House Communications Subcommittee members broadly agreed during a Tuesday hearing there is significant support for seven bills aimed at combating abusive robocalls, but it's less clear how they would package them for final passage. It's also unclear how they will reconcile those measures with the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (Traced) Act. HR-2015/S-151 is being targeted for fast-track Senate passage yet wasn't considered at the Tuesday House hearing (see 1904290166).
A Tuesday anti-robocalls hearing gives the House Communications Subcommittee an opportunity to make a public return to bipartisanship as members delve into a group of seven anti-robocalls bills, lobbyists told us. Stakeholders are monitoring the House Commerce Committee's telecom policy agenda for signs of a pivot in its trajectory. The committee's contentious debate over the Save the Internet Act net neutrality bill (HR-1644) culminated in the measure's passage earlier this month (see 1904230069). The hearing begins 10 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn (see 1904260068).
Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist wrote members of Congress opposing the C-Band Alliance's plan for clearing more than 200 MHz of 3.7-4.2 GHz band (see 1811130055), saying it “misses the mark.” Stakeholders believe the FCC will need to find a compromise between CBA's proposal and rival plans from T-Mobile and others (see 1904250060). The top executive of an alliance member said separately that the transition will take work. The CBA's proposal “is unworkable because it lacks transparency and does not provide a mechanism to reimburse the taxpayers for the sale of this valuable asset,” Norquist said. “Should the CBA produce a new and credible proposal for a secondary market transaction it is worth consideration.” It's “fortunate that the incumbent satellite companies have shown a willingness to work with the FCC to find a win-win solution to re-organizing the band,” Norquist said. The band “is not only the most readily available mid-band spectrum, it is also globally harmonized, a rare valuable benefit that would enable wireless carriers to keep costs lower through economies of scale.” CBA said in a statement it's "appreciative of [ATR] acknowledging" the alliance's bid "to create a fast path to clearing spectrum" for 5G. "We are presently engaged with a number of stakeholders so that we can fully understand the concerns regarding a market-based approach," but it's "our intent to present an approach to the FCC which is fully transparent and responsive to the needs of market participants," CBA said. Relocating C-band customers will require "a significant amount of investment," SES CEO Steve Collar said in an earnings call Friday with analysts, according to a transcript. He said SES isn't focused on C-band clearing as "any potential financial opportunity," at least currently. He said the FCC seems motivated to move on a band-clearing plan "relatively quickly," with "some activity" by the agency in the second half of the year.
Federal officials and private sector stakeholders warned the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission Thursday about the Chinese government's intense interest in becoming a leading space power. They recommended a change in federal strategy to protect against the corresponding threat to U.S. satellite interests. House Armed Services Committee member Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., recently raised concerns via a Center for Strategic and International Studies report that China and other countries had surpassed the U.S. in deploying anti-satellite technologies (see 1904040007). There's widespread debate how the U.S. can eclipse China in the race for dominance over 5G (see 1904090075).
Government responses to the January 2018 false missile emergency alert in Hawaii (see 1801160054) resulted in fixes, but there's room for improvement, said emergency communications officials and lawyers in interviews. The false alarm drew scrutiny from the FCC, Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Hawaii agencies (see 1804110064). Some are pushing to bring back legislation filed last Congress to address some of the issues identified in reviews of the incident. Telecom-focused lawmakers said they're considering just that.
Government responses to the January 2018 false missile emergency alert in Hawaii (see 1801160054) resulted in fixes, but there's room for improvement, said emergency communications officials and lawyers in interviews. The false alarm drew scrutiny from the FCC, Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Hawaii agencies (see 1804110064). Some are pushing to bring back legislation filed last Congress to address some of the issues identified in reviews of the incident. Telecom-focused lawmakers said they're considering just that.
The House Commerce Committee's upcoming telecom policy focus is likely to include a mix of issues that will provide opportunities for lawmakers to highlight bipartisan agreement on robocalls and increasing commercial spectrum availability, as well as potential mudslinging over FCC oversight matters, lawmakers and lobbyists told us. The Senate Commerce Committee's coming telecom agenda is less well defined, amid an increased focus on privacy legislation. Lobbyists will scrutinize the committee's next moves as it considers whether to reauthorize the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act. Both chambers reconvene Monday after Congress' two-week recess.
The House Communications Subcommittee set an April 30 hearing on robocalls legislation, as expected (see 1904190033). "It’s time for Congress to act, and next week we will discuss legislation that will protect consumers, stop the abusive practices of robocallers and better restrict unauthorized calls," said House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and House Communications Chairman Mike Doyle, D-Pa., in a Tuesday news release. The hearing begins at 10 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn.
Tech and telecom entities that reported Q1 lobbying spending this week had a range of large swings in their totals, continuing a trend seen among earlier filers like AT&T, Google and Sprint (see 1904220057). Comcast spent $3.5 million on lobbying, a 17 percent decrease from the year-ago quarter. Facebook spent $3.4 million, roughly flat. Verizon spent $2.57 million, down more than 8 percent. Disney had $810,000, up 8 percent. Fox expended $750,000 on lobbying in its iterations before and after it sold its nonbroadcast assets to Disney, down 23 percent. The transfer of Fox's nonbroadcast assets happened in March (see 1903190049).
Rivada adviser and former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove registered as a lobbyist on behalf of the company, he said in a filing to Congress released Monday. His registration was effective Jan. 8. Rove said he's lobbying on the importance of “wholesale, open access 5G,” a reference to Rivada’s support for the concept of the U.S. government's making spectrum being reserved for 5G available to carriers on wholesale. The Bachner Group said it also registered, effective Jan. 1, to lobby for Rivada on 5G. Rivada’s backing for wholesale 5G drew attention after President Donald Trump's re-election campaign released a statement in favor of the concept (see 1903040058). Trump said earlier this month he believes U.S. efforts to lead on 5G must be “private sector driven and private sector led,” while government-led efforts “won't be nearly as good” nor “nearly as fast” (see 1904120065). Rivada has been talking to Capitol Hill this year on 5G, including on the Secure 5G and Beyond Act (S-893) to require the president develop a strategy for ensuring security of 5G networks and infrastructure (see 1903280064). Rove met earlier this month with House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows, R-N.C., on 5G wholesale. Rove "registered out of an abundance of caution," a Rivada spokesperson emailed now. "It does not represent a change in his role with us."