Verizon Wireless, the SpectrumCo partners and Cox should have some idea about whether the Justice Department has major objections to the proposed sale of AWS licenses to Verizon in the late May or early June timeframe, industry and government officials said. Justice typically offers some guidance to companies involved in such transactions within about 30 days of when they provide all of the data requested by the department. Verizon and the cable companies have either completed or are about to wrap up data submissions on the spectrum parts of the transactions, officials said. The major parties are still submitting information on the other part of the transactions: marketing agreements between Verizon and the three cable operators.

Verizon’s recent class action settlement regarding unwanted third-party charges could provide a roadmap for FCC members as they consider adopting further “cramming” regulations very much like the ones Verizon agreed to in February, a rulemaking notice suggests. In a further notice of proposed rulemaking adopted Friday, the commission contemplated far greater restrictions than the disclosure requirements adopted in the order. An “opt-in” requirement would block all third-party charges unless customers give affirmative approval that they will accept such charges (http://xrl.us/bm5st6).

The FCC took what Chairman Julius Genachowski said was its first concrete step toward a voluntary incentive auction of broadcast spectrum, on Friday approving a framework for two or more TV stations to share a single six MHz channel. The order left a number of thorny issues to be addressed at a later date (CD April 16 p1). “This is our first action at the commission level to begin to implement the historic incentive auction law that was passed by Congress and signed by the president not very long ago,” Genachowski said. Incentive auctions offer “enormous opportunities” but are also “unprecedented and complex,” he said. “Many steps to follow.”

Reps. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., and Doris Matsui, D-Calif., introduced a bill Thursday to require the FCC to pair for commercial auction the 1755-1780 MHz band with the 2155-2180 MHz band. Stearns said the Efficient Use of Government Spectrum Act would bring more spectrum to the commercial market and raise $12 billion for the U.S. Treasury while offering the Defense Department protections for reallocation. Wireless groups hailed the bill, which they called an important step towards alleviating the spectrum crunch and bolstering the economy. The 1755 MHz band has long been a top target of carriers.

Reps. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., and Doris Matsui, D-Calif., introduced a bill Thursday to require the FCC to pair for commercial auction the 1755-1780 MHz band with the 2155-2180 MHz band. Stearns said the Efficient Use of Government Spectrum Act would bring more spectrum to the commercial market and raise $12 billion for the U.S. Treasury while offering the Defense Department protections for reallocation. Wireless groups hailed the bill, which they called an important step towards alleviating the spectrum crunch and bolstering the economy.

Every political group in the European Parliament looks set to reject the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, members of the house's International Trade (INTA) Committee said during a debate Wednesday in Brussels. "It's clear to me ACTA will be rejected by Parliament," said INTA Chairman Vital Moreira, of Portugal and the Socialists and Democrats (S&D). Lawmakers should make it a "dead letter," said David Martin, of the U.K. and S&D, who's writing the response for the lead committee vetting the pact. The European Commission continued to defend the treaty and to try to counter ongoing criticisms, but it will now probably have to decide what its next steps are if Parliament nixes ACTA.

Every political group in the European Parliament looks set to reject the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, members of the House’s International Trade (INTA) Committee said during a debate Wednesday in Brussels. “It’s clear to me ACTA will be rejected by Parliament,” said INTA Chairman Vital Moreira, of Portugal and the Socialists and Democrats (S&D). Lawmakers should make it a “dead letter,” said David Martin, of the U.K. and S&D, who’s writing the response for the lead committee vetting the pact. The European Commission continued to defend the treaty and to try to counter ongoing criticisms, but it will now probably have to decide what its next steps are if Parliament nixes ACTA.

Every political group in the European Parliament looks set to reject the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, members of the House’s International Trade (INTA) Committee said during a debate Wednesday in Brussels. “It’s clear to me ACTA will be rejected by Parliament,” said INTA Chairman Vital Moreira, of Portugal and the Socialists and Democrats (S&D). Lawmakers should make it a “dead letter,” said David Martin, of the U.K. and S&D, who’s writing the response for the lead committee vetting the pact. The European Commission continued to defend the treaty and to try to counter ongoing criticisms, but it will now probably have to decide what its next steps are if Parliament nixes ACTA.

GOP presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, called the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) set to be considered by the House this week “Big Brother writ large.” That’s as 18 Democratic lawmakers wrote the sponsors of the bill, asking them to “address real and serious privacy concerns voiced by Americans, privacy advocacy groups, and colleagues in Congress.” HR-3523 will put “the resources of the private industry to work for the nefarious purpose of spying on the American people,” Paul said (http://xrl.us/bm4xu3). Calling CISPA the “new SOPA,” the Stop Online Piracy Act that was derailed in the face of strong opposition, Paul said CISPA is the “latest assault” on Internet freedom, “an Internet monitoring bill that permits both the federal government and private companies to view your private online communications with no judicial oversight -- provided of course if they do so in the name ‘cybersecurity.'” He said people should call their lawmakers and “urge them to oppose CISPA and similar bills that attack Internet freedom.” Meanwhile, House Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and 17 of his party colleagues wrote House Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Mich., and Ranking Member Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md., saying the manager’s amendment that they were developing should address the “real and serious” privacy concerns raised by lawmakers, privacy groups and others. Saying the bill lacks “necessary safeguards,” they said the “broad and ambiguous language” of CISPA raises “serious concerns” about what information relating to Internet activity would be shared, who in the federal government, including the intelligence community, would have access to the information, and the “purpose and manner in which that information will be used.” Without specific limitations, the measure would, for the first time, provide non-civilian federal agencies such as the National Security Agency “unfettered access to information about Americans’ Internet activities and allow those agencies to use that information for virtually any purpose,” the 18 lawmakers said (http://xrl.us/bm4xvh). Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., separately said he'd offer an amendment to CISPA that would add privacy language minimizing the “collection of publicly identifiable information.” Information sharing procedures would have to be reviewed and approved by the U.S. attorney general. The language also would limit the purposes for which a federal agency could use cybersecurity information. However, three industry groups urged passage of CISPA and three other bills, saying “cybersecurity policy needs to be flexible and adaptable, given the difficulty of predicting the manner and means by which network providers will have to respond to cybersecurity threats.” The NCTA, CTIA and USTelecom in a joint letter to House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the government should rely on industry “best practices to establish appropriate cybersecurity measures rather than impose prescriptive rules.” The groups also urged passage of HR-3834, the Advancing America’s Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Act; HR-2096, the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act; and HR-4257, the Federal Information Security Amendments Act.

GOP presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, called the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) set to be considered by the House this week “Big Brother writ large.” That’s as 18 Democratic lawmakers wrote the sponsors of the bill, asking them to “address real and serious privacy concerns voiced by Americans, privacy advocacy groups, and colleagues in Congress.” HR-3523 will put “the resources of the private industry to work for the nefarious purpose of spying on the American people,” Paul said (http://xrl.us/bm4xu3). Calling CISPA the “new SOPA,” the Stop Online Piracy Act that was derailed in the face of strong opposition, Paul said CISPA is the “latest assault” on Internet freedom, “an Internet monitoring bill that permits both the federal government and private companies to view your private online communications with no judicial oversight -- provided of course if they do so in the name ‘cybersecurity.'” He said people should call their lawmakers and “urge them to oppose CISPA and similar bills that attack Internet freedom.” Meanwhile, House Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and 17 of his party colleagues wrote House Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Mich., and Ranking Member Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md., saying the manager’s amendment that they were developing should address the “real and serious” privacy concerns raised by lawmakers, privacy groups and others. Saying the bill lacks “necessary safeguards,” they said the “broad and ambiguous” language of CISPA raises “serious concerns” about what information relating to Internet activity would be shared, who in the federal government, including the intelligence community, would have access to the information, and the “purpose and manner in which that information will be used.” Without specific limitations, the measure would, for the first time, provide non-civilian federal agencies such as the National Security Agency “unfettered access to information about Americans’ Internet activities and allow those agencies to use that information for virtually any purpose,” the 18 lawmakers said (http://xrl.us/bm4xvh). Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., separately said he'd offer an amendment to CISPA that would add privacy language minimizing the “collection of publicly identifiable information.” Information sharing procedures would have to be reviewed and approved by the U.S. attorney general. The language also would limit the purposes for which a federal agency could use cybersecurity information. However, three industry groups urged passage of CISPA and three other bills, saying “cybersecurity policy needs to be flexible and adaptable, given the difficulty of predicting the manner and means by which network providers will have to respond to cybersecurity threats.” The NCTA, CTIA and USTelecom in a joint letter to House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the government should rely on industry “best practices to establish appropriate cybersecurity measures rather than impose prescriptive rules.” The groups also urged passage of HR-3834, the Advancing America’s Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Act; HR-2096, the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act; and HR-4257, the Federal Information Security Amendments Act.