Video interests reign, as industry has spent tens of millions of dollars lobbying Capitol Hill on key communications issues, Q4 lobbying disclosure reports showed this week. Spending was often significantly up from the same period last year, particularly for stakeholders with video interests, but not always. Many disclosure reports highlighted pending priorities before Congress, such as the reauthorization of the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act (STELA), which expires at the end of 2014 and is the source of much debate -- such as whether the reauthorization should address updates to retransmission consent law. Lobbying is widely expected to spike in 2014 as the House takes on an overhaul of the Communications Act.
Verizon made good on a commitment it made last year to release an online report on the number of law enforcement requests for customer information the company received in 2013 in the U.S. and internationally (WID Dec 20 p2). But in an accompanying statement Wednesday, Verizon General Counsel Randal Milch acknowledged the information is limited by government controls. Verizon is the first telco to issue such a detailed report.
Verizon made good on a commitment it made last year to release an online report on the number of law enforcement requests for customer information the company received in 2013 in the U.S. and internationally (CD Dec 20 p1). But in an accompanying statement Wednesday, Verizon General Counsel Randal Milch acknowledged the information is limited by government controls. Verizon is the first telco to issue such a detailed report.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014 puts into law many federal programs that are critical to the “safe, efficient and competitive operation” of U.S. seaports, the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) said in a Jan. 17 press release. In the legislation, lawmakers prioritized trade through the inclusion of Department of Transportation Infrastructure Generating Economic Recovery discretionary grants, U.S. Corps of Engineers’ navigation-related programs, Federal Emergency Management Agency state and local programs grants that include port security funds for port security, Environment Protection Agency Diesel Emissions Reduction Act grants, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration subprograms that aid navigation, among other programs, AAPA said.
Congress will still need to act on government surveillance, several members said Friday after President Barack Obama’s policy speech at the Department of Justice. They pointed to hearings and bills on the horizon, as observers offered mixed reactions to the president’s set of proposals. In his 45-minute talk, Obama initiated several changes to the programs and expressed longer-term goals. He did not immediately end the bulk collection of phone metadata, currently authorized by Patriot Act Section 215, nor did he immediately shift the storage of such metadata to phone companies or a third party, as his independent review group recommended last month.
Congress will still need to act on government surveillance, several members said Friday after President Barack Obama’s policy speech at the Department of Justice. They pointed to hearings and bills on the horizon, as observers offered mixed reactions to the president’s set of proposals. In his 45-minute talk, Obama initiated several changes to the programs and expressed longer-term goals. He did not immediately end the bulk collection of phone metadata, currently authorized by Patriot Act Section 215, nor did he immediately shift the storage of such metadata to phone companies or a third party, as his independent review group recommended last month.
Failure to pass the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities Act (1.usa.gov/1aaMpOS) would marginalize the U.S. from international free trade agreements, forcing U.S. companies to compete with countries that sponsor substandard rules on intellectual property (IP) rights and digital free flow of information, said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., and several witnesses at a Jan. 16 Finance Committee hearing. The legislation, the 2014 iteration of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), was introduced by Baucus, Finance Committee ranking member Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., Jan. 9.
Failure to pass the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities Act (1.usa.gov/1aaMpOS) would marginalize the U.S. from international free trade agreements, forcing U.S. companies to compete with countries that sponsor substandard rules on intellectual property (IP) rights and digital free flow of information, said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., and several witnesses at a Jan. 16 Finance Committee hearing. The legislation, the 2014 iteration of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), was introduced by Baucus, Finance Committee ranking member Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., Jan. 9.
On Capitol Hill Thursday, public safety officials and Democratic senators urged the FCC to kick off a proceeding setting standards for wireless 911 location standards while industry representatives struck a cautious note. Hill pressure surrounding this issue has risen over the past half year, with members of Congress in both chambers writing to the FCC last fall expressing concern following a summer CalNENA report indicating poor wireless location accuracy. The Find Me 911 Coalition has beat the drum with advertisements, a Hill briefing and other efforts to raise awareness for what it deems a problem.
The Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities Act of 2014 would increase U.S. agricultural exports to global markets, including skyrocketing Asian economies, and tackle emerging trade issues, such as free digital exchange of information, witnesses told a Jan. 16 Senate Finance Committee hearing on the U.S. trade agenda (see 14011616). Passage of the legislation (here), the 2014 version of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), would help secure pending trade pacts that could replicate market access advances achieved through other free trade agreements (FTAs), such as the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States FTA (CAFTA-DR), said Jim Allen, president of the New York Apple Association.