Santa Claus is a hammer-wielding Christmas fiend in a political cartoon commissioned by the Interactive Advertising Bureau to take the FTC to task for its proposed revisions to Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) regulations. The cartoon, accompanied by an explanation of IAB’s beef with the agency titled “Don’t Let the FTC Steal Christmas” (http://xrl.us/bn6iwt), shows “Santa Coppa” sitting in a chair marked “FTC,” holding a hammer ("new regs") that he’s about to slam through a tablet computer ("mobile apps"). Children waiting in line to see Santa -- “education games research apps” -- nervously hold their own tablets while an elf passes out safety goggles. Children who have already sat on Santa’s lap look bewildered at their smashed tablets. IAB “recognizes that a lot has changed in the 14 years” since COPPA’s passage, “but we must embrace innovation and the benefits they have brought to families,” said IAB General Counsel Mike Zaneis in the explanation accompanying the cartoon. The FTC’s proposed COPPA regulation revisions would “conflate benign data transfers, which present no discernible threat to children’s online safety, with very real concerns about the unauthorized collection of information that might allow strangers to contact our children,” he said. The FTC shouldn’t “undermine legitimate commercial practices that have revolutionized the way kids learn and play in the digital age.” An IAB spokeswoman told us the cartoon was illustrated by R.J. Matson, who has worked for The New Yorker and The New York Observer among other outlets. The FTC didn’t immediately comment.
Alaska Communications has introduced VoIP for its businesses in Anchorage, it said this week. The company said it'll reduce costs and increase productivity and VoIP will be coming to more of its Alaska markets. “Packages start at $190 per month and include two digital voice lines, two Cisco phones, Cisco business features, voicemail with web access, business Internet and free installation and set-up,” Alaska Communications explained (http://xrl.us/bn6iug).
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) shouldn’t entertain a proposal to investigate cellphone company privacy practices, CTIA said. In a filing released Thursday (http://xrl.us/bn6ip4), the wireless association attacked a November joint petition of the Consumer Federation of California, The Utility Reform Network and Privacy Rights Clearinghouse asking the CPUC to review these practices. The CPUC has inappropriate “antiquated privacy regulations,” the petition said (http://xrl.us/bn6iro), noting the CPUC has authority to enact consumer protection regulations. The CPUC should evaluate wireless and wireline privacy practices, create privacy standards for carriers and third parties who gain information from them, keep pace with tech advances and institute “penalty mechanisms with ’teeth,'” petitioners said. But the petition is “procedurally defective” and misleadingly neglects to mention federal oversight rules “that already address the privacy concerns raised by the Petitioners,” CTIA said. Federal Trade Commission and FCC oversight, White House efforts and privacy rules and regulations already exist, as do industry practices and industry-government collaboration on these issues, it said. CTIA also discussed the California Online Privacy Protection Act, which the state’s attorney general began enforcing against mobile app developers in 2012 (CD Nov 2 p12). CTIA described formulating its own guidelines with dozens of entities providing input. “Moreover, wireless carriers no longer control -- or even know -- the third parties that create software and install it on wireless devices,” CTIA told the CPUC. “Due to the openness of the Internet, today’s privacy risks originate from the acts and omissions of entities independent of the carrier-customer relationship.” It scolded the petitioners for citing only “potential” harm and no examples. Consumer Federation Staff Attorney Nicole Blake told us the petitioners plan to reply next Thursday but declined to say more.
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski delivered what is widely expected to be his final monologue at a Federal Communications Bar Association Chairman’s Dinner Thursday night, dropping dozens of names and directing gentle kidding at many of the communications industry’s luminaries. Genachowski spoke for about 30 minutes. The highlight, taking a page from the U.S. Olympic Swimming Team’s play, sources agreed, was a video of the hit song “Call Me Maybe,” with lip syncing and dancing by FCC commissioners and staff as well as FCBA members. “The Washington Post did a profile on Comcast’s top lobbyist David Cohen, the headline, and I quote, ‘The Wonk’s Rock Star,'” Genachowski said in a typical jab. “Talk about damning with faint praise. That’s like being called the tallest person in my office.” Genachowski noted Microsoft released a maps app just before the dinner. “It features our own Josh Gottheimer,” he said. “Here’s how it works. You type in an address and Josh’s voice tells you where to go and what you can do with yourself when you get there.” Even the trade press came in for some kidding. “Competition is always a big issue at the FCC,” Genachowski said. “A few years ago everybody said we were on the doorstep of duopoly, but now there’s competition for CommDaily and TRDaily.” With Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'” playing softly in the background, Genachowski said he had learned a lot during his time as chairman. “No matter what happens don’t stop believing,” he said. “When your bureau chief tells you the chairman’s office wants you to rewrite the order so it reads the way you wrote it the first time, don’t stop believing,” he said. “When [Media Bureau Chief] Bill Lake keeps using air quotes whenever he says the word ‘voluntary,’ don’t stop believing. … When the CEO of Time Warner Cable schedules a meeting to lobby you and gives you a window of 9 a.m. to noon and doesn’t show up until 6, don’t stop believing."
LightSquared received support from state representatives and VoIP provider VoX, in early comments in docket 12-340. The proceeding is on LightSquared’s petition to modify its ancillary terrestrial component (ATC) authorization, which includes proposing to relocate its terrestrial downlink operations from 1545-1555 MHz to 1670-1680 MHz. At 1670-1680 MHz, the wholesale satellite capacity company would share this spectrum with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (CD Nov 6 p14). Comments are due Dec. 17. LightSquared offered its proposal in an effort to move forward with its terrestrial network buildout, which was stalled this year when the FCC proposed to rescind its ATC authority. First responders deserve access to equipment that will enable them to communicate in any critical situation, commented Republican Mississippi State Rep. Casey Eure (http://xrl.us/bn6inu). LightSquared’s application for a license modification “should be the last hurdle to cross in their decade-long endeavor to deploy their nationwide broadband network,” he said. Missouri GOP State Rep. Mike Bernskoetter urged the FCC to allow LightSquared to deploy its network. LightSquared’s latest proposal to vacate spectrum that appeared to cause interference issues with GPS receivers “seems more than fair,” he said (http://xrl.us/bn6iqa). The company “must have your approval to share spectrum with NOAA,” he said. Granting the proposal will enhance competition significantly “by facilitating the ability of new providers to enter local, regional and nationwide markets and serve customers,” VoX said (http://xrl.us/bn6iqc). It said LightSquared’s “wholesale only” model will let partners overcome high barriers to market entry, “including potentially prohibitive network deployment and roaming costs."
The FCC sees a “clear benefit” to rules requiring all carriers and other providers of text messages to send bounce back messages to their customers when text-to-911 service is unavailable in a particular area, according to a further notice of proposed rulemaking (FNPRM), which was posted by the commission (http://xrl.us/bn6h8u). “This automatic feedback may be life-saving, allowing a person in need of assistance to immediately seek out an alternative,” the further notice said. “Providing this type of error message may also be particularly critical during the transition to NG911, as the record to date suggests there are likely to be numerous instances where consumers attempt to send text messages to [public safety answering points] in areas where text-to-911 is not yet available.” The notice clarifies that the FCC isn’t proposing to require that IP-based messaging applications allow for automatic bounce back messages. “We believe it is less likely that consumers will expect such applications to support emergency communications. Nevertheless, we encourage providers of such messaging applications to inform their users that these applications do not support communication to 911.” The notice asks whether the FCC should impose a “mandatory regulatory framework and timetable” for all carriers to make their systems ready to transmit emergency texts. The notice concedes it could takes years before all PSAPs are ready to receive texts. “We recognize that substantial progress has been achieved through the voluntary initiatives of the four major CMRS providers, 911 service providers, and PSAPs described above,” the notice states. “However, we are concerned that continuing to rely solely on voluntary measures could result in the four major CMRS providers implementing text-to-911 while other service providers -- including regional, small, and rural CMRS providers and third party interconnected text providers -- do not, or could lead to non-uniform and uncoordinated implementation, inconsistent technological approaches, and widely varying implementation timelines to the detriment of consumers. This in turn could lead to a longer transition period, increased transition costs, and increased consumer confusion regarding when and where text-to-911 will be supported, what functionality it will provide, and when and how consumers should use it where it is available.” “Given the clear need for consumer education,” the FNPRM also directs the Public Safety and Consumer and Governmental Affairs bureaus to “implement a comprehensive consumer education program concerning text-to-911, and to coordinate their efforts with state and local 911 authorities, other federal and state agencies, public safety organizations, industry, disability organizations, and consumer groups."
Deadlines were extended about two weeks on Globalstar’s petition for rule changes allowing it to use some of its spectrum for terrestrial services to Jan. 14, the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology and the International and Wireless bureaus said in a public notice on docket RM-11685 (http://xrl.us/bn6iky). The extension “would be beneficial to the development of a complete record on the issues,” the notice said. Extensions were requested by the Wi-Fi Alliance and Engineers for the Integrity of Broadcast Auxiliary Services (CD Dec 12 p23).
The FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau granted Maricopa Colleges Television a limited extension to begin captioning its TV programs. MCTV, Scottsdale, Ariz., is now required to begin captioning by March 5, 2013, instead of the original deadline of July 6, 2012, the bureau said in a letter to the station (http://xrl.us/bn6ihg). MCTV requested additional time to caption its extensive on-air video programming archives, and that more exemption time would be sufficient to implement captioning “for newly produced programs and archived video programs,” the bureau said. The FCC had rejected several hundred other captioning exemption requests that had accumulated since 2006 (CD Aug 22 p5).
Certain smartphone apps that rely on email as a form of notification to search and rescue authorities “may put lives at risk,” the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said in a letter to members. The IMO suggested governments review their approach to the apps, it said. It also suggested governments consider measures to discourage their use. The IMO suggested governments contact app providers to make sure their countries are included in a notification indicating distress messages by email won’t be received by search and rescue authorities. It may be possible for these type of apps to be made compatible with existing global and national search and rescue arrangements, it said.
FCC action on special access could be an “IP-transition bellwether,” Medley Global Advisors analyst Jeff Silva said in an analyst report Thursday. The special access initiative “will remain a risk and regulatory overhang for ILECs” such as AT&T, Verizon and CenturyLink, who along with Republicans “may attempt a major play to link what they regard as ill-advised special access regulatory activity to growing calls by AT&T, Republican Commissioner Ajit Pai and others for landline telecom deregulation within [the IP] transition context,” Silva wrote. Commissioners approved the long-awaited special access data collection order 5-0 late Tuesday, which will seek data on the state of competition in the marketplace (CD Dec 13 p5). Chairman Julius Genachowski’s announcement of a “Technology Transitions Task Force” to address the growing move from copper circuit switched networks to IP-based wired and 4G-based wireless platforms (CD Dec 11 p5) “could complicate any move to re-regulate special access in a material fashion,” Silva said.