Opponents of the FCC net neutrality order face an uphill appellate battle, commission supporters told us Wednesday. A day earlier, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld the order that reclassified broadband as a Title II telecom service under the Communications Act (see 1606140023). The stakeholders doubted a potential appeal to the Supreme Court would be successful and were even more dubious about the prospects of an en banc appeal to the D.C. Circuit, adding to appellate skepticism expressed by others on both sides of the battle Tuesday (see 1606140040).

The Consumer Video Choice Coalition supports an FTC-suggested proposal to address privacy concerns about the FCC’s set-top box proceeding by requiring third-party box makers to promise consumers they will abide by the same privacy rules as the pay-TV industry, said an ex parte filing posted Friday. Officials from CVCC member entities Google, Hauppauge, Incompas, Public Knowledge and TiVo announced their support of the plan in a Tuesday meeting with the FCC Chief Technologist Scott Jordan and staff from the Office of General Counsel and Media Bureau, the filing said. The FTC proposal would require the third-party box makers to certify they have promised consumers to respect their privacy, allowing the FTC to enforce that promise under its mandate to prevent companies from engaging in defensive practices. Certification could also keep third parties from altering channel placement, the filing said. “The Coalition representatives also affirmed that a two-year time frame as provided for in the NPRM is appropriate for developing open standards solution(s) in accordance with the proposed rules.”

The Consumer Video Choice Coalition supports an FTC-suggested proposal to address privacy concerns about the FCC’s set-top box proceeding by requiring third-party box makers to promise consumers they will abide by the same privacy rules as the pay-TV industry, said an ex parte filing posted Friday. Officials from CVCC member entities Google, Hauppauge, Incompas, Public Knowledge and TiVo announced their support of the plan in a Tuesday meeting with the FCC Chief Technologist Scott Jordan and staff from the Office of General Counsel and Media Bureau, the filing said. The FTC proposal would require the third-party box makers to certify they have promised consumers to respect their privacy, allowing the FTC to enforce that promise under its mandate to prevent companies from engaging in defensive practices. Certification could also keep third parties from altering channel placement, the filing said. “The Coalition representatives also affirmed that a two-year time frame as provided for in the NPRM is appropriate for developing open standards solution(s) in accordance with the proposed rules.”

A group of Capitol Hill Democrats defended the FCC set-top box rulemaking Thursday during a news conference featuring multiple officials affiliated with the Consumer Video Choice Coalition. Opponents of the NPRM, including the Future of TV Coalition, have been outspoken in recent weeks, with Democrats and Republicans outlining concerns and calling for pause.

A group of Capitol Hill Democrats defended the FCC set-top box rulemaking Thursday during a news conference featuring multiple officials affiliated with the Consumer Video Choice Coalition. Opponents of the NPRM, including the Future of TV Coalition, have been outspoken in recent weeks, with Democrats and Republicans outlining concerns and calling for pause.

DALLAS -- The FCC approach under Chairman Tom Wheeler to competition was attacked as a Telecommunications Industry Association conference was drawing to a close Wednesday. In what TIA CEO Scott Belcher billed as the only time the policy chiefs of the big three ISPs gathered on one stage simultaneously, two of those executives, from AT&T and Comcast, had harsh words for a variety of competition-related rules. And the third ISP policy chief, from Verizon, said Washington gets it wrong on some broadband customer take-up issues.

DALLAS -- The FCC approach under Chairman Tom Wheeler to competition was attacked as a Telecommunications Industry Association conference was drawing to a close Wednesday. In what TIA CEO Scott Belcher billed as the only time the policy chiefs of the big three ISPs gathered on one stage simultaneously, two of those executives, from AT&T and Comcast, had harsh words for a variety of competition-related rules. And the third ISP policy chief, from Verizon, said Washington gets it wrong on some broadband customer take-up issues.

Incompas CEO Chip Pickering defended T-Mobile’s zero-rated Binge On program as within the spirit of net neutrality rules, in a letter Friday to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. T-Mobile is an Incompas member, and the letter said not all the group's members backed the filing. “INCOMPAS believes that Binge On supports and promotes your overriding policy objective -- the promotion of competition -- in the mobile broadband marketplace and the video marketplace as it allows consumers to explore more over-the-top video options on the go,” Pickering wrote. “Overwhelming consumer enthusiasm for Binge On shows just how much users benefit from the program.”

Incompas CEO Chip Pickering defended T-Mobile’s zero-rated Binge On program as within the spirit of net neutrality rules, in a letter Friday to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. T-Mobile is an Incompas member, and the letter said not all the group's members backed the filing. “INCOMPAS believes that Binge On supports and promotes your overriding policy objective -- the promotion of competition -- in the mobile broadband marketplace and the video marketplace as it allows consumers to explore more over-the-top video options on the go,” Pickering wrote. “Overwhelming consumer enthusiasm for Binge On shows just how much users benefit from the program.”

Some Capitol Hill Democrats may not resist a GOP House appropriations rider that would slow the FCC’s set-top box proceeding. House Republicans hitched the rider to the FY 2017 FCC funding bill unveiled last week. Some Democrats in both chambers oppose the language, but many also question the NPRM. Bipartisan and bicameral backing is widely seen as crucial for ensuring riders’ inclusion in any broader FY 2017 government funding package later this year.