Student data at risk because nearly every school district is using third-party vendors for cloud storage and data-driven services, meaning more student data is being shared more widely, said House Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection and Security Technologies Chairman Pat Meehan, R-Pa., at a Wednesday hearing. Are new federal laws needed to protect student data privacy, “or is it simply a matter of all the stakeholders self-policing?” asked Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Chairman Todd Rokita, R-Ind. Meehan and Rokita’s subcommittee’s jointly held the hearing.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is trying to line up votes in favor of E-rate reform for action at the agency’s July 11 open meeting. It’s unclear whether Wheeler will be able to get Republican support for the changes, dedicating $1 billion to Wi-Fi in 2015, industry and agency officials said Tuesday. To that end, Wheeler is emphasizing that his proposal does not increase the E-rate budget, but relies on $2 billion commission staff recently found has been set aside for E-rate but never spent.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is trying to line up votes in favor of E-rate reform for action at the agency’s July 11 open meeting. It’s unclear whether Wheeler will be able to get Republican support for the changes, dedicating $1 billion to Wi-Fi in 2015, industry and agency officials said Tuesday. To that end, Wheeler is emphasizing that his proposal does not increase the E-rate budget, but relies on $2 billion commission staff recently found has been set aside for E-rate but never spent.

The U.S. leads Europe in many broadband metrics, contrary to reports that the European model of service-based competition “outperforms the facilities-based competition in the U.S.,” University of Pennsylvania law professor Christopher Yoo told FCC Commissioners Ajit Pai and Michael O'Rielly in separate meetings June 6, said an ex parte filing posted Monday in docket 14-28 (http://bit.ly/1i5zKRl). Yoo discussed his recent paper finding that a far higher percentage of U.S. households were served by 25 Mbps Internet networks compared with European households. The U.S. approach of promoting facilities-based competition has been more effective in ensuring speedy Internet than the European approach of service-based competition and unbundling, Yoo said. The U.S. approach promotes broadband investment, while the European approach has the opposite effect, Yoo said, citing figures of $562 worth of broadband investment per U.S. household versus $244 per European household. Yoo released his study earlier this month, and it was funded by Broadband for America, which represents ISPs and other high-technology companies (WID June 5 p5).

The U.S. leads Europe in many broadband metrics, contrary to reports that the European model of service-based competition “outperforms the facilities-based competition in the U.S.,” University of Pennsylvania law professor Christopher Yoo told FCC Commissioners Ajit Pai and Michael O'Rielly in separate meetings June 6, said an ex parte filing posted Monday in docket 14-28 (http://bit.ly/1i5zKRl). Yoo discussed his recent paper finding that a far higher percentage of U.S. households were served by 25 Mbps Internet networks compared with European households. The U.S. approach of promoting facilities-based competition has been more effective in ensuring speedy Internet than the European approach of service-based competition and unbundling, Yoo said. The U.S. approach promotes broadband investment, while the European approach has the opposite effect, Yoo said, citing figures of $562 worth of broadband investment per U.S. household versus $244 per European household. Yoo released his study earlier this month, and it was funded by Broadband for America, which represents ISPs and other high-technology companies (CD June 5 p3).

More than six weeks after passage, the text of the Connect America Fund order was released Tuesday (http://bit.ly/1pl9HHQ). Many of the changes to the CAF order (CD June 9 p7) were primarily focused on responding to Commissioner Ajit Pai’s dissent, FCC officials told us. An FCC spokesman declined to comment on the internal editing process or whether substantive changes were made, but said the fact sheet given to reporters at the April meeting “accurately reflects the final draft.”

More than six weeks after being approved, the text of the Connect America Fund order was released Tuesday. Many of the changes to the CAF order over the past six weeks (WID June 9 p4) were primarily focused on responding to Commissioner Ajit Pai’s dissent, FCC officials told us. An FCC spokesman declined to comment on the internal editing process or whether substantive changes were made, but said the fact sheet given to reporters at the April meeting “accurately reflects the final draft.”

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision upholding the FCC 2011 USF/intercarrier compensation order (CD May 27 p1) (http://1.usa.gov/1r18uaa) won’t have an immediate impact on state utilities commissions that had been taking administrative steps to incorporate the order in rules, particularly reductions in intrastate access rates, said officials at NARUC and several regulatory commissions in interviews. Barring an appeal and a reversal, there could be long-term ramifications, they continued to caution, by weakening the authority of state regulators, while forcing the commissions to deal with the order’s ramifications. Ohio, where Middle Point Home Telephone Co. is seeking state permission to raise residential rates by nearly a half in response to the FCC order, is an early example, said David Bergmann, a National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates attorney on its 10th Circuit petition for review of that order. State interests or perhaps other losers have indicated an appeal is all but certain (CD May 28 p3).

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision upholding the FCC 2011 USF/intercarrier compensation order (WID May 27 p6) (http://1.usa.gov/1r18uaa) won’t have an immediate impact on state utilities commissions that had been taking administrative steps to incorporate the order in rules, particularly reductions in intrastate access rates, said officials at NARUC and several regulatory commissions in interviews. Barring an appeal and a reversal, there could be long-term ramifications, they continued to caution, by weakening the authority of state regulators, while forcing the commissions to deal with the order’s ramifications. Ohio, where Middle Point Home Telephone Co. is seeking state permission to raise residential rates by nearly a half in response to the FCC order, is an early example, said David Bergmann, a National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates attorney on its 10th Circuit petition for review of that order. State interests or perhaps other losers have indicated an appeal is all but certain.

The Association of Public Television Stations (APTS), the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Public Broadcasting Service are analyzing what steps to pursue at the FCC to address its decision not to restrict incentive auction bids based on potential loss of TV service, said an APTS executive. APTS, CPB and PBS bemoaned the FCC’s rejection of the proposed restriction in its order outlining the framework of the auction. NAB also argued that the order doesn’t ensure that commercial and public TV stations won’t have to pay out of pocket for forced relocations. The order was released last week (CD June 3 p1).