NTIA filed the eagerly awaited petition to the FCC to clarify Communications Decency Act Section 230, as instructed by President Donald Trump's executive order. The changes would say when certain industry actions such as by social media platforms wouldn't be exempted under the liability safe harbor. The administration now also asked "to impose disclosure requirements similar those imposed on other internet companies, such as major broadband service providers, to promote free and open debate on the internet."
Jonathan Make
Jonathan Make, Executive Editor, is a journalist for publications including Communications Daily. He joined the Warren Communications News staff in 2005, after covering the industry at Bloomberg. He moved to Washington in 2003 to research the Federal Communications Commission as part of a master’s degree in media and public affairs at George Washington University. He’s immediate past president of the Society of Professional Journalists local chapter. You can follow Make on Instagram, Medium and Twitter: @makejdm.
NARUC and FCC leaders are in agreement that inmate calling service rates need to be examined. NARUC President Brandon Presley agreed with FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, Presley wrote Thursday. Pai had written the organization earlier this week.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai asked NARUC and state regulators to act against high inmate calling service rates for calls within states. His letter Monday comes as the federal agency is poised to vote Aug. 6 on lowering some interstate inmate calling service rates and amid a focus by communications stakeholders and others on racial justice and diversity.
The tech industry wants a transition to a new data sharing regime between the U.S. and Europe, after a European court rejected Privacy Shield. Early Thursday EDT, the European Court of Justice ruled against aspects of PS. The case involves Max Schrems, who has been challenging PS for some time.
Bidding on using the C band for things like 5G, necessitating moving satellite operators, is one FCC auction that won't be delayed due to COVID-19 and its fallout. Chairman Ajit Pai made the announcement Wednesday as he disclosed items for the Aug. 6 commissioners' meeting.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai wants commissioners to vote at the FCC's Aug. 6 meeting on prison phone rates, an issue attracting additional scrutiny during COVID-19 and amid protests over policing, criminal justice and racial diversity. Inmate calling services providers would "generally be subject to the FCC’s rules when it comes to ancillary service charges -- including our fee caps and our limits on the types of charges allowed," Pai blogged Wednesday.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is eyeing additional duties on French products over France’s digital services tax. After determining in December the DST "is unreasonable or discriminatory and burdens or restricts U.S. commerce," USTR said Friday it plans the additional duties of 25%; it will suspend those levies' application for up to six months.
It likely wouldn't be safe to hold a meeting indoors, even in October, a tech think tank announced Thursday afternoon. The Technology Policy Institute in mid-April canceled its annual summer event for Aspen, Colorado, because of COVID-19. At that time, it planned to hold the rescheduled event Oct. 16-18 in person but in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The $8.3 billion annual USF "may no longer be used to purchase, obtain, maintain, improve, modify, or otherwise support any equipment or services produced or provided by" Huawei and ZTE, the FCC announced Tuesday afternoon. The Public Safety Bureau designated the Chinese telecom gear makers as covered under the commission's 5-0 November ban on buying from companies posing a national security threat.
The FCC stopped taking COVID-19 telehealth applications, it announced Thursday (see 2006250069). "Based on the applications received to date, demand for funding exceeds available" money. Some $200 million was allotted. The FCC doesn't "want to impose burdens on health care providers who may prepare new applications that cannot be funded under the current appropriation." The program has approved 444 requests in 46 states plus Washington, D.C., for $157.64 million, the agency announced. The latest awards were disclosed this week. A Wireline Bureau public notice has details on the cessation of accepting new requests for money. The bureau began taking applications for the congressionally mandated program April 13 after the commission approved program rules earlier that month (see 2004010042). The bureau was directed to review applications and award funding commitments on a rolling basis until funding exhausts or the pandemic ends. The bureau prioritized funding applications targeting areas hardest hit by the coronavirus and where the support will have the most impact on healthcare needs, as Congress directed. The American Telemedicine Association has asked Congress to expand the program in the next COVID-19 legislative package, a spokesperson emailed Thursday. Commissioner Brendan Carr has been a proponent at the agency for telehealth funds. “Less than two years ago, we set out to establish a new FCC telehealth program to support the trend towards connected care," Carr said in a statement to us. "I am pleased that this leg work enabled the FCC to stand up the emergency telehealth initiative in record time. And I am pleased with the interest that health care providers have shown in participating. I look forward to the FCC’s continued work on these efforts, including the upcoming Connected Care Pilot.” The FCC didn't answer our questions.