Today: Congressional Resolution of Disapproval of Broadband Privacy Regulations, FCC Rural Broadband Auctions Task Force, Illinois Office of Cybersecurity and Risk Management, New York RFP for Broadband Program
FCC's Pai and O'Rielly Comment on Signing of Congressional Resolution of Disapproval of Broadband Privacy Regulations
Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioner Michael O’Rielly issued the statements regarding President Trump signing a congressional resolution of disapproval of the FCC’s broadband privacy regulations.
Chairman Pai said:
“President Trump and Congress have appropriately invalidated one part of the Obama-era plan for regulating the Internet. Those flawed privacy rules, which never went into effect, were designed to benefit one group of favored companies, not online consumers.
“American consumers’ privacy deserves to be protected regardless of who handles their personal information. In order to deliver that consistent and comprehensive protection, the Federal Communications Commission will be working with the Federal Trade Commission to restore the FTC’s authority to police Internet service providers’ privacy practices. We need to put America’s most experienced and expert privacy cop back on the beat. And we need to end the uncertainty and confusion that was created in 2015 when the FCC intruded in this space.”
Commissioner O’Rielly said:
“I applaud President Trump and Congress for utilizing the CRA to undo the FCC’s detrimental privacy rules. The parade of horrible trotted out to scare the American people about its passage are completely fictitious, especially since parts of the rules never even went into effect. Hopefully, we will soon return to a universe where thoughtful privacy protections are not overrun by shameful FCC power grabs and blatant misrepresentations.”
FCC Rural Broadband Auctions Task Force
FCC Chairman Pai announced the formation of the Rural Broadband Auctions Task Force to implement the upcoming Universal Service Fund-related auctions. The Task Force will oversee both the Connect America Fund Phase II (CAF-II) and Mobility Fund II (MF-II) auctions. Pai named Chelsea Fallon as Director of the Task Force, with Michael Janson and Kirk Burgee as Deputy Directors. Thom Parisi will serve as the Chief of Staff of the Task Force. Senior leaders from across the agency will also serve on the Task Force, including representatives from the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, the Wireline Competition Bureau, the Office of Strategic Policy and Analysis, the Office of the Managing Director, and the Office of General Counsel. Chairman Pai said, in part, “Commencing these auctions as soon as possible is a top priority for the Commission as we seek to close the digital divide. As with other proceedings, we believe we must engage with the public and be as transparent as possible throughout the duration of these two auctions, including identifying potential problems early on and fixing them ahead of time…”
Illinois Establishes Office of Cybersecurity and Risk Management
The Illinois Commerce Commission announced the establishment of a new Office of Cybersecurity and Risk Management. Through the development of policy, strategy, and best practice sharing, the Office of Cybersecurity and Risk Management is charged with prioritizing and supporting the ongoing efforts of regulated Illinois utilities to protect critical infrastructure from cybersecurity risk and unauthorized access to system and electronic data.
“The growing sophistication of utility-based cybersecurity preparation and ongoing efforts to drive comprehensive situational awareness makes the ICC uniquely positioned to partner with stakeholders and encourage further collaboration,” said ICC Chairman Brien J. Sheahan. “The establishment of the Office of Cybersecurity and Risk Management allows us to do so on a consistent basis and maintain the most proactive infrastructure possible within Illinois.”
New York Releases RFP Broadband Program
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo launched the Request for Proposals for Round III of the New NY Broadband Program, the final round of funding to secure access to high-speed internet for all New Yorkers by the end of 2018. Round III targets all remaining unserved areas across the state, seeking to provide access to high-speed broadband to even the most rural Upstate communities. Round III will consist of two separate, simultaneous auction processes. The majority of the locations in Round III will be addressed through the “New York Auction,” which is modeled after the two previous rounds and will consist solely of state funding. Additionally, the “New York CAF Auction,” will focus on the remaining areas, which are eligible for $170 million in Connect America Funds (CAF) recently allocated to New York State by the FCC.
______________________________________________________
The Regulatory Mix, TMI’s daily blog of telecom related regulatory activities, is a snapshot of PUC, FCC, legislative, and occasionally court issues that our regulatory monitoring team uncovers each day. Depending on their significance, some items may be the subject of a TMI Briefing.
