The WannaCry ransomware attack hit European businesses hard, but new regulations aren't needed, experts told us. The cyberattack, which affected about 200,000 computers in some 150 countries (see 1705150008), prompted the "first ever case of cyber cooperation at EU level" between the European Network and Information Security Agency and some national governments, ENISA said. Security experts faulted failures to keep computer systems updated, and NSA and U.K. Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) for keeping the vulnerability that enabled WannaCry secret and not fixing it. The European Commission said it's reviewing its cybersecurity strategy.
An NAB official will peg approval of ATSC 3.0 to emergency alerts during a Wednesday hearing on the topic and warn that a botched repacking after the broadcast TV incentive auction could interfere. “If the FCC approves Next Gen TV, a television broadcaster will be able to simultaneously deliver geo-targeted, rich media alerts to an unlimited number of enabled fixed, mobile and handheld devices across their entire coverage area,” NAB Chief Technology Officer Sam Matheny will testify. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has said he hopes for commission approval of ATSC 3.0 by year’s end.
Future incentive auctions appear likely based on success of the TV spectrum auction, said David Quinalty, Republican aide to the Senate Commerce Committee, at a Duke Law School conference Friday. The incentive auction was the “most complicated auction in the history of humanity,” but it worked, Quinalty said. “We have a new tool, the incentive auction,” he said. “It has proven to be successful. … There’s no guarantee the next time it will work quite as well.” The bands that are most in favor change from year to year, but the need for spectrum doesn’t, he said.
Ongoing Electronic Comment Filing System woes at the FCC bothered all industry lawyers we queried, with many filings still unavailable and at times ECFS not working, as it has at times throughout the week (see 1705080042 and 1705100062).
Ongoing Electronic Comment Filing System woes at the FCC bothered all industry lawyers we queried, with many filings still unavailable and at times ECFS not working, as it has at times throughout the week (see 1705080042 and 1705100062).
Ongoing Electronic Comment Filing System woes at the FCC bothered all industry lawyers we queried, with many filings still unavailable and at times ECFS not working, as it has at times throughout the week (see 1705080042 and 1705100062).
NTCA and WTA urged the FCC to act on intercarrier compensation (ICC) and USF issues they had raised in petitions for reconsideration and in comments on a 2016 Further NPRM. The commission should reconsider soon a "requirement that carriers impute Access Recovery Charges (ARCs) to standalone broadband connections" in place before a 2011 USF and intercarrier compensation overhaul, said the rural telcos groups' filing posted Wednesday in docket 10-90 on their discussion with Wireline Bureau staffers. Participants "discussed various means of striking an appropriate balance" to ensure that eliminating the duty won't harm the budget for ARC-related Connect America Fund and ICC support. NTCA and WTA also urged the FCC to reconsider, or for the bureau to clarify, "how competitive overlap will be validated" (unsubsidized competitive overlap makes an area ineligible for CAF support). The groups asked the FCC "to at least specify as soon as possible the 'dataset' that will be used as the preliminary baseline for competitive overlap determinations" for CAF-BLS (broadband loop support) eligibility, even if the determinations take longer. They offered further suggestions on competitive-overlap specifics. Following up on comments in the 2016 rulemaking, the groups sought prompt guidance to "dispel lingering uncertainty and ambiguity" on whether certain expenses are recoverable through USF support and how they would be recovered. They proposed draft rules modeled on language in the FNPRM.
NTCA and WTA urged the FCC to act on intercarrier compensation (ICC) and USF issues they had raised in petitions for reconsideration and in comments on a 2016 Further NPRM. The commission should reconsider soon a "requirement that carriers impute Access Recovery Charges (ARCs) to standalone broadband connections" in place before a 2011 USF and intercarrier compensation overhaul, said the rural telcos groups' filing posted Wednesday in docket 10-90 on their discussion with Wireline Bureau staffers. Participants "discussed various means of striking an appropriate balance" to ensure that eliminating the duty won't harm the budget for ARC-related Connect America Fund and ICC support. NTCA and WTA also urged the FCC to reconsider, or for the bureau to clarify, "how competitive overlap will be validated" (unsubsidized competitive overlap makes an area ineligible for CAF support). The groups asked the FCC "to at least specify as soon as possible the 'dataset' that will be used as the preliminary baseline for competitive overlap determinations" for CAF-BLS (broadband loop support) eligibility, even if the determinations take longer. They offered further suggestions on competitive-overlap specifics. Following up on comments in the 2016 rulemaking, the groups sought prompt guidance to "dispel lingering uncertainty and ambiguity" on whether certain expenses are recoverable through USF support and how they would be recovered. They proposed draft rules modeled on language in the FNPRM.
Entrepreneurs need to speak up in defense of net neutrality, Senate Communications Subcommittee ranking member Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, told members of the National Venture Capital Association, in Washington for their annual meeting Wednesday. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., spoke about ways the federal government can improve the environment for long-term tech investment. The group planned to venture to Capitol Hill for meetings Thursday.
Entrepreneurs need to speak up in defense of net neutrality, Senate Communications Subcommittee ranking member Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, told members of the National Venture Capital Association, in Washington for their annual meeting Wednesday. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., spoke about ways the federal government can improve the environment for long-term tech investment. The group planned to venture to Capitol Hill for meetings Thursday.