Congress is ramping up oversight of White House influence over the FCC net neutrality proceeding. House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, asked FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler questions in a letter Friday (see 1502060063), followed Monday by a letter from Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., who's also a member of Commerce. There is increased partisan pressure on Capitol Hill surrounding the draft net neutrality order detailed last week (see 1502050042), when Republicans slammed what they considered the administration’s undue influence and possible lobbying against GOP net neutrality legislation.

Congress is ramping up oversight of White House influence over the FCC net neutrality proceeding. House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, asked FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler questions in a letter Friday (see 1502060063), followed Monday by a letter from Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., who's also a member of Commerce. There is increased partisan pressure on Capitol Hill surrounding the draft net neutrality order detailed last week (see 1502050042), when Republicans slammed what they considered the administration’s undue influence and possible lobbying against GOP net neutrality legislation.

The FCC assertion that Chairman Tom Wheeler’s draft net neutrality order would impose no taxes or fees was disputed Friday by Commissioner Ajit Pai, who claimed in a statement it “explicitly opens the door to billions of dollars in new taxes on broadband.” An economist also claimed in a Forbes op-ed that the plan would lead to at least $500 million in federal fees and potentially more in state charges. An FCC spokesman Friday stood by a Wednesday fact sheet’s assertion, telling us the Internet Tax Freedom Act (ITFA) applies to broadband, even at the state and federal level.

The FCC assertion that Chairman Tom Wheeler’s draft net neutrality order would impose no taxes or fees was disputed Friday by Commissioner Ajit Pai, who claimed in a statement it “explicitly opens the door to billions of dollars in new taxes on broadband.” An economist also claimed in a Forbes op-ed that the plan would lead to at least $500 million in federal fees and potentially more in state charges. An FCC spokesman Friday stood by a Wednesday fact sheet’s assertion, telling us the Internet Tax Freedom Act (ITFA) applies to broadband, even at the state and federal level.

“Big data will continue to contribute to and shape our society, and the Obama Administration will continue working to ensure that government and civil society strive to harness the power of these technologies while protecting privacy and preventing harmful outcomes,” wrote John Podesta, counselor to President Barack Obama, in a blog post Thursday announcing the White House’s release of an interim progress report on big data and privacy legislative efforts. The report’s release comes about a year after Podesta released a report on data collection in the U.S. “One novel finding of the working group report was the potential for big data technologies to circumvent longstanding civil rights protections and enable new forms of discrimination in housing, employment, and access to credit, among other areas,” Podesta said. The new report said the Obama administration has made progress on ensuring “student educational data is used only for educational purposes” and that “in the big-data era,” technologies aren't used “inadvertently or deliberately” to discriminate. The report includes six priority policy recommendations and “a host of smaller initiatives to further the conversation about big data and privacy,” such as creating a national standard for companies to notify customers in the event of a data breach, investing in big data research and technologies, and extending Privacy Act protections to non-U.S. persons. “Big data technologies raise serious concerns about how we protect personal privacy and our other values,” Podesta said. “As more data is collected, analyzed, and stored on both public and private systems, we must be vigilant in ensuring the balance of power is retained between government and citizens and between businesses and consumers.”

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, wants federal regulators to approve Comcast’s proposed buy of Time Warner Cable, he told the FCC and Justice Department in a Wednesday three-page letter. The deal "does not raise sufficient competitive concerns to warrant blocking,” Hatch said, urging “appropriate” conditions if necessary. He also pushed regulators not to impose any net neutrality obligations. “I urge the Commission and the Department of Justice to abide their statutory mandates and to not turn the merger review process into an opportunity to impose a controversial, unwise, and ultimately unnecessary regulatory agenda upon merging parties.” Hatch also penned a Forbes op-ed Thursday blasting Communications Act Title II rules for broadband. “The administration’s Internet power grab also completely ignores the fact that existing consumer protection laws provide all the tools necessary to ensure that the Internet remains free and open to all,” Hatch said. “Antitrust laws empower courts and the Federal Trade Commission to block business activities that harm consumers, including activities that restrict consumer choice.”

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, wants federal regulators to approve Comcast’s proposed buy of Time Warner Cable, he told the FCC and Justice Department in a Wednesday three-page letter. The deal "does not raise sufficient competitive concerns to warrant blocking,” Hatch said, urging “appropriate” conditions if necessary. He also pushed regulators not to impose any net neutrality obligations. “I urge the Commission and the Department of Justice to abide their statutory mandates and to not turn the merger review process into an opportunity to impose a controversial, unwise, and ultimately unnecessary regulatory agenda upon merging parties.” Hatch also penned a Forbes op-ed Thursday blasting Communications Act Title II rules for broadband. “The administration’s Internet power grab also completely ignores the fact that existing consumer protection laws provide all the tools necessary to ensure that the Internet remains free and open to all,” Hatch said. “Antitrust laws empower courts and the Federal Trade Commission to block business activities that harm consumers, including activities that restrict consumer choice.”

“Big data will continue to contribute to and shape our society, and the Obama Administration will continue working to ensure that government and civil society strive to harness the power of these technologies while protecting privacy and preventing harmful outcomes,” wrote John Podesta, counselor to President Barack Obama, in a blog post Thursday announcing the White House’s release of an interim progress report on big data and privacy legislative efforts. The report’s release comes about a year after Podesta released a report on data collection in the U.S. “One novel finding of the working group report was the potential for big data technologies to circumvent longstanding civil rights protections and enable new forms of discrimination in housing, employment, and access to credit, among other areas,” Podesta said. The new report said the Obama administration has made progress on ensuring “student educational data is used only for educational purposes” and that “in the big-data era,” technologies aren't used “inadvertently or deliberately” to discriminate. The report includes six priority policy recommendations and “a host of smaller initiatives to further the conversation about big data and privacy,” such as creating a national standard for companies to notify customers in the event of a data breach, investing in big data research and technologies, and extending Privacy Act protections to non-U.S. persons. “Big data technologies raise serious concerns about how we protect personal privacy and our other values,” Podesta said. “As more data is collected, analyzed, and stored on both public and private systems, we must be vigilant in ensuring the balance of power is retained between government and citizens and between businesses and consumers.”

Though senior FCC officials told reporters the legal authority behind the draft net neutrality order Chairman Tom Wheeler was due to have circulated Thursday was based on a triple-barreled approach, Communications Act Title II opponents maintained that it faces several legal hurdles. They cited the agency’s assertion that the nature of broadband has changed since it was classified as a Section 706 information service as one example.

Though senior FCC officials told reporters the legal authority behind the draft net neutrality order Chairman Tom Wheeler was due to have circulated Thursday was based on a triple-barreled approach, Communications Act Title II opponents maintained that it faces several legal hurdles. They cited the agency’s assertion that the nature of broadband has changed since it was classified as a Section 706 information service as one example.