Joining TRUSTe is Hilary Wandall, ex-Merck & Co., as general counsel and chief data governance officer ... Coming to Pryor Cashman is Thomas Vidal, ex-Abrams Garfinkel, as partner, Litigation, Media + Entertainment, Intellectual Property and Technology groups ... Birch Communications appoints Chuck Williams, ex-Culhane Meadows, senior vice president-general counsel ... Huawei promotes David He to president, Huawei Enterprise US ... Zayo hires Jack Waters, ex-Level 3, as chief technology officer and president-Network Solutions, effective Aug. 15 ... Cox Media Group promotes Rob Rohr to Ohio market vice president, succeeding Julia Wallace, who announced her retirement earlier this year.
Demand Media hires Dion Camp Sanders, ex-Disney, as executive vice president-marketplaces ... Dev Bootcamp promotes Tarlin Ray to chief operating officer ... Joining TRUSTe is Hilary Wandall, ex-Merck & Co., as general counsel and chief data governance officer ... Coming to Pryor Cashman is Thomas Vidal, ex-Abrams Garfinkel, as partner, Litigation, Media + Entertainment, Intellectual Property and Technology groups ... Birch Communications appoints Chuck Williams, ex-Culhane Meadows, senior vice president-general counsel ... Huawei promotes David He to president, Huawei Enterprise US ... Zayo hires Jack Waters, ex-Level 3, as chief technology officer and president-Network Solutions, effective Aug. 15 ... Predicta, artificial intelligence services firm, names Brian Feucht, ex-Unique Wire, chief revenue officer ... Fitbit hires Adam Pellegrini, ex-Walgreens Boots Alliance, as vice president-digital health, effective Sept. 6 ... Thiel Audio hires Mark Mason, ex-Broadcast Music Inc., as director-music industry relations at Aurora, the company's 4K live streaming studio.
Industry discussions around proposed FCC rules for set-top boxes are focused on apps-based proposals, though pay-TV carriers and proponents of the NPRM disagree what that proposal should be. “It is possible for there to be an app-oriented approach that would achieve the Commission’s goals,” said Public Knowledge in an ex parte filing in docket 16-42 Friday. “The current iteration of the MVPD app proposal is not it.” Meanwhile, multichannel video programming distributor officials have told us the apps-based proposals from PK and Incompas would create the same problems for content security as the NPRM.
Industry discussions around proposed FCC rules for set-top boxes are focused on apps-based proposals, though pay-TV carriers and proponents of the NPRM disagree what that proposal should be. “It is possible for there to be an app-oriented approach that would achieve the Commission’s goals,” said Public Knowledge in an ex parte filing in docket 16-42 Friday. “The current iteration of the MVPD app proposal is not it.” Meanwhile, multichannel video programming distributor officials have told us the apps-based proposals from PK and Incompas would create the same problems for content security as the NPRM.
Pro-competitive reform, including price reductions, "will promote a 'virtuous cycle' of investment and development" in the business data service market, Incompas said in a filing Thursday in docket 16-143. "[A]s the Commission has found -- competition spurs innovations by network providers, which drive end-user demand for more advanced broadband services, which in turn stimulates competition among providers to further invest in their broadband networks and the services offered over those networks," it said. The filing includes a report from WIK-Consult that said price reductions would have "spill-over effects that multiply the benefits" to the rest of society. "In particular, the WIK-Consult Report demonstrates that, in addition to restoring consumer surplus appropriated by incumbent LECs, regulatory reductions in prices for business data services to restore competitive levels would result in a 'reduction in deadweight loss, where increased consumption in response to reducing inflated prices generates societal benefits,'" Incompas said.
Pro-competitive reform, including price reductions, "will promote a 'virtuous cycle' of investment and development" in the business data service market, Incompas said in a filing Thursday in docket 16-143. "[A]s the Commission has found -- competition spurs innovations by network providers, which drive end-user demand for more advanced broadband services, which in turn stimulates competition among providers to further invest in their broadband networks and the services offered over those networks," it said. The filing includes a report from WIK-Consult that said price reductions would have "spill-over effects that multiply the benefits" to the rest of society. "In particular, the WIK-Consult Report demonstrates that, in addition to restoring consumer surplus appropriated by incumbent LECs, regulatory reductions in prices for business data services to restore competitive levels would result in a 'reduction in deadweight loss, where increased consumption in response to reducing inflated prices generates societal benefits,'" Incompas said.
NASHVILLE -- States should get involved in the special access debate over the competitiveness of business data services, a Level 3 official said in a session Tuesday at the 2016 NARUC Summer Committee meetings. The California state commissioner moderating the panel said her state cares about the historically federal issue and is following the FCC proceeding. Taking their expected positions on the panel, industry officials for ILECs and cable said the BDS market is competitive, while CLECs and Sprint backed regulation to spur competition.
Reply comments in the FCC business data service rulemaking are now due Aug. 9. The Wireline Bureau issued an order Thursday extending a July 26 deadline by 14 days. NCTA, USTelecom and ITTA had filed a motion seeking a 21-day BDS reply extension (see 1607190047). "Petitioners cite a number of factors in support of their request, including the voluminous record and a desire for more time to review and consider" a BDS framework proposed by Incompas and Verizon, the bureau order said. "A brief extension will allow parties to provide us with more thorough reply comments that will facilitate the compilation of a complete record in this proceeding, without causing undue delay to the Commission’s consideration of these issues." An NCTA spokesman emailed us: "We appreciate the Bureau's decision to grant this brief extension which will enable parties to participate more fully in this important proceeding." A USTelecom spokeswoman emailed: "We’re pleased the commission recognized the need to allow more time in this complex proceeding. This will give all parties a chance to better analyze the large volume of data, some only recently added to the record." ITTA, Incompas and Verizon had no comment on the extension. Most of the parties also didn't comment on whether there had been discussions to explore the possibility of a broader industry consensus plan -- something NCTA, USTelecom and ITTA had expressed interest in pursuing -- though one representative said he wasn't aware of any such talks.
Reply comments in the FCC business data service rulemaking are now due Aug. 9. The Wireline Bureau issued an order Thursday extending a July 26 deadline by 14 days. NCTA, USTelecom and ITTA had filed a motion seeking a 21-day BDS reply extension (see 1607190047). "Petitioners cite a number of factors in support of their request, including the voluminous record and a desire for more time to review and consider" a BDS framework proposed by Incompas and Verizon, the bureau order said. "A brief extension will allow parties to provide us with more thorough reply comments that will facilitate the compilation of a complete record in this proceeding, without causing undue delay to the Commission’s consideration of these issues." An NCTA spokesman emailed us: "We appreciate the Bureau's decision to grant this brief extension which will enable parties to participate more fully in this important proceeding." A USTelecom spokeswoman emailed: "We’re pleased the commission recognized the need to allow more time in this complex proceeding. This will give all parties a chance to better analyze the large volume of data, some only recently added to the record." ITTA, Incompas and Verizon had no comment on the extension. Most of the parties also didn't comment on whether there had been discussions to explore the possibility of a broader industry consensus plan -- something NCTA, USTelecom and ITTA had expressed interest in pursuing -- though one representative said he wasn't aware of any such talks.
Lobbying spending among some wireless heavyweights is up. CTIA lobbying rose in Q2, to $1.96 million, vs. $1.76 million in last year’s Q2. T-Mobile spent more than $2.1 million in Q2, vs. $1.6 million a year ago. T-Mobile typically has spent aggressively on lobbying, and this is the first quarter in many years that it’s broken the $2 million mark in quarterly lobbying spending. An exception is Q2 2008, when T-Mobile recorded $3.29 million.