On August 6, 2009, Senate Finance Committee leaders Baucus (D) and Grassley (R) introduced the "Customs Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Reauthorization Act of 2009" (S.1631).

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has posted its report to Congress on CPSC plans to implement a publicly accessible, searchable database of consumer product incident reports, as required by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA). The database is currently being referred to as "SaferProducts.gov."

Blog entries made as part of the FCC’s new Blogband will be given the same weight as more-formal filings made at the commission, as the agency develops a National Broadband Plan, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said Thursday in an appearance before the commission’s Consumer Advisory Committee. The committee spent much of its day-long session discussing the advice it will provide the commission on the plan, due to be submitted to Congress in February, and hearing from numerous FCC officials.

Cable executives urged FCC Media Bureau officials to approve MPAA’s request for a waiver of the FCC’s selectable output control (SOC) rules, an ex parte filed with the agency shows. Executives from NCTA and Time Warner Cable told Bureau Chief Bill Lake about “potential plans” for cable operators to offer HD movies to customers before DVDs are released if the waiver is granted. “The movies which would be provided using SOC would not have otherwise been provided in such an early viewing window due to content provider security concerns,” the ex parte notice said. Opponents of the waiver also visited with Lake and other bureau staff last week. Public Knowledge raised concerns that granting MPAA’s waiver request would “continue a general pattern of undermining the purpose of [S]ection 629 [of the Communications Act] by granting exceptions that swallow the rule of interoperability,” an ex parte notice filed by Public Knowledge said.

Cable executives urged FCC Media Bureau officials to approve MPAA’s request for a waiver of the FCC’s selectable output control (SOC) rules, an ex parte filed with the agency shows. Executives from NCTA and Time Warner Cable told Bureau Chief Bill Lake about “potential plans” for cable operators to offer HD movies to customers before DVDs are released if the waiver is granted. “The movies which would be provided using SOC would not have otherwise been provided in such an early viewing window due to content provider security concerns,” the ex parte notice said. Opponents of the waiver also visited with Lake and other bureau staff last week. Public Knowledge raised concerns that granting MPAA’s waiver request would “continue a general pattern of undermining the purpose of [S]ection 629 [of the Communications Act] by granting exceptions that swallow the rule of interoperability,” an ex parte notice filed by Public Knowledge said.

Several music and consumer groups asked the FCC to investigate a complaint by an industry group that radio stations declined to air ads supporting the Performance Rights Act (PRA), which broadcasters allegedly used the airwaves to oppose. The comments came Tuesday on a June petition for declaratory ruling by MusicFirst, on which the commission seeks comment (CD Aug 11 p7). The American Federation of Musicians, American Association of Independent Music, Free Press, Music Industry Lawyers Group, National Consumers League and Parents Television Council were among those seeking an FCC probe.

Several music and consumer groups asked the FCC to investigate a complaint by an industry group that radio stations declined to air ads supporting the Performance Rights Act (PRA), which broadcasters allegedly used the airwaves to oppose. The comments came Tuesday on a June petition for declaratory ruling by MusicFirst, on which the commission seeks comment (WID Aug 11 p6). The American Federation of Musicians, American Association of Independent Music, Free Press, Music Industry Lawyers Group, National Consumers League and Parents Television Council were among those seeking an FCC probe. The Aug. 7 public notice seeking feedback on the MusicFirst petition “is repugnant to the public interest,” because the FCC is “taking sides with respect to a change in Federal law against an industry which it regulates,” said a filing by Appalachian Broadcasting, Georgia-Carolina Radiocasting, Sutton Radiocasting and others. MusicFirst’s petition would have the commission “sail into uncharted (and wholly unconstitutional) waters -- turning broadcast stations into common carriers,” NAB said. When WTOP(FM) Washington told MusicFirst it would air its ads for the same price as NAB spots opposing the Act, the offer was turned down, NAB said. “What is at issue is the extent … to which broadcasters may exert their considerable control of the airwaves to take coordinated anticompetitive action to punish their political opponents and to limit the public’s access to information on an issue of national importance,” said Free Press. Though the Music Industry Lawyers Group respects broadcasters’ First Amendment rights, their “intimidation is designed to suppress speech that is not even being made on their radio stations.” That’s because musicians are “targeted” for their advocacy at public meetings and in Congress, said the group of about a dozen attorneys. The American Association of Independent Music, “greatly concerned” by broadcasters’ actions as described by MusicFirst, said the radio industry has raised “serious questions about their commitment to their public interest obligations.” MusicFirst didn’t file comments but will make a reply, said a spokesman.

Carriers almost universally opposed in comments late Tuesday a Telcordia petition criticizing the ability of North American Portability Management and Neustar to administer the Number Portability Administration Center database. The FCC asked whether it should adopt competitive bidding for local number portability administration and end the North American Portability Management’s role in handling contracts for number portability administration. Only Comcast voiced concerns about NAPM, urging the commission to open a rulemaking to make LNP administration “more competitive, transparent, and representative of the current industry landscape.”

TechNet, the Silicon Valley-centered group of high tech CEOs and other senior executives, hasn’t itself had a permanent CEO for four months, and the organization is making no promises that it won’t take about that long again before one is hired. The new chief must deal with significant pressures bearing down on all of the alphabet soup of high- tech policy organizations, said executives involved in the industry’s lobbying.

TechNet, the Silicon Valley-centered group of high tech CEOs and other senior executives, hasn’t itself had a permanent CEO for four months, and the organization is making no promises that it won’t take about that long again before one is hired. The new chief must deal with significant pressures bearing down on all of the alphabet soup of high- tech policy organizations, said executives involved in the industry’s lobbying.