Policymakers

A growing number of legal experts and economists have started questioning whether traditional antitrust is up to the task of addressing the competitive concerns raised by today’s digital behemoths. Further help, they said, is needed. Antitrust cases typically proceed at the stately pace of the courts, with trials and appeals that can drag on for years. Those delays, the legal experts and economists said, would give Google, Facebook, Amazon and Apple a free hand to become even more entrenched in the markets they dominate. A more rapid-response approach is required, they said.

The Federal Communications Commission has renewed the charter of the Consumer Advisory Committee for an additional two-year term beginning October 16, 2020. The CAC will continue to provide recommendations to the FCC on consumer topics, as specified by the Commission, gather data and information, and perform analyses that are necessary to respond to the questions or matters before it. Scott Marshall continues as Designated Federal Officer.

Former Federal Communications Commissioner Mignon Clyburn made a case for the "public/private" partnership of regulator/industry as the blueprint for advancing a more diverse and inclusive media landscape.

Rep Greg Walden (R-OR) is retiring, opening up the top Republican spot on the House Commerce Committee. Reps. Michael Burgess (R-TX), a doctor and the most senior Republican on the panel, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) are viewed as the frontrunners. Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH) is seen as a dark horse.

A fast-rising pressure campaign is emerging to push the Senate to speedily confirm — by December’s end — Commerce Department adviser Nathan Simington to fill the Federal Communications Commission seat now held by Commissioner Mike O’Rielly. (O’Rielly will have to depart by year’s end.) That timeline is lightning-fast for the Senate, considering President Donald Trump only nominated Simington about a month ago.

The Federal Communications upcoming new address is:

45 L Street NE

Washington, DC 20554

The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau announced that Axel Rodriguez is the Commission’s new Field Director, leading the Bureau’s field office staff in its work combatting harmful interference to authorized uses of the airwaves, supporting restoration of communications after disasters, and investigating rule violations and other illegal activities.

The Federal Communications Commission announced the 2020 winners of the Chairman's Awards for Advancements in Accessibility (Chairman’s AAA). This FCC program, which began in 2011, is focused on improving access to telecommunications and technology for people with disabilities. The award winners for 2020 are:

House Commerce Committee Minority Leader Greg Walden (R-OR) announced that Staff Director Mike Bloomquist has departed the committee for the private sector. Deputy Staff Director and committee veteran Ryan Long will succeed Bloomquist as Staff Director for Committee Republicans, effective immediately. Bloomquist served as Staff Director for Commerce Republicans during the 115^th and 116^th Congresses.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai appointed Glenn Woroch the FCC's Chief Economist. Dr. Woroch is Adjunct Professor Emeritus at the University of California-Berkeley, where he has spent nearly three decades in key roles, including serving as Executive Director of the Center for Research on Telecommunications Policy at the Haas Business School from 1995 until 2013.