Mozilla faulted the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday for not including a broader discussion of cybersecurity issues during Attorney General nominee Jeff Sessions’ confirmation hearings. Sessions committed during a hearing Tuesday to follow the USA Freedom Act, which restricts NSA from the bulk collection of Americans' phone records, despite his voting against the bill in 2015 (see 1701090038). Surveillance continued to occasionally emerge as an issue during Sessions' hearing Wednesday (see 1701110069). Senate Judiciary almost exclusively mentioned cybersecurity in the context of government-sponsored cyberattacks like Russia’s hacking of IT systems associated with the Democratic National Committee and the campaign of former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, said Mozilla Chief Legal and Business Officer Denelle Dixon-Thayer in a blog post. “Discussion about robust cybersecurity for everyday Internet users -- through practices like strong encryption -- was largely absent,” she said. “It would have been helpful if the Senate asked Sessions to clarify his position, and even better if they asked him to clarify that privacy and security are important for all Americans and a healthy Internet.”
Transportation Secretary nominee Elaine Chao told Senate Commerce Committee members at her Wednesday confirmation hearing she would work with Congress to get the government positioned "as a catalyst ... not as an impediment" to safely and efficiently integrate drones, self-driving cars and other new technologies into the U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's pick to head the Department of Transportation faced friendly questioning from Democrats and Republicans about a wide range of transportation issues, with little focus on emerging technologies and she offered few specifics. Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., asked her how DOT under her leadership will keep pace with evolving technology. She said the benefits of technologies like artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles and drones are known, but "there are also concerns about how they will continue to develop and I will work with this committee and the Congress to address many of these concerns. But we need to do so in a way that will not dampen the basic creativity and innovation of our country." Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., asked whether Chao has specific ideas about how federal policy can keep up with technology while maintaining safety of self-driving vehicles. He said accidents "will have a tremendous public blowback" but innovation needs to be allowed to continue. Chao replied "it behooves all of us as a country, as a society, to bring greater familiarity and greater comfort for those who are passengers and other stakeholders who will be eventual users of this technology to understand the benefits, the limitations and also what it means going forward in the future. So it requires a national discussion." DOT has 57,000 full-time employees with an operating budget of $75 billion. Chao, whose husband is Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., held cabinet positions in the George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush administrations (see 1701040063). Chao is “perfectly suited” to be the next secretary of transportation, said the National Retail Federation in a Wednesday letter to the Senate Commerce Committee backing her confirmation. NRF’s members “are among the nation’s largest shippers, moving hundreds of billions of dollars worth of merchandise through the nation’s ports, rail lines, and highways,” it said. “The condition of this interconnected supply chain and its ability to move freight quickly, efficiently and safely are vital to retailers’ businesses, as well as those of American manufacturers, agricultural producers and the millions of workers they employ.” With Chao’s previous experience at DOT, including as deputy secretary under President George H.W. Bush, she has “the background and experience to address some of the key supply chain issues facing our nation and our global competitiveness,” NRF said.
Transportation Secretary nominee Elaine Chao told Senate Commerce Committee members at her Wednesday confirmation hearing she would work with Congress to get the government positioned "as a catalyst ... not as an impediment" to safely and efficiently integrate drones, self-driving cars and other new technologies into the U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's pick to head the Department of Transportation faced friendly questioning from Democrats and Republicans about a wide range of transportation issues, with little focus on emerging technologies and she offered few specifics. Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., asked her how DOT under her leadership will keep pace with evolving technology. She said the benefits of technologies like artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles and drones are known, but "there are also concerns about how they will continue to develop and I will work with this committee and the Congress to address many of these concerns. But we need to do so in a way that will not dampen the basic creativity and innovation of our country." Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., asked whether Chao has specific ideas about how federal policy can keep up with technology while maintaining safety of self-driving vehicles. He said accidents "will have a tremendous public blowback" but innovation needs to be allowed to continue. Chao replied "it behooves all of us as a country, as a society, to bring greater familiarity and greater comfort for those who are passengers and other stakeholders who will be eventual users of this technology to understand the benefits, the limitations and also what it means going forward in the future. So it requires a national discussion." DOT has 57,000 full-time employees with an operating budget of $75 billion. Chao, whose husband is Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., held cabinet positions in the George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush administrations (see 1701040063). Chao is “perfectly suited” to be the next secretary of transportation, said the National Retail Federation in a Wednesday letter to the Senate Commerce Committee backing her confirmation. NRF’s members “are among the nation’s largest shippers, moving hundreds of billions of dollars worth of merchandise through the nation’s ports, rail lines, and highways,” it said. “The condition of this interconnected supply chain and its ability to move freight quickly, efficiently and safely are vital to retailers’ businesses, as well as those of American manufacturers, agricultural producers and the millions of workers they employ.” With Chao’s previous experience at DOT, including as deputy secretary under President George H.W. Bush, she has “the background and experience to address some of the key supply chain issues facing our nation and our global competitiveness,” NRF said.
Arizona should tap the state USF to bring broadband to rural students, said Arizona Corporation Commissioner Andy Tobin. In a Monday letter in docket RT-00000H-97-0137, Tobin supported Republican Gov. Doug Ducey’s call for high-speed internet in rural and tribal areas. Tobin proposed a partnership with the governor, state superintendent and nonprofit EducationSuperHighway to create a state match of rural broadband funds for schools and libraries totaling $8 million to $13 million, the state commission said in a Tuesday news release. Tobin proposed a one-time distribution of $8 million from the Arizona USF to support the state match. The state match could help school districts obtain an estimated $80 million to $100 million in federal E-rate Category One funding, but Arizona must act quickly to meet a likely April deadline to submit funding applications to Universal Service Administrative Co., he said. To make the deadline, the state commission should open an emergency rulemaking, he said. Later this year, the commission should open another rulemaking examining the high-cost portion of the state USF, he said. “There is a real and troubling digital divide when it comes to internet access in our urban and rural areas,” Tobin wrote. “Every student must be afforded the same opportunity to learn, including those who live on tribal lands, in some inner city areas, or in the most remote reaches of the state.” Ducey said in the governor’s State of the State address Monday that “too many students, specifically in our rural areas, and in our tribal nations, are missing out. It’s 2017, but outside of our urban areas, broadband is still spotty. Let’s fix this, by connecting these rural schools to high-speed internet.” The proposed program will be discussed at a commission staff meeting Wednesday at 10 a.m. MST, the commission said.
Arizona should tap the state USF to bring broadband to rural students, said Arizona Corporation Commissioner Andy Tobin. In a Monday letter in docket RT-00000H-97-0137, Tobin supported Republican Gov. Doug Ducey’s call for high-speed internet in rural and tribal areas. Tobin proposed a partnership with the governor, state superintendent and nonprofit EducationSuperHighway to create a state match of rural broadband funds for schools and libraries totaling $8 million to $13 million, the state commission said in a Tuesday news release. Tobin proposed a one-time distribution of $8 million from the Arizona USF to support the state match. The state match could help school districts obtain an estimated $80 million to $100 million in federal E-rate Category One funding, but Arizona must act quickly to meet a likely April deadline to submit funding applications to Universal Service Administrative Co., he said. To make the deadline, the state commission should open an emergency rulemaking, he said. Later this year, the commission should open another rulemaking examining the high-cost portion of the state USF, he said. “There is a real and troubling digital divide when it comes to internet access in our urban and rural areas,” Tobin wrote. “Every student must be afforded the same opportunity to learn, including those who live on tribal lands, in some inner city areas, or in the most remote reaches of the state.” Ducey said in the governor’s State of the State address Monday that “too many students, specifically in our rural areas, and in our tribal nations, are missing out. It’s 2017, but outside of our urban areas, broadband is still spotty. Let’s fix this, by connecting these rural schools to high-speed internet.” The proposed program will be discussed at a commission staff meeting Wednesday at 10 a.m. MST, the commission said.
Apple advised the FCC against adopting a requirement that all service providers implement a standardized opt-out menu for wireless emergency alerts, in replies to the FCC in docket 15-91. Commissioners approved revised rules for alerts in September, over a partial dissent by Commissioner Mike O’Rielly, and sought comment on additional rule changes (see 1609290060). Instead of mandating what the opt-out menu will look like, the FCC should “allow the best consumer experience based on different companies’ hardware, operating systems, and user interfaces,” Apple said. The maker of the iPhone also said the FCC shouldn’t rely solely on third-party applications to implement additional alerting functionality. The National Weather Service said geotargeting of alerts isn’t accurate enough and must be improved. “The NWS supports the public safety agencies who overwhelmingly agree on the need for device-assisted geo-targeting that matches the geocode, circle, or polygon defined by the alert,” the agency replied. The NWS also reminded the FCC it repeatedly has urged a requirement that carriers include an interactive map showing the recipient’s location relative to the alert originator’s defined threat area. A coalition of groups representing the deaf and hard of hearing said alerts should be made available in American Sign Language (ASL). “For many individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, and deaf with mobility issues, there simply is no adequate substitute for ASL,” the coalition said. “Contrary to popular public perception, ASL is not derived from English, nor any spoken language. Instead, it is an independent linguistic system with morphological and grammatical complexity comparable to or exceeding that of spoken languages.” Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the National Association of the Deaf, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Consumer Advocacy Network and Association of Late-Deafened Adults were among those who signed the comments. Wireless carriers urged the FCC to proceed with caution. The “proposed improvements” are “premature in many instances and unworkable in others,” AT&T wrote. “Imposing upon the voluntary WEA participants a set of requirements that they cannot satisfy can only cause the Participating Cellular Mobile Service Providers to reexamine the nature of their commitment to the system.”
Apple advised the FCC against adopting a requirement that all service providers implement a standardized opt-out menu for wireless emergency alerts, in replies to the FCC in docket 15-91. Commissioners approved revised rules for alerts in September, over a partial dissent by Commissioner Mike O’Rielly, and sought comment on additional rule changes (see 1609290060). Instead of mandating what the opt-out menu will look like, the FCC should “allow the best consumer experience based on different companies’ hardware, operating systems, and user interfaces,” Apple said. The maker of the iPhone also said the FCC shouldn’t rely solely on third-party applications to implement additional alerting functionality. The National Weather Service said geotargeting of alerts isn’t accurate enough and must be improved. “The NWS supports the public safety agencies who overwhelmingly agree on the need for device-assisted geo-targeting that matches the geocode, circle, or polygon defined by the alert,” the agency replied. The NWS also reminded the FCC it repeatedly has urged a requirement that carriers include an interactive map showing the recipient’s location relative to the alert originator’s defined threat area. A coalition of groups representing the deaf and hard of hearing said alerts should be made available in American Sign Language (ASL). “For many individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, and deaf with mobility issues, there simply is no adequate substitute for ASL,” the coalition said. “Contrary to popular public perception, ASL is not derived from English, nor any spoken language. Instead, it is an independent linguistic system with morphological and grammatical complexity comparable to or exceeding that of spoken languages.” Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the National Association of the Deaf, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Consumer Advocacy Network and Association of Late-Deafened Adults were among those who signed the comments. Wireless carriers urged the FCC to proceed with caution. The “proposed improvements” are “premature in many instances and unworkable in others,” AT&T wrote. “Imposing upon the voluntary WEA participants a set of requirements that they cannot satisfy can only cause the Participating Cellular Mobile Service Providers to reexamine the nature of their commitment to the system.”
Apple advised the FCC against adopting a requirement that all service providers implement a standardized opt-out menu for wireless emergency alerts, in replies to the FCC in docket 15-91. Commissioners approved revised rules for alerts in September, over a partial dissent by Commissioner Mike O’Rielly, and sought comment on additional rule changes (see 1609290060). Instead of mandating what the opt-out menu will look like, the FCC should “allow the best consumer experience based on different companies’ hardware, operating systems, and user interfaces,” Apple said. The maker of the iPhone also said the FCC shouldn’t rely solely on third-party applications to implement additional alerting functionality. The National Weather Service said geotargeting of alerts isn’t accurate enough and must be improved. “The NWS supports the public safety agencies who overwhelmingly agree on the need for device-assisted geo-targeting that matches the geocode, circle, or polygon defined by the alert,” the agency replied. The NWS also reminded the FCC it repeatedly has urged a requirement that carriers include an interactive map showing the recipient’s location relative to the alert originator’s defined threat area. A coalition of groups representing the deaf and hard of hearing said alerts should be made available in American Sign Language (ASL). “For many individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, and deaf with mobility issues, there simply is no adequate substitute for ASL,” the coalition said. “Contrary to popular public perception, ASL is not derived from English, nor any spoken language. Instead, it is an independent linguistic system with morphological and grammatical complexity comparable to or exceeding that of spoken languages.” Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the National Association of the Deaf, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Consumer Advocacy Network and Association of Late-Deafened Adults were among those who signed the comments. Wireless carriers urged the FCC to proceed with caution. The “proposed improvements” are “premature in many instances and unworkable in others,” AT&T wrote. “Imposing upon the voluntary WEA participants a set of requirements that they cannot satisfy can only cause the Participating Cellular Mobile Service Providers to reexamine the nature of their commitment to the system.”
Fixed wireless and satellite interests are starting to square off over suggested FCC earth station licensing rules changes in the 3700-4200 MHz band being pushed by the Fixed Wireless Communications Coalition (FWCC), as expected (see 1612270034). In comments in RM-11778, satellite interests labeled the FWCC petition as a rehash and "deja vu all over again." Wireless interests not only backed FWCC's proposal but also suggested expanding the scope of the proceeding to other sharing matters.
Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson's “exit memo” to mark the impending close of President Barack Obama's administration noted “tangible improvements” to the DHS' record on cybersecurity during the Obama administration and said “more work remains.” DHS was one of several federal agencies that touted cybersecurity progress in their exit memos. The Department of Commerce noted the success of the National Institute of Standards and Technology-facilitated Cybersecurity Framework (see 1701050012). DHS' cyber progress includes the establishment and growth of the department's National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center, Johnson said in his memo. NCCIC's mission expanded last year after the 2015 Cybersecurity Act mandated that the center become the main civilian hub for cyber information sharing. Seventy-four entities, including 12 federal agencies, were connected to NCCIC's automated indicator sharing platform as of October, Johnson said. DHS established an “aggressive timetable” for improving federal agencies' cybersecurity under Obama's Cybersecurity National Action Plan, including work on agencies' adoption of the Einstein 3A cyber monitoring program, Johnson said. DHS also successfully established the Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team and is an active participant in international cybersecurity partnerships, Johnson said.