The Wireless Infrastructure Association said the Wi-Fi Alliance will partner with the group at WIA’s Connectivity Expo conference, Aug. 3-6 in Boston. The alliance will offer a keynote update on Wi-Fi 6 and the 6 GHz band.
A bill modifying Maryland’s digital ad tax law cleared the Senate unanimously Friday. Senators amended SB-787 earlier last week to delay the tax by one year so it would apply to tax years beginning after Dec. 31. The bill still would exempt news media and ban tech companies from passing costs from the tax to small businesses. The House’s cross-filed HB-1200 awaits vote by the Ways and Means Committee (see 2102260048).
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, introduced legislation Thursday meant to protect state rights for restricting drone activity. The Drone Integration and Zoning Act would protect states’ authority to issue “time, place, and manner restrictions, while not unreasonably prohibiting access to the federal ‘navigable airspace,’” Lee announced. It would allow “the local zoning authority of state, local, or tribal governments to designate commercial drone take-off and landing zones, while still allowing for interstate commerce,” he said. FAA can’t “feasibly or efficiently oversee millions of drones in every locality throughout the country,” Lee said. The agency’s current “legal position” to regulate “every cubic inch of air in the United States ... is both unsustainable and unlawful.”
There’s more legislative work to be done on privacy, said Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., in statements after Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) signed a privacy law (see 2102190041). “This is an important first step in providing vital privacy protections to Virginians,” said Warner. “My hope is that Governor Northam and the legislature will improve this law in the near future in important ways, including incorporating my important bipartisan work on dark patterns and enhancing privacy protections around online advertisements.” Northam’s office said he had no comment Wednesday. The new law takes effect in January 2023. DelBene urged Congress to act: “In the face of congressional inaction, states are understandably going at this on their own to protect their residents in our digital age.” The state patchwork is creating confusion for consumers and businesses, she said. She said previously she will reintroduce a bill from last session (see 2101220048). Future of Privacy Forum CEO Jules Polonetsky said FPF is encouraged by the new law, noting it “will be the first in the country to require companies to obtain affirmative opt-in consent for processing sensitive data” and “the first to mandate formal Data Protection Assessments.” Our earlier report on the law is here.
California could switch to connections-based USF contribution by Jan. 1. The California Public Utilities Commission said Friday it plans to vote Thursday on a proposal to open a rulemaking seeking a “straightforward and flexible" mechanism to fund California universal service public purpose programs (PPPs). The current mechanism based on a percentage of intrastate revenue “is not sustainable due to the continuing decline of intrastate revenue billing base being reported by service providers,” said the proposal. The current surcharge is about 7.75%, and the intrastate revenue base declined by more than 58% to $6.43 billion in 2020, from $15.41 billion in 2012, it said. The proposal contributes the decline partly to the FCC classifying text messaging as an information service, which stymied a 2019 CPUC plan to assess SMS (see 1901310023). The CPUC last year doubled surcharges for two USF programs. It also plans to vote Thursday on a proposal to require open access for middle-mile infrastructure funded by the California Advanced Services Fund (see 2102230018) and a $1.3 million proposed fine for Frontier Communications for 2019 service-quality failures (see 2101140058).
When OneWeb initiates commercial service with its satellite-delivered broadband later this year (see 2102110056), it will start in Alaska, CEO Neil Masterson told FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, per a docket 20-443 post Friday. Masterson repeated arguments against opening the 12 GHz band to widespread terrestrial 5G operations.
Google unlawfully failed to keep information on political ads sold in the state, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson (D) said Wednesday, suing in King County Superior Court. The Fair Campaign Practices Act requires political advertisers keep such information. Ferguson sued Google for the same thing in 2018, resulting in the company paying $217,000. Ferguson filed a similar suit against Facebook in April. Google didn’t comment Thursday.
Industry groups clashed with consumer advocates and wireless providers whether E-rate should be used for self-provisioning services to students, in replies posted Wednesday in docket 21-31 on a Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition's petition to temporarily support remote learning (see 2101260055). That would raise "practical, financial, and legal issues that are too complex," and funding should be used to support existing services, said Verizon. USTelecom, NTCA and NCTA agreed. ACA Connects said its members "readily install wireline service within days of getting an order," and it "exceeds the performance of mobile wireless service." A coalition of advocacy groups, including New America, Public Knowledge, Consumers Reports, Common Sense, Benton Institute for Broadband & Society and Access Humboldt, disagreed: Verizon's argument is "self-serving" and "willfully ignores the Herculean efforts many school districts have already undertaken" to connect students during the pandemic. Schools should be given the flexibility to "use hybrid approaches tailored to local circumstances," like fixed wireless services that "authenticate students directly to the school's network," the groups said. Approve the use of fixed wireless services because they can be deployed "very quickly," the Wireless ISP Association urged. Incompas agreed: Allow "hotspots, mobile wireless towers, or equipment that can reasonably be expected to support remote learning." UScellular and the National School Boards Association echoed that. "Setting aside support for any technology should be rejected in favor of permitting people to choose services that best suit their educational needs," said UScellular. Allow E-rate funds to be used for remote learning beyond the pandemic because "not all students will be able to reenter the classroom when doors reopen on day one," said Zoom.
Maryland lawmakers heard testimony on a revived net neutrality bill, a day after a California law was tentatively upheld by a judge (see 2102230074). Maryland HB-1064 would prohibit fixed ISPs from blocking content, ensure that state funds can be used to contract only ISPs that comply with net neutrality rules, and block governments that provide broadband service from use restrictions that prohibit free speech. The Maryland House Economic Matters Committee heard testimony Wednesday on Del. Kirill Reznik's bill. A Democrat, Reznik expects the committee to consider designating broadband service as a regulated utility later in the legislative session. The consumer protection division of the state attorney general’s office expressed “strong support” for the bill. “If you were to allow ISPs to make it more difficult for people to use the internet for their basic needs, then that would only exacerbate the digital divide,” testified Deputy Chief Steve Sakamoto-Wengel. But the internet “did not break” after the COVID-19 pandemic hit because “companies like Comcast, Verizon and AT&T invested hundreds of millions of dollars,” said Sean Looney, Comcast vice president-state government affairs. “Legislation like this discourages investment,” he said. “If you want to make sure that people have access to the internet, don’t pass a piece of legislation like this.” Looney said Comcast supports federal legislation to “stop this regulatory pendulum” of individual states passing their own versions of net neutrality. Del. Lorig Charkoudian (D) pressed Looney on why Comcast opposed the FCC 2015 net neutrality order, saying his comment appeared “inconsistent with my understanding of Comcast’s position.”
A bipartisan group of attorneys general from 28 states, Washington, D.C., and Guam urged the FCC to allow E-rate funds to temporarily be used for remote learning. Replies were due Tuesday in docket 21-31. AGs who signed included those from Alaska, Connecticut, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Utah, Virginia and Washington. They "urge the Commission to promptly take the actions requested above to unlock the doors of the virtual classroom while physical schools remain."