Telecom legislation may be reaching a fatal stall in the Senate, said Capitol Hill lobbyists and observers in interviews, as Congress enters its home stretch before a long summer recess. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., told us he expects Democratic holds will stop any expedited passage of his FCC Reauthorization Act (S-2644) on the same grounds as the Democratic holds currently obstructing the unanimous consent hotline of his Mobile Now spectrum bill (S-2555): the partisan battle between Senate leaders over the reconfirmation of FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel.
Overshadowed by a Tesla blog post Thursday disclosing a fatal accident involving a Tesla Model S in autopilot mode, BMW, Intel and Mobileye announced plans Friday to bring autonomous vehicles to streets by 2021. In a joint presentation in Munich, the three companies said they together will develop systems for “highly and fully automated driving to bring these technologies into series production” in five years.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative suggested it could consider reaccepting Swaziland and the Democratic Republic of the Congo as beneficiaries under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) if the countries make certain political reforms. Congo’s eligibility will largely depend on whether its 2016 presidential election is “free and fair,” while the U.S. is withholding benefits from Swaziland pending satisfaction of U.S. calls to protect freedom of speech and amend anti-terrorism legislation that currently functions to suppress political dissent, USTR indicated in its first biennial report of AGOA implementation required by the Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015 (here). Notably, the report did not say how the nine other sub-Saharan countries ineligible for AGOA might regain tariff preferences.
Public Knowledge and the Open Technology Institute at New America filed an emergency FCC petition Tuesday seeking a stay of operation of dedicated short-range communications systems in the 5.9 GHz band. The groups are leading proponents of Wi-Fi sharing the band with DSRC, which is designed to prevent vehicle accidents. The FCC recently released a public notice seeking to refresh the record on the 5.9 GHz band (see 1605260059). The agency didn’t comment.
Public Knowledge and the Open Technology Institute at New America filed an emergency FCC petition Tuesday seeking a stay of operation of dedicated short-range communications systems in the 5.9 GHz band. The groups are leading proponents of Wi-Fi sharing the band with DSRC, which is designed to prevent vehicle accidents. The FCC recently released a public notice seeking to refresh the record on the 5.9 GHz band (see 1605260059). The agency didn’t comment.
Public Knowledge and the Open Technology Institute at New America filed an emergency FCC petition Tuesday seeking a stay of operation of dedicated short-range communications systems in the 5.9 GHz band. The groups are leading proponents of Wi-Fi sharing the band with DSRC, which is designed to prevent vehicle accidents. The FCC recently released a public notice seeking to refresh the record on the 5.9 GHz band (see 1605260059). The agency didn’t comment.
The FCC should give an additional six months, until Jan. 31, before it requires cable systems to be capable of retransmitting a national periodic test (NPT) event code, NCTA said in a petition for a limited waiver in docket 04-296 Monday. The agency's 2015 emergency alert system order specified the NPT event code as the test code for national EAS testing and said that by July 30 all EAS equipment must be capable of immediately retransmitting the NPT event code (see 1506040056). "This turned out to be a more daunting challenge than the industry anticipated or the Commission envisioned," NCTA said, pointing to remaining challenges of modifying IP infrastructure for delivering EAS alerts, upgrading legacy program guide systems and modifying legacy encoders and decoders. NCTA said cable operators plan to use the extra six months for finishing software and firmware testing and for purchasing and installation of new equipment.
The FCC offered details on rules opening high-frequency bands for 5G, scheduled for a vote at its July 14 meeting. The FCC said in a fact sheet that the order adds a huge amount of spectrum to what's now available for licensed and unlicensed use, a point Chairman Tom Wheeler made in a major policy speech June 20 at the National Press Club (see 1606200044). The agency said it will impose limits on high-frequency spectrum holdings -- imposing restrictions limiting carriers to buying 1250 MHz of spectrum in the bands in the initial auctions and a threshold of 1250 MHz for case-by-case review of secondary market transactions. Satellite interests were at the commission last week to seek changes.
The impacts that the United Kingdom’s decision to exit the European Union will have on the global trading regime remain unclear, following the country's vote June 23 on a referendum about continuing participation in the EU. The vote throws a wrench into negotiations on the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, and leaves uncertain how the UK will fit into the European trading system, lobbyists and scholars said in interviews following the vote. The UK would begin the process of leaving by submitting an "Article 50" notification to the European Council, notifying it of the UK's intent to pull out. The notification would trigger a two-year clock to negotiate the terms of the separation, during which time EU law would remain in effect, with "no immediate change following the results of the Referendum," law firm Baker & McKenzie said in a blog post (here).
An FCC advisory committee voted unanimously in favor of reports on an updated emergency alert system handbook and enhanced coordination for submarine cables, at a meeting Wednesday of the Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council (CSRIC). The FCC meanwhile is to vote next month on an EAS order (see 1606220063).