A week after CBS and Fox talked about moving to a subscription model if retransmission-consent fees are threatened by a victory in court for online-TV service Aereo, some in the industry are divided over whether such a huge shift could really happen. “We're going to use all of our legal options to protect this business model that has sustained our industry,” said an NAB spokesman, echoing Fox Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey, who raised the specter of a move to subscription at the NAB Show last week (WID April 9 p5). Several industry observers said Carey’s comments were posturing aimed at influencing legislators or investors, because removing content from broadcast would be very disruptive to network affiliates.

The proposed pilot program under which Vonage would have access to numbering resources in a few trial markets could be in trouble after NARUC and consumer and public interest groups announced their opposition in a letter to the commission. The pilot program and an NPRM on number resources is set for a vote Thursday at the commission. It’s unclear whether the letter will cause commissioners to rethink the draft order, industry officials said Friday. Vonage is rebutting arguments made by the NARUC-led coalition.

A federal jury in Los Angeles awarded leather goods-maker Coach an $8 million judgment against a customs brokerage and its owner for violating trademark and customs laws. According to Coach, Celco Customs and its owner Shen Huei Feng “Celine” Wang acted as broker for importers that it knew were bringing in counterfeit handbags and wallets.

The House Communications Subcommittee approved a bill by a voice vote Thursday aimed at codifying the U.S. policy against “government control” of the Internet, during a brief vote that clocked in at less than 10 minutes. Democrats continued to raise their objections that the bill, as currently written, could be used to challenge the FCC’s net neutrality order, but agreed to offer no amendments in order to negotiate the bill during the full committee markup. Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., acknowledged that there “still appears to be a misunderstanding about what this legislation does and doesn’t do.” Walden said his staff are willing to speak with minority staffers “in good faith, between now and the full committee markup, to see if we can come to an agreement. Nothing will be off the table, nothing,” Walden said in his opening statement. “We should give this an opportunity to work.”

The House Communications Subcommittee approved a bill by a voice vote Thursday aimed at codifying the U.S. policy against “government control” of the Internet, during a brief vote that clocked in at less than 10 minutes. Democrats continued to raise their objections that the bill, as currently written, could be used to challenge the FCC’s net neutrality order, but agreed to offer no amendments in order to negotiate the bill during the full committee markup. Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., acknowledged that there “still appears to be a misunderstanding about what this legislation does and doesn’t do.” Walden said his staff are willing to speak with minority staffers “in good faith, between now and the full committee markup, to see if we can come to an agreement. Nothing will be off the table, nothing,” Walden said in his opening statement. “We should give this an opportunity to work.”

The White House said it’s not satisfied with a cybersecurity bill despite its adoption of some amendments aimed at addressing privacy concerns approved during markup by House Intelligence Committee members. The amendments “reflect a good faith-effort to incorporate some of the Administration’s important substantive concerns, but we do not believe these changes have addressed some outstanding fundamental priorities,” White House spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said Thursday via email. The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) (HR-624) passed the committee 18-2 during a closed markup session Wednesday afternoon. The bill, which passed the House last year but didn’t reach the Senate, is now expected to be considered by the full House next week, the committee said in a news release after the vote.

The White House said it’s not satisfied with a cybersecurity bill despite its adoption of some amendments aimed at addressing privacy concerns approved during markup by House Intelligence Committee members. The amendments “reflect a good faith-effort to incorporate some of the Administration’s important substantive concerns, but we do not believe these changes have addressed some outstanding fundamental priorities,” White House spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said Thursday via email. The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) (HR-624) passed the committee 18-2 during a closed markup session Wednesday afternoon. The bill, which passed the House last year but didn’t reach the Senate, is now expected to be considered by the full House next week, the committee said in a news release after the vote.

President Barack Obama’s $3.77 trillion budget for fiscal year 2014 proposes an auction of the 1675-1680 MHz band spectrum that LightSquared hoped to get from the government for its wholesale wireless broadband network. The budget alternately suggests assigning the spectrum and charging a fee. The budget mentions spectrum repeatedly. Another theme is increased spending on cybersecurity.

LAS VEGAS -- Chances are the FCC won’t have finished the media ownership review due in 2010 by fall, with the 2010 quadrennial review likely to outlast the tenure of departing Chairman Julius Genachowski, agreed panelists including Media Bureau Chief Bill Lake. “My guess is we'll still be working on it” in the fall, the fourth anniversary of a workshop that began the 2010 review, said Lake. With the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council study (CD Feb 27 p1) of the effect of cross-ownership on minority stations due to be complete in about four weeks, it’s still possible “the commission may be prepared to take a vote” then, Lake said Tuesday at NAB’s show.

The FTC and Department of Justice should encourage courts to “deter some of the [patent assertion entities'] worst practices,” Verizon Communications and USTelecom said in joint comments posted online Monday. The FTC and Justice had collected public comments through Friday in connection with a workshop they held in December to get industry input on the effects of PAEs and how the agencies could minimize the harms PAEs could cause.