Federal Communications Commission chair Jessica Rosenworcel wants cable and satellite TV subscribers to know just how much they are paying to defray the broadcast-TV retransmission and regional sports net fees their providers must pony up for programming, and to help them compare traditional video costs with those of streaming services.

Rosenworcel has proposed an item to the other commissioners that would require cable and satellite providers to “specify” an “all-in” price for video service both in promotional materials and on subscribers’ monthly bills.

In addition to the retrans and sports-network breakouts, that “all in” price notice would have to include other programming-related fees as clear and prominent line items.

Rosenworcel signaled the idea was to eliminate what the FCC calls the misleading practice of labeling those costs as “taxes, fees or surcharges.”

The FCC said the “all-in” pricing requirement will allow consumers to comparison-shop among providers, primarily satellite or streaming options since there is generally only one traditional cable provider per market.

“We’re working to make it so the advertised price for a service is the price you pay when your bill arrives and isn’t littered with anything that resembles junk fees,” the FCC said. “Not only will this reduce cost confusion and make it easier for consumers to compare services, but this proposal will also increase competition among cable and broadcast satellite providers through improved price transparency.”

Rosenworcel will need at least one Republican vote, since the FCC is currently tied, but the fact that she announced it had been circulated suggests she may have the necessary votes, at least to seek comment on the proposal.

At the direction of Congress, the FCC already requires consumer broadband “nutrition” labels, including fees, but not on monthly bills. ■

Federal Communications Commission chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has named Trent Harkrader as new head of the Wireline Competition Bureau, which oversees broadband issues, and has tapped a new liaison with the legislators who have freed up billions in new broadband funding.

Harkrader will succeed Kris Monteith, who is retiring.

While the National Telecommunications & Information Administration is overseeing the vast majority of infrastructure-related broadband subsides, the FCC is still responsible for handing out billions of federal dollars, so broadband and closing the digital divide remain a key focus.

Harkrader has been advising Rosenworcel on implementation of the Consolidated Appropriations Act broadband subsidies while doing double duty as deputy chief of the Wireline Competition Bureau. He is a former attorney-adviser and division manager in the FCC's Enforcement Bureau.

Rosenworcel also said Brian Moulton has joined the FCC as director of the Office of Legislative Affairs, which is the liaison between the regulator and Congress, providing legislators with answers to policy questions.

Moulton had been senior counsel to Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.). and before that was legal director of the Human Rights Campaign. 

Washington stakeholders were quick to weigh in after a somewhat divided Congress approved Alan Davidson as the new head of the National Telecommunications & Information Administration, including pledges of cooperation from FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel.

NITA, a part of the Commerce Department, oversees government spectrum holders, is the President's top communications policy arm, and perhaps most importantly in the current broadband subsidy cornucopia out of Congress, will oversee some $48 billion in broadband subsidies, mostly to the states.

“Congratulations to Alan Davidson as he takes the helm of NTIA at an exciting time for broadband policy in the United States," said Rosenworcel, herself a recent confirmee to the top post at that agency. "The FCC and NTIA have worked together as partners in the past, and I look forward to building on that history with close cooperation in the future."

Actually, there has been some difference of opinion between the two agencies, particularly over the issues of potential interference to aviation and automotive systems as the FCC promotes sharing government spectrum, or adjacent spectrum.

"Among other things, I look forward to working together on spectrum policy that reflects our national priorities and offering support as NTIA prepares to distribute the largest broadband infrastructure investment in our nation’s history," Rosenworcel said.

The FCC used to be the 800 pound broadband subsidy gorilla thanks to its Universal Service Fund (USF) ongoing subsidies program, but NTIA's profile has been raised considerably due to infrastructure spending's infusion of tens of billions of dollars in new money.

“We congratulate Alan Davidson on his approval by the Senate to lead the National Telecommunications and Information Administration," said Michael Powell, president of NCTA – The Internet & Television Association. "Alan will play a critical role in overseeing the implementation of the billions of dollars of funding for broadband construction included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. With the tens of billions of dollars dedicated to broadband infrastructure, America has an historic opportunity to accomplish universal connectivity but only if the funds are targeted where they are needed most and the program does not stray from its intent of connecting communities without robust broadband service.

"NTIA also plays an important role in advancing a balanced spectrum policy that serves the needs of licensed and unlicensed users as well as leading the development of a national policy on privacy and data," said Powell. "We look forward to working with Alan and the NTIA on these important issues and keeping America at the forefront of communications innovation.”

“With Alan’s extensive experience in the communications industry, we look forward to his leadership at NTIA during this critical time when the agency will oversee the most significant opportunity to close the digital divide and promote digital equity since the inception of the Internet," said Comcast chief legal officer Tom Reid.

“Charter congratulates Alan Davidson on his confirmation as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and as Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)," said the cable ISP. "Under Mr. Davidson’s leadership, NTIA will undertake significant efforts to help close the digital divide and ensure that all Americans have access to reliable, high-speed internet service, and we look forward to working with him.”

"Mr. Davidson’s background as an executive at the Mozilla Foundation, an Obama Administration alum and former director of the Open Technology Institute means he understands how to pair good engineering with smart policy for the greater public good. We look forward to working with Mr. Davidson on crafting balanced policy that will fuel innovation and connect more Americans," said WiFiForward.

"[Davidson's] leadership on spectrum sharing solutions will help further public-private partnerships and growth for our dynamic member organizations," said National Spectrum Consortium chair Salvador D’Itri. "We look forward to working with Davidson and his colleagues as they advance smart spectrum policy."

"Frontier congratulates Alan Davidson on his Senate confirmation as Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration," said the company. "Throughout his career, Davidson has been a champion for open, affordable, and accessible broadband for all Americans, a priority we share at Frontier. We look forward to working with Administrator Davidson as he oversees the historic deployment of more than $48 billion for broadband deployment to ensure Americans have access to reliable, gigabit broadband service throughout the country."  

NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association, whose members should be getting a ton of work from the broadband subsidy bonanza, added its applause.

"NATE congratulates Mr. Davidson on his confirmation,” said NATE president Todd Schlekeway. “Thanks to the federal infrastructure law, NTIA is charged with distributing historic levels of funding for broadband deployment and it is very important to have a talented leader overseeing efforts to distribute this funding and closing the digital divide. Mr. Davidson is committed to these efforts and has pledged to ensure broadband funds are deployed properly and that broadband deployment is technology neutral. NATE looks forward to being a partner in these efforts and supporting Mr. Davidson in his role as Assistant Secretary.”

“We wish to congratulate Alan Davidson and his family on his Senate confirmation to lead the NTIA," said Chip Pickering, CEO of INCOMPAS, adding: "This is one of the most important public service jobs in broadband history. A bipartisan Congress united to invest a record $65 billion into broadband that has the potential to transform America’s internet future. Done right, competition policy will be the driving force behind these investments, as competition has proven time and again to be the leading driver for faster speeds and lower prices that save consumers money and help small businesses grow." ■

The Senate Commerce Committee has scheduled a Dec. 1 hearing to consider the nomination of Gigi Sohn for the open FCC seat and look for some Republicans to push back hard on the progressive candidate. Though despite her strong support for Title II-based net neutrality rules and other positions Republicans oppose, she also has friends among Republicans who respect her intellect and skill.  

At the same hearing, the committee plans to vote on the nomination of Jessica Rosenworcel for another five-year term, paving the way for her to become the first female full-time FCC chair. She is expected to have no trouble being favorably reported to the full Senate, which must vote on her nomination before the end of the year or she would have to leave the commission.

 Sohn's path to confirmation could be more problematic given that she represents the third Democratic vote and the majority Rosenworcel will need to tackle things like net neutrality and potential media ownership reregulation.

Also: Sohn Nomination Sent to Senate

Sohn is the former top advisor to then FCC chairman Tom Wheeler, and founder of Public Knowledge, the iconic fair use public interest group. Atop that group, she was at the table when FCC chairman Julius Genachowski struck a compromise approach to net neutrality rules that were not based in Title II, but under Wheeler, Sohn, who appeared always to prefer the Title II route, became a strong advocate for that approach, which was ultimately reversed under Republican chairman Ajit Pai, a move strongly opposed by Rosenworcel.

It would have been customary for Sohn and Rosenworcel to have had their nomination hearings at the same time -- Rosenworcel's hearing was Nov. 17 -- but there had been reports both would get their own hearings.

Although there are three other nominees for various Commerce Department jobs whose nominations will also be considered alongside Sohn's at the Dec. 1 hearing, look for her to get the large majority of questions, as was the case with Rosenworcel at her hearing.

Former acting FCC chair Mignon Clyburn, the first woman to hold that title, has come out strongly for Sohn. ■

FCC acting chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has named Paloma Perez as FCC press secretary.

Perez had been communications director for former Rep. Xochitl Torres Small (D-N.M.).

Also Read: Rosenworcel Says It's Time to Think Big....and Act

Before that, Perez was deputy communications director and legislative aide to Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Texas).

Rosenworcel points out that Perez was the daughter of Peruvian and Mexican immigrants as well as a first-generation college graduate.

"Communicating clearly with the American people and ensuring we have respectful and honest engagement with the media is fundamental to our responsibilities as public servants,” said Rosenworcel of her new hire. “Paloma is an excellent addition to our team."

Also Read: D.C. Applauds Rosenworcel Pick

Rosenworcel said both she and Perez would be working on finding better ways "to engage with the Spanish-speaking news media and the communities they serve.”

Acting FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel's first public meeting in the center seat will consist of status reports on works in progress responsive to the Congress' passage of the COVID-19 aid package.

The meeting will consist of four presentations and two rulemakings.

Also Read: D.C. Applauds Rosenworcel Pick

The presentations will be on the status of the Emergency Broadband Benefit Fund. The FCC has 60 days to come with a process for handing out $3.2 billion in broadband subsidies for low-income residents. " It means more people can work online or seek jobs online, more students can take classes online, and more patients can consult with their healthcare providers online," Rosenworcel said in outlining the agenda for the Feb. 17 meeting.

Then the FCC will outline another congressional mandate with money attached, the $249.95 million to expand telehealth. 

The third presentation will be on improving broadband mapping, something Congress mandated--and finally funded--by the FCC was already working on. It is something Rosenworcel has long pushed, saying there needed to be "maps before money. "[F]or too long, the FCC has lacked the data it needs about precisely where service is and is not throughout the country," she said. "The good news is that Congress just appropriated $65 million to help the agency develop better data for improved maps so we can get started on this in earnest."

The rulemakings will seek comment on 911 fee diversion, where states getting money for 911 from fees on resident's phone bills have diverted it to other purposes, and aligning the FCC's rules with changes to the Secure and Trusted Networks Act that were made in the appropriations bill. 

Also Read: Commerce Restricts Exports to Chip Giant

"Our challenge now is to couple Congress’s vision with strategies for successful implementation, so we’re going to hit the ground running," said Rosenworcel. "It’s not time to think small—and we can’t afford to act slowly either."

It will also be a time to find consensus on any items to be voted since the commission will be at a 2-2 tie until President Biden can nominate and the Senate confirm a third Democrat, either as chair of commissioner.

Acting FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel has named some acting officials.

Michelle Ellison has been named acting general counsel and Joe Taubenblatt will be acting chief of the Wireless Bureau.

Also Read: Jessica Rosenworcel Named Acting FCC Chair

Tom Johnson, who has been general counsel, will stay on at the FCC in the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, while Don Stockdale, who had been Wireless Bureau chief, will move to the Office of Economics and Analysis.

Ellison most recently was deputy general counsel, a post she has held for most of her tenure at the FCC. Rosenworcel also pointed out that Ellison is the first woman of color to be an agency chief of staff, head of the Enforcement Bureau and acting general counsel.

Taubenblatt was most recently deputy bureau chief in the Wireless Bureau and is the former chief of the Competition and Infrastructure Policy Division and Broadband Divisions.

Also Read: D.C. Applauds Rosenworcel Pick as Acting FCC Chairwoman

“Michele and Joel bring the perfect mix of experience and expertise to their new roles,” said Acting chair Jessica Rosenworcel.  “They both have a deep understanding of communications law and policy and a keen sense of initiative that will be invaluable as the agency takes on its work in the days ahead.”

It is not yet clear whether Rosenworcel is holding down the fort until President Biden picks a permanent chair, or will get that nod herself. She has plenty of support on Capitol Hill as a former top Senate staffer.

The following is excerpted from the Jan. 13 Federal Communications Commission open meeting statement of commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, who was named acting chair of the agency on Jan. 21: 

I worked for many years in the Capitol. I know its towering heights, secluded corners, and labyrinth hallways. But it’s not the loftiness of those spaces that I find most compelling. It’s what’s down below on the floors. I’ve traversed them too many times to count, heading back and forth, clicking on the tiles in less-than-sensible work shoes. I think the most beautiful floor tiles in the Capitol are the mid-19th century encaustic mosaics. The clay is inlaid, so the colors in the tiles are especially vibrant and diverse.

It’s like the metaphor for our union is right there on the ground. Even where these mosaic floors are uneven and worn, what strikes you most is the durability. They have survived so much in our history.

History, of course, is always being written. The violence done to the Capitol last week is an especially ugly chapter. To see those sacred spaces desecrated stings. To see those gorgeous floors smeared with feces and hate hurts. To see the Confederate flag paraded across those tiles sears and burns. And to watch those disowning the hatred that brought us here when for too long they walked too casually alongside it is difficult. It was Martin Luther King Jr. who said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.” Now we have an opportunity to lean into the light.

As a nation we need connections — physical and digital — that strengthen our mutual bonds. We need connections that remind us that our states are united and our interdependence is powerful. And as if on cue, a new appropriations law has provided this agency with authority to help do just that.

Congress directed us to establish an Emergency Broadband Benefit to expand access to high-speed connections and assist those struggling in the ongoing economic crisis. It tasked the agency with expanded support for telehealth and provided funding that will make our networks more powerful and more secure. We also cannot forget the millions of students caught in the homework gap because they lack high-speed service at home and are locked out of the virtual classroom. In short, we have real work to do. Work that helps ensure that safe, reliable, and affordable communications reach 100% of this country — rural areas, urban areas, and everything in between. 

Rosenworcel was not the only commissioner to weigh in on the siege. Ajit Pai, FCC chairman until last Wednesday (Jan. 20), addressed it in an interview for C-SPAN’s The Communicators series:

The scenes we saw were outrageous and extremely disappointing to those of us who cherish American democracy, one hallmark of which is the peaceful transition of power. I think it was a terrible mistake to suggest that the results of the election, and particularly the process that culminated in the Senate and the House [the vote to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory] could in any way be changed. That was a terrible mistake and one I do not believe should have been indulged.

Given the circumstances that we saw — armed guards defending the Senate chamber, people wielding Confederate flags in the seat of the United States government and other actions like that — were completely unacceptable and completely outrageous and, as I said on Twitter in real time, we must be governed by the rule of law, not by the rule of the mob. Law and order must be restored and democracy must be respected. These are the bedrock expectations of every American citizen and it is what distinguishes American democracy from other governments around the world and I believe that to my core regardless of political affiliation.

FCC newcomer Nathan Simington, an immigrant to this country, also weighed in on the violence as his first public statement as commissioner, with the preamble that he was someone who had “embraced the gift of citizenship.” He condemned the violence and urged everyone to work together for a peaceful transfer of power, suggesting working together begins at home, home being his new one at the FCC:

I look forward to working in the public interest with my colleagues commissioners [Brendan] Carr, Rosenworcel and [Geoffrey] Starks, as well as the president-elect’s new nominee. Our mandate at the commission is to work for the benefit of all Americans. Should we disagree on some issues, we would do well to remember Thomas Jefferson’s words at the time of another presidential transition, the first in which the Administration changed parties: “Every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle. We have called by different names brethren of the same principle.” 

Democrats on the Federal Communications Commission are taking issue with chairman Ajit Pai's announcement last week that the agency would clarify edge providers' Section 230 immunity from civil liability over third-party content, as the White House has asked. Pai also said he has been assured by commission lawyers that it has the authority to do so.

That came during a public meeting Tuesday (Oct. 27) in statements on the FCC's defense of its network-neutrality deregulation order.

Democrats pointed out that the FCC had cited Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act in defending its elimination of net neutrality regulations and its adoption of an "information services" definition for internet access that squared better with Section 230's grant of immunity that allowed the marketplace more freedom.

Section 230 allows social media sites to host third-party speech without being subject to legal action based on the content that is posted or what they do with it.

Senior Democrat Jessica Rosenworcel pointed out that Section 230 had been in the news lately as "we all grapple with the frustrations of social media."

Related: FCC Will Clarify Section 230

Some of those include Republican legislators claiming censorship of conservative speech, Democrats claiming promotion of hate speech and the facilitation of election interference, and President Donald Trump's claim that Big Tech is out to un-elect him.

But Rosenworcel said the FCC was trying to have it both ways in upholding its net dereg and pursuing its Section 230 clarification. 

“Three years ago, the FCC insisted that Section 230’s references to a competitive, free market for the internet compelled this agency to roll back net neutrality," which she called "bunk" then and now. "But now the agency’s approach to Section 230 is even more confounding. Because following a push from the Administration, the FCC has reversed course. It now insists that this provision of the law compels the agency to regulate certain speech online. In the end, it’s not just the hypocrisy that disappoints, or the intellectual contortions required to make sense of this. It’s the dishonesty. It can’t be that the FCC points to Section 230 to disavow authority over broadband but then uses the same law to insist it can turn around and serve as the President’s speech police."

Fellow Democratic commissioner Geoffrey Starks echoed that sentiment.

"I’m struck by the majority’s inconsistency in affirming the RIF Order even as the Chairman has announced his plan to circulate a rulemaking on Section 230,” Starks said in his meeting statement on the RIF item, from which he dissented. “After all, in the RIF Order the majority pointed to Section 230 as evidence of Congress’s intent that broadband should receive a 'free market approach' as an information service.

“It’s absurdly ironic that some of net neutrality’s strongest opponents now argue that the commission should interpret Section 230 to control the speech of private companies,” Starks added. “These pieces don’t fit together. You can’t pretend to have a light-touch regulatory framework when you’re proposing to regulate online content with a heavy hand. This ideological about-face shows that the imminent Section 230 rulemaking is more about pleasing the President than making good policy."

Pai has explained his decision to proceed with a Section 230 rulemaking this way: “Throughout my tenure at the Federal Communications Commission, I have favored regulatory parity, transparency, and free expression. Social media companies have a First Amendment right to free speech. But they do not have a First Amendment right to a special immunity denied to other media outlets, such as newspapers and broadcasters.”

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) has introduced the Homework Gap Trust Fund Act, which would tap into C-Band auction money. 

The goal of the bill is to ensure that all children have access to the home. 

In introducing the legislation, Van Hollen pointed to a Senate Joint Economic Committee finding that as many as 12 million students don't have internet access at home while 70% of teachers assign homework that requires access. 

Related: Teachers Say Homework Gap Remains 

That gap has prompted anecdotal stories about parents driving their kids to McDonald's or Starbucks, or kids sitting in school parking lots or on the library steps to do their homework.  

The bill would direct revenue from the C-Band midband auction--scheduled to begin next February--to a fund to pay for "priorities that will help close the digital divide." 

Some legislators on both sides of the aisle have been keen to direct C-Band auction funds--the FCC is freeing up more spectrum for 5G--to closing that divide, rather than compensating incumbent foreign-owned satellite operators. 

“Every child deserves the opportunity to succeed. But without internet access at home, many students face significant barriers in completing their schoolwork," Van Hollen said in introducing the legislation. 

Democratic FCC commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, who has made closing that homework gap a signature issue, praised the bill. "We need to fix this problem and make sure that when it comes to nightly schoolwork, no child is left offline," she said. "So kudos to Senator Van Hollen for this bill, which would capitalize on funds raised by an upcoming FCC spectrum auction to provide solutions to connect kids everywhere to digital opportunity."