Big push into helium could put world on Russia’s string
WASHINGTON — The Senate has narrowly approved President Donald Trump’s lame-duck nominee to become a member of the Federal Communications Commission, setting up the agency for a stretch of partisan gridlock likely to stymie President-elect Joe Biden’s policies.
The vote Tuesday was 49-46 along party lines to confirm Nathan Simington as one of five commissioners of the independent regulatory agency.
Simington is now a senior adviser at the Commerce Department agency that advises the president on telecommunications and information policy. He helium. OPEC,” which manipulates played a role in the plan by
But Russia, already prices by raising or lowering the Republican-majority self-sufficient, plans to the production of oil. FCC, announced before last MOSCOW — With a become a major exporter Liquid helium is the coldmonth’s election, to reexmomentary hiss of gas starting next year. est thing on Earth, with a amine the legal protections escaping a canister, the This ambition, in the boiling point of minus-452 enjoyed by social media limp red balloon came to works for years, coincides degrees. This exceptional companies like Facebook life, filled with helium. with the U.S. government’s property, plus the fact that and Twitter for content
After a practiced twirl exit from the helium busiit is not flammable and that people post on their of her fingers, Anastasia ness after decades as a does not interact with other platforms.
Bukhiyeva, an employee major supplier. It has raised gases, makes it essential in The FCC plan came in at a party supply shop in worries that Russia could devices ranging from MRI response to Trump’s execMoscow, attached a string, bring to helium the same machines to rocket engines. utive order in May chaland the balloon floated up politically influenced tradLiquid helium circulenging the long-held to a net under the ceiling, ing practices that worry lates inside MRI machines protections for social media joining dozens of others in buyers of Russian natural to cool the superconductcompanies from liability, this upside-down system of gas and crude oil. ing magnets that produce which have served as the storage. Like oil and natural gas, the scans that help doctors foundation for unfettered
Russian party balloons helium is a finite resource. detect diseases in patients. speech on the internet. are more or less the same It is usually extracted as a In space travel, helium is “Mr. Simington’s key as balloons anywhere else byproduct of natural gas, used several ways, including qualification seems to be but for one distinction: The and it is slowly becomto pressurize tanks of rocket that he supports President helium is from Russia. ing scarcer because, once fuel. (It remains a gas even Trump’s desired changes
Soon, though, Russian released, it is too light to at the low temperatures of to Section 230, a law that helium could be used all be contained by gravity liquid hydrogen.) regulates internet speech,” over the world. and floats into space, lost It is useful in welding and Senate Democratic Leader
A huge production facilforever. in printing computer chips, Chuck Schumer D-N.Y., said ity in Siberia is nearing And analysts expect and if magnetic levitation on the floor before the vote. completion, one that some demand to rise over time. trains ever take off, it could The shield from liability analysts say could disrupt Initially, the new Russian be a critical resource in that for social media compathe global market for the supply might lower prices, industry, said Christopher nies has been grounded in lighter-than-air gas, which said Michael Dall, an econCramer, vice president for Section 230 of a landmark plays an increasingly critical omist specializing in indusresearch at the University 1996 telecommunications law.roleinindustrieslikemedi-trialchemicalsatresearchofMinnesota,whichbuys cal technology, space explofirm IHS Markit. helium for its laboratories. Trump and Republican ration and national security. But longer term, he Given its wide use, lawmakers have persistently
The United States and said, “the dynamics could “people began to get accused the social media Qatar together generate the become more politi - nervous about helium c o mpani e s , wi t h o u t vast majority of the world’s cal, something similar to supply,” Cramer said. evidence, of suppressing