LAS VEGAS -- The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) dominated the discussions during a congressional panel at CES Wednesday. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., a supporter of SOPA, clashed with several of her Republican colleagues. SOPA was a huge focus of the conference, given the strong opposition of CEA.
The FCC is close to adopting rules for TV shows to be captioned online. An Internet Protocol captioning order that circulated the last work day before Christmas is likely to be approved by commissioners by Thursday, and perhaps issued that day, too. This week some on the eighth floor and in the Media Bureau, which drafted the IP order, are grappling with whether to make changes after lobbying by the pay-TV and consumer electronics industries and advocates for those with problems hearing, according to commission and industry officials.
The FCC won’t require emergency alert service participants without broadband access to get and pass onto viewers and listeners EAS alerts in a new format that’s been developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. A commission order released Wednesday set rules for broadcast radio and TV, satellite radio and DBS, and cable and telco-TV equipment to be certified as complying with the new Common Alerting Protocol (CAP).
Native Americans became the first parties to oppose petitions to reconsider last fall’s universal service reforms, the record on docket 10-90 showed. The National Congress of American Indians and Navajo telecom regulators filed separate, but similarly worded, briefs to oppose RLEC’s request for exemption of some of the new rules’ guidelines for deploying broadband in tribal areas (CD Oct 28 p1).
As the use of mobile commerce becomes more widespread, ISPs, payment service companies, government agencies and other entities are increasing efforts to address challenges around privacy and security. Companies like MasterCard and Sprint Nextel have practices in place to protect consumer data and resolve customer disputes concerning mobile transactions. The FTC Division of Financial Practices is attempting to rev up its expertise in the mobile space to protect consumers.
The Mobile Marketing Association may clarify a recommendation to applications developers to get consent from users before partner businesses pull information about them from social-media sites, an industry attorney said Wednesday. The subject has come up in responses to proposed privacy guidelines that the association put out in October in response to activity in Congress and at the FTC, Ieuan Jolly of the Loeb & Loeb law firm said on a Law Seminars International teleconference. Many of the firm’s “interactive media clients” belong to the association, he told us.
The fight between the Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association (SBCA) and the city of Philadelphia at the FCC over a city ordinance restricting satellite antenna placement is bringing out some larger issues on the federal government’s role in municipality governance, said communications lawyers we spoke to. The SBCA, the longtime watchdog for violations of Over-the-Air Reception Devices (OTARD) rules, filed a complaint with the FCC last year that the city had violated those rules. The comment cycle on the proceeding finished recently and has included filings from several major cities and associations, plus DirecTV and Dish Network.
LAS VEGAS -- ViaSat will launch its Excede high-speed broadband service Monday, reigniting competition with Hughes Communications and DSL and cable providers. Excede, which will deliver 12/3 Mbps download/upload speeds, will be sold on two-year contracts with 7.5 ($49.99), 15 GB ($79.99) and 25 GB ($129.99) monthly data packages, company officials said. Extra 4 GB packages will likely eventually be available for customers that want to buy extra capacity, and those who are nearing their monthly limit will get email and cellphone alert notifications, said ViaSat’s WildBlue Chief Operating Office Stephanie Copeland. The contracts will include a satellite modem built around a Cavium’s Octeon multi-core 500-700 MHz processors as well as receiving dish and feed horn, company officials said. Installation will be $149.
OPASTCO and NTCA are considering a merger, the rural associations told their members. “Our dialogue began in the spirit of cooperation and collaboration to strengthen the rural telecommunications industry and give our memberships the best opportunities, tools and resources for the future,” OPASTCO and NTCA said in a joint email. “We have found consensus in several areas and will continue to work through issues and concerns."
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, doesn’t think he should have to ask congressional Commerce Committee chairmen to act as intermediaries in his ongoing standoff (CD Jan 6 p1) with FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski over access to documents related to the LightSquared proceeding, a Grassley spokeswoman said. Grassley, the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is blocking a vote on the pending nominations of Jessica Rosenworcel and Ajit Pai to seats on the FCC because Genachowski has refused to provide the documents. Genachowski has argued that the FCC historically has honored document requests only from the chairman of committees with jurisdiction over the commission, and he has cited supporting guidance in the Congressional Research Service’s non-binding Congressional Oversight Manual.