EU transaction reviews might need to be revamped for digital companies, said Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, though others were skeptical. The digital economy "isn't just one sector among many," and mergers and acquisitions don't "just affect how we buy goods and services," Vestager said Thursday in a Brussels speech. "They can change the way we live, and the opportunities we have," which is why competition authorities may have to look at more than just revenue to decide if there are antitrust issues, she said. Considering factors such as customer base or data sets in M&A probes is a reasonable approach, but it's not clear it will ever happen, telecom consultants told us.
FCC Incentive Auction Task Force adds Erin Griffith, Wireless Bureau Auctions & Spectrum Access Division attorney-adviser, as legal adviser, succeeding Mary Margaret Jackson, leaving the agency to pursue professional interests outside of Washington ... Univision Communications hires Jed Meyer, ex-Omnicom Media Group's Annalect, as executive vice president-corporate research ... Jim Hackett, ex-Steelcase CEO, relinquishes his seat on Ford board to become chairman of Ford Smart Mobility, new subsidiary formed "to design, build, grow and invest in emerging mobility services" ... Amazon Vice President-Digital Video Michael Paull to keynote NAB Show’s Online Video Conference April 18, 10:30 a.m., Las Vegas Convention Center, Room N249 ... Autodesk, which reached deals with Eminence Capital and Sachem Head Capital Management, adds to board Scott Ferguson, Sachem Head, Rick Hill, Tessera Technologies, and Jeff Clarke, Kodak ... Lobbyist registrations: Entertainment Studios Networks and the National Association of African American Owned Media, Emmer Consulting, effective March 10 ... SpaceX, S.O. Witt and Associates, effective Feb. 12.
Univision Communications hires Jed Meyer, ex-Omnicom Media Group's Annalect, as executive vice president-corporate research ... Jim Hackett, ex-Steelcase CEO, relinquishes his seat on Ford board to become chairman of Ford Smart Mobility, new subsidiary formed "to design, build, grow and invest in emerging mobility services" ... Amazon Vice President-Digital Video Michael Paull to keynote NAB Show’s Online Video Conference April 18, 10:30 a.m., Las Vegas Convention Center, Room N249 ... GoDaddy adds to board Brian Sharples, HomeAway ... Autodesk, which reached deals with Eminence Capital and Sachem Head Capital Management, adds to board Scott Ferguson, Sachem Head, Rick Hill, Tessera Technologies, and Jeff Clarke, Kodak ... Lobbyist registrations: Entertainment Studios Networks and the National Association of African American Owned Media, Emmer Consulting, effective March 10 ... SpaceX, S.O. Witt and Associates, effective Feb. 12.
A GAO report released Thursday criticized emergency communications coordination in the national capital region, comprising Washington and parts of Maryland and Virginia. The Office of National Capital Region Coordination within the Department of Homeland Security, must, “as part of its efforts to restructure the JFC [Joint Federal Committee], clearly articulate in a written agreement the roles and responsibilities of participating agencies and specify how they are to work together across agency boundaries,” GAO recommended in the 28-page report. The office concurred with GAO’s recommendation. The report outlined concerns with how coordination was handled before: “When the JFC existed, its operation was not fully aligned with interagency collaboration mechanisms that GAO has identified. In particular, the JFC’s charter did not specify the roles and responsibilities of participating agencies or how they were to work together across agency boundaries. Addressing these interagency collaborative mechanisms in the planned restructuring of the JFC could provide greater clarity on roles and responsibilities and enhance its ability to coordinate federal efforts in the region.”
A GAO report released Thursday criticized emergency communications coordination in the national capital region, comprising Washington and parts of Maryland and Virginia. The Office of National Capital Region Coordination within the Department of Homeland Security, must, “as part of its efforts to restructure the JFC [Joint Federal Committee], clearly articulate in a written agreement the roles and responsibilities of participating agencies and specify how they are to work together across agency boundaries,” GAO recommended in the 28-page report. The office concurred with GAO’s recommendation. The report outlined concerns with how coordination was handled before: “When the JFC existed, its operation was not fully aligned with interagency collaboration mechanisms that GAO has identified. In particular, the JFC’s charter did not specify the roles and responsibilities of participating agencies or how they were to work together across agency boundaries. Addressing these interagency collaborative mechanisms in the planned restructuring of the JFC could provide greater clarity on roles and responsibilities and enhance its ability to coordinate federal efforts in the region.”
The FCC’s Technological Advisory Council will plow into the issue of drones this year, FCC officials said Wednesday. TAC held its first meeting of the year with one new working group -- mass deployment of aeronautical and space transmitters. TAC is seen as having particular clout at the FCC since Tom Wheeler chaired it before becoming FCC chairman. Some industry officials have said the FCC hasn't put enough emphasis on remotely piloted aircraft systems, a charge denied by the agency (see 1512220051).
The FCC’s Technological Advisory Council will plow into the issue of drones this year, FCC officials said Wednesday. TAC held its first meeting of the year with one new working group -- mass deployment of aeronautical and space transmitters. TAC is seen as having particular clout at the FCC since Tom Wheeler chaired it before becoming FCC chairman. Some industry officials have said the FCC hasn't put enough emphasis on remotely piloted aircraft systems, a charge denied by the agency (see 1512220051).
President Barack Obama unveiled the ConnectALL broadband initiative Wednesday, the latest in a series in recent years focused on broadband connectivity. Other focuses for Obama include ConnectED on connecting schools, and ConnectHome on public housing. The administration is “calling for nonprofits, businesses, technology experts, and Government to join a national effort to reach the ConnectALL goal of connecting 20 million more Americans to broadband by 2020,” it said in its fact sheet.
President Barack Obama unveiled the ConnectALL broadband initiative Wednesday, the latest in a series in recent years focused on broadband connectivity. Other focuses for Obama include ConnectED on connecting schools, and ConnectHome on public housing. The administration is “calling for nonprofits, businesses, technology experts, and Government to join a national effort to reach the ConnectALL goal of connecting 20 million more Americans to broadband by 2020,” it said in its fact sheet.
The FCC’s Technological Advisory Council will plow into the issue of drones this year, FCC officials said Wednesday. TAC held its first meeting of the year with one new working group -- mass deployment of aeronautical and space transmitters. TAC is seen as having particular clout at the FCC since Tom Wheeler chaired it before becoming FCC chairman. Some industry officials have said the FCC hasn't put enough emphasis on remotely piloted aircraft systems, a charge denied by the agency (see 1512220051).