Republican News

U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, will convene a hearing titled, “Amtrak: Next Steps for Passenger Rail,” at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 26, 2019. The hearing will examine implementation of the rail title of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, which expires at the end of fiscal year 2020, and priorities for reauthorization of Amtrak.

U.S. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet, will convene a hearing titled, “Optimizing for Engagement: Understanding the Use of Persuasive Technology on Internet Platforms,” at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 25, 2019. The hearing will examine how algorithmic decision-making and machine learning on internet platforms might be influencing the public. Witnesses will provide insight on ways technology companies use algorithms and machine learning to influence outcomes, and whether algorithm transparency or algorithm explanation are appropriate policy responses.

Today U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, together with Sens. Gary Peters, D-Mich., John Thune, R-S.D., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., introduced the Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability (DATA) Act. The legislation would improve the accuracy of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) broadband availability maps by strengthening the process by which broadband data is collected.

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, chairman of the Subcommittee on Security, will convene a hearing titled, “Drone Security: Enhancing Innovation and Mitigating Supply Chain Risks,” at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 18, 2019. This hearing will examine security threats and challenges posed by unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), including the status of UAS detection and mitigation technology and capabilities.