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September 2013

FTC Seeks Public Comment on Imperium, LLC, Proposal for Parental Verification Method Under COPPA Rule

The Federal Trade Commission is seeking public comment on a proposed verifiable parental consent method that Imperium LLC has submitted for FTC approval under the agency’s Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule.

Under the rule, online sites and services directed at children must obtain permission from a child’s parents before collecting personal information from that child. The rule lays out a number of acceptable methods for gaining parental consent, but also includes a provision allowing interested parties to submit new verifiable parental consent methods to the FTC for approval. In a Federal Register notice to be published shortly, the FTC is seeking public comment about the proposed Imperium verifiable parental consent method. The comment period will last until Oct. 9, 2013.

Rivals want to review new Google concessions in EU antitrust probe

Looking to settle a nearly three-year-long probe into allegations it abuses its dominance in Europe to favor its own services, Google has offered new concessions to the European Commission.

Competitors complained a previous offer from Google to end the investigation into whether the technology giant stifles competition in online advertising in Europe did not adequately address their concerns. They are demanding to review the new concessions. A lawyer for the lobbying group FairSearch said: "Given the failure of Google to make a serious offer last time around, we believe it is necessary that customers and competitors of Google be consulted in a full, second market test."

EU Wants More Concessions From Samsung in Patent-Abuse Case

Samsung is going to have to work a little bit harder if it hopes to settle accusations that it misused standards-essential patents to bolster its market position in Europe. The European Commission said that it has told Samsung that the concessions it has offered aren’t enough to resolve allegations that the company failed to honor its obligation to license standards.

Workshop On Issues Surrounding the Reassignment of TV Stations After the Incentive Auction

Federal Communications Commission
September 30, 2013
10:00 a.m.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-13-1874A1.pdf

In the workshop, panelists will discuss: 1) the categories of reimbursable costs broadcasters might incur as a result of the repacking; and 2) how broadcasters can coordinate among themselves to mitigate costs and ensure the most efficient transition to new frequencies.

Agenda

10:00 a.m. Welcoming Remarks – Acting Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn Commissioner Ajit Pai

10:15 a.m.-11:15 a.m. Panel 1: Categories of Reimbursable Costs Incurred by Broadcasters

  • Moderator, Rebecca Hanson, Senior Advisor, Broadcast Spectrum, FCC Media Bureau
  • Joe Davis, President, Chesapeake RF Consultants
  • Jane Mago, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, National Association of Broadcasters
  • Peter Starke, Vice President, Broadcast, American Tower
  • Joe Zuba, National Sales Manager, Dielectric

11:15 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Break

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Panel 2: Strategies to Promote Transition Coordination and Cost Mitigation Among Broadcasters

  • Moderator, Bill Lake, Chief, FCC Media Bureau
  • Mark Aitken, Vice President, Advanced Technology, Sinclair Broadcast Group
  • David Donovan, President, New York State Broadcasters Association
  • Erin Dozier, Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, National Association of Broadcasters
  • Robert Kelly, Partner, Squire Sanders
  • Lonna Thompson, Executive Vice President, Association of Public Television Stations

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED

Workshop On E911 Phase II Location Accuracy

Federal Communications Commission
October 2, 2013
Much more info here: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-13-1873A1.pdf

On October 2, 2013, the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau will host a public workshop to discuss recent developments in the use of wireless technology to contact emergency services. The workshop will explore current trends that may be affecting the provision and quality of 911 location information delivered to Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), including the increased volume of wireless 911 calls and the increase in wireless calls originating from indoor locations.

9:30 a.m.: Welcoming and Opening Remarks

9:45 a.m.: Overview of Technical Process for Generation and Delivery of E911 Location Information (Presentation by Intrado Corporation)

10:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.: Topic 1: Improving E911 Location Information
Moderator: David Furth, Deputy Chief, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau

Presentations: Public Safety Perspectives (10:00 – 10:30 am)
Presentations: Wireless Carrier Perspectives (10:30-11:00 am)

11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.: Break

Roundtable Discussion (11:15 a.m. -12:30 p.m.)

12:30 – 1:30 p.m.: Lunch

1:30 – 3:30 p.m.: Topic 2: Advancements in Location Information Technologies
Moderator: Henning Schulzrinne, Chief Technology Officer, FCC

Presentations: (1:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.)

2:15 -2:30 p.m.: Break

Roundtable Discussion (2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.)


September 12, 2013
9 am - noon
at the National Academies of Science
Washington, DC
http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ostp/pcast/meetings/future

Tentative Agenda

9:00 am Welcome from PCAST Co-Chairs
John Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology; Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP); Co-Chair, PCAST
Eric Lander, Co-Chair, PCAST

9:05 am President’s Second Term Management Agenda
Todd Park, United States Chief Technology Officer, Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)

9:35 am Anti-Microbial Resistance
Thomas Frieden, Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

10:30 am Break

10:45 am Sustaining Environmental Capital: Making it happen
Ann Bartuska, Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education & Economics, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Sally Ericsson, Associate Director for Natural Resources, Energy and Science, Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

11:45 am Public Comment

12:00 pm Adjourn


Can this mockumentary make the public care about Network Neutrality?

A Q&A with filmmaker Gena Konstantinakos .

A coalition of over a dozen organizations, including Free Press, Public Knowledge, ColorOfChange, Center for Media Justice, and Future of Music Coalition are joining to launch a “leaked” mockumentary about Network Neutrality to coincide with the opening arguments in Verizon v. Federal Communications Commission called “The Internet Must Go.” The mockumentary is a short film that tells the story of John Wooley who is a market researcher who has been dispatched to help the big Internet service providers sell their vision of a faster, cleaner Internet. He embarks on this journey earnestly, though misguidedly, believing that he’s doing something great, and he’s finally doing an important job. Over the course of his journey he meets with some really brilliant people, and one by one they help him to understand why his mission is really pretty misguided. Then he ventures to North Carolina where interacts with people who live in communities that are stifled by a lack of broadband altogether and who have attempted to build community broadband. And that’s ultimately where he has a change of heart. The film is 29 minutes and 59 seconds, which is what I hope is a very clickable length, and we’re releasing it for free on the Internet to coincide with the oral arguments in Verizon v. FCC.

NY Times Editor Joins Yahoo News as Editor in Chief

Yahoo News has poached Megan Liberman from The New York Times to serve as the news portal's editor in chief.

Liberman most recently was deputy news editor at the Times, where she was a regular presence on the newspaper's original video content, especially during the 2012 political campaign. At Yahoo, she will "lead a major expansion of Yahoo News" that includes original reporting, video and lives events, according to the company. In a statement, Robert Barrett, VP of Yahoo News and finance, called Liberman a "dynamic addition to the Yahoo News team." Liberman fills the position most recently held by Hillary Frey, who left in March for NBC News.

David B. Robbins Rejoins FTC as Executive Director

Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Edith Ramirez announced that David B. Robbins has rejoined the agency as Executive Director, having been managing director/chief operating officer for the Federal Communications Commission and associate administrator for the Small Business Administration’s Office of Management and Administration. He previously served as an assistant director, attorney, and senior program manager in the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. Robbins earned a JD from Seton Hall University School of Law and a bachelor degree from Rutgers University. The Office of Executive Director is responsible for the administration and management of the Commission.

Will Transparency Help Big Data Face Down Its Critics?

Big data has a big problem. They're the lifeblood of a marketing industry bent on efficiency and accurate targeting, but data-mining companies have for decades operated under a shroud of mystery and are not so easily trusted when it comes to consumers and privacy activists. Data giant Acxiom is aiming to quell concerns with a little transparency in the hopes that it will pacify lawmakers threatening to curb the industry's practices and preempt heightened consumer concern about data security and privacy.

Acxiom's solution -- the just-launched website AboutTheData -- invites visitors to enter their names, addresses, and the last four digits of their social security numbers to access a portal that reveals the information the company has gathered on them. The initiative addresses a call made by Federal Trade Commissioner Julie Brill, who has been prodding the data industry to be more forthcoming about what it knows and how it operates. Her cautious praise could inspire other data firms to embark on similar projects aimed at transparency and appeasing government.

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