Nominees for the FCC and FTC advanced a step in the Senate this week, but it remains unclear when the agencies will get new commissioners. The Senate Commerce Committee set its hearing on FCC nominee Mike O'Rielly and FTC nominee Terrell McSweeny for 2:30 p.m. Wednesday in 253 Russell. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., “is going to want to move all of them together,” Public Knowledge Senior Vice President Harold Feld told us, referring to the FCC nominees being paired and put forward with McSweeny. “That could conceivably happen at any time.” Observers were optimistic about how fast Congress might advance the FCC nominees while remaining cautious on the FTC nominee.

Concern raised by lawmakers during hearings on the Satellite Television Extension Localism Act indicate a change is coming to the retransmission consent model, said consumer groups and pay-TV groups Thursday during a teleconference by the American Television Alliance. They said they're encouraged by lawmakers’ remarks and a draft version of the Video Choice Act introduced this week by House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Anna Eshoo, D-Calif. There’s no need for Congress to change laws around retrans, NAB said during a separate teleconference.

Congress is likely to make progress on some privacy bills introduced after a summer of leaks about government surveillance programs, said staffers at the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) during a news briefing Thursday. One such “bill to watch” is the FISA Accountability and Privacy Protection Act, introduced by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., because it was “introduced by a committee chairman who has the power to move his bill,” said Greg Nojeim, director of CDT’s Project on Freedom, Security and Technology. Nojeim also said he was optimistic about bills to revise the Electronic Communications Privacy Act. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., “wants to do a comprehensive bill, and they're working on coming up with something,” he said.

Congress is likely to make progress on some privacy bills introduced after a summer of leaks about government surveillance programs, said staffers at the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) during a news briefing Thursday. One such “bill to watch” is the FISA Accountability and Privacy Protection Act, introduced by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., because it was “introduced by a committee chairman who has the power to move his bill,” said Greg Nojeim, director of CDT’s Project on Freedom, Security and Technology. Nojeim also said he was optimistic about bills to revise the Electronic Communications Privacy Act. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., “wants to do a comprehensive bill, and they're working on coming up with something,” he said.

Members of Congress questioned along partisan lines the security and privacy implications of the data exchange hub required under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Their questions in a Wednesday hearing of the House Homeland Security Cybersecurity Subcommittee continued after our deadline. Republican members said they are concerned the hub could open Americans to attacks on personally identifiable information like Social Security numbers and financial data, noting that the ACA exchanges are set to open Oct. 1. Democrats said the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had taken pains to develop a secure hub, pointing to a security authorization the data exchange hub got last week.

All three FCC commissioners told Congress the agency’s priorities range from spectrum auctions to the Internet Protocol transition to a forthcoming order to be circulated on rural call completion. They testified Wednesday before the Senate Appropriations Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee, in a hearing that ranged well beyond the FY 2014 budget slated for discussion.

Iowa stakeholders remained focused on Internet Protocol-based service regulation and lowering retail tariffs, they said at an Iowa Utilities Board workshop on reforming IUB regulatory procedures. The IUB received comments in July on how to reform the state’s telecom policy. Chairwoman Elizabeth Jacobs said the commission wants to draft two pieces of legislation: One cleaning up the language of the state’s regulatory code and the other dealing with issues that could be more difficult to resolve. “A lot of the statues are outdated and we need to get rid of the outdated statues to make progress,” said IUB board member Sheila Tipton.

The European Commission and Council should take more responsibility for tackling Internet gambling problems, the European Parliament said Tuesday. It overwhelmingly approved a non-binding resolution (http://bit.ly/1d2ai8p) responding to an EC action plan proposed in October (WID Oct 24/12 p3). Gambling trade associations generally applauded the resolution, with some caveats. The EC is expected to decide what to do about online gambling before its term ends next year, said European Gaming and Betting Association Secretary General Maarten Haijer.

Former FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell said he has never wavered in his belief he was right to vote “no” on a net neutrality order when it was before the commission in December 2010. With oral argument on the order scheduled for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit Monday, the American Enterprise Institute held a webinar late Thursday afternoon, following an earlier discussion hosted by the New America Foundation. AEI panelists offered views that differed sharply from those at the NAF event (WID Sept 6 p4).

Former FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell said he has never wavered in his belief he was right to vote “no” on a net neutrality order when it was before the commission in December 2010. With oral argument on the order scheduled for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit Monday, the American Enterprise Institute held a webinar late Thursday afternoon, following an earlier discussion hosted by the New America Foundation. AEI panelists offered views that differed sharply from those at the NAF event (CD Sept 6 p3).