While the government focuses heavily on finding a solution to toughen protections against adversaries in cyberspace, there are key issues in cyber defense that need to be a bigger part of the dialogue, said technology security experts and analysts in interviews. The threat from adversaries backed by some nation states and veering away from a strictly “perimeter defense” model should inform the path to a solution, they said. The gaps in understanding how to truly defend networks are due to the fact that it’s still a comparatively new issue, said Larry Clinton, Internet Security Alliance president. “You have the problem that the cybersecurity issue is rapidly evolving,” he said. Because of the shift in the nature of cyber attacks, the government and private sector “must alter how we think about cyber attacks."
A proposed decision by the FCC to send AT&T’s buy of T-Mobile to an administrative law judge is expected to put more pressure on AT&T to reach a settlement with the government, industry and government officials tell us. AT&T officials have a meeting set up with the Department of Justice Monday to discuss a possible settlement (CD Nov 23 p1). A meeting that had been scheduled for Monday of this week was cancelled at the last minute.
Google and Microsoft continue to take a different view than the MPAA on whose duty it ought to be to ensure subscription-video and broadcast TV programming is captioned when it’s sent online using Internet Protocol. The companies and the association reported in docket 11-154 (http://xrl.us/bmjc36) on meetings with staffers in the FCC bureaus working on an order to require such captions. Internet companies want the responsibility for ensuring traditional video programming is captioned when it goes online to lie with video program owners, while those representing VPOs, including the MPAA, want the responsibility to be with TV stations and multichannel video programming distributors.
The wait for rules on aeronautical mobile satellite services (AMSS) hasn’t particularly hurt the in-flight satellite broadband industry, executives said. But the FCC proceeding, which began in 2005, deserves to be wrapped up to give regulatory certainty for such services, they said. The International Bureau is largely finished writing the rules, said an executive.
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski recommended Tuesday that AT&T’s proposed purchase of T-Mobile be set for hearing before an administrative law judge (ALJ). Genachowski recommended in a second order that the FCC approve with conditions AT&T’s purchase of 700 MHz spectrum from Qualcomm. He circulated the orders Tuesday morning — three weeks before the Dec. 13 FCC meeting — though they won’t necessarily be subject to a public vote by commissioners at the meeting, an FCC official said.
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski did not schedule a vote on broadband outage reporting requirements for the Dec. 13 meeting agenda, according to an announcement by the FCC late Tuesday. Instead of adopting mandatory outage reporting based on quality-of-service metrics (CD Nov 8 p1), the commission is now working on “voluntary” reporting requirements in the case of “hard down” broadband outages, according to telecom officials and an ex parte filing by AT&T. It’s unlikely that any order will be on the January agenda, either, telecom officials told us. FCC spokesman Neil Grace declined comment.
Pyramid Communications said in a filing at the agency that the FCC should begin a rulemaking on the use of 170-172 MHz spectrum, and possibly other bands, for vehicular repeater systems (VRS). VRS units, the size of a large textbook, have long been used by police, firefighters and other first responders to extend the reach of first responder radios inside buildings. But Pyramid, a VRS manufacturer, said there’s not enough spectrum available in many areas. In October, the Public Safety Bureau asked for general comments after Pyramid filed a petition for rulemaking.
Career FCC staffers are gearing up work toward a draft order to make TV station and subscription-video shows be captioned when they're transmitted using Internet Protocol. They're facing a Jan. 12 deadline to finish the rules on IP captioning. The forthcoming order has been the subject of debate among various industry stakeholders. Issues include whether video programming distributors (VPD) or video programming originators (VPO) should be responsible for captions, whether there should be technical standards, and the threshold for device size to require them to display IP captions, according to industry executives and agency officials.
The FCC will take on the contribution side of Universal Service Fund reform early next year, with an order likely by mid-year, FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell predicted Monday during a question and answer session at an Federal Communications Bar Association lunch. McDowell said he has a commitment from Chairman Julius Genachowski to move forward quickly following the commission’s approval last month of an order reforming the distribution side of the USF (CD Oct 28 p1). “The chairman and I have talked,” he said. “Certainly, we have to do something."
Backed by a coalition of groups that includes the AARP, an alternate telecom deregulation bill in New Jersey was introduced Monday during the state legislature’s lame duck session. AARP claimed the bill (S-3062) offers better consumer protection than the Verizon-backed deregulation bill (S-2664) that stalled earlier this year. Calling the alternate bill “a giant leap backwards,” Verizon said it continued its communications with the legislature and the governor’s staff to address issues raised by critics of the earlier bill.