With help from John Hendel, Leah Nylen and Cristiano Lima
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— Spreading awareness: The Senate Commerce Committee will drill into how tech companies can spread accurate information about Covid-19 vaccines.
— Tightened timeline: The tech industry has some feedback on President Joe Biden’s digital infrastructure plan: Move faster.
— Turning up the volume: There’s intensifying pressure from progressives over who will helm the Justice Department’s antitrust division.
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THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ONLINE MISINFO DEBATE — As Democrats across the Capitol continue to pressure tech companies to stamp out Covid-19 misinformation, a Senate Commerce hearing today will offer a change of pace: focusing on how traditional and new media alike can help spread reliable information about coronavirus vaccines.
— A friendlier affair? Democrats and Republicans clashed at a House Energy and Commerce hearing in Februaryover whether conservative TV outlets are supercharging fake news about the pandemic and contributing to a rise in online extremism. Other past hearings focused on content moderation, meanwhile, have featured frequent partisan sparring over whether digital platforms are taking down too much or too little content. Today’s session is likely to take a softer approach, exploring “what more can be done to encourage media outlets, including television, radio, and online platforms, to promote reliable and trustworthy vaccine information,” according to the committee.
— A debut outing: In his first hearing since taking over the gavel of the Communications, Media and Broadband Subcommittee, Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) will warn that misinformation is filling the void of reliable health information across the media landscape and hurting vaccination efforts. “Unfortunately, in too many places, we are struggling to provide trusted, evidence based information,” he’ll say in his opening remarks, according to excerpts shared with MT. “Misinformation and disinformation rushes to fill this gap. … Folks worry. They hear confusing and conflicting messages on the Internet, the radio, and cable television.”
— National Association of Broadcasters CEO Gordon Smith will say that broadcast has a special position when it comes to getting out good information because it’s more trusted than social media. “Social media was ranked least reliable by Americans,” the former senator will tell the Senate panel, according to prepared testimony obtained by MT. “Our data demonstrates that the public values a trusted local source over personalities, politicians and pundits, and the most trusted voices are those of their local doctor, nurse or pharmacist.”
— Racial and ethnic disparities in the spotlight: The session will also drill into how the information ecosystem is affecting vaccine hesitancy among minority groups. Yonaira Rivera, a Rutgers professor, writes in her prepared testimony that “medical and government mistrust, confusion about vaccines and where to get them, language barriers, and misinformation related to access, who is eligible, and fear of getting COVID-19 from the vaccine” are all fueling that hesitancy.
FIRST IN MT: TECH TRADE GROUP URGES ‘HOLISTIC’ DIGITAL INVESTMENTS — ITI is today urging policymakers to embrace a “holistic” approach to the digital infrastructure investments that Biden is urging Congress to take up as part of his American Jobs Plan, including plenty of cash for next-gen wireless as well as the broadband buildout help Biden envisions. ITI’s members include Cisco, Ericsson, Dell, Facebook, Google and Qualcomm, and they’re weighing in right as lawmakers will begin refining Biden’s initial proposal. Some tidbits they’re recommending, per a new policy outline:
— Tighten up those broadband buildout timelines: The White House has proposed connecting all of America within eight years, while ITI recommends making $80 billion available with an expectation that funded projects be completed in just three years.
— Don’t forget 5G (and 6G!): Although Biden’s proposal didn’t include any mentions of 5G, ITI says any package should “include significant support” for 5G and even emerging 6G technology. The group recommends $10 billion to fund rural 5G deployment over the next four years and $10 billion for next-gen wireless R&D, including establishing a 6G R&D Center in the U.S., as well as providing cash for 5G open RAN efforts.
— Other recommendations are to make this digital infrastructure more resilient in light of coming climate change, expand workforce development and bolster digital inclusion (ITI recommends $9.5 billion for that last one). Read the whole array of recommendations here.
THE LATEST AT DOJ: Now that Biden has announced his choices for some top positions at DOJ, activists and smaller tech companies are kicking their pressure campaign over who will run the antitrust division into high gear, working overtime to ensure Biden chooses a reformer.
— Who has influence: Progressives are beginning to grumble about the role that Lisa Monaco, Biden’s pick for deputy attorney general, has been playing in the conversations around who will head the antitrust division. Monaco has been involved in the behind-the-scenes deliberations around who to choose as assistant attorney general of antitrust, according to two industry sources familiar with the dynamics. That’s ruffled some feathers — Monaco’s financial disclosures show that she provided legal services to Apple while she was working at O’Melveney & Myers just last year.
Jeff Hauser, founder and director of the Revolving Door Project, said he’s concerned about Monaco’s “corporate-friendly approach.” “We don’t think that she would want to be a muckraking figure who breaks new ground in pursuing the people that she worked with recently,” Hauser said.
— Not so fast: Monaco isn’t Senate-confirmed yet. And ultimately, the decision about who heads the antitrust division will come down to the White House. One source with direct knowledge of the internal conversations said ultimately, the decision will come down to Biden’s chief of staff Ron Klain, who’s expressed significant interest in the role.
— The disinformation battle: A collection of 28 progressive groups, including civil rights organizations, is linking the fight against disinformation with a push for strong antitrust advocates. In a letter provided to MT, Color of Change, the Action Center on Race and the Economy and the American Economic Liberties Project argue that the largest tech companies have become “too big to care” about the rampant spread of misinformation on their platforms.
“We urge you and your administration to hold these platforms accountable, and strongly enforce U.S. antitrust laws,” the groups wrote to Biden. “Personnel is policy.”
AND NOW OUR WATCH HAS ENDED — It took 14.5 hours Wednesday but the House Judiciary Committee made it to antitrust, voting 24-17 to approve the antitrust subcommittee’s October report on Facebook, Google, Apple and Amazon. (The panel first debated immigration, reparations and, somewhat inexplicably, Supreme Court packing — hence how a five-item markup took longer than a D.C. to Tokyo direct flight.) Of course, even that party-line vote didn’t happen without a little venting.
Bipartisan or not? Antitrust Chair David Cicilline (D-R.I.) said that all members could offer supplemental or dissenting views, but opposed amendments to recommend repealing Section 230 and add comments about “cancel culture.” (They failed.) Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado, now the antitrust panel’s top GOP member, said the investigation was “absolutely bipartisan,” but the report itself is not as the recommendations were written by Democratic staff.
— Conservative bias: Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Judiciary’s top Republican, blasted Democrats for refusing to address GOP concerns. He noted that the tech giants were responsible for banning President Donald Trump and Parler, the Twitter alternative popular with conservatives.
Don’t put too much stock in the party-line split. While Republicans did not vote in favor of the report, at least a few of the upcoming antitrust bills are likely to garner some GOP support. (See the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, H.R. 1735 (117), which already has Buck and four other panel Republicans on board).
— BUT take note of remarks by some Democrats. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, whose California district includes parts of Silicon Valley, said she disagreed with parts of the report and would be submitting supplemental views.
NEW SPONSORS FOR TIKTOK BILL: Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) today will reintroduce his legislation to ban TikTok from government devices, this time with Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) as new co-sponsors. The bill comes as the Biden administration’s approach to TikTok remains up in the air. Rep. Ken Buck (R-Co.), top Republicaon the House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee, is set to reintroduce a version in the House.
WILL FACEBOOK SCRAP ITS INSTA-FOR-KIDS PLAN? — Top children’s safety and privacy advocates are urging the social network to do so. In a letter today to Mark Zuckerberg, they argue that while more must be done to protect children under 13 (“who have lied about their age”) on Instagram, creating a separate platform for kids is not the answer.
The dangers outweigh the benefits, they say, threatening children’s privacy and development during some of their most formative years and exacerbating challenges related to mental health, body image, peer pressure, bullying and “fear of missing out.” Some of the top kids online safety advocates in Congress raised related concerns last week.
— What say you, Facebook? The company said Wednesday that the new Instagram project is in early stages and that it would work with children’s experts to ensure safety and privacy are priorities. “We will not show ads in any Instagram experience we develop for people under the age of 13,” spokesperson Stephanie Otway said in an email. Facebook is also working on ways to improve age verification.
Matt Cutts is leaving the U.S. Digital Service, and he has some parting thoughts. … Taylor Bolhack, an alum of Bird and Square, is the new head of platform and community at early-stage venture fund Wonder Ventures. … Sali Osman joins as chief security officer at IMF from Amazon Web Services. Michelle Johnston Holthaus is joining Software.org: the BSA Foundation board. … The Parents Television Council has changed its name to the Parents Television and Media Council to reflect its advocacy across all entertainment media platforms.
Playing tough: Amazon has frequently leveraged its dominance in one market to strong-arm partners in others, according to a new Wall Street Journal investigation.
White hat: A new Washington Post investigation reveals the firm that unlocked the iPhone used by a terrorist in the San Bernardino shooting.
Biassed: Twitter is studying the unintended consequences of its algorithm, Protocol reports.
Opinion: Diana Furchtott-Roth, a former Trump official at the Transportation Department, continues to beat the drum on Ligado concerns in a Washington Post op-ed.
Walsh to the WSJ: Labor Secretary Marty Walsh says Amazon will likely see more labor-organizing efforts. More in The Wall Street Journal.
Tips, comments, suggestions? Send them along via email to our team: Bob King ([email protected], @bkingdc), Heidi Vogt ([email protected], @HeidiVogt), John Hendel ([email protected], @JohnHendel), Cristiano Lima ([email protected], @viaCristiano), Alexandra S. Levine ([email protected], @Ali_Lev), Leah Nylen ([email protected], @leah_nylen), and Emily Birnbaum ([email protected], @birnbaum_e). Got an event for our calendar? Send details to [email protected]. And don’t forget: Add @MorningTech and @PoliticoProon Twitter.
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