BELTWAY FOLKS HEAD TO CES — Despite a wave of cancellations of guests and speakers due to the Omicron variant, the annual technology show will still be held in-person, according to the Consumer Technology Association, which hosts the event. — Plenty of D.C.-famous names are expected to attend: Lawmakers slated to make appearances include Senate Commerce Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and committee members Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), who are hosting a roundtable on tech issues for 2022. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) will also speak on making high-speed internet more affordable and accessible. — Competition will be top of mind: Tyler Grimm, the House Judiciary Committee Republicans' chief adviser for policy and strategy, and Christopher Lewis, president and CEO of technology advocacy group Public Knowledge, will speak at a session on competition in the tech industry. — Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will speak on the future of transportation, while the deputy assistant Transportation secretary for research and technology, Robert Hampshire, will talk about using technology to boost transportation equity. TSA's assistant administrator for requirements and capabilities analysis, Austin Gould, will discuss the future of travel. — On the cyber side, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly and Paul Eisler, cyber director at the trade association USTelecom, will participate in cyber-focused sessions on ransomware and handling cyber crises, respectively. Plus, we'll be there! Our very own Alexandra Levine and John Hendel will be on the ground to give you the most important details of CES 2022, in a special edition newsletter focusing on the event's policy-related aspects. Sign up today to receive exclusive coverage. Cancellation caveat: More companies might pull out over the holidays in the run-up to the event. On top of the companies that announced this week they were not going to have an in-person presence, TikTok and AT&T have officially canceled their in-person activities, too. THE 5G FIGHT HAUNTING THE HOLIDAYS — All eyes are on the Federal Aviation Administration, given the ongoing feud between wireless carriers and airlines over whether carriers can safely light up 5G service in the so-called C-band airwaves on Jan. 5. The aviation industry has pushed for stringent safeguards to protect air travel, expressing worries that 5G could cause safety risks and schedule disruptions, although wireless trade group CTIA has called such steps unnecessary and disputed the risk. Without a resolution of that fight, the FAA could end up grounding flights. — Sign of progress: Airlines for America, the Aerospace Industries Association and CTIA announced Wednesday that they'll share technical information with each other to try to resolve the aviation industry's concerns, John and Oriana reported for Pros. The FAA called this sharing agreement — which would also include the signing of nondisclosure agreements about planned 5G service — "encouraging" and said it would work on 5G testing with both sides of the dispute. — The White House has been closely watching this fight, which has drawn in top figures like FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel and Buttigieg. Many policymakers see settling these concerns as a test for how the Biden administration will make spectrum decisions. — Who's not involved: President Joe Biden's choice to lead the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Senate Democrats had hoped to confirm Biden's NTIA pick, Alan Davidson, before leaving town this month, but didn't manage to do so, despite bipartisan support for his nomination. A stronger NTIA could help coordinate the executive branch's spectrum decisions and prevent such spats, many people believe. (Some lawmakers have said they hope to spurbetter interagency processes through legislation, and the Biden administration has considered a potential National Spectrum Strategy to streamline things further). Senate Democratic leadership will probably have to find floor time to confirm Davidson early in 2022. — One sidenote: Buttigieg has asked the FCC to consider a more restrictive set of 5G safeguards proposed by the aviation industry, according to The Wall Street Journal. Those go beyond the wireless industry's own 5G mitigation plans, which Rosenworcel has supported. — Not new to this: As a 2020 presidential contender, Buttigieg took the rare move of invoking the C-band airwaves as part of his campaign — a decidedly wonky issue that none of his rivals were touching. His campaign website touted that he would "speed up next generation wireless expansion" and promised he would put the C-band in the hands of the wireless industry. How times have evolved. — GOP SEEKS BROADBAND OVERSIGHT: Top House Energy and Commerce Republican Cathy McMorris Rodgers joined top GOP lawmakers on the House Oversight, Appropriations, and Education and Labor committees Wednesday in letters provided to POLITICO asking five federal agencies how they're spending broadband funding Congress has provided since last year. — In one letter, the Republicans urged the FCC to work quickly to update its outdated broadband data maps , which will be the basis for determining where new infrastructure is most needed. They also asked for a list of the locations where Covid-related funding will be distributed, whether existing broadband providers already serve those areas and whether those regions have received federal funds from other agencies. — In another letter, the lawmakers asked the NTIA what action the agency is taking to ensure money goes to unserved areas before those that already have broadband, and how will it avoid subsidizing and overbuilding over privately owned networks. — The Treasury, Education and Agriculture departments also received letters from the lawmakers about how these agencies are coordinating investment of the funding with the FCC and NTIA to avoid duplication. All responses are due Jan. 14. KHAN SOUNDS OFF ON CFPB PROBE — FTC Chair Lina Khan didn't miss the Tuesday deadline to comment on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's probe into the role of tech giants in online payments. In her comments, Khan outlined three points of concern about big tech companies extending their reach into payments and other financial services: it could further boost the giants' dominance, boost algorithmic bias and discrimination and increase risk to financial services access, she wrote. | 
Comments
Post a Comment