October 28, 2022

GOP Reps Introduce Bill to Counter Foreign Influence on Telecom

This week, Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Mike Gallagher (R-WI) introduced the “Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency (FACT) Act.” The FACT Act would require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to publish a list of companies that hold Commission authorization, licenses, or other grants of authority with over 10% ownership by foreign adversarial governments, including China. You can read more about the FACT Act here.

Energy & Commerce Chair Presses Internet Providers on Practices

On Wednesday, October 26, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) wrote to 13 internet service providers expressing concerns over reports of the ISPs engaging in abusive, misleading, fraudulent, or otherwise predatory behaviors through the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program and the Affordable Connectivity Program. “I take these consumer complaints seriously and want to ensure that all providers are abiding by the law so that all eligible consumers can truly benefit from these programs,” said Pallone. You can read more about the letters here.

Spectrum Caucus Urges Administration to Review Receiver Tech Policies

On Thursday, October 27, the heads of the Congressional Spectrum Caucus wrote a letter urging the Biden administration to review federal receiver technology and policies across the federal government. “To better understand how federal systems’ receiver performance impacts [the goal of acquiring better equipment], we believe a similar effort [to the FCC’s recent proceeding on the issue] must be undertaken,” said Reps. Doris Matsui (D-CA) and Brett Guthrie (R-KY) to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the General Services Administration.

FCC Open Commissioner Seat Remains Unfilled One Year After Biden Nom

Wednesday, October 26 marked one year since President Biden nominated Gigi Sohn to the FCC’s open commissioner seat. Sohn, a progressive consumer advocate, is yet to clear the 50-50 Senate, but if the Democrats pick up any Senate seats, their expanded majority may allow Sohn to clear the process. You can read more about Sohn’s nomination here.