The nonprofit Sports Fans Coalition (SFC) launched an over-the-top translator service in the New York area Thursday that aims to allow watching live streams of local broadcasters online. But broadcast experts see the Locast.org service raising copyright, retransmission consent and programming contract questions. "We are kind of in uncharted territory," said SFC founder David Goodfriend, a lobbyist and lawyer. "I'm not naive enough to think" there won't possibly be legal challenges, he said.

The House passed a bill Thursday to reauthorize Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Section 702 through 2023 despite a series of mixed messages from President Donald Trump's administration and opposition from backers of alternate legislation that included stricter privacy protections (see 1801100056). The Rapid DNA Act (S-139), which was a legislative vehicle for a revised version of the FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act (HR-4478), is seen to have a strong chance of passing the Senate. The measure also has critics in the Senate, who may filibuster it absent the inclusion of additional privacy protections. Congress included a short-term extension of Section 702 authority in its most recent continuing resolution to fund the federal government, which expires Jan. 19 (see 1712210054).

The “unprecedented amount of rain” that fell on Las Vegas Tuesday was the main culprit responsible for the two-hour power outage that blacked out the Las Vegas Convention Center’s Central Hall at the midday peak of Day 2 Wednesday at CES (see 1801100027), said Jeremy Handel, spokesman for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), which runs the LVCC. The flooding rains, coupled with “the accompanying moisture in the air,” caused “condensation” to form on the LVCC’s “electrical equipment which eventually led to the failure,” said Handel. The National Weather Service reported that a record 1.33 inches of rain inundated Las Vegas Tuesday.

LAS VEGAS -- Smart networks are coming to cable, helping find and fix technical problems even before they might cause outages or are noticed by customers, the head of the industry's R&D arm said on the sidelines of CES. Comcast is heavily using such proactive network maintenance (some others call it proactive network management) and CableLabs CEO Phil McKinney sees PNM catching on among more cable operators, he said aboard his parked bus after parts of the Las Vegas Convention Center were partly closed during a power outage (see 1801100027).

LAS VEGAS -- Smart networks are coming to cable, helping find and fix technical problems even before they might cause outages or are noticed by customers, the head of the industry's R&D arm said on the sidelines of CES. Comcast is heavily using such proactive network maintenance (some others call it proactive network management) and CableLabs CEO Phil McKinney sees PNM catching on among more cable operators, he said aboard his parked bus after parts of the Las Vegas Convention Center were partly closed during a power outage (see 1801100027).

The Federal Maritime Commission will raise the penalty fees for statutory violations as of Jan. 15, the agency said in a news release. "Fees for Knowing and Willful violations of the Shipping Act will increase to $58,562.00, from $57,391.00; and, fees for Not Knowing and Willful violations of the Shipping Act will increase to $11,712.00 from $11,478.00," the agency said. A full list of the inflationary adjustments was published in the Federal Register.

LAS VEGAS -- The heads of ATSC, CTA and NAB raised glasses of champagne and sparkling apple cider Tuesday to toast the release of the last of the suite of ATSC 3.0 standards. The toast came on the opening morning of CES in the Las Vegas Convention Center’s Grand Lobby.

LAS VEGAS -- The FTC is looking forward to its renewed role policing competition in the broadband market, with the recent FCC repeal of the 2015 net neutrality order, acting FTC Chairman Maureen Ohlhausen said in an interview with CTA President Gary Shapiro at CES Tuesday. New transparency requirements included in the rule require carriers to provide information about how they manage traffic, Ohlhausen said. “If they don’t fulfill promises they make to consumers, then the FTC can bring an enforcement action,” she said, saying her commission will work with the FCC and DOJ to ensure competition in the market.

LAS VEGAS -- The FTC is looking forward to its renewed role policing competition in the broadband market, with the recent FCC repeal of the 2015 net neutrality order, acting FTC Chairman Maureen Ohlhausen said in an interview with CTA President Gary Shapiro at CES Tuesday. New transparency requirements included in the rule require carriers to provide information about how they manage traffic, Ohlhausen said. “If they don’t fulfill promises they make to consumers, then the FTC can bring an enforcement action,” she said, saying her commission will work with the FCC and DOJ to ensure competition in the market.

LAS VEGAS -- The FTC is looking forward to its renewed role policing competition in the broadband market, with the recent FCC repeal of the 2015 net neutrality order, acting FTC Chairman Maureen Ohlhausen said in an interview with CTA President Gary Shapiro at CES Tuesday. New transparency requirements included in the rule require carriers to provide information about how they manage traffic, Ohlhausen said. “If they don’t fulfill promises they make to consumers, then the FTC can bring an enforcement action,” she said, saying her commission will work with the FCC and DOJ to ensure competition in the market.