A trio of GOP ex-officials and politicians with ties to the tech sector backed former Vice President and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden during the Democratic National Convention’s Monday session. Former Rep. Susan Molinari of New York, who was Google vice president-policy and government relations 2012-2018 (see 1811020020), called Biden “exactly what this nation needs at this time” and criticized President Donald Trump as “disappointing.” Quibi CEO Meg Whitman, who previously led eBay and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, said Biden’s economic plan, if enacted, would “strengthen our economy for working people and small-business owners.” Whitman was the GOP’s 2010 California gubernatorial nominee. Former Trump Department of Homeland Security Chief of Staff Miles Taylor, on leave from a Google security strategy role, also endorsed Biden during the Monday DNC session. Trump’s re-election campaign criticized Molinari for being “a registered lobbyist for Russia” while at the Washington Group and noted Whitman’s support for 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Trump called Taylor a “former DISGRUNTLED EMPLOYEE” and said the Democrats “will take anyone against us.”
The Information Technology Industry Council said the eventual winner of the presidential election and the next Congress should expand “broadband access nationwide,” including “ensuring ubiquitous access to high-speed internet and equipment necessary for telehealth and remote learning,” as part of its 2021 agenda. ITI CEO Jason Oxman urged 2020 candidates Tuesday to “adopt an agenda that enables” education “and opportunities for all in America,” “the continued prosperity of American businesses by fostering a global market,” “the continued growth of America’s technological and innovative edge” and “continued trust in the technology solutions that will drive our recovery and ensure the resiliency of the infrastructure that underpins it.” Lawmakers should “spur investment” in broadband and 5G by “streamlining regulatory barriers, increasing spectrum availability, and providing government incentives and funding to reach unserved areas,” ITI said. The federal government should ensure the security of 5G and other global supply chains by adopting “risk management-based, public-private partnership efforts that take a holistic view of security threats.” The group urged the government to create “a uniform, federal privacy regime that enhances transparency, increases consumer control, and promotes security.” ITI wants more investment in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and other emerging technologies and “a tax system that encourages job creation, economic growth, and international competitiveness.”
The Tanana Chiefs Conference of Fairbanks, Alaska, urged the FCC Tuesday to take “expedited action" to review a Universal Service Administrative Co. decision denying its request to file three FCC Form 466 USF Rural Health Care Program funding applications outside the FY 2016 filing window. TCC cited President Donald Trump’s Monday executive order, which made permanent for rural communities an expansion of Medicare recipients’ eligibility to receive 135 types of services via telehealth (see 2008040068). The White House “tasked” the FCC “to work with other government agencies to ‘develop and implement a strategy to improve rural health by improving the physical and communications healthcare infrastructure available to rural Americans,’” TCC counsel Ronald Quirk said in a filing in docket 02-60. “Granting TCC’s Waiver Request comports with” the EO since “failure to grant … would result in the communities served by TCC suffering serious hardships if funding for the subject health clinics is denied.”
The Trump administration, without evidence, “stretched the concept of national security and abused its state power to bring down certain non-U.S. enterprises,” said a Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Tuesday. It was in reaction to President Donald Trump’s threats Monday to put TikTok out of business in the U.S. if it’s not sold to an American company by Sept. 15. The threats are “a blatant act of bullying,” which China “firmly opposes,” said the spokesperson. If Trump follows through, “then any country can take similar measures against any U.S. company on the grounds of national security,” he said: “The U.S. must not open Pandora's box, or it will suffer the consequences.” Trump told reporters Tuesday he had a “great conversation” with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella (see 2008030027), in which he told Nadella that China can’t control such a large company for “security reasons.” He suggested Microsoft buy the entire company, not just 30%, because the brand is “hot.” U.S. Treasury deserves a “substantial" cut of the money exchanged in any deal because the federal government is allowing the negotiations to continue, said Trump. Banning TikTok would be unfair to users, the Open Markets Institute said in a statement Tuesday, but it supports the sale to a U.S.-owned company.
The FCC seeks comment on NTIA’s petition asking for rules clarifying Communications Decency Act Section 230 (see 2007280053), Chairman Ajit Pai announced Monday. “Longstanding rules require the agency to put such petitions out for public comment ‘promptly,’ and we will follow that requirement here,” he said. “I strongly disagree with those who demand that we ignore the law and deny the public and all stakeholders the opportunity to weigh in on this important issue.” The agency should welcome “vigorous debate,” not curtail it, he said: “The American people deserve to have a say." The "feedback" is "over the next 45 days." Commissioner Geoffrey Starks suggested Congress is the proper venue: “I’m sure this Public Notice will generate a spirited discussion. Perhaps when comments are in we can package up the whole docket and send it over to Congress -- where this debate belongs.”
Amid talk of federal regulation of social media platforms' editorial privileges, FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly called it "First Amendment gibberish" to argue such regulation is pro-free speech. He spoke to the Media Institute Wednesday, also seeking less regulation of other industries. The social media regulatory step would curtail free speech through government action, he said in prepared and actual remarks. "We should all reject demands, in the name of the First Amendment, for private actors to curate or publish speech in a certain way," the commissioner told the industry audience. He said he wasn't criticizing the White House but "certain opportunists outside that realm." O'Rielly is "digesting" NTIA's petition asking the commission to clarify Communications Decency Act Section 230. He said the FCC generally has little authority over tech platforms. He also said his agency's role in video regulation may subside (see 2007290073).
Industry and some lawmakers applauded the U.S. loosening export restrictions on drones. The State Department's Friday announcement means it will no longer subject exports of certain unmanned aerial systems to a “strong presumption of denial,” instead imposing a case-by-case review policy on a “subset” of unmanned aircrafts that fly at speeds below 800 kph. The change “acknowledges the evolution” in unmanned aircraft technology, the Aerospace Industry Association said Monday. Northrop Grumman said the new export policy could benefit its “Fire Scout” helicopters, which are unmanned and autonomous. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, urged the administration to continue loosening export restrictions. Risch said “the permanent fix for this issue must be to treat unmanned aircraft the same as other aircraft for the purposes of export.” Committee ranking member Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., called the move “reckless,” saying it may lead to the U.S. exporting unmanned aircraft to human rights abusers. It's “another reckless move by an administration fixated with eliminating the international cooperation that has made the United States and other countries safer for decades,” he said. U.S. export policy for unmanned aircraft was in “dire need of modernization,” the White House said.
American personnel “vacated” the U.S. consulate in Chengdu, China, and the compound was closed Monday, confirmed a Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson. China ordered it closed in retaliation for the Trump administration’s shutdown of the Chinese consulate in Houston on espionage and intellectual property theft allegations. China urges the U.S. to “create necessary conditions for bringing the bilateral relationship back on track,” said the spokesperson.
A “key thing” about the Trade Act Section 301 tariff exclusions on Chinese goods that have been granted or extended is that most end Dec. 31, Nicole Bivens Collinson, Sandler Travis president-international trade and government relations, told a Sports & Fitness Industry Association webinar Thursday. If President Donald Trump is reelected, she believes his administration “will view that as a mandate” for eradicating tariff exclusions permanently. As an importer, “I would be looking at January as having tariffs in place without any exclusions,” she said. If U.S.-China relations further deteriorate, Collinson fears the 7.5% List 4A tariffs will increase to 25%, she said. “We also have a List 4B that has no tariffs on them right now. That could change as well." The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative didn’t comment.
Republican lawmakers urged the White House to do more to sanction China-backed cyberattackers who steal U.S. intellectual property. Reps. Michael McCaul, Texas; Greg Walden, Ore.; and Patrick McHenry, N.C., said Chinese hackers are more frequently targeting U.S. agencies to try to steal information and public health data on COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. The lawmakers said the Treasury Department has “not sufficiently imposed” sanctions. The White House didn't comment Wednesday on Monday's letter.