As she prepares to leave office Friday, FTC Commissioner Terrell McSweeny told us she’s hoping for swift action on the five nominees awaiting Senate confirmation (see 1804170058). McSweeny, a former domestic policy adviser to Vice President Joe Biden who has repeatedly advocated for better consumer data portability (see 1802220042), continues to seek more data control.
Copyright and data privacy legislation will be major focuses for tech sector lobbying groups in coming months, and the software industry will push for passage of a government data transparency bill, industry representatives and lobbyists told us (see 1804200060 and 1804230061). Copyright stakeholders are preparing for consideration of at least three separate bills with tech implications. Expect legislators to explore baseline privacy legislation in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica privacy controversy, though it will be a significant undertaking, observers said.
Expect the Senate Judiciary Committee to pursue a package of music copyright legislation like the one House Judiciary recently advanced (see 1804110060), industry attorneys and lobbyists told us. Music Modernization Act (S-2334) author Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, told us he plans to discuss Senate Judiciary Committee consideration of the bill with Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. Grassley “knows it’s important,” Hatch said.
Expect the Senate Judiciary Committee to pursue a package of music copyright legislation like the one House Judiciary recently advanced (see 1804110060), industry attorneys and lobbyists told us. Music Modernization Act (S-2334) author Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, told us he plans to discuss Senate Judiciary Committee consideration of the bill with Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. Grassley “knows it’s important,” Hatch said.
The State Department is fighting to maintain the free flow of data and maximize monetary value of the internet, as new international privacy laws threaten the ease of cross-border data transfer, said Deputy Assistant Secretary-Cyber and International Communications and Information Policy Robert Strayer Thursday. At a Media Institute event, Strayer cited Vietnam’s new digital economy strategy as an area of concern. From the audience CTA CEO Gary Shapiro cited efforts in China to “blockade” American tech sector progress and Europe’s “cumbersome” general data protection regulation, which he said further hampers U.S. competitiveness.
The State Department is fighting to maintain the free flow of data and maximize monetary value of the internet, as new international privacy laws threaten the ease of cross-border data transfer, said Deputy Assistant Secretary-Cyber and International Communications and Information Policy Robert Strayer Thursday. At a Media Institute event, Strayer cited Vietnam’s new digital economy strategy as an area of concern. From the audience CTA CEO Gary Shapiro cited efforts in China to “blockade” American tech sector progress and Europe’s “cumbersome” general data protection regulation, which he said further hampers U.S. competitiveness.
The State Department is fighting to maintain the free flow of data and maximize monetary value of the internet, as new international privacy laws threaten the ease of cross-border data transfer, said Deputy Assistant Secretary-Cyber and International Communications and Information Policy Robert Strayer Thursday. At a Media Institute event, Strayer cited Vietnam’s new digital economy strategy as an area of concern. From the audience CTA CEO Gary Shapiro cited efforts in China to “blockade” American tech sector progress and Europe’s “cumbersome” general data protection regulation, which he said further hampers U.S. competitiveness.
Three nominees for the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors expressed willingness Wednesday to defend negotiated service agreements with Amazon if they prove to be fruitful deals for the agency. President Donald Trump ordered a task force to analyze the USPS’ financial situation, which he says is worsened by Amazon deals (see 1804130059). During a confirmation hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, ranking member Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., expressed concern that presidential task forces often “tell presidents what they want to hear.” Those who have confronted Trump have been “shown the door” in a short period of time, she said. Nominees David Williams, Robert Duncan and Calvin Tucker agreed to, in McCaskill’s words, stand up to the president if the deals are beneficial. But McCaskill said negotiated service agreements with UPS and FedEx also need to be analyzed. “I don’t think we’re going back in terms of volume of packages in this country, and I am very concerned that we have enabled our competition to be more successful while we’ve hamstrung the Postal Service,” McCaskill said. Duncan said the facts will lead to the truth, and Tucker said he doesn’t necessarily anticipate a confrontation with Trump but is willing to challenge assumptions. “There’s no question [Trump’s] on a mission here. He’s got a thing about the man who owns Amazon,” McCaskill said, referring to Jeff Bezos. Chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., shared McCaskill’s “frustrations” about gathering contract data from the USPS and said he looks forward to the task force’s findings. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Trump and McCaskill appear to be on the same side in this issue, but McCaskill said that unlike UPS and FedEx, Amazon isn't a USPS competitor but rather a customer. The question is whether the USPS is charging adequately, Paul said. There's a price where Amazon will deliver packages on its own, and the USPS needs to find the appropriate price, he added. Paul said he doesn't dislike Amazon but dislikes losing billions of dollars.
Three nominees for the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors expressed willingness Wednesday to defend negotiated service agreements with Amazon if they prove to be fruitful deals for the agency. President Donald Trump ordered a task force to analyze the USPS’ financial situation, which he says is worsened by Amazon deals (see 1804130059). During a confirmation hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, ranking member Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., expressed concern that presidential task forces often “tell presidents what they want to hear.” Those who have confronted Trump have been “shown the door” in a short period of time, she said. Nominees David Williams, Robert Duncan and Calvin Tucker agreed to, in McCaskill’s words, stand up to the president if the deals are beneficial. But McCaskill said negotiated service agreements with UPS and FedEx also need to be analyzed. “I don’t think we’re going back in terms of volume of packages in this country, and I am very concerned that we have enabled our competition to be more successful while we’ve hamstrung the Postal Service,” McCaskill said. Duncan said the facts will lead to the truth, and Tucker said he doesn’t necessarily anticipate a confrontation with Trump but is willing to challenge assumptions. “There’s no question [Trump’s] on a mission here. He’s got a thing about the man who owns Amazon,” McCaskill said, referring to Jeff Bezos. Chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., shared McCaskill’s “frustrations” about gathering contract data from the USPS and said he looks forward to the task force’s findings. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Trump and McCaskill appear to be on the same side in this issue, but McCaskill said that unlike UPS and FedEx, Amazon isn't a USPS competitor but rather a customer. The question is whether the USPS is charging adequately, Paul said. There's a price where Amazon will deliver packages on its own, and the USPS needs to find the appropriate price, he added. Paul said he doesn't dislike Amazon but dislikes losing billions of dollars.
Three nominees for the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors expressed willingness Wednesday to defend negotiated service agreements with Amazon if they prove to be fruitful deals for the agency. President Donald Trump ordered a task force to analyze the USPS’ financial situation, which he says is worsened by Amazon deals (see 1804130059). During a confirmation hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, ranking member Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., expressed concern that presidential task forces often “tell presidents what they want to hear.” Those who have confronted Trump have been “shown the door” in a short period of time, she said. Nominees David Williams, Robert Duncan and Calvin Tucker agreed to, in McCaskill’s words, stand up to the president if the deals are beneficial. But McCaskill said negotiated service agreements with UPS and FedEx also need to be analyzed. “I don’t think we’re going back in terms of volume of packages in this country, and I am very concerned that we have enabled our competition to be more successful while we’ve hamstrung the Postal Service,” McCaskill said. Duncan said the facts will lead to the truth, and Tucker said he doesn’t necessarily anticipate a confrontation with Trump but is willing to challenge assumptions. “There’s no question [Trump’s] on a mission here. He’s got a thing about the man who owns Amazon,” McCaskill said, referring to Jeff Bezos. Chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., shared McCaskill’s “frustrations” about gathering contract data from the USPS and said he looks forward to the task force’s findings. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Trump and McCaskill appear to be on the same side in this issue, but McCaskill said that unlike UPS and FedEx, Amazon isn't a USPS competitor but rather a customer. The question is whether the USPS is charging adequately, Paul said. There's a price where Amazon will deliver packages on its own, and the USPS needs to find the appropriate price, he added. Paul said he doesn't dislike Amazon but dislikes losing billions of dollars.