Give voice providers more call blocking authority and more liability protection, industry asked the FCC in comments posted through Monday in docket 20-93. Don't limit a safe harbor to one-ring scams because doing so wouldn't "provide the certainty against all illegal robocalls as new scams arise," USTelecom said. "T-Mobile and other carriers will be hesitant to take advantage of opt-out call blocking without a safe harbor," it said. The safe harbor should also "protect providers from liability due to inadvertent mislabeling or misidentification of a call’s level of trust," said CTIA. Avoid "prescriptive requirements governing how providers communicate with their subscribers -- for instance, call labeling requirements or a requirement to notify subscribers dialing international toll-generating numbers of the cost before connecting the call, the latter of which could be a complex and expensive undertaking," said NCTA. Incompas said a new rule for international gateway providers to verify "the nature and purpose of foreign originators would be unnecessary and overly burdensome." AT&T said FCC should require as "baseline best practices for robocall mitigation" that providers have "the capability to monitor traffic patterns that would flag suspect calling campaigns, and then robust application of the provider’s terms of service to eliminate problem customers."

Give voice providers more call blocking authority and more liability protection, industry asked the FCC in comments posted through Monday in docket 20-93. Don't limit a safe harbor to one-ring scams because doing so wouldn't "provide the certainty against all illegal robocalls as new scams arise," USTelecom said. "T-Mobile and other carriers will be hesitant to take advantage of opt-out call blocking without a safe harbor," it said. The safe harbor should also "protect providers from liability due to inadvertent mislabeling or misidentification of a call’s level of trust," said CTIA. Avoid "prescriptive requirements governing how providers communicate with their subscribers -- for instance, call labeling requirements or a requirement to notify subscribers dialing international toll-generating numbers of the cost before connecting the call, the latter of which could be a complex and expensive undertaking," said NCTA. Incompas said a new rule for international gateway providers to verify "the nature and purpose of foreign originators would be unnecessary and overly burdensome." AT&T said FCC should require as "baseline best practices for robocall mitigation" that providers have "the capability to monitor traffic patterns that would flag suspect calling campaigns, and then robust application of the provider’s terms of service to eliminate problem customers."

Stakeholders sought clear FCC guidance to Team Telecom, in comments posted through Friday in docket 16-155. In April, the FCC ordered a docket refresh on an 2016 NPRM (see 2004270017), after President Donald Trump issued an executive order formalizing the review process and setting up an executive branch committee (see 2004060071). The FCC should work with that committee to develop standardized questions along industry-specific lines "to promote transparency, certainty and prompt review of applications involving foreign ownership," NAB said. "Standard questions will reduce transaction costs to applicants and speed review at a time when access to capital is critical." T-Mobile warned if the FCC doesn't impose more certainty, problems associated with former interagency reviews "could continue forward with the new committee, potentially discouraging U.S. companies from accessing foreign capital or putting those that do at a competitive disadvantage," it said. "Make clear that only applications involving new or materially changed foreign ownership will be referred to this new Committee for review. The Commission should also establish mechanisms and deadlines around the commencement of the shot clock and broader review process to safeguard against extensive delay." International providers including GlobeNet Cabos Submarinos America and Hawaiki Submarine Cable USA asked for "predictable timeframes for Committee review of all Commission applications, particularly submarine cable landing license applications," and to "establish standard questions for the Committee’s initial review, and accelerate the process for entities in U.S. ally countries." The committee's first recommendation to FCC involved undersea cables (see 2006170055). Uncertainty and lack of transparency in the Team Telecom review process likely "delayed and deterred domestic and foreign investment in cables landing in the United States, and in the long run could contribute to decisions to land international submarine cables" in Canada or Mexico, Incompas said. Clarity and certainty has long been lacking in transaction reviews, CTA said. "Their assurance has become even more urgent in the current environment, in which the range and degree of national security threats have increased dramatically, potentially resulting in a greater number of transactions and applications requiring review."

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and top lawmakers weighed in Thursday and Friday with additional broadband legislative proposals aimed at tying into COVID-19 aid legislation and broader infrastructure measures. House Democratic leaders announced plans Thursday to merge existing proposals into a $1.5 trillion Moving Forward Act infrastructure measure that would include $100 billion for broadband (see 2006180062). President Donald Trump’s administration is believed to be preparing a $1 trillion infrastructure proposal that will have funding for 5G infrastructure and rural broadband deployments (see 2006160049).

There’s “emerging consensus” the next Senate-side COVID-19 aid bill will include funding to bolster E-rate and other broadband initiatives, Incompas CEO Chip Pickering said Thursday. Some GOP lawmakers voiced growing interest in including broadband funding in coming pandemic legislation since House passage last month of the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act. HR-6800’s broadband funding includes an $8.8 billion Emergency Broadband Connectivity Fund and $5 billion for E-rate (see 2005130059). President Donald Trump’s administration recently narrowed the scope of their desires for a fourth major aid measure (see 2006050058).

There’s “emerging consensus” the next Senate-side COVID-19 aid bill will include funding to bolster E-rate and other broadband initiatives, Incompas CEO Chip Pickering said Thursday. Some GOP lawmakers voiced growing interest in including broadband funding in coming pandemic legislation since House passage last month of the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act. HR-6800’s broadband funding includes an $8.8 billion Emergency Broadband Connectivity Fund and $5 billion for E-rate (see 2005130059). President Donald Trump’s administration recently narrowed the scope of their desires for a fourth major aid measure (see 2006050058).

ICANN Senior Vice President-Multistakeholder Strategy and Strategic Initiatives and co-deputy to CEO Theresa Swinehart assumes also permanent leadership, Global Domains Division; with Senior Vice President-Chief Operations Officer Susanna Bennett leaving effective July 1, ICANN CEO Goran Marby redistributing operations responsibilities: Senior Vice President-Chief Financial Officer Xavier Calvez assuming leadership of new planning department; Security Operations reporting to Senior Vice President-Global Human Resources Gina Villavicencio; and board operations under General Counsel-Secretary John Jeffrey ... WOW hires John Rego, ex-Telaria, as chief financial officer and Shannon Campain, ex-Fox, as chief commercial officer.

ICANN Senior Vice President-Multistakeholder Strategy and Strategic Initiatives and co-deputy to CEO Theresa Swinehart assumes also permanent leadership, Global Domains Division; with Senior Vice President-Chief Operations Officer Susanna Bennett leaving effective July 1, ICANN CEO Goran Marby redistributing operations responsibilities: Senior Vice President-Chief Financial Officer Xavier Calvez assuming leadership of new planning department; Security Operations reporting to Senior Vice President-Global Human Resources Gina Villavicencio; and board operations under General Counsel-Secretary John Jeffrey ... WOW hires John Rego, ex-Telaria, as chief financial officer and Shannon Campain, ex-Fox, as chief commercial officer.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday that would remove liability protections for online platforms that censure or edit content (see 2005270016). There would be a role for antitrust agencies and the FCC, whose commissioners reacted along party lines to the EO. “We’re here today to defend free speech from one of the greatest dangers,” Trump said, claiming tech monopolies have “unchecked power” to censor and restrict human interaction.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday that would remove liability protections for online platforms that censure or edit content (see 2005270016). There would be a role for antitrust agencies and the FCC, whose commissioners reacted along party lines to the EO. “We’re here today to defend free speech from one of the greatest dangers,” Trump said, claiming tech monopolies have “unchecked power” to censor and restrict human interaction.