The FCC approved by 5-0 Thursday most of Chairman Tom Wheeler's proposal for opening high-frequency spectrum for 5G. The order and Further NPRM got a few tweaks -- the agency will now ask about spectrum bands above 95 GHz -- but it largely tracks the proposal laid out in a June fact sheet (see 1606240026). All commissioners said the order puts the U.S. ahead of the rest of the world in the race to 5G.

The FCC approved by 5-0 Thursday most of Chairman Tom Wheeler's proposal for opening high-frequency spectrum for 5G. The order and Further NPRM got a few tweaks -- the agency will now ask about spectrum bands above 95 GHz -- but it largely tracks the proposal laid out in a June fact sheet (see 1606240026). All commissioners said the order puts the U.S. ahead of the rest of the world in the race to 5G.

The FCC approved by 5-0 Thursday most of Chairman Tom Wheeler's proposal for opening high-frequency spectrum for 5G. The order and Further NPRM got a few tweaks -- the agency will now ask about spectrum bands above 95 GHz -- but it largely tracks the proposal laid out in a June fact sheet (see 1606240026). All commissioners said the order puts the U.S. ahead of the rest of the world in the race to 5G.

House Commerce Trade Subcommittee Chairman Michael Burgess, R-Texas, warned witnesses Wednesday that Congress would act on healthcare apps if industry doesn't appropriately address privacy and security. “Unfortunately, whatever Congress would do would likely limit the potential in this space and limit the success of the health apps market,” Burgess said during a subcommittee hearing on such apps. Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., said “the right regulatory framework” is required, one “that encourages innovation, removes barriers to investment, and advances new opportunities for patients and providers to engage in the healthcare system,” with privacy and security “absolute musts.” Commerce Committee ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J., raised concerns about hacking and consumer and stakeholder confusion. “Many, if not most, health apps available right now in the app store are not covered entities" under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, Pallone said. “So even if those apps collect the same information as a healthcare provider, the same protections may not apply.” Lawmakers and witnesses debated the appropriate roles for the FTC and the Food and Drug Administration. With a seat on "the Consumer Technology Association’s (CTA) Health and Fitness Technology Board, Humetrix actively worked on the CTA Guiding Principles on the Privacy and Security of Personal Wellness Data because it is important that consumers understand both the potential value of health technologies and the privacy options they have,” testified Humetrix CEO Bettina Experton. “We applaud CTA’s efforts to drive these guiding principles across the industry, as we believe it will drive adoption and awareness of important medical apps that can literally save lives.” Diane Johnson, senior director at Johnson & Johnson, told Rep. Leonard Lance, R-N.J., “legislative clarity is needed” on the FDA mobile medical app guidance regarding enforcement. Commerce Committee Vice Chairwoman Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., underscored her desire to advance her Sensible Oversight for Technology which Advances Regulatory Efficiency Act (HR-2396) through the 21st Century Cures initiative. She said her legislation addresses much of what was under discussion.

House Commerce Trade Subcommittee Chairman Michael Burgess, R-Texas, warned witnesses Wednesday that Congress would act on healthcare apps if industry doesn't appropriately address privacy and security. “Unfortunately, whatever Congress would do would likely limit the potential in this space and limit the success of the health apps market,” Burgess said during a subcommittee hearing on such apps. Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., said “the right regulatory framework” is required, one “that encourages innovation, removes barriers to investment, and advances new opportunities for patients and providers to engage in the healthcare system,” with privacy and security “absolute musts.” Commerce Committee ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J., raised concerns about hacking and consumer and stakeholder confusion. “Many, if not most, health apps available right now in the app store are not covered entities" under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, Pallone said. “So even if those apps collect the same information as a healthcare provider, the same protections may not apply.” Lawmakers and witnesses debated the appropriate roles for the FTC and the Food and Drug Administration. With a seat on "the Consumer Technology Association’s (CTA) Health and Fitness Technology Board, Humetrix actively worked on the CTA Guiding Principles on the Privacy and Security of Personal Wellness Data because it is important that consumers understand both the potential value of health technologies and the privacy options they have,” testified Humetrix CEO Bettina Experton. “We applaud CTA’s efforts to drive these guiding principles across the industry, as we believe it will drive adoption and awareness of important medical apps that can literally save lives.” Diane Johnson, senior director at Johnson & Johnson, told Rep. Leonard Lance, R-N.J., “legislative clarity is needed” on the FDA mobile medical app guidance regarding enforcement. Commerce Committee Vice Chairwoman Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., underscored her desire to advance her Sensible Oversight for Technology which Advances Regulatory Efficiency Act (HR-2396) through the 21st Century Cures initiative. She said her legislation addresses much of what was under discussion.

House Commerce Trade Subcommittee Chairman Michael Burgess, R-Texas, warned witnesses Wednesday that Congress would act on healthcare apps if industry doesn't appropriately address privacy and security. “Unfortunately, whatever Congress would do would likely limit the potential in this space and limit the success of the health apps market,” Burgess said during a subcommittee hearing on such apps. Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., said “the right regulatory framework” is required, one “that encourages innovation, removes barriers to investment, and advances new opportunities for patients and providers to engage in the healthcare system,” with privacy and security “absolute musts.” Commerce Committee ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J., raised concerns about hacking and consumer and stakeholder confusion. “Many, if not most, health apps available right now in the app store are not covered entities" under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, Pallone said. “So even if those apps collect the same information as a healthcare provider, the same protections may not apply.” Lawmakers and witnesses debated the appropriate roles for the FTC and the Food and Drug Administration. With a seat on "the Consumer Technology Association’s (CTA) Health and Fitness Technology Board, Humetrix actively worked on the CTA Guiding Principles on the Privacy and Security of Personal Wellness Data because it is important that consumers understand both the potential value of health technologies and the privacy options they have,” testified Humetrix CEO Bettina Experton. “We applaud CTA’s efforts to drive these guiding principles across the industry, as we believe it will drive adoption and awareness of important medical apps that can literally save lives.” Diane Johnson, senior director at Johnson & Johnson, told Rep. Leonard Lance, R-N.J., “legislative clarity is needed” on the FDA mobile medical app guidance regarding enforcement. Commerce Committee Vice Chairwoman Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., underscored her desire to advance her Sensible Oversight for Technology which Advances Regulatory Efficiency Act (HR-2396) through the 21st Century Cures initiative. She said her legislation addresses much of what was under discussion.

​Vizio representatives were keeping silent Wednesday on chatter in the Chinese media that Beijing-based tech company Leshi Internet Information & Technology, also known as LeEco, and formerly called LeTV, is making perhaps a $1.5 billion bid to buy Vizio. Representatives of LeEco’s San Jose-based U.S. subsidiary also didn’t comment Wednesday.

Thirty civil liberties, technology and government watchdog groups are urging Senate leaders to hold public hearings on a proposal that would give the FBI wider access to Americans' internet browsing history and other metadata without a court warrant. "The proposal, if enacted, would remove necessary judicial oversight of the FBI's access to these personal records and would threaten individuals' privacy," wrote the coalition in a Monday letter to Sen. Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C. At issue is expansion of national security letters (NSLs), which are like administrative subpoenas, that the coalition says would permit "the FBI to unilaterally issue demands" for sensitive data like "logs of who individuals communicated with online via email, chat, video, and text; what services they subscribe to; what times they sign into and out of their accounts; IP addresses; and much more." Such data are called electronic communications transactional records (ECTR). The groups said the NSL statute "has been the subject of significant abuse" because there's no check against it. Last month, the Senate failed to end debate on the amendment to the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations bill (see 1606220075). Before then, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, introduced an ECTR amendment to legislation updating the Electronic Communications Privacy Act that forced that bill's sponsors to withdraw it, likely jeopardizing its passage this session (see 1606090007). The coalition -- including Access Now, the American Civil Liberties Union, Computer & Communications Industry Association, New America's Open Technology Institute and TechFreedom -- said senators should have the opportunity in a public setting to probe the FBI's current needs and challenges raised by this proposal as well as understand its impact, before voting on the amendment again.

Thirty civil liberties, technology and government watchdog groups are urging Senate leaders to hold public hearings on a proposal that would give the FBI wider access to Americans' internet browsing history and other metadata without a court warrant. "The proposal, if enacted, would remove necessary judicial oversight of the FBI's access to these personal records and would threaten individuals' privacy," wrote the coalition in a Monday letter to Sen. Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C. At issue is expansion of national security letters (NSLs), which are like administrative subpoenas, that the coalition says would permit "the FBI to unilaterally issue demands" for sensitive data like "logs of who individuals communicated with online via email, chat, video, and text; what services they subscribe to; what times they sign into and out of their accounts; IP addresses; and much more." Such data are called electronic communications transactional records (ECTR). The groups said the NSL statute "has been the subject of significant abuse" because there's no check against it. Last month, the Senate failed to end debate on the amendment to the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations bill (see 1606220075). Before then, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, introduced an ECTR amendment to legislation updating the Electronic Communications Privacy Act that forced that bill's sponsors to withdraw it, likely jeopardizing its passage this session (see 1606090007). The coalition -- including Access Now, the American Civil Liberties Union, Computer & Communications Industry Association, New America's Open Technology Institute and TechFreedom -- said senators should have the opportunity in a public setting to probe the FBI's current needs and challenges raised by this proposal as well as understand its impact, before voting on the amendment again.

Thirty civil liberties, technology and government watchdog groups are urging Senate leaders to hold public hearings on a proposal that would give the FBI wider access to Americans' internet browsing history and other metadata without a court warrant. "The proposal, if enacted, would remove necessary judicial oversight of the FBI's access to these personal records and would threaten individuals' privacy," wrote the coalition in a Monday letter to Sen. Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C. At issue is expansion of national security letters (NSLs), which are like administrative subpoenas, that the coalition says would permit "the FBI to unilaterally issue demands" for sensitive data like "logs of who individuals communicated with online via email, chat, video, and text; what services they subscribe to; what times they sign into and out of their accounts; IP addresses; and much more." Such data are called electronic communications transactional records (ECTR). The groups said the NSL statute "has been the subject of significant abuse" because there's no check against it. Last month, the Senate failed to end debate on the amendment to the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations bill (see 1606220075). Before then, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, introduced an ECTR amendment to legislation updating the Electronic Communications Privacy Act that forced that bill's sponsors to withdraw it, likely jeopardizing its passage this session (see 1606090007). The coalition -- including Access Now, the American Civil Liberties Union, Computer & Communications Industry Association, New America's Open Technology Institute and TechFreedom -- said senators should have the opportunity in a public setting to probe the FBI's current needs and challenges raised by this proposal as well as understand its impact, before voting on the amendment again.