The 3rd draft of a telecom reform bill from Senate Commerce Committee Chmn. Stevens (R-Alaska) addresses net neutrality but doesn’t assuage critics’ fears that network operators like AT&T and Verizon will be able to discriminate against content providers like Google and Amazon.com, sources told us Sat. It goes further than Stevens’ previous draft, which simply required the FCC to conduct a study on the controversial topic. The new version of S-2686 is expected to become public Mon.
The Supreme Court this week asked the U.S. Solicitor General for advice on whether to hear a Minn. appeal of an 8th U.S. Appeals Court, St. Louis, decision overturning a state law making wireless carriers get customer approval before raising rates mid-contract. Wireless carriers led by Verizon Wireless oppose the appeal.
BRUSSELS -- The European Commission (EC) will propose giving itself ultimate control over competition remedies set by national telecom regulators, Information Society & Media Comr. Viviane Reding’s spokesman said Tues. The move, among changes to be urged for the EC’s new e-communications regulatory framework (NRF), has drawn fire from the European Regulators Group (ERG). ERG views it as a fundamental shift in EC power, ERG Chmn. Kip Meek said Tues. at a mobile regulation and competition conference here. But mobile operators said if regulators can’t get things right, the EC should be able to step in.
The proposed AT&T-BellSouth merger “threatens Internet freedom,” so the FCC should deny the transaction or at least place strict conditions on it, the Center for Digital Democracy (CDD) said in comments filed at the FCC Mon. If the FCC allows the transaction, the merged company should be required to follow the FCC’s net neutrality principles and forced to divest Cingular, CDD said.
Addition of Robert McDowell as a 3rd Republican member of the FCC likely will mean Chmn. Martin will move within months on key items on which he needs an extra vote but over which he has been unable or unwilling to negotiate with Democrats. The Senate confirmed McDowell Fri. by unanimous consent after a series of holds were lifted.
The FCC should defer action on applications for security transfers between CTC Communications, Choice One Communications and Conversent until the DoJ, DHS and FBI can complete their reviews of the companies’ records, DHS Asst. Secy.-Policy Stewart Baker wrote in a letter to the FCC. The reviews focus on the companies’ clearances under Sec. 214, a federal law dealing with surveillance. Baker also asked that the Commission remove the companies’ application from its streamlined processing track. The letter said the applicants have raised questions of law enforcement and public safety with the 3 agencies.
Germany’s Parliament votes June 2 on whether the govt. should contest EU legislation requiring storage of Internet and telecom traffic data, European Digital Rights (EDRi) reported. The draft resolution would ask the German govt. to fight a data retention measure that took effect May 3. The challenge to the directive would come in the European Court of Justice, and would seek to delay its adoption it into national law until the court rules, EDRi said. The proposal has backing from individual members in all parties, it said. But Axel Spies -- a Washington lawyer who represents the German Competitive Carriers Assn. (VATM) - said passage is far from assured.
The FCC won’t investigate whether phone companies violated consumer privacy by cooperating with the National Security Agency to give the agency access to phone records, Chmn. Martin said in a letter to Rep. Markey (D-Mass.). Markey, a senior House Democrat on telecom issues, had called for an investigation of whether phone companies violated Sec. 222 of the Communications Act, which requires carriers to protect the confidentiality of customer information (CD May 16 p1).
The FCC must rely on documentation -- not rhetoric -- in considering telco arguments to remove municipalities from video franchise oversight, Comr. Copps said. He told a news briefing he'll rely on “the record” in the review and wants a further study of media ownership, which he linked to network neutrality. The FCC should provide Congress “options papers,” Copps said: “I want this Commission to be as active as it can be… teeing up options, especially for our friends in Congress.”
Net neutrality proponents are starting their battle in the Senate with a bill (S-2917) endorsed by Senate Commerce Committee Co-Chmn. Inouye (D-Hawaii). The bill, introduced by Sens. Snowe (R-Me.) and Dorgan (D-N.D.), would bar broadband providers from blocking or degrading Internet content. The bill goes further than a provision in Chmn. Stevens’ (R-Alaska) bill calling for an FCC study on net neutrality.