It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…and not in a good way. Congress still hasn’t finished the spending bills and now they are passing another continuing resolution. This one will last a week. Yep, that’s right, Congress will be debating spending trillions of dollars right before Christmas while people will be distracted by potentially more government lockdowns and Christmas television commercials. President Trump said during a debate, “bad things in Philadelphia.” Well, bad things happen in Washington, D.C. in late December when a lame duck Congress is crafting spending bills that will cost taxpayers trillions of dollars.
What the Heck is Tech Regulation Doing in a Defense Bill?
Shortly before midnight on Thanksgiving President Trump tweeted, “For purposes of National Security, Section 230 must be immediately terminated!!!” Wait, what? First - the President is referring to the law that shields tech companies from liability for certain content posted by third parties. Secondly, he then followed that up with a threat to veto the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). To put it mildly, if this gambit succeeds it would be an unmitigated disaster for the future of the internet and – ironically enough – national security.
At first glance, it’s easy to dismiss this on a number of grounds. This certainly wouldn’t be the first time a late-night Twitter rant by the president bore no actual policy fruit. It is also a favorite trope of Washington lawmakers to hide every policy stance behind the veil of national security, whether or not it even makes any sense. We were also told it is a straw man argument to say anyone on the right wants to repeal Section 230. However, it has become increasingly clear that this fear is anything but a straw man. The president’s threat is very real and may have backing from other policymakers in Washington. This used to be something the Trump administration understood. In fact, the administration made it a condition of a number of trade deals that foreign countries adopt protections similar to Section 230. A year ago, they knew this liability shield was crucial to keep U.S. tech companies thriving and competitive and to prevent Chinese tech giants from gaining unrivaled global supremacy.
The battle for worldwide technological primacy will also loom large over the next administration. It’s no secret that the largest tech firms in the world are generally either based in the U.S. or China. However, during this transition period, the Chinese regime is doing everything it can to boost its tech companies, while the Trump administration has decided to declare war with American tech giants on its way out the door. Hamstringing U.S. tech companies in this way would cede the future of internet governance to a nation that routinely censors political dissent and has an abhorrent history when it comes to human rights. If Republican senators are concerned about online censorship, they should consider this reality before embarking on any more ill-advised crusades against people like Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey merely because they dislike the political affiliations of their staff.
If America wants to achieve global tech dominance and prevent the despotic regime in Beijing from achieving the same, it needs to maintain the hands-off regulatory approach that created such a vibrant web in the first place. Petty and constitutionally questionable disputes with tech companies will only leave American companies without protections they need to continue competing globally. This is the antithesis of national security and such proposals need to stay far away from this year or any year’s NDAA.
C-Band Auction Begins
TPA has been obsessed with what’s happening at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) because we live in a wireless and internet world where government can facilitate the deployment of broadband. The question is whether they do it with taxpayer money or give the private sector the tools to do it on their own. A key component of closing the digital divide is wireless spectrum and the race to 5G. This week was the culmination of work that we started in early 2019 to make sure that mid band wireless spectrum (known as the C-Band) was sold in a public auction and that taxpayers would get the most amount of money possible. Many people attacked us. In fact, I had a very long phone call with the C-Band Alliance (CBA) -- the group that represented a group of satellite companies -- who said I didn’t know what I was talking about and spent nearly an hour lecturing me. In the long run, taxpayers and consumers prevailed and the FCC started its first auction this week.
The auction will repurpose 280 MHz of spectrum for 5G and should generate billions of dollars in revenue. Some analysts expect this to surpass a 2015 auction that raised $45 billion to become the biggest in the FCC’s history, But, as I mentioned above, the sale has been a long-time coming with many roadblocks along the way. Critics of the CBA were rightfully concerned about putting strategic American taxpayer assets that would fuel the growth of 5G in the hands of overseas businesses. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) wrote in a letter to President Trump that it would be unwise to “put our 5G future in the hands of foreign-owned companies who have every incentive to put their own financial self-interests above our own national security and economic priorities.” Sen. Kennedy held hearings in 2019 urging the FCC to move forward with a public auction. In fact, I testified at one of the hearings encouraging the public auction.
This long-anticipated auction will benefit many people as 5G wireless continues to be rolled out. The holders of the spectrum will still see a windfall and Americans will enjoy the fruits of the next generation of wireless technology, made better by the unlocking of the spectrum. And, taxpayers will benefit with tens of billions of dollars going into the U.S. Treasury.
BLOGS:
Monday: Coalition Urges Congressional Leadership to Reject Price Controls
Tuesday: Last Minute Rent Seeking Tries to Upend FCC Spectrum Win
Wednesday: Watchdog Concerned About Taxpayer and Consumer Ramifications of Antitrust Investigations
Thursday: Watchdog Praises Outgoing FCC Commissioner O’Rielly
Friday: Facebook hardly a monopoly – either as social media platform or online marketplace
MEDIA:
December 7, 2020: Townhall.com ran TPA’s op-ed, “Long-anticipated Spectrum Action Will Benefit Taxpayers and American 5G Growth.”
December 7, 2020: WBFF (Fox, Baltimore) interviewed me about the delay in the vaccine.
December 7, 2020: Issues & Insights ran TPA’s op-ed, “New Administration Must Embrace Science, Not Fearmongering, On Vaping.”
December 7, 2020: VP of Policy Patrick Hedger appeared on Richmond’s Morning News with John Reid on WRV/VA (Richmond, Va.) to discuss Section 230.
December 8, 2020: The Center Square ran TPA’s op-ed, “The Postmaster General is here to stay – and that’s a good thing.”
December 8, 2020: TPA was quoted in the NBC4 (Washington, D.C.) story, “The List of Trump Political Appointees Joining Civil Service Ranks Is Growing.”
December 8, 2020: The Center Square ran TPA’s op-ed, “The Postmaster General is here to stay – and that’s a good thing.”
December 8, 2020: VP of Policy Patrick Hedger appeared on Patriot Special Report on SiriusXM to discuss Section 230.
December 9, 2020: Townhall.com ran TPA’s op-ed, “FDA Delay Costing Lives.”
December 9, 2020: The Easter Arizona Courier (Safford, Ariz.) ran TPA’s op-ed, “The Postmaster General is here to stay – and that’s a good thing.”
December 10, 2020: WBFF (Fox, Baltimore) interviewed me about Baltimore’s new lockdown.
December 10, 2020: I appeared on WBOB 600 AM (Jacksonville, Fla.) to talk about Hunter Biden’s tax problem.
December 10, 2020: The Jacksonville Journal Courier (Jacksonville, Fla.) ran TPA’s op-ed, “Stop surprise billing without harming health care providers.”
December 10, 2020: The Edwardsville Intelligencer (Edwardsville, Il.) ran TPA’s op-ed, “Stop surprise billing without harming health care providers."
December 10, 2020: The Center Square ran TPA’s op-ed, “Facebook hardly a monopoly – either as social media platform or online marketplace.”
December 11, 2020: I appeared on KKFT 99.1 radio (Reno, Nevada) to talk about Taxpayer Turkeys.
December 11, 2020: VP of Policy Patrick Hedger appeared on The Ross Kaminsky Show on 630 KHOW (Denver, Co.) to discuss the antitrust case against Facebook.
Have a great weekend, stay safe, and as always, thanks for your continued support.
Best,
David Williams
President
Taxpayers Protection Alliance
1401 K Street, NW
Suite 502
Washington, D.C. xxxxxx
www.protectingtaxpayers.org
