The American Enterprise Institute’s Center for Internet, Communications and Technology Policy, University of Nebraska College of Law and the FCC plan a workshop Sept. 10-12 on “Regulating the Evolving Broadband Ecosystem,” AEI said in a news release. Attendance is by invitation only for the conference at FCC headquarters. AEI asked those who are interested in taking part to submit abstracts of papers to be discussed at the workshop (http://bit.ly/Uua1aA). Among the topics are whether the FCC’s “light touch” approach to Internet regulation is working.

The FCC seeks comment on the North American Numbering Council’s recommendation that Ericsson subsidiary Telcordia, doing business as iconectiv, be the next local number portability administrator (LPNA). That was as expected (CD June 10 p2). Comments in docket 09-109 are due July 10, replies July 25. NANC members unanimously recommended Telcordia as the next administrator, with one abstention, in its closed March 26 meeting, the FCC said in its public notice (http://bit.ly/1l4PgMh). NANC’s recommendation addressed how the LNPA should be selected, including the methodology and criteria that should be used; the cost differential among vendor national proposals; and transition costs and risks, the notice said. NANC also forwarded “investigative reports” in response a Wireline Bureau request that NANC respond to allegations of unfairness. NANC’s recommendation and accompanying reports were submitted confidentially, as were vendor submissions on technical, pricing and other proprietary information. A Telcordia spokesman said it looks forward to a “prompt” decision once the comment period ends. “A broad cross-section of carriers agrees that the selection ... needs to be finalized so that both consumers and providers can realize the benefits, including material cost savings,” he said. A spokeswoman for current LNPA Neustar declined to comment.

It’s in the “best interests of consumers and competition that the FCC exercises its power to preempt state laws that ban or restrict competition from community broadband,” FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said in a blog post Tuesday (http://fcc.us/1oKfEfA). “Given the opportunity, we will do so.” Competitions works “when it is allowed to,” Wheeler said. “Throughout the country where we have seen competitive broadband providers come in to a market, prices have gone down and broadband speeds have gone up. No wonder incumbent broadband providers want to legislate rather than innovate,” Wheeler said. Removing restrictions on community broadband “can expand high-speed Internet access in underserved areas, spurring economic growth and improvements in government services, while enhancing competition,” Wheeler said. Wheeler met Monday with Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke to examine that community’s broadband network. An investment by Chattanooga in community broadband has helped ensure all its citizens have Internet access, and made the city “a hub for the high-tech jobs people usually associate with Silicon Valley,” Wheeler said. The network was built “out of necessity” as local phone and cable companies “chose to delay improvements and broadband service to the Chattanooga area market,” Wheeler said. Adjoining communities have asked the Chattanooga mayor to join the network but they can’t because of Tennessee state law restricting the city from expanding its network’s footprint, Wheeler said. “Community broadband there hasn’t always been a success,” Wheeler said. “But a review of the record shows far more successes than failures. If the people, acting through their elected local governments, want to pursue competitive community broadband, they shouldn’t be stopped by state laws promoted by cable and telephone companies that don’t want that competition.” An FCC spokesman told us in late April it would announce an approach for challenging bans on community broadband by mid-May (CD April 29 p3).

The administration should move quickly to name the U.S. ambassador to next year’s World Radiocommunication Conference, FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly said Monday on the agency’s blog. Even if not officially appointed until later, the ambassador “should be identified as soon as practicable,” O'Rielly said (http://fcc.us/TACgno). “Doing so will allow that person to begin the complex task of working with all stakeholders to develop concrete positions.” An early decision is also important because the U.S. needs to coordinate its positions with other nations, he said. FCC commissioners also should play a larger role in WRC preparation, he said. Retired cable executive Decker Anstrom was U.S. ambassador to the 2012 conference, the last WRC and other only one during the Obama administration. The WRC runs Nov 2-27, 2015.

The Telecommunications Industry Association board is looking for a new top executive and has hired a major head-hunter firm to identify and vet candidates, industry officials told us Friday. One official from another trade association said the apparent goal is not to replace current TIA President Grant Seiffert, but to divide the job so the group would have both a president and a CEO. A wireless industry official said TIA appears to be searching for a high-profile executive, such as a former member of Congress or FCC commissioner. Seiffert has been at TIA since 1996, according to his official biography. He replaced Matt Flanigan, a former industry CEO, as president of TIA in January 2007. TIA’s annual conference was in Dallas Tuesday through Thursday. A spokeswoman had no comment.

Free State Foundation President Randolph May is raising questions about one part of the net neutrality rulemaking notice, the use of presumptions in the decision-making process. The FCC seeks comment on the use of rebuttable presumptions “as a tool to focus attention on the likely impacts of particular [ISP] practices,” May said in a blog post: The problem is the commission is thinking about presumptions in the wrong way, “exactly backwards.” The FCC asks whether it should “adopt a rebuttable presumption that broadband provider conduct that forecloses rivals (of the provider or its affiliates) from competing in the marketplace is commercially unreasonable?” May said (http://bit.ly/1jV4EFT). “The Commission is posing the question in a way that presumes an answer that almost certainly will restrict broadband Internet providers’ business practices."

CTIA, NCTA and USTelecom jointly asked the FCC to “proceed expeditiously” in selecting a new Local Number Portability Administrator, but to keep cost savings in mind. Providers have been raising concerns about the “escalating costs” of the Number Portability Administration Center (NPAC) databases since 2005, the associations said. The cost will increase by 6.5 percent in 2014 under the current contract’s terms. “Our members -- and ultimately all voice customers -- are the ones paying this sizeable bill,” the groups said. The current contract expires June 30 “and our members are hoping to achieve material cost savings at that time, regardless of which vendor is selected,” they said. The letter was filed in docket 95-116.

The government continues to make progress toward the administration’s goal of identifying 500 MHz of spectrum for broadband by 2020, NTIA said in a report released Thursday. NTIA said between October 2010 and September 2013 it identified up to 405 MHz for broadband (http://1.usa.gov/1xe9U1I). NTIA cited: 15 MHz in the 1695-1710 MHz band, 100 in the 3550-3650 MHz band, 95 in the 1755-1850 MHz band, and 195 MHz in the 5350-5470 MHz and 5850-5925 MHz bands. The AWS-3 auction is government’s top priority at this point, NTIA said. “The focus for the next 12 months will be to engage industry and government stakeholders to ensure a smooth transition of the 1695-1710 MHz and 1755-1780 MHz bands as the FCC approaches the auction for these bands,” the agency said. NTIA also discussed the importance of expanded Wi-Fi in the 5 GHz band and a final rule on 3.5 GHz spectrum, targeted for sharing and small cell use. “America’s future competitiveness and global technology leadership depend on access to radio spectrum -- the lifeblood of smartphones, tablets, and other data-hungry wireless devices,” NTIA said in a news release (http://1.usa.gov/1kNHEci).

The FCC clarified that FY 2014 application fees kick in July 3, instead of June 6, as had been previously announced, in a public notice Wednesday (http://bit.ly/1kD2NKW).

Correction: Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., isn’t running for his Senate seat this year, choosing to retire at the end of his term instead, nor is he a member of the Commerce Committee (CD June 4 p5).