While dozens of FCC staffers are working on various parts of pending net neutrality rules, a few insiders, most with long ties to Chairman Tom Wheeler, are considered to be the key go-to officials as the agency moves forward. Two names that came up the most in interviews about key insiders at the FCC are Jon Sallet, FCC general counsel, and Philip Verveer, senior adviser to the chairman. One longtime wireline lawyer described the two as “first among equals” as rules are taking shape.

While dozens of FCC staffers are working on various parts of pending net neutrality rules, a few insiders, most with long ties to Chairman Tom Wheeler, are considered to be the key go-to officials as the agency moves forward. Two names that came up the most in interviews about key insiders at the FCC are Jon Sallet, FCC general counsel, and Philip Verveer, senior adviser to the chairman. One longtime wireline lawyer described the two as “first among equals” as rules are taking shape.

After facing criticism for its Electronic Comment Filing System’s inability to handle a record-setting deluge of public comments, the FCC said publicly for the first time Thursday night that it's working on several changes for ECFS. One fix could speed up the system as soon as late November, the FCC's spokeswoman told us. Eventually, the agency wants to move toward a cloud-based system, she said. That would help avoid the limitations of the FCC's own servers, which have limited memory.

After facing criticism for its Electronic Comment Filing System’s inability to handle a record-setting deluge of public comments, the FCC said publicly for the first time Thursday night that it's working on several changes for ECFS. One fix could speed up the system as soon as late November, the FCC's spokeswoman told us. Eventually, the agency wants to move toward a cloud-based system, she said. That would help avoid the limitations of the FCC's own servers, which have limited memory.

Godehard Guenther, 75, audio industry pioneer and founder of Analog + Digital Systems (a/d/s/) in Wilmington, Massachusetts, and Soundmatters in Reno, Nevada; died Oct. 16 at the Miriam Boyd Parlin Hospice Residence in Wayland, Massachusetts, from gastric cancer, said a Soundmatters statement.

The Competitive Carriers Association lauded Reps. Bob Latta, R-Ohio, and Peter Welch, D-Vt., for their call for revamped Mobility Fund rules. “I couldn’t agree more that consumers in rural areas deserve the same access to high speed mobile broadband as their urban counterparts,” said President Steve Berry in a statement (http://bit.ly/1nmiYj0) about a letter the lawmakers sent Tuesday to the FCC. “The job of building mobile coverage in rural America is not yet done. I cannot stress enough the importance of Universal Service Fund (USF) support for competitive carriers maintaining and expanding their coverage areas, especially smaller carriers with limited resources in a challenging competitive and economic environment.” As the FCC looks at its Mobility Fund rules, it should "continue to work to fulfill the obligations required in Section 254 of the 1996 Telecommunications Act in order to deliver a 21st century rural wireless infrastructure that allows our communities to take advantage of the endless opportunities within a mobile society," Latta and Welch said in their letter. They cautioned against "scattered or inconsistent" wireless service for rural consumers. The FCC should “recognize the numerous benefits of mobile broadband services” and “ensure that all consumers -- whether urban, suburban or rural -- have the opportunity to access high speed data and voice coverage,” Berry said.

The Competitive Carriers Association lauded Reps. Bob Latta, R-Ohio, and Peter Welch, D-Vt., for their call for revamped Mobility Fund rules. “I couldn’t agree more that consumers in rural areas deserve the same access to high speed mobile broadband as their urban counterparts,” said President Steve Berry in a statement (http://bit.ly/1nmiYj0) about a letter the lawmakers sent Tuesday to the FCC. “The job of building mobile coverage in rural America is not yet done. I cannot stress enough the importance of Universal Service Fund (USF) support for competitive carriers maintaining and expanding their coverage areas, especially smaller carriers with limited resources in a challenging competitive and economic environment.” As the FCC looks at its Mobility Fund rules, it should "continue to work to fulfill the obligations required in Section 254 of the 1996 Telecommunications Act in order to deliver a 21st century rural wireless infrastructure that allows our communities to take advantage of the endless opportunities within a mobile society," Latta and Welch said in their letter. They cautioned against "scattered or inconsistent" wireless service for rural consumers. The FCC should “recognize the numerous benefits of mobile broadband services” and “ensure that all consumers -- whether urban, suburban or rural -- have the opportunity to access high speed data and voice coverage,” Berry said.

The information and communications technologies (ICT) sector is now substantially aware of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Cybersecurity Framework and is working to align it with often-robust existing cyber risk management practices within the sector, industry stakeholders told NIST in filings released through Tuesday. That level of awareness also extended into state governments, state agencies said. NIST sought feedback from stakeholders within critical infrastructure sectors about the “Version 1.0” framework, which it released in February 1402130026. Comments were due Friday.

The information and communications technologies (ICT) sector is now substantially aware of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Cybersecurity Framework and is working to align it with often-robust existing cyber risk management practices within the sector, industry stakeholders told NIST in filings released through Tuesday. That level of awareness also extended into state governments, state agencies said. NIST sought feedback from stakeholders within critical infrastructure sectors about the “Version 1.0” framework, which it released in February 1402130026. Comments were due Friday.

The Seattle Citizens’ Telecommunications and Technology Advisory Board (CTTAB) is moving ahead with its review of the feasibility of municipal broadband in concert with the city government’s moves to figure out the best path forward after its partnership with the University of Washington and the now-defunct Gigabit Squared failed earlier this year. Seattle announced plans in December 2012 to launch a fiber network in 12 neighborhoods (WID Dec 14/12 p7), but Mayor Ed Murray said in January that the partnership was dead due to persistent funding and debt issues with Gigabit Squared (http://bit.ly/1vON5PL).