The proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement won’t restrict civil liberties, harass consumers or require what are called three-strikes systems for Internet infringement, the European Commission said Wednesday. It published the negotiating text from eighth round of talks, held in Wellington, New Zealand, April 12-16. The parties have been under intense pressure from civil liberties advocates and others to disclose details of the agreement which was shaped behind closed doors over two years. The public document seems to track closely text that had leaked, and it doesn’t relieve concerns over provisions on ISP liability and civil and criminal sanctions, several observers said.

Social media tools are a critical vehicle for connecting with constituents and in all aspects of political campaigns, elected officials said during a panel Tuesday at the Politics Online Conference in Washington. They use the tools to connect their constituents to one another, generate public forums and raise funds. “I don’t think that we would be as productive as we are were it not for Facebook and Twitter and Linked In because so many of our constituencies use it,” said Sandi Jackson, Chicago’s 7th Ward alderman: It “makes me more effective in my effort to be a great public servant."

Social media tools are a critical vehicle for connecting with constituents and in all aspects of political campaigns, elected officials said during a panel Tuesday at the Politics Online conference in Washington. They use the tools to connect their constituents to one another, generate public forums and raise funds. “I don’t think that we would be as productive as we are were it not for Facebook and Twitter and LinkedIn because so many of our constituencies use it,” said Sandi Jackson, Chicago’s 7th Ward alderman: It “makes me more effective in my effort to be a great public servant."

The FCC Future of Media report shouldn’t be narrowed because of First Amendment restrictions or the commission’s lack of jurisdiction over subjects involved, the head of the effort said. Steve Waldman told skeptical fellow members on a panel Friday organized by the Free State Foundation that he shares concern about free speech. “It’s enough of an issue that you'll be sensitive to it” in putting together the study, he said. Former Republican Commissioner Deborah Tate and ex-Media Bureau Chief Donna Gregg, who worked under Kevin Martin, expressed worries that the project is overstepping the FCC’s authority and may lead to regulation.

FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz can promise advertisers he won’t regulate behavioral targeting under expanded authority in a House-passed financial bill (CD March 19 p4). But that’s not the same as locking down the wide-ranging commission’s authority in law, former FTC staffers told a Progress & Freedom Foundation event on the Hill Friday. The commission’s most successful rulemakings, from the Do Not Call list to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), came from specific legislative authorizations and that’s a good pattern to retain, they said.

FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz can promise advertisers he won’t regulate behavioral targeting under expanded authority in a House-passed financial bill (WID March 19 p7). But that’s not the same as locking down the wide-ranging commission’s authority in law, former FTC staffers told a Progress & Freedom Foundation event on the Hill Friday. The commission’s most successful rulemakings, from the Do Not Call list to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), came from specific legislative authorizations and that’s a good pattern to retain, they said.

The American Public Communications Council said the FCC should act with care on a seemingly “innocuous” request by Virgin Mobile to be allowed to sign customers up for the federal Lifeline program online or through automated voice response, without talking to a sales representative for the prepaid mobile provider. The District of Columbia’s Public Service Commission expressed similar concerns about risks of Universal Service Fund fraud. Comments on the petition were due at the FCC last week.

Intelsat requested a two-week extension from the FCC International Bureau to the reply comment period in the Open-Market Reorganization for the Betterment of International Telecommunications (ORBIT) Act, which requires the agency to provide annual reports to the House and Senate Commerce and Foreign Relations committees on the effect of the privatization of Intelsat and Inmarsat. Intelsat filed the request Monday to push back the Wednesday deadline. Intelsat said it needs the extra time to respond to allegations of anticompetitive behavior and of other problems with the current fixed satellite services market from Artel, CapRock, Globecomm, and Spacenet (CD April 12 p6). “This very short time period for the filing of reply comments is likely due to the International Bureau’s experience with past ORBIT Act proceedings, in which almost no parties other than Intelsat and Inmarsat have filed comments,” the extension request said. Artel and Globecomm also filed a request for permission to file surreplies in response to Intelsat’s anticipated reply because the companies wouldn’t get a chance to follow up on Intelsat’s reply comments. Allowing the additional reply comments “would benefit the Commission by allowing other industry participants to scrutinize matters raised for the first time by Intelsat and provide the Commission with a full and complete record,” the request said. Because Intelsat is only filing reply comments, they can be “insulated from critical review by other industry participants,” said the request.

The Congressional Research Service regularly publishes comprehensive reports for Members of Congress on global issues affecting trade and finance. The following are highlights of a CRS report on the U.S. trade and investment relationship with Sub-Saharan Africa and the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

Legislation to reauthorize U.S. Customs and Border Protection is expected to be a priority for the Senate Finance Committees in summer 2010.