Week of October 16, 2023
Congress is back this week… sort of. House Republicans struggled to elect a new Speaker last week and will take another shot at it this week. Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) received a majority of the Republican Caucus, but withdrew his candidacy when he was unable to get to a full House majority. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) got the nomination the second time around and is working to secure his majority on the floor. A House floor vote to elect the new Speaker is expected Tuesday.
Despite the holdup on most House legislative activity absent a Speaker, Committees are able to continue work to hold hearings and markups on already-introduced legislation. And the Senate is still in business. On our radar are several AI hearings in the House Science Committee, House Energy and Commerce Innovation Subcommittee, and the House Judiciary IP Subcommittee. Also this week is the Senate Commerce consideration of FTC nominees, and the FCC will take a deja vu vote on net neutrality Thursday.
What We’re Watching:
FCC’s Net Neutrality Deja Vu: The FCC will, once again, consider issues around net neutrality, as they vote to open a rulemaking process to reinstate net neutrality rules on broadband providers at their open meeting on Thursday. FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel first issued the draft proposal on September 26, bringing back Obama-era restrictions on internet providers from blocking web traffic. Several lawmakers have spoken out in support and opposition of the FCC’s move. A large group of Republican Senators, led by Sen. John Thune (R-SD), sent a letter to the FCC expressing strong disagreement with reinstating the “heavy-handed” Title II regulations and calling the move a “historic mistake.” House Democratic Reps Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Dorris Matsui (D-CA) praised the move, stating that they are “thrilled” by Rosenworcel’s actions. The move continues a back-and-forth precedent of rule reversal between Administrations.
House Committees to Examine More AI Topics: Three House Committees are teeing up for another round of AI-specific hearings focusing on various issues related to data safety, risk management strategies, and the intersection of AI and cybersecurity.
On Wednesday, the House Science Committee will be hosting a joint subcommittee hearing featuring Elham Tabassi, associate director for emerging technologies at NIST’s Information Technology Lab, to discuss effective risk management around AI and U.S. leadership.
Also on Wednesday, the House Energy and Commerce Innovation Subcommittee will host the first hearing in its series on AI, focusing on safeguarding data and innovation.
On Thursday, the House Judiciary IP Subcommittee will host a rescheduled hearing focusing on the intersection of AI and cybersecurity, focusing on strategic competition with China as well as methods of IP theft.
What’s Next for the FTC?: Senate Commerce is expected to approve nominations for new Republican FTC Commissioners Melissa Holyoak, who served as the Solicitor General for the State of Utah, and Andrew Ferguson, who served as the Solicitor General of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Committee will also vote to approve the renomination of sitting Democratic Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter. Once and if approved by the Senate, this will be the first time in nearly a year the Commission has a full bench after Republican Commissioners resigned late last year and early this year. Although the FTC will still have Democratic majority, having dissenting opinions may carry more weight in Chair Khan’s decision making, and be cited in court cases and by Congress. The FTC recently brought suit against Amazon alleging anticompetitive practices, and how Republican opinion on the Commission could factor remains to be seen.
What’s Happening This Week:
Tech Hearings
Senate Commerce markup on FTC nominee - Wednesday, October 18 at 10:00 AM ET
House Science Joint Subcommittee hearing on AI risk management - Wednesday, October 18 at 10:00 AM ET
House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee hearing on AI data safeguards - Wednesday, October 18 at 10:00 AM ET
House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on AI and Cybersecurity - Thursday, October 19 at 10:00 AM ET
Tech Events
The Brookings Institution - “AI in employment and hiring" - Wednesday, October 18 at 2:00 PM ET
Semafor - "Securing the Digital Future: What Does Cybersecurity Mean in the Age of Artificial Intelligence?" - Tuesday, October 17 at 9:00 AM ET
Pretty Good Policy - Briefing on Crypto - Tuesday, October 17 at 11:30 AM ET
The Government Executive Media Group - Cloud Summit - Thursday, October 19 at 8:30 AM ET
R Street holds its Real Solutions Summit - “The Case for Optimism in the Age of AI” - Wednesday, October 18 at 12:30 PM ET
Punchbowl News - "The Future of Cybersecurity" - Thursday, October 19 at 8:30 AM ET
NAIAC - Meeting - Thursday, October 19 at 10:00 AM ET
ITI - Advancing Cybersecurity for All - Thursday, October 19 at 10:30 AM ET
FCC Open Meeting - Thursday, October 19 at 10:30 AM ET
What’s Interesting This Week:
Does this lighting make me look good?... On October 21, 1879, Thomas Edison perfected the first commercially practical incandescent light bulb. Using a filament of carbonized cotton thread, his first attempt at this design resulted in a bulb that lasted about 13.5 hours before burning out. He later extended the life of the bulb to 40 hours. Edison’s successful design came only after he had tested over 6,000 different vegetable fibers during a span of over 18 months running 1,200 experiments and spending $40,000.
