The Biden administration’s effort to protect national security by limiting tech investment in China could have the opposite effect by putting American companies at a disadvantage, tech associations told the Treasury Department in comments due Thursday (see 2308100003).
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel defended an anticipated proceeding that will kick off the commission's efforts to reestablish net neutrality rules (see 2309260047). "We've made it a national policy to make sure broadband reaches everyone, everywhere," she said during a Wednesday Axios event: "I think we should make it a national policy to make sure it's open and not just leave this issue to the states." Rosenworcel in an FCC note also previewed the draft item to be released Thursday, saying commissioners will vote next month on a proposal to begin the process of restoring the FCC’s "overwhelmingly popular" rules.
FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez appoints Deena Shetler, deputy chief of staff for administration-Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel’s office, as acting chief of staff and legal adviser for media and international; Edyael Casaperalta, chief of staff-Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, as acting legal adviser for Wireless, Public Safety and Consumer Protection; Hayley Steffen, legal adviser to bureau chief-Wireline Bureau, as acting legal adviser for Wireline and Space; and Anna Holland, staff assistant to bureau chief-Wireline Bureau, as acting executive assistant … Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo names Sean McDevitt, consulting firm Arthur D. Little partner, FirstNet Authority board member (see 2309260042) ... Department of State announces Patricia Gruber, ex-Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global, as science and technology adviser to the secretary of state, heading the Office of the Science and Technology Adviser.
Republicans asked the Biden administration to strengthen export controls against Huawei and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp., after Huawei unveiled a new smartphone this month that may have been made through means that violated U.S. export restrictions. In a letter sent to the Bureau of Industry and Security last week, 10 House Republicans, including Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul of Texas, said they're “extremely troubled and perplexed” about BIS’ “inability to effectively write and enforce export control rules against violators, especially China.” They said BIS has continued to grant licenses to SMIC and other Chinese companies despite “continued Congressional pressure to adopt stricter policies.” They said both technology companies should be subject to “full blocking sanctions” and their executives should face criminal investigations, and the Commerce Department should revoke all of their existing license applications, add all their subsidiaries to the Entity List and take other measures to cut off a broad range of shipments to both firms. The lawmakers asked for a briefing with BIS and other agencies that oversee export controls by Sept. 28 and listed several recommendations for the administration to further limit sensitive technology exports to China, including by creating a new sanctions authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act specifically focused on China. The new sanctions authority should be used to target companies that “flout” export controls and should be leveraged to “designate SMIC and Huawei with full blocking sanctions.”
Low-power broadcasters WWOO-LD Boston and XGen Network demonstrated an alternative to ATSC 3.0 in a livestream Wednesday by using 5G broadcast technology to send a television signal to a cellphone, airing a news broadcast and an emergency alert. WWOO is the only station broadcasting 5G in the U.S., and does so under an FCC experimental license. Though the tech is far behind ATSC 3.0 in implementation, it has been accepted by international cellular standards-making body 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and is expected to be receivable in next-generation mobile devices without additional hardware -- unlike 3.0, say 5G broadcast advocates. 3.0 “is a much more robust program right now,” but “we can get into cellphones,” said XGen CEO Frank Copsidas, who also heads the LPTV Broadcasters Association.
Digital Media Association hires Graham Davies, ex-Ivors Academy, president-CEO, beginning this fall with plans to relocate from the U.K. to the U.S. … Entertainment Software Association hires Christianna Barnhart, former senior counsel to Senate Commerce Committee, as senior vice president-government affairs ... New Motion Picture Association hires: Alivia Roberts, from office of Vice President Kamala Harris, and Katherine Grayson, from office of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., both join as directors-federal government affairs; Charlie Schonberger, from National Governors Association, named manager-federal affairs and trade policy, effective Sept. 18 ... Guidepost Solutions, security and technology consultancy, adds Christopher Doss, ex-FBI, as senior managing director and Matthew Corwin, ex-NYDIG, as managing director to its cybersecurity consulting practice group; Doss will also serve as the practice group's leader.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., agreed with Microsoft President Brad Smith Tuesday on the need for a federal agency to license high-risk AI systems.
The U.S. and Vietnam are exploring ways to collaborate on semiconductor production and investment, the State Department announced Monday. The Biden administration is partnering with the Vietnamese government through the Chips Act’s International Technology Security and Innovation Fund. The department was granted $500 million through the fund to promote the development of telecommunications networks and semiconductor supply chain security. President Joe Biden wrapped up his visit to Vietnam on Monday. "This collaboration strives to identify new opportunities that attract industry investments and expand the technical workforces in both countries," the department said.
Officials with the 5G for 12 GHz Coalition still hope for FCC rules allowing use of the lower 12 GHz band for fixed-wireless by the end of the year, in time for the spectrum to be used as part of projects approved under of the broadband equity, access and deployment program. But SpaceX and DirecTV, in particular, which opposed mobile use for 5G, are giving no ground. Replies were posted Monday in docket 20-443.
Former Flatiron School cybersecurity instructor and solo attorney Joseph Gawlowicz joins Mullen Coughlin as an associate-incident response practice … Optimum appoints as vice presidents-general managers Kathleen Preston, from Cox Communications, for West Pacific Area, Elton Hart, ex-Comcast Business, for Mid Atlantic Area, and Vic Pascarelli, ex-Comcast, for Northeast Area; it also moves Michael Shaffer to vice president-GM, Mid Central Area … Cogeco names former Bell Canada executive Tim Dinesen senior vice president-chief technology officer ...