Week ahead: Tech policy in spotlight for Commerce nominee’s hearing

Lawmakers will have a shortened, but busy week, ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Friday.

Congress will be moving into its second week of hearings on Trump’s Cabinet nominees, with the tech industry keeping a close eye on his Commerce pick, Wilbur Ross.

Ross will appear before the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday, following the delay of his first scheduled hearing, which was pushed back because he had not submitted ethics paperwork.

The investor and former banker could have a big impact on tech issues.

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The Commerce Department is responsible for the National Telecom and Information Administration, the Patent Office, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology — agencies that closely oversee the tech industry.

Ross can expect to field questions about the Privacy Shield, the U.S. legal framework with the EU that allows companies to move data across the Atlantic.

Negotiators hammered out a new deal after a European court struck down a previous arrangement, arguing that it didn’t do enough to protect citizens’ privacy rights. The new shield, though, is again facing legal challenges from civil libertarians, since it was approved in July.

It’s unclear what Ross’s positions are on many of these issues, and Democrats will be eager to find out.

All eyes will also be on Trump’s inauguration on Friday. But with only days until he’s sworn in, the president-elect’s tech team and policies on issues important to Silicon Valley are still very much in the air.

A steady stream of tech leaders have been visiting his office at Trump Tower, and with the president-elect’s team vowing to begin work on a number of areas on day one, a number of key decisions are looming.

High on Trump’s to-do list is replacing outgoing FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, who will step down on Friday.

Wheeler said he will take a job in communications policy at the Aspen Institute think tank in Washington, D.C.

FCC staffers and those in the communications industry widely believe Republican Ajit Pai is widely will be the FCC’s next chairman, however, it’s uncertain if he will have an interim tag.

Trump FCC landing team member Jeffrey Eisenach said on CNBC in December that the next chair would be a Republican currently sitting on the Commission. That leaves Pai and fellow Republican Mike O’Rielly. Both have said scaling back the net neutrality rule will be a priority for them.

The tech industry will also be looking for more clarity in Trump’s first days on encryption and other issues, including AT&T’s proposed $85 billion merger with Time Warner.

Trump said on the campaign trail that he would oppose the deal and reports claim his views haven’t changed. But Trump’s also appointed a number of landing team members who have been more favorable to corporate mergers.

Expect all sides in the debate over the merger to watch closely for any clues to the incoming administration’s stance.

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