1. Monthly archive
  2. September 2017

September 2017

Senate confirms President Trump's Pick for DOJ Antitrust Division

The Senate voted to confirm President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Justice Department’s antitrust division, a vote that comes as the department considers the AT&T-Time Warner merger worth $85.4 billion. Makan Delrahim, who previously worked in Trump’s White House counsel’s office, was cleared with a 73-21 vote.

Delrahim will be tasked with spearheading the administration’s antitrust agenda at a time when the issue is becoming increasingly prominent. Across the board, industries are facing increased consolidation amid rumors of mega-mergers. Sprint and T-Mobile are reportedly set to announce a merger in the coming weeks that would reduce the number of major national wireless carriers from four to three. And the AT&T-Time Warner deal has prompted criticism from Democrats who worry that it could stifle competitors and raise prices for consumers. Delrahim said in a media interview in 2016, prior to his nomination, that he doesn’t see that merger as a concern for regulators.

Notice of Funding Opportunity State and Local Implementation Grant Program (SLIGP) 2.0

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration issues this Notice of Funding Opportunity to describe the requirements under which NTIA will award grants for the State and Local Implementation Grant Program 2.0 (SLIGP 2.0), authorized by section 6302 of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (Act), to assist state, local and tribal governments with planning activities for the nationwide interoperable public safety broadband network.

Applications will be accepted from September 27, 2017 until December 28, 2017 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time; or from September 27, 2017 until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the 91st calendar day from the date that the Governor of an applicant State receives notice from FirstNet of its final State Plan, whichever is later. Applicants are encouraged to submit SLIGP 2.0 applications as soon as possible in the application window once their respective Governor has made a decision regarding the FirstNet State Plan for deployment of the Radio Access Network. The earlier submission of applications will assist NTIA with workflow challenges during the abbreviated application review time period.

Does strong competition mean wireless could surpass wired broadband in the near future?

[Commentary] This week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will officially confirm that the US wireless marketplace is characterized by effective competition. As this new generation of wireless service takes hold, it seems likely that most Americans will no longer have a reason to buy both types of service.

Peter Rysavy, an engineer whose firm has been examining wireless technology issues for more than two decades, says that “eventually consumers will pay for just one broadband connection, fixed and mobile.” He sees 5G as “a serious threat” to the wireline-only companies because it will enable consumers who generally prefer wireless to abandon wired broadband altogether.

[Shane Tews is president of Logan Circle Strategies]

Senate Intelligence Committee invites Facebook to testify in Russia probe

The Senate Intelligence Committee has issued a request for Facebook to testify in an open hearing to examine how foreign actors may have used social media companies to influence the 2016 election. The hearing is set for Nov 1.

Committee leaders have also expressed interest in hearing from Twitter. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-NC) said that it’s not important to him that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg or other top executives necessarily show up. “I think it’s more important that we get the person who’s most capable of talking about the technical aspects of what they need to do to identify foreign money that may come in and what procedures if any need to be put in law that make sure elections are not intruded by foreign entities,” Sen Burr said.

What Facebook can tell us about Russian sabotage of our election

How much can Facebook tell us about what really happened when it comes to Russian sabotage of the 2016 election? Senate Intelligence Committee Co-Chair Mark Warner (D-VA), who is investigating Russian election interference, has been arguing lately that Facebook needs to come clean. It needs to publicly disclose the full scope and scale of how Russian entities used its social networking platform to spread fake news and propaganda in order to sow divisions among American voters and influence the outcome of the presidential election. We don’t know who paid for the ads on Facebook and, crucially, how and why the purchasers targeted certain Facebook users to see them in their feeds, and whether they worked with anyone in the United States to develop those lists of targets.

Quinnipiac Poll: Most Americans Still Want Trump to Stop Tweeting

President Donald Trump is not "fit to serve as president," American voters say 56 - 42 percent, and voters disapprove 57 - 36 percent of the job he is doing as president, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released Sept 27. The anti-Twitter sentiment remains high as voters say 69 - 26 percent that Trump should stop tweeting. No party, gender, education, age or racial group wants to follow the Tweeter-in- Chief. Voters say 51 - 27 percent they are embarrassed to have Trump as president.

"There is no upside. With an approval rating rating frozen in the mid-thirties, his character and judgement questioned, President Donald Trump must confront the harsh fact that the majority of American voters feel he is simply unfit to serve in the highest office in the land," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.

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