The Department of Homeland Security’s National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) is generally performing the 11 cybersecurity functions required under the 2014 National Cybersecurity Protection Act (NCPA) but must fully establish metrics and a method for evaluating its performance, GAO reported Wednesday. NCCIC is charged under NCPA and the 2015 Cybersecurity Act with acting as the main federal civilian portal for cybersecurity-related information sharing and manages a range of programs related to monitoring and mitigating for cybersecurity vulnerabilities (see 1412100052 and 1512160068). NCCIC hasn't “determined the applicability” of NCPA-required implementation principles to all of its required cybersecurity functions nor “established metrics and methods by which to evaluate its performance against the principles,” GAO said. “Until NCCIC determines the applicability of the principles to its functions and develops metrics and methods to evaluate its performance against the principles, the center cannot ensure that it is effectively meeting its statutory requirements.” GAO also said a range of factors is impeding NCCIC from “efficiently” performing its role, including an inability to “completely track and consolidate cyber incidents reported to the center.” NCCIC doesn’t have “ready access” to the contact information for all owners and operators of cyber-dependent critical infrastructure entities, GAO said. DHS agreed to GAO recommendations.

The Wireless ISP Association objected to the broadband subsidy bidding proposals of a rural electric/telco coalition (see 1701230060) and New Shoreham, Rhode Island. WISPA said the proposed Connect America Fund Phase II bid-weighting tiers are at odds with the "cost-effective, technology-neutral" approach it advanced. It said the rural coalition's plan "contravenes" the view of now-Chairman Ajit Pai, who said in a May statement the aim was "to maximize the broadband bang we get for our universal service buck by establishing a flexible weighting system that should incentivize carriers to deploy faster service to rural America at the lowest possible price to the taxpayer." The rural coalition plan has two basic flaws, said a WISPA filing Wednesday in docket 10-90: It would prioritize a gigabit performance tier, and it based biding weights on reserve prices, not on the percentage of the bid, "which further exacerbates the one-sided nature of its thinly-veiled fiber-biased approach." "The Rural Coalition also inappropriately seeks to re-litigate application requirements and eligibility criteria that the Commission adopted ... for which reconsideration has not been sought," WISPA wrote. "New Shoreham’s ex parte letter suggests how the Commission can allocate CAF II support to those states where price cap carriers declined the model-based offer, an approach with which WISPA disagrees." An American Cable Association filing Tuesday proposed bid weights that would give a 60 percent discount -- the biggest in the reverse auction -- to the "Above Baseline" speed tier (more than 100/20 Mbps), and a 15 percent discount to the gigabit tier (more than 1 Gbps/500 Mbps). "ACA’s methodology reflects the fact that, based on market data and industry trends, the Minimum and Baseline tiers either do not or will not meet consumer needs, most urban consumers will be subscribing to the Above-Baseline tier in the next five years, and the Gigabit tier provides additional 'future-proof' value over a 10 year period," it wrote.

Neustar asked the FCC to approve the company's planned sale to Aerial Investors, a company formed by Golden Gate Private Equity. The privatization should be approved "because the nature of Neustar’s business and its day-to-day management will not change, and Neustar will remain impartial and neutral after the change to new ownership," said a filing Wednesday in docket 92-237, noting the company is administrator of the North American numbering plan, local number portability (LNP), pooling and telecom relay service numbering. "To ensure that Neustar remains impartial and neutral, its new ownership has agreed to implement the Neutrality Plan ... pursuant to which the entire ownership interest in Neustar will be placed in a voting trust controlled by Golden Gate Capital, which is unaffiliated with any U.S. telecommunications service provider, interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol provider, or internet-based TRS provider." The sale, which already received antitrust clearance and could be reviewed by the executive branch's "Team Telecom," isn't expected to slow the LNP administrator transition to iconectiv (see 1612140062). Meanwhile, North American Portability Management filed its latest monthly status report on the LNP administrator transition in docket 09-109. NAPM said it, PwC and iconectiv had executed a draft four-way nondisclosure agreement provided by Neustar that will facilitate transition meetings (see 1701180049). Neustar asked the FCC to reverse a bureau letter siding with NAPM in a dispute over those terms (see 1701190030).

The Telecommunications Industry Association, which has undergone major management changes since 2014, Wednesday announced the hiring of four industry veterans to senior positions. Cinnamon Rogers, formerly of Time Warner and Time Warner Cable, Discovery Communications and NCTA, is the new senior vice president-government affairs. James Reid had been doing that job, after he was hired in 2015 from Capitol Hill, where he worked for ex-Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va. Reid left Tuesday, a TIA spokeswoman told us Wednesday. Another TIA senior vice president also hired around the same time as Reid, Patty Higginbotham, also left this week, the spokeswoman said. Higginbotham had been general counsel. In other personnel news at the group, Brenda Boehm, who has worked for a long list of companies, including Nokia, Alcatel-Lucent and Cisco, is now chief strategy officer, TIA said in a news release. Susan Medick, who spent two decades as the top financial executive at the Auto Care Association, is now chief financial officer. Susan Schramm, formerly at Viavi Solutions, was named chief marketing officer and senior vice president-membership. In October 2014, TIA got a new CEO, Scott Belcher, the former CEO of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (see 1410090071). Former TIA President Grant Seiffert subsequently left the association. Belcher also left at the end of 2016, replaced by interim CEO David Heard, TIA chairman. TIA is searching for a new permanent CEO (see 1611140021). “These four new executives bring proven leadership, diverse experience and fresh ideas to the TIA management team,” Heard said. “They have been in the trenches delivering results for business and government, and they understand how TIA can help drive revenue opportunities and get things done for our members.”

AT&T is testing smart lighting in Atlanta with Georgia Power and General Electric’s Current, the company said in a Tuesday news release. The city and power company will pilot Current’s IoT sensor platform for cities and install 1,000 wirelessly controlled LED lights. The companies plan to test the smart lighting in five areas of Atlanta, including the North Avenue Corridor where AT&T is testing other smart city technologies, the Buckhead Loop, a major business, retail and entertainment area, and near Atlanta’s football stadium. Meanwhile, AT&T is talking to power companies and others about trials of a broadband-over-power-lines (BPL) technology called Project AirGig, the carrier said in a news release Tuesday. AT&T plans trials in at least two locations by this fall of the technology that combines BPL and millimeter wave wireless, the carrier said. “One location will be in the United States with others to be determined in the coming months.”

Former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler criticized proposals to close the set-top box proceeding in a tweet Tuesday that referred to set-top fees as a “Pai Tax.” “Removing set-top box rule victory for Cablewood over consumers,” Wheeler tweeted. “$200 million Pai Tax on helpless cable subs. Trump helping little guy??” Pai said Tuesday staff were reviewing the set-top proceeding, among other items pending from the Wheeler administration. Pai last week removed the set-top box draft among other controversial orders from circulation (see 1701280001). The FCC didn't comment Tuesday.

NARUC and 12 states said an FCC Lifeline order improperly bypassed state authority to designate USF-eligible telecom carriers (ETCs) under the federal Communications Act. NARUC said the commission's Lifeline broadband provider designation process order "displays a purposeful disregard of the Congressional scheme and lack of reasoned decision making" and deserved no judicial deference under the Chevron precedent. "Congress specified that State commissions, in the first instance, designate all ETCs," said the state regulators' association brief (in Pacer) Monday to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in NARUC v. FCC, No. 16-1170. The order "claims to 'preempt' that §214(e)(2) State procedure based on the facially illogical claim that this Congressional mandate 'thwart[s] federal universal service goals.' Instead, the Order permits only the FCC to designate a new category of the federal Lifeline carriers -- Lifeline broadband internet access service providers," a process that also "undermines State universal service programs, service quality to the end-user, and increases the chances for ETC fraud and abuse," NARUC said. It asked the court to vacate the designation process and other aspects of the order, including FCC decisions giving federal ETCs the initial say over low-income consumer access to state Lifeline subsidies and using forbearance authority to eliminate state service mandates. Twelve states led by Wisconsin's attorney general filed another brief (in Pacer) saying the order "attempted to amend federal law by regulatory fiat to increase its own authority, while taking away the States' statutory rights." Joining were officials from Arkansas, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, Utah and Vermont. An intervenor brief from the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates is due Monday. The FCC brief is due March 16.

A White House spokeswoman confirmed that President Donald Trump’s executive order limiting federal regulations isn't intended to apply to the FCC, as expected (see 1701300064). Critics piled on to the order, which would require two regulations be abolished for every one issued and was signed Monday. “Creating an arbitrary one-in-two-out rule utterly disregards the substance and purpose for existing regulatory protections and the benefits they can provide to consumers,” said Consumer Federation of America General Counsel Rachel Weintraub. SumOfUs Campaign Manager Nicole Carty said the order shows the White House’s “true agenda” is “to cater to the interests of big business and the nation’s wealthiest at the expense of public safety, equal protection under the law, and an economy that works for all Americans.” Issue One Chief-Policy Meredith McGehee issued a statement saying: “This whiplash-inducing action comes less than 48-hours after the president signed an ethics executive order Saturday to prevent his top administration officials from lobbying the administration once they have left.” Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., joined other Capitol Hill Republican fans of the order. It’s “a refreshing and long-overdue change from the big government status quo in Washington,” Paul said.

Chairman Ajit Pai assured WTA that rural broadband deployment is a top FCC priority. Pai responded to a tweet by the former Western Telecommunications Alliance. “Looking forward to working with #Congress, @WhiteHouse and @AjitPaiFCC to further deploy broadband in rural America,” the group tweeted. “Likewise, @WTAdvocates!” Pai tweeted. “Rural broadband is a top priority for me; I look forward to working with you to address it.”

The FCC should update its dated equal employment opportunity rules to allow jobs posted on the internet to be considered “widely disseminated,” said a host of broadcast commenters in docket 16-410 in time for Monday’s comment deadline. “Requiring broadcasters to continue to promote jobs through outdated mediums such as classified ads is an unnecessary burden, and one which should be revisited in the digital age,” said Sinclair. “Punishing broadcasters for focusing their recruitment efforts online in lieu of less popular methods is counter-productive.” So many sources for job postings have moved online that it’s now difficult to comply with rules that require job postings be widely disseminated outside the Internet, Nexstar said. “Newspaper employment ads often produce no responses and are far more costly than available internet sources,” said the University of Northwestern-St. Paul. The current rule perpetuates a “false dichotomy” between online-only sources and the online presence of brick and mortar businesses, Raycom and Meredith said. The Multicultural Media, Internet & Telecom Council agreed that the rules should be updated but added some caveats. The FCC needs to make sure the job notices are widely available and don’t use too much insider jargon, said MMTC. ”The online postings must use common natural search terms like ‘broadcast jobs’, so they will not be hidden in the all-too-common online ‘echo chambers’ that now separate us from one another online.” The agency also should take steps to make sure job postings stay open for a sufficient amount of time, and continue to encourage broadcaster relationships with “resources that are likely to include diverse candidates,” said the group.