Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., will lead a Thursday meeting kicking off the conference committee for the China package (see 2205050025), her office announced Tuesday. The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. in 325 Russell. Committee members will be able to discuss conference priorities during the meeting. House Science Committee Chair Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, will lead the House delegation.

Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., filed the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Modernization Act Tuesday in a bid to update the 2010 Calm Act's bar on excessively loud TV ads. The FCC Media Bureau sought comment last year in docket 21-181 on whether the FCC needs to update its existing Calm Act implementation rules at Eshoo's behest (see 2104200001). The Calm Modernization Act would extend the 2010 law's excessively loud ad bar to streaming services and would strengthen the FCC's ability to investigate and enforce violations. The measure would require a study analyzing the existing law's effectiveness in moderating ad loudness. Since the original law's enactment "streaming services have recreated the problem of loud ads because the old law doesn’t apply to them, and consumers continue to complain about loud ads on broadcast, cable, and satellite TV," Eshoo said. "Today, we’re updating the legislation for the benefit of consumers who are tired of diving for the mute button at every commercial break." Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Calif., and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., signed as co-sponsors. Eshoo's office cited support from Consumer Reports.

Reps. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., and Blake Moore, R-Utah, filed the Supporting American Printed Circuit Boards Act Friday in a bid to encourage U.S. printed circuit board manufacturing alongside current efforts to bolster the domestic semiconductor industry. Congressional conferees are working to marry elements of the House-passed America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing, Pre-Eminence in Technology and Economic Strength Act (HR-4521) and Senate-passed U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (S-1260), which both include $52 billion in chip incentives (see 2205050025). The Supporting American Printed Circuit Boards Act would create a $3 billion Commerce Department-administered financial assistance program modeled after that in the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors for America Act for U.S.-based facilities making or researching PCBs. The measure would also provide a 25% tax credit for the purchase or acquisition of U.S.-made PCBs. PCBs “are a critical part of that supply chain and are at risk of tampering vulnerabilities related to offshore production, yet the U.S. global production share of PCBs is only approximately four percent, compared to China’s 52 percent,” Eshoo said. “If we want to ensure technological superiority across the global stage and strengthen national security, we need to bring PCB production back to America, which is exactly what my bipartisan bill does.”

The Senate Commerce Committee plans to mark up a Democratic bill Wednesday that would restore the FTC’s Section 13(b) authority to seek equitable monetary relief, as expected (see 2205030056). The Consumer Protection Remedies Act (S-4145), led by Commerce Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., would restore the 13(b) authority, which the Supreme Court stripped last year (see 2104220068). Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., and Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., signed on as co-sponsors. Cantwell initially sought GOP support for the bill (see 2106210054) with committee ranking member Roger Wicker, R-Miss. Also on the agenda: the Funding Affordable Internet with Reliable Contributions Act (S-2427) and the Network Equipment Transparency Act (S-3692). S-2427 would direct the FCC to study “the feasibility of funding Universal Service Fund through contributions supplied by edge providers” like Google-owned YouTube and Netflix (see 2107210067). S-3692 would require the FCC to determine as part of future Telecom Act Section 706 broadband deployment reports “whether a lack of network equipment significantly impacted the deployment of advanced telecommunications capability during the applicable year.” The markup begins at 10 a.m. in 253 Russell.

The House Homeland Security Committee will conduct “rigorous” oversight of the Department of Homeland Security’s disinformation board, committee Republicans wrote Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Thursday (see 2205040061 and 2205050056). “Your recent testimony and media statements regarding the board, as well as a recent briefing for Committee staff, have only created more questions and concern,” said the letter led by ranking member John Katko, R-N.Y. “This Committee will carry out rigorous oversight of this board.” He noted committee members can obtain information from the Homeland Security Advisory Council and other bodies: “There are standards that must be met for the sake of transparency.” DHS didn’t comment.

The Senate voted 78-17 Wednesday to reject a proposal from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., to eliminate $10 billion for NASA’s lunar exploration program, Artemis, from Congress’ China package (see 2204010045). The Senate did a series of votes on nonbinding motions to instruct conferees as the two chambers move to conference on the China package. Sanders is seeking to cut funding that might go to Blue Origin, the space company owned by Jeff Bezos (see 2203290018). The Senate cleared by voice vote two motions -- from Sens. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and Mark Kelly, D-Ariz. -- aimed at maintaining language to strengthen U.S. semiconductor manufacturing. HR-4521 and S-1260 both include $52 billion in subsidies to encourage U.S.-based semiconductor manufacturing (see 2201260062). The chamber also approved by voice language from Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., seeking inclusion of a provision directing the White House Office of Management and Budget to "develop guidance for executive agencies requiring adequate security measures for any transfer, storage or use of digital yuan," China's currency, "on information technology."

Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., will introduce legislation this week to restore the FTC’s Section 13(b) authority (see 2106210054), her office said Monday. Cantwell attempted to reach bipartisan consensus with ranking member Roger Wicker, R-Miss. Her bill would “authorize monetary remedies for consumers” harmed by violations, ensure the FTC “may sue for injunctions and consumer redress for prior conduct,” affirm the FTC “must argue its cases in front of a neutral federal judge” and create a 10-year statute of limitations for FTC lawsuits. The statute of limitations would mirror the Consumer Protection and Recovery Act (HR-2668) from Rep. Tony Cardenas, D-Calif. The Supreme Court’s decision eliminating the FTC’s 13(b) authority has allowed companies to keep hundreds of millions of dollars in redress owed to consumers, said Cantwell. Her office issued a related report.

Meta needs to stop “amplifying dangerous and unhealthy eating disorder content” for young Instagram and Facebook users, Democratic lawmakers wrote the company Friday. Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Ed Markey, D-Mass., wrote the letter with Reps. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., and Kathy Castor, D-Fla. They cited research showing Instagram’s algorithms promote pro-eating-disorder content to users 18 to 19 years old, celebrating “thinspiration.” Meta’s ad and content promotion practices are “fundamentally inconsistent with young users’ wellbeing,” they wrote. Many research reports fail to understand that removing all eating-disorder content can do more harm than good, especially for those struggling, emailed a Meta spokesperson. “Experts and safety organizations have told us it’s important to strike a balance between allowing people to share their stories or struggle with recovery while still removing any content that encourages or promotes eating disorders, which is what we try to do.” Meta is testing its “nudges” feature to steer users away from dwelling on harmful content, said the spokesperson.

Congress should reject antitrust bills gaining momentum that would have economy-wide harms, a dozen tech and industry groups wrote Wednesday. Signers included the Computer and Communications Industry Association, CTA, TechNet, U.S. Hispanic Business Council, NetChoice, Software & Information Industry Association and Americans for Prosperity. They cited the American Innovation and Choice Online Act (S. 2992/HR-3816), Ending Platform Monopolies Act (HR-3825) and the Platform Competition and Opportunity Act (HR-3826). They noted a study from the National Economic Research Associates saying those bills would “cost the U.S. economy up to $319 billion” due to higher retail costs and loss of “valued services.” The bills have “no quantifiable benefits” for consumers or small businesses, they said, quoting the study. Analysis shows the use of “simplistic language that relies on market capitalization means that more American companies would be captured in just a few years: 13 additional companies in the next 5 to 10 years and likely over 100 companies by the 2030s.”

A bipartisan House bill would require the administration to study how digital currencies could help Russia evade U.S. sanctions. The legislation, introduced Thursday by Reps. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., and Michael McCaul, R-Texas, the top members of the House’s Foreign Affairs Committee, would also create a new State Department officer to oversee sanctions evasion efforts involving digital currency. Although administration officials have cast doubt on Russia’s ability to use cryptocurrencies to prop up its economy, digital assets are still “ripe for abuse” as Russia looks to evade the U.S.’s “unprecedented” sanctions, Meeks said. McCaul said the bill will ensure the U.S. is “taking the necessary steps to prevent these emerging technologies,” such as blockchain, “from undermining sanctions, including those currently aimed at bankrupting [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s war machine.” The bill would require the State and Treasury departments to submit a report to Congress that assesses how digital currencies could “impact the effectiveness and enforcement of” U.S. sanctions against Russia. It would also authorize the State Department to appoint a director of digital currency to help develop “sanctions enforcement mechanisms resilient to malevolent actors’ use of digital currencies.”