AT&T was a key focus of congressional debate on the IP transition Wednesday. The House Communications Subcommittee, at a hearing on the evolution of wired communications networks, pressed AT&T’s Jim Cicconi, senior executive vice president-external and legislative affairs, on the nature of IP-enabled services and the FCC’s urgency in conducting trials. Written testimony from the hearing’s witnesses showed friction on how some IP transition principles should be executed and how to handle such controversial topics as all-IP interconnection agreements (CD Oct 23 p6).

The Iowa Utilities Board did not make any significant changes in its staff report on telecommunications regulation, but it established a roadmap for the IUB going forward, Iowa Telecommunications Association President Dave Duncan told us Wednesday. The staff report (http://bit.ly/HfqPf0), attached to an order to end the IUB’s notice of inquiry, listed some statutory changes to clean up the legislation based on comments and a workshop in September (CD Sept 11 p16), said Duncan. “The IUB addressed some issues that were clearly outdated that needed to be cleaned up,” he said. The IUB played the next steps “close to the vest,” Bret Dublinske, Gonzalez Saggio attorney, told us. Dublinske acted on behalf of several interested parties including Sprint, tw telecom, Cox, Securus and CTIA. “It collectively raises the possibility for rulemakings and what will be teed up in the future, but a lot remains to be seen."

Comptel criticized a paper commissioned by the Internet Innovation Alliance that ILECs have been touting as evidence that the IP transition is well underway, with only 5 percent of American households relying solely on wireline services. Many of the paper’s claims (CD Oct 10 p8) weren’t supported by the underlying data, which was neither accurately portrayed nor analyzed, Comptel said in a statement Monday. The paper’s author, Georgetown Visiting Senior Policy Scholar Anna-Maria Kovacs, couldn’t be reached for comment. An IIA representative defended the paper’s findings.

The Internet of Things represents “another chapter” in the FTC’s work that it must approach “with a dose of regulatory humility,” said Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen Friday (http://1.usa.gov/1gRKSgF). “I am very inspired by the transformative potential of the Internet of Things but am also sensitive to the fact that the ability to collect large amounts of information and, in some cases, to act on that information also raises important consumer privacy and data security issues,” she said at the Chamber of Commerce. Ohlhausen conceded the FTC needs to consider the “best approach” for the agency to take with the IoT, which she defined as “sensors and other types of telemetry ... embedded in physical objects that are linked through wired and wireless networks using the same Internet Protocol that connects the Internet generally.” The IoT hits a number of rapidly evolving issues, she said: Data security, mobility privacy, data collection and net neutrality. Some of these areas are best handled through federal legislation, while others should be left to the free market, she said. The best way to ensure data security is through “a single standard” that “would let companies know what to do and consumers know what to expect when a breach occurs,” she said. “Federal data security and breach notification legislation would also be beneficial to industry and consumers.” Similarly, with mobile devices, “prudence suggests that such technologies should include some way to notify users and obtain their permission” to gather personal information, she said. The free market should self regulate net neutrality, Ohlhausen said. “We do not need another layer of regulations here,” she said. “Forcing network owners to treat all users essentially alike ... in the face of a dynamic and robust online environment would contradict my understanding of good government and could impede development of the Internet, including the Internet of Things. The free market should decide how to distribute network resources, just as in any other industry.” Ohlhausen invited Chamber employees to attend the FTC’s Nov. 19 workshop on the IoT (http://1.usa.gov/17SlHm4) to discuss the issues further.

The Internet of Things represents “another chapter” in the FTC’s work that it must approach “with a dose of regulatory humility,” said Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen Friday (http://1.usa.gov/1gRKSgF). “I am very inspired by the transformative potential of the Internet of Things but am also sensitive to the fact that the ability to collect large amounts of information and, in some cases, to act on that information also raises important consumer privacy and data security issues,” she said at the Chamber of Commerce. Ohlhausen conceded the FTC needs to consider the “best approach” for the agency to take with the IoT, which she defined as “sensors and other types of telemetry ... embedded in physical objects that are linked through wired and wireless networks using the same Internet Protocol that connects the Internet generally.” The IoT hits a number of rapidly evolving issues, she said: Data security, mobility privacy, data collection and net neutrality. Some of these areas are best handled through federal legislation, while others should be left to the free market, she said. The best way to ensure data security is through “a single standard” that “would let companies know what to do and consumers know what to expect when a breach occurs,” she said. “Federal data security and breach notification legislation would also be beneficial to industry and consumers.” Similarly, with mobile devices, “prudence suggests that such technologies should include some way to notify users and obtain their permission” to gather personal information, she said. The free market should self regulate net neutrality, Ohlhausen said. “We do not need another layer of regulations here,” she said. “Forcing network owners to treat all users essentially alike ... in the face of a dynamic and robust online environment would contradict my understanding of good government and could impede development of the Internet, including the Internet of Things. The free market should decide how to distribute network resources, just as in any other industry.” Ohlhausen invited Chamber employees to attend the FTC’s Nov. 19 workshop on the IoT (http://1.usa.gov/17SlHm4) to discuss the issues further.

The Senate advanced FCC Republican nominee Michael O'Rielly out of the Commerce Committee Wednesday evening. But a block prevented the Senate from approving O'Rielly and FCC chairman nominee Tom Wheeler by unanimous consent, as some observers predicted possible. After 16 days of a government shutdown, the Senate has now taken a recess for the next week. Congress has begun rescheduling postponed events, and surveillance review remains a key priority in coming weeks, privacy advocates told us.

The Senate advanced FCC Republican nominee Michael O'Rielly out of the Commerce Committee Wednesday evening. But a block prevented the Senate from approving O'Rielly and FCC chairman nominee Tom Wheeler by unanimous consent, as some observers predicted possible. After 16 days of a government shutdown, the Senate has now taken a recess for the next week. Congress has begun rescheduling postponed events, and surveillance review remains a key priority in coming weeks, privacy advocates told us.

A warrantless cellphone tracking case heard by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) last week could have repercussions for future legislation on privacy in the state, said privacy lawyers and stakeholders in interviews. The amicus briefs and oral argument raised questions on how the third-party doctrine has allowed government entities to get access to more personal information and how technologies have changed over the years. If the SJC ruled to restrict warrantless cellphone tracking, it would be the second state to interpret the Fourth Amendment to enhance privacy protections, said Jessie Rossman, ACLU Massachusetts staff attorney.

A warrantless cellphone tracking case heard by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) last week could have repercussions for future legislation on privacy in the state, said privacy lawyers and stakeholders in interviews. The amicus briefs and oral argument raised questions on how the third-party doctrine has allowed government entities to get access to more personal information and how technologies have changed over the years. If the SJC ruled to restrict warrantless cellphone tracking, it would be the second state to interpret the Fourth Amendment to enhance privacy protections, said Jessie Rossman, ACLU Massachusetts staff attorney.

As Columbus Day approaches, the Senate hasn’t approved the two FCC nominees. The government shutdown has hurt the ability of the FTC and others to carry out their responsibilities, said Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., in a report from the committee majority staff (http://1.usa.gov/1atWQYB). He released the report Friday in conjunction with a committee hearing on the economic effects of the shutdown, which mentioned the slowdowns at the FCC and FTC. Both agencies await Senate confirmation of pending nominees, a process delayed by the shutdown.