Financially, Philippe Dauman had a good 2016, with Viacom's former CEO topping the ranks of pay-TV executives in salary and other non-equity compensation, according to our analysis of 2016 proxy statements of publicly traded companies in the pay-TV universe. Benefiting Dauman was a $58 million separation payment he received in August when he left (see 1608220029). That came atop his $3.6 million salary and $9.7 million cash bonus under Viacom's executive short-term incentive plan. He also received equity in the form of Viacom stock and options that the programmer valued at more than $21 million. The company didn't comment. In our analysis, we looked at compensation as two separate silos -- salary and other non-equity items; and stock and stock options. We used dollar value estimates of the equity awards as reported by the companies, and not estimates of future values.

Financially, Philippe Dauman had a good 2016, with Viacom's former CEO topping the ranks of pay-TV executives in salary and other non-equity compensation, according to our analysis of 2016 proxy statements of publicly traded companies in the pay-TV universe. Benefiting Dauman was a $58 million separation payment he received in August when he left (see 1608220029). That came atop his $3.6 million salary and $9.7 million cash bonus under Viacom's executive short-term incentive plan. He also received equity in the form of Viacom stock and options that the programmer valued at more than $21 million. The company didn't comment. In our analysis, we looked at compensation as two separate silos -- salary and other non-equity items; and stock and stock options. We used dollar value estimates of the equity awards as reported by the companies, and not estimates of future values.

Financially, Philippe Dauman had a good 2016, with Viacom's former CEO topping the ranks of pay-TV executives in salary and other non-equity compensation, according to our analysis of 2016 proxy statements of publicly traded companies in the pay-TV universe. Benefiting Dauman was a $58 million separation payment he received in August when he left (see 1608220029). That came atop his $3.6 million salary and $9.7 million cash bonus under Viacom's executive short-term incentive plan. He also received equity in the form of Viacom stock and options that the programmer valued at more than $21 million. The company didn't comment. In our analysis, we looked at compensation as two separate silos -- salary and other non-equity items; and stock and stock options. We used dollar value estimates of the equity awards as reported by the companies, and not estimates of future values.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s private net neutrality briefing of House Commerce Committee lawmakers Wednesday didn’t ingratiate him with Democrats who oppose his efforts to roll back the 2015 open internet order. “There is nothing he’s doing that will guarantee that there’s any enforceability on anyone once he moves in this direction,” House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Mike Doyle, D-Pa., told reporters. “I asked him what kind of input, when he gets 4 million comments, how much he weighs the comment period. And of course, what he was saying, well, we only weigh things that have legal justification. The fact that maybe 4 million people say this is a terrible idea, don’t do it, won’t carry much weight.”

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s private net neutrality briefing of House Commerce Committee lawmakers Wednesday didn’t ingratiate him with Democrats who oppose his efforts to roll back the 2015 open internet order. “There is nothing he’s doing that will guarantee that there’s any enforceability on anyone once he moves in this direction,” House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Mike Doyle, D-Pa., told reporters. “I asked him what kind of input, when he gets 4 million comments, how much he weighs the comment period. And of course, what he was saying, well, we only weigh things that have legal justification. The fact that maybe 4 million people say this is a terrible idea, don’t do it, won’t carry much weight.”

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and ranking member Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., moved Tuesday to file the Senate version of the Register of Copyrights Selection and Accountability Act. The bill mirrors the House-passed version of the legislation, lobbyists told us. The Grassley-Feinstein bill and HR-1695, which the House approved last week 378-48, would make register a presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed position with a 10-year term (see 1703230068 and 1704260062). Chatter about HR-1695's Senate companion spread as House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., indicated he intends to gather more feedback on additional legislation on Copyright Office modernization.

Senate Communications Subcommittee ranking member Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, became at least the third congressional Democrat to raise the prospect of a legal challenge to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's move to roll back the 2015 open internet order. Pai is acting in a way that may be “legally consequential” and “a problem” down the road, Schatz told reporters Tuesday. He called Pai’s unveiling of the NPRM “shocking” and said the articulation didn’t seem “even keeled.” He called Pai’s declaration of war “a mistake, both legally and as a matter of strategy.” Schatz said such a stance makes a legal challenge to Pai's actions likely. "I don't think there's any doubt that there's a litigation aspect to this," he said.

Senate Communications Subcommittee ranking member Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, became at least the third congressional Democrat to raise the prospect of a legal challenge to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's move to roll back the 2015 open internet order. Pai is acting in a way that may be “legally consequential” and “a problem” down the road, Schatz told reporters Tuesday. He called Pai’s unveiling of the NPRM “shocking” and said the articulation didn’t seem “even keeled.” He called Pai’s declaration of war “a mistake, both legally and as a matter of strategy.” Schatz said such a stance makes a legal challenge to Pai's actions likely. "I don't think there's any doubt that there's a litigation aspect to this," he said.

House lawmakers grilled Federal Maritime Commission Acting Chairman Michael Khouri on May 3 about whether recently approved shipping alliances benefit U.S. interests and uphold the spirit of U.S. antitrust laws. During a hearing of the House Transportation Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., pointed to comments sent in November by the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division to the FMC (see 1611280024), concerning recent convictions related to a scheme of price fixing of shipping services for cars and trucks and carriers of domestic freight between the continental U.S. and Puerto Rico.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and ranking member Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., moved Tuesday to file the Senate version of the Register of Copyrights Selection and Accountability Act. The bill mirrors the House-passed version of the legislation, lobbyists told us. The Grassley-Feinstein bill and HR-1695, which the House approved last week 378-48, would make register a presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed position with a 10-year term (see 1703230068 and 1704260062). Chatter about HR-1695's Senate companion spread as House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., indicated he intends to gather more feedback on additional legislation on Copyright Office modernization.