CenturyLink and Frontier Communications voiced concern to FCC leadership that the agency's proposed framework for business data services wouldn't reflect how carriers negotiate in the BDS market, including for wireless backhaul. "Market conditions have shifted considerably since the FCC’s 2013 data set, which was not accurate and which is now three years old," said a joint filing posted Wednesday on company officials' meetings with FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, Commissioners Michael O'Rielly and Ajit Pai, and various staffers. "We also explained that price regulation will distort and deter competition in the BDS market; prices set too low will preclude competitors from entering the market." They said wireline networks are critical to helping wireless providers meet "exponential" wireless data growth. "In 2015, for the first time, more wireless data traffic was offloaded onto a wired network than data carried over wireless infrastructure and that trend is increasing," the filing said. "The current BDS rulemaking would reduce, not increase, incentives to invest in much-needed wireline fiber-optic infrastructure that provides the foundation for offloading wireless data. We reiterated that it is important that any regime the FCC adopts does not deter investment, especially in rural areas." Also making recent filings in docket 16-143 were Comcast, FairPoint Communications, Incompas, Level 3, USTelecom, Windstream and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D).

CenturyLink and Frontier Communications voiced concern to FCC leadership that the agency's proposed framework for business data services wouldn't reflect how carriers negotiate in the BDS market, including for wireless backhaul. "Market conditions have shifted considerably since the FCC’s 2013 data set, which was not accurate and which is now three years old," said a joint filing posted Wednesday on company officials' meetings with FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, Commissioners Michael O'Rielly and Ajit Pai, and various staffers. "We also explained that price regulation will distort and deter competition in the BDS market; prices set too low will preclude competitors from entering the market." They said wireline networks are critical to helping wireless providers meet "exponential" wireless data growth. "In 2015, for the first time, more wireless data traffic was offloaded onto a wired network than data carried over wireless infrastructure and that trend is increasing," the filing said. "The current BDS rulemaking would reduce, not increase, incentives to invest in much-needed wireline fiber-optic infrastructure that provides the foundation for offloading wireless data. We reiterated that it is important that any regime the FCC adopts does not deter investment, especially in rural areas." Also making recent filings in docket 16-143 were Comcast, FairPoint Communications, Incompas, Level 3, USTelecom, Windstream and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D).

Lawmakers told us a potential revival next year of a 1996 Telecom Act rewrite effort may be better positioned than the effort derailed during this Congress. Capitol Hill Republicans blamed the FCC net neutrality rulemaking for the initiative’s stalling, and it's unknown whether a future rewrite effort can avoid the partisan conflicts that characterized net neutrality debates. One delicate factor in the latest open internet battles involved which Communications Act statutes the FCC should use to address broadband service, laws that could be subject to change in any overhaul of the broader law.

Lawmakers told us a potential revival next year of a 1996 Telecom Act rewrite effort may be better positioned than the effort derailed during this Congress. Capitol Hill Republicans blamed the FCC net neutrality rulemaking for the initiative’s stalling, and it's unknown whether a future rewrite effort can avoid the partisan conflicts that characterized net neutrality debates. One delicate factor in the latest open internet battles involved which Communications Act statutes the FCC should use to address broadband service, laws that could be subject to change in any overhaul of the broader law.

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.