Legislators from both parties doubted a Capitol Hill deal on net neutrality is possible in the near term. But the lawmakers from the House and Senate were upbeat on privacy action, at a Politico forum Thursday. Privacy is also a priority for President Barack Obama, said U.S. Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra.
The FCC still plans to move forward on net neutrality rules, Chairman Julius Genachowski said Wednesday without specifying the timing or the legal basis. “We have terrific, smart lawyers trying to figure out the best way, the best basis on which we can rest rules, number one” he said at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco. “That will happen. The other thing is, we've been doing a lot of work to make sure we get the rules right,” so they promote “innovation and investment throughout the ecosystem.”
The FCC still plans to move forward on net neutrality rules, Chairman Julius Genachowski said Wednesday without specifying the timing or the legal basis. “We have terrific, smart lawyers trying to figure out the best way, the best basis on which we can rest rules, number one” he said at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco. “That will happen. The other thing is, we've been doing a lot of work to make sure we get the rules right,” so they promote “innovation and investment throughout the ecosystem.”
ATLANTA -- The Rural Utilities Service will help the FCC carry out the National Broadband Plan, revamp the Universal Service Fund and accomplish other goals, Administrator Jonathan Adelstein said Tuesday at the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners conference.
ATLANTA -- The FCC is “moving forward strongly on implementation of the National Broadband Plan,” including fixing the spectrum, intercarrier compensation and Universal Service Fund systems, said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, speaking at a NARUC annual meeting for the first time. Two areas in which innovation is essential are broadband and the smart grid, said Commerce Secretary Gary Locke. NTIA has identified government spectrum for commercial broadband, he said. (See separate story in this issue.)
The FCC no longer appears likely to take on Universal Service Fund and intercarrier compensation proposals at its Dec. 15 meeting, FCC officials said last week. With USF likely off the agenda until the new year, it’s unclear what will be on the agenda at the last open meeting of 2010.
Rural Utilities Service Administrator Jonathan Adelstein gave a vote of confidence to the FCC’s National Broadband Plan, the service announced in a news release on Wednesday. Adelstein offered RUS’ data on its broadband grants experience to help shape deployment policy. All but 4 of the 480 groups that borrow money from the RUS receive Universal Service Fund support for its efforts, the RUS announced.
The FCC’s order Friday that requires nomadic VoIP providers to pay into state Universal Service Funds and federal USF could lead to more regulatory activities in some states, officials said in interviews. The order (CD Nov 8 p2) had been expected since September, when Kansas and Nebraska amended their petition to the FCC by deleting language that would have allowed states to assess fees retroactively.
Despite common stands on issues such as net neutrality, the four top candidates to chair the House Commerce Committee chose different initiatives to sponsor or co-sponsor in the past three congressional sessions.
The urgency to solve privacy and security problems, the rise of mobile broadband use that leads to capacity crunches, and the emergence of digital media all call for the government to step up its efforts to better protect consumers, encourage investment and ensure the diversity of content, officials said at the Global Forum at George Washington University Monday.