Reassigned numbers have been at the center of the surge in litigation under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”) during the last few years. By now the story is well known to businesses that actively communicate with their customers: the customer consents to receive telemarketing and/or informational robocalls[1] at a wireless telephone number, but months … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Broadband-Focused Bills Introduced in House Several Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee (House Commerce Committee) have introduced bills focused on broadband. The bills are as follows: H.R.1546, the Rural Wireless Act of 2017. Introduced on March 15 by Rep. David Loebsack (D-IA), the bill would require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Anti-Spoofing Act Introduced in Senate Senate Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee (Senate Commerce Committee) Ranking Member Bill Nelson (D-FL) has introduced S.134, the Spoofing Prevention Act of 2017. The legislation, the text of which has not yet been released, targets the practice of caller identification (caller ID) “spoofing,” which is a practice whereby … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Passes Bill Concerning Broadband Access for Veterans On December 6, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R.6394, the Improving Broadband Access for Veterans Act of 2016. The bill— introduced on November 29, 2016 by Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-CA)—requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to submit a one-time report to Congress “on promoting … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Election Generally Leaves Telecom-Related Committee Members in Place The November 8 election saw many of the incumbents on the principal congressional committees involved in the telecommunications sector win reelection. No incumbents on the House Energy and Commerce Committee (House Commerce Committee) lost a general election race, though there is some imminent movement with … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Passes Amateur Radio Parity Act On September 12, the US House of Representatives passed H.R.1301, the Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2016. The bill, previously discussed here and here, would require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to adopt rules that would protect amateur radio operators from the reach of community association rules, … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Approves FY 2017 Appropriations Bill Decreasing FCC’s Budget On July 7, the U.S. House of Representatives (House) passed H.R.5485, the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Bill, 2017 containing appropriations for fiscal year (FY) 2017. The $21.7 billion funding measure contains appropriations for various federal agencies for the fiscal year ending September … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Senate Subcommittee Holds Hearing on FCC’s Proposed Broadband Privacy Rules On May 11, the Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing titled “Examining the Proposed FCC Privacy Rules.” The hearing examined the substance and implications of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) Notice of … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Subcommittee Asks FCC for Nationwide Number Portability On July 9, all the members of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee (Communications Subcommittee) of the House Energy and Commerce Committee (House Commerce Committee) wrote a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler asking him to ensure that consumers may take their existing … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity DOTCOM Act Approved by House Commerce Committee On June 17, the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved H.R.805, the Domain Openness Through Continued Oversight Matters Act of 2015 (DOTCOM Act) by voice vote. The DOTCOM Act, previously discussed here, prohibits the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) from terminating its contract with the … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Seven FCC Transparency Bills Approved by House Commerce Subcommittee On May 20, the House Energy & Commerce Committee’s (House Commerce Committee’s) Subcommittee on Communications and Technology (Communications Subcommittee) held a markup session on seven bills designed to improve the processes and transparency of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission). The markup was … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity New COPPA Bill Expected Soon Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), a longtime privacy advocate, and Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), the chair of the Congressional Privacy Caucus, are expected to introduce a bill in the near future that would expand protections under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) to teenagers age 13-16. Currently, COPPA only … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity White House Reportedly Working On Online Privacy Bill The Obama administration is reportedly drafting legislation aimed at bolstering online privacy safeguards for consumers. According to trade press reports, the administration’s bill is expected to build on the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights, released by the White House last year. The bill will reportedly … Continue Reading
