Congress and the FCC should enact “reforms to the streaming media industry” regarding “increasingly explicit programming on streaming platforms that children can access due to inadequate parental controls,” said Parents Television and Media Council Tuesday. “We are urging the FCC to follow through on the promises that Congress made to families when it unanimously passed the Child Safe Viewing Act,” said PTC President Tim Winter. And “update the Family Movie Act of 2005 to enable content filtering technology on streaming media platforms.” PTC invited large streaming companies to a virtual town hall Tuesday, but none accepted, the release said. A PTC report said Netflix has the best parental controls of the streaming services, and Hulu the worst. The companies didn't comment by deadline.

The White House and Senate Republicans confirmed Tuesday they have ended talks on infrastructure legislation following a call between President Joe Biden and Senate Public Works Committee ranking member Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia (see 2106070063). Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York told reporters Democrats are now more actively “pursuing” using the budget reconciliation process to enact infrastructure legislation (see 2103160001) even as he continues to hope for a bipartisan deal. Biden told Capito "the latest offer from her group did not, in his view, meet the essential needs of our country," said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki in a statement. "He offered his gratitude to her for her efforts and good faith conversations, but expressed his disappointment that, while he was willing to reduce his plan by more than $1 trillion, the Republican group had increased their proposed new investments by only $150 billion." The White House agreed with the GOP on $65 billion for broadband (see 2105270072). Biden "is committed to moving his economic legislation through Congress this summer, and is pursuing multiple paths to get this done," including a pending offer from Sens. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and four other senators. The Sinema-Portman proposal was expected to total around $900 billion and to include broadband money, aides said. "While I appreciate President Biden’s willingness to devote so much time and effort to these negotiations, he ultimately chose not to accept the very robust and targeted infrastructure package, and instead, end our discussions," Capito said in a statement. "I am disappointed by his decision," but "this does not mean bipartisanship isn’t feasible." Capito and other Republicans “seem to be running into a brick wall,” but the bipartisan proposal “might be closer to what the president needs,” Schumer said. “That’s good, but that’s not going to be the only answer. We all know as a caucus we will not be able to do all the things that the country needs in a bipartisan way. And so, at the same time, we are pursuing the pursuit of reconciliation, and that is going on at the same time.” Some parts of the infrastructure package could move in a bipartisan deal while others move via reconciliation, he said.

The White House signaled Monday time is running short for talks between President Joe Biden and Senate Republicans on infrastructure spending. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Biden plans to talk with Senate Public Works Committee ranking member Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., before he leaves Wednesday for a weeklong state visit in Europe. “The time is not unlimited here” for talks to continue with Republicans, but many paths remain available for an infrastructure compromise, Psaki told reporters. Biden “made clear” when he talked to Capito Friday (see 2106040073) that a new GOP counterproposal, which increased the infrastructure spending offer by $50 billion, “didn’t meet his own bar. But we’re open to where the discussion goes.” Biden “has come down by about $1 trillion” from the plan he first proposed in March (see 2103310064), while Republicans have “come up by a small percentage,” Psaki said: The White House agrees with the GOP on $65 billion for broadband (see 2105270072), but it's still "an important part of the negotiation." The White House eyes other potential infrastructure measures as a compromise, including a coming bipartisan plan pursued by Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine; Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.; Rob Portman, R-Ohio; and Mitt Romney, R-Utah, Psaki said.

GAO filed a restricted report titled “DOD Should Explore Options for Meeting Near and Long-term Narrowband Needs.” GAO said Monday it doesn’t make public reports that it finds “contain either classified information or controlled unclassified information by the Executive Branch audited agencies.” DOD’s spectrum priorities draw attention (see 2104190062).

Brian Schatz of Hawaii led a letter Thursday with 20 other Senate Democrats urging the departments of Agriculture and Housing and Urban Development to “share data” with the FCC on programs to improve broadband connectivity and “collaborate with each other to better promote" Lifeline. HUD and USDA should “use their resources to help promote the Lifeline program through existing outreach to public housing agencies and schools,” the lawmakers wrote HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge, FCC acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “HUD, USDA and the FCC should also collaborate on what additional information they could share with each other to make enrollment in the Lifeline program easier.” Others signing included Communications Subcommittee Chairman Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico and Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee Chairman Chris Van Hollen of Maryland. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., earlier this week wrote Rosenworcel to again raise concerns about FCC plans to improve broadband coverage map accuracy. He cited a Competitive Carriers Association study that found “pervasive errors” on Rural Digital Opportunity Fund data (see 2105060072).

President Joe Biden proposed to set a minimum 15% corporate tax rate to help pay for an infrastructure spending package as an informal counteroffer to Senate Republicans, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday. Biden made the counterproposal during a Wednesday meeting (see 2106020078) with Senate Public Works Committee ranking member Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, who's leading GOP negotiators. Biden also asked Republicans to back $1 trillion in new spending. Republicans propose $65 billion for broadband (see 2105270072), a figure the White House is offering to back. Capito’s office confirmed she plans to meet with Biden again Friday. Capito “is encouraged that negotiations have continued,” a spokesperson emailed. Vice President Kamala Harris said Thursday she and Biden “are determined to get to 100%” broadband coverage via an infrastructure package. She helped announce NTIA’s plan to make nearly $1 billion available for tribal broadband (see 2106030065). Lawmakers “worked together” to fund broadband programs via the FY 2021 appropriations and COVID-19 aid packages (see 2012210055) and now “Congress must work together again to bring high-speed Internet to every American,” she said. Other officials emphasized they want talks with Republicans on infrastructure to be completed by when the Senate returns Monday (see 2106010068).

NTIA is making nearly $1 billion available through the tribal broadband connectivity program, said Vice President Kamala Harris, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland during a White House event. It's part of FY 2021 appropriations (see 2012210055). Tribal governments, tribal colleges and universities, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, tribal organizations and Alaska Native corporations are eligible for funding for broadband deployment, said a notice of funding opportunity. Funds can also be used to support digital inclusion, workforce development, telehealth and distance learning. Applications are due Sept. 1. The funds are a "down payment on the work we must do," Harris said, and "we must keep going until we connect every American household." Acting Administrator Evelyn Remaley said NTIA will "leverage its deep experience with funding broadband programs to ensure that we make significant progress in eliminating the digital divide on Tribal land.” NTIA has webinars June 16 and 17. Thursday's announcement was "a meaningful step forward," said Free Press Policy Manager Dana Floberg. BroadLand co-Chair Mignon Clyburn said "every penny spent on broadband is a down payment on a better future, and we support the White House efforts."

The White House is considering House Communications Subcommittee FCC detailee Parul Desai as a candidate for a third Democratic FCC seat, officials and lobbyists told us. Desai has been Communications’ FCC detailee since September 2019. She was previously FCC Enforcement Bureau Telecom Consumers Division deputy director, a Media Bureau Audio Division attorney adviser and the commission’s open internet ombudsperson right after its rescinded 2015 net neutrality rules took effect (see 1506150057). Desai was also a lawyer for Consumers Union and the Media Access Project. Her role as the ombudsperson is seen as a reason she’s in contention now. President Joe Biden’s eventual nominee for the third FCC Democratic slot is considered crucial to any effort to update net neutrality rules (see 2101060055). Biden also wants people of color in tech policy leadership roles, lobbyists said. Officials weren’t sure whether Desai has a better chance of getting the nod than others including DLA Piper’s Smitty Smith (see 2104280057). Biden faces pressure from Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell of Washington and other Democrats to announce nominees for FCC, FTC and NTIA vacancies. Desai and the White House didn’t comment Wednesday.

The White House believes negotiations with Senate Republicans on an infrastructure spending package “need to finish” soon and hopes “there is a clear direction on how to advance” that legislation before the Senate returns June 7, Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Tuesday. President Joe Biden plans to meet Wednesday with Senate Public Works Committee ranking member Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia on Republicans’ most recent infrastructure counteroffer, which includes $65 billion for broadband (see 2105270072), the White House said. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also pegged June 7 as the date by which there should be “a clear direction” on talks. Jean-Pierre noted June 9, the day the House Infrastructure Committee plans to mark up a surface transportation bill, as “a relevant date in terms of the overall time frame.” This week “will be incredibly critical,” she said: There will be additional “conversations as we move forward … in the next couple days.”

The FCC should “enhance the transparency and accountability” of its “operations by publicly reporting on the actions and findings of its Hurricane Recovery Task Force,” after shortcomings when Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2017, the GAO reported Tuesday. House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., sought the study in 2019 (see 1910030043). The Public Safety Bureau issued recommendations in 2018 (see 1808240052). The new audit said the commission “did not have the benefit of substantial public input” when assembling that report. The FCC posted a request for comment on its response in December 2017, but “it is unclear the extent to which residents of Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands were able to respond” before the January 2018 deadline, GAO said. The commission didn’t do a field hearing in Puerto Rico on its Hurricane Maria response until February 2020 (see 2002260041) “because they did not want to overburden Puerto Rico’s restoration efforts.” The FCC has since “not issued a report ... or a full accounting of FCC’s response to Hurricane Maria,” GAO said. “According to FCC officials, the task force has continued to support recovery efforts in Puerto Rico and USVI since the task force’s creation in 2017, but these efforts have not been made public.” So “determine if any changes in policy are needed to ensure FCC has transparent operations for any future disaster-related task force,” in addition to enhancing the Hurricane Recovery Task Force’s transparency, GAO said. The office recommended the Department of Homeland Security work with the FCC to update national response framework guidelines with “specific roles and responsibilities for FCC, including identifying new or evolving technologies that could assist disaster response efforts and supporting training or exercises on the appropriate use of such technologies.” GAO said the framework doesn’t give the FCC a clearly defined role. The FCC and DHS concurred with the recommendations. The FCC noted that “under new leadership, it is taking urgent action to refresh its capabilities and procedures for disaster response,” GAO said.