US House of Representatives Commerce Committee

House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Ranking Member Greg Walden (R-OR) sent a letter to the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) urging the government watchdog to conduct an updated review of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) federal spectrum management processes. They asked GAO to consider as part of its review how federal spectrum users interact with NTIA and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), how the NTIA and FCC interact with each other, and the recent federal spectrum management process breakdowns.

Eleven House Commerce Committee Democratic Reps sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai expressing growing concern that the FCC is failing to protect consumers’ privacy by refusing to hold wireless carriers accountable for unauthorized disclosures of consumers’ real-time location data. Over a year ago, in May 2018, it was reported that major wireless carriers were selling consumers’ real-time location data to third-party data aggregators.  This location data was then easily purchased by other private companies, such as bounty hunters.

The House Commerce Committee released a white paper detailing the committee’s investigation and recommendations regarding coordinated vulnerability disclosure (CVD) cybersecurity practices. The committee offers two main recommendations to support public and private sector organizations in their adoption of CVD programs as part of their cybersecurity risk management strategies.

House Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) wrote to the CEOs of Alphabet, Facebook and Twitter following concerning reports of Russia-linked efforts to influence the national debate over the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh. In his letters, Ranking Member Pallone requests answers on the companies’ efforts to safeguard the American political system and to combat foreign interference campaigns on their platforms.

The House Commerce Committee sent letters to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Alphabet CEO Larry Page to probe the companies’ representation of third-party access to consumer data, and the collection and use of audio recording data as well as location information via iPhone and Android devices. The letters were signed by full committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR), Communications Subcommittee Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Gregg Harper (R-MS), and Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection Subcommittee Chairman Bob Latta (R-OH). 

House Communications Subcommittee Ranking Member Mike Doyle (D-PA) joined House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Sen Ed Markey (D-MA) in announcing that, with the passage of legislation to overrule the Federal Communications Commission’s order eliminating Network Neutrality in the Senate, the next step must be passage of this legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

The House Communications Subcommittee held a hearing continuing its oversight role of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) spoke to the need to maintain America’s status as a global leader in wireless technologies. In his opening remarks, full Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) stressed the importance of accurate broadband mapping in efforts to expand broadband internet access. David Redl, Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information, NTIA, U.S.

House Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) and Communications Subcommittee Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) released the following statement on the announcement from Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai on proposed spectrum auctions: "The race to 5G is a sprint, not a marathon, and the proposed spectrum auctions will help ensure the United States remains at the forefront of this emerging technology.