The FCC Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council approved reports aimed at improving emergency communications in the U.S. Wednesday's meeting was the current CSRIC’s sixth. The FCC is to take up changes to rules for wireless emergency alerts (WEA) at the Sept. 29 commissioner meeting (see 1609080083). None of the reports approved Wednesday was immediately available.
CBP faces a challenging budget environment for ACE as it works to find funding for improvements and new functionalities long desired by the trade community, said Cynthia Whittenburg, deputy executive assistant commissioner at CBP’s Office of Trade, at a National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America conference in Washington Sept. 12. Following completion of “core” ACE in December, the “funding profile” will “adjust downward” as CBP will be legally required to use ACE operations and maintenance funding for operations and maintenance, and will not be able to use the funds for building new capabilities, including for partner government agencies (PGAs). “So when you see in our appropriations and funding, 'ACE,' those dollars are going strictly to fixing bugs and keeping the system running,” she said.
House Communications Subcommittee lawmakers had high hopes Monday for their planned Tuesday votes on the Improving Rural Call Quality and Reliability Act (S-827/HR-2566) and the Anti-Spoofing Act (HR-2669), they said in markup opening statements. Tuesday markup votes are 10 a.m. in 2322 Rayburn. The bipartisan measures “will work to hold the bad actors accountable and protect consumers,” said Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich. “H.R. 2669 will strengthen the Truth in Caller ID Act by going after lawbreakers who seek to harass and defraud consumers.” Upton cited last week’s legislative hearing on the call completion measure (see 1609080080). “Our witnesses expressed support for H.R. 2566 and encouraged us that this bill could produce real results for consumers across rural America,” Upton said. “It’s time we set higher standards for the integrity of our networks, but more importantly, for the benefit of our constituents.” The Democratic staff memo for the markup cited no problems with either measure. HR-2669 “is identical to the language that passed the House under suspension in the 113th Congress,” the memo said. "Both bills address real, identifiable problems, and promote effective solutions" that are "the kind of work that is often overlooked for ‘grander’ undertakings but in the end, have the most impact on the daily lives of our constituents," said Communications Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore. "I’m optimistic that this can make a big difference in the way rural consumers receive their telephone calls," he said of HR-2566. Of HR-2669, Walden said: "This is the second time we’ve looked at this legislation that will provide additional protection for consumers, and I’m hopeful this time we will see it successfully land on the President’s desk. As widespread use of text messaging becomes more prevalent, it is important that we ensure that consumers do not fall victim to ‘spoofing’ attacks where bad actors falsify their phone numbers, often to trick the recipient into providing personal information.”
The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of Sept. 5-11:
House Communications Subcommittee lawmakers had high hopes Monday for their planned Tuesday votes on the Improving Rural Call Quality and Reliability Act (S-827/HR-2566) and the Anti-Spoofing Act (HR-2669), they said in markup opening statements. Tuesday markup votes are 10 a.m. in 2322 Rayburn. The bipartisan measures “will work to hold the bad actors accountable and protect consumers,” said Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich. “H.R. 2669 will strengthen the Truth in Caller ID Act by going after lawbreakers who seek to harass and defraud consumers.” Upton cited last week’s legislative hearing on the call completion measure (see 1609080080). “Our witnesses expressed support for H.R. 2566 and encouraged us that this bill could produce real results for consumers across rural America,” Upton said. “It’s time we set higher standards for the integrity of our networks, but more importantly, for the benefit of our constituents.” The Democratic staff memo for the markup cited no problems with either measure. HR-2669 “is identical to the language that passed the House under suspension in the 113th Congress,” the memo said. "Both bills address real, identifiable problems, and promote effective solutions" that are "the kind of work that is often overlooked for ‘grander’ undertakings but in the end, have the most impact on the daily lives of our constituents," said Communications Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore. "I’m optimistic that this can make a big difference in the way rural consumers receive their telephone calls," he said of HR-2566. Of HR-2669, Walden said: "This is the second time we’ve looked at this legislation that will provide additional protection for consumers, and I’m hopeful this time we will see it successfully land on the President’s desk. As widespread use of text messaging becomes more prevalent, it is important that we ensure that consumers do not fall victim to ‘spoofing’ attacks where bad actors falsify their phone numbers, often to trick the recipient into providing personal information.”
LAS VEGAS -- Commissioner Mignon Clyburn wants the FCC to move forward on a new mobility fund, to pay for wireless buildout in underserved areas. But an aide to Chairman Tom Wheeler said the agency still is considering only what to do next on the fund. Clyburn has been advocating a Phase II, building on Phase I launched five years ago (see 1510080024).
LAS VEGAS -- Commissioner Mignon Clyburn wants the FCC to move forward on a new mobility fund, to pay for wireless buildout in underserved areas. But an aide to Chairman Tom Wheeler said the agency still is considering only what to do next on the fund. Clyburn has been advocating a Phase II, building on Phase I launched five years ago (see 1510080024).
As implementation of core ACE capabilities nears completion, CBP and the trade community “need to keep an eye on” congressional budgets to make sure the resources are in place for improvements after 2016, said Brenda Smith, executive assistant commissioner of CBP’s Office of Trade, at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America Government Affairs Conference on Sept. 12 in Washington. Though completion of core ACE by the Obama administration’s December 2016 deadline is “in the bag,” there is “vast room for improvement,” Smith said. CBP and the trade community need to make sure that ACE is not only the “best of the best” single window in 2016, but continues to be going forward, she said.
FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai sought information on the Lifeline oversight processes of Universal Service Administrative Co. to guard against abuse of the program's enhanced low-income subsidies for tribal consumers. Pai noted Blue Jay Wireless recently settled an Enforcement Bureau investigation by agreeing to take compliance steps and pay back $2 million in "wrongful" tribal support (see 1607150031), which can be up to $25 above the regular Lifeline subsidy of $9.25 per subscriber monthly. Blue Jay didn't verify that its beneficiaries actually lived on tribal lands "even when a subscriber's address made him/her clearly ineligible," Pai said in his latest letter to USAC CEO Chris Henderson. Pai said Hawaii Public Utilities Commission staff discovered the excess payments only when Blue Jay reported more subscribers than the total number of households in the Hawaii home lands. Because Blue Jay's consent decree "suggests that there may be substantial gaps" in federal Lifeline safeguards, he asked Henderson to answer by Sept. 21 a series of detailed questions on USAC's ability to verify eligibility and combat waste and abuse of tribal support.
Barnes & Noble shares fell 4 percent to $11.85 Thursday after the company reported Q1 revenue of $914 million, a 6.6 percent drop from the year-ago quarter. Nook sales -- including content, devices and accessories -- plummeted 25 percent to $41 million, said Chief Financial Officer Allen Lindstrom. Within the Nook segment, content sales fell 19 percent and device and accessories sales tumbled 37 percent for the quarter.