Overnight Tech: Uber CEO quits Trump advisory team | Snapchat parent files for IPO | FCC unveils plan to improve transparency

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai on Thursday unveiled a plan to increase transparency at the FCC by making regulatory proposals public as early as three weeks before votes.

“Today, we begin the process of making the FCC more open and transparent,” Pai told reporters. “I’m pleased to announce this morning a pilot project that, if successful, will become a commission practice — one that will give the public much more insight into the commission’s activities.”

Until now, the FCC would announce items on the agenda for its monthly meetings, but the text of the rules would not be made public until after commissioners voted. That process was widely criticized by industry groups.

Moving forward, the agency will release a public Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), Report and Orders and other documents prior the FCC’s monthly open meeting.

{mosads}Mignon Clyburn — the sole Democratic commissioner left on the FCC — did not comment on the policy change.

The new proposal was included in a bill called the FCC Process Reform Act that unanimously passed the House in January.

Read more here.

Please send your tips, comments and Super Bowl predictions on Gronk’s impact (trick question) to Ali Breland (abreland@digital-staging.thehill.com) and Harper Neidig (hneidig@digital-staging.thehill.com) and follow us on Twitter: @alibreland, @hneidig  and @HilliconValley.

UBER CEO QUITS TRUMP COUNCIL: Uber CEO Travis Kalanick is stepping down from President Trump’s advisory council following the administration’s new immigration and refugee restrictions, according to a source familiar with the matter. The move comes after the ride-hailing firm faced increasing pressure to condemn the White House’s temporary travel ban rolled out last week. The council is slated to meet tomorrow. Kalanick had said that he intended to bring up Trump’s immigration ban in the meeting.

Read more here.

HOW OTHER CEOS ARE HANDLING THE TRUMP MEETING: An IBM spokesperson told The Hill that IBM CEO Ginni Rometty will focus on technology jobs for those without college degrees and technical training for those roles. Tesla and SpaceX CEO said earlier in the week that he intends to bring up the immigration ban in the meeting. He tweeted at his followers asking for specific amendments in the executive order to speak with Trump about.

TREASURY TWEAKS RUSSIAN TECH SANCTIONS: The Treasury Department on Thursday amended former President Obama’s most recent slate of Russian sanctions to allow U.S. technology companies to export products to Russia. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) clarified that American tech companies can seek licenses from Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) to export their goods to Russia, so long as the products aren’t used in Crimea and don’t violate pre-existing sanctions.

Read more here.

SNAP’S POLITICAL WORRIES: In their SEC filing today, Snapchat’s parent company, Snap, cited tax reform by U.S. lawmakers and Brexit among their chief political concerns as their business expands. “Certain changes to U.S. tax laws … could affect the tax treatment of our foreign earnings, as well as cash and cash-equivalent balances we maintain outside the United States,” Snap wrote.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

A group of lawmakers penned a letter to FCC Chairman Pai pushing for mobile broadband.

Pai outlined his policy priorities in a blog post.

Microsoft wants a tweak to the immigration ban.

Twitter staff will donate $1.6M to ACLU after Trump immigration order.

Tech is fearful of Trump’s next immigration move.

Facebook was ordered to pay $500M in Oculus lawsuit.

Consumer groups: Protect robocall limits on student debt collectors.

NY attorney general sues Time Warner Cable over internet speed fraud.

A Senate subcommittee is launching an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Egyptian non-governmental organizations have been targeted by a large phishing operation, researchers report.