The FCC is expected at its June 9 meeting to act on petitions seeking reconsideration of the Commission’s Hearing Aid Compatibility (HAC) order, according to sources. It’s also expected to launch an NPRM seeking comment on how the FCC should change its competitive bidding rules to comply with the Commercial Spectrum Enhancement Act.

After emotional testimony from victims of VoIP- related 911 glitches, the FCC Thurs. ordered VoIP providers to give customers full E-911 service within 120 days. E-911, or enhanced 911, means a 911 caller’s location is transmitted and can be viewed by emergency dispatchers on a screen.

Intellectual property (IP) rights infringement litigation against China at international and multilateral levels could begin in as little as 6 months, depending on the outcome of U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) talks with industry and trading partners, a House Judiciary panel heard Tues. That prediction came after lawmakers pressed Victoria Espinel, acting asst. USTR for IP, for a time frame in which the U.S. would consider pursuing World Trade Organization (WTO) action against the Chinese govt. WTO cases can take 2 years to initiate, she said.

The FCC reopened public comment Fri. on 6 petitions seeking preemption of state telemarketing laws. The Commission wants information on new developments, including new petitions and several state bills that would apply to interstate telemarketing calls. At the same time, the FCC’s Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau asked for comments on 2 petitions that raise questions of FCC jurisdiction and preemption authority under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). In one of the new petitions, 33 organizations asked the FCC to rule that it has exclusive regulatory jurisdiction over interstate telemarketing calls, barring state regulation. The other, by a Cal. resident, asks the FCC to declare that the federal TCPA doesn’t preempt provisions of the Cal. Consumer Legal Remedies Act applying to interstate telephone calls. All comments will be due 30 days after the public notices (all in CG Doc. 02-278) appear in the Federal Register.

A trio of seasoned campaign regulatory lawyers dueled rhetorically Wed. over the impact of an April 4 Federal Election Commission (FEC) notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on Internet communications in campaigns, and ways to revise that NPRM. The debaters were spurred on by a crowd of online activists and campaign veterans, who prodded the panelists on many issues. The event was sponsored by the Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet (IPDI) at George Washington U. in D.C.

At the urging of 2 House Democrats, Corp. of Public Bcstg. Inspector Gen. Kenneth Konz said he'll investigate recent actions by CPB board Chmn. Kenneth Tomlinson the lawmakers said could violate federal law. Dingell (Mich.), ranking member of House Commerce Committee, and Obey (Wis.), ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, sought a probe into Tomlinson’s actions, including hiring a consultant to monitor “political content” on a PBS program, appointing of 2 ombudsmen and hiring a White House staffer to write guidelines for the ombudsmen.

With FCC broadcast flag rules invalidated by a sweeping decision of the U.S. Appeals Court, D.C. (WID May 9 p1), the unanswered question at our Mon. deadline was whether the debate would shift to Congress and affect a DTV transition bill to establish a hard deadline for return of the analog spectrum.

With FCC broadcast flag rules invalidated by a sweeping decision of the U.S. Appeals Court, D.C. (CD May 9 p1), the unanswered question at our Mon. deadline was whether the debate would shift to Congress and affect a DTV transition bill to establish a hard deadline for return of the analog spectrum.

A coalition of 30 consumer groups Mon. announced a lobbying campaign to push Congress to consider their “Bill of Rights” -- a set of principles they've endorsed in common. The groups hope to right the errors of the ‘96 Telecom Act, which they said narrows consumer choice while raising prices.

With FCC broadcast flag rules invalidated by a sweeping decision of the U.S. Appeals Court, D.C. (CED May 9 p1), the unanswered question at our Mon. deadline was whether the debate would shift to Congress and affect a DTV transition bill to establish a hard deadline for return of the analog spectrum.