News and Events

The FCC has approved the mandatory data request for the carrier wholesale and broadband for business markets.  This is a step towards addressing the market failure known as special access, which involves the rates American businesses pay the largest telecommunications carriers for broadband connections to the Internet.  For many years, the FCC has been discussing reforms to deal with the inflated, monopolistic rates that are an impediment to innovation, investment and jobs and we appreciate this step.

Last night at 1:30am in the morning the fears of many citizens, businesses, NGOs and public agencies were realized as the chairman of the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) called for an unexpected vote to have a UN agency, where only governments have a real voice, take on a more active role in governing the Internet. Delegates voted on the inclusion of language that drives states to engage the ITU in Internet governance. The proposal was adopted over substantial opposition and undermines the current bottom up, multi-stakeholder governance structure of the Internet.

The Computer & Communications Industry Association welcomes Senate passage of a bill to extend permanent normal trade relations to the Russian Federation by a vote of 92-4.  The bill combines the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act, addressing the issues of human rights violations and corruption in Russia, with legislation removing application of the Jackson-Vanik amendment to Russia.  Companies facing trade barriers due to Internet filtering and blocking are cheering a provision requiring that the United States Trade Representative report annually on Russian discrimination against U.S. digital trade. 

Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Sen. Mike Enzi (R- WY) have offered their Marketplace Fairness Act as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).  The Computer & Communications Industry Association opposed the Marketplace Fairness Act when it was first introduced, and we remain opposed to it, as it would impose tax collection burdens on small Internet businesses, which are some of the most promising candidates for future economic growth. 

The Senate Judiciary Committee has approved reforms to update the Electronic Communications Privacy Act. The updates, which still need to be passed by the full Senate and House, will more clearly extend 4^th Amendment protections to the online world so that law enforcement will need to get a warrant before demanding email and other online information.

Brussels – The Computer & Communications Industry Association welcomes today’s release of a report that details how proposals at a diplomatic conference in Dubai next month on Internet control could violate existing international trade obligations. “Whither Global Rules for the Internet? The implications of the World Conference on International Telecommunication (WCIT) for International Trade,” was jointly written by Rohan Samarajiva and Hosuk Lee-Makiyama, internationally respected experts on global telecommunications and trade policy.

The Computer & Communications Industry Association welcomes House passage today of legislation extending permanent normal trade relations to the Russian Federation by a vote of 365-43.  In addition to removing application of the Jackson-Vanik amendment to Russia, the bill combines the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act addressing the issues of human rights violations and corruption in Russia.  CCIA is pleased to note that the bill includes a provision requiring that the United States Trade Representative to report annually on Russian discrimination against U.S. digital trade.  We look forward to swift Senate passage as well.     

The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) is launching a new blog that will provide timely analysis on high tech patent news. Patent Progress will cover news on patent trolls, privateers and the patent wars that have made headlines in recent years and blocked key consumer electronics like smartphones and tablets from the market.

Those concerned about outdated laws that discourage new companies from offering music to consumers over the Internet have formed a coalition to advocate for modernizing the copyright performance royalty rate setting process that now discriminates against new market entrants. The Computer & Communications Industry Association is joining other organizations and companies today to launch the Internet Radio Fairness Coalition. 

The Computer & Communications Industry Association in conjunction with the Internet Association today filed an amicus brief in a case that could alter the future of cloud computing. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit is preparing to hear an appeal by TV broadcasters, who are asking the court to shut down the video start up service Aereo. Aereo enables users to watch their broadcast TV shows on their iPhones, iPads or using a Roku box.

The Supreme Court hears arguments next week in Kirtsaeng v. Wiley, which could impact whether owners have the right to resell books, music and movies at anything from yard sales to online markets. Some copyright holders have brought the case in hopes of altering the law, which for more than 100 years has given consumers full ownership over the products they buy.

An OECD report released in Budapest today attributes an expansion of broadband connectivity to helping the ICT sector become a bright spot in the economy during the downturn -- with ICT sector revenues growing 6 percent annually between 2000 and 2011 for top firms. Top ICT firms are also adding jobs hiring 14 million people in 2011, a 6 percent increase over 2010, with Internet firms outperforming the sector. The report said that 70 percent of OECD households have broadband Internet access and it’s reshaping the way people live by bringing access to a larger variety of goods and services online at lower prices. The report noted that wireless broadband connections are now double that of fixed broadband subscriptions in the OECD. 

The Computer and Communications Industry Association today announced the appointment of Joshua Lamel as a CCIA vice president and the executive director of the CCIA’s new non-profit Foundation for Innovation and Internet Freedom (FIIF).  Lamel will lead FIIF’s mission to safeguard and promote innovation and protect access to the Internet and the free flow of ideas online.  He will oversee FIIF’s use of education, research and advocacy to foster conditions and policies that support innovation and Internet Freedom.

Congressman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, Congressman Jared Polis, D-Colo., and Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore. have introduced legislation that would help create a more level playing (and paying) field for those broadcasting radio tunes whether on the Internet or over the airwaves. The Internet Radio Fairness Act would end provisions in the Copyright Act that favor incumbents over new entrants offering online music. Various digital radio providers would pay similar royalty fees instead of the current system that charges webcasters much higher rates than other digital radio providers.

The Computer & Communications Industry Association is pleased there is some action in the vital case of highly skilled immigration.  We commend House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith, R-Texas, for introducing the STEM Jobs Act, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., the ranking member of the House Immigration subcommittee, for introducing the Attracting the Best and Brightest Act (ABBA), and Sen. Charles Schumer, D-NY, for introducing the Benefits to Research and American Innovation through Nationality Statutes (BRAINS) Act.  These bills increase access to green cards for foreign graduates of U.S. universities with advanced degrees in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields by creating a new green card category of up to 55,000 visas for them. 

The following can be attributed to CCIA President & CEO Ed Black:

The TPP, billed as the first 21^st century trade agreement, is particularly important to advocates of an open Internet. The U.S. wants its TPP partners to accept language designed to protect IP, encourage regulatory transparency, and to ensure open access to digital goods and services. Meanwhile, other governments have proposed a radical revision to Internet governance.  

Russia, China and several other nations want to use “the monitoring and supervisory capabilities of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU),” a U.N. agency, to regulate the Internet.  They believe the current system is too ad hoc and U.S.-centric, and does not allow national policymakers to restrict the free flow of information when such officials deem it appropriate. 

On September 21^st, in partnership with The Institute for International Economic Policy at GWU, The John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Heinrich Boell Foundation,  CCIA will present a brown bag lunch panel discussion examining what the U.S. is proposing, the views of firms and advocates of Internet openness, and the implications for the future of the Internet. More details on time and place... 

The House is scheduled to vote this week on a bill reauthorizing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act for another five years.  The vote is scheduled despite complaints from Democrats at a hearing in May that they still have little information to evaluate the program that allows the government to intercept phone calls, emails and online communications. CCIA believes that developments since FISA’s initial passage justify a thorough review of the law’s utilization, benefits and impact on citizens.

The Computer & Communications Industry Association is pleased to welcome James Waterworth, who will begin leading CCIA’s Brussels office this week. CCIA is a global technology trade association that started 40 years ago to promote policies that would foster the growth of the tech industry.

The FCC voted to suspend its rules on pricing flexibility in the special access market on Thursday, citing the need for updated data collection from service providers.

The current rules, adopted in 1999, were intended to increase competition in the special access market. But a truly competitive marketplace never materialized, allowing legacy monopoly carriers to charge a premium to all businesses that must rely on these basic telecom connections for sending and receiving high volumes of data in daily operations.

The Federal Communications Commission released its Order on Thursday approving the myriad of agreements between Verizon and its largest cable competitors.  The Order follows last week’s approval with revisions mandated by the Justice Department.

While the Computer & Communications Industry Association appreciates the time and effort the FCC took to carefully consider these unprecedented agreements, the Commission’s dismissal of the serious public interest concerns raised by consumer groups and smaller businesses is stunning. 

The Computer & Communications Industry Association appreciates the excellent work of the Justice Department and the FCC in reviewing a complex deal struck by Verizon and its largest cable competitors that would surely be rejected if it took the form of a merger. 

Unfortunately, the remedies prescribed by the Justice Department are no match for the powerful business incentives of these dominant network operators/Internet access providers to carve up wireless and geographic landline markets for their mutual benefit.  We hope the FCC is considering stronger interconnection and interoperability conditions that will give existing landline telcom and wireless competitors a chance to survive, because there is no real hope for any new entry into the broadband Internet access business in the U.S.

The following statement can be attributed to CCIA President & CEO Ed Black:

Two members of Congress have introduced legislation to help innovators combat patent trolls. The bill, dubbed the SHIELD Act (Saving High-Tech Innovators from Egregious Legal Disputes Act) or HR 6245, co-authored by Congressmen Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., and Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, would allow tech companies to recover litigation costs for nuisance lawsuits where the plaintiff made legal claims that had little chance of succeeding.

Despite current economic conditions, Congress seems to be proceeding with a new tax collection mandate. On Aug. 1, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation will hold a hearing on Internet sales taxes.  The Computer & Communications Industry Association continues to oppose legislative efforts to shift the burden of tax collecting requirements to online retailers regardless of physical presence.  CCIA believes that drafting online vendors into service as remote sales tax collectors in a ham-handed attempt to impose a one-sided version of “fairness” is unjustified and unwise. 

The Computer & Communications Industry Association continues to oppose H.R. 3179, the Marketplace Equity Act, on which the House Judiciary Committee will be holding a hearing July 24.  The bill would allow states that have fulfilled certain simplification requirements to require out-of-state retailers to collect sales and use taxes on purchases made to residents of their states, regardless of physical presence.  However, this “simplification” would still leave in place thousands of different state and local tax jurisdictions that online retailers would have to comply with.  The bill would impose tax collection burdens on small Internet businesses, which are some of the most promising candidates for future economic growth. 

The House Judiciary’s Intellectual Property subcommittee had a hearing today on abusive patent litigation. All but one witness called for changes to the trade act of 1930.  Patent trolls are now using this trade act to block devices and components of American companies.

Ottawa - The Canadian Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal from the Society of Composers, Publishers and Music Authors. This means online music stores and others targeted in the lawsuit will not have to pay royalties for providing previews to online users.

A day after the Russian Parliament voted to establish a blacklist of websites that its government could shut down, the Computer & Communications Industry Association said this step raises a red flag for the Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) debate. While the legislation would require further votes and other steps before becoming law, this step toward greater Internet censorship is troublesome – especially as Russia is leading a push for greater international regulation of the Internet and is seeking a better trading relationship with the United States.

Sen. Enzi, R-Wyo., Sen. Durbin, D-Ill., and Sen. Alexander, R-Tenn., offered their Marketplace Fairness Act yesterday as an amendment to the Small Business Jobs and Tax Relief Act.  The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) opposed the Marketplace Fairness Act when it was first introduced, and we remain opposed to it, as it would impose tax collection burdens on small Internet businesses, which are some of the most promising candidates for future economic growth. 

The USTR has proposed the addition of Internet-friendly copyright language into what is being billed as the 21st Century trade agreement: the Trans Pacific Partnership. The Computer & Communications Industry Association welcomed the news of fair use-related language as a sign that negotiators aim to promote strong and balanced copyright provisions in the trade agreement.

The Computer & Communications Industry Association submitted this written statement to the Senate Commerce Committee for its online privacy hearing today, “The Need for Privacy Protections: Is Industry Self-Regulation Adequate?”

The Computer & Communications Industry Association responded to a White House request for public input on intellectual property enforcement. CCIA President & CEO Ed Black expressed frustration that despite what policy makers learned from the problems with SOPA, PIPA and ACTA, they are still attempting to address complex issues relating to intellectual property and the Internet through a narrow paradigm that appears to be more geared towards getting their enforcement agenda back on track – rather than examining the whole scope of the problem and devising a balanced response.

An new economic study analyzing changes in European copyright law has found a negative impact on venture capitalists’ investment in cloud computing companies following several French and German court rulings.

Harvard Business School Professor Josh Lerner, whose research often focuses on venture capital investment and innovation, examined the impact of a court ruling in France and several in Germany. He found that venture capitalists’ investment in France and Germany declined after these rulings relative to the rest of the EU.

Today, the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) is launching a new project focused on vigorously promoting policies that support disruptive competition and innovation.  The Disruptive Competition Project (DisCo) will encourage robust competition, promote balanced intellectual property policy, support privacy policies that encourage transparency and choice, and aggressively champion the free flow of information worldwide. 

The following statement can be attributed to Computer & Communications Industry Association President & CEO Ed Black: 

There has been a growing push over the past decade by some other countries to exert international control over the Internet. The tech industry joins those who are concerned about upcoming efforts to use a UN agency, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), set up in the 19th century to focus on telegraph communications to regulate the Internet. The Computer & Communications Industry Association appreciates the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology for holding today's hearing on this threat to our economy and free speech.

The tech industry is welcoming legislation Congress is proposing to update our outdated electronic privacy laws – written before almost anyone carried cell phones. Today Computer & Communications Industry Association President & CEO Ed Black told the House Judiciary Crime Subcommittee during its hearing that failure to address the geolocation privacy loophole is a problem for both civil liberties – and the growth of this industry.

The Senate has finally cleared the way for two former senate advisors to fill two empty seats on the FCC. The nominations of Jessica Rosenworcel, a Democrat, and Ajit Pai, a Republican, to become FCC commissioners had been held up by politics unrelated to them or their posts.

The following statement can be attributed to Computer & Communications Industry Association President & CEO Ed Black:

The Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) has made an important ruling in the case SAS Institute Inc. v. World Programming Ltd. (C‑406/10). The Court has ruled that computer functions, programming languages, and data file formats could not qualify for copyright protection, and that only actual software code was eligible for copyright protection.

The FCC is expected to launch rulemakings today that could make way for more competition and useable broadband spectrum – a goal of its National Broadband Plan. The FCC is to consider a rule that would allow Dish Network to deploy its recently acquired mobile broadband spectrum. Another measure on the agenda would foster 700 MHz interoperability between the Bells and their wireless rivals.

The Computer & Communications Industry Association welcomes the President’s decision to directly confront China on the issue of rare earth minerals.  The request for consultations is the first step in bringing a trade case at the World Trade Organization (WTO).  

Google and Facebook were set to go to trial today in India on charges they did not censor content from their websites. The Wall Street Journal reports the trial in which company executives could face fines or jail time is the latest example of the issues tech companies face as they expand to foreign markets. The trial has now been delayed until May 23.

The Computer & Communications Industry Association has appreciated recent efforts by USTR to formally investigate censorship practices in China and hopes the US government will continue to step in on Internet freedom issues so that companies are not left on their own to negotiate with other nations.

More transparency is needed to study the implications of the proposed Verizon cable deal. Today public interest groups, telecommunications companies and CCIA sent a letter to the FCC saying the spectrum transaction among some of the nations largest Internet access providers is a matter that needs greater transparency and the FCC needed access to redacted documents.

Congress has agreed on legislation that would authorize the FCC to pay TV broadcasters for underutilized broadcast spectrum and then resell it to wireless companies to help meet the growing demand for wireless broadband due to smartphones and tablets. The legislation that will be tucked into the payroll tax bill would set aside $7 billion in auction proceeds to be used build an interoperable nationwide network for public safety use. 

Iran has reportedly blocked its citizens’ access to some secure websites today according to news various reports, though the government has not officially announced an Internet service disruption. 

Internet users in Iran tell reporters they cannot access Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo email and others report getting to secured banking sites and Facebook is not possible. Saturday marks the anniversary of Iran’s 1979 Islamic resolution and some are speculating Iran may be trying to curb communications ahead of planned protests Saturday. 

Concurrent with the MIDEM music business conference in France today, the Computer & Communications Industry Association released a study it commissioned, “The Sky is Rising,” by Mike Masnick, who writes about technology policy for Techdirt and is founder and CEO of Floor 64. The economic report on entertainment over the past decade found that the entertainment industry grew 50 percent while consumer spending on entertainment also increased.

Today the Hawaiian State House debated a newly introduced piece of legislation, H.B. 2288, which would create a massive requirement for Hawaiian businesses to gather dossiers about all of their customers and store them for two years. The bill, a little shorter than two pages in length, would not just mandate retention of assigned IP addresses, along with user information like name and address, but also a log of every single website across the Internet that each user visits.

The U.S. Supreme Court said today that installing a GPS monitoring device constitutes a search and is therefore prohibited by the 4th amendment without a warrant. The decision that such a search is illegal was unanimous, but the justices differed in their reasoning.

The House and Senate have both announced plans today to put off consideration of the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).

The announcement follows record numbers of phone calls to Capitol Hill and millions of signatures on online petitions by Internet users after more than 7,000 websites went dark for a day to protest the Internet censorship that SOPA and PIPA would bring. The Computer & Communications Industry Association participated in the SOPA/PIPA website blackout.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy has put out a statement saying he may add a provision to study the impact of DNS blocking before that provision within the controversial PROTECT IP bill (PIPA) would take effect. The offer to suspend the timing of DNS blocking comes after cybersecurity experts in the Obama administration and those implementing the latest cybersecurity measure known as DNSSEC have warned PIPA and the latest cybersecurity measures the government has spent the last ten years developing are incompatible. Internet engineers and cybersecurity experts have written to Congress about their serious concerns.