The U.S. government needs to continue to push for expanded cybersecurity information sharing capabilities as a way to protect critical infrastructure sectors, federal officials said Tuesday during a Billington cybersecurity conference. Recent federal efforts have focused on expanding information sharing via legislation like the House-passed Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), but former federal officials and industry stakeholders expressed doubts that Congress can complete effective legislation during the 113th Congress. The Senate Intelligence Committee cleared its own CISPA equivalent, the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA), but industry officials have said they're increasingly pessimistic that the full Senate will vote on the bill this year (CD July 30 p6 ).

Hours of debate on net neutrality rules at two FCC workshops Tuesday quickly veered into the issue of paid prioritization, a subsidiary issue the commission has committed to examine as it develops broader rules. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler opened the workshops, saying he hoped they would “put a fine point” on the more than 3 million net neutrality comments filed.

Some major Communications Act Title II opponents highlighted proposals by AT&T and Comcast in replies filed before Monday night’s net neutrality comments deadline. Section 706 proponents were pushing the idea that the FCC could consider alternatives that don’t involve resorting to Title II.

Opposition to the Senate Commerce Committee’s Satellite Television Access and Viewer Rights Act (S-2799) cooled slightly ahead of a planned markup Wednesday. Senate Commerce Committee leaders further chopped down controversial parts of the legislation, in a new draft circulated among committee member offices Friday (CD Sept 15 p9). Broadcasters initially opposed the bill strongly, but the changes address some of their concerns. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., plans to offer what she’s calling the McCaskill Customer Service Amendment, collecting several of her concerns about the pay-TV industry, while Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., is eyeing broadcaster joint sales agreement with his own amendment, among several others expected.

A TV station that won a rare FCC OK to move cross-country after a court ordered it to (CD Dec 17/12 p4) now wants to be what agency and industry officials said in interviews Monday would be a technological first for broadcasting. PMCM’s KVNV Middletown, New Jersey, wants to operate on the same main program and system information protocol (PSIP) channel as Meredith Corp.’s longtime WFSB Hartford, while each would have different virtual PSIP subchannels. Meredith opposed KVNV, which used to be licensed to Ely, Nevada, having the same PSIP as WFSB when the New Jersey station begins broadcasting from the new location. So, PMCM came up with an alternative idea that has never been presented before in the memories of TV station lawyers we spoke to or FCC officials.

A channel sharing agreement between a public TV station and an independent TV station likely won’t inform decisions at other public TV stations on whether to participate in channel sharing or the broadcast incentive auction, public TV executives and attorneys said. The memorandum of understanding between Los Angeles stations KCET and KLCS was drafted after a channel sharing pilot with KLCS and KJLA there (CD Jan 29 p4). Stations would still need to assess their own situations to determine whether channel sharing is a viable option, the observers said.

The FCC should not impose net neutrality rules on mobile similar to those for fixed broadband, CTIA said in reply comments filed in docket 14-28 Monday at the FCC. Net neutrality rules and the likelihood that wireless will be subject to a tougher standard than in the 2010 rules was a key topic last week at CTIA and the Competitive Carriers Association meetings in Las Vegas (CD Sept 11 p1). CCA is not filing reply comments, a spokeswoman said.

DENVER -- Lutron advanced its diplomatic role in the Internet of Things with product and software announcements at CEDIA Expo last week. At a news conference Friday, CEO Michael Pessina outlined Lutron’s trajectory in the home control market -- from the company’s first CEDIA Expo 24 years ago, where it displayed on a tabletop a collection of mostly analog products tied together with wires -- to a software-driven company whose app was featured at the Apple Watch launch in Cupertino, California, three days earlier.

A petition that claimed the FCC incentive auction creates barriers for broadcasters to take advantage of channel-sharing agreements (CSAs) could potentially encourage additional guidance in proceedings following the initial order, broadcast attorneys said in interviews Friday. The changes addressed in the petition, filed that day by the Expanding Opportunities for Broadcasters Coalition (EOBC), can make the channel-sharing option more appealing to broadcasters, they said. CTIA backed the petition, which NAB said makes key points.

Recent shifts in the makeup of FirstNet’s board will likely improve its relations with state governments, while other changes within the authority in recent months have significantly improved prospects for success, said participants and observers in interviews last week. The Department of Commerce said earlier this month that it was appointing five new members to FirstNet’s board, and reappointing board member Ed Reynolds. The new members include ex-Vermont Republican Gov. Jim Douglas and Houston Mayor Annise Parker, a Democrat. Salt Lake City Chief of Police Chris Burbank, telecom executive Frank Plastina and Richard Stanek, sheriff of Hennepin County, Minnesota, are also new to the board (CD Sept 5 p13). The board set its first meeting with the new members for Tuesday and Wednesday (http://bit.ly/1uLMJca).