Discrepancies between proposed data protection regulation and the 2002 e-privacy directive create inconsistent consumer experiences and rights for equivalent services and data, said the GSM Association and the European Telecommunications Network Operators’ Association Tuesday, urging a consistent data privacy framework for industry and consumers. While policymakers may have felt the need for specific telecom privacy rules in the past, those rules no longer seem appropriate, said GSMA Europe Director Martin Whitehead. It doesn’t make sense to single out one particular sector when there’s a broad range of online service companies collecting and processing large volumes of functionally equivalent data, he said. Coexistence of the e-privacy directive and the general data protection regulation would be incompatible with technology and service neutrality, and the need to give users consistent privacy experiences, he said. If the two regulations coexist, telcos and their customers will face dual compliance requirements, which will hurt competition, said ETNO Director Daniel Pataki. Users would have to be aware of whether a service was coming from telecom operators or online service providers to assess their rights, he said. Both organizations said they welcome the overhaul of data protection rules as an opportunity to harmonize the handling of personal data across Europe.
NARUC Assistant General Counsel Holly Rachel Smith joined the ongoing NARUC v. FCC 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals case, according to Monday court documents (http://xrl.us/bnuh6z). The case concerns the bulk of FCC reforms in its November 2011 USF/intercarrier compensation order. Smith began working at NARUC Aug. 21 (CD Sept 17 p23), according to the organization (http://xrl.us/bnuh69).
The European Commission wants input on whether to update the list of wholesale and retail telecom markets now subject to regulation by national authorities, it said in a consultation (http://xrl.us/bnuh3) launched Tuesday. Those markets include retail access to the public telephone network and wholesale broadband access, it said. The review will consider major market and technological developments such as Internet-based applications and service, convergence between different types of networks and services, and the development of very fast Internet networks and services, it said. The results could lead to revisions in the current list, which was last updated in 2007, it said. Comments are due Jan. 8 to cnect-relevant-markets@ec.europa.eu. The European Telecommunications Network Operators’ Association said the consultation could result in less regulation and a better investment environment for high-speed broadband. Since 2007, strong competitors on different levels of the Internet value chain have emerged, and competitive platforms such as cable and mobile networks are increasingly providing broadband services, said ETNO Director Daniel Pataki. That offers the chance to “take a bold step towards the deregulation of the sector,” he said. ETNO urged the EC to lift rules on the remaining retail market for access to public phone networks at fixed locations and on wholesale broadband markets. Meanwhile, Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroes warned participants at the Broadband World Forum in Amsterdam that Europe is “at a crossroads for broadband” and that where it ends up depends on tough political and investment decisions. New services such as cloud computing and e-government need better broadband, she said. She backed finding more spectrum for wireless broadband and more funding for fixed broadband, and urged governments to support the proposed Connecting Europe Facility, which aims to spur spending on fast broadband.
Verizon’s renewed agreement with group-purchasing organization MiCTA will help “state and local government agencies, K-12 schools, colleges and universities, libraries and nonprofit organizations across the U.S.” through its August 2015 run, Verizon said Tuesday (http://xrl.us/bnuhyr). The agreement, reaffirming a partnership in place since 2010, includes an expansion of services, including “international availability of the company’s Private IP networking service; interoperable video conferencing; mobility and managed mobility services; and a cloud-based unified communications and collaboration platform,” said Verizon. School and library purchasers may be able to use USF E-rate money, it added. The agreement has helped “more than 600 customers across the U.S.” so far, Verizon said.
The FCC Enforcement Bureau took action against six more individuals for advertising and selling signal jamming devices on craigslist.org, the FCC said in a news release. “The Bureau intends to impose substantial monetary penalties for similar violations going forward,” the bureau said (http://xrl.us/bnuhx4). “Over the last two weeks, the Bureau has targeted 23 signal jammer ads on craigslist” as a result of “aggressive undercover operations.” “Merely posting a signal jammer ad on sites like craigslist.org violates federal law,” said Bureau Chief Michele Ellison. “Signal jammers are contraband for a reason. Simply put, jammers block all communications within range -- not just the unwanted ones.” The FCC also released a public notice warning that unauthorized use of jammers is against the law and that monetary penalties can be as high as $100,000 per incident (http://xrl.us/bnuhwz).
A new telecom provider is formally launching services Nov. 1 in Port Angeles, Wash., according to the Metro-Net website (http://xrl.us/bnuhtw). “Metro-Net relies on wireless technology to deliver the ‘last mile’ connection,” the service’s website said. The city emphasizes the network’s benefits to both the community and for public safety purposes. Metro-Net is “designed and built by Capacity Provisioning, Inc. ... made available to the public through a non-exclusive partnership with local ISP OlyPen, which will then share subscription revenues with the City of Port Angeles,” said the city. Port Angeles “will share in the revenues from Metro-Net, helping pay for the ongoing operations and maintenance of the infrastructure for the first responders,” it said. A federal Broadband Technology Opportunities Program grant of $2.6 million helped fund the network, said the city. Port Angeles touts Metro-Net as the “first city-wide wireless network in the state of Washington” and “one of the only wireless networks to share an infrastructure with a separate first-responder public safety network” on its site.
An order to streamline reporting requirements for international phone traffic was taken off the agenda for the FCC’s Oct. 17 meeting, the commission said Monday. The order would have “significantly” reduced filing burdens, the commission had said last month (CD Sept 27 p9).
The FCC fielded more than 50 requests for waivers of its commercial loudness mitigation rules Friday, FCC filings show (http://xrl.us/bnucr3). The bulk are from TV stations and cable systems seeking streamlined financial hardship waivers. Such waivers are deemed granted unless the FCC’s Media Bureau finds a problem with the application and would give applicants another year to comply with the rules, a broadcast industry attorney said. The rules resulted from the Commercial Loudness Mitigation Act.
AT&T’s U-verse and Viacom signed an agreement giving U-verse subscribers access to “TV Everywhere” services from Viacom networks, they said. The deal will let U-verse subscribers watch online episodes from BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Spike, and VH1.
Q3 sales at Gannett’s TV stations increased 38.1 percent from a year earlier to $233 million, the company said. Higher ad sales due to the summer Olympics and retransmission consent helped results, it said. But the largest boost came from $41.7 million in political ad sales. It said it expects Q4 TV sales to be higher than a year earlier by a percentage “in the very high-twenties.” But with political advertising taking up so much inventory, it’s hard to predict exactly what its sales will be, it said.