Members of the committee expressed concerns over how the bill would affect the ability of civil regulatory agencies to carry out enforcement. Ranking Member Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, cited recent concerns expressed by SEC Chairman Mary Jo White. According to White, “the vast majority of cases at the SEC are not criminal and therefore would be outside the scope of ability to obtain a warrant, effectively limiting enforcement,” Grassley said. Grassley urged committee members to consider “an amendment to allow a judicial standard for civil matters akin to a criminal search warrant.” Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., urged the committee to “be really careful, because it’s a big decision we're about to make."

Neustar isn’t happy about what it says is a lack of transparency and responsiveness in the number portability administrator bidding process. In a letter sent to the FCC and the North American Portability Management (NAPM) co-chairs Wednesday, Neustar said it objected to NAPM’s decision to retroactively extend the deadline for submission of responses to the 2015 request for proposal (RFP). “Extending the deadline after it had already passed unfairly favors the very bidder or bidders who lacked the wherewithal to comply with basic procedural requirements."

Assistant U.S. Trade Representative-Intellectual Property and Innovation Stan McCoy is optimistic that negotiators of the Trans-Pacific Partnership can come to a “world-class result” for “strong and balanced” intellectual property protection, despite ongoing debate over the rigidity of those protections, he said Thursday. The countries negotiating the treaty are committed to reaching an agreement, he said, saying he believes the negotiations can conclude this year.

CEA President Gary Shapiro offered his “two cents” on the necessary quality for the next chairman of the FCC Thursday, starting with solid experience in industry. Meanwhile, speakers at an Information Technology and Innovation Foundation event said the next FCC chairman needs to establish an agenda early on and communicate what that agenda is.

House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., said there is “plenty of blame to go around” but the current data on the program “doesn’t paint a picture of success,” in his opening remarks. He said the Lifeline fund grew 226 percent since 2008 and, in 2012, the FCC spent $2.2 billion on the program. “Specifically, it spent $2.2 billion of your money, my money -- virtually every American’s money -- since the Lifeline program and the entire Universal Service Fund is paid for through a charge on phone bills,” he said. “We are spending large sums of money and probably squandering much of it.”

Another $300 million round of Connect America Fund Phase I money is set to be doled out, as outlined in an order circulated Wednesday by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, agency officials said. The order would maintain the existing benefit of $775 per location for unserved homes available in the first round of Phase I funding last year, while extending eligibility to additional homes that have low-speed Internet such as legacy 1.5 Mbps service, officials said. Those locations will be eligible for an amount somewhat lower than $775, they said. Funding will be available exclusively in areas where no unsubsidized competitors offer service, officials said.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., skewered advertisers for “dragging their feet … purposely” in developing voluntary do-not-track standards, during a committee hearing Wednesday. Rockefeller told reporters after the hearing he feels “very strongly” that legislation is needed to ensure that citizens’ privacy decisions are respected.

The House Judiciary Committee plans a “comprehensive series of hearings” to determine whether U.S. copyright laws are working in the digital age, said Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., at an event Wednesday. Goodlatte told us he didn’t have specifics on the content of the hearings, but the committee will seek advice from all interested parties and then “we will be very aggressive about it.” He believes “a wide review of our nation’s copyright laws and enforcement mechanisms is timely,” and expects a flood of input from a variety of perspectives, Goodlatte said at a Copyright Office event celebrating World Intellectual Property Day.

Samsung’s Galaxy S4 powerhouse smartphone, targeted for delivery this week, is already causing market confusion before release by most carriers. Following online reports of delays in the much-hyped launch of the Samsung Galaxy S4 via Sprint and T-Mobile due to supply problems, Sprint confirmed in a news release Wednesday that it will be “slightly delayed” with its full product launch of the phone due to “unexpected inventory challenges from Samsung.”

Arguing that the commission overstepped its bounds when it required eligible telecom carriers to use USF support to provide broadband service, the carriers claimed Congress didn’t delegate Title II authority to the FCC to regulate broadband. Section 254(b), which the FCC relied on for jurisdiction, is “clearly” not a jurisdiction-conferring provision, the carriers wrote. “Congress conferred no jurisdiction by its references to ‘advanced telecommunications and information services.’ It merely stated principles to guide the FCC in exercising its authority.” In its response, the FCC argued that argument was “not properly before the court because it was not first presented to the FCC.” The commission also attacked petitioners’ “unsound” argument.