Senate Majority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., and two other lawmakers circulated a letter urging the FCC to “redouble its efforts to review the long-form applications that will now be submitted” for future phases of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. Three entities won more than $3.6 billion of the $9.2 billion allocated via the RDOF Phase I reverse auction (see 2012070039). “Transparency and accountability must be part and parcel of the administration of any program, and we urge you to thoroughly vet the winning bidders to ensure that they are capable of deploying and delivering the services they committed to providing,” they said in a draft letter to outgoing FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. “It is essential that the FCC apply the scrutiny needed to ensure the funding will be used wisely and effectively, consistent with the goals of the” USF High-Cost Program. “Validate that each provider in fact has the technical, financial, managerial, operational skills, capabilities, and resources to deliver the services that they have pledged for every American they plan to serve regardless of the technology they use,” they said. “Make as public as possible the status of its review and consider opportunities for public input on the applications.” The others circulating the letter are Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich. At least 23 other senators and 55 House members signed on, said the Fiber Broadband Association.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., acknowledged that he and ranking member Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., will switch roles, and he said his priorities will include broadband. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will tip the Senate to Democratic control after the party’s winners in runoffs for Georgia’s two seats -- Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock -- are sworn in as soon as next week (see 2101060055). Wicker said Monday he hoped for the “same level of cooperation … across party lines” in the Senate as there was the last time the chamber was tied during part of 2001. “The close margin ... means it will be difficult to pass legislation without bipartisan support,” Wicker said. “This should discourage lawmakers from pushing far-left proposals that do not enjoy broad consensus.” He didn’t commit to unilaterally supporting President-elect Joe Biden’s nominees for FCC seats and other roles, saying he “opposed nominations in the past, and I will support only those nominees who I believe are qualified.” Wicker said that as ranking member, "one of my top priorities continues to be expanding broadband to rural communities. Lawmakers from both parties understand the importance of delivering high-speed internet to every community in America, and I will lead efforts in Congress to expedite making that vision a reality.” He also plans to “keep advocating for data privacy legislation that protects consumers’ personal information.”

Comcast, Cisco, Verizon and T-Mobile suspended some political contributions, they said Monday and Tuesday, joining a growing list of companies acting due to the deadly riot at the Capitol (see 2101120061). Verizon emailed: “Like the vast majority of Americans, we watched last week’s events in Washington and were deeply saddened. As a result, we will be suspending contributions to any member of Congress who voted in favor of objecting to the election results." T-Mobile “suspended all of our PAC distributions, pending our reevaluation of our PAC giving,” the company clarified in a statement. Comcast will suspend contributions to officials who voted against Electoral College certification, a spokesperson emailed: “The peaceful transition of power is a foundation of America’s democracy. This year, that transition will take place among some of the most challenging conditions in modern history and against the backdrop of the appalling violence we witnessed at the U.S. Capitol last week. At this crucial time, our focus needs to be on working together for the good of the entire nation.” Cisco’s employee-sponsored PAC suspended “contributions to any of the 147 representatives and senators who attempted to prevent Congress from fulfilling its constitutional duty to certify a legitimate and fair presidential election.”

House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, N.J.; Communications Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle, Pa.; and Rep. Jerry McNerney, Calif., pressed Comcast and eight other ISPs Monday to detail if they have raised or plan to raise their prices. “Some companies have already started to abandon the policies they adopted in the early days of the pandemic” via the Keep Americans Connected pledge, which expired June 30, the lawmakers said in letters to heads of Comcast, Altice, AT&T, Lumen's CenturyLink, Charter, Cox, Frontier, T-Mobile and Verizon. “Broadband networks seem to have largely withstood” major shifts in usage, but “what cannot be overlooked or underestimated is the extent to which families without home internet service -- particularly those with school-aged children at home -- have been left out.” The Democrats cited Comcast’s expansion of its 1.2 TB monthly data plan (see 2011230037), “an egregious action at a time when households and small businesses across the country need high-speed, reliable broadband more than ever.” The lawmakers pressed the ISPs to say how many customers they have disconnected since the beginning of March and whether they intend to “extend bill due dates, waive fees, or provide service at no cost.” AT&T "has been at the forefront of keeping our customers and communities connected, working to close the homework gap and bridge the digital divide by making broadband more accessible and affordable," a spokesperson emailed. "We are reviewing the letter" and plan to "provide a response." Charter has “been working tirelessly since the beginning of the pandemic to meet growing connectivity demands and expand service to help people and institutions respond to the pandemic crisis,” a spokesperson emailed. “As of the end of July, we had already: connected nearly 450,000 students, teachers, and their families at speeds of up to 200 Mbps broadband service for 60 days at no cost; kept nearly 700,000 customers connected and forgiven $85 million in customers’ overdue balances when they had a hard time paying bills due to COVID-related hardship; and taken steps to support small businesses, including offering one month of free service, providing helpful online tools, suspending collections, and not charging late fees or terminating service for small business customers. Moreover, we’ve done all of this without imposing data caps, usage-based pricing, or early termination fees on our customers.” CenturyLink “will be responding,” a spokesperson said. The other ISPs didn’t comment Monday.

Strengthen U.S. measures to slow China technology growth, including prohibitions on Chinese acquisitions of American technology, an Information Technology and Innovation Foundation virtual event was told last week. ITIF President Robert Atkinson said China’s “technology advancements come at the cost of European technology advancements and U.S. technology advancements.” European countries don't feel responsible for countering Chinese tech advancements, responded Daniel Gros, Centre for European Policy Studies director. Atkinson isn't “on the side of full decoupling,” and the U.S. should be working with allies to “push back against” China and its unfair trade practices, especially in the tech sector, the ITIF chief said Wednesday. Though the Trump administration has often opted not to pursue multilateral cooperation, Atkinson said the incoming Joe Biden administration will do more and “mend some of the fences that were unfortunately broken” with allies. The White House and China's embassy in Washington didn't comment Friday.

Congressional Spectrum Caucus co-Chair Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Calif., Friday urged President-elect Joe Biden’s incoming administration to adopt a “unified approach to spectrum policy and a clearly articulated process for resolving interagency disputes.” The FCC and other federal agencies repeatedly fought over spectrum policy issues during President Donald Trump’s administration, and stakeholders hope that's reduced under Biden (see 2010260001). “These frequent, public conflicts encouraged a combative rather than collaborative posture among federal agencies and often necessitated congressional intervention,” Matsui wrote Biden. “This spectrum management approach is untenable. Non-federal users deserve the certainty needed for long-term strategic investments and, as federal stewards, agencies deserve the requisite resources to" fulfill their mandates. "More intensive use of federal spectrum will be necessary” and “require new coexistence and sharing techniques that have the potential to cause friction,” she said. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai agrees that “we must coordinate with NTIA and other stakeholders on proposals in bands with federal government equities,” he responded to GAO’s June recommendation the commission work with NTIA and others to develop goals for 5G plans (see 2006290061). It “would be unwise to prejudge the engineering, economic, and other technical outcomes by setting artificial benchmarks, as GAO recommends,” Pai said in letters to House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and other lawmakers released Thursday. “Our goal always is to put spectrum to the highest and best use in the public interest, which we accomplish by relying upon our transparent and inclusive administrative process.”

President-elect Joe Biden named Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo (D) Friday as his pick for commerce secretary, as expected (see 2101070069). Biden also named longtime aide Don Graves as deputy commerce secretary and California Office of the Small Business Advocate Director Isabel Guzman to lead the Small Business Administration. Raimondo and Graves are “proven leaders,” with “keen understanding of how broadband innovators support American connectivity,” said USTelecom CEO Jonathan Spalter: The Commerce Department now “plays a vital role in our connected digital future, and this talented leadership team is ready to face a range of issues related to cybersecurity, 5G and spectrum management, and the future of the internet.” Raimondo “was one of the first to recognize 5G’s potential,” said CTIA President Meredith Baker. “Her nomination sends a strong signal that the Biden Administration is committed to maintaining America’s position as the world’s innovation hub.” The Telecommunications Industry Association hopes to work with Raimondo and Graves “on a range of important issues that include improving supply chain security, expanding internet connectivity and access, promoting the competitiveness of trusted [information and communications tech] manufacturers, and ensuring that the U.S. leads in standards innovation,” said CEO David Stehlin. Raimondo's experience includes businesswoman and advocate for government-industry collaboration, said Information Technology Industry Council CEO Jason Oxman.

President-elect Joe Biden is set to name Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo (D) as his pick for commerce secretary and longtime aide Don Graves as deputy secretary, lobbyists told us. The Biden transition team didn’t comment. During Raimondo’s administration, Rhode Island has been one of four states that continued to divert 911 fees, despite FCC admonitions (see 2001070025). She signed a 2018 executive order restricting state contracts to ISPs that follow net neutrality principles (see 1805070029). Biden also nominated U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit Judge Merrick Garland as his pick for attorney general (see 2101040070). Garland has been involved in some of the D.C. Circuit’s high-profile telecom and tech cases, including the Tri-County Telephone Association’s challenge against the FCC’s nearly $1 billion USF telecom rebuild program for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (see 2010150042).

President Donald Trump railed against what he sees as GOP resistance to outright repeal of Communications Decency Act Section 230. “I've been telling these Republicans get rid of Section 230 and for some reason [Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky] and the group don't want to put it in there,” Trump said during a rally near the White House Wednesday, in support of his unfounded claims that he won reelection over Democratic President-elect Joe Biden. There were also protests at the Capitol amid Congress’ debate over certifying the election results that Biden won with 306 electoral votes to Trump’s 232. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and Republican Commissioner Brendan Carr were among those condemning protesters who stormed the Capitol (see 2101060054). Major tech companies and social media platforms “shadow ban you and it should be illegal,” Trump said. Republicans who resist Section 230 repeal “don't realize that's going to be the end of the Republican Party as we know it.” Pai hasn't advanced the FCC 230 proceeding (see 2101050060). Trump in waning days of last Congress continued pushing for Section 230 repeal, which McConnell eventually tied into a push for increased COVID-19 stimulus payments (see 2012290049).

CTA CEO Gary Shapiro urged Congress to certify the results of the presidential election, in which states certified that President-elect Joe Biden won 306 electoral votes to President Donald Trump’s 232. At least a dozen Republican senators and up to 100 House GOP members are expected to challenge those results when Congress convenes Wednesday to certify the election. They aren’t expected to prevail since Trump backers failed in their legal challenges to overturn the results. “The people have spoken, and the states have certified their results,” Shapiro said Tuesday. “After a year of global upheaval and a vitriolic election cycle, the country needs to come together to continue to heal and search for solutions. We applaud those who will stand for moving our country forward tomorrow by certifying the presidential election.”