FCC work on AT&T’s proposed buy of Leap is proceeding, said industry officials opposed to and supportive of the deal, in interviews Monday. But they said they've heard little out of the agency in recent months. Monday was day 166 of the FCC’s unofficial 180-day clock for reviewing the transaction. AT&T is still on track for approval before the clock expires, a spokesman said. Other industry officials also said they expect approval soon of the approximately $1.2 billion deal.

CableLabs, the cable industry’s research and development body, has stepped up outreach to consumer electronics makers, interindustry standards bodies, small cable operators and other organizations that aren’t members, said the CEO and other stakeholders in interviews last week. The organization demonstrates that a lot of communications and Internet standards and technical work happens among those disagreeing on policies, said some stakeholders. Small cable operators disagree with some big ones on access to programming amid industry consolidation, as Comcast agreed last month to pay $45 billion for Time Warner Cable (WID Feb 14 p2), said American Cable Association CEO Matt Polka. And CE companies disagree with operators on video device interoperability rules (WID Feb 7 p5), said CEA Senior Vice President-Research and Standards Brian Markwalter.

CableLabs, the cable industry’s research and development body, has stepped up outreach to consumer electronics makers, interindustry standards bodies, small cable operators and other organizations that aren’t members, said the CEO and other stakeholders in interviews last week. The organization demonstrates that a lot of communications and Internet standards and technical work happens among those disagreeing on policies, said some stakeholders. Small cable operators disagree with some big ones on access to programming amid industry consolidation, as Comcast agreed last month to pay $45 billion for Time Warner Cable (CD Feb 14 p1), said American Cable Association CEO Matt Polka. And CE companies disagree with operators on video device interoperability rules (CD Feb 7 p3), said CEA Senior Vice President-Research and Standards Brian Markwalter.

CableLabs, the cable industry’s research and development body, has stepped up outreach to CE makers, interindustry standards bodies, small cable operators and other organizations that aren’t members, said the CEO and other stakeholders in interviews last week.

The FCC is seeking proposals to bring advanced services to rural America, said Alexander Minard, Wireless Bureau Telecommunications Access Policy Division acting deputy chief. Non-binding expressions of interest are due March 7, and it’s “not really a high threshold,” to apply Minard said at an FCBA brown-bag lunch Thursday. “We want to see who raises their hand."

The FCC is seeking proposals to bring advanced services to rural America, said Alexander Minard, Wireless Bureau Telecommunications Access Policy Division acting deputy chief. Non-binding expressions of interest are due March 7, and it’s “not really a high threshold,” to apply Minard said at an FCBA brown-bag lunch Thursday. “We want to see who raises their hand."

Bringing more transparency to CBP enforcement of International Trade Commission exclusion orders through meetings with both the patent holders and the importers may not be the panacea that some in industry anticipate, said government officials on Feb. 27 at a panel on Section 337 patent enforcement at the Georgetown Law School’s International Trade Update. In comments submitted last year, industry officials nearly universally called for CBP to sit down with both parties to a Section 337 patent dispute -- the rights holder and the importer -- when making decisions on whether to exclude a product. But in CBP’s experience, the inter partes procedure envisioned by industry often faces roadblocks from industry itself, said acting CBP Assistant Commissioner for Trade Richard DiNucci.

The draft tax reform legislation released on Feb. 26 by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., recommends a 6 cents per gallon increase in Inland Waterways Trust Fund fees for inland waterways towboat operators, said Waterways Council (WCI) President Michael Toohey in a press release praising the provision. The Tax Reform Act of 2014 (here) incorporates a user fee hike provision from the WAVE4 Act, HR-1149 (here), introduced in 2013. The tax reform legislation would boost the user fee 6 cents from its current 20 cents per-gallon level.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and CBP in particular, should continue to target 100 percent screening of U.S. bound maritime cargo, but DHS still needs to weigh the financial and practical feasibility of that goal, said DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson during testimony at a Feb. 26 House Homeland Security Committee hearing. Made law in 2007, the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act requires scanning 100 percent of U.S.-bound cargo containers by 2012 (here). Former DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano pushed back the deadline in the months leading up to 2012 (here). Johnson said he is reserving his right as DHS Secretary to temporarily waive the requirement.

Neustar and Telcordia traded barbs before the FCC in filings Monday, with Telcordia asking the Wireline Bureau to dismiss a Neustar petition to “immediately rectify” the Local Number Portability Administration selection process, which Neustar had said was “flawed in its design and implementation” (CD Feb 13 p13). Neustar asked the full commission to force a public notice seeking comment on its petition, which the Wireline Bureau had not yet responded to. “Given the time sensitivity of this matter, Neustar believed a letter was appropriate,” a Neustar spokeswoman told us.