January 2017

President Trump has named Ajit Pai, an advocate of deregulation and a critic of the government's network neutrality rules, as the next chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Pai's new position will give him control over the nation's most powerful telecommunication and cable regulator, with a 2-1 Republican majority that is widely expected to begin undoing some of the Obama era's most significant tech policies.

The Indian-American who grew up in Kansas had until now been a sitting Republican commissioner at the FCC — meaning he will not need to be confirmed by the US Senate before serving as the agency's 34th chairman. Pai was a staunch critic of Democratic efforts aimed at breaking the dominance of some of America's biggest Internet providers, including AT&T, Comcast and Verizon.

Hollywood had been backing the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact, which President Trump formally withdrew from on Jan 23. Though the agreement wasn’t all that Hollywood hoped, its lobbying arm, the Motion Picture Association of America, supported the deal because it felt the deal would further open Asian markets to film distribution and combat piracy. The MPAA said the deal would:
1) Strengthen copyright protections: The treaty ensured that copyright owners of digital material had the exclusive right to make their works available online. It extended the length of copyright protection to the life of the creator plus 70 years, which protected film studios.
2) Forbid governments from requiring companies to turn over encryption keys: This measure was seen in Hollywood as a breakthrough to maintain security and curtail digital theft.
3) Eliminate tariffs on DVDs and other film storage products: For movie studios, the trade deal was seen as helpful because it would remove tariffs on digital cinema packs and 35-millimeter film.
4) Remove local partnership requirement: The agreement would prevent governments from requiring that a company or person, as a condition for importing movies or television shows, establish a contractual relationship with a local distributor.

Public Knowledge joins a coalition of consumer, labor, small business, and environmental groups in a letter opposing the nomination of Rep Mick Mulvaney (R-SC) as Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Public Knowledge senior policy counsel Phillip Berenbroick said, "The Communications Act directs the Federal Communications Commission to serve the public interest. Congressman Mulvaney’s record of ideological-driven devotion, without regard to facts of consequences, to deregulation and promoting corporate interests stands starkly at odds with the FCC’s broad mandate to promote the public interest by enhancing competition, universal service, and diversity in media and information. OMB plays a critical role in the regulatory process, including reviewing FCC rules that advance the public interest, protect consumers, and promote competition and innovation in the telecommunications, media, and technology sectors. However, Congressman Mulvaney has fought to undermine the core functions and legitimacy of a Federal role in regulating anti-consumer and anti-competitive corporate activity. Additionally, he has advocated for a rigid cost-benefit analysis in all agency rulemakings that is distinctly at odds with the aims of the Communications Act. At OMB, Congressman Mulvaney is likely to lead the assault on consumer protections and rules that curb anti-competitive conduct, which would be disastrous for communications policy. He should not be confirmed.”