Congress and Cuba will need to make their intentions clear before it will be evident how much of an effect President Barack Obama’s plan to restore diplomatic ties and some commercial ties with Cuba (see 1412170053) will have on the U.S. communications sector’s presence in that island nation, telecom industry lawyers told us. The White House partially focused Obama’s announcement of the plan on how it could increase Cubans’ access to telecom and the Internet, but Wednesday’s announcement alone does little to advance beyond previously announced changes in U.S. telcos’ ability to connect with Cuba, the lawyers said.
A report by the Commerce Department's Economics and Statistics Administration says there's plenty of Internet service competition, but only at relatively low speeds. At 10 Mbps and higher, competition drops off sharply, the report released Wednesday said. But the report drew fire from both free market advocates and those pushing a more active role for the government in promoting broadband competition.
Wiley Rein promotes Scott Weaver to co-chairman, Public Policy Practice, of which he leads day-to-day operations ... Antel Communications, started last year to provide mobile devices, hires Saeed Saatchi, ex-Samsung Telecommunications, as chief operating officer, new position ... PCTel promotes Shelley Bacastow to vice president-general counsel, succeeding Varda Goldman, effective Jan. 1; Goldman to be vice president-legal transition officer in 2015 and retire at the end of next year ... Minnesota Public Utilities Commission promotes Dan Wolf to executive secretary, succeeding Burl Haar, retiring ... Lobbyist registrations: NerdWallet, online finance firm, Monument Policy Group, effective Nov. 1 ... Viiad Systems, healthcare technology firm, Brownstein Hyatt, effective Nov. 1.
AT&T's argument that it approves of net neutrality rules, though not under Communications Act Title II, is “disingenuous,” said Cogent Communications CEO Dave Schaeffer on a panel sponsored by The Capitol Forum Tuesday. ISPs want to be able to create “slow lanes” to be able to say “the only way to get normal speeds” is to have a direct relationship with the ISP, Schaeffer said, advocating a Title II net neutrality approach.
Senate approval of FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly’s renomination may well be at play despite the 113th Congress winding down this week. Senate Commerce Committee ranking member John Thune, R-S.D., said he has fought for this approval and hasn’t lost faith, with the Senate now operating well after observers initially believed all of Capitol Hill would recess.
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and his staff have largely maintained radio silence in recent weeks on what’s next on net neutrality and such key questions as when the agency will take up an order or whether the commission will first seek specific comment on reclassifying broadband as a Title II Communications Act service with broad forbearance. Wheeler also has provided little guidance to the other commissioner offices, agency officials said.
Global Capacity hires Vic Pierni, ex-Verivo Software, as chief financial officer ... At WE tv, AMC Networks promotes Suzanne Gladstone Murch to vice president-original programming, new position, and hires as vice presidents-development Angela Molloy and David Stefanou ... National Hispanic Media Coalition hires Elizabeth Ruiz, ex-staff attorney to judges on Virginia's Chesapeake Circuit Court, as policy counsel ... Wiley Rein promotions include: to partners Matthew Dowd, in the Intellectual Property, Appellate, and Litigation practices; Stephen Obermeier, Litigation, Appellate, White Collar Defense & Government Investigations, Government Contracts, and Communications practices; and Brett Shumate, Appellate, Litigation, and Communications practices; and to of counsel: Rachel Hunnicutt, Intellectual Property and Food & Drug Law practices; and Joan Stewart, Communications Practice ... Charter Communications hires Jodi Robinson, ex-Starz Entertainment, as senior vice president-user experience design and development.
The AWS-3 auction, which has brought in provisionally winning bids of more than $41 billion so far, could be a game changer for the TV incentive auction, taking pressure off the auction to pay for FirstNet and other expenses that must be recovered through auction proceeds, industry officials said in interviews Friday. Government officials said, even after taking out the costs of relocating government incumbents and other costs, the AWS-3 auction should easily pay the $7 billion startup costs of FirstNet, plus smaller funds for public safety research, 911 grants and other costs that must paid for through auctions under the 2012 law that authorized the incentive auction.
Akin Gump hires David Turetsky, ex-FCC International Bureau, as partner, public law and policy practice, to work on areas including cybersecurity ... Wiley Rein hires Shawn Chang, ex-aide to House Commerce Committee Democrats, as of counsel, Public Policy Practice, where he will work with communications, technology and other clients ... MPAA Executive Vice President-Content Protection and Chief of Operations Michael Robinson retiring in March 2015; Dean Marks, Warner Bros. Entertainment, hired as executive vice president, deputy general counsel and chief-global content protection, effective at beginning of next month ... HSN Inc. hires Jeffrey Kuster, ex-Fruit of the Loom, as president, Cornerstone, and executive officer, HSNi ... Cox Media Group promotes Paul Briggs to vice president-general manager, WHBQ-TV Memphis.
Incoming ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao of China isn’t expected to shake up the organization, Internet governance experts told us in recent weeks. Some ITU critics are wary of how the Chinese government, which has restrictive Internet policies, could influence Zhao’s leadership, but many in the telecom industry consider Zhao a “friend,” said David Gross, a Wiley Rein lawyer. Zhao was elected at last month’s ITU Plenipotentiary (see 1410240047), receiving 152 votes of the 156 member countries that were present at the ITU. Zhao will succeed Mali’s Hamadoun Toure as ITU secretary-general Jan. 1.