The USF contribution factor will reach a record 26.5% in Q3, up from Q2's 19.6%, emailed consultant Billy Jack Gregg Monday. Q4's was a then-record 25% (see 1909130003).
5G rollout showed how quickly China caught up with the U.S. in telecom network equipment, and satellite broadband could be next, FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks told the Commercial Spaceflight Federation Thursday, per prepared remarks released Friday. China says its government-backed providers are interested in just the domestic market, but the U.S. can't be complacent and the FCC needs to pursue policies that will encourage American leadership, he said. Expected megaconstellations might necessitate a new regulatory approach, and April's orbital debris rules update and NPRM approval (see 2004230040) "strike the right balance," he said.
The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence seeks comment by Sept. 30 for its final report on ensuring U.S. competitiveness in AI, machine learning and other emerging technologies. The FY 2019 National Defense Authorization Act tasked the group with assessing ways to ensure U.S. competitiveness in those technologies, ways to increase investment, workforce training and national security risks. The report is due March, said Thursday's Federal Register.
Smartphone data consumption spiked during the first month of the U.S. COVID-19 pandemic, rising 75% in March from the same month on 2019, reported NPD Tuesday. Mobile hot spot usage rose 25%. As network capacity becomes “increasingly stretched,” more consumers use mobile hot spots for “additional connectivity,” it said. “Add into the mix that carriers have opened up more hotspot allowances, and we expect the numbers of people adopting hotspot usage on their devices to increase even more.” Video was 70% of traffic: Smartphone users with a screen size 5.5 inches or larger consume 53% more data on average than those with smaller screens.
The FCC and the Institute of Museum and Library Services are promoting $50 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act broadband funding for libraries and tribal organizations, they announced Thursday.
ATIS urged policymakers to start focusing on 6G. “Today's investments in 5G networks, devices and applications already point toward the future opportunities,” ATIS said Wednesday: “The world is exploring opportunities that will light the path to 6G.” COVID-19 “has also shone a spotlight on the critical role of communications networks in our daily lives," said ATIS President Susan Miller.
Congress should encrypt phone calls between chambers to protect against foreign surveillance, a bipartisan group wrote Tuesday. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Mike Rounds, R-S.D., and Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., led 20 lawmakers in the letter to the sergeant-at-arms and the chief administrative officer. Calls within the Senate are encrypted, but calls between chambers are “vulnerable to being tapped by hackers and foreign spies,” they said.
The coronavirus pandemic could change the relationship between governments and platforms, said Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and European Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton on a Monday virtual debate. Everyone is trying to figure out the situation, which requires more public-private sector cooperation, said Zuckerberg. Breton actively contacted platforms to see how they could help fight COVID-19 disinformation and keep networks running, Zuckerberg said. Facebook and others worked quickly to reduce bandwidth to ensure people could stay connected. Breton said he has learned it's important to "anticipate." Telecom networks weren't designed for a situation where everyone was living, working and learning at home. But frank discussions with Facebook, Netflix and other platforms resulted in fast reaction as both parties worked to cope. Asked how they see their respective roles in the pandemic exit and recovery stages, Breton said Europe is focused on a "green deal" and on teleworking. Ensuring people have access to accurate information in the health crisis is important, said Zuckerberg. The EU learned "we have to invent together our future," said Breton. Platforms must learn to cooperate with administrations, he said: It's not governments that should adapt to platforms but the reverse. The European Commission is working on prior regulation of platforms as it has enacted for telcos, he said: The less regulation needed the better, but if platforms and governments can't find a way to cooperate, the EC "will regulate, of course." Asked about the need for a digital deal between governments and platforms, Zuckerberg advocated a broader partnership, saying platforms shouldn't be left to govern themselves, and such a deal is "inevitable," including regulation. But he voiced concern about whose regulatory framework will win globally. Countries like China have different values from democratic nations, and some other governments are considering this model, with localized data and less respect for human rights. That model is dangerous, he said; the best antidote is regulation that comes from democracies. The right kind of framework requires clear and strong values, which Europe has, said Breton. Platforms must understand those values to help build a new form of governance, which won't happen overnight, he said.
The Commerce Department Bureau of Industry and Security allowed more time for comments on an information collection about technology letters of explanation, until June 15, said Friday's Federal Register. The letters provide assurance to BIS and require the “consignee” to certify an export involving controlled technical data won't be released to blocked countries. BIS requested comment in February.
TikTok is still collecting children’s personal data without parental consent, privacy advocates wrote the FTC Thursday, demanding an investigation. The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, Center for Digital Democracy and some 20 organizations said TikTok is violating its 2019 order with the agency, which included a $5.7 million fine due to apparent Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act violations (see 1902270059). The company failed to delete data collected before the 2019 order and hasn’t given parents access to review or delete personal information, the groups alleged. The FTC confirmed receiving the complaint. “We take privacy seriously and are committed to helping ensure that TikTok continues to be a safe and entertaining community for our users,” emailed a spokesperson for the platform.