Campaigning will distract more than a third of the Senate Commerce Committee in the months ahead. Eight Senate seats belonging to Commerce Committee members are up for grabs in the 2016 elections, six held by Republicans and two by Democrats. Two GOP Commerce members also are scrambling for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, which means its own intense string of town halls, debates and travel.

The American Cable Association called on the FCC to approve an NCTA petition to revise a pole-attachment formula despite power company opposition. "ACA is heartened that the Commission is considering granting the NCTA Petition and urges it to do so," said an ACA letter posted Friday in docket 07-245. A draft FCC order would approve the petition, agency and industry officials have told us (see 1510020043). NCTA and telecom providers say the current formula is being used by electric power companies to keep the telecom rates well above those paid by cable companies despite a 2011 FCC order to harmonize the rates at the lower cable level. There are also concerns the agency's reclassification of broadband access as a telecom service could give power companies a justification to raise cable broadband pole-attachment rates. ACA noted a group of electric utilities met recently with agency staffers to oppose the petition (see 1510080045). The utilities argued that the 2011 order had already reduced telecom pole-attachment rates by one-third "in every instance" and that the current formula doesn't discourage broadband deployment because the only group whose rates could be affected by the FCC's recent reclassification of broadband as a telecom service would be cable companies, which have already deployed their networks, according to the utilities. ACA said the 2011 order wasn't intended simply to lower the telecom rates, but to bring them into parity with the lower cable rates, which the group said hasn't always happened and warrants further FCC action. ACA also said cable companies continue to deploy transmission lines, particularly as they enter new areas and install more fiber "to meet exploding broadband demand." ACA disputed power company arguments that FCC action would render statutory cost allocators "meaningless," and it said the commission should use its discretion to interpret the Communications Act to spur rapid broadband deployment.

The American Cable Association called on the FCC to approve an NCTA petition to revise a pole-attachment formula despite power company opposition. "ACA is heartened that the Commission is considering granting the NCTA Petition and urges it to do so," said an ACA letter posted Friday in docket 07-245. A draft FCC order would approve the petition, agency and industry officials have told us (see 1510020043). NCTA and telecom providers say the current formula is being used by electric power companies to keep the telecom rates well above those paid by cable companies despite a 2011 FCC order to harmonize the rates at the lower cable level. There are also concerns the agency's reclassification of broadband access as a telecom service could give power companies a justification to raise cable broadband pole-attachment rates. ACA noted a group of electric utilities met recently with agency staffers to oppose the petition (see 1510080045). The utilities argued that the 2011 order had already reduced telecom pole-attachment rates by one-third "in every instance" and that the current formula doesn't discourage broadband deployment because the only group whose rates could be affected by the FCC's recent reclassification of broadband as a telecom service would be cable companies, which have already deployed their networks, according to the utilities. ACA said the 2011 order wasn't intended simply to lower the telecom rates, but to bring them into parity with the lower cable rates, which the group said hasn't always happened and warrants further FCC action. ACA also said cable companies continue to deploy transmission lines, particularly as they enter new areas and install more fiber "to meet exploding broadband demand." ACA disputed power company arguments that FCC action would render statutory cost allocators "meaningless," and it said the commission should use its discretion to interpret the Communications Act to spur rapid broadband deployment.

The New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute and Google added their voices to those raising concerns on whether the FCC’s proposed new device certification rules would prohibit third-party firmware installation on devices, including Wi-Fi routers (see 1509300063). The FCC has received many short comments that raised similar concerns. Other industry commenters saw most of the proposed changes as helpful on the whole, streamlining the certification process.

Leakers, technologists, scholars and privacy experts sought meaningful U.S. government surveillance reform and legislation to protect privacy at the federal and state levels, at a privacy conference in Alexandria, Virginia, sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union, Free Press, Google, Microsoft and others. Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden appeared via video Tuesday and shared that when he began working for the CIA as a contractor in 2005, he was among a group of younger employees who didn’t understand why reforms had been made to the intelligence community and why they were necessary. The motto was “mission first,” Snowden said, explaining activities like mass surveillance were easily justified. It’s worrying when an institution has so much power and its resources are never questioned, he said. Members of the intelligence community should be able to speak with reporters, he said.

The New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute and Google added their voices to those raising concerns on whether the FCC’s proposed new device certification rules would prohibit third-party firmware installation on devices, including Wi-Fi routers (see 1509300063). The FCC has received many short comments that raised similar concerns. Other industry commenters saw most of the proposed changes as helpful on the whole, streamlining the certification process.

The New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute and Google added their voices to those raising concerns on whether the FCC’s proposed new device certification rules would prohibit third-party firmware installation on devices, including Wi-Fi routers (see 1509300063). The FCC has received many short comments that raised similar concerns. Other industry commenters saw most of the proposed changes as helpful on the whole, streamlining the certification process.

Leakers, technologists, scholars and privacy experts sought meaningful U.S. government surveillance reform and legislation to protect privacy at the federal and state levels, at a privacy conference in Alexandria, Virginia, sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union, Free Press, Google, Microsoft and others. Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden appeared via video Tuesday and shared that when he began working for the CIA as a contractor in 2005, he was among a group of younger employees who didn’t understand why reforms had been made to the intelligence community and why they were necessary. The motto was “mission first,” Snowden said, explaining activities like mass surveillance were easily justified. It’s worrying when an institution has so much power and its resources are never questioned, he said. Members of the intelligence community should be able to speak with reporters, he said.

Homeland Security Undersecretary-National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) Suzanne Spaulding and other department officials committed Wednesday to seek Congress's approval of any plan to reorganize NPPD. Spaulding told the House Homeland Security Committee's Cybersecurity Subcommittee that DHS “absolutely” plans to continue collaborating with lawmakers. House Cybersecurity Chairman John Ratcliffe, R-Texas, and other House Homeland Security members raised concerns Wednesday both about the outlines of DHS's communication with Congress about its reorganization work.

Homeland Security Undersecretary-National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) Suzanne Spaulding and other department officials committed Wednesday to seek Congress's approval of any plan to reorganize NPPD. Spaulding told the House Homeland Security Committee's Cybersecurity Subcommittee that DHS “absolutely” plans to continue collaborating with lawmakers. House Cybersecurity Chairman John Ratcliffe, R-Texas, and other House Homeland Security members raised concerns Wednesday both about the outlines of DHS's communication with Congress about its reorganization work.