warrants or probable cause court orders. AT&T said it rejected or challenged nearly 3,000 demands and provided partial or no information on more than 29,000. The company provided nearly 37,000 "location demands" and almost 61,000 emergency requests. The carrier said it received a range of 500 to 999 requests for national security letters.
AT&T received more than 137,600 demands for customer information from federal, state and local criminal and civil government agencies in the first half of 2016, nearly 9,500 less than in the first half of 2015, the company said in a transparency report this week. About 103,000 of the 2016 requests were subpoenas, about 16,000 court orders and 18,500 were search warrants or probable cause court orders. AT&T said it rejected or challenged nearly 3,000 demands and provided partial or no information on more than 29,000. The company provided nearly 37,000 "location demands" and almost 61,000 emergency requests. The carrier said it received a range of 500 to 999 requests for national security letters.
The National Marine Fisheries Service will ban imports of fish and fish products that have not demonstrated comparability with U.S. marine mammal protections, under a final rule (here) implementing import provisions of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Under the new regulations, the NMFS will publish a "List of Foreign Fisheries" in the Federal Register, updated every four years, of countries eligible to export fish to the U.S., taking into account public comments and information submitted by the exporting country. NMFS will allow a grace period of five years from the effective date of this final rule, i.e., until Jan. 1, 2022, before import restrictions under the first list take effect, though the agency may set emergency restrictions on fish imports before the grace period is over, it said.
The FCC gave utilities and schools some relief from Telephone Consumer Protection Act enforcement in a ruling approved by commissioners over a partial dissent by Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel. The FCC granted “substantial relief” to Blackboard, a communications program used by schools, and the Edison Electric Institute and American Gas Association, which jointly sought ability to notify utility customers without violating the TCPA.