Prompt private-sector reporting about cyber incidents is critical to allowing the U.S. to stay ahead of attacks like SolarWinds, FBI Director Christopher Wray told the Senate Intelligence Committee Wednesday in response to a legislative proposal from Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., and Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and John Cornyn, R-Texas (see 2103040066).
Calls for redefining broadband to 100 Mbps symmetrical as part of the White House's proposed $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan (see 2103310064) will face sizable cable industry opposition and could get caught up in partisan disagreements, broadband experts told us. The fiber broadband industry is the chief proponent of that redefinition, and some think 100 Mbps symmetrical will be an uphill battle.
Telecom and technology are finally converging, but the FCC has been slow to keep up with the change, Commissioner Brendan Carr said Tuesday at FCBA's first “all chapter” virtual event, with members watching from across the U.S.
Expect a committee markup on the Endless Frontier Act in the coming weeks, Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., told reporters Tuesday. He said he’s negotiating with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., lead sponsor of S-3832, after receiving text from the White House. The bill is meant to increase domestic semiconductor manufacturing and strengthen U.S. competitiveness with China. Schumer said he wants a vote this month, with the bill wrapped into an infrastructure package.
Huawei doesn’t expect to make rapid progress with President Joe Biden's administration on U.S. sanctions, Rotating Chairman Eric Xu told analysts Monday in a streamed presentation. Huawei faces challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitics and U.S. sanctions, Xu said. Meanwhile, Biden hosted executives from AT&T, Google, Intel, automakers and other tech companies for a virtual discussion of supply chain issues. Xu said the U.S. is responsible for supply disruptions.
Washington state’s privacy bill might yet live despite appearing to miss a legislative deadline over the weekend. "The bill remains alive through the end of the Legislative Session," the bill's sponsor and Senate Technology Committee Chair Reuven Carlyle (D) tweeted Monday. A key House member voiced hope for compromise, but there seemed to be confusion among SB-5062 watchers Monday, with some saying the bill is dead. Washington privacy bills failed the past two years, with chambers at loggerheads on enforcement. The state’s House and Senate passed municipal broadband bills Sunday but must concur with each other’s changes.
NAB’s next president, Curtis LeGeyt, and the broadcasters who lead the trade group’s board blasted tech companies and called for legislation to protect local journalism, in a video discussion Monday for the virtual NAB Show. “Obviously these tech platforms have had a real disruptive impact,” said LeGeyt, the NAB chief operating officer who last week was named to replace President Gordon Smith at year-end (see 2104070045). Smith said during Monday’s event that he “has every confidence” in LeGeyt.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ views on Communications Decency Act Section 230 contradict his prior positions and threaten free speech, conservative and libertarian tech observers said in interviews. The Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit last week claiming President Donald Trump violated the First Amendment in 2017 when he blocked users from his Twitter account (see 2003230060). The high court remanded the case to the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals with instructions to dismiss as moot (20-197) because the former president is no longer in office.
The FCC should do more to ensure a smooth rollout of its $3.2 billion emergency broadband benefit program, consumer advocates said in recent interviews (see 2102250066). The commission’s website isn’t sufficiently user-friendly, and it should be more transparent on when the program will actually start, they said. Others praised the FCC for the consumer outreach actions it has already taken.
NTIA should designate a single coordinator within the agency to oversee spectrum policy on drones, said the Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Subcommittee in a report, approved unanimously by the full CSMAC Thursday. Currently, oversight is spread across the federal government, the report said. CSMAC held its first meeting under President Joe Biden's administration. The FCC has considered but has yet to clear specific spectrum for drones.