The FCC’s net neutrality order will “have a negative impact on innovation,” Commissioner Mike O’Rielly told the Association of National Advertisers on Wednesday. The order’s “vague, catch-all” Internet conduct standard will be used to “decide the lawfulness of sponsored data plans,” he said (see 1502250064). “Other attempts by providers to differentiate themselves through innovative partnerships and pricing models may also end up on the chopping block,” he told the group in a wide-ranging speech that also touched on multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs). The agency has a “desire to edge into Internet privacy and security issues,” O’Rielly said. The FCC also could try to police how broadband and edge providers collect, use, share and store consumers’ information, as well as how those practices are disclosed to consumers, he said. The agency’s NPRM (see 1412190050) could also lead the agency to redefine some over-the-top video programming providers as MVPDs, he said. The agency doesn’t seem to have “any authority to allow an opt-out,” so “if the Commission declares an OTT video provider as an MVPD, it is so. And the limited benefits and many burdens of doing so will be applicable,” O’Rielly said. It’s a “safe bet that there will be significant unintended consequences on an emerging industry still trying to define itself, as it moves forward.” On the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, O’Rielly said the agency should “provide clear rules of the road that will benefit everyone” by acting on pending TCPA petitions to clarify the law. He doesn't support companies “hounding consumers with incessant or harassing calls,” but the litigation risk created by the law, agency decisions and court rulings have forced businesses to “avoid making calls to their existing customers or clients even if the purpose of the call could directly and immediately help the customer,” O’Rielly said. In addition, he said broadband providers’ advertisements “are garnering greater scrutiny and are even being used to justify FCC decisions to increase regulation.” Ads about speed and capacity were used to help justify the reclassification of broadband as Communications Act Title II service, he said. “Unfortunately, I would not be surprised if decisions like these begin to have an impact on how providers market their services,” O’Rielly said.
Microsoft had more than 31,000 law enforcement requests for more than 52,000 users between July and December 2014, said a company blog post Friday. Microsoft disclosed the “subscriber” or “transactional data” for more than 73 percent of those requests, it said. The U.S. generated more than 5,400 requests. Microsoft said it received between 19,000 and 19,999 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act orders for content that affected accounts between January and June 2014. The orders have a six-month reporting delay, it said. “While we saw little change from the proceeding period in the overall number of law enforcement and government requests for Microsoft customer data, the world around us continues to change,” it said. “In the 14 months since the government agreed to greater transparency for reporting national security orders, we’ve seen new threats emerge around the globe,” said Microsoft, which reaffirmed its support of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act and USA Freedom Act (see 1409220038).
Microsoft had more than 31,000 law enforcement requests for more than 52,000 users between July and December 2014, said a company blog post Friday. Microsoft disclosed the “subscriber” or “transactional data” for more than 73 percent of those requests, it said. The U.S. generated more than 5,400 requests. Microsoft said it received between 19,000 and 19,999 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act orders for content that affected accounts between January and June 2014. The orders have a six-month reporting delay, it said. “While we saw little change from the proceeding period in the overall number of law enforcement and government requests for Microsoft customer data, the world around us continues to change,” it said. “In the 14 months since the government agreed to greater transparency for reporting national security orders, we’ve seen new threats emerge around the globe,” said Microsoft, which reaffirmed its support of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act and USA Freedom Act (see 1409220038).
Microsoft had more than 31,000 law enforcement requests for more than 52,000 users between July and December 2014, said a company blog post Friday. Microsoft disclosed the “subscriber” or “transactional data” for more than 73 percent of those requests, it said. The U.S. generated more than 5,400 requests. Microsoft said it received between 19,000 and 19,999 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act orders for content that affected accounts between January and June 2014. The orders have a six-month reporting delay, it said. “While we saw little change from the proceeding period in the overall number of law enforcement and government requests for Microsoft customer data, the world around us continues to change,” it said. “In the 14 months since the government agreed to greater transparency for reporting national security orders, we’ve seen new threats emerge around the globe,” said Microsoft, which reaffirmed its support of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act and USA Freedom Act (see 1409220038).
State and local 911 stakeholders urged the FCC in filings on the commission’s 911 governance NPRM (docket 14-193) to not usurp state and local jurisdiction on 911 issues in its pursuit of revised rules that will curb 911 outages like the April 2014 multistate event. The FCC’s rulemaking proposal followed that widespread outage, which the FCC later determined was caused by a software error at an Intrado 911 call processing center in Englewood, Colorado (see 1410170057). Carriers and public safety groups urged the FCC to consider a consensus proposal from the groups that would curb 911 outages without requiring the implementation of new rules (see 1503240049).
Protecting consumers' privacy as the Internet of Things expands from 25 billion devices to an estimated 50 billion connected products by 2020 wasn't expressed as a big concern for many members of the House Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade Subcommittee during a hearing Tuesday on the IoT. Most members expressed more concern about IOT's potential impact on the economy and innovation, as expected (see 1503230046). Chairman Michael Burgess, R-Texas, said in his opening statement, that as privacy and security issues are examined, “it is important that we balance these concerns with the creativity and innovation driving this market forward.” Some members from both parties asked witnesses to address privacy, and urged privacy and strong security protections be built into products from the get-go, saying innovative technologies won’t be needed if there's no consumer trust.
Carriers and public safety groups are working together on consensus rules aimed at curbing 911 outages, the National Emergency Number Association said in comments at the FCC, posted by the agency Tuesday. Various industry groups and companies warned against imposing new rules. Comments were filed in docket 14-193. The NPRM came in the wake of the April 2014 multistate 911 outage, the subject of an October report by the FCC.
Protecting consumers' privacy as the Internet of Things expands from 25 billion devices to an estimated 50 billion connected products by 2020 wasn't expressed as a big concern for many members of the House Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade Subcommittee during a hearing Tuesday on the IoT. Most members expressed more concern about IOT's potential impact on the economy and innovation, as expected (see 1503230046). Chairman Michael Burgess, R-Texas, said in his opening statement, that as privacy and security issues are examined, “it is important that we balance these concerns with the creativity and innovation driving this market forward.” Some members from both parties asked witnesses to address privacy, and urged privacy and strong security protections be built into products from the get-go, saying innovative technologies won’t be needed if there's no consumer trust.
Congress should quickly repeal country-of-origin labeling requirements to avoid massive retaliatory tariffs expected to follow the World Trade Organization’s upcoming decision in the long-running dispute, said industry and business leaders in testimony before a House Agriculture subcommittee on March 25. Many industry critics previously called for more Agriculture Department authority to reform the COOL regime (see 1411060019), but the “looming” WTO rejection of the U.S. appeal in the case raises concern to critical levels, said the witnesses at the hearing. Canadian and Mexican officials continue to pressure a change in law (see 1502040064).
Protecting consumers' privacy as the Internet of Things expands from 25 billion devices to an estimated 50 billion connected products by 2020 wasn't expressed as a big concern for many members of the House Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade Subcommittee during a hearing Tuesday on the IoT. Most members expressed more concern about IOT's potential impact on the economy and innovation, as expected (see 1503230046). Chairman Michael Burgess, R-Texas, said in his opening statement, that as privacy and security issues are examined, “it is important that we balance these concerns with the creativity and innovation driving this market forward.” Some members from both parties asked witnesses to address privacy, and urged privacy and strong security protections be built into products from the get-go, saying innovative technologies won’t be needed if there's no consumer trust.