Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., expressed concern about the privacy protections for Samsung’s fingerprint scanner on its new Galaxy S5 smartphone, in a Tuesday letter to Samsung executives (http://1.usa.gov/1v2ekrc). “Passwords are secret and dynamic, while fingerprints are public and permanent,” Franken said. “Fingerprints are the opposite of secret.” Humans leave fingerprints everywhere, he said. “If hackers get hold of a digital copy of your fingerprint, they could use it to impersonate you for the rest of your life.” Franken said the Galaxy S5’s fingerprint scanner had been hacked, days after its release. The same thing happened to Apple’s Touch ID, which it rolled out on the iPhone last year, Franken said. He asked for more information about how Samsung’s technology generates fingerprints, what security measures it has, how it interacts with third-party apps and whether Samsung believes users have a “reasonable expectation of privacy” for the fingerprint data provided. Samsung did not comment. Franken’s staff has been a consistent presence at the NTIA-backed facial recognition code-of-conduct multistakeholder meetings, which have touched on similar biometric issues.

Five senators joined Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., in backing the reserve of spectrum for some carriers as part of the FCC’s broadcast TV spectrum incentive auction, signing the Wednesday letter Markey sent on the topic, as expected (CD May 14 p16). “We support reserving a portion of available licenses for carriers with limited nationwide low-frequency holdings in order to promote competition, increase auction revenues, and protect against highly concentrated spectrum holding,” said the letter, signed by Sens. Markey; Cory Booker, D-N.J.; Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.; Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.; Al Franken, D-Minn.; and Angus King, I-Maine. “Although no qualified entity should be barred from participating in the auction, the Commission should establish transparent and fair limitations on how much low-frequency spectrum any one carrier can acquire.” The FCC will consider an incentive auction item at its Thursday meeting, and several House Democrats also recently voiced similar sentiments in a letter to the FCC.

Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., is spearheading a letter to the FCC backing the reserve of spectrum for some carriers as part of the broadcast-TV incentive auction it plans in mid-2015, his spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday. That letter is expected to be sent to the agency Wednesday morning, she said, and is similar to a letter House Democrats sent to the FCC earlier this week (CD May 13 p7). Markey’s spokeswoman declined to say how many signatures this Senate letter may have. The FCC is expected to vote on an incentive auction item at its meeting Thursday.

Verizon backs the USA Freedom Act, it said in a statement emailed Tuesday. The measure, HR-3361, cleared the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees last week and “will achieve the important goals of ending [Patriot Act] Section 215 bulk collection of communication data, heightening privacy protections and increasing transparency,” Verizon said, saying it looks “forward to working with the House and Senate leadership, along with the White House, to address remaining issues and enact the USA Freedom Act into law this year.” The surveillance bill was introduced last fall.

The House Communications Subcommittee scheduled its May 20 oversight hearing of FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler for 10:30 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn. Wheeler is the sole witness, with topics expected to range from net neutrality to the broadcast TV incentive auction.

The Main Street Patent Coalition urged the Senate Judiciary Committee to move forward with its planned markup of the Patent Transparency and Improvements Act (S-1720), which has been repeatedly delayed amid stalled negotiations over creation of a compromise version of the bill. “Congress has come too far to leave this problem unsolved,” wrote the pro-patent revamp group Monday to committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and ranking member Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. “Delay in enacting reforms simply empowers patent trolls and permits even greater harm to Main Street businesses and our economy” (http://bit.ly/1sFxOQt), the letter said. The coalition said it continues to support a compromise drafted by Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., that emerged in April (CD April 28 p10). The committee’s schedule for this week does not list a planned markup of S-1720, the first time in weeks it has not been on the agenda.

Some House Democrats want the FCC to reserve spectrum for some carriers as part of the broadcast-TV incentive auction it plans in mid-2015. “A proposal to reserve a portion of the available licenses for carriers with limited nationwide low-frequency holdings will stimulate auction competition and revenues, ensuring opportunity to bid and win spectrum to enhance and extend rural build out and improve coverage in all areas, while guarding against excessive concentration of spectrum resources,” they told FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler in a letter dated Friday (http://1.usa.gov/1l43BWs). Signers included Rep. Doris Matsui, Calif., the lead signature, along with Commerce Committee ranking member Henry Waxman, Calif., and Communications Subcommittee ranking member Anna Eshoo, Calif. Others are House Judiciary Committee ranking member John Conyers, Mich.; Mike Doyle, Pa.; Zoe Lofgren, Calif.; Ben Ray Lujan, N.M.; Jared Polis, Colo.; Armed Services Committee ranking member Adam Smith, Wash.; and Peter Welch, Vt. In other recent letters from Capitol Hill to the FCC, 78 House Democrats pressured the agency to hold “an equal and fair” auction open to all bidders “on equal terms,” and every Republican on the House Communications Subcommittee demanded the agency not place restrictions on any auction bidders. The Competitive Carriers Association hailed Matsui’s letter: “We completely agree that reserving a portion of the 600 MHz spectrum after revenue targets have been satisfied is good for the wireless industry and the economy as a whole,” CEO Steve Berry said in a statement (http://bit.ly/1omJ1Wq). “Allowing the largest two national carriers to buy up all the spectrum would have devastating consequences.” The FCC, at its Thursday meeting, is expected to vote on an incentive auction item (CD May 12 p2).

The Songwriter Equity Act was trumpeted by Senate Judiciary Committee member Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, both Tennessee Republicans, at an event in Nashville Monday, said a news release (http://1.usa.gov/1lpaTWD). The bill will be considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee, it said. The House version of the bill (HR-4079) was introduced by House Judiciary Committee member Doug Collins, R-Ga., Feb. 25 (CD Feb 26 p13) and seeks to update Copyright Act sections 114(i) and 115 that prevent “songwriters from receiving royalty rates that reflect fair market value” for their use, said a bill summary. Songwriters’ “paychecks ought to be based on the fair market value of their songs,” said Alexander in the release: “As technology advances, it’s important we not forget the sometimes unsung heroes of the music industry -- the songwriters -- and modernize the way they are compensated for their talents,” said Corker in the release. Allowing songwriters and composers to “receive the fair market value for their songs is the right thing to do,” said Hatch, himself a published songwriter, in the release. “The Senate’s introduction of the Songwriter Equity Act brings us an important step closer to our mission of ‘Fair market pay for all music creators across all platforms,'” said Neil Portnow, Recording Academy CEO, in a separate release. “The legislation would allow a ‘rate court’ to consider other royalty rates as evidence when establishing digital performance rates for songwriters and composers, and it would adapt a fair rate standard for reproduction,” ASCAP said Monday. NAB opposed the House bill and said Monday it would oppose the Senate bill as well. The SEA “could impose new costs on broadcasters that jeopardize the future of our free locally-focused service,” said an NAB spokesman in a statement.

The House Homeland Security Committee rescheduled a joint hearing by the Cybersecurity and Intelligence subcommittees on cyberthreats for May 21. The hearing was originally scheduled for last Thursday (CD May 6 p13). The hearing is to begin at 10 a.m. in 311 Cannon (http://1.usa.gov/Rm4gcX).

Wireless carrier consolidation “should concern us all” in Congress, Rep. Gene Green, D-Texas, cautioned on the House floor Friday, saying he’s committed to competition and believes that drives innovation. “Safeguarding this competition and these jobs is our responsibility.” He said he found Sprint’s actions in the past year since being acquired by SoftBank “particularly troubling,” because Sprint laid off more than 2,700 call center workers, nearly 900 of whom resided in Texas. Green cited rumors that Sprint now may be seeking to acquire T-Mobile. “Congress must take a careful and critical look at this deal if and when it’s announced and stand up for what’s best for American consumers and American jobs,” Green said.