Initial net neutrality comments were due Monday and major players weighed in, joining millions who had already filed. The FCC ultimately will have to address the filings, especially from groups like the Internet Association and major broadband ISPs. But industry officials said Monday the comments likely to get the most attention at the Ajit Pai FCC are those that offered hard data on the economic effects of Title II broadband reclassification and the 2015 rules.
Initial net neutrality comments were due Monday and major players weighed in, joining millions who had already filed. The FCC ultimately will have to address the filings, especially from groups like the Internet Association and major broadband ISPs. But industry officials said Monday the comments likely to get the most attention at the Ajit Pai FCC are those that offered hard data on the economic effects of Title II broadband reclassification and the 2015 rules.
If the FCC relaxes or ends its top-four prong of the local ownership rule, it will have to find means of addressing retransmission consent issues that move would bring up, American TV Alliance (ATVA) representatives told Media Bureau staff and an aide to Commissioner Mike O'Rielly, said a docket 15-216 ex parte filing posted Thursday. ATVA pointed to the agency's 2014 retrans consent amendments order, Congress' 2014 passage of the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act Reauthorization Act and DOJ comments last year on Nexstar's buy of Media General, all highlighting issues about joint negotiation among top-four stations in a market. And ATVA said those same findings that joint negotiations lead to higher retrans consent fees would apply to joint ownership of those stations. On behalf of ATVA were representatives from AT&T, Charter Communications, Dish Network and the American Cable Association, plus ATVA Executive Director Mike Chappell. Broadcast interests pushed for elimination of the top-four ownership rule (see 1704030049 and 1702230070).
The World Trade Organization recently posted the following notices:
The cable industry was cheering Friday as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld the FCC's 2015 order declaring the cable industry effectively competitive -- a move that largely ended basic rate regulation by local and state franchise authorities (see 1506020060). A petition for writ of certiorari before the Supreme Court seems unlikely given the unanimous ruling by the ideologically diverse panel of appellate court judges, cable lawyers told us.
Senate Democrats are continuing the vetting process in their search for a so-far elusive consensus candidate to potentially replace FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn at the commission if she retires. Questions about Clyburn's plans have continued amid pending Senate consideration of FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's renomination and fellow commission nominees Brendan Carr and Jessica Rosenworcel. Clyburn recently said in a C-SPAN interview she didn't intend to leave in the immediate future (see 1706290063 and 1706290070). The search for a potential replacement for Clyburn also raised questions about the extent to which President Donald Trump's administration will be willing give leeway to Senate Democratic leaders' preferred candidate, lobbyists and observers told us.
Senate Democrats are continuing the vetting process in their search for a so-far elusive consensus candidate to potentially replace FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn at the commission if she retires. Questions about Clyburn's plans have continued amid pending Senate consideration of FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's renomination and fellow commission nominees Brendan Carr and Jessica Rosenworcel. Clyburn recently said in a C-SPAN interview she didn't intend to leave in the immediate future (see 1706290063 and 1706290070). The search for a potential replacement for Clyburn also raised questions about the extent to which President Donald Trump's administration will be willing give leeway to Senate Democratic leaders' preferred candidate, lobbyists and observers told us.
The global cyberattack last week called by some NotPetya, soon after WannaCry (see 1705150008 and 1705160008), shows attacks may get worse before industry and government take more action, said several cybersecurity experts interviewed Thursday. "I don't think we've hit the tipping point" on strongly addressing the issue, said Betsy Cooper, executive director for the Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity at University of California, Berkeley. "I definitely think the increased frequency of widescale attacks suggests we're closer than we were six or 12 months ago." She said the tipping point will be crossed when individual consumers stop thinking their internet transaction are secure.
The global cyberattack last week called by some NotPetya, soon after WannaCry (see 1705150008 and 1705160008), shows attacks may get worse before industry and government take more action, said several cybersecurity experts interviewed Thursday. "I don't think we've hit the tipping point" on strongly addressing the issue, said Betsy Cooper, executive director for the Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity at University of California, Berkeley. "I definitely think the increased frequency of widescale attacks suggests we're closer than we were six or 12 months ago." She said the tipping point will be crossed when individual consumers stop thinking their internet transaction are secure.
NARUC would seek more state and local government members on the FCC's Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee, under a proposed resolution released in draft form Wednesday. State commissioners plan to vote on that and another resolution seeking increased USF high-cost funding, at their July 16-19 Summer Policy Summit in San Diego. With the BDAC, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is sending the impression he isn't interested in working with states, said District of Columbia Public Service Commission Chairman Betty Ann Kane in an interview.