Domain stakeholders were divided over the degree to which potential name collisions would be a danger to consumers and businesses during the new generic top-level domain (gTLD) rollout, they said in interviews last week. Businesses were warned about the potential threat of name collisions and offered advice on how to protect companies from harm, in a report (http://bit.ly/1cZVZyI) released Wednesday by the Association of Competitive Technology (ACT) (WID Jan 24 p11). Stakeholders told us they disagree whether the seriousness of name collisions was worthy of drastic measures or minor adjustments. The lack of education and awareness about the possibility for name collisions, a concern of ACT’s report, also worried many stakeholders. ICANN said it’s working with such stakeholders to address any concerns.

Several consumer groups representing the hearing impaired want the FCC to reconsider rules governing user interfaces and video programming guides that allow closed captioning and other accessibility features to be activated with a voice command or gesture, according to a petition filed Wednesday (http://bit.ly/1irq9mr). The groups had asked the FCC to compel manufacturers to build devices that use a “button, key or icon” to activate those functions, but in the order last year, voice commands and gestures were also listed as acceptable options. “This leap from tactile controls to voice and gesture controls lacks any justification or support under the CVAA [21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act], and there is no evidence that Congress intended to allow voice and gesture controls to satisfy these accessibility obligations,” said the petition for reconsideration by groups including the National Association of the Deaf, Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and the Technology Access Program at Gallaudet University. Many deaf and hard-of-hearing people don’t speak or may have difficulty speaking clearly enough for speech recognition technology, the filing said. “These individuals are unable to use voice controlled technology and will be shut out of any digital apparatus or navigation device where voice commands are the only way to activate the closed captioning control,” said the filing. “Allowing voice controls to satisfy accessibility obligations will effectively deny millions of deaf and hard of hearing people access to closed captioning and/or other accessibility features.” The commission may not have included enough information about the use of voice controls in its proposal for implementing the rule, the groups said. “A review of the NPRM shows that the Commission never proposed a rule nor raised questions regarding whether voice or gesture controls should be acceptable compliant mechanisms for providing legally mandated access to closed captions for people with disabilities,” said the filing. The groups “strongly urge” the FCC to reconsider the rule, the filing said. CEA didn’t comment.

A report (http://bit.ly/1cZVZyI) on the potential for name collisions of generic top-level domains (gTLDs) in the business community was released by the Association for Competitive Technology (ACT) Wednesday. The document is in response to ICANN’s rollout of new gTLDs and the “outside perspective” of ICANN’s study of name collisions, said the report. “We find that domain collisions continue to raise concerns and could have broad implications for online networks spanning the globe,” said ACT President Jonathan Zuck in a statement Thursday. “Particularly worrisome” is the possibility for collisions of “intranets designed around strings,” like the new gTLD “.office,” that will be part of the public domain name system, said Zuck. There is “considerable likelihood” that some of the 1,400 new gTLDs will collide with existing top-level domains, in which case “chaos will ensue,” said the report. It called on ICANN to raise awareness around name collisions and linked to the organization’s “Command Center” on the issue (http://bit.ly/1irqp51). For businesses affected by potential name collisions, the report gave instructions, such as creating a “dependency map” to determine how software systems could change in the event of name change, said the report.

Several consumer groups representing the hearing impaired want the FCC to reconsider rules governing user interfaces and video programming guides that allow closed captioning and other accessibility features to be activated with a voice command or gesture, according to a petition filed Wednesday (http://bit.ly/1irq9mr). The groups had asked the FCC to compel manufacturers to build devices that use a “button, key or icon” to activate those functions, but in the order last year, voice commands and gestures were also listed as acceptable options. “This leap from tactile controls to voice and gesture controls lacks any justification or support under the CVAA [21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act], and there is no evidence that Congress intended to allow voice and gesture controls to satisfy these accessibility obligations,” said the petition for reconsideration by groups including the National Association of the Deaf, Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and the Technology Access Program at Gallaudet University. Many deaf and hard-of-hearing people don’t speak or may have difficulty speaking clearly enough for speech recognition technology, the filing said. “These individuals are unable to use voice controlled technology and will be shut out of any digital apparatus or navigation device where voice commands are the only way to activate the closed captioning control,” said the filing. “Allowing voice controls to satisfy accessibility obligations will effectively deny millions of deaf and hard of hearing people access to closed captioning and/or other accessibility features.” The commission may not have included enough information about the use of voice controls in its proposal for implementing the rule, the groups said. “A review of the NPRM shows that the Commission never proposed a rule nor raised questions regarding whether voice or gesture controls should be acceptable compliant mechanisms for providing legally mandated access to closed captions for people with disabilities,” said the filing. The groups “strongly urge” the FCC to reconsider the rule, the filing said. CEA didn’t comment.

A rulemaking notice approved by the FCC in September (CD Sept 27 p10) designed to cut red tape on the deployment of distributed antenna systems and small cells is raising concerns for cities, said Mayor John Marks of Tallahassee, Fla. He is acting chairman of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Transportation and Communication Committee, which met Thursday to get an update on that and other issues.

The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board suggested the White House limit the phone surveillance program, part of a multitude of recommendations Thursday. But the five members of PCLOB were not unanimous in endorsing the 12 recommendations of the 238-page report (http://bit.ly/1bkU5c7). A minority of the board suggested that the NSA surveillance program has value and questioned whether the metadata should really be moved away from the government’s control or its collection ended. PCLOB’s recommendations push for greater transparency, a public advocate for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and modifications to how phone surveillance occurs.

The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board suggested the White House limit the phone surveillance program, part of a multitude of recommendations Thursday. But the five members of PCLOB were not unanimous in endorsing the 12 recommendations of the 238-page report (http://bit.ly/1bkU5c7). A minority of the board suggested that the NSA surveillance program has value and questioned whether the metadata should really be moved away from the government’s control or its collection ended. PCLOB’s recommendations push for greater transparency, a public advocate for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and modifications to how phone surveillance occurs.

The “common carrier” prohibition discussed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in its net neutrality decision “raises significant concerns” about the IP transition, Public Knowledge told FCC acting General Counsel Jonathan Sallet Monday, an ex parte filing said (http://bit.ly/LHojj9). “With regard to Verizon’s pending request to discontinue service on the New Jersey Barrier Island, the decision raises significant concern because grant of the request, without finding Voice Link to be a Title II service, would leave residents of Mantoloking without a guarantee of basic voice service,” PK said. The FCC would have questionable ability to enforce a voluntary decision by Verizon to provide Voice Link on terms similar to those offered for their wireline service, PK said: As the court explained, “the Commission may not impose on a Title I service provider a Title II common carriage obligation.” Without classifying Voice Link as a Title II service, “it is difficult to see how enforcement of a core common carrier obligation (obligation to serve the public indiscriminately) could be enforced,” PK said. The commission may also lack authority to resolve disputes on “interconnection, intercarrier compensation, rural call completion or other areas touching on ‘core’ common carrier obligations,” PK said. “At best, the FCC can impose a duty to negotiate in good faith."

The “common carrier” prohibition discussed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in its net neutrality decision “raises significant concerns” about the IP transition, Public Knowledge told FCC acting General Counsel Jonathan Sallet Monday, an ex parte filing said (http://bit.ly/LHojj9). “With regard to Verizon’s pending request to discontinue service on the New Jersey Barrier Island, the decision raises significant concern because grant of the request, without finding Voice Link to be a Title II service, would leave residents of Mantoloking without a guarantee of basic voice service,” PK said. The FCC would have questionable ability to enforce a voluntary decision by Verizon to provide Voice Link on terms similar to those offered for their wireline service, PK said: As the court explained, “the Commission may not impose on a Title I service provider a Title II common carriage obligation.” Without classifying Voice Link as a Title II service, “it is difficult to see how enforcement of a core common carrier obligation (obligation to serve the public indiscriminately) could be enforced,” PK said. The commission may also lack authority to resolve disputes on “interconnection, intercarrier compensation, rural call completion or other areas touching on ‘core’ common carrier obligations,” PK said. “At best, the FCC can impose a duty to negotiate in good faith."

AT&T strongly urged the FCC not to impose requirements, proposed in November, that wireless carriers submit information for public disclosure on cell site operational status during and immediately after major disasters. The FCC agreed to seek comment in September over the dissent of Commissioner Ajit Pai, on a 2-1 vote while Mignon Clyburn was still acting chairwoman (CD Sept 27 p3). Under the proposal, the FCC would release data on the percentage of towers still up and running for each county in a disaster area whenever the commission’s Disaster Information Reporting System is fully or partially activated.