USTelecom CEO Jonathan Spalter and Incompas CEO Chip Pickering spoke with FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks about their agreement on whether LECs need to provide access to DS0, DS1, DS3 and operation support systems, and how much, said a filing posted Thursday in docket 19-308. The two previously spoke with other four commissioners (see 2008280063).
IoT's potential won’t be realized without universal interoperability, seamless operation, an easy development process and strong security, said Silicon Labs General Manager Matt Johnson, keynoting the second day of the company’s first “Works With” developer conference, held Wednesday and Thursday. “If we don’t get the trust and security right, this is not going to happen.”
China on “multiple occasions” has protested the Trump administration’s “unreasonable oppression of Chinese enterprises” on false national security grounds, said a Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Monday when asked about reports that DOD is seeking to impose export restrictions on Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC), China’s largest chipmaker. The administration “for some time” has been “abusing” its authority “to impose all sorts of restrictive measures on Chinese companies without producing any solid evidence” of wrongdoing, he said. “This is stark bullying. China firmly opposes that.” SMIC has been “fully compliant with all rules and laws” throughout its “long-term strategic partnerships with multiple U.S.-based semiconductor equipment suppliers,” said the company Saturday. SMIC “manufactures semiconductors and provides services solely for civilian and commercial end-users and end-uses,” it said. “We have no relationship with the Chinese military.” Any statements to the contrary are “false accusations,” it said. It’s open to “sincere and transparent” talks with the administration to resolve “potential misunderstandings,” it said. DOD didn’t comment Tuesday.
Connected Nation promotes Brent Legg to executive vice president-government affairs ... Steptoe & Johnson hires from Mayer Brown privacy and cybersecurity lawyer Charles-Albert Helleputte as partner in Brussels, along with new associate Diletta De Cicco, who works on same issues; adds in New York from Dechert Michael Weiner as partner, Antitrust and Competition practice, and he has worked on tech and telecom among other issues.
Global July semiconductor revenue increased 4.9% year on year to $35.2 billion, up 2.1% sequentially, reported the Semiconductor Industry Association Thursday. The global industry “has remained largely resistant to global macroeconomic headwinds” -- “but substantial market uncertainty remains for the rest of the year,” said SIA. Sales into the Americas in July rose 26% year on year.
USTelecom countered an Incompas grandfathering proposal on dark fiber (see 2002060006). Incompas proposed that even if the FCC decides CLECs aren’t impaired without access to dark fiber, “it should nevertheless require incumbent local exchange to indefinitely continue to offer unbundled access to any dark fiber arrangements ordered before January 6, 2020,” USTelecom said in a filing posted Wednesday in docket 19-308: “This outcome would be contrary to the Communications Act, Commission and judicial precedent, and Congressional intent.” USTelecom spoke with Office of General Counsel and Wireline Bureau staff. “USTelecom’s claim of a concession is completely and utterly false,” emailed Incompas CEO Chip Pickering: The Telecom Act “serves as the government’s contract with the people to guarantee they have access to broadband competition. Dark fiber is the bridge to broadband for both urban and rural communities. Cutting it off will leave millions of Americans in the dark.”
A new family of integrated power management ICs from Dialog Semiconductor is designed to meet power and thermal efficiency requirements of in-cabin automotive electronics systems, including infotainment, navigation, telemetry and advanced drive assistance systems, said the company Monday. The DC-DC converters are said to require fewer external components than competing systems.
USTelecom CEO Jonathan Spalter and Incompas CEO Chip Pickering had video calls with FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on their agreement on whether and how much access LECs need to provide to DS0, DS1, DS3 and operation support systems (see 2008060044). They also spoke with Commissioners Mike O’Rielly, Brendan Carr and Jessica Rosenworcel, said a filing posted Friday in docket 19-308. “The Compromise Proposal was negotiated in direct response to the issues raised in this proceeding and with the intention of bringing an end to the debate over whether and to what extent certain unbundled network elements will continue to be available,” they said: “The proposal recognizes the significant changes in a modern communications market that has seen increased competition for voice and broadband service. It also recognizes that some providers, primarily in less populated areas generally subject to less competition, may still be impaired" without access to incumbent LEC facilities" to offer competitive alternatives.”
Comments are due Oct. 26 on a Commerce Department Bureau of Industry and Security advance NPRM to decide if there are “specific foundational technologies” that warrant “more restrictive” export controls, says Thursday's Federal Register. “Foundational technologies essential to the national security are those that may warrant stricter controls if a present or potential application or capability of that technology poses a national security threat,” it says. Foundational technologies “could include items that are currently subject to control for military end use,” it says. “Many of these items, including semiconductor manufacturing equipment and associated software tools, lasers, sensors, and underwater systems, can be tied to indigenous military innovation efforts in China, Russia or Venezuela. Accordingly, they may pose a national security threat.” The ANPRM is in docket BIS-2020-0029 at Regulations.gov.
Last week's tightening of U.S. restrictions on Huawei (see 2008170043) took the semiconductor industry by surprise, and many in the sector worry about short-term supply chain disruptions due to the new measures, said industry officials and experts we canvassed. Many said they think the initial restrictions in May were sufficient, expressing frustration that the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security didn't seek industry feedback before imposing the new requirements. Though chipmakers are bracing for short-term complications, officials said they're also concerned about the long-term impacts of a U.S. national security policy that seems to continually target U.S. industry, even if indirectly. “We're now encouraging customers in China to move away from U.S. technology and semiconductors,” one semiconductor industry official said. “Why would they in the future use U.S. technology if they’ll be subject to all these rules?” The new rule expanded on a May policy that further restricted non-U.S. companies from selling chips using U.S. technology to Huawei. Officials said semiconductor supply chains will inevitably be impacted, but many remain unsure how broadly the impacts will be felt. The scope of the restrictions will depend on how strictly Commerce Department officials review license applications, which can range from case-by-case reviews to presumptions of denial. Much depends on whether Commerce "is serious about implementing this new rule literally,” said Alen Lin, a technology industry expert and analyst with Fitch Ratings. “If they do that, it does effectively cut off Huawei from any type of semiconductors.” Even though companies are still assessing the impact, industry officials expect many more chipmakers to be affected by the new restrictions than by the measures issued in May. Officials thought those requirements worked in targeting Huawei, which is why some said they were surprised when BIS issued more restrictions last week. “We were caught off guard,” one semiconductor industry official said. “We thought the original May rule was working. The objective seemed to have been achieved.” But Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Huawei was working with third parties to evade the restrictions, necessitating the tougher measures. The US-China Business Council said it's “deeply concerned” about the risk of “overly broad” restrictions resulting from the rule. It could lead to “unintended consequences … that deliver a bonanza of new business to our competitors while doing nothing to improve national security,” USCBC spokesperson Doug Barry said. He said more communication between government and industry would help: “The Trump administration needs to listen carefully to the industry perspective and learn more about their business models.”