Today: IoT Paper, Incentive Auction Task Force, Broadband Privacy Rules, CRTC Voter Contact Registry
Department of Commerce IoT Paper
In response to requests for additional time, the Department of Commerce extended until March 13, 2017, the deadline for submitting comments on its green paper “Fostering the Advancement of the Internet of Things.” See the Regulatory Mix dated 1/16/17. The Department is seeking broad input from all interested stakeholders — including the private industry, researchers, academia, and civil society — on the issues and proposed approach, current initiatives, and next steps laid out in the green paper All comments received are a part of the public record and will generally be posted to http://www.ntia.doc.gov/category/internet-policy-task-force without change.
FCC Incentive Auction Task Force
The FCC announced that its Incentive Auction Task Force and the Media Bureau will host a public workshop on March 13, 2017, to review procedures related to the post-auction broadcast transition. The workshop will include presentations and panels focusing on post-auction procedures. Following the auction, the FCC will issue a public notice beginning the 39-month period during which some full power and Class A broadcast television stations must transition to post-auction channel assignments in the reorganized television band.
FCC Broadband Privacy Rules
The FCC announced corrected dates for filing Oppositions to Petitions for Reconsideration of its broadband privacy rules. Oppositions are due March 6, 2017; replies to oppositions are due March 16, 2017. (The Federal Register publication erroneously stated that replies would be due March 14, 2017.) Petitions were filed by Oracle Corporation; the United States Telecom Association; CTIA; the American Cable Association; the Association of National Advertisers et al.; the Competitive Carriers Association; Consumer Technology Association; ITTA—The Voice of Mid-Size Communications Companies; Level 3; NCTA—The Internet & Television Association; and the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association.
CRTC Voter Contact Registry
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) announced that the Voter Contact Registry is now accepting registrations for the federal by-elections. Anyone (including candidates and political parties, corporations, trade associations and other persons or groups) using the services of a calling service provider to call voters during the election will have to register with the CRTC within 48 hours of making the first call. In addition, anyone using their own internal services to make calls to voters using an automatic dialing and announcing device (robocalls) will have to register with the CRTC within 48 hours of making the first call. Registrations to the Voter Contact Registry must be submitted to the CRTC.
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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.
