The FCC’s failure to deal with VoIP endangers the commission’s broader Universal Service Fund and intercarrier compensation regime reforms, said Windstream Vice President for Federal Government Affairs Eric Einhorn Monday. The commission’s rulemaking notice isn’t definitive about VoIP traffic, he said at the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners’ winter meeting, and without clarity nagging questions “could unravel the system before we even get to intercarrier compensation reform.” Einhorn was part of a panel on USF/intercarrier comp reform.
Efforts to repeal the FCC’s net neutrality order on Capitol Hill are unlikely to succeed, speakers said Monday at a meeting of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners’ telecom committee. Nullification of the commission’s net neutrality rules through the Congressional Review Act topped communications and technology priorities for Republicans on the House Commerce Committee (CD Jan 20 p1).
A forthcoming U.S.-wide check of the emergency alert system will help point out ways to make technical and operational improvements before switching to a new government standard for EAS, broadcast officials involved with such tests said in interviews Friday. Thursday afternoon, the FCC released an order (CD Feb 4 p10) requiring annual nationwide tests, which won’t immediately use the new standard, the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP). It was finalized late last year by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Not using CAP for the first test, which FCC officials have said could occur in late 2011, has benefits and drawbacks, state broadcast officials said.
Cable and telecom companies in Virginia back a state legislative proposal to cap pole attachment rates, while co-ops are pushing their own measures in the state legislature, officials told us. Meanwhile, the State Corporation Commission raised concern over the proposed 2011 Telecom Modernization bill. Legislation sponsored by Del. Bill Janis (R) would alter the current arrangement by making the State Corporation Commission the arbiter of disputes between co-ops and companies seeking to link to their poles. The bill would cap the rates that co-ops can charge at an amount not higher than what regulated utility companies charge for similar pole connections.
Another wireless bill to give the 700 MHz D-block to public safety is in the works, from Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, the Commerce Committee’s ranking member, a GOP committee staffer told us Friday. A White House endorsement late Thursday of D-block reallocation brought cheers from lawmakers with reallocation bills and silence from House Commerce Committee leaders who have supported a commercial auction.
Mike Florio and Catherine Sandoval appointed to California Public Utilities Commission … Nebraska Public Service Commissioner Anne Boyle nominated by NARUC to Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service, replacing former Commissioner Ray Baum, who’s moved to Capitol Hill staff job … Discovery Communications changes: Laurie Goldberg promoted to executive vice president-public relations, Discovery and TLC Networks; Elizabeth Hillman moves to senior vice president, international communications, new position … Lon Goldstein, ex-NCTA, named senior vice president-government relations, CIT Group … Fox Networks promotes Jamia Bigalow to senior vice president of affiliate marketing … Bravo Media promotes Jenn Levy to vice president of development and production … New Cable Center board members: Kimberly Edmunds, Cox; Peter Kalan, CSG Systems; Paul Liao, CableLabs; and Josh Sapan, Rainbow Media.
SAN FRANCISCO -- The vacuuming up of data from mobile devices raises grave problems far beyond the possession of location information by providers that users can’t help being aware of, said central players from government, business and privacy advocacy. “There’s no perfect solution,” because of the value to companies, consumers and the economy of exploiting the information and the complexity of companies in the system, said Jim Dempsey, the Center for Democracy & Technology’s public policy vice president. “There’s no single solution."
MENLO PARK, Calif. -- The tracking opt-out technologies that Google and Mozilla offered this week, together with Microsoft’s earlier promise of a do-not-track list, pose “an important test” for the online marketing industry, said a Center for Democracy & Technology executive. Advertisers and publishers “are being offered an opportunity here,” said Jim Dempsey, the center’s public-policy vice president.
Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Calif., is collecting names of people who don’t like the FCC’s net neutrality order. Mack’s campaign set up a petition on its website this week. “We reject the recent Internet regulations forced on the private sector by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and stand with Congresswoman Bono Mack in her fight against this type of government intrusion,” the petition said. Mack, chair of the House Commerce Manufacturing Subcommittee, pledged last week (CD Jan 24 p1) to “do everything possible to stop [the FCC’s] effort dead in its tracks.” The petition is at http://www.marybono.com/contact/petition/
Democratic Commissioners Michael Copps and Mignon Clyburn have no regrets about supporting a compromise net neutrality order last month, the commissioners told us after a Minority Media and Telecommunications Council panel Friday morning. Copps acknowledged that he was “worried” that Verizon would prevail in its appeal of last month’s order, “and I said so at the time,” but said “our case is stronger” than the one the FCC took to court that led to last year’s Comcast decision. Verizon announced it would challenge the net neutrality order in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (CD Jan 21 p1).