Roslyn Layton, fellow at Denmark's Aalborg University, wants House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., to take up bipartisan net neutrality legislation codifying the rules. “Taking leadership to preserve net neutrality in legislation once and for all could be her most important congressional contribution,” Layton said in an op-ed for California newspaper the Contra Costa Times. “The window of opportunity to make this important law is quickly closing, and now is the time to act.” Recent oral argument in a net neutrality challenge before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit suggests “trouble” for the FCC’s order, Layton said. “Among the countries that have made net neutrality rules, the FCC has taken a unique and risky approach to net neutrality,” she said. “The vast majority of countries have created rules through the legislative process, including the 28 nations of the EU. Given the many issues raised in court, it is likely that some or all of the FCC's net neutrality rules will be struck down.” In May, Eshoo said the GOP draft net neutrality bill didn’t provide a genuine starting point for bipartisan negotiation (see 1505140064).

Roslyn Layton, fellow at Denmark's Aalborg University, wants House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., to take up bipartisan net neutrality legislation codifying the rules. “Taking leadership to preserve net neutrality in legislation once and for all could be her most important congressional contribution,” Layton said in an op-ed for California newspaper the Contra Costa Times. “The window of opportunity to make this important law is quickly closing, and now is the time to act.” Recent oral argument in a net neutrality challenge before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit suggests “trouble” for the FCC’s order, Layton said. “Among the countries that have made net neutrality rules, the FCC has taken a unique and risky approach to net neutrality,” she said. “The vast majority of countries have created rules through the legislative process, including the 28 nations of the EU. Given the many issues raised in court, it is likely that some or all of the FCC's net neutrality rules will be struck down.” In May, Eshoo said the GOP draft net neutrality bill didn’t provide a genuine starting point for bipartisan negotiation (see 1505140064).

The National Emergency Number Association said the FCC should move with care in considering Twilio’s petition for clarification that messaging services should be regulated under Title II of the Communications Act (see 1510130040). Wireless industry commenters opposed the petition outright. Some parties questioned whether changing how text messages are regulated would mean consumers would have to deal with many more spam texts. Reply comments were due Monday in docket 08-7.

The National Emergency Number Association said the FCC should move with care in considering Twilio’s petition for clarification that messaging services should be regulated under Title II of the Communications Act (see 1510130040). Wireless industry commenters opposed the petition outright. Some parties questioned whether changing how text messages are regulated would mean consumers would have to deal with many more spam texts. Reply comments were due Monday in docket 08-7.

Calling objections to an alternative to the pay-TV "gatekeeper model" for consumers to be able to choose independent user interfaces joining linear and over-the-top TV "non-issues," TiVo told aides to all FCC members there's no reason to delay issuing an NPRM on the agency's Downloadable Security Technical Advisory Committee (DSTAC) report. "Any remaining concerns can be addressed as part of a rulemaking proceeding, and are not reasons for the Commission to delay" the NPRM, TiVo General Counsel Matt Zinn and outside lawyers for the company said, according to a filing posted Friday in docket 15-64. "Despite some recent revisionist history being put forth by opponents of competition, Section 629 has always been about extending the principle of Carterfone to the video navigation devices market and giving consumers a choice among retail products for the consumer interface," it said of the Communications Act section on a retail market for video navigation devices. An NPRM on the DSTAC report may soon circulate (see 1512150072). NCTA pushed back against TiVo. Despite the company's comparison of Section 629 to Carterfone, "the FCC has repeatedly found that the telephone network does not provide a proper analogy for video," NCTA General Counsel Neal Goldberg responded by email. "From the beginning of its work implementing Section 629 in 1998, it said that ‘the telephone networks do not provide a proper analogy to the issues in this [video device] proceeding due to the numerous differences in technology between Part 68 telephone networks and MVPD networks.’ It reiterated that conclusion in 2010.”

Calling objections to an alternative to the pay-TV "gatekeeper model" for consumers to be able to choose independent user interfaces joining linear and over-the-top TV "non-issues," TiVo told aides to all FCC members there's no reason to delay issuing an NPRM on the agency's Downloadable Security Technical Advisory Committee (DSTAC) report. "Any remaining concerns can be addressed as part of a rulemaking proceeding, and are not reasons for the Commission to delay" the NPRM, TiVo General Counsel Matt Zinn and outside lawyers for the company said, according to a filing posted Friday in docket 15-64. "Despite some recent revisionist history being put forth by opponents of competition, Section 629 has always been about extending the principle of Carterfone to the video navigation devices market and giving consumers a choice among retail products for the consumer interface," it said of the Communications Act section on a retail market for video navigation devices. An NPRM on the DSTAC report may soon circulate (see 1512150072). NCTA pushed back against TiVo. Despite the company's comparison of Section 629 to Carterfone, "the FCC has repeatedly found that the telephone network does not provide a proper analogy for video," NCTA General Counsel Neal Goldberg responded by email. "From the beginning of its work implementing Section 629 in 1998, it said that ‘the telephone networks do not provide a proper analogy to the issues in this [video device] proceeding due to the numerous differences in technology between Part 68 telephone networks and MVPD networks.’ It reiterated that conclusion in 2010.”

Calling objections to an alternative to the pay-TV "gatekeeper model" for consumers to be able to choose independent user interfaces joining linear and over-the-top TV "non-issues," TiVo told aides to all FCC members there's no reason to delay issuing an NPRM on the agency's Downloadable Security Technical Advisory Committee (DSTAC) report. "Any remaining concerns can be addressed as part of a rulemaking proceeding, and are not reasons for the Commission to delay" the NPRM, TiVo General Counsel Matt Zinn and outside lawyers for the company said, according to a filing posted Friday in docket 15-64. "Despite some recent revisionist history being put forth by opponents of competition, Section 629 has always been about extending the principle of Carterfone to the video navigation devices market and giving consumers a choice among retail products for the consumer interface," it said of the Communications Act section on a retail market for video navigation devices. An NPRM on the DSTAC report may soon circulate (see 1512150072). NCTA pushed back against TiVo. Despite the company's comparison of Section 629 to Carterfone, "the FCC has repeatedly found that the telephone network does not provide a proper analogy for video," NCTA General Counsel Neal Goldberg responded by email. "From the beginning of its work implementing Section 629 in 1998, it said that ‘the telephone networks do not provide a proper analogy to the issues in this [video device] proceeding due to the numerous differences in technology between Part 68 telephone networks and MVPD networks.’ It reiterated that conclusion in 2010.”

There's nothing inherently wrong with usage-based pricing, but it can be anticompetitive, said Phil Verveer, senior counselor to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, at a Capitol Forum conference Thursday. Verveer is widely viewed as one of the key FCC officials behind February’s net neutrality order.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and the two Republican commissioners are at odds over letters the agency sent Wednesday to AT&T, Comcast and T-Mobile, seeking input on zero-rating product offerings that could have net neutrality implications. "This is not an investigation," Wheeler said Thursday during the commission's meeting. "These were 'let's get informed.' This is to help us stay informed as to what the practices are." On the contrary, Commissioner Ajit Pai said later as he and Commissioner Michael O'Rielly criticized the letters and the way they were issued: "This is an investigation. This is not simply benign."

There's nothing inherently wrong with usage-based pricing, but it can be anticompetitive, said Phil Verveer, senior counselor to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, at a Capitol Forum conference Thursday. Verveer is widely viewed as one of the key FCC officials behind February’s net neutrality order.