The Copyright Office said its five-year IT program modernization plan focuses on increasing stakeholders’ use of copyright registration and moving the office away from dependency on a large infrastructure base by using a “variety of cloud strategies.” A “provisional” version of the IT plan released Monday would move the CO’s current paper-based copyright registration to an “automated system where recording parties may enter their own information,” the CO said. Back-end improvements to CO online search functionality will give all stakeholders “dynamic access to the Office’s recordation data,” and the CO will better integrate siloed registration data to provide “a more seamless chain of title from registration to licenses to transfers and the public domain,” the office said. Several copyright stakeholders voiced early praise Monday for the IT plan, saying its high-level priorities stick with the spirit of the CO's 2016-2020 strategic plan (see 1510230042 and 1512010061).

The Copyright Office said its five-year IT program modernization plan focuses on increasing stakeholders’ use of copyright registration and moving the office away from dependency on a large infrastructure base by using a “variety of cloud strategies.” A “provisional” version of the IT plan released Monday would move the CO’s current paper-based copyright registration to an “automated system where recording parties may enter their own information,” the CO said. Back-end improvements to CO online search functionality will give all stakeholders “dynamic access to the Office’s recordation data,” and the CO will better integrate siloed registration data to provide “a more seamless chain of title from registration to licenses to transfers and the public domain,” the office said. Several copyright stakeholders voiced early praise Monday for the IT plan, saying its high-level priorities stick with the spirit of the CO's 2016-2020 strategic plan (see 1510230042 and 1512010061).

Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., is preparing a possible amendment addressing broadcaster concerns about the repacking process set to follow the FCC TV incentive auction, informed sources said Monday. Moran’s amendment would target Mobile Now (S-2555), scheduled for markup in the Senate Commerce Committee Thursday at 10 a.m. in 253 Russell. Committee leadership is expected to release substitute text of Mobile Now ahead of the markup incorporating, at the very least, technical changes.

The FCC lacks authority to tell pay-TV carriers and device manufacturers where in their user interfaces that closed-caption display settings must be located, said AT&T, CTA, NCTA and the Telecommunications Industry Association in comments in docket 12-108 in response to a second Further NPRM. A joint filing by several consumer groups, including the National Association of the Deaf and Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, supported the FCC proposal to require caption display settings to be on the first level of device menus.

The FCC lacks authority to tell pay-TV carriers and device manufacturers where in their user interfaces that closed-caption display settings must be located, said AT&T, CTA, NCTA and the Telecommunications Industry Association in comments in docket 12-108 in response to a second Further NPRM. A joint filing by several consumer groups, including the National Association of the Deaf and Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, supported the FCC proposal to require caption display settings to be on the first level of device menus.

The FCC lacks authority to tell pay-TV carriers and device manufacturers where in their user interfaces that closed-caption display settings must be located, said AT&T, CTA, NCTA and the Telecommunications Industry Association in comments in docket 12-108 in response to a second Further NPRM. A joint filing by several consumer groups, including the National Association of the Deaf and Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, supported the FCC proposal to require caption display settings to be on the first level of device menus.

The House Commerce Committee approved a modified version of the Small Business Broadband Deployment Act (HR-4596) Thursday with Democratic backing, as expected (see 1602240060). That earned praise from industry officials. Both the bipartisan amendment and then the legislation received uncontroversial voice votes. The legislation would exempt small businesses from the FCC net neutrality order’s enhanced transparency requirements, which on a temporary basis currently exempt ISPs with fewer than 100,000 subscribers. The bill originally would have codified that and raised the threshold definition of a small business to 500,000 subscribers, which spurred Democratic opposition during the subcommittee markup. A bipartisan compromise between Communications Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., and Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa, settled on a 250,000-subscriber cutoff in defining a small business and included a five-year sunset provision. “I was glad we were able to reach a conclusion in a fair and balanced way,” Walden said. “This is what folks want us to do,” Loebsack said during the markup. The American Cable Association, the Competitive Carriers Association, CTIA, NTCA, the Telecom Industry Association and USTelecom issued statements lauding the compromise and supporting committee approval. “NTCA devoted significant effort to working with these offices to explain how the requirements would affect small businesses,” CEO Shirley Bloomfield said. Walden released a discussion draft of the original legislation in January and formally introduced the bill as HR-4596 Wednesday. Net neutrality advocates originally had warned against the measure. "Today’s amendment modestly improves the original bill, but this legislation remains a solution in search of a problem," said New America Open Technology Institute Policy Counsel Josh Stager. "The FCC already granted an exemption from its transparency rules for small providers. The bill’s sponsors have not demonstrated why Congress needs to step in now, or why being transparent with customers is burdensome for ISPs. Every consumer deserves basic Open Internet protections regardless of whether their ISP is big or small." Free Press Policy Director Matt Wood dismissed the bipartisan compromise as “a giveaway to ISPs claiming that it’s a burden to comply with the Open Internet Order’s sensible obligation to provide useful information to their own customers.” The compromise cutoff “exempts every single provider other than a couple dozen of the nation’s largest cable and phone companies,” Wood said.

The House Commerce Committee approved a modified version of the Small Business Broadband Deployment Act (HR-4596) Thursday with Democratic backing, as expected (see 1602240060). That earned praise from industry officials. Both the bipartisan amendment and then the legislation received uncontroversial voice votes. The legislation would exempt small businesses from the FCC net neutrality order’s enhanced transparency requirements, which on a temporary basis currently exempt ISPs with fewer than 100,000 subscribers. The bill originally would have codified that and raised the threshold definition of a small business to 500,000 subscribers, which spurred Democratic opposition during the subcommittee markup. A bipartisan compromise between Communications Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., and Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa, settled on a 250,000-subscriber cutoff in defining a small business and included a five-year sunset provision. “I was glad we were able to reach a conclusion in a fair and balanced way,” Walden said. “This is what folks want us to do,” Loebsack said during the markup. The American Cable Association, the Competitive Carriers Association, CTIA, NTCA, the Telecom Industry Association and USTelecom issued statements lauding the compromise and supporting committee approval. “NTCA devoted significant effort to working with these offices to explain how the requirements would affect small businesses,” CEO Shirley Bloomfield said. Walden released a discussion draft of the original legislation in January and formally introduced the bill as HR-4596 Wednesday. Net neutrality advocates originally had warned against the measure. "Today’s amendment modestly improves the original bill, but this legislation remains a solution in search of a problem," said New America Open Technology Institute Policy Counsel Josh Stager. "The FCC already granted an exemption from its transparency rules for small providers. The bill’s sponsors have not demonstrated why Congress needs to step in now, or why being transparent with customers is burdensome for ISPs. Every consumer deserves basic Open Internet protections regardless of whether their ISP is big or small." Free Press Policy Director Matt Wood dismissed the bipartisan compromise as “a giveaway to ISPs claiming that it’s a burden to comply with the Open Internet Order’s sensible obligation to provide useful information to their own customers.” The compromise cutoff “exempts every single provider other than a couple dozen of the nation’s largest cable and phone companies,” Wood said.

Multiple amendments will likely come up during a March 3 Senate Commerce Committee markup of Mobile Now (S-2555), the much-debated spectrum bill from Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., and ranking member Bill Nelson, D-Fla. Some senators are eyeing ways to restore teeth to the package, which left some wireless industry stakeholders disheartened when they saw the recent pared-down version. Negotiation reached fever pitch on whether to include an unlicensed spectrum proposal from Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii.

Multiple amendments will likely come up during a March 3 Senate Commerce Committee markup of Mobile Now (S-2555), the much-debated spectrum bill from Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., and ranking member Bill Nelson, D-Fla. Some senators are eyeing ways to restore teeth to the package, which left some wireless industry stakeholders disheartened when they saw the recent pared-down version. Negotiation reached fever pitch on whether to include an unlicensed spectrum proposal from Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii.