September 2015

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler and Commissioner Mignon Clyburn ask their fellow commissioners to consider an item that will ensure that the rates for inmate calling services (ICS) are just, reasonable, and fair for all types of calls: local, long distance, and international.

Under the leadership of Commissioner Clyburn as acting chair, in 2013 the FCC capped interstate calling rates, reining in high rates for long-distance calls across state lines. Now, in partnership with Commissioner Clyburn, Chairman Wheeler is proposing to cap rates for ALL ICS calls -- local, long distance, and international -- while limiting or banning excessive fees on calls. These new caps reduce the average rates for the vasts majority of inmate calls substantially, from $2.96 to no more than $1.65 for a 15-minute intrastate call, and from $3.15 to no more than $1.65 for a 15-minute interstate call.

At the National Telecommunications & Information Administration, we are focused on ensuring that the Internet remains an open engine for economic growth, innovation, and free speech. In the United States, we have seen first-hand how the open Internet is helping our economy and society. It has created a dynamic and growing digital economy that is producing jobs across the income spectrum. It has transformed how we look for jobs, learn, and socialize. But the open Internet also presents significant challenges.

The growth of sophisticated malware and other cybersecurity threats, the need to protect the privacy of Internet users and the mounting online theft of intellectual property online have challenged governments’ ability to balance these important interests with the equally important need for openness. Governments are increasingly feeling compelled to do something they see as meaningful -- if not outright drastic -- to protect their citizens and their businesses from these threats. As such, we stand ready to assist the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development with this important work. Promoting and preserving an open Internet is a top priority for the Commerce Department, as evidenced by our broad representation at this workshop.

In the wake of devastating breaches of sensitive government data, is it time for the White House to appoint a high-level official whose sole responsibility is hunting down cyber intruders in federal agency networks? That’s what Richard Bejtlich, chief security strategist for FireEye, told members of the House Armed Services Committee during a hearing on Sept 30.

For more than a decade, the federal government has had a federal chief information officer, and President Barack Obama fulfilled a campaign by appointing the first US chief technology officer in 2009. But high-profile cyber incidents at the Office of Personnel Management, the Postal Service, the State Department and even the unclassified networks at the White House haven’t led to a grand rethink of the government’s cyber org chart. “This is similar to the situation of many private sector businesses before a breach, but after a breach they quickly change,” Bejtlich said. “Thus far, the government has not changed. We still don't have a US [Chief Information Security Officer].”