China’s Dahua Technology, one of the companies on the FCC’s list of companies deemed to be a threat to U.S. networks, said the FCC shouldn’t bar the gear it sells in the U.S. from being authorized for use in the U.S. The FCC is expected to approve soon a recent draft order circulated by Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel that would further clamp down on gear from mostly Chinese companies, preventing the sale of yet-to-be authorized equipment (see 2210130076). “The Secure Equipment Act of 2021 arguably does not encompass any Dahua USA products currently sold in the United States,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 21-232. “Only network equipment used by broadband service providers that is ‘essential to the provision’ of any ‘high-speed, switched, broadband telecommunications capability’ can be included on the Covered List,” Dahua said: “The scope of the Covered List should not include video cameras, video security systems, or accessories that are not used in providing broadband or telecommunications services. As Dahua USA has continuously emphasized, Dahua USA equipment is typically considered a peripheral device, and none of its products are telecommunications equipment.”

The FTC will vote Oct. 20 whether to initiate a potential rulemaking to combat fake reviews and endorsements, the agency said Thursday. The commission is considering an advance NPRM that would seek comments on the “prevalence of fake and deceptive reviews and the consumer harms arising from them,” it said. The agency recently solicited comments on potential changes to its ad endorsement guidelines (see 2209270065). The commission is also expected to vote Oct. 20 on an ANPR to start a rulemaking for “junk fees that are charged for goods or services that have little or no added value to the consumer.” This will be the first meeting since Commissioner Noah Phillips' formal resignation.

The FCC Enforcement Bureau cited Ride208 for allegedly selling a two-way radio without the required authorizations from the agency. The company also didn’t provide complete responses to an FCC letter of inquiry sent last year, said a citation in Thursday’s Daily Digest. The radio operates in family radio service and general mobile radio service channels. “We direct Ride208 to ... refrain from the importation, distribution, and offering for sale noncompliant radio frequency devices in the future,” the bureau said: “If Ride208 fails to comply … it may be liable for significant fines of up to $22,021 per day for each violation of unauthorized marketing or each day of a continuing violation for each unauthorized model marketed and up to $165,159 for any single act or failure to act, as well as other sanctions.” The company didn’t comment.

A proposal to modify FM booster rules to allow geotargeted radio broadcasts “could have negative implications” for rural communities, said a letter to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel from Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., and 12 other members of the House Commerce Committee posted in docket 20-401 Wednesday. The tech could allow broadcasters to exclude rural areas, the letter said. “We urge the FCC to consider the implications the ZoneCasting proposal could have on rural communities and the risks it especially poses for people in areas with little access to broadband,” said Duncan in a release about the letter shared by NAB, a vocal opponent of the booster proposal, which is backed by geotargeted radio company GeoBroadcast Solutions. “As we have seen from Hurricane Ian, broadcast radio is essential for many rural communities that rely heavily on local radio, and the FCC’s proposal to selectively target certain geographic areas could inhibit these communities from receiving essential information and having access to broadcast radio.” GBS said the proposal is designed to make targeted ads more affordable, and adoption of geotargeted radio would be entirely voluntary.

Big Tech needs to contribute its “fair share” to network builds, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr said Monday during a visit with EU officials in Brussels. Carr is visiting with regulators from the European Commission, European Parliament and state entities Monday and Tuesday. He said he looks forward to consideration in the U.S. and the EU for updated approaches that would “require Big Tech to start contributing a fair share.” Tech companies benefit “tremendously” from high-speed networks, and “they generate the lion’s share of network traffic both in Europe and in the U.S.,” he said. Carr also welcomed discussion on security threats related to TikTok’s “surreptitious data flows” (see 2209070073).

The FCC owns a dozen bulletproof vests, but no firearms or ammunition, the commission said in response to a Freedom of Information Act request we filed in August. It said the vests, all Galls SE Series IIA and IIIA body armor, were purchased in response to a 2016 recommendation by the commission's Inspector General.

FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks is headed to Bucharest, Romania, as part of the U.S. delegation to the ITU’s plenipotentiary conference, the agency said Monday. Starks said he’s “especially proud” to support Doreen Bogdan-Martin as the next secretary general. The election is Thursday, during the first week of the meeting. Bogdan-Martin is “a visionary leader on the future of digital connectivity,” Starks said: “I’ll be there on the ground to support her in Bucharest for this extremely important election.” The plenipot runs through Oct. 14.

Dahua USA is fighting back at the FCC to keep from having its products barred from being authorized for use in the U.S. Dahua is already on the FCC’s “covered list” of mostly Chinese companies that are a security risk. After meeting with aides to Commissioner Brendan Carr last week (see 2209220049), Dahua met with staff from the Office of General Counsel. Dahua “discussed an overview of its equipment sold in North America and explained how Dahua Equipment is typically considered a peripheral device, and many of its products are neither video nor telecommunications equipment,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 21-232 on the latter meeting: The company “then described its cybersecurity firmware strategy, framework, and design, emphasized that cybersecurity is the most important focus of its product design.”

President Joe Biden endorsed U.S.-backed ITU secretary-general candidate Doreen Bogdan-Martin Tuesday, spotlighting her contest against Russian nominee Rashid Ismailov less than two weeks before the vote at the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Bucharest (see 2209190059). Bogdan-Martin “possesses the integrity, experience, and vision necessary to transform the digital landscape,” Biden said in a statement: “She understands the importance of connecting every school to the Internet and making sure every student can access virtual learning, providing women and girls the digital tools they need to succeed, and extending the benefits of online health and educational resources.” It’s “hard to believe that in today’s digital world, 2.9 billion people globally have no access to the Internet and its many benefits,” he said: The next ITU secretary-general “will play an important role in making our digital future inclusive and accessible for everyone, especially in the developing world.” The U.S. Council for International Business also supported the candidacy. “By virtue of her current leadership of the ITU Development Bureau, we believe that Ms. Bogdan-Martin possesses both substantive knowledge and leadership skills that would make her a superb ITU Secretary General,” the group said. Headed into the conference, USCIB “opposes the ITU assuming a role in managing, coordinating, overseeing, or otherwise regulating the use of the Internet on grounds that this is beyond the ITU’s authority and expertise.”

Honda advised DOJ and the FTC Aug. 24 that it and Sony are 50-50 joint venture partners in Sony Honda Mobility, said a notice for Monday’s Federal Register. “Sony Honda Mobility’s planned activity is the development and production of high-value-added electric vehicles, as well as components and advanced mobility services software and technologies for integration into vehicles.” said Suzanne Morris, chief-premerger and division statistics in DOJ’s Antitrust Division. The notification was required to extend Sony and Honda antitrust protections under the 1993 National Cooperative Research and Production Act, said Morris. Sony Honda Mobility was announced June 16 with plans to create the new company this year and to begin the sale of EVs and mobility services in 2025.