Research agencies aren’t taking ownership of cybersecurity research within their areas of speciality, board member Fred Schneider, Cornell University computer science professor, told federal Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra, during a meeting of NIST’s Information Security and Privacy Advisory Board. Chopra disagreed with his assessment, at least amongst top-level officials, but said he would consider the feedback. Schneider said he sees two types of cybersecurity issues -- fairly “vanilla” issues that any researcher can look at and application-specific issues that require some knowledge of a speciality. In the power grid, for example, knowledge of the mechanics of electricity enables one to cause a lot of damage, yet “virtually no one” in the cybersecurity research world understands how it works, Schneider said. But agencies like the Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health “categorically deny” their responsibility to fund discipline-specific cybersecurity research, he said. They believe DHS will take care of it, he said. Chopra said he disagrees. He cited his service on the Health IT Standards Committee, which is recommending embedding security standards in the definition of meaningful use. Language in the notice of funding for the smart grid also makes clear that security will be part of the discussion, he said. In addition, he said, he’s meeting with Energy Secretary Steven Chu today and cybersecurity will be one of the topics.

The FCC’s inspector general is investigating the Universal Service Fund low-income program and plans to submit a report to the commission and Congress, acting Inspector General David Hunt said Tuesday. In a letter to various committee chairmen and ranking members in the House and Senate, he said his office has withdrawn the previous IG’s December finding that all payments by the program were incorrect, because it may not provide a “meaningful and accurate” picture.

The FCC should deny AT&T’s call for a Universal Service Fund contribution revamp, said the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association. AT&T filed a petition this month seeking “immediate commission action” on a plan from the carrier and Verizon for a pure numbers-based mechanism, in light of this quarter’s all-time high 12.9 percent contribution factor (CD July 14 p5). In an ex parte notice Tuesday, the NTCA accused AT&T of “attempting to create a false emergency in an effort to apparently spur premature FCC action so that AT&T may reduce or eliminate its USF contribution obligations prospectively through future regulatory arbitrage.” The NTCA said a 12.9 percent contribution factor is nothing to complain about, because it produces a phone bill that’s “a tiny fraction of a consumer’s monthly budget.” Using phone numbers for contribution ignores the movement to broadband, it said. “The AT&T proposal is backwards-looking, technology-biased, and will dramatically shift the burden of paying for universal service onto incumbent and competitive local exchange carriers and wireless carriers … while relieving interexchange, broadband and other types of providers of the obligation of paying for universal service.” The FCC should keep its current revenue-based contribution mechanism and change it slightly to take new technologies into account, the NTCA said. The FCC could achieve widespread broadband deployment in five to 10 years if it added broadband as a supported USF service and expanded the contribution base to all broadband and special-access transport providers, it said.

The interim cap on the Universal Service Fund has stunted wireless growth in North Carolina, Virginia and other states, said the Rural Cellular Association. In a letter last week to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowksi, RCA criticized a June 19 letter by the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates that said the cap has caused little harm. “NASUCA is more concerned about how much consumers pay into the fund rather than ensuring that rural consumers receive the benefits that the fund was intended to deliver,” the rural group said. “We think the latter, especially in the current economy, should be of paramount importance to the Commission and that the interim cap is frustrating Congressional objectives set forth in Section 254 of the Act.” In North Carolina, for example, the cap is cutting $23 million in USF subsidies annually, the rural association said. “As a result, wireless carriers serving the state are being forced to cancel or delay plans for new cell site construction.” The association played down the cost to consumers of removing the cap, saying the increase to USF fees on phone bills would be “pennies to low volume users … and negligible to high volume users.” The FCC has no authority to say what contribution factor is too high, it said. “Congress has never stated what level of contribution factor is unacceptable, and it is the province of Congress, not the FCC, to make such a determination.”

The FCC is expected to be running with five commissioners within a week, after paperwork is done and Democrat Mignon Clyburn and Republican Meredith Baker are sworn in, commission officials said. The Senate approved their nominations Friday. It has been more than six months since the FCC had five commissioners in place. Former Republican Deborah Tate left Jan. 5. Chairman Kevin Martin resigned Jan. 20 as the Obama administration took over.

The FCC is expected to be running with five commissioners within a week, after paperwork is done and Democrat Mignon Clyburn and Republican Meredith Baker are sworn in, commission officials said. The Senate approved their nominations Friday. It has been more than six months since the FCC had five commissioners in place. Former Republican Deborah Tate left Jan. 5. Chairman Kevin Martin resigned Jan. 20 as the Obama administration took over.

Verizon Wireless said it would support legislation or an FCC rule mandating roaming agreements under certain conditions for a minimum of two years. The commitment came in a letter it sent to House Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., late Wednesday. Waxman didn’t have a response to the letter, a spokeswoman said Thursday. Verizon said its offer came after a “dialogue” with committee staff on in-market roaming arrangements. Waxman wants carriers to expand roaming, he’s made clear at hearings and in past legislation.

Oral argument by the FCC and Core Communications on the company’s appeal of the commission’s Nov. 5 order on ISP- bound traffic compensation is set for Oct. 16, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit said Monday. The argument is a sequel to the D.C. Circuit case last year that set off a whirlwind of debate over still-pending overhauls for intercarrier compensation and the Universal Service Fund.

Oral argument by the FCC and Core Communications on the company’s appeal of the commission’s Nov. 5 order on ISP- bound traffic compensation is set for Oct. 16, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit said Monday. The argument is a sequel to the D.C. Circuit case last year that set off a whirlwind of debate over still-pending overhauls for intercarrier compensation and the Universal Service Fund.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski and Commissioner Robert McDowell exchanged letters discussing proposals for agency reform. Meanwhile, Genachowski’s office is asking all companies and groups that seek meetings with the chairman’s office to fill out a five-question form explaining the purpose of the visit and how they have reached out first to the various bureaus and offices prior to meeting with the chairman.