Latest from Next TV in Sen-thom-tillis

MPA Salutes Sen. Tillis for Copyright Protection Stands

john.eggerton@futurenet.com (John Eggerton) — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 00:25:35 +0000

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) has received one of the Motion Picture Association of America's inaugural awards, specifically the Industry Champion Award.

That came at a ceremony Tuesday night in Washington, where MPA is headquartered.

Tillis has been in the news lately over his threat--still in effect--to put a hold on the nomination of Democratic FCC nominee Gigi Sohn, in part because of her past stands on fair use carveouts from copyright laws as head of Public Knowledge.

Back in November, Tillis (R-N.C.), ranking member of the Senate Intellectual Property Subcommittee, asked President Biden to withdraw Sohn's nomination, saying he had many concerns but that copyright was chief among them.

MPA said Tillis was being honored for "the profound impact he has had on America’s creative industry, including his work to ensure fairness within the American copyright system, to support the contributions the creative community makes to the American economy, and for leading efforts such as the Protecting Lawful Streaming Act (PLSA) to ensure that intellectual property rights have meaning," MPA said.

"I am proud to stand up for the rights of the creative community," said Tillis.

The awards will become an annual event. In addition to Tillis, another Industry Champion award went to New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy for his expansion of the New Jersey Film & Digital Media Tax Credit, an MPA Creator Award to writer-director Nikyatu Jusu, and a Lifetime Achievement Award to retiring Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) for his "unwavering commitment to intellectual property rights and copyright protection" in his eight terms in the Senate.

“I have always felt that the brilliance of artists and filmmakers deserves protection from those who attempt to unfairly profit off their hard work,” said Leahy." ■

Sen. Thom Tillis Plans To Block Gigi Sohn Floor Vote

john.eggerton@futurenet.com (John Eggerton) — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 05:01:36 +0000

Veteran fair-use advocate and former top Federal Communications Commission counselor Gigi Sohn has collected endorsements for the agency‘s open Democratic seat from various groups and legislators. But a single senator can block a full Senate vote on her confirmation and a single senator is still signaling that is what he will do if Sohn‘s nomination is favorably reported out of the Senate Commerce Committee.

Last month, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), ranking member of the Senate Intellectual Property Subcommittee, asked President Joe Biden to withdraw Sohn‘s nomination, saying he had many concerns, but copyright was chief among them. He threatened to put a hold on the nomination, which any senator can do.

Also: Gigi Sohn‘s FCC Nomination Could Face Hold Threats

Sohn has already had her nomination hearing in the Senate Commerce Committee, where she appeared to assuage some Republican concerns about her progressive views and tweets critical of Fox News Channel. But while others who shared the nomination hearing dais with her have gotten their committee votes, Sohn has not. The President had to resubmit Sohn's nomination after the Senate did not act on it last year.

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), chair of the committee, wants to hold that hearing soon. A Cantwell spokesperson said the senator expected a vote on Sohn's nomination will happen by the end of the month.

But asked whether Tillis would follow through on his hold if the committee approves Sohn, a top Tillis staffer signaled he was ready to back up his threat. “[H]e will put a hold on her nomination when it reaches the floor,” the spokesperson said.

In recent days, Consumer Technology Association president Gary Shapiro, the CEO of NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association, Shirley Bloomfield, and three former heads of the FCC's Homeland Security Bureau have publicly endorsed Sohn. ■

Bill Introduced to Block FCC Muni Broadband Pre-emption

john.eggerton@futurenet.com (John Eggerton) — Thu, 26 Feb 2015 21:45:00 +0000

Even before the Federal Communications Commission released the text of its just-voted decision to pre-empt state laws limiting municipal broadband expansion in Tennessee and North Carolina, a pair of Republican legislators introduced legislation to pre-empt that pre-emption.

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) have introduced draft legislation that says it is the sense of Congress that the FCC "does not have the authority under 4 section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 to prevent any State from implementing any 6 law of such State with respect to the provision of 7 broadband Internet access service (as defined in section 8 8.11 of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations) by such 9 State or a municipality or other political subdivision of 10 such State."

The FCC voted 3-2 in a party line vote to grant the petitions by Chattanooga, Tenn., and Wilson, N.C., to pre-empt state laws preventing them from expanding beyond the utility footprints of their current service. The commission based that authority on Sec. 706, which it says empowers the agency to take immediate action to ensure that advanced telecommunications is being deployed in a reasonable and timely fashion if it concludes that is not the case, as the FCC concluded in it most recent Sec. 706 report to Congress.

The FCC said those state laws limiting geographic buildouts were an impediment to that deployment. The decision only applies to Tennessee and North Carolina, but FCC chairman Tom Wheeler suggested it puts a spotlight on other laws, which he brands efforts by incumbents to prevent competition.

The bill would prevent FCC pre-emption in Tennessee and North Carolina, as well as the 18 other states that have such laws,and any other state that might adopt them.

“The FCC’s decision to grant the petitions of Chattanooga, Tenn., and Wilson, N.C., is a troubling power grab,” Blackburn said. “States are sovereign entities that have Constitutional rights, which should be respected rather than trampled upon. They know best how to manage their limited taxpayer dollars and financial ventures. Ironically, they will now be burdened by the poor judgment of a federal government that is over $18 trillion in debt and clearly cannot manage its own affairs."

Tillis said, “It is disturbing, yet not surprising, that the FCC and chairman Wheeler are attempting to deny the sovereign right of states to make their own laws.”