The House Commerce Committee will increase its focus on data security, cross-border data flows and the Internet Of Things in 2014, said Vice Chairwoman Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., at a Technology Policy Institute event Wednesday. Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen hopes the FTC will look more at data use instead of data collection, she said at the same event.

The House Commerce Committee will increase its focus on data security, cross-border data flows and the Internet Of Things in 2014, said Vice Chairwoman Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., at a Technology Policy Institute event Wednesday. Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen hopes the FTC will look more at data use instead of data collection, she said at the same event.

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.

The safe harbor agreement for transfer of European citizens’ personal data to the U.S. should be scrapped, said U.S. privacy and consumer advocates and EU lawmakers Wednesday. The U.S. Department of Commerce is “flying blind” on safe harbor, said Center for Digital Director Executive Director Jeffrey Chester in an interview. Commerce doesn’t look at the data protection practices of U.S. businesses in the U.S. or EU, so before it responds to European Commission recommendations for cleaning up safe harbor (bit.ly/IorNGe), it should order an in-depth FTC study on what U.S. businesses are doing and collecting, he said. That report will likely find that industry is using the program as a “smokescreen” to cover up European data, he said. Chester also said CDD is trying to encourage European consumer groups to file complaints with the FTC. He and other civil society groups took part in a Commerce Department International Trade Administration meeting, closed to the press, to discuss the recommendations.

The safe harbor agreement for transfer of European citizens’ personal data to the U.S. should be scrapped, said U.S. privacy and consumer advocates and EU lawmakers Wednesday. The U.S. Department of Commerce is “flying blind” on safe harbor, said Center for Digital Director Executive Director Jeffrey Chester in an interview. Commerce doesn’t look at the data protection practices of U.S. businesses in the U.S. or EU, so before it responds to European Commission recommendations for cleaning up safe harbor (bit.ly/IorNGe), it should order an in-depth FTC study on what U.S. businesses are doing and collecting, he said. That report will likely find that industry is using the program as a “smokescreen” to cover up European data, he said. Chester also said CDD is trying to encourage European consumer groups to file complaints with the FTC. He and other civil society groups took part in a Commerce Department International Trade Administration meeting, closed to the press, to discuss the recommendations.

CBP currently lacks the authority to impose civil penalties for trafficking in counterfeit goods, according to a lawsuit filed Jan. 15 at the Eastern New York U.S. District Court. Jindeli Jewelry is asking the court to stop CBP from assessing penalties under 19 USC 1526(f) until it issues regulations clarifying the calculation of the “manufacturer’s suggested retail price” the agency uses as a basis for penalties. According to Jindeli, CBP was required by a 1996 law to define how it calculates MSRP, but subsequent regulations never set out those criteria. Without specific instructions, CBP’s penalties for trafficking in counterfeit goods can be arbitrary and excessive, like the $139,350 penalty CBP assessed against Jindeli, it says.

Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Wendy Cutler will meet on Jan. 13 with South Korean Deputy Trade Minister Choi Kyong-lim to discuss potential South Korean accession to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, USTR said in its weekly schedule. The two officials also plan to raise aspects of U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS) yet to be implemented, USTR added.

The Court of International Trade denied challenges from both sides of a dispute over the 2009-10 antidumping duty administrative review on frozen warmwater shrimp from India (A-533-840). Indian companies Apex Exports and Falcon Marine Exports argued that refunds it received on prior AD duty payments should offset certain costs that had resulted in a higher AD duty rate for the companies. On the other hand, domestic petitioners said past AD duty payments should be deducted from U.S. prices for the purposes of the duty calculation. In a recently released opinion dated Dec. 31, the court rejected both arguments and sustained Commerce’s final results.

Top U.S. wireless carriers Verizon Wireless and AT&T told the FCC it should move forward with its original proposal to license the 600 MHz band and AWS-3 spectrum based on Economic Areas, rather than adopt the Competitive Carriers Association’s alternate proposal to license the spectrum based on Partial Economic Areas (PEAs). The PEAs, as proposed by CCA, would essentially be a subdivision of EAs and would be based on EA and Cellular Market Areas (CMA). The FCC had sought public input on the CCA proposal, which also has support from other rural carriers, and comments were posted online Thursday and Friday.

Capitol Hill reaction may be limited, despite criticism AT&T is facing from net neutrality advocates over the introduction Monday of the carrier’s “sponsored data” plan, said industry experts in interviews. Other national carriers are likely monitoring the criticism from advocacy groups and the Hill and may use that to determine when -- and if -- they will introduce similar plans, the experts said. Net neutrality advocates said the plan violates the spirit of net neutrality but question the extent to which the FCC’s Open Internet rules would apply (WID Jan 7 p1). House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., raised some concerns Monday about the AT&T plan, which she said in a statement “puts it in the business of picking winners and losers on the Internet, threatening the open Internet, competition and consumer choice."