The FCC asked how it should interpret the terms “multichannel video programming distributor” and “channel” in the context of a program access dispute brought by Sky Angel against Discovery Communications. In a public notice released Friday (http://xrl.us/bmzw8r), the Media Bureau asked what would be the most appropriate interpretation of the terms and the larger policy implications. The notice puts up for comment two possible interpretations raised in the proceeding. In one, “channel” would be defined to include “the provision of a transmission path, thus treating MVPDs as only those entities that make available for purchase multiple streams of video programming, as well as the transmission path,” the notice said. In the other, “channel” would be defined as programming network, so that “any entity that makes multiple “video programming networks’ available for purchase is considered an ‘MVPD,'” whether or not it also provides the transmission path.

The FCC asked how it should interpret the terms “multichannel video programming distributor” and “channel” in the context of a program access dispute brought by Sky Angel against Discovery Communications. In a public notice released Friday (http://xrl.us/bmzw8r), the Media Bureau asked what would be the most appropriate interpretation of the terms and the larger policy implications. The notice puts up for comment two possible interpretations raised in the proceeding. In one, “channel” would be defined to include “the provision of a transmission path, thus treating MVPDs as only those entities that make available for purchase multiple streams of video programming, as well as the transmission path,” the notice said. In the other, “channel” would be defined as programming network, so that “any entity that makes multiple “video programming networks’ available for purchase is considered an ‘MVPD,'” whether or not it also provides the transmission path.

NTIA’s 1755-1850 MHz report could be bad news for Verizon, SpectrumCo and Cox and their proposed spectrum deal. The long timetables and huge price tags baked into Tuesday’s report mean more pressure on the FCC as it reviews whether to approve the sale of AWS licenses from the cable operators to Verizon, commission officials said.

"There is more work to do” in online behavioral advertising despite headway by industry, FTC Commissioner Julie Brill said at the Association of National Advertisers conference in Washington. Brill also urged enhanced transparency of data brokers and raised concerns about ICANN’s plan to increase the number of generic top-level domains (gTLDs). The commission issued a long-awaited privacy report earlier this week (WID March 27 p1).

That video streamed to Xbox 360s through Comcast’s soon-to-launch Xfinity VOD app won’t count toward its broadband subscribers’ data usage raise net neutrality concerns, Public Knowledge said. Comcast said in FAQ about the forthcoming service that the video is streamed to the Xbox over its private IP network, not the public Internet, and therefore isn’t subject to bandwidth caps (http://xrl.us/bmzh6n). “This type of arrangement is exactly the type of situation the Federal Communication Commission’s rules on the Open Internet were designed to prevent,” Public Knowledge CEO Gigi Sohn said. “This is nothing less than a wake-up call to the Commission to show it is serious about protecting the Open Internet,” she said. “It also shows, once again, that the Commission should take the first steps toward understanding data caps.” Comcast said its policies for the Xbox 360 fully comply with the commission’s open Internet rules and the company’s own commitments to an open Internet. “Any XfinityTV service that travels over the public internet, including XfinityTV.com and our Xfinity TV app on mobile devices, counts toward our data usage threshold,” a spokeswoman said. On the other hand, the Xbox 360 service is delivered in a way that’s similar to typical VOD delivery, she said. “Your Xbox essentially acts as an additional cable box for your existing cable services ... as a result, our data caps do not apply.” Comcast may be right that the practice doesn’t violate FCC rules, Free Press Policy Director Matt Wood said. “Unfortunately, such anti-competitive tricks may be allowed by loopholes in the FCC’s Open Internet rules, proving once again that the FCC failed to deliver on the promise of real Net Neutrality.”

That video streamed to Xbox 360s through Comcast’s soon-to-launch Xfinity VOD app won’t count toward its broadband subscribers’ data usage raise net neutrality concerns, Public Knowledge said. Comcast said in FAQ about the forthcoming service that the video is streamed to the Xbox over its private IP network, not the public Internet, and therefore isn’t subject to bandwidth caps (http://xrl.us/bmzh6n). “This type of arrangement is exactly the type of situation the Federal Communication Commission’s rules on the Open Internet were designed to prevent,” Public Knowledge CEO Gigi Sohn said. “This is nothing less than a wake-up call to the Commission to show it is serious about protecting the Open Internet,” she said. “It also shows, once again, that the Commission should take the first steps toward understanding data caps.” Comcast said its policies for the Xbox 360 fully comply with the commission’s open Internet rules and the company’s own commitments to an open Internet. “Any XfinityTV service that travels over the public internet, including XfinityTV.com and our Xfinity TV app on mobile devices, counts toward our data usage threshold,” a spokeswoman said. On the other hand, the Xbox 360 service is delivered in a way that’s similar to typical VOD delivery, she said. “Your Xbox essentially acts as an additional cable box for your existing cable services ... as a result, our data caps do not apply.” Comcast may be right that the practice doesn’t violate FCC rules, Free Press Policy Director Matt Wood said. “Unfortunately, such anti-competitive tricks may be allowed by loopholes in the FCC’s Open Internet rules, proving once again that the FCC failed to deliver on the promise of real Net Neutrality."

That video streamed to Xbox 360s through Comcast’s soon-to-launch Xfinity VOD app won’t count toward its broadband subscribers’ data usage raise net neutrality concerns, Public Knowledge said. Comcast said in FAQ about the forthcoming service that the video is streamed to the Xbox over its private IP network, not the public Internet, and therefore isn’t subject to bandwidth caps (http://xrl.us/bmzh6n). “This type of arrangement is exactly the type of situation the Federal Communication Commission’s rules on the Open Internet were designed to prevent,” Public Knowledge CEO Gigi Sohn said. “This is nothing less than a wake-up call to the Commission to show it is serious about protecting the Open Internet,” she said. “It also shows, once again, that the Commission should take the first steps toward understanding data caps.” Comcast said its policies for the Xbox 360 fully comply with the commission’s open Internet rules and the company’s own commitments to an open Internet. “Any Xfinity TV service that travels over the public internet, including XfinityTV.com and our Xfinity TV app on mobile devices, counts toward our data usage threshold,” a spokeswoman said. On the other hand, the Xbox 360 service is delivered in a way that’s similar to typical VOD delivery, she said. “Your Xbox essentially acts as an additional cable box for your existing cable services ... as a result, our data caps do not apply.” Comcast may be right that the practice doesn’t violate FCC rules, Free Press Policy Director Matt Wood said. “Unfortunately, such anti-competitive tricks may be allowed by loopholes in the FCC’s Open Internet rules, proving once again that the FCC failed to deliver on the promise of real Net Neutrality."

Reps. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., and Lee Terry, R-Neb., outlined different visions for greater U.S. cybersecurity in separate interviews which were scheduled to be aired on C-SPAN’s The Communicators Saturday. Despite acknowledging the urgent need for better cybersecurity and privacy protections, the lawmakers differed over what they thought the government’s role should be in shoring up critical infrastructure sectors from cyberattacks.

In the March 21, 2012 issue of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bulletin (Vol. 46, No. 13), CBP published a notice that proposes to modify a ruling regarding whether a jewelry set with tumbled diamonds from Zambia is subject to the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS).

AT&T overcharged U.S. businesses millions of dollars by improperly handling and billing thousands of Internet Protocol relay calls made by Nigerian scammers, the Department of Justice alleged in a complaint filed Wednesday. The DOJ says AT&T violated the False Claims Act by seeking payment for IP relay calls made by international callers who sought to use the system for fraudulent purposes. The Telecommunications Relay Services Fund has reimbursed AT&T more than $16 million since December 2009, of which up to 95 percent of payments were made for non-compensable IP relay calls, the complaint said.