The FCC has been summoning for meetings industry entities associated with set-top boxes and the Downloadable Security Technology Advisory Committee, said industry officials and a series of ex parte filings. Groups pushing for a rulemaking to come out of the DSTAC's report are pushing to get an item on the agenda of an FCC meeting, while multichannel video programming distributors and others opposed to the FCC's acting on the report are trying to keep the rulemaking process from proceeding, an attorney following the DSTAC process told us.

The FCC has been summoning for meetings industry entities associated with set-top boxes and the Downloadable Security Technology Advisory Committee, said industry officials and a series of ex parte filings. Groups pushing for a rulemaking to come out of the DSTAC's report are pushing to get an item on the agenda of an FCC meeting, while multichannel video programming distributors and others opposed to the FCC's acting on the report are trying to keep the rulemaking process from proceeding, an attorney following the DSTAC process told us.

Nineteen trade associations urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to schedule a vote for the customs reauthorization bill -- the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act (H.R. 644) -- in a Jan. 15 letter (here). After the House passed the legislation (see 1512110029), the bill has sat idle in the Senate and no vote is scheduled, a McConnell spokeswoman said on Jan. 19. “We have worked for over a decade to bring this long-overdue legislation to passage, and so we urge you to quickly schedule a vote on the conference report,” the letter reads. If binding, the legislation would save money for U.S. businesses and consumers by modernizing customs laws and procedures to keep up with business trends and increase efficiency, the groups said.

Public Knowledge wants to build on victories for net neutrality and against cable concentration, officials said at a Thursday news-media briefing on the group's 2016 agenda. The biggest threat to the open Internet “is the persistent cable broadband stranglehold over how citizens, consumers get access to video streaming, apps, devices, traditional TV content they want,” said President Gene Kimmelman. “So, this is going to be a year that we go all-out to break that stranglehold. It ranges from the set-top box to programming contracts to the actual transmission itself.” Net neutrality was just one battle in a broader fight that continues “against cable dominance,” he said.

New FTC Chief Technologist Lorrie Faith Cranor said sometimes there's a "mismatch" between what policymakers are asking and what researchers are trying to answer. "Stronger dialogues" are needed between the groups "so that our academic research can be more relevant and useful" to government policymakers and corporate decision-makers, she said, speaking Wednesday at a Future of Privacy Forum event on academic research on privacy. Hours later, the FTC held an all-day privacy event (see 1601140062 and 1601140029).

Public Knowledge wants to build on victories for net neutrality and against cable concentration, officials said at a Thursday news-media briefing on the group's 2016 agenda. The biggest threat to the open Internet “is the persistent cable broadband stranglehold over how citizens, consumers get access to video streaming, apps, devices, traditional TV content they want,” said President Gene Kimmelman. “So, this is going to be a year that we go all-out to break that stranglehold. It ranges from the set-top box to programming contracts to the actual transmission itself.” Net neutrality was just one battle in a broader fight that continues “against cable dominance,” he said.

New FTC Chief Technologist Lorrie Faith Cranor said sometimes there's a "mismatch" between what policymakers are asking and what researchers are trying to answer. "Stronger dialogues" are needed between the groups "so that our academic research can be more relevant and useful" to government policymakers and corporate decision-makers, she said, speaking Wednesday at a Future of Privacy Forum event on academic research on privacy. Hours later, the FTC held an all-day privacy event (see 1601140062 and 1601140029).

The Sunshine in Government Initiative coalition lauded the House for its approval of the FOIA Oversight and Implementation Act Monday. HR-653 would overhaul government Freedom of Information Act procedures. "Yesterday’s vote to strengthen disclosure under FOIA shows that Congress can find common ground to make government more transparent and accountable," said coalition director Rick Blum Wednesday. Coalition members included the American Society of News Editors, The Associated Press, the Newspaper Association of America and the Society of Professional Journalists. In a staff report released Monday, the House Oversight Committee slammed how the FCC used redactions in FOIA responses. “Perhaps more importantly, the FCC has insisted that the White House was not part of the deliberative process,” the House Oversight report said. “Chairman [Tom] Wheeler compared the White House’s comments to those of Members from Congress, calling them ‘recommendations.’ Redacting a description of the President’s opinion on this issue, as the version of the email released under FOIA does, is improper.” It questioned other redactions: “Without explanation, the FCC redacts the Chairman’s initials under a (b)(6) exemption. Every time 'TW' appears in the address line of an email it is redacted.” The FCC shows a “tendency to over-redact,” the committee staffers said. “The agency either misunderstands how to use redactions, raising concerns of competency, or the agency intentionally misuses redactions, raising concerns of integrity. Given the numerous examples in which the FCC improperly redacts information, this may be a deliberate tactic to withhold information from the public.” The committee posted more than a 100 pages of emails to show what the agency redacted.

The Sunshine in Government Initiative coalition lauded the House for its approval of the FOIA Oversight and Implementation Act Monday. HR-653 would overhaul government Freedom of Information Act procedures. "Yesterday’s vote to strengthen disclosure under FOIA shows that Congress can find common ground to make government more transparent and accountable," said coalition director Rick Blum Wednesday. Coalition members included the American Society of News Editors, The Associated Press, the Newspaper Association of America and the Society of Professional Journalists. In a staff report released Monday, the House Oversight Committee slammed how the FCC used redactions in FOIA responses. “Perhaps more importantly, the FCC has insisted that the White House was not part of the deliberative process,” the House Oversight report said. “Chairman [Tom] Wheeler compared the White House’s comments to those of Members from Congress, calling them ‘recommendations.’ Redacting a description of the President’s opinion on this issue, as the version of the email released under FOIA does, is improper.” It questioned other redactions: “Without explanation, the FCC redacts the Chairman’s initials under a (b)(6) exemption. Every time 'TW' appears in the address line of an email it is redacted.” The FCC shows a “tendency to over-redact,” the committee staffers said. “The agency either misunderstands how to use redactions, raising concerns of competency, or the agency intentionally misuses redactions, raising concerns of integrity. Given the numerous examples in which the FCC improperly redacts information, this may be a deliberate tactic to withhold information from the public.” The committee posted more than a 100 pages of emails to show what the agency redacted.

A Senate Republican leader thinks a ban on Internet access taxes will move forward in the near future with a trade bill, untouched by those who want to remove it. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., third-ranking member of leadership and chairman of the Commerce Committee, is also eyeing action on drones and consideration of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, he told reporters Tuesday.