Posts Tagged ‘Internet’
FCC Advisory Council Announces Cybersecurity Recommendations
Posted on March 23, 2012The FCC’s Communications, Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council (CSRIC) has adopted and announced its recommendations for voluntary action by Internet service providers (ISPs) to combat major cyber security threats. CSRIC is a federal advisory committee that provides recommendations regarding the security, reliability, and interoperability of the nation’s communications system. CSRIC endorsed industry-based recommendations in each of three cybersecurity areas, including (i) a voluntary U.S. Anti-Bot Code of Conduct for Internet Service Providers to reduce the threat of botnets in residential networks; (ii) Domain Name System best practices to combat spoofing, which can allow Internet criminals to fraudulently obtain credit card numbers and personal data from users; and (iii) an industry framework to prevent Internet route hijacking, which is the erroneous routing of Internet traffic through potentially untrustworthy networks.
White House Unveils Regulatory Framework for Consumer Privacy
Posted on March 1, 2012The White House has released a report comprising the Obama Administration’s regulatory framework for U.S. consumer privacy in the information age. The report, entitled “Consumer Data Privacy in a Networked World: A Framework for Protecting Privacy and Promoting Innovation in the Global Digital Economy,” emphasizes four key elements: (i) a Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights, (ii) a multi-stakeholder process to apply the principles found in the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights, (iii) enforcement, and (iv) increasing international interoperability. The Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights applies globally recognized Fair Information Practice Principles to the interactive and interconnected environment in which Americans live and work today. The report calls on Congress to adopt the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights as a legal baseline for consumer data privacy regulation. The report also outlines a multi-stakeholder process as a self-regulatory one in which the private sector develops and administers guidelines as a first line of enforcement, but also federal and state agencies would intervene with enforcement actions against unfair or deceptive acts or practices. The federal government would also have a hand in promoting interoperability with international privacy frameworks.
FCC Adopts IP Video Captioning Rules
Posted on January 24, 2012The FCC has adopted new closed captioning rules that will apply to IP delivered video programming as required by the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA). Prior to adoption of the CVAA, the Commission’s closed captioning requirements applied only to television programming provided by TV broadcasters and programming considered comparable to broadcast television (e.g., satellite cable programming). The new rules adopted by the Commission will require certain video programming distributed over the Internet or using Internet protocol to be more accessible to hearing impaired persons. The captioning requirement will be phased in over the next two years. The rules also require that by January 1, 2014, equipment manufacturers must include the capability to decode and pass through closed captioning on certain equipment, including devices that are designed to receive and play back video programming, (e.g., smartphones, tablets, personal computers and television set top boxes) and recording devices and removable media players.
Net Neutrality Rules Take Effect November 20, 2011
Posted on October 6, 2011The FCC has published the full text of its Open Internet Order in the Federal Register. Accordingly, the FCC’s net neutrality rules, adopted in December 2010, are now scheduled to become effective on November 20, 2011. Among the rules scheduled to take effect is a requirement that providers of both fixed and mobile broadband services must make a detailed disclosure of the network management practices, performance characteristics and terms and conditions of their broadband services.
FCC Announces Comment Dates in IP Video Captioning Proceeding
Posted on September 28, 2011The FCC has established comment dates in connection with its rulemaking proceeding to impose closed captioning rules on video services that are delivered using Internet protocol. Comments in that proceeding are due on or before October 18, 2011 and reply comments on or before October 28, 2011.