Today:  FTC Commissioners Confirmed, FCC 2019 Budget Request/2019 Priorities 

FTC Commissioners Confirmed

The US Senate confirmed five nominees to serve on the Federal Trade Commission.  Joseph Simons will become the new FTC Chairman, and Noah Joshua Phillips, Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, Rohit Chopra and Christine Wilson will become the new FTC Commissioners.

Acting FTC Chairman Maureen K. Ohlhausen issued a statement saying: “I congratulate Joe, as well as Noah, Rebecca, and Rohit on their Senate confirmations. I look forward to welcoming them to the Commission once their appointments are made final by President Trump.  I also congratulate Christine, who will take my seat if I am so fortunate as to be confirmed by the Senate as a Judge on the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.”

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) and Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection Subcommittee Chairman Bob Latta (R-OH) issued a statement saying: “A fully confirmed FTC means the commission is back to its full strength as the cop on the beat to keep consumers safe and promote a vibrant free market.  From the Internet of Things, to data security, robocalls, and more, we will continue to work closely with the FTC on many important consumer protection issues.  The committee will also continue its vigorous oversight of the FTC as well as process reform efforts to improve the commission’s ability to protect consumers from ever-evolving harms.  We thank Acting Chairman Ohlhausen for her leadership, and we look forward to working with Chairman Simons and the commissioners following today’s confirmation.”

Senate Commerce Committee Chair John Thune (R-SD) issued a statement saying: “Today, the Senate confirmed a full slate of commissioners to the FTC, restoring full capacity to the agency after operating with only two commissioners for over a year.  The FTC is a critically important agency focused on ensuring both consumer protection and fair competition in the marketplace. I am grateful to Acting Chairman Ohlhausen and Commissioner McSweeny for their leadership over the past year, and look forward to working with the new chairman and commissioners on challenging issues such as robocalling, privacy and data security as they step into their new roles.”

And, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai a statement saying: “Congratulations to Chairman-designate Simons and incoming Commissioners Phillips, Slaughter, Chopra, and Wilson. These leaders will bring tremendous experience and expertise to our sister agency, and I look forward to working closely with them. From promoting competition to protecting consumers against scam robocalls to ensuring internet freedom, the FCC and FTC have a long track record of effective cooperation, and I’m confident that will continue.  I also would like to congratulate Acting Chairman Maureen Ohlhausen for her outstanding tenure as head of the FTC. In particular, I commend her for championing the cause of economic liberty, targeting regulations that suppress competition and make it harder for many Americans to earn an honest living.”

FCC 2019 Budget Request/2019 Priorities

In a statement before the House Subcommittee on Financial Services And General Government Committee on Appropriations, FCC Chairman Pai discussed the FCC’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Budget Request.  The FCC requesting a spending level of $333,118,000, derived from regulatory fees for regular FCC operations, and an auction spending cap of $112,734,000.  Pai said that “[t]his fiscally responsible request will provide the FCC with the resources necessary to advance its critical strategic goals: (1) closing the digital divide; (2) promoting innovation; (3) protecting consumers and public safety; and (4) reforming the FCC’s processes.”  In particular, the FCC “will continue to focus on expanding high-speed broadband access throughout the United States and bringing what I call “digital opportunity” to every American.  We will continue to remove regulatory obstacles that unnecessarily slow down broadband deployment and make it more expensive.  And we will continue to modernize our Universal Service Fund (USF) programs so that we get the most broadband bang for the buck.  With respect to USF, we are moving forward this year with the nearly $2 billion Connect America Fund Phase II reverse auction to expand fixed broadband service to unserved regions, and are targeting 2019 for the $4.5 billion Mobility Fund Phase II reverse auction that will deliver 4G LTE access to many more Americans.”

He also noted the added responsibilities give to the FCC as part of the Fiscal Year 2018 Consolidated Appropriations Act (Omnibus).   Among other things, this includes revising the FCC's application and regulatory fee schedules, amending its Caller ID spoofing Rules, complete a proceeding on 911 call location accuracy, use the Connect2Health tool to create a map that overlays opioid drug abuse with the degree of broadband access in an area, and coordinate with NTIA in its use of $7.5 million in infrastructure funds for broadband mapping.  The law also gave the FCC a broad range of reporting requirements including rural call completion, veterans' broadband access, broadband coverage in Indian Country, modernizing the high-cost Universal Service Fund program, and freeing up additional low-, mid-, and high-band spectrum for 5G services, along with new spectrum for unlicensed use.

Need more information regarding the Fiscal Year 2018 Consolidated Appropriations Act (Omnibus)? See details in the Inteserra Briefing dated 4/16/18.

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The Regulatory Mix, Inteserra’s daily blog of telecom related regulatory activities, is a snapshot of PUC, FCC, legislative, and occasionally court issues that our regulatory monitoring team uncovers each day. Depending on their significance, some items may be the subject of an Inteserra Briefing.