June 27, 2024
It's Thursday! And we're back in your inbox again with even more news.
❌ ICYMI: The House Energy and Commerce Committee canceled this morning's markup.
- Read all about what's next for the American Privacy Rights Act here.
1 big thing: FCC to unveil plan to lower prison call costs
The FCC today will publish a plan to end overly high phone and video call rates for incarcerated people, Maria reports.
Why it matters: Research shows that communication with loved ones during incarceration reduces recidivism and conflict within facilities.
The proposed rules would:
- Lower certain 15-minute audio calls from large jails to 90 cents instead of as much as $11.35.
- Lower certain 15-minute audio calls from small jails to $1.35 instead of $12.10.
- Cap video call rates at 11 cents per minute. Today, for example, some people in Virginia have to pay a flat rate of $15 for a 25-minute video call.
Catch up quick: The Martha Wright-Reed Act, sponsored by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, empowered the FCC to set the rules.
- Duckworth in a statement this week said, "For far too long, too many families were forced to spend outrageous amounts of money simply to speak on the phone with their loved ones in correctional facilities."
What's next: Commissioners will vote on the rules July 18.
2. Creators lobby Congress on AI's threat to jobs
Creators are asking Congress to protect them from what they say is the threat of AI against their livelihoods, Maria reports.
Why it matters: Generative AI is upending how people access information and has massive implications for how content creators attract viewers and make money.
- Google's AI search function injected a new level of fear into creators who depend on that traffic.
Driving the news: Raptive, a company that advocates on behalf of creators and helps them generate revenue, held an event on Capitol Hill this week to connect creators to lawmakers.
- About 13,000 creators signed a letter to lawmakers warning against Big Tech companies scraping their content without permission.
They're asking Congress to:
- Enforce copyright laws and address anticompetitive behavior
- Encourage AI companies to compensate creators for using their content in models
- Ensure that AI-powered search products don't diminish traffic to the original content creators.
The other side: Google has said that it's showing more links with its AI overviews and therefore giving creators more traffic.
- Companies also say it's fair use to scrape content for AI training.
✅ Thank you for reading Axios Pro Policy, and thanks to editors Mackenzie Weinger and David Nather and copy editor Brad Bonhall.
- Do you know someone who needs this newsletter? Have them sign up here.
View archive