The RIAA Wed. lifted the veil of secrecy on its plan to seek content protections at the FCC to thwart widespread piracy of music transmitted over the emerging in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio (DAB) services.

The General Accounting Office (GAO) has issued a report to Congressional requesters entitled, Aviation Security: Further Steps Needed to Strengthen the Security of Commercial Airport Perimeters and Access and Controls.

Senate Commerce Committee Chmn. McCain (R-Ariz.) and FCC Chmn. Powell sent a letter to major broadcasters, challenging them to increase election news coverage and public affairs programming. The letter was sent to NAB Pres. Eddie Fritts, Disney Pres. Robert Iger, Fox COO Peter Chernin, NBC Chmn. Bob Wright and Viacom Co-Pres. Leslie Moonves. The letter commends broadcasters who are doing an exemplary job of covering election news and challenges others to do more. Powell and McCain, co-author of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, announced their challenge at a Capitol Hill news conference.

Any FCC action that heeds the RIAA’s call for content protection on in-band on-channel (IBOC) radio would be unjustified and outside the Commission’s legal jurisdiction, CEA said in comments on the FCC’s notice of inquiry (NOI) on the copyright implications of digital radio.

Struggling videogame publisher Acclaim Entertainment said in an SEC filing Tues. that it had to file yet another fiscal report late -- this time its 10-K report for the fiscal year ended March 31. Acclaim said it needed “additional time to complete the disclosures associated with various events” in the period and said its auditors -- KPMG -- hasn’t completed an audit of its financial statements yet. The company declined comment Wed. on what might be holding up the auditors and exactly when it now expects to file the report.

Senate Commerce Committee Chmn. McCain (R-Ariz.) said Wed. he didn’t know if the Senate could complete action this year on Sen. Sununu’s (R-N.H.) VoIP bill, but he hoped at least to mark it up in committee “to give us the opportunity to amend and debate and improve Mr. Sununu’s bill.” Speaking at the committee’s first hearing on the bill, McCain said he’s aware there are “difficult issues” associated with VoIP technology, such as universal service, public safety and CALEA, but Sununu “has introduced a very important, comprehensive piece of legislation.” McCain said he thought VoIP was a “technological breakthrough that will fundamentally change and simplify the ability of Americans to communicate,” but “since it is a breakthrough technology, there’s going to be a lot of china broken.”

Any FCC action that heeds the RIAA’s call for content protection on in-band on-channel (IBOC) radio would be unjustified and outside the Commission’s legal jurisdiction, CEA said in comments on the FCC’s notice of inquiry (NOI) on the copyright implications of digital radio.

House Commerce Committee leaders on Tues. said they were eager to pass a bill to soften FCC fax regulations but questioned whether the Senate would follow suit. House Telecom Subcommittee Chmn. Upton (R-Mich.) said the “Junk Fax Prevention Act of 2004” could be introduced as early as today (Wed.) with strong bipartisan support and have Subcommittee and full Committee markups by the end of next week. The bill has been pushed for by businesses and associations, who say the FCC’s new fax rules would place heavy burdens on sending faxes to customers or members (CD May 26 p1).

In a move reportedly encouraged by the White House, the Bell companies have promised the FCC they will retain current UNE-P wholesale prices for several months. In letters sent to FCC Chmn. Powell, Verizon promised a 5-month period of price stability while the other 3 Bells said they would keep the current prices until the end of the year. Powell released the letters to the news media late Mon., saying the agency’s “top priority is to ensure that consumers don’t experience any disruption in services” as a result of the decision by the U.S. Appeals Court, D.C., to vacate the FCC’s UNE rules. The court’s ruling becomes effective today (Wed.).

BOSTON -- FCC Chmn. Powell Wed. opened a major international meeting here on ultra wideband with a plea for the group to move forward with an international agreement. In coming days, ITU’s Task Group 1/8 will try to hammer out a consensus on UWB in a rare meeting outside Geneva. Powell told delegates that while balancing interests presents major “challenges” for regulators “the promise of UWB technology is simply too great to do otherwise.”