Democratic FCC nominee Gigi Sohn’s difficult confirmation process and the partisan divisions during the Senate’s 2020 approval of Republican Commissioner Nathan Simington (see 2012080068) don’t necessarily guarantee future commission nominees will face similarly contentious fights, lawmakers and communications policy stakeholders said in interviews. Some observers cited the Senate’s December 68-31 confirmation vote for FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel (see 2112070029) and its 2019 unanimous consent to approve Commissioners Brendan Carr and Geoffrey Starks to their current terms as signs that bipartisan consensus on some nominees remains possible.
Elon Musk offered to buy Twitter Thursday and take it private, saying he wants to transform the platform and defend free speech. The Tesla CEO and Twitter shareholder announced his bid through an SEC filing, in which he offered to buy 100% of Twitter at $54.20 per share, estimating the value of the company at $43.4 billion.
Direct negotiations with China are, “at this point, unlikely to yield meaningful results” in curbing Beijing’s unfair trade practices, Emily Kilcrease, senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, told the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission in written testimony at a hearing Thursday. “China has little incentive to commit to binding rules that will require structural changes to a system they believe works for their economic and political objectives,” she said.
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission will keep watching Frontier Communications, said members, as they closed an investigation into the company’s “virtual separation” at a partially virtual meeting Thursday. Union officials urged commissioners to keep docket 21-150 open due to their concerns about Frontier investment and workforce levels. Commissioners adopted a decision seeking more information on those subjects in existing Frontier service-quality docket 18-122, where they said oversight will continue.
The shipping industry is increasingly testing extended use of Arctic waters as climate change makes them more accessible for longer periods of time, but that likely won't be a big emerging market for satellite nautical connectivity, satellite connectivity experts told us. Bandwidth demands, particularly by cruise ship operators, are skyrocketing.
Early signs this week are that smaller carriers may be interested in pursuing licenses in the 2.5 GHz auction, which starts July 29, as they fill in their mid-band spectrum holdings. The biggest player in the auction is still expected to be T-Mobile, which already has a dominant position in the band since its buy of Sprint, and is using 2.5 GHz for its 5G rollout. The Rural Wireless Association had a webinar Thursday on the nuts and bolts of auction participation.
The U.S. Privacy Shield ombudsperson reviewed zero European complaints about U.S. surveillance practices during two years under the agreement (see 2203250002 and 2104070058), U.K. Information Commissioner John Edwards said Wednesday.
Ohio justices asked why a city went to court rather than the legislature to collect franchise fees from over-the-top streaming video services. The Ohio Supreme Court held oral argument Wednesday on litigation between Maple Heights, Ohio, and Netflix and Hulu (case 2021-0864). Some justices appeared skeptical that Netflix and Hulu are video service providers that must pay franchise fees under Ohio’s 2007 law.
The Delaware House Appropriations Committee unanimously advanced an amended version of data broker transparency bill HB-262 Wednesday. The measure would require companies that collect and sell information of more than 500 Delawareans to register and fill out a questionnaire with the state's DOJ, which then would share information with consumers on a website. The House Technology and Telecommunications Committee advanced an earlier version of HB-262 in January (see 2201250060).
Keeping pace with China on standards-setting for 5G and telecom in general is becoming more challenging, with the U.S. failing to keep up with huge investments China is plowing into standards work, speakers said during an FCBA webinar Wednesday. Congress and the Joe Biden administration are focused on ensuring strong U.S. participation in standards-setting work, but the U.S. isn’t catching up, they said.