The Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) and TracFone jointly filed a revision with the U.S. Copyright Office that would alter a proposed exemption to Digital Millennium Copyright Act Section 1201 (DMCA) for unlocking cellphones to resolve TracFone’s concerns about the exemption’s original language. The exemption is one of 27 the CO is currently considering as part of its sixth triennial rulemaking process for Section 1201, which prohibits the circumvention of technological protection measures (TPMs). Other proposed exemptions include one that would allow smart TV owners to circumvent TPMs that prevent the installation of user-supplied software and one that would allow for circumventing DVD, Blu-ray and digital video TPMs for personal uses. Comments on the proposed exemptions, which were due May 1, were limited to responses to previous filings. New America's Open Technology Institute told CO in comments given to us before they appeared online that a proposed exemption on software security research should move forward (see 1505050051).

Following Thursday's 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that the intelligence community’s bulk collection of metadata wasn't legal on statutory grounds (see 1505070041), the question remains how to proceed and how transparent that community should be, said experts the next day. A “little sunshine can make quite a big difference in how these programs are evaluated,” said Patrick Toomey, American Civil Liberties Union National Security Project staff attorney, at a Sunlight Foundation event. Toomey represented the ACLU in its case against the government and said the government uses standing and state secrets rules to hide information.

The Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) and TracFone jointly filed a revision with the U.S. Copyright Office that would alter a proposed exemption to Digital Millennium Copyright Act Section 1201 (DMCA) for unlocking cellphones to resolve TracFone’s concerns about the exemption’s original language. The exemption is one of 27 the CO is currently considering as part of its sixth triennial rulemaking process for Section 1201, which prohibits the circumvention of technological protection measures (TPMs). Other proposed exemptions include one that would allow smart TV owners to circumvent TPMs that prevent the installation of user-supplied software and one that would allow for circumventing DVD, Blu-ray and digital video TPMs for personal uses. Comments on the proposed exemptions, which were due May 1, were limited to responses to previous filings. New America's Open Technology Institute told CO in comments given to us before they appeared online that a proposed exemption on software security research should move forward (see 1505050051).

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler may use an NPRM the agency must begin by Sept. 4 on retransmission consent as a way to crack down on what some see as abuses in deals for TV stations to be carried by multichannel video programming distributors, lawyers on all sides of the issue said in interviews Thursday. A day before and toward the end of his speech at INTX, Wheeler mentioned the upcoming proceeding. Some read that as signaling he's open to changing retrans rules, after a previous look at the rules under then-Chairman Julius Genachowski didn't advance past an NPRM. Others noted that, given the partisanship seen on retrans, where some Republicans have been hesitant to regulate, Wheeler may not try to change rules and if he did would have to rely on both of the FCC's other Democratic members agreeing.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler may use an NPRM the agency must begin by Sept. 4 on retransmission consent as a way to crack down on what some see as abuses in deals for TV stations to be carried by multichannel video programming distributors, lawyers on all sides of the issue said in interviews Thursday. A day before and toward the end of his speech at INTX, Wheeler mentioned the upcoming proceeding. Some read that as signaling he's open to changing retrans rules, after a previous look at the rules under then-Chairman Julius Genachowski didn't advance past an NPRM. Others noted that, given the partisanship seen on retrans, where some Republicans have been hesitant to regulate, Wheeler may not try to change rules and if he did would have to rely on both of the FCC's other Democratic members agreeing.

CHICAGO -- Cable companies are now principally broadband companies, and the importance of their product means they have bigger obligations and responsibilities, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said at INTX 2015 Wednesday. The industry deserves “straight talk” about the net neutrality order, Wheeler said. "I take you at your word to protect an open Internet, but what about those that follow you?” he said in defense of his Internet conduct rules, a focus of his talk. Wheeler's speech also included a brief mention of the Comcast/Time Warner Cable transaction review and indications that the FCC might act to keep cable companies from suffering higher pole attachment rates.

CHICAGO -- Cable companies are now principally broadband companies, and the importance of their product means they have bigger obligations and responsibilities, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said at INTX 2015 Wednesday. The industry deserves “straight talk” about the net neutrality order, Wheeler said. "I take you at your word to protect an open Internet, but what about those that follow you?” he said in defense of his Internet conduct rules, a focus of his talk. Wheeler's speech also included a brief mention of the Comcast/Time Warner Cable transaction review and indications that the FCC might act to keep cable companies from suffering higher pole attachment rates.

CHICAGO -- Cable companies are now principally broadband companies, and the importance of their product means they have bigger obligations and responsibilities, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said at INTX 2015 Wednesday. The industry deserves “straight talk” about the net neutrality order, Wheeler said. "I take you at your word to protect an open Internet, but what about those that follow you?” he said in defense of his Internet conduct rules, a focus of his talk. Wheeler's speech also included a brief mention of the Comcast/Time Warner Cable transaction review and indications that the FCC might act to keep cable companies from suffering higher pole attachment rates.

The FCC, as promised at its April open meeting, sought comment on the future of LTE-unlicensed, a technology that carriers are looking to deploy in the 3.5 GHz and other unlicensed bands. When the FCC approved an order on the 3.5 GHz shared spectrum band, Chairman Tom Wheeler promised a public notice on LTE-U, also known as licensed assisted access (LAA), was also on its way (see 1504170055). The PN was released Tuesday by the Wireless Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology. Comments are due June 11, replies June 26.

The FCC will start a proceeding on foreign broadcast ownership, in the wake of Monday evening's OK of Pandora's request it be allowed to exceed a 25 percent threshold (see 1505040065). Amid Republican commissioners' concern about the almost two-year process that led up to the declaratory ruling, industry lawyers expect the agency to begin a rulemaking soon on the waiver process for radio and TV stations. It may be an NPRM, said Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council senior adviser David Honig.