The outdoor apparel industry is again ramping up efforts to enact legislation that would eliminate tariffs on outerwear, following the introduction of bills in recent days in both chambers of Congress. The measures, HR-5646 and S-2838, are basically identical to bills introduced in both the two previous Congresses, said Outdoor Industry Association Trade Policy Advisor Rich Harper in an interview. This Congress will end in January 2015, so supporters are eyeing an omnibus trade package in the coming lame duck session for passage.

Sinclair’s petition for review of the FCC incentive auction order (CD Sept 19 p12) raises a broader scope of issues than the NAB challenge (CD Aug 19 p1), and the company hasn’t decided if it will push for an expedited hearing of the case as did NAB and the FCC, Sinclair Vice President-Advanced Technology Mark Aitken told us Friday. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued an order Friday consolidating the two petitions and vacating the expedited briefing schedule requested by NAB and FCC.

Sinclair’s petition for review of the FCC incentive auction order (CED Sept 19 p7) raises a broader scope of issues than the NAB challenge (CED Aug 19 p2), and the company hasn’t decided if it will push for an expedited hearing of the case as did NAB and the FCC, Mark Aitken, Sinclair vice president-advanced technology, told us Friday. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued an order Friday consolidating the two petitions and vacating the expedited briefing schedule requested by NAB and FCC.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, who is proving better than some recent chairmen at indicating where he’s going on issues well ahead of commission votes, is dropping broad hints where he’s likely headed on wireless net neutrality. All indications are that mobile broadband will be subject to the same rules as fixed, but with an exception allowing carriers to engage in “reasonable network management.”

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, who is proving better than some recent chairmen at indicating where he’s going on issues well ahead of commission votes, is dropping broad hints where he’s likely headed on wireless net neutrality. All indications are that mobile broadband will be subject to the same rules as fixed, but with an exception allowing carriers to engage in “reasonable network management.”

House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., wants more aggressive overhaul of video laws next year, and is unhappy with what the four congressional committees of jurisdiction have produced for Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act reauthorization. “The STELA bill is just the STELA bill,” Eshoo said Thursday at a Hudson Institute event. “It doesn’t contain anything earth-shattering.”

The other government agencies involved in the completion of the International Trade Data System have become increasingly engaged in that work following the February Executive Order on ITDS, said Carol Cave, director of Import Surveillance, Consumer Product Safety Commission. Cave and other agency officials discussed the progress on Sept. 15 during the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America Government Affairs Conference. "There is a major shift going on with [the Border Interagency Executive Council]" as the government works to finish the system by 2016, as required in the Executive Order (see 14021928). For example, there's been a lot more coordination in looking at which agencies collect the same information that the CPSC also requires, said Cave.

The U.S. government needs to continue to push for expanded cybersecurity information sharing capabilities as a way to protect critical infrastructure sectors, federal officials said Tuesday during a Billington cybersecurity conference. Recent federal efforts have focused on expanding information sharing via legislation like the House-passed Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), but former federal officials and industry stakeholders expressed doubts that Congress can complete effective legislation during the 113th Congress. The Senate Intelligence Committee cleared its own CISPA equivalent, the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA), but industry officials have said they're increasingly pessimistic that the full Senate will vote on the bill this year (WID July 30 p3).

The U.S. government needs to continue to push for expanded cybersecurity information sharing capabilities as a way to protect critical infrastructure sectors, federal officials said Tuesday during a Billington cybersecurity conference. Recent federal efforts have focused on expanding information sharing via legislation like the House-passed Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), but former federal officials and industry stakeholders expressed doubts that Congress can complete effective legislation during the 113th Congress. The Senate Intelligence Committee cleared its own CISPA equivalent, the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA), but industry officials have said they're increasingly pessimistic that the full Senate will vote on the bill this year (CD July 30 p6 ).

Hours of debate on net neutrality rules at two FCC workshops Tuesday quickly veered into the issue of paid prioritization, a subsidiary issue the commission has committed to examine as it develops broader rules. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler opened the workshops, saying he hoped they would “put a fine point” on the more than 3 million net neutrality comments filed.