As new ransomware attacks make almost daily headlines, ATSC values the security of the 3.0 suite of standards and its commercial deployment “very seriously,” insisted President Madeleine Noland. “We are vigilant” about security, she told us Friday. “It is not an afterthought. It is absolutely one of the most important parts of the standard.”
Senate Intelligence Committee leaders are negotiating with the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) over a cyber legislative package in response to the recent flurry of high-profile attacks on U.S. businesses and government, leaders from both committees said in recent interviews. They are discussing potential inclusion of a bill that would require agencies, contractors and critical infrastructure operators to report cyberhacks within 24 hours of discovery (see 2107210023), said lead sponsor and Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va. He’s in conversation with HSGAC Chairman Gary Peters, D-Mich., and ranking member Rob Portman, R-Ohio, “in support” of their cyber work, he told us.
Senators voted 66-28 Friday to proceed to debate on a vehicle (HR-3684) for the bipartisan infrastructure spending package, even as a pair of telecom-focused GOP leaders in the chamber said they’re continuing to pursue alterations to the developing measure’s broadband title (see 2107290061). Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., got a deal from Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to address some of her concerns. Leaders of the bipartisan effort hoped final language, to be filed as a substitute amendment, would have been ready Friday night.
Provisions in the $65 billion broadband title in a developing infrastructure spending package weren't completely finalized Thursday, a day after the Senate cleared an initial test cloture vote 67-32 on proceeding to a shell bill (HR-3684). A bipartisan group of senators agreed Wednesday on the outlines of the package (see 2107280065). The Senate will vote Friday on the motion to proceed to HR-3684. Telecom-focused senators in both parties told us through Thursday that the thorniest broadband issue -- the extent of pricing transparency and digital redlining language -- remained in flux.
Comcast's Peacock, with 54 million signups, is rolling out to Europe later this year to Sky's 20 million customers, and the next aim is global availability of the streaming service, said the company Thursday. Comcast executives waved off the need for more mergers and acquisitions as a prerequisite to become a viable international streaming power, during a call with analysts. "I love the company we have," and more organic growth is ahead without further acquisitions, said CEO Brian Roberts. "I think we do have the scale. We don't need M&A."
The prospect of an FTC privacy rulemaking is facing a partisan divide in the agency and on Capitol Hill. House Commerce Committee ranking member Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., and House Consumer Protection Subcommittee ranking member Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., told us the agency shouldn’t issue a rule because it’s a legislative issue Congress needs to fix.
The Senate Judiciary Committee wants to explore cryptocurrency legislation to help enforcers trace and retrieve digital payments in ransomware attacks. Ranking member Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, told us he would be “glad to work on legislation” with Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., after the latter expressed interest during Tuesday’s hearing with officials from DOJ, the FBI, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Secret Service (see 2107230058).
Potential recusal of Jonathan Kanter in DOJ’s case against Google could draw Senate Judiciary Committee attention during his confirmation to lead the department's Antitrust Division (see 2107200070). Some experts told us last week there’s a stronger case for Kanter’s recusal than requests for FTC Chair Lina Khan's disqualification from cases involving Amazon and Facebook (see 2107160052). Senators told us they’re reviewing Kanter’s record.
Items adjacent to net neutrality in President Joe Biden's executive order issued earlier this month (see 2107090006) could get packaged together with net neutrality or at least all be on deck for FCC meetings late this year or early 2022, experts and interested parties told us. Some think the agency may try to move some less controversial items, such as broadband “nutrition labeling,” while it still has a 2-2 party split and acting chairwoman. Many think work is underway on net neutrality (see 2107200036).
U.S. consumers spent an estimated $14 billion on videogaming in Q2, up 2% from Q2 in 2020, reported NPD Thursday. It compiled the findings from its monthly point-of-sale retail tracking services, plus consumer data from other NPD trackers, monitors and reports.