The House Commerce Committee voted 31-24 along party lines Friday night to advance to the House Budget Committee language in its part of the coming COVID-19 budget reconciliation measure that would allocate $7.6 billion for E-rate remote learning funding, as expected. The section would also allocate $50 million to the Consumer Product Safety Commission that would in part be used to monitor e-commerce websites selling pandemic-related and other dangerous consumer products.
The new administration told a court overseeing the federal government's challenge to California net neutrality rules that the government wants to dismiss that case. As expected, DOJ notified U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of California Monday "of its voluntary dismissal of this case," No. 2:18-cv-2660-JAM-DB. See here in Pacer.
President Joe Biden has named Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel as the FCC’s interim chair, until a permanent chair can be confirmed later this year, said a news release. Rosenworcel is among several candidates considered to be in the running for the permanent job. “I thank the President for the opportunity to lead an agency with such a vital mission and talented staff," Rosenworcel said in the release. "It is a privilege to serve the American people and work on their behalf to expand the reach of communications opportunity in the digital age.”
President Joe Biden designated FTC Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter as acting chair, the agency announced Thursday. “I am deeply honored and grateful to lead an agency that is critical to helping the U.S. economy get back on its feet and function more fairly for all Americans,” Slaughter said.
The C-band auction, which opened Dec. 8, closed at $80.9 billion in its first phase, not including roughly $13 billion in additional accelerated clearing payments. That's according to the FCC's auction website and to an agency announcement shortly after 1 p.m. EST Friday.
The Trump administration's outgoing antitrust head said he won't act to change consent decrees governing performing rights organizations' licensing of public performance of music. After a two-year DOJ Antitrust Division investigation into the pacts with ASCAP and BMI, division chief Makan Delrahim laid out principles to keep in mind. But he said he's not acting now.
The 2.5 GHz competitive bidding procedures NPRM saw an important change after it was circulated by Chairman Ajit Pai, FCC officials told us. Pai had proposed a single-round, sealed-bid auction design rather than the more traditional simultaneous multiple round auction format. The notice was changed to seek comment on both, we were told.
Making good on a threat Wednesday when protesters turned violent at the Capitol after the president encouraged them to go there during the Electoral College ratification (see here), Twitter said Friday it permanently suspended the account of Donald Trump. The social media platform said this followed the company's "close review" of recent @realDonaldTrump tweets "and the context around them -- specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter." The platform cited "the risk of further incitement of violence."
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai slammed Donald Trump over the outgoing president's rhetoric against the Nov. 3 election results, which led protesters to storm the Capitol Wednesday and turn violent. Pai also confirmed he won't propose changes to how the FCC interprets a tech liability shield law, conforming with expectations (see here and here).
E.W. Scripps completed its $2.65 billion deal to buy Ion Media from Black Diamond Capital Management, divesting 23 stations to the newly formed Inyo Broadcasting as part of the transaction, it said in a news release Thursday. The FCC approved the deal Dec. 15, with no public notice of the approval issued after no petitions to deny were filed, a broadcast industry official told us. Scripps is holding on to 48 of the stations and plans to combine Ion’s content with its Katz networks and Newsy for a “full-scale national television networks business,” the release said. “Bringing our networks together with ION will create a formidable national television business focused on connecting with audiences and advertisers in the rapidly evolving media landscape,” said Scripps CEO Adam Symson in the release.