Senate floor proceedings are delayed until Oct. 19, complicating the timeline for consideration of Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett and FCC nominee Nathan Simington. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was expected to have sought unanimous consent Monday for the chamber to meet pro forma through next week after GOP members Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Mike Lee of Utah and Thom Tillis of North Carolina tested positive for COVID-19. Johnson and Lee are members of the Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Simington pick. Lee and Tillis are on the Judiciary Committee, which is handling the Barrett nomination. Lee and Tillis attended the event last month where President Donald Trump announced he was picking Barrett. Trump (see 2010020044) and other attendees also tested positive. Johnson attended Senate GOP caucus lunches with Lee and Tillis last week. McConnell said the delay in floor proceedings won’t preclude committees from holding hearings virtually, a practice that’s been in place since the spring (see 2005180042). Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., intends to begin hearings on Barrett next week. A committee vote to advance Barrett is planned for Oct. 22; it's unclear whether Lee and Tillis will recover by then. Republicans hold a 12-10 Judiciary majority, making Lee's and Tillis' presence crucial for advancing Barrett amid likely unanimous Democratic opposition. Commerce could hold a virtual hearing on Simington; there’s no chatter about one coming (see 2009300022). The committee has postponed Wednesday's railroads hearing and didn't comment on any further schedule changes.
Comcast’s next-generation xFi Pod, available Thursday, delivers twice the Wi-Fi speed of its predecessor, said the company. The Pod, $119 for one or $199 for two at Xfinity stores and xfinity.com/xfipods, has a tri-band radio and works with the xFi gateway to extend Wi-Fi coverage via a mesh network. Users can add the device to a network using the Xfinity mobile app; they can also view connection status and monitor and pause Wi-Fi devices, it said. It has two Ethernet ports. Since March, Comcast has seen demand for Pods double as households increase their Wi-Fi use, said Dana Strong, president-Xfinity Consumer Services.
Comcast’s next-generation xFi Pod, available Thursday, delivers twice the Wi-Fi speed of its predecessor, said the company. The Pod, $119 for one or $199 for two at Xfinity stores and xfinity.com/xfipods, has a tri-band radio and works with the xFi gateway to extend Wi-Fi coverage via a mesh network. Users can add the device to a network using the Xfinity mobile app; they can also view connection status and monitor and pause Wi-Fi devices, it said. It has two Ethernet ports. Since March, Comcast has seen demand for Pods double as households increase their Wi-Fi use, said Dana Strong, president-Xfinity Consumer Services.
Comcast’s next-generation xFi Pod, available Thursday, delivers twice the Wi-Fi speed of its predecessor, said the company. The Pod, $119 for one or $199 for two at Xfinity stores and xfinity.com/xfipods, has a tri-band radio and works with the xFi gateway to extend Wi-Fi coverage via a mesh network. Users can add the device to a network using the Xfinity mobile app; they can also view connection status and monitor and pause Wi-Fi devices, it said. It has two Ethernet ports. Since March, Comcast has seen demand for Pods double as households increase their Wi-Fi use, said Dana Strong, president-Xfinity Consumer Services.
The FCC monthly meeting's livestream had technical difficulties just under two hours after it started Wednesday, and Chairman Ajit Pai considered approving the remaining items on circulation, according to a text transcript generated on the FCC Live webpage while video and audio were frozen and unavailable. The virtual meeting paused for about half an hour. The FCC Live page transcribes audio from FCC meetings as they take place and, while the glitch was happening, showed Pai consulting with General Counsel Tom Johnson and other agency staff about legal and technical workarounds. Johnson told Pai it may not be legal for the FCC to continue the meeting without the public being able to observe, and Pai asked about switching to the audio-only format of previous pandemic-era FCC meetings. “I guess we could circulate an ad hoc notice,” the transcript showed Pai saying. “We were making such good time.” The transcript showed FCC staff mentioning a Comcast service upgrade and issues with connectivity to YouTube as related to the malfunction. The FCC didn’t respond to requests for comment Thursday. “It’s the nature of the beast, I’m afraid.” Pai said on the transcript. The meeting stream experienced similar glitches in February (see 2002280054). The agency responded to our Freedom of Information Act request on the February matter with no documents. We continue seeking details.
New York Attorney General Letitia James and 18 other Democratic state attorneys general were among those filing amicus briefs Wednesday opposing a DOJ bid to get a preliminary injunction to stop enforcement of California’s net neutrality law (see 2008050060). DOJ's and ISPs’ lawsuits against the California statute (SB-822) in U.S. District Court in Sacramento resumed in early August after Mozilla and others let pass a July 6 deadline to seek a Supreme Court review of FCC rescission of its 2015 national rules (see 2007300041). TechFreedom, TIA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce filed amicus briefs in August supporting the litigation (see 2008200034).
New York Attorney General Letitia James and 18 other Democratic state attorneys general were among those filing amicus briefs Wednesday opposing a DOJ bid to get a preliminary injunction to stop enforcement of California’s net neutrality law (see 2008050060). DOJ's and ISPs’ lawsuits against the California statute (SB-822) in U.S. District Court in Sacramento resumed in early August after Mozilla and others let pass a July 6 deadline to seek a Supreme Court review of FCC rescission of its 2015 national rules (see 2007300041). TechFreedom, TIA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce filed amicus briefs in August supporting the litigation (see 2008200034).
Commissioner Mike O'Rielly's nearly seven-year FCC career will wrap up by year's end. During the agency's September meeting Wednesday, he said he's folding on others' efforts to get himself renominated. He said he's leaving regardless of how the November presidential election plays out (see 2009300014).
U.S. District Court in Burlington paused litigation challenging Vermont’s net neutrality law. Judge Christina Reiss ordered the stay (in Pacer) Friday after Vermont agreed Thursday with ISPs to keep the law on ice at least until preliminary injunction decisions come in lawsuits challenging California's net neutrality law (see 2009240065). The litigation stay expires Jan. 30 if preliminary injunction motions are unresolved.
The California Public Utilities Commission should pump the brakes on state LifeLine changes until the FCC resolves federal Lifeline minimum service standards (MSS), the National Lifeline Association commented Thursday in CPUC docket R.20-02-008. Many at the federal agency seek to freeze MSS at 3 GB and oppose an FCC plan to raise MSS to 4.5 GB monthly; it would increase to 11.75 GB on Dec. 1 otherwise (see 2009150072). NaLA raised legal concerns with the CPUC’s proposal, saying it’s “likely to be challenged in federal court because it breaks with the Commission’s own precedent and mandates that the wireless Basic and Standard Plans be provided to California LifeLine participants for free in violation of Section 332(c)(3) of the Communications Act.” Federal law bans state commissions from setting wireless Lifeline co-payments, TracFone commented. Requiring free services is prohibited rate regulation, said the company, being bought by Verizon. The CPUC Public Advocates Office praised the agency’s plan to include wireline broadband service in LifeLine. "Given more than six months have passed since the start of the pandemic and many Californians may be in need of affordable broadband options to perform these essential activities, Cal Advocates urges the Commission to implement the [proposed decision's] interim rules swiftly and with urgency.” The California Emergency Technology Fund agreed. Frontier Communications raised concerns the proposal recommends replacing only $2 of a $4 monthly federal funding reduction coming in December. “This proposal will result in rate increases of up to $2.00 and harm low-income consumers at a time when they are most vulnerable from the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing financial crisis.”