Two tech associations are applauding President Donald Trump's creation of the White House Office of American Innovation (OAI) that will led by son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner. In a news release Monday, Kushner said OAI will bring a "creative and strategic approach" to people's problems. Software & Information Industry Association Senior Vice President-Public Policy Mark MacCarthy said in a Tuesday statement that OAI will prioritize technological innovation at the highest level. He said it's important for "policies to keep pace with the rise of big data, the Internet of Things, and more recently, the emergence of Artificial Intelligence." In a Monday statement, Information Technology Industry Council President Dean Garfield said bringing innovation and data-driven efficiencies into government operations is welcome. "Fresh thinking can spark new solutions to old problems, an approach that is deeply engrained in the tech industry," he said.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said he will look into a nationwide number portability report and recommendations of the North American Numbering Council. At a meeting of NANC Tuesday, Pai was asked about potential commission action on the NANC's May 2016 findings, which cited hurdles to nationwide number portability and proposed the FCC do a detailed inquiry on cost, payment and tax issues, possible uniform 10-digit dialing, potentially negative fallout for state regulators and other matters (see 1605170007). “I’ll be candid, we haven’t yet taken a look at it," Pai said. "We’re still somewhat green on the job, just a couple months, so we’re still getting our bearings, meeting with various bureaus about some of the things that have been outstanding. But I will be happy to take a look and we’ll see what action we might be able to take.” Pai hailed NANC as ensuring “impartial administration" of the North American Numbering Plan. “Numbering resources are a finite and scarce resource," he said. "It’s also a critical aspect of our nation’s communications infrastructure. So making those resources available on an efficient and timely basis to communications service providers is essential to a vibrant and dynamic communications marketplace.” He said he appreciated the group's historic role and current focus "on matters such as local number portability, including the first transition of the LNP [administrator] since 1997; an examination of the feasibility and the obstacles to nationwide number portability; an annual evaluation of the vendors who provide number administration services, and changes to the annual numbering contribution factor. So you’re not just doing make-work; this is serious and complex work. ... Despite the fact that you labor in some highly technical thickets, your recommendations, your expertise help us navigate through those thickets and at the end of the day help the American telecom consumer have a much more efficient and seamless experience. They may never know about your work in this room in going forward, but they’ll all benefit from it in the years to come.”

Fifty-nine percent of pay-TV subscribers in U.S. broadband households are bothered that advertisers use personal viewing data to tailor advertisements, said Parks Associates in a release Monday. Forty percent of pay-TV subscribers also “worry about the safety and use of their personal data when they use an online video service,” while 34 percent of U.S. pay-TV subscribers said they trust online video services more than they trust their current pay-TV provider, the researcher said. Such concerns are likely to increase after the FCC and the Senate’s recent action on ISP data privacy, Parks said. “A majority of consumers are concerned about the safety and privacy issues created by these practices, so advertisers and pay-TV providers need to be transparent about their data collection and protection of consumers’ information,” the firm said. “Privacy fears are a major factor in broadband consumers’ online media experiences.”

The FCC warned consumers of what it’s calling “can you hear me?" scams. Commissioner Mignon Clyburn mentioned the scams last week as she and colleagues voted on taking up illegal robocalls (see 1703230035). “The scam begins when a consumer answers a call and the person at the end of the line asks, ‘Can you hear me?’” the agency said in a Monday consumer alert. “The caller then records the consumer's ‘Yes’ response and thus obtains a voice signature. This signature can later be used by the scammers to pretend to be the consumer and authorize fraudulent charges via telephone.”

The FCC should approve the takeover of Neustar by a new owner, Aerial Investors, a company run by Golden Gate Capital, said Neustar, Golden Gate (also called Golden Gate Private Equity) and Hux investment in a reply posted Monday in docket 95-116. They noted only three parties commented on Neustar's approval request: North American Portability Management, Telcordia/iconectiv -- which is replacing Neustar as local number portability administrator (LNPA) -- and Betty Ann Kane, chairman of the D.C. Public Service Commission and the North American Numbering Council, speaking on her own behalf (see 1703100049). "The NAPM does not object to Neustar’s request," the reply said. "Although Telcordia and Ms. Kane raise questions about Neustar’s new owners and the transition of the [LNPA] responsibilities, such questions are misplaced and do not justify any delay or conditioning of the Request’s approval." The reply said none of the initial comments "question the neutrality of Neustar and its ultimate controlling owner, Golden Gate Capital," as post-acquisition they "satisfy all three prongs" of FCC rules. Other arguments raised are "misguided" or "beyond the scope of this proceeding," the reply said.

The FCC TV incentive auction is slated to finally end Thursday. The assignment phase of the auction, the longest FCC auction in history, started March 6 and is expected to conclude by Thursday, said a February public notice. The FCC has been doing four bidding rounds per day, with 74 assignment rounds expected, said the notice. The FCC isn't providing updates and has posted two announcements since the phase began, both dealing with the winter storm that threatened the Washington area two weeks ago. The agency announced March 14 bidding was continuing as scheduled despite the storm.

FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn released a final version of her #Solutions2020 call to action plan which grew out of a series of visits she made across the U.S. Clyburn emphasized broadband affordability and other proposed policy calls in the plan, during a conference at the Georgetown Law School in October (see 1610190044). The FCC sought comments, filed in January (see 1701120045). “The work of ensuring affordable access to communications to all Americans may or may not ever be fully realized, but we should never fail to try,” the document said. “Twenty years ago, an average family of four paid for two fixed telephone lines and dial-up Internet access. Now that same family MAY have a fixed phone in the home accompanied by a broadband internet connection, along with two or more mobile voice and data lines. This means that the number of services purchased in order to keep up with the Joneses, has risen in cost so much, that for the lowest-income Americans who can barely afford one device or service, the digital divide continues to widen.” Recommendations include that the FCC must do better job of engaging with Tribal governments. “The FCC’s Office of Native Affairs should be empowered as a standalone Office with its own budget that is sufficient to proactively engage with Tribes on important issues of communications policy,” the call to action said. Clyburn backs passage a number of bills, including Mobile Now on spectrum. The commission should set aside more spectrum for unlicensed use, the plan said. “Despite the amount of spectrum that the FCC has auctioned over the years, there are too many areas in this country -- most notably rural areas and low income urban communities -- that do not have the number of choices for broadband providers that most Americans enjoy,” the plan read. “Unlicensed spectrum has and must continue to play a role in helping to close this gap.” Clyburn released the final version at the SouthEast Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors conference Monday in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

The FCC posted the illegal robocalls NPRM and notice of inquiry approved by commissioners Thursday (see 1703230035). “We begin a process to facilitate voice service providers’ blocking of illegal robocalls, which represent an annoyance -- and often worse -- for consumers,” the notice in docket 17-59 said. “We propose rules that would allow providers to -- on their customers’ behalf -- block the illegal robocalls that can bombard their phones at all hours of the day, in some cases luring consumers into scams (e.g., when a caller claims to be collecting money owed to the Internal Revenue Service) or leading to identity theft.” Comments will be due 45 days after publication in the Federal Register, replies 30 days later.

The FCC issued an item that seeks to improve the video relay service program that helps the deaf and hard of hearing communicate. The 82-page VRS text contains a report and order, notice of inquiry, Further NPRM and order adopted Thursday by commissioners 3-0 (see 1703230055). The orders authorize voluntary trials on the use of specialized and deaf interpreters, and make other targeted changes. The FNPRM proposes to set a new four-year schedule of VRS provider compensation rates, which have been cut under the current schedule ending on June 30. The commission sought comments by April 24, replies May 4 on various rate proposals and "service-based routing" and "research and development" issues. Small providers have proposed raising their compensation rates but cutting further the highest-volume rate targeting Sorenson Communications, the largest provider. Sorenson proposed "less regulatory" market-based mechanisms. Comments on all other matters in the notices will be due 45 days after Federal Register publication of a summary, replies 30 days later.

AT&T won't directly or indirectly communicate or seek out competitively sensitive information from any multichannel video programming distributor, except for a lawful purpose, under the draft settlement (in Pacer) between it and DOJ filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. The settlement -- which would end a 2016 lawsuit calling AT&T-owned DirecTV the ringleader of an information-sharing cabal of MVPDs trying to negotiate with regional sports network SportsNet LA (see 1611020034) -- also requires that the company institute an antitrust training and compliance program for executives and workers involved in content carriage negotiations, and name an antitrust compliance officer. In a statement, acting Assistant Attorney General-Antitrust Division Brent Snyder said, “When competitors email, text, or otherwise share confidential and strategically sensitive information with each other to avoid competing, consumers lose." AT&T in a statement said it was "pleased to have resolved the matter to the satisfaction of all parties."