Agenda

New York Attorney General Probes T-Mobile-Sprint Deal’s Impact on Prepaid Services

The New York attorney general’s office is investigating how T-Mobile’s  $26 billion deal to buy Sprint could impact competition in the pay-as-you-go wireless market, according to people familiar with the matter. Representatives from the state attorney general’s office have contacted companies that sell prepaid phone services in recent weeks with questions about pricing and customers. Dozens of other state attorneys general are part of the probe. Prepaid subscribers don’t sign long-term contracts and instead pay up front each month.

Let’s Get Vertical

In the wake of the government’s setback in the AT&T/Time Warner case, it’s natural enough to ask: what will be that case’s impact on the government’s ability to challenge vertical mergers in the future? I think the answer is “very little if anything.” The government could take steps to build an even stronger foundation for the review of vertical mergers in the future. Here are some suggestions. First, the current 1984 guidelines on the treatment of vertical (technically, non-horizontal) transactions should be withdrawn. Second, new vertical guidelines should be created.

T-Mobile, Sprint execs pitch merger to Senate antitrust subcommittee

Executives from T-Mobile and Sprint pitched their $26 billion merger to the Senate's antitrust subcommittee, saying that the combination would give their companies the ability to develop increased capabilities and catch up with bigger wireless carriers. “When we do this, AT&T and Verizon will be forced to react and follow our lead or we will happily take their customers and give them more value and better price,” T-Mobile CEO John Legere said.  “Trust me, the New T-Mobile will not stop, we will be relentless,” he added.

Conservative Coalition Supports T-Mobile and Sprint Merger

A group of conservative organizations sent a letter to the Senate Antitrust Subcommittee supporting the proposed merger of T-Mobile and Sprint, saying the transaction is consistent with antitrust law and will benefit consumers. The groups say the merger will drive competition and will result in higher speeds and lowered prices for consumers. 

NTIA Reauthorization Legislation Morphs Into Broadband Bill (updated)

The House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, chaired by Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), held a hearing to consider draft legislation to reauthorize the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). But the bill was billed as a rural broadband solution, including coordinating funding efforts and getting mroe accurate and granular maps of broadband coverage.

Dysfunctional US needs "Sputnik moment" on future tech

The US is putting up relatively meager competition in a potent new global tech race that, combined with the wave of go-it-alone nationalism led by President Donald Trump, is reshaping global politics and may lead to war, according to a major new report.  In the late 1950s, the US, facing a similar momentous challenge in Sputnik, threw all its resources into a single-minded effort to dominate the future.

Tech didn’t spot Russian interference during the last election. Now it’s asking law enforcement for help.

Silicon Valley companies and law enforcement are starting to talk about how to ward off meddling by malicious actors including Russia on social media in the November midterms, an attempt at dialogue and information-sharing that was absent during the 2016 presidential elections.

Sponsor: 

Subcommittee on Communications and Technology

House Commerce Committee

Date: 
Tue, 06/26/2018 - 18:15

Discussion Draft: National Telecommunications and Information Administration Reauthorization Act of 2018

Witnesses

The Honorable John Kneuer 
President, JKC Consulting

Ms. Joanne S. Hovis 
President, CTC Technology and Energy

Background Memo

 



Sponsor: 

Sponsored by ADTRAN

USTelecom 

Date: 
Tue, 06/26/2018 - 19:00

Fixed wireless is becoming a serious contender in the growing broadband access market. Fixed wireless economics and technology improvements are giving carriers a new option versus fiber for both OSP backhaul and direct access applications. Technology advancements in the sub 6Ghz and mmWave space have reduced the size and cost, and increased bandwidth of fixed wireless products.



Sponsor: 

Senate Commerce Committee

Date: 
Wed, 06/27/2018 - 15:00

The Senate Commerce Committee will hold an executive session to consider a number of bills and nominations including:



Sponsor: 

House Committee on Small Business

Date: 
Wed, 06/27/2018 - 16:00

This hearing will examine the imminent threat posed to America’s small businesses by the Chinese telecommunications firm ZTE. The hearing will provide committee Members the opportunity to hear from national security experts and cybersecurity firms on steps the administration can take to protect small businesses and American citizens from the dangers presented by ZTE. The hearing will also investigate ongoing efforts being by both the public and private sectors to reduce the challenges small businesses face in dealing with illicit Chinese backed enterprises.



Sponsor: 

Brookings

Date: 
Wed, 06/27/2018 - 19:00 to 20:30

Women are underrepresented in many technological occupations, but have increasingly made inroads into the field of civic technology, a sector of digital technologies, platforms, and services which enable progress toward the public good. Civic tech provides a toolbox for citizens and governments to enhance open government, spur community action, and combat inequality. The growing inclusion of women in this field adds their unique experiences and perspectives to the development of transformative technology solutions, reinforcing the role of greater diversity in the workforce.



Sponsor: 

Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights

Senate Committee on the Judiciary

Date: 
Wed, 06/27/2018 - 19:30
Sponsor: 

Brookings

Date: 
Tue, 06/26/2018 - 15:00 to 16:00

Fifth generation wireless broadband technology—or 5G—is expected to revolutionize communication and transform numerous industries when fully deployed. Compared to 4G LTE, 5G will not only enable higher speeds for video traffic, especially video streaming, conferencing, and virtual reality, it will also become the choice network for the internet of things, artificial intelligence applications, and other broadband-enabled functions.



Disruptive Competition in 5G: T-Mobile and Sprint Submit Their Public Interest Statement

On April 29, 2018, T-Mobile US and Sprint announced that the companies would merge. In the telecom world, an announcement like this always means at least one thing: a really long engagement. After the companies come to a merger agreement, regulators get a chance to review the deal.

FCC Announces Tentative Agenda for July 2018 Open Meeting

[Press release] Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced that the following items are tentatively on the agenda for the July Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, July 12, 2018:

Chairman Thune Pencils in Vote on FCC's Starks for June 27

As long as Federal Communications Commission nominee Geoffrey Starks is able to supply his post-confirmation hearing paperwork quickly, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune (R-SD) wants to include Starks' nomination on a June 27 markup and then move it on the floor paired with the nomination of current FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr for a second term. "I think the FCC [nominations] should move quickly," said Chairman Thune. Starks enjoyed a drama-free confirmation hearing June 20.

Disney Is Near US Antitrust Approval on Fox in a Blow to Comcast

Apparently, Walt Disney Co. is close to winning US antitrust approval for its $71 billion deal for 21st Century Fox Inc.’s entertainment assets, creating a potentially insurmountable hurdle for a rival bid from Comcast. The Justice Department is set to approve the deal in as soon as two weeks, according to an unnamed source. Disney has agreed to sell some assets to address competition problems stemming from the tie-up. 

Senate Commerce Committee Vets FCC Commissioner Nominee Geoffrey Starks

Federal Communications Commission nominee Geoffrey Starks got a thorough vetting by the Senate Commerce Committee June 20, including a charge from Committee Chairman John Thune (R-SD), who said the "hyperpartisanship of the last commission must come to an end" and called on Starks to "seek opportunities for common ground." Chairman Thune suggested the model for that was the current FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and his "spirit of openness, transparency and collaboration" that he encouraged Starks to embrace.

The White House looks to coordinate online privacy plan

The White House is in the early stages of determining what a federal approach to online data privacy should look like. The preliminary conversations show that the White House wants a voice in the contentious domestic and global debate about how to protect consumer privacy online. Gail Slater, special assistant to President Donald Trump for tech, telecom and cyber policy at the White House National Economic Council, has met with industry groups to discuss possible ways to put in place guardrails for the use of personal data, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

FTC is hitting the road for ideas on how to regulate tech

The Federal Trade Commission, the Trump administration’s privacy, competition and consumer protection cops, plans to embark on a cross-country listening tour to gauge how academics and average Web users believe the US government should address digital-age challenges, from the rise of artificial intelligence to the data-collection mishaps that have plagued companies like Facebook. The effort was announced by new FTC Chairman Joe Simons and includes 15 or more public sessions in a series of cities that have yet to be announced.

Cambridge Analytica-linked academic spurns idea Facebook swayed election

Aleksandr Kogan, the academic researcher who harvested personal data from Facebook for a political consultancy firm said that the idea the data was useful in swaying voters’ decisions was “science fiction.”

Sponsor: 

Federal Elections Commission

Date: 
Wed, 06/27/2018 - 13:30 to 20:15

Public hearing on draft NPRM on Internet Disclaimers and Definition of Public Communication



Sponsor: 

Schools Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition

Date: 
Wed, 06/27/2018 - 16:00 to 17:00

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration launched the State Broadband Initiative (SBI) in 2009 to encourage state entities to advance broadband and information technology into their state and local economies. Almost ten years later, what states have taken up the challenge to adopt their own broadband initiatives?