USTelecom said ISP standoffs with Vermont and California will continue, even as those and other states seeking to enforce net neutrality rules repealed by the FCC said they're heartened by a Tuesday decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The court largely upheld the FCC’s 2018 order but ruled that the federal agency couldn’t pre-empt states (see 1910010018). The ruling also put the spotlight back on Congress’ net neutrality debate, gridlocked for months. Legislative leaders didn’t stray Tuesday from their existing positions. Some see that as a sign there’s unlikely to be much progress before the presidential election.
Diamond Tools Technology evaded antidumping duties on diamond sawblades from China, as alleged (see 1706280035), CBP said in a Sept. 17 final determination. After conferring with the Commerce Department through a scope referral, the agency found that substantial evidence supported the allegation. The law firm Wiley Rein lawyer Daniel Pickard filed the original allegation on behalf of the Diamond Sawblades Manufacturers Coalition in 2017.
CBP can sometimes correct mistaken duty assessments past the normal statutory time limit for reliquidation if it does so quickly enough after discovering the error, the Court of International Trade said in a Sept. 27 decision. In a case involving a court-approved settlement on the amount of antidumping duties owed on ironing tables from China, the trade court allowed CBP to reliquidate entries from Target and other companies that the agency had liquidated at the wrong rate, even though the 90-day period for reliquidation had already passed.
FCC Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks said they have been frozen out of the process on changes to the order approving T-Mobile buying Sprint, circulated by Chairman Ajit Pai in August (see 1908140052). FCC officials told us only Pai and Commissioner Mike O’Rielly have voted to approve. Commissioner Brendan Carr’s office has had a series of meetings on the deal (see 1909240017).
FCC Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks said they have been frozen out of the process on changes to the order approving T-Mobile buying Sprint, circulated by Chairman Ajit Pai in August (see 1908140052). FCC officials told us only Pai and Commissioner Mike O’Rielly have voted to approve. Commissioner Brendan Carr’s office has had a series of meetings on the deal (see 1909240017).
Stakeholders want the FCC to delay further Lifeline changes and promptly answer an industry petition requesting a pause on stricter minimum broadband service standards set for Dec. 1 (see 1908300026), they said in interviews last week. A proposed order and Further NPRM stirred some concern amid others that the poor could lose access to mobile broadband if the cost exceeds federal reimbursements. Last month, Chairman Ajit Pai circulated the "administrative clean-up" order and FNPRM (see 1908290028). Since a "highly problematic" 2017 NPRM on Lifeline fraud and abuse, Public Knowledge has been cautious about Pai's Lifeline proposals, said Policy Director Phillip Berenbroick. Industry groups are focusing on a representative accountability database (RAD) that collects personally identifying information (PII) from sales agents and employees of eligible telecom carriers (ETCs) who interact with the national verifier database to sign up and renew Lifeline subscribers. Mike Romano, NTCA senior vice president-business development and industry affairs, said ETC employees shouldn't have to provide PII because the telecom companies can track them down. Romano said the RAD asks for last four digits of a Social Security number and home address on a voluntary basis, saying such information would be required if the FCC doesn't decide otherwise by year-end. "It's hard to put the toothpaste back in the tube. If in four months, it turns out you don't need it, that information is already out there. If we're going to think this through, let's wait." ITTA had meetings involving the RAD, said President Genny Morelli, including some last week and others set for this week. ITTA, too, is arguing ETC employees who don't receive commissions to sign up Lifeline subscribers shouldn't have to register. If they do, information should be limited to name, title, business phone number and email, Morelli said. She's encouraged that commissioners' offices were still taking meetings. The petition to delay implementation of new service standards remains "under review," an agency spokesperson emailed Friday. The representative doesn't expect any draft items not covered in a news-media call last month (see 1908190028) to be controversial.
Stakeholders interviewed last week want the FCC to delay further Lifeline changes and promptly answer an industry petition requesting a pause on stricter minimum broadband service standards set for Dec. 1 (see 1906280012). A proposed order and Further NPRM has stirred some concern, as the poor could lose access to mobile broadband if the cost to provide new minimum service levels exceeds incentives from federal reimbursements.
Josh.ai announced new partner integrations with Comcast, Ketra and Samsung ahead of CEDIA Expo, beginning Wednesday in Denver, along with a virtual TV remote control for Apple devices. Comcast integration provides control of live TV using voice and the Josh app, allowing customers to ask for channels by name or number; functionality also includes the ability to navigate the Comcast guide and menu, play, pause, fast-forward, rewind and select content, said Josh. Integration with Samsung IP TVs lets users control power and volume and change sources, it said. A TV remote built in to iPhone and iPad apps enable a “natural and intuitive touch experience for control,” it said. The company added “concise mode” to its offerings, a one-word confirmation when it’s controlling certain devices: rather than telling a homeowner the living room lights are now on, it will just say, “ok." Josh.ai’s new native integration with Lutron’s Ketra lighting system enables homeowners to adjust color temperature and hue of lights via voice or app, it said. A new Sonos feature lets users auto-discover and control favorite pre-defined playlists, it said. Josh.ai also updated its privacy and security features, announcing new features around permissioning so customers and integrators can specify more granular user roles, said the company. All data Josh.ai gathers is used to improve the customer experience, said the company, but users have the option to disable all data gathering and delete specific logs.
Josh.ai announced new partner integrations with Comcast, Ketra and Samsung ahead of CEDIA Expo, beginning Wednesday in Denver, along with a virtual TV remote control for Apple devices. Comcast integration provides control of live TV using voice and the Josh app, allowing customers to ask for channels by name or number; functionality also includes the ability to navigate the Comcast guide and menu, play, pause, fast-forward, rewind and select content, said Josh. Integration with Samsung IP TVs lets users control power and volume and change sources, it said. A TV remote built in to iPhone and iPad apps enable a “natural and intuitive touch experience for control,” it said. The company added “concise mode” to its offerings, a one-word confirmation when it’s controlling certain devices: rather than telling a homeowner the living room lights are now on, it will just say, “ok." Josh.ai’s new native integration with Lutron’s Ketra lighting system enables homeowners to adjust color temperature and hue of lights via voice or app, it said. A new Sonos feature lets users auto-discover and control favorite pre-defined playlists, it said. Josh.ai also updated its privacy and security features, announcing new features around permissioning so customers and integrators can specify more granular user roles, said the company. All data Josh.ai gathers is used to improve the customer experience, said the company, but users have the option to disable all data gathering and delete specific logs.
The planned U.S. and Chinese tariff increases are expected to go forward as scheduled and escalation will continue "until both sides feel enough economic, market and/or political pain to strike a deal," said Bank of America Merrill Lynch global economists Ethan Harris and Aditya Bhave in a Sept. 3 research report. "The recent escalation has opened an almost insurmountable gap in terms of numbers and trust," the economists said. "The only real question is whether the Trump Administration takes the politically dangerous step of imposing tariffs on headline consumer products in December. We think they give it a go: given the supply chain lags it will mainly impact consumer prices after the holidays. All told we expect US tariffs against China to increase from about $63bn in August to more than $115bn by yearend, with Chinese tariffs on US products rising from $20bn to $25bn."