For all the hype, data breaches rarely result in identity theft, even loosely defined, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a report made public Thursday. Warning that the scarcity of data on breaches and the difficulty of tracing fraud on accounts to specific breaches may have affected its findings, the GAO uncharacteristically made no formal recommendations based on them. But the agency said if Congress acts, it should use a risk-based standard for breach notification to avoid “undue burden” on breached entities and preempt “counterproductive” notice requirements that could make consumers complacent.
The New York Police Department wants wireless carriers’ success locating E-911 calls measure by public safety answering point (PSAP), not through statewide averaging as carriers prefer, the department told the FCC. The department cited public safety concerns that the agency usually gives significant weight.
Cable operators not granted last-minute waivers of a rule barring them from shipping set-top boxes with integrated conditional access features are weighing their options in the wake of the Media Bureau’s late Friday action, some said. The Bureau temporarily waived the rule, which requires set- top boxes to support separable security like CableCARDs, for pay-TV providers including Verizon, Qwest and some cable operators who operate or have pledged to operator all-digital systems before broadcasters’ DTV transition (CD June 29 Special Bulletin p1) or (CED June 29 Special Bulletin p1). It denied another batch of requests, giving some operators until September to get into compliance.
The European Commission (EC) launched a new round of infringement proceedings against European Union states for violating telecommunications rules. The Commission referred four cases to the European Court of Justice, citing Poland for not defining subscribers according to the regulatory framework and Portugal for lack of comprehensive directory services. Also in court is Germany, which refused to remove new provisions in its telecommunications law granting “regulatory holidays” to incumbent Deutsche Telekom (DT) while it builds a new fiber network. The EC has taken a hard line on the new measure, charging it jeopardizes DT rivals and makes it harder for new providers to enter the market. The law also attempts to limit the discretion granted to regulator BNetzA, the EC said. DT competitors have always opposed the concept of regulatory moratoria, German attorney Axel Spies said on behalf of the German Competitive Carriers Association (VATM). In the fledgling broadband market especially, he said, new monopolies are dangerous and will harm consumers. A recent argument in an expert opinion to the German Federal Ministry of Finance that regulation in this sector harms DT’s share price is “absurd” because the government is DT’s largest shareholder, Spies said. The EC litigation creates uncertainty in the German markets that may stifle investment in new networks and services, he added. Separately, the EC opened an infringement case against Poland for lack of market analysis to support price regulations for retail broadband services, and Spain, for not designating a universal service provider. “Reasoned opinions,” the second stage of infringement proceedings, went to Latvia (regulatory notification mechanism), Poland (independence of the national regulator), Sweden (appeal rights), Belgium (special tariffs). Germany (must-carry regime), Cyprus (rights of way), the U.K. (lack of comprehensive directory services) and Poland (caller location for the emergency 112 number).
Washington Trade Daily reports that key House and Senate lawmakers announced on June 26, 2007 that they had reached agreement on an eight-month extension of the Andean trade preferences program, and have the intention of passing an extension measure before the program's expiration on June 30, 2007. (WTD, dated 06/27/07, www.washingtontradedaily.com)
ORLANDO--Despite promising launches about six months ago in pilot markets, the four large MSOs deploying bundles of cell phone, mobile TV and other “mobile access” services with Sprint Nextel Corp. are not rushing to blanket the nation with their newfangled wireless offerings.
Wireline phone competition in Michigan showed a decline in 2006, the second year in a row competitive wireline access lines dropped in number, according to an annual Public Service Commission telecom competition report. Wireline competitors lost 197,100 access lines compared to 2005, or 17 percent, for a 2.9 percent market share drop. But broadband and wireless showed continued growth in the period, the report said. In 2006 competitive wireline carriers provided 961,500 access lines, for an 18.3 percent market share, compared to 1.16 million lines in 2005, a 21.2 percent share. AT&T provided 65.5 percent of 5.26 million access lines; Verizon, 12.3 percent. Other incumbent phone companies provided 3.9 percent of wireline access lines. The wireline access line total was a 3.9 percent drop from the 2005 count, representing migration to wireless, VoIP and other emerging technologies, elimination of UNE-P as a competitive platform, and continuing mergers and acquisitions, the report said. The report cited FCC data that show Michigan had 6.87 million wireless subscribers as of June 30, 2006, or 633,400 more than on June 30, 2005. Data show a modest slowdown in wireless growth rates, but wireless growth remains strong. FCC figures show 66 percent of Michigan households have DSL available from their incumbent telephone company, while 92 percent of households with cable service available also can get cable modem service. The report said Michigan was slightly below national averages of 79 percent DSL availability and 93 percent cable modem availability. The report cited very strong broadband line growth; between June 2005 and June 2006, Michigan added 450,300 broadband lines for a total 1.79 million broadband lines.
Spectrum in the 3 GHz extended C-band (3400-4200 MHz) should not be identified for terrestrial services at the expense of satellite operations, said groups representing more than 400 service providers. “The C-band is a critical communications tool for economic development and growth both in developing and developed nations as well as for global and trans-continental connectivity,” the eight groups wrote in advance of a June 25-27 preparatory meeting of African nations for the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC). “In many parts of the world, C-band is the only viable satellite band for fixed satellite service (FSS) due to its ability to provide highly reliable service even during adverse atmospheric conditions (e.g. heavy rain environments).”
Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna (R) has a new blog, “All Consuming” (www.atg.wa.gov/allconsuming.aspx), covering consumer protection with “a less formal tone” than one might associate with government, his office said. The advice will be “anything but stuffy, dry or boring,” McKenna said. Public Affairs and Consumer Protection divisions will post messages and monitor visitor e-mail, but McKenna will post “periodically.” The blog will deliver “scam warnings, comment on emerging marketplace trends and discuss legal issues that affect businesses and their customers,” McKenna said. A spokeswoman told us McKenna was not the first AG to blog, but the first likely to do so regularly. Virginia’s Bob McDonnell has held a virtual town hall meeting via live- blog and podcast an interview; the Missouri Attorney General’s consumer education staffer writes the office blog, the McKenna spokeswoman said. McKenna’s first post was from the Thursday National Association of Attorneys General summer conference. Writing about child safety on social networking sites, he said state pressure for age verification tools “poses significant challenges,” adding that primary responsibility for child safety lies with “parents and other responsible adults.”
CHICAGO -- Long-promised innovations like ultra-speedy fiber networks and smart cellphones that replace wallets are here, executives of top communications companies said Wed. at the NXTcomm show. In his speech, Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg said his company, now trialing 100 Mbps speed in its FIOS Internet service, this fall will begin using “GPON” technology that boosts speeds four times downstream and eight times upstream.