Tag Archives: Federal Trade Commission

WEBINAR: Federal Privacy Legislation: Within Reach After a Decade of Debate. If So, What Next?

During this Lexology Masterclass webinar, Squire Patton Boggs Partners and Public Policy Team members Beth Goldstein and Jeff Turner, along with privacy litigator and Partner Kristin Bryan, will discuss one of the most critical pieces of privacy legislation in years, the American Data Privacy and Protection Act (ADPPA). This game-changing privacy legislation not only has potential … Continue Reading

FCC Partially Stays Broadband Privacy Data Security Rule, Issues Tentative Agenda for March 23 Open Meeting

Legislative Activity Cybersecurity Legislation Introduced in the House and Senate On March 2, legislators in both the House of Representatives (House) and the Senate introduced several bills relating to cybersecurity reforms. As of this writing, the text of the bills below has not been publicly released. The following bills were introduced in the House: H.R.1340, … Continue Reading

State Attorneys General February 27 Update

Squire Patton Boggs’ State Attorneys General Practice Group is comprised of lawyers who have served at senior levels in state AG offices around the country and whose practices focus, to one degree or another, on representing clients before these increasingly assertive and powerful, yet often overlooked, government agencies, as explained in detail here. In these … Continue Reading

FCC Extends Exemption from Enhanced Broadband Reporting Requirements for Smaller Broadband Providers

Legislative Activity Cell Location Privacy Act Introduced in House On February 15, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) introduced H.R.1061, the Cell Location Privacy Act of 2017. The bill proposes to ban the use of cell-site simulators, known as StingRay devices, without first obtaining a warrant. Cell-site simulators are devices that appear to be legitimate cell phone … Continue Reading

State Attorneys General December 19 Update

Squire Patton Boggs’ State Attorneys General Practice Group is comprised of lawyers who have served at senior levels in state AG offices around the country and whose practices focus, to one degree or another, on representing clients before these increasingly assertive and powerful, yet often overlooked, government agencies, as explained in detail here. In these … Continue Reading

FCC Releases Order Approving Charter, Time Warner, Bright House Merger

Legislative Activity Senate Subcommittee Holds Hearing on FCC’s Proposed Broadband Privacy Rules On May 11, the Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing titled “Examining the Proposed FCC Privacy Rules.” The hearing examined the substance and implications of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) Notice of … Continue Reading

FCC Releases Tentative Agenda for May Open Meeting

Legislative Activity 60 Members of Congress Address FCC’s Set-Top Box Proposal On May 5, 60 members of Congress from both sides of the aisle wrote a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler expressing concern about the FCC’s recent proposal to change the FCC’s set-top box rules (previously discussed here). The letter stated … Continue Reading

Zika Virus Priority Review Voucher Slated for House Floor Consideration; House Energy and Commerce Committee to Hold Hearing on the Flint Water Crisis; FTC Issues Guidelines for Health App Developers; Request for Information Regarding the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015

Legislative Activity Zika Virus Priority Review Voucher Slated for House Floor Consideration House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) announced that S. 2512, Adding Zika Virus to the FDA Priority Review Voucher Program Act, will be considered on the floor on Monday, April 11. This bill, introduced by Al Franken (D-MN) in the Senate, amends the … Continue Reading

House & Senate Leaders Urge Action on European Invalidation of Data Transfer “Safe Harbor”

Legislative Activity House & Senate Leaders Urge Action on European “Safe Harbor” Ruling Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation (Senate Commerce Committee) Chairman John Thune (R-SD) along with Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Reps. Fred Upton (R-MI) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ) wrote a letter to Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and Federal Trade Commission … Continue Reading

FCC Finds U.S. Broadband Is Not Being Deployed in a Timely Manner

Legislative Activity The Rebuild America Act Includes Funding for Broadband On January 27, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) introduced a bill entitled The Rebuild America Act. The legislation envisions a five-year plan to rebuild the country’s network of roads, bridges, transit systems, and other major infrastructure projects. Included in the bill’s $1 trillion investment is $5 … Continue Reading

Sen. McCaskill Introduces Patent Troll Legislation

Legislative Activity House Passes Cell Phone Unlocking Bill Last Tuesday, February 25, the House passed the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act (H.R. 1123). The legislation, introduced by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), is intended to promote consumer choice and wireless competition by permitting consumers to unlock their mobile wireless devices without … Continue Reading

Proposed Merger Of Comcast And Time Warner Cable To Face Scrutiny

Legislative Activity Proposed Merger Of Comcast And Time Warner Cable To Face Scrutiny On Thursday, February 13, Comcast announced its intent to acquire Time Warner Cable (TWC) in a $45 billion transaction that would combine the two largest cable companies in the country. The proposed acquisition, however, is expected to receive close scrutiny from the … Continue Reading

Sen. Markey Calls On FTC To Investigate Online Tracking Across Devices

Legislative Activity New COPPA Bill Expected Soon Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), a longtime privacy advocate, and Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), the chair of the Congressional Privacy Caucus, are expected to introduce a bill in the near future that would expand protections under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) to teenagers age 13-16. Currently, COPPA only … Continue Reading

Chairman Goodlatte Circulates Second Patent Reform Discussion Draft

Legislative Activity Privacy Working Group Holds Closed Door Meeting The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Privacy Working Group held a closed-door roundtable meeting last Thursday, September 26. The working group is co-chaired by Committee Vice Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT), and provides a forum to evaluate privacy policy issues so committee members … Continue Reading

Chairman Goodlatte Releases Remote Sales Tax Statement of Principles

Legislative Activity Senate Commerce Committee Evaluates FCC and FTC Nominees The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation held a hearing on Wednesday, September 18 to consider the nominations of Michael O’Rielly to serve as a Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Terrell McSweeny to serve as a Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). … Continue Reading

FCC Process Reform Legislation; Incentive Auction Hearing

Legislative and Regulatory Activity FCC Process Reform Legislation In less than 10 minutes, the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology favorably reported the committee prints for the “FCC Process Reform Act of 2013” and “FCC Consolidated Reporting Act of 2013,” each by voice vote. Perhaps more noteworthy, however, Chairman Greg Walden … Continue Reading
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