Week of May 13, 2024
State of Play: The House and Senate return to Washington tomorrow to hold a slew of hearings and return to their unfinished business on FAA reauthorization. The Senate passed a “clean” FAA bill on Friday, extending the FAA authorities for five years as well as passing a one-week extension to give the House time to consider. We expect the House to move quickly, filing the bill under suspension of the rules, and no non-germane amendments in sight.
What to Watch:
House Energy and Commerce Leaders published new legislation to sunset Section 230.
The Senate Commerce Committee will hold a redo markup on telecom and consumer protection legislation, including Sen. Schatz’s, The Kids Off Social Media Act (FKA the Protect Kids From Social Media Act.)
The Senate Rules Committee will markup three bills on Wednesday on safeguards to AI-use in campaigns and elections.
Senior Administration officials will meet with Chinese officials on Tuesday in Geneva to discuss AI safety and security risks.
On Tap: Several committees will be holding budget hearings this week including NTIA’s budget justification in House Energy and Commerce, the FTC and FCC budget requests in House Appropriations, and an overview of the NSF’s priorities in House Science. Cybersecurity is still at the forefront as House Oversight holds a hearing on cyber and China, and the House Foreign Affairs Committee will mark up a slew of legislation on AI and export controls.
What We’re Watching:
McMorris Rodgers and Pallone’s Efforts to Sunset Section 230: House Energy and Commerce leaders Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-NJ) issued draft legislation on Sunday that would sunset Section 230 protections for tech companies by December 31, 2025. The catch includes mandates for stakeholders to develop with policymakers a new framework to reduce censorship on internet platforms while enhancing safety. The bill could have sweeping implications for tech companies big and small, as the protections currently prevent liability suits and ensure companies can develop their own content moderation practices. The Members issued an op-ed in conjunction with the legislation to express their reasoning behind the bill. The idea of sunsetting Section 230 protections has also gained some traction in the Senate, with Senate Judiciary Ranking Member Lindsay Graham (R-SC) leading the charge. Given other legislative priorities, however, the future of the bill is unclear.
Senate AI Report Expectations, Rules Moves on AI Legislation: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) gave a glimpse into the Senate’s AI legislative report, noting that it will be released “within a few weeks.” Schumer signaled out the health and housing committees as being behind other committees on drafting AI legislation, but showed praise for Senate Commerce Chair Cantwell as well Senate Rules Chair Klobuchar for their progress on AI legislation. The Senate Rules Committee Wednesday will markup three bills pertaining to the use of AI in campaigns and elections. This has been a focus of the Senator, as she has repeatedly voiced concerns of the ways AI can further exacerbate problems of election disinformation.
House Oversight Examines China’s Cyber Threat Capabilities: Congress has been keenly focused on cybersecurity concerns lately, particularly on how private industry is combatting the evolving threat landscape, as well as questioning those who have been subject to large-scale attacks. On Wednesday, the House Oversight Cyber Subcommittee will tackle cyber threats posed by China, another ongoing hot topic in Congress. Witnesses, who are most all formerly held federal cyber positions, will likely discuss the recent actions of PRC-backed cyber group, Volt Typhoon, who is responsible for a number of high profile attacks on critical infrastructure facilities. The House Homeland Committee is also expected to have a hearing soon with Microsoft President Brad Smith regarding last year's cyber attack on federal email communications.
What’s Happening This Week:
Tech Hearings
House Veterans Affairs Tech Modernization Subcommittee hearing on U.S. Dept of VA Office of Information and Technology Budget Request for FY25 - Tuesday, May 14 at 4:30 PM EST
Senate Rules and Administration Committee markup on AI Bills - Wednesday, May 15 at 10:00 AM EST
House Financial Services hearing with Prudential Regulators - Wednesday, May 15 at 10:00 AM EST
House Appropriations hearing on FY25 FTC Budget - Wednesday, May 15 at 10:00 AM EST
House Energy & Commerce Communications and Technology Subcommittee hearing on The Fiscal Year 2025 National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Budget - Wednesday, May 15 at 10:30 AM EST
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs business meeting - Wednesday, May 15 at 10:30 AM EST
Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on Ex-Im Bank - Wednesday, May 15 at 2:00 PM EST
Senate Intel hearing on foreign election threats - Wednesday, May 15 at 2:30 PM EST
House Oversight and Accountability Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation Subcommittee hearing on Red Alert: Countering the Cyberthreat from China - Wednesday, May 15 at 4:00 PM EST
House Science hearing on NSF priorities - Thursday, May 16 at 10:00 AM EST
House Appropriations hearing on FY25 FCC budget - Thursday, May 16 at 10:00 AM EST
Senate Banking hearing on oversight of the U.S. financial regulators - Thursday, May 16 at 10:00 AM EST
Senate Commerce markup on telecommunications legislation and children’s online safety legislation - Thursday, May 16 at 10:00 AM EST
House Foreign Affairs markup on AI and export control legislation - Thursday, May 16 at 10:00 AM EST
Tech Events
Washington Post - Navigating the New Era of Artificial Intelligence Innovation - Tuesday May 14 at 4:00 PM EST
The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation's Center for Data Innovation - How Can Policymakers Address Artificial Intelligence Voice-Cloning Scams - Wednesday, May 15 at 12:00 PM EST
The Center for Strategic and International Studies - The Mind of the Chief Information Security Officer: Decoding the Generative Artificial Intelligence Impact - Thursday, May 16 at 1:00 PM EST
What’s Interesting This Week:
First Sports TV Broadcast… On May 17, 1939, NBC carried the first televised sporting event in history, the second game of a doubleheader baseball game between Columbia and Princeton. Only about 400 TV sets were capable of receiving the transmission, but it was an important first step in the history of televised sports. NBC would later broadcast a major league baseball game in August of that year, a college football game in September, closely followed by an NFL game in October. Previously Germany had televised parts of the 1936 Olympic games, but TV sets were not available for sale in Germany at the time. Therefore viewing was limited to a number of “public viewing rooms” in Berlin and Potsdam.
