Sharing data to prevent the sale of counterfeit goods online should be a voluntary practice so companies can protect trade secrets, said Patent and Trademark Office Attorney-Adviser Jennifer Blank Thursday. Industry officials warned against stringent regulation that could give e-Commerce giants like Amazon an unfair advantage.
California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) author Alastair Mactaggart warned the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) to reject industry “disinformation” that it will be voluntary to honor users’ browser opt-out signals. The CPPA held its second day of partially virtual hearings Thursday on draft rules implementing CPRA, the successor law to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Consumer privacy groups urged the CPPA not to delay enforcement from Jan. 1, as business groups requested Wednesday (see 2208240067).
The FCC published wireless carrier responses to July letters asking about their data retention and data privacy policies. Privacy advocates said this week they hope the letters lead to a renewed focus by the FCC on data privacy issues (see 2208220054).
Pennsylvania and California commissioners pondered VoIP jurisdictional issues at livestreamed meetings Thursday. Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission Chairman Gladys Brown Dutrieuille dissented as members voted 2-1 for a petition by T-Mobile’s Sprint to discontinue CLEC and interexchange services while continuing VoIP service in the state (docket A-2021-3028993). The California Public Utilities Commission unanimously approved a rulemaking to consider changes to VoIP licensing requirements and other obligations (see 2208190030).
The U.S. hopes its drive for international agreement on a direct-ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) testing ban will be a springboard for crafting international norms for other space operations issues, said Eric Desautels, State Department acting deputy assistant secretary-arms control, verification and compliance, Wednesday. At a conference put on by Aerospace's Center for Space Policy and Strategy and George Washington University's Space Policy Institute. Desautels said the U.S. will try to direct U.N. discussions in coming months toward establishing norms on such issues as purposeful interference with satellite command and control and ASAT testing near other countries' satellites. The U.S. committed in April to not doing direct-ascent ASAT testing (see 2204190057).
Ericsson got support from carriers, and other gear-makers, for its request for a waiver allowing the company to offer a multiband radio across the 3.45 GHz and C bands, both auctioned by the FCC for 5G. The waiver would allow 3.45 GHz emissions within the 3.7-4.0 GHz block to comply with C-band out-of-band emissions (OOBE) levels. Commenters said the change could mean faster deployment of 5G. Comments were posted Wednesday in docket 22-298.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) took enforcement action Wednesday against cosmetics store Sephora under the California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA), as part of a sweep of online retailers. He made the announcement the same day the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) held the first of two public hearings this week on draft regulations for updating the state’s privacy law.
Backers of a bid to fully fund the FCC’s Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program believe appropriations legislation, including a likely continuing resolution to extend federal payments past Sept. 30, is the most viable vehicle for formally allocating the additional money, due to concerns about delayed action on the House-passed (see 2207280052) Spectrum Innovation Act (HR-7624). Senate Commerce Committee leaders are grappling during the August recess with how to respond to HR-7624, which would allocate some proceeds from a proposed auction of the 3.1-3.45 GHz band for rip and replace reimbursements, given disagreements on spectrum policy priorities (see 2208090001).
NTIA “hit a major milestone” in getting every state and territory committed to participating in the agency’s broadband, equity, access and deployment program and digital equity program, said Administrator Alan Davidson during a National Urban League webinar Tuesday (see 2208170031). "The hard work begins” now as states put together their plans, Davidson said. “This is an all-hands-on deck moment,” he said: “We need everybody's help.” The agency is reviewing states and territories’ applications to “be able to start to fund their state planning grants next month,” said NTIA Director-Public Engagement Mark Colon.
A new report by the President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC) says the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency should require all federal agencies to maintain real-time inventories of all operational technology (OT) devices, software systems and other assets they use. NSTAC approved the recommendation as part of a report on “Information Technology and Operational Technology Convergence” during a meeting by telephone Tuesday. DOD already is required to maintain a similar inventory.