Senate backers of the Chips and Science Act package of U.S. semiconductor incentives and tech competitiveness initiatives and House leaders voiced strong optimism Wednesday that the measure will make it through Congress before the lower chamber recesses Friday for the six-week August break.
The Senate voted 64-32 Tuesday to invoke cloture on Congress’ amended chips package, setting up a potential vote on final passage in the upper chamber for Wednesday. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was the only Democratic caucus member to vote no. Seventeen Republicans voted in favor.
President Joe Biden, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and senior administration officials met with industry and labor representatives Monday to push for passage of chips legislation (see 2207200063). Biden, who spoke virtually due to his isolation for COVID-19, said the legislation will help U.S. semiconductor fabs stay on the “leading edge,” according to White House pool reports. DOD Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks, National Economic Council Director Brian Deese and Assistant to the President-National Security Affairs Jake Sullivan joined in person to discuss national security needs. Communications Workers of America President Christopher Shelton, Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet, Cummins CEO Tom Linebarger, Medtronic CEO Geoff Martha and Mack McManus, general president-United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry of the U.S. and Canada spoke virtually.
Eighteen wireless carriers and stakeholders are urging Congress to fully fund the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program amid ongoing concerns about the FCC’s final estimate that lawmakers will need to appropriate an additional $3.08 billion to pay the costs of replacing the unsecure equipment (see 2207150067). Industry experts told us the outlook on whether Congress will act on the Spectrum Innovation Act (HR-7624) or other proposals to provide additional funding is unclear, but the risk for industry and negative implications for closing the digital divide are real.
Silicon Labs' virtual Works With Conference, Sept. 13-15, will focus on the Matter standard and other trends driving the future of the IoT, the company said Thursday. Works With will offer developers and engineers insights needed to build, deploy and connect solutions, said Silicon Labs, the primary semiconductor code contributor to Matter. In a keynote, Silicon Labs CEO Matt Johnson will discuss opportunities for smart connected devices in home, cities, commercial and industrial applications, along with executives from Google Smart Home Ecosystem, Amazon Sidewalk and Alexa Smart Home. The event is free.
The Senate Commerce Committee appears to have the bipartisan support needed to advance two pieces of children’s privacy legislation at markup Wednesday (see 2207140051), Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and bill sponsors told us Thursday.
The Semiconductor Industry Association said Stewart Barber, ex-Corley Consulting, and Molly O’Leary, ex-NTCA, joined the association as directors-government affairs ... Brightcove adds former Oracle executive Dan Freund as chief revenue officer, effective Aug. 1 ... Customer data platform BlueConic taps ex-Mastercard executive Patrick Reynolds as its first chief marketing officer ... ZoomInfo recruits Chad Herring from Snapdocs as chief human resources officer.
Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and other lawmakers emphasized the importance of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy's role in implementing pending “Chips+” U.S. semiconductor manufacturing incentives and a U.S. competitiveness package, during a Wednesday confirmation hearing for OSTP director nominee Arati Prabhakar. The substitute measure that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., filed Tuesday as an amendment to shell bill HR-4346, would supplant conference committee negotiations to marry elements of the dueling America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing, Pre-Eminence in Technology and Economic Strength Act (HR-4521) and U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (S-1260).
FCC Wireline and National Security Adviser Justin Faulb becomes FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks’ chief of staff; former Covington & Burling attorney Hannah Lepow named legal adviser-media and consumer protection; acting Chief of Staff and Media Adviser Austin Bonner is detailed to White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (see 2207190046) … Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden names David Shaw, a former International Trade Commission administrative law judge, chief copyright royalty judge and head of the Copyright Royalty Board, replacing Suzanne Barnett, who returned from retirement in November to be interim chief copyright royalty judge.
The Senate planned to vote Tuesday evening on moving forward with a chips package that has broad bipartisan support. Sens. Todd Young, R-Ind., and Rob Portman, R-Ohio, helped negotiate with Republicans, and House leadership and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo remained in close contact with negotiators, members of Congress said.