June 24 Alabama 800 MHz Public Safety Regional Planning Committee meets, 10 a.m., Calhoun County Emergency Operations Center, 507 Francis St. W., Jacksonville -- elinsley@mobilecounty.net
NFL Network hires Lorey Zlotnick, ex-Outdoor Channel, as senior vice president-marketing … Telemundo Media hires Efrain Lopez, ex-BBVA, as senior vice president-strategy, new position … Gannett’s Broadcasting Division hires Elliott Wiser, ex-Bright House Networks, as president/general manager, WTSP St. Petersburg, Fla., succeeding Ken Tonning, retiring … Elemental Technologies multiscreen content delivery firm hires Aslam Khader, ex-Ensequence, as chief product officer … Disney hires Naketha Mattocks, ex-independent film and TV producer, as vice president-original movies, Disney channels … Council for Research Excellence audience-measurement methodology group new members include Jeffrey Graham, Twitter, and Robin Thomas, Tribune Studios/WGN America … Lobbying registration: Mercury Radio, Wiley Rein, effective April 16.
*June 11 Privacy event organized by The Washington Post, 8:30 a.m., 1150 15th St. NW -- http://wapo.st/11KnK8x
Last month’s appeals court decision striking down a National Labor Relations Board requirement that employers post a notification of collective bargaining rights shouldn’t help Verizon in its net neutrality challenge, the FCC told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in a letter filed Thursday in docket 11-1355. Verizon wrote in late May to bring the case to the D.C. Circuit’s attention. The relevance of the case, say attorneys on both sides of the issue, will depend on whether the court agrees with the FCC’s position that broadband ISPs are more akin to conduits than speakers.
The World Telecommunication/ICT Policy Forum (WTPF) ended last week with a consensus among participants on a set of non-binding documents on Internet-related issues (CD May 17 p3). The consensus at WTPF was in contrast to the rancorous end to the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) in Dubai in December. Industry insiders and experts told us it’s unclear if future binding talks on Internet governance issues will produce a consensus as easily.
San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee approved a settlement last week in CTIA v. City and County of San Francisco, said law firm Wiley Rein (http://bit.ly/10QlYDE). It represents CTIA and called the settlement another win in “a series of significant court victories” over the last three years. The case involved San Francisco’s cellphone right-to-know ordinance, designed to inform people of alleged risks of mobile phones. San Francisco officials are ending the ordinance as part of the settlement, the law firm said. A 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel, located in San Francisco, sided with CTIA last fall, and the city’s call for a rehearing en banc was denied this February, it said. The Environmental Working Group slammed this then-pending settlement May 6 (http://bit.ly/10gOqBP): “EWG has been a strong supporter of this groundbreaking ordinance from day one and worked with the city on its implementation,” said Research Director Renee Sharp in a statement. “We are disappointed that residents of San Francisco will not have access to important public health information about radiation emissions from wireless devices at the point of sale. We strongly believe consumers have the right to know about the potential health effects of cell phone radiation and how they can reduce their exposures.” Wiley Rein called these fears “unfounded.”
HERSHEY, Pa. -- The “bad guys” are winning the war against U.S. cyber defenses, telecom lawyers were told Friday at the FCBA retreat. If lawmakers don’t step up their game, some experts said they fear the results could be as disastrous as aiming a ballistic missile at America. Some panelists said the February executive order (CD Feb 14 p1) to strengthen defenses was intended to spur cybersecurity legislation.
Wilkinson Barker hires Scott Blake Harris, ex-Neustar (CD May 3 p14), as managing partner, and will focus on U.S. and international telecom, technology and energy law … Wiley Rein hires Anna Gomez, who recently left NTIA as deputy administrator (CD March 6 p8), as partner, Telecommunications Group … Michael Hartman, senior vice president and general counsel of DirecTV Latin America, adds title of DirecTV corporate secretary and deputy general counsel, as DirecTV Sports Networks hires David Woodman, ex-Motive Television, as general manager, Root Sports network in Rocky Mountain region … Computer & Communications Industry Association hires Matthew Levy, ex-Cloudigy Law, as patent counsel … ViaSat hires Ken Peterman, ex-SpyGlass Group, as general manager-government systems … Craig Moffett, ex-Sanford Bernstein, starts own research firm called Moffett Research, where he will resume covering cable, satellite and telecom industries … Boingo Wireless hires Nick Hulse, ex-Rubicon Project, as president … ScrollMotion, enterprise applications for tablets firm, hires Per Brondum Jakobsen, ex-International Game Technology, as chief product officer … REACH Health telemedicine technology firm hires Brad Lochman, ex-Allscripts, as vice president-sales … Univision Communications promotes Marie Ann Dougherty to vice president-national spot sales, Univision Television Group.
NAB, Verizon Wireless, AT&T and high-technology companies wrote the FCC Friday urging the agency to limit the size of the duplex gap and guard bands built into the new band plan for the 600 MHz band, made necessary by an incentive auction of broadcast TV spectrum. The duplex gap and guard bands were one of the most contentious topics at an all-day workshop on the band plan at the commission Friday.
The longtime former president of NCTA and CTIA Tom Wheeler, President Barack Obama’s nominee to be the next FCC chairman, has a reputation as a tough manager who asks a lot of questions, said industry officials who have worked for him and those who have watched him closely. They said in interviews he will likely have a strong focus on getting things done. Unlike nearly all past chairmen he is not a lawyer, but he comes in with what is probably the most management experience of any FCC chairman ever, industry officials noted. Obama also confirmed (CD May 1 p1) he is designating Mignon Clyburn interim chair, the first woman to lead the FCC.