House Intelligence Committee ranking member Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said he believes “the vast majority of the privacy issues” raised in advance of the committee’s expected release this week of its version of cybersecurity information sharing legislation “have been met and we will still have a product that is effective to counter these attacks.” His comments came during a C-SPAN Newsmakers interview that was shown Sunday. The bill House Intelligence is to release will mirror much of what’s contained in the Senate Intelligence Committee’s Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (S-754), Schiff said. Senate Intelligence cleared S-754 March 13 and released the postmarkup text of the bill last week, with the revised bill’s text drawing criticism from privacy groups (see 1503190058). Schiff said the situation has changed from last year, when “we were far apart on key issues and concerns in the privacy community.” There’s broader agreement on the need to remove personally identifiable information (PII) from cyberthreat data shared with the government, which “gives me confidence that we can move forward on a bill,” Schiff said. Meanwhile, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, circulated a discussion draft Friday of his National Cybersecurity Protection Advancement Act, which would make the Department of Homeland Security the “primary interface” for private sector-to-government cyber information sharing. The bill doesn’t prohibit the private sector from sharing information via other agencies, including the National Security Agency. The bill includes guidelines for DHS monitoring and oversight of the sharing program and includes a mechanism for the department to end sharing with a specific company if it repeatedly fails to strip out PII. The bill would also rename DHS’ National Protection and Programs Directorate as the “Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Directorate.”

Alamo Broadband, a wireless ISP in San Antonio, and USTelecom filed what appear to be the first formal appeals in federal court of the FCC Feb. 26 net neutrality order. The challenges were made Monday based on the legal theory that the declaratory ruling portion of the decision became final March 12, so appeals were due Monday. While it's not clear who will lead the industry charge against the order, other challenges are still expected to be filed within 10 days of publication of the order in the Federal Register.

Alamo Broadband, a wireless ISP in San Antonio, and USTelecom filed what appear to be the first formal appeals in federal court of the FCC Feb. 26 net neutrality order. The challenges were made Monday based on the legal theory that the declaratory ruling portion of the decision became final March 12, so appeals were due Monday. While it's not clear who will lead the industry charge against the order, other challenges are still expected to be filed within 10 days of publication of the order in the Federal Register.

Representatives of the Minority Cellular Partners Coalition told an aide to FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn that AT&T has engaged in conduct that should bar it from buying DirecTV. AT&T violated Section 222(c)(l) of the Communications Act and Section 1.20003 of the FCC’s rules when it “voluntarily allowed the National Security Agency to have access to telephony and Internet metadata, and telephony and Internet content,” the coalition said. “AT&T has engaged in an established pattern of misconduct and bad behavior. Taken together, these actions should bear upon its qualifications to acquire additional FCC licenses in the proposed acquisition of DirecTV.” The coalition first raised the issue in a March 4 letter to the commission. AT&T said in a recent filing the FCC should give no weight to the charges. The FCC held in the AT&T/BellSouth merger order these very same “allegations are outside the scope of the FCC’s investigative powers,” AT&T said. The filings were in docket 14-90.

Representatives of the Minority Cellular Partners Coalition told an aide to FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn that AT&T has engaged in conduct that should bar it from buying DirecTV. AT&T violated Section 222(c)(l) of the Communications Act and Section 1.20003 of the FCC’s rules when it “voluntarily allowed the National Security Agency to have access to telephony and Internet metadata, and telephony and Internet content,” the coalition said. “AT&T has engaged in an established pattern of misconduct and bad behavior. Taken together, these actions should bear upon its qualifications to acquire additional FCC licenses in the proposed acquisition of DirecTV.” The coalition first raised the issue in a March 4 letter to the commission. AT&T said in a recent filing the FCC should give no weight to the charges. The FCC held in the AT&T/BellSouth merger order these very same “allegations are outside the scope of the FCC’s investigative powers,” AT&T said. The filings were in docket 14-90.

The FCC didn’t say if the process reform task force Chairman Tom Wheeler announced at a House Communications Subcommittee hearing Thursday will consider ideas raised by Commissioner Mike O’Rielly to make texts of items public before commission votes and to tighten changes staff can make through editorial privilege. But two former Democratic commissioners, in interviews Friday, had cautions about making the texts public.

Transparency within the House Commerce Committee and at the FCC emerged as the key divisive issue Thursday as FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler took on his third hearing this week. Democrats blasted Communications Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., for what they said was a partisan FCC reauthorization draft bill designed to freeze funding at the agency for four years. Republicans harangued the FCC for its process and transparency practices.

Transparency within the House Commerce Committee and at the FCC emerged as the key divisive issue Thursday as FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler took on his third hearing this week. Democrats blasted Communications Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., for what they said was a partisan FCC reauthorization draft bill designed to freeze funding at the agency for four years. Republicans harangued the FCC for its process and transparency practices.

Whether the language of the Data Security and Breach Notification Act draft is too vague to protect consumers and provide guidance to companies, gives the FCC and FTC ample authority to protect consumers, and allows innovation, and whether privacy and data security can be regulated separately were key topics at the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade’s hearing on the draft bill Wednesday. The bill was touted as bipartisan. But many Republican subcommittee members favored the narrow approach of the bill, while Democratic members raised concerns with the bill’s pre-emption of stronger state laws and a limited definition of what constituted as personal information.

White House Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Jason Furman urged the FCC to hold the TV incentive auction as now planned in early 2016, speaking Wednesday at a Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy event on the five-year anniversary of the FCC National Broadband Plan. The auction was one of the 2010 broadband plan's key recommendations. Work remains to fulfill the plan, officials said at an event Tuesday that was organized by nonprofit groups (see 1503170014).