USTelecom and the Independent Telephone and Telecommunications Alliance jointly asked the FCC to revise its Nov. 8 rural call completion order to drop a data collection requirement on intraLATA interexchange/toll calls carried entirely over the originating LEC’s network or handed off by the originating LEC directly to the terminating LEC. The associations questioned whether requiring LECs to tabulate and report this data is consistent with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). NARUC and several other parties also commented on a further NPRM released with the order. The FCC, under acting Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn, unanimously approved rules in late October, limiting data retention obligations to calls destined only to rural ILECs (CD Oct 29 p2).
Congress will still need to act on government surveillance, several members said Friday after President Barack Obama’s policy speech at the Department of Justice. They pointed to hearings and bills on the horizon, as observers offered mixed reactions to the president’s set of proposals. In his 45-minute talk, Obama initiated several changes to the programs and expressed longer-term goals. He did not immediately end the bulk collection of phone metadata, currently authorized by Patriot Act Section 215, nor did he immediately shift the storage of such metadata to phone companies or a third party, as his independent review group recommended last month.
Congress will still need to act on government surveillance, several members said Friday after President Barack Obama’s policy speech at the Department of Justice. They pointed to hearings and bills on the horizon, as observers offered mixed reactions to the president’s set of proposals. In his 45-minute talk, Obama initiated several changes to the programs and expressed longer-term goals. He did not immediately end the bulk collection of phone metadata, currently authorized by Patriot Act Section 215, nor did he immediately shift the storage of such metadata to phone companies or a third party, as his independent review group recommended last month.
On Capitol Hill Thursday, public safety officials and Democratic senators urged the FCC to kick off a proceeding setting standards for wireless 911 location standards while industry representatives struck a cautious note. Hill pressure surrounding this issue has risen over the past half year, with members of Congress in both chambers writing to the FCC last fall expressing concern following a summer CalNENA report indicating poor wireless location accuracy. The Find Me 911 Coalition has beat the drum with advertisements, a Hill briefing and other efforts to raise awareness for what it deems a problem.
Federal data security legislation and high-technology payment processing features were among the suggestions industry attorneys and Internet security advocates raised to improve the recent flurry of data breaches. Legislation, if done correctly, would help companies with compliance and improve their data security, said stakeholders in interviews this week. Last week, Target upped to a total of at least 70 million the number of consumers potentially affected by one of the largest data breaches to hit a U.S. retailer (WID Jan 13 p4). Re-evaluating the outdated mode of credit card payment processing in the U.S. would better protect companies and consumers against data theft, said experts. They also raised questions about the power of credit cards companies to effectively regulate alleged data breaches.
Federal data security legislation and high-technology payment processing features were among the suggestions industry attorneys and Internet security advocates raised to improve the recent flurry of data breaches. Legislation, if done correctly, would help companies with compliance and improve their data security, said stakeholders in interviews this week. Last week, Target upped to a total of at least 70 million the number of consumers potentially affected by one of the largest data breaches to hit a U.S. retailer. Re-evaluating the outdated mode of credit card payment processing in the U.S. would better protect companies and consumers against data theft, said experts. They also raised questions about the power of credit cards companies to effectively regulate alleged data breaches.
Apple settled an FTC complaint that the company let children spend millions of dollars on in-app purchases without parental consent, said FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez during a Wednesday news conference. CEO Tim Cook said the complaint “smacked of double jeopardy” since the company had already faced a civil lawsuit over the issue and taken steps to address it. Industry representatives said in interviews that the FTC’s actions simply push Apple to adhere to existing industry best practices. But privacy advocates and some lawmakers applauded the action, saying it raised awareness about a growing issue of concern as children spend more time with mobile apps.
Change is on the way for the FCC Incentive Auction Task Force. The agency is poised to add longtime cable and wireless attorney Howard Symons to the team, as vice chairman to current task force Chairman Gary Epstein, industry and agency officials told us. Meanwhile, the FCC appears poised to give small carriers a win on at least one big issue -- the geographic size of the licenses that will be offered in the auction.
CBP continues to fail to collect vast sums of potential revenue in import duties on certain Chinese agriculture and seafood products that entered the U.S. since 2002, along with associated bonds posted on the imports, said Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., at the Jan. 15 Finance Committee hearing on the nomination of Gil Kerlikowske for CBP Commissioner (see 14011521).
Apple settled an FTC complaint that the company let children spend millions of dollars on in-app purchases without parental consent, said FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez during a Wednesday news conference. CEO Tim Cook said the complaint “smacked of double jeopardy” since the company had already faced a civil lawsuit over the issue and taken steps to address it. Industry representatives said in interviews that the FTC’s actions simply push Apple to adhere to existing industry best practices. But privacy advocates and some lawmakers applauded the action, saying it raised awareness about a growing issue of concern as children spend more time with mobile apps.