According to a press release, version 1.1 of the NIST Privacy Framework includes changes to the original version’s content and structure. Specifically, the update includes:
- Changes to the Framework’s original content related to the Governing and Protection functions, as well as changes based on stakeholder feedback since the release of the original Framework five years ago
- A new section on AI and privacy risk management, and details on how the Framework applies to this rapidly emerging technology
- Posting of the Frameworks use guidelines to the internet as an interactive “frequently asked questions” (FAQs) page, to make it more accessible for users and easier to update as needed.
According to a “Notification of Harmful Interference” issued in mid-April, agents from the Dallas office of the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau responded to an interference complaint by the City of McKinney, Texas. Using direction-finding techniques, their investigation identified a signal booster located at Luxia Craig Ranch that created emissions that were interfering with the City’s public safety communications system.
The interference ceased when a Luxia representative disconnected power to the booster.
In a press release, the agency announced it plans to “reduce, refine, or potentially replace” animal testing in the development and testing of monoclonal antibody therapies and other drugs. Instead, the FDA says it will favor more effective, human-relevant methods, including AI-based computational models of toxicity and cell lines, and organoid toxicity testing.
The FDA has prepared a “Roadmap to Reducing Animal Testing in Preclinical Safety Studies,” detailing some of these alternative testing methods. The agency says that the expanded use of these “new approach methodologies” (NAMs) will improve drug safety and accelerate the evaluation process, while also reducing animal experimentation.
While the FDA’s current efforts are limited to drug testing, it may be a first step in the long-term efforts to reduce or eliminate the use of animal testing in clinical trials for a broader range of healthcare-related products, including medical devices.
In a letter submitted to the Commission, the ARRL details nine separate recommendations that it says “would promote and protect the art, science, and enjoyment of amateur radio, and enhance the development of the next generation of radio amateurs.”
Here’s a brief summary of the regulatory changes proposed by the ARRL in its letter:
- Delete the LF and VHF/UHF symbol (baud) rate and bandwidth limitations
- Modernized 80/75-meter sub-band divisions
- Delete amplifier drive limitations
- Delete and replace obsolete digital code limitations
- Implement changes to third-party rules adopted internationally at WRC-03
- Update and modernize entry-level technician class license privileges
- Remove non-current personal information in amateur ULS records
- Delete obsolete identification requirements for special call signs
- Delete obsolete paper license replacement provisions
The ARRL’s filing was in response to a Public Notice issued by the FCC, titled “In Re: Delete, Delete, Delete,” seeking public input on FCC rules that pose an unnecessary regulatory burden on affected parties. In its Public Notice, the FCC says that its current efforts align with the Trump Administration’s Executive Orders to “unleash prosperity through deregulation.”
The ARRL reports that the National Trust for Canada has launched a “Next Great Save” project to restore some of the original radio towers designed and developed by Guglielmo Marconi, who pioneered the creation of radio wave-based telegraphy in the late 1800s. Built in 1904, the Battle Harbour Marconi Towers are reportedly experiencing structural failure after more than a century of exposure to storms and extreme climate conditions on the Labrador Coast of Canada, and are in dire need of restoration.
The Battle Harbour Marconi Towers were reportedly used to facilitate the transmission of news and announcements from Admiral Robert Peary during his 1909 North Pole expedition. Today, the Marconi Towers are thought to be the last of their kind still standing in North America.
According to an Order, the FCC will extend by one year the effective date of rules that require organizations that receive a request to revoke a consent by a consumer about one type of message to apply that revocation request to all future robocalls and robotexts from that individual. The original effective date of April 11, 2025, has now been extended to April 11, 2026.
The delay in the implementation of the revocation provisions, which fall under the scope of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), was prompted by requests from several associations and groups of banks and financial institutions. The requesting parties noted that making modifications to their existing communications systems to comply with the requirements is far more complex and presents multiple challenges not applicable to smaller institutions and that more time is needed to bring their communications systems into compliance with the new requirements.
The EU Commission has announced the launch of its AI Continent Action Plan, a comprehensive initiative intended to tap into Europe’s strong industrial base to foster the future development of AI-based technologies. According to a press release issued by the Commission in early April, the Commission’s Action Plan consists of five key pillars, as follows:
- Build a large-scale AI data and computing infrastructure
- Increase access to large and high-quality data
- Develop algorithms and foster AI adoption in strategic EU sectors
- Strengthen AI skills and talents
- Simplify regulation
The EU’s efforts on AI build on an effort by the Commission in early 2024 to support EU start-ups and small companies in the development of reliable and safe AI technologies. The EU has also recently announced a €200 billion investment in AI across Europe through its InvestAI initiative.