Microsoft is asking Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly to create a system to grant exceptions for specific foreign nationals to enter the U.S. while still protecting national security. In a Thursday letter to the cabinet officials, Brad Smith, the company's chief legal officer, said 76 Microsoft employees and their 41 dependents who live and work in the U.S. possess nonimmigrant visas and were affected by President Donald Trump's order last week that temporarily prevents entry of people from seven predominantly Muslim nations (see 1701300023). As a result, some parents outside the U.S. were separated from their children and one employee can't visit a critically ill parent abroad, said Smith, who also penned a blog post explaining the request. Smith outlined criteria that the government could follow to create case-by-case exceptions for people, who would be given a "Responsible Known Traveler with Pressing Needs" classification. "These individuals are 'known quantities' in their communities: their character, personalities, conduct, and behavior is understood by their colleagues, employers, friends, and neighbors" and they also fill critical roles in their organizations, Smith wrote in the post. Foreign students also should be considered within the exception process, he said. The departments of Homeland Security and State didn't comment. But Smith said the proposal shouldn't end the larger debate about the order. Recode Wednesday reported Microsoft is among several tech and other types of companies, including Alphabet/Google, Apple, Facebook and Uber, planning to send a joint letter to Trump opposing the travel ban.
A White House spokeswoman confirmed that President Donald Trump’s executive order limiting federal regulations isn't intended to apply to the FCC, as expected (see 1701300064). Critics piled on to the order, which would require two regulations be abolished for every one issued and was signed Monday. “Creating an arbitrary one-in-two-out rule utterly disregards the substance and purpose for existing regulatory protections and the benefits they can provide to consumers,” said Consumer Federation of America General Counsel Rachel Weintraub. SumOfUs Campaign Manager Nicole Carty said the order shows the White House’s “true agenda” is “to cater to the interests of big business and the nation’s wealthiest at the expense of public safety, equal protection under the law, and an economy that works for all Americans.” Issue One Chief-Policy Meredith McGehee issued a statement saying: “This whiplash-inducing action comes less than 48-hours after the president signed an ethics executive order Saturday to prevent his top administration officials from lobbying the administration once they have left.” Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., joined other Capitol Hill Republican fans of the order. It’s “a refreshing and long-overdue change from the big government status quo in Washington,” Paul said.
President Donald Trump pressed lawmakers to confirm members of his cabinet, speaking Thursday at a GOP retreat in Philadelphia. “I would like to have my commerce secretary Wilbur [Ross] approved because I hear he did fantastically well,” Trump said at one point, turning to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., seated on stage. “We’d like to have him approved as soon as possible. And Mitch says it will be done, and it will be.” He referred to a meeting coming up this week with British Prime Minister Theresa May. “I don’t have my commerce secretary and they want to talk trade,” said Trump. He also cited Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., his nominee for attorney general. Sessions “is a fine person” who is “respected by everybody” and who “did unbelievably in front of committee,” Trump said. On his executive actions, which include implications for telecom (see 1701250068), Trump said: “We’ve issued executive orders to remove wasteful regulations that slow down commerce and delay infrastructure, which we desperately need, the very beginning of a massive effort to reduce crushing regulations on our economy. And we are going to reduce regulations big time.” On his broader ambitions on infrastructure, he said: “We will fix our existing product before we build anything brand new. We have a lot of things that are in bad shape.”
One of the executive orders signed by President Donald Trump this week seeks to expedite environmental reviews and approvals for high-priority infrastructure projects, including those involving telecom. “Federal infrastructure decisions should be accomplished with maximum efficiency and effectiveness, while also respecting property rights and protecting public safety and the environment,” the order text said Tuesday. “It is the policy of the executive branch to streamline and expedite, in a manner consistent with law, environmental reviews and approvals for all infrastructure projects, especially projects that are a high priority for the Nation, such as improving the U.S. electric grid and telecommunications systems.” The White House Council on Environmental Quality chairman must decide within 30 days of a request from a governor or executive department or agency chief whether a project is “high priority,” it said. “All agencies shall give highest priority to completing such reviews and approvals by the established deadlines using all necessary and appropriate means.”
President Donald Trump’s executive order to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership disappointed the Information Technology Industry Council, but ITI said it’s ready to work with the administration on trade agreements that better reflect today’s technology. “There is no prospect for job creation and economic growth for the United States without an active trade agenda,” ITI President Dean Garfield said in a Monday news release. “We can’t ignore the fact that many trade agreements were struck in an era that predates the internet and the global economy which depends on data flowing freely across borders for people and businesses to sell goods and services anywhere in the world. We can -- and should -- improve trade agreements to reflect the critical role digital trade plays in growing our economy and to help tech goods and services compete more fairly overseas.” The Progressive Policy Institute "strongly" disagrees with Trump that it's "good news" to withdraw from TPP, PPI said. "The President’s hasty action on the TPP is bad news for American businesses and workers, for the American economy, and for America’s global influence.”
President Donald Trump’s initial executive actions include withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a freeze on recent regulations and a federal government hiring freeze except for the military. “We’ve been talking about this one for a long time,” Trump said Monday of the withdrawal from TPP, a trade deal that had been a priority for the Obama administration. Reince Priebus, Trump’s chief of staff, sent a memorandum to the heads of executive departments and agencies Friday demanding a regulatory freeze pending review. “With respect to regulations that have been sent to the OFR but not published in the Federal Register, immediately withdraw them from the OFR [Office of the Federal Register] for review and approval,” Priebus said. “With respect to regulations that have been published in the OFR but have not taken effect, as permitted by applicable law, temporarily postpone their effective date for 60 days from the date of this memorandum … for the purpose of reviewing questions of fact, law, and policy they raise. Where appropriate and as permitted by applicable law, you should consider proposing for notice and comment a rule to delay the effective date for regulations beyond that 60-day period.” Trump also spoke generally Monday about his plans for taxation and regulation, in a meeting with industry CEOs including those leading Dell and SpaceX. “We are going to be cutting taxes massively for both the middle class and for companies,” Trump said, according to a pool report. “A bigger thing … we think we can cut regulations by 75 percent.” Trump "decided to reconvene the group of industry executives in a month and have them meet on a quarterly basis,” White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said. Competitive Enterprise Institute Policy Director Clyde Wayne Crews, writing in a Forbes column, said "Trump will fail" if he "does not challenge and uproot the core premises of the unelected administrative state governing human innovations" in the telecom sector, among others.
Expect President-elect Donald Trump to “talk about infrastructure and education” Friday during his inaugural address, spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters Thursday. Trump will lay out “a vision of where he sees the country, the role of government, the role of citizens,” Spicer said. Commerce secretary nominee Wilbur Ross touted the role broadband would play in a Trump administration infrastructure package earlier this week (see 1701180069), a point also made by House Communications Subcommittee Chairwoman Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., last week. The transition has “made sure that in every department, there’s a key individual ready to go,” Spicer said.
Donald's Trump's presidency will have an even bigger impact on telecom/cable regulation than his November victory did, Bank of America Merrill Lynch cable/satellite analysts wrote investors Wednesday. The Republican election sweep forced Democratic FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler to abandon efforts to push through new rules on cable set-top boxes and telecom business data services, they noted. The post-inauguration regulatory impact "will be even more significant as the President-elect's administration is reportedly interested in: (1) reshaping the FCC into a more streamlined agency that better reflects convergence; (2) re-working the Open Internet Order; and (3) re-writing the 1996 Telecommunications Act," they wrote. "The new FCC and potential for a re-working of the Open Internet Order would eliminate the significant overhang of rate regulation and also reduce uncertainty." A note by Bank of America Merrill Lynch telecom equipment analysts said the new administration "appears likely to drive spending on infrastructure & cyber security" and promote "an offshore cash repatriation holiday and a broad reduction of the corporate tax rate, ie from 35% to 20%." They expect a Republican rollback of net neutrality to drive increased capital expenditure for service providers, to the benefit of equipment providers such as Cisco and others.
The Radio Television Digital News Association and 60 journalism organizations sent a letter to President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence asking for a meeting on news-media access to their administration, RTDNA said in a post on its website. The letter requests a discussion on access to the president's activities, the Freedom of Information Act, and “the ability of reporters to directly interact with government employees who are subject matter experts, rather than interacting with Public Information Officers (or having all conversations monitored by Public Information Officers).” It's “imperative that the incoming administration understand the importance of transparency in government and the cooperative spirit needed in working with the journalists who cover it,” said Mike Cavender, RTDNA executive director, in the posting. “Information-control practices have gone too far and must be curtailed for the good of our democracy and reputation in the world,” said the letter. The journalism organizations “would be happy to send a delegation to Washington, D.C., to have this discussion, or we invite Mr. Pence to meet with us the next time he is back in his hometown, which is also home of the Society of Professional Journalists’ national headquarters,” the letter said. The organization sent a similar letter to the White House in 2015, during the Obama administration (see 1508120028). The Trump transition team didn't comment.
Real estate developer Reed Cordish, joining the Trump administration as assistant to the president for intergovernmental and technology initiatives (see the Jan. 18 edition of this publication), will focus on priority projects and work with private sector forums, spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters Wednesday. He said Cordish, partner with Cordish Cos., will be responsible for initiatives requiring multiagency collaboration and will "focus on technological innovation and modernization." During the transition, Cordish directed agency beachhead teams, which "are individuals that go in on day one in the various agencies to make sure that we are ready in the various areas of the departments and agencies," noted Spicer. He also said Chris Liddell, a former Microsoft chief financial officer, will become assistant to the president and director-strategic initiative. Liddell, CFO for talent agency WME-IMG, will focus on priority projects and work with private sector forums, said Spicer. During the transition, Liddell, who also was CFO and vice chairman of General Motors, was special adviser on presidential appointments, the spokesman said.