Ubiquitous data collection impedes elemental privacy rights and causes discrimination, but is also a vital economic driver that would wilt under excessive regulation, said comments to a White House big-data review. Ahead of Monday night’s comment deadline, many major privacy advocates, consumer advocates, technology industry groups and major tech companies had either weighed in or told us they planned to do so before midnight. The White House didn’t make the comments public.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce urged the FCC to address various questions about Telephone Consumer Protection Act rules raised in a Jan. 31 petition by ACA International. “The Commission’s adoption of desperately needed updates, clarifications and revisions to its TCPA rules will allow covered communications to be governed by a clear, fair and consistent regulatory framework that protects the interests Congress contemplated in enacting the TCPA without impeding legitimate business operations,” ACA said then (http://bit.ly/1i099j9). The Chamber said the FCC should confirm that not all predictive dialers are automatic telephone dialing systems, that “capacity” under the TCPA means present ability and that prior express consent to make a call “attaches to the person who incurs a debt, and not the specific telephone number the debtor provides at the time of consent.” TCPA lawsuits are a growing problem for its members, the Chamber said. “TCPA lawsuits against businesses are skyrocketing,” it said (http://bit.ly/1iEIN8j). “There were 222 TCPA lawsuits filed in February 2014 compared to 159 in February 2013, an increase of 40 percent. There were 1,862 TCPA lawsuits filed in 2013 compared to 1,101 in 2012 and 825 in 2011, an increase of 69 percent and 126 percent, respectively."
President Barack Obama wants to end the Patriot Act Section 215 phone surveillance program as it exists now, he confirmed Thursday. In a January speech (CD Jan 21 p1), Obama asked the Justice Department and intelligence officials to draft a plan to move the bulk collected phone metadata away from the hands of the government to either the phone companies or a third party. He asked for such a suggested path by this Friday, when the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) order authorizing phone surveillance expires.
President Barack Obama wants to end the Patriot Act Section 215 phone surveillance program as it exists now, he confirmed Thursday. In a January speech (WID Jan 21 p1), Obama asked the Justice Department and intelligence officials to draft a plan to move the bulk collected phone metadata away from the hands of the government to either the phone companies or a third party. He asked for such a suggested path by this Friday, when the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) order authorizing phone surveillance expires.
The European Union announced it is lowering its retailiatory tariffs on U.S. goods for noncompliance with a World Trade Organization ruling against the Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act (CDSOA, aka the Byrd Amendment). Effective May 1, the EU is dropping the additional tariff from 26 to 0.35 percent on metal eyewear frames, trucks with cranes, frozen sweetcorn, and women’s denim trousers.
Senate Judiciary Committee lawmakers zeroed in Wednesday on possible problems with the retransmission consent regime and accompanying retrans dispute blackouts. At a brief hearing, they questioned direct broadcast satellite and broadcast executives on the nature of the disputes and how they should or should not factor into the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act reauthorization process.
The FCC wants as many carriers as possible to take part in the upcoming major auctions, FCC acting Wireless Bureau Chief Roger Sherman said Wednesday at the Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) spring conference in San Antonio. Sherman made clear that the FCC is giving strong consideration to spectrum aggregation limits for the TV incentive auction, which have been opposed by Verizon and AT&T.
The FCC defended its request for about $36 million more in funding for FY 2015 compared to current funding. The White House unveiled its proposed 2015 budget in early March and recommended Congress approve $375.38 million for the FCC (http://fcc.us/1hNuRs2). The House Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee scrutinized the proposed budget during a hearing Tuesday, and FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and Commissioner Ajit Pai testified on behalf of the agency.
Amendment attempts abounded Tuesday on the draft legislation of the House Communications Subcommittee’s Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act (http://1.usa.gov/1rrPHlS), though most amendments failed to make it into the draft bill that cleared the panel on a voice vote. Democrats succeeded at modifying provisions of the controversial set-top box integration ban, which demands cable operators use CableCARDs instead of built-in security in set-top boxes, in the one bipartisan amendment put to a vote and attached to the draft.
Amendment attempts abounded Tuesday on the draft legislation of the House Communications Subcommittee’s Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act (http://1.usa.gov/1rrPHlS), though most amendments failed to make it into the draft bill that cleared the panel on a voice vote. Democrats succeeded at modifying provisions of the controversial set-top box integration ban, which demands cable operators use CableCARDs instead of built-in security in set-top boxes, in the one bipartisan amendment put to a vote and attached to the draft.