Reaction to NETmundial’s final outcome document (http://bit.ly/1nLhMBC) on the multistakeholder model got broad support from governments and skepticism from civil society and the business community, said participants and observers in last week’s conference (CD April 23 p19, April 24 p7) on Internet governance in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Some governments, including the U.S. delegation, applauded the language of the nonbinding multistakeholder document, which approved of NTIA’s transition of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions, among other objectives. Civil society stakeholders were especially critical of the document’s perceived influence on copyright and surveillance concerns from corporations and governments.
The Senate Judiciary Committee returns this week ready to consider the Patent Transparency and Improvements Act, after using the recess to further refine a compromise on S-1720 that stakeholders told us they're optimistic will pass the committee. Senate Judiciary had postponed a vote multiple times before recess, but said just before the break that it reached a broadly defined compromise on controversial aspects (CD April 11 p9). Senate Judiciary scheduled a markup of S-1720 as part of an executive business meeting at 10 a.m. Thursday in 226 Dirksen.
Congress needs to provide “an on-going commitment to policies that ensure wireless providers have access to a significant and predictable supply of spectrum,” CTIA told House lawmakers in comments on the House Communications Subcommittee white paper issued as part of its Communications Act update process. Comments, which were due Friday, weren’t immediately released but a committee spokesman told us comments will likely be posted on the House Commerce Committee website in the same manner responses to its first white paper were earlier this year. CTIA and some others made their comments available to us.
After initial concerns that Google Fiber’s rollout may exacerbate the digital divide, the company said it’s taking steps to include lower-income neighborhoods for service as it expands to up to 34 more cities. Illustrating the complexities of the issue, Google Fiber is still having problems getting lower-income people to subscribe, said the head of a Kansas City, Mo., organization working to narrow the divide. Government, public interest and private-sector players trying to close the divide between those with broadband and those who can’t afford it have said it’s a complicated issue that will take more work to fix (CD July 9 p2).
The FCC should consider modernizing labeling requirements for devices that have to be certified by the agency and adopting more widespread e-labeling for Part 15 wireless devices, Commissioner Mike O'Rielly said in a Friday blog post. The Telecommunications Industry Association asked the FCC to allow voluntary e-labels, in a 2012 petition for rulemaking. CEA also has supported the move. The agency allows e-labeling a few device categories, including software-defined radios.
Microsoft completed its buy of the Nokia Devices and Services business, Microsoft said Friday. That was about four months later than the economics of the deal that Microsoft outlined in September had assumed (CD Sept 4 p5), said Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood on an earnings call Thursday, citing the complexity of the purchase valued at more than $7 billion.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting board unanimously approved a resolution urging the FCC to ensure that the broadcast spectrum incentive auctions won’t inadvertently create TV channels that aren’t available to communities served by public broadcasting stations, which it called white spaces. Board members adopted the resolution Thursday during a CPB Broadcast Spectrum Committee meeting, as it prepared for the expected release of the auction rules at the May 15 FCC monthly meeting, said CPB President Patricia Harrison. The resolution “puts formal parameters around our concerns,” she said.
Relaxing open meeting rules to allow FCC commissioners to meet in larger groups would lead to less contention and quicker decision-making for the agency, said a panel of former FCC commissioners at a Quello Center Communication Policy Forum event Thursday. Former FCC Chairman Richard Wiley moderated the panel of former Commissioners Rachelle Chong, Michael Copps, Susan Ness, Henry Rivera and Deborah Tate, who discussed issues ranging from net neutrality to media ownership. All agreed that increasing dialogue between commissioners could facilitate commission business.
Net neutrality was thrust into the national spotlight Wednesday, as major media outlets reported the FCC’s circulating proposal would permit pay-for-priority arrangements on the Internet. The potential of such a “fast lane” option alarmed consumer advocates, who claim FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is doing an about-face on the promise of what the net neutrality rules were put in place to prevent. Some former commissioners and staffers question whether the agency will be able to handle a net neutrality item in addition to the two auction items already scheduled for the May meeting.
After three-plus years, featuring shuffled leadership, numerous defections and a significant change in tactics, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)-backed Do Not Track (DNT) working group moved its first document -- a tracking preference expression (TPE) -- to last call (http://bit.ly/1pu1At4). But the document, now open to a public comment period until June 18, has detractors. Two third-party advertising representatives objected to moving the TPE document to last call, arguing it lacked a way to validate a DNT signal, favored large companies and did little to enhance privacy. The group’s co-chairs determined the objections had either been previously addressed or were process-related and not part of the move to last call.