House GOP leaders formally unveiled their “Commitment to America” midterm election policy platform Friday at an event in Monongahela, Pennsylvania, but the plan’s proposals for reining in Big Tech didn’t get mention from party leaders. The proposal calls for “greater privacy and data security protections for Americans,” supplying “parents with more tools to keep their kids safe online” and preventing “companies from putting politics ahead of people.” Big Tech “has tipped the scales to silence and censor those with conservative viewpoints,” the House GOP’s plan said: “Worse than crystalizing [sic] an ideological echo chamber, these apps have proven to be incredibly addictive for children with potentially devastating consequences.” House Commerce Committee ranking member Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., who would likely become panel chair if the GOP wins control of the chamber in the November election, later talked about the tech proposal during a Fox Business Channel appearance. She cited interest in revisiting Communications Decency Act Section 230, noting major social media companies have been more interested in “censoring conservative speech online” than stopping “criminal activity” committed via their platforms. “I’m sending letters to many of the big tech companies like TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram and telling them they need to do more to stop the fentanyl sales that are killing our children,” Rodgers said. She earlier this month cited instances in which young people have had access to drugs, often laced with fentanyl, using Snapchat (see 2209150061).

Congress “must find common ground” on extending the FCC’s spectrum auction authority past its current Sept. 30 expiration, even if it’s for a short period, former FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly said Thursday in an InsideSources opinion piece. “To do otherwise would set a horrible precedent, setting back wireless communications policy at precisely the wrong moment.” Lawmakers appear to be nearing a deal to temporarily renew the FCC’s authority through Dec. 16 as part of a pending continuing resolution to extend federal appropriations (see 2209210076). The Senate plans an initial vote at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to CR shell bill HR-6833 (see 2209220087). “Extending auction authority must have balanced expectations and a modicum of innate responsibility,” O’Rielly said: “To get more commercial wireless spectrum into the market, all affected parties must come to the table ready to deal.” Getting “an extended commercial spectrum pipeline, which is critical, will likely take longer than a few months to hammer out,” he said: “Experience tells us that it will be a long process that could take the better part of a year and only occurs with the inclusion of a firm deadline in law and corresponding watchful eyes by the respective congressional telecom leaders.”

The Senate voted Thursday to confirm Amanda Bennett as U.S. Agency for Global Media CEO and Arati Prabhakar as White House Office of Science and Technology Policy director. The chamber approved Bennett 60-36, with 12 Republicans in support. Senators voted 56-40 for Prabhakar, with 10 Republicans backing him. The chamber voted 60-37 Wednesday to invoke cloture on Bennett and 58-38 for cloture on Prabhakar (see 2209210043). Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., in a floor speech supporting Prabhakar noted the recent enactment of the Chips and Science Act (see 2208090062). The Chips and Science Act represents “a renewed commitment to domestic semiconductor research and manufacturing U.S. leadership in the next-generation chips technology,” Cantwell said: Prabhakar “has the exact experience we need to advise” President Joe Biden “on semiconductor manufacturing, on bringing the supply chain security that we need” in the U.S. “and on continued growth in science and technology jobs that come along with it.” OSTP strategies can help “our nation attract and keep the best and brightest and prioritize collaboration between academia and industry,” Cantwell said. The “partnership between the existing workforce and the workforce of tomorrow needs to grow. This is such a big important issue for us today” and Prabhakar “will help deliver a message that young women all across America need to be involved in the sciences to help our nation in the next phases of innovation.” USAGM hailed Bennett’s confirmation. She “has both the vision and experience to build on our progress, while equipping USAGM to anticipate and confront threats to independent media and reach audiences in need,” said acting CEO Kelu Chao: “This bipartisan confirmation underscores just how critical it is to Congress and our stakeholders alike that USAGM continue to deliver on its important mission. Now more than ever, people across the world are depending on USAGM’s fact-based news to triumph over increasing misinformation, disinformation, and censorship.”

Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Alex Padilla, D-Calif., introduced a bill Thursday to levy a performance royalty on stations playing music on terrestrial radio (see 2108120059). Reps. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Ted Deutch, D-Fla., introduced the House companion of the American Music Fairness Act.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., filed for cloture Thursday on HR-6833 to be the legislative vehicle for a planned continuing resolution to extend federal appropriations past Sept. 30. Senate leaders hadn’t released CR text Thursday but may unveil it Tuesday, the day the cloture motion on HR-6833 would ripen and allow the chamber to vote to proceed to considering the measure, lobbyists said. Lawmakers appeared to be getting close to an agreement to include language in the CR to extend the FCC’s spectrum auction authority through Dec. 16, a move intended to give lawmakers more time to negotiate a broader spectrum legislative package (see 2209210076).

The Senate was set to vote Wednesday night on invoking cloture on U.S. Agency for Global Media CEO nominee Amanda Bennett (see 2111120070) and White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director nominee Arati Prabhakar. The cloture vote on Bennett was to begin at 5:30 p.m. EDT. The Senate Commerce Committee advanced Prabhakar in July on a largely party-line 15-13 vote (see 2207270057).

The House voted 361-69 Tuesday to pass the Russia Cryptocurrency Transparency Act (HR-7338), Securing Global Telecommunications Act (HR-8503) and Countering Untrusted Telecommunications Abroad Act (HR-8520) as part of an en bloc package. The three measures originated in the Foreign Affairs Committee and mandate new State Department actions on cryptocurrency and telecom security matters (see 2209190058).

NTIA needs to “upgrade its privacy practices to protect the personal information of US users,” Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., wrote the agency Wednesday with several other members. They claim NTIA hasn’t updated its privacy guidelines for contractors handling domain registration information since at least 2005. “The automatic public disclosure of users’ personal information puts them at enhanced risk for becoming victims of identity theft, spamming, spoofing, doxxing, online harassment, and even physical harm,” they wrote. They recommended requiring affirmative consent for the transfer of user data to third parties, warrants for agencies requesting data and alerts for users when foreign adversaries like Russia and China access information. NTIA didn’t comment.

The House was to vote as soon as Monday night on three telecom and cryptocurrency bills from the Foreign Affairs Committee under suspension of the rules: the Russia Cryptocurrency Transparency Act (HR-7338), Securing Global Telecommunications Act (HR-8503) and Countering Untrusted Telecommunications Abroad Act (HR-8520). HR-7338 would require the State Department to appoint a digital currency security director within the Office of Economic Sanctions Policy and Implementation to assist in developing sanctions enforcement mechanisms resilient to malevolent actors’ use of digital currencies. The measure would also require the department to notify Congress when it pays out rewards in cryptocurrencies. HR-8503 would require State to develop a comprehensive strategy to promote trusted vendors of critical telecom infrastructure components. It also orders a report to Congress on Chinese and Russian efforts to advance their interests at the ITU. HR-8520 would require publicly traded companies to disclose whether they contracted to use untrusted telecom equipment or services. It would also direct the State Department to report on U.S. collective defense allies using untrusted telecom equipment or services in their 5G networks.

Senate Communications Subcommittee Chairman Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., and House Communications Subcommittee Vice Chair Doris Matsui, D-Calif., led filing Thursday of the Digital Equity Foundation Act to create a nonprofit foundation to disburse funding for digital equity, inclusion and literacy projects and support related activities. The measure mirrors parts of an earlier Airwaves for Equity proposal to endow a digital equity foundation using future FCC spectrum auction revenue (see 2202230058) but doesn’t mention a specific funding source. The foundation would “supplement, but not supplant,” existing NTIA and FCC connectivity funding programs, including ones Congress created via the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Lujan’s office cited the success of other congressionally established nonprofits, saying they were a way of leveraging public-private partnerships. “Critically, this legislation also ensures” the decision-makers who created the nonprofit “will consist of experts that reflect the diverse communities that are in need of these investments, who will work closely with federal agencies to support and uplift digital equity-focused programs,” Lujan said. “This legislation will jumpstart us down the road to lasting digital equity and inclusion nationwide,” Matsui said. Without “sustained investments in digital adoption and inclusion efforts at the community level, the huge new investments in broadband infrastructure and affordability won’t close the digital divide,” said New America’s Open Technology Institute Wireless Future Project Director Michael Calabrese: “A Digital Equity Foundation dedicated to this work and, if possible, funded by future spectrum auctions, will provide a sustainable way to address the broadband adoption side of the digital divide.” Lujan’s office cited support from 10 other public interest groups, including the American Library Association, National Hispanic Media Coalition, Public Knowledge and the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition.