President Barack Obama’s commitment to bringing super-fast broadband to U.S. schools, which got a shout-out during Tuesday night’s State of the Union address, was met with praise from the telecom industry. Obama mentioned a “down payment” supported by Verizon, Microsoft, Sprint and Apple that would help connect 15,000 schools within the next two years, but didn’t go into detail. Statements from some of the companies involved, and interviews with industry officials, hint at an announcement in the coming weeks.

The FCC must find a “coherent approach” to high-cost USF reform in Alaska that recognizes the state’s unique geography, demographics, climate and infrastructure challenges, General Communication told Commissioner Mike O'Rielly and Phil Verveer, senior counselor to Chairman Tom Wheeler, in separate meetings last week, an ex parte filing said (http://bit.ly/1bwlTu6). “Given the extremely large need for universal service support to deploy and sustain modern telecommunications and broadband networks in Alaska, it makes little sense to continue to reduce the total high-cost support to Alaska,” GCI said. “Instead, high-cost reform for Alaska should focus on better targeting that support, tied to the Commission’s broadband deployment objectives.” For example, Phase II of the Connect America Fund could target support to stay away from census blocks where GCI will be an unsubsidized competitor at the end of the wireline competitive eligible telecom carrier support phaseout, said the cable operator, which also provides phone service. It said the commission could also increase the “extremely high-cost threshold for Alaska” to reflect the higher costs of serving those areas. That would also reduce the burden on the limited Remote Areas Funds, said the company.

A move to give states USF money in line with what they pay in to the fund is understandable, but has some troubling implications, said Aspen Institute Fellow Blair Levin Monday in remarks to the Alaska Telephone Association. Levin reacted to legislation introduced in December by Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., which would ensure rural states get back 75 cents of every dollar they pay into the fund (http://1.usa.gov/M6dTts). “The troubling part is that if Senators look at the issue through the lens of their own state and only try to solve for the question of how to get their state more money or find a formula that works best for their own state, we will never improve Universal Service,” Levin said in prepared remarks. “Indeed, it is unlikely that Universal Service will survive, unless, like mythical Lake Woebegone, we can create a situation in which all states are above average in obtaining USF support.” The House Republican leadership is proposing to rewrite the Telecom Act, noted Levin, a Democrat and primary author of the FCC’s 2010 National Broadband Plan: “If the Republicans take the Senate, delivering a bill whose purpose will be dramatic deregulation is not unthinkable.”

Rate-of-return regulated ILECs face “different challenges” than those faced by price cap regulated carriers serving rural areas, NTCA Thursday told aides to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, and aides to Commissioners Ajit Pai and Jessica Rosenworcel, an ex parte filing said (http://bit.ly/1dSGxdJ). Any IP transition experiments must be the subject of “thoughtful review in advance” and then “tailored” to account for critical differences between the different regulatory and statutory frameworks governing universal service distribution in those areas, NTCA said. “It should also be made expressly clear that any experiment would not be intended to disrupt current universal service mechanisms or to prejudge potential updates or modifications to those mechanisms,” NTCA said. The commission should avoid using USF funding to support an experiment that would “overbuild networks already supported by USF resources,” it said: The agency should “preclude any opportunity whatsoever for gamesmanship through creating pairing of purportedly ‘unserved’ and served areas."

The House Commerce Committee will increase its focus on data security, cross-border data flows and the Internet Of Things in 2014, said Vice Chairwoman Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., at a Technology Policy Institute event Wednesday. Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen hopes the FTC will look more at data use instead of data collection, she said at the same event.

The House Commerce Committee will increase its focus on data security, cross-border data flows and the Internet Of Things in 2014, said Vice Chairwoman Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., at a Technology Policy Institute event Wednesday. Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen hopes the FTC will look more at data use instead of data collection, she said at the same event.

The FCC would receive $339.84 million for its salaries and expenses under a consolidated 2014 appropriations deal, lawmakers said this week as details of the legislation were unveiled. The FCC had requested a budget of $359.3 million for FY2014 (http://fcc.us/1aC0J0L). The $1.012-trillion spending package’s details were released in several documents covering how different government branches and agencies are funded by 12 appropriations bills. The continuing resolution and sequestration had left the FCC with $322 million for FY2013, despite a request for $346.8 million for that year (http://fcc.us/1alfuos). “The bill provides that $339,844,000 be derived from offsetting collections, resulting in no net appropriation,” said the explanatory document covering the FCC (http://1.usa.gov/1a4fY4A). It said the total includes $300,000 for “consultation with federally recognized Indian tribes, Alaskan Native villages, and entities related to Hawaiian Home Lands, and $11,090,000 for the FCC Office of Inspector General.” It also included provisions on in-flight mobile services emphasizing that the FCC can determine its rulemaking only from a technical perspective and cannot determine the “social or security implications,” the text said. “The FCC is directed to consult with the Secretaries of Transportation and Homeland Security, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation prior to a final rulemaking,” it said. “The Chairman of the FCC shall keep the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations apprised of any developments in this rulemaking.” There are also administrative provisions for the FCC in sections 510 and 511. The first extends an exemption for the USF and the second prevents the agency from “changing rules governing the Universal Service Fund regarding single connection or primary line restrictions,” it said. The same statement mentions the FTC, which would receive $298 million for salaries and expenses, under the act. NTIA would receive $46 million and the National Institute of Standards and Technology $850 million, according to a different explanatory statement (http://1.usa.gov/1hTJ2xY). “This appropriation is partially offset by premerger filing fees estimated at $103,300,000 and $15,000,000 from fees to implement the Telemarketing Sales Rule,” it said of the FTC appropriations.

The FCC would receive $339.84 million for its salaries and expenses under a consolidated 2014 appropriations deal, lawmakers said this week as details of the legislation were unveiled. The FCC had requested a budget of $359.3 million for FY2014 (http://fcc.us/1aC0J0L). The $1.012-trillion spending package’s details were released in several documents covering how different government branches and agencies are funded by 12 appropriations bills. The continuing resolution and sequestration had left the FCC with $322 million for FY2013, despite a request for $346.8 million for that year (http://fcc.us/1alfuos). “The bill provides that $339,844,000 be derived from offsetting collections, resulting in no net appropriation,” said the explanatory document covering the FCC (http://1.usa.gov/1a4fY4A). It said the total includes $300,000 for “consultation with federally recognized Indian tribes, Alaskan Native villages, and entities related to Hawaiian Home Lands, and $11,090,000 for the FCC Office of Inspector General.” It also included provisions on in-flight mobile services emphasizing that the FCC can determine its rulemaking only from a technical perspective and cannot determine the “social or security implications,” the text said. “The FCC is directed to consult with the Secretaries of Transportation and Homeland Security, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation prior to a final rulemaking,” it said. “The Chairman of the FCC shall keep the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations apprised of any developments in this rulemaking.” There are also administrative provisions for the FCC in sections 510 and 511. The first extends an exemption for the USF and the second prevents the agency from “changing rules governing the Universal Service Fund regarding single connection or primary line restrictions,” it said. The same statement mentions the FTC, which would receive $298 million for salaries and expenses, under the act. NTIA would receive $46 million and the National Institute of Standards and Technology $850 million, according to a different explanatory statement (http://1.usa.gov/1hTJ2xY). “This appropriation is partially offset by premerger filing fees estimated at $103,300,000 and $15,000,000 from fees to implement the Telemarketing Sales Rule,” it said of the FTC appropriations.

LAS VEGAS -- The Internet of Things (IoT) is really about connecting people rather than things, FTC Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen said Wednesday during a speech at CES. Other speakers warned against regulatory hubris and said regulators must exercise a light hand as the Internet of Everything becomes a reality. And stakeholders told us that the FTC can play a significant role in the rapidly developing yet nascent IoT, but details of that involvement remain an open question.

LAS VEGAS -- The Internet of Things (IoT) is really about connecting people rather than things, FTC Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen said Wednesday during a speech at CES. Other speakers warned against regulatory hubris and said regulators must exercise a light hand as the Internet of Everything becomes a reality. And stakeholders told us that the FTC can play a significant role in the rapidly developing yet nascent IoT, but details of that involvement remain an open question.