12/11. The House passed HR 2601 [LOC | WW], "Do-Not-Call Registry Fee Extension Act of 2007", and HR 3541 [LOC | WW], the "Do-Not-Call Improvement Act of 2007", by voice votes.

The House Commerce Committee (HCC) approved HR 2601 and HR 3541 on October 30, 2007. See, stories titled "House Commerce Committee Approves Do Not Call Registry Fee Extension Bill" and "House Commerce Committee Approves Bill to Preclude Expiration of Do Not Call Registrations" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 1,666, October 31, 2007.

HR 3541 provides that registrations of numbers with the Do Not Call Registry do not expire after five years. HR 2601 extends and amends the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) authority to collect Do Not Call Registry fees.

Rep. John Dingell (D-MI), the Chairman of the HCC, stated in the House that these two bills "strengthen and ensure the continued operation of one of the most popular Federal consumer protection programs ever adopted by the Congress, the registry that allows consumers to list their phone numbers and thereby protect themselves from unwanted telemarketing phone calls."

Rep. Dingell (at right) added that "Congress originally assigned the task of implementing and enforcing the Do-Not-Call Registry to the Federal Communications Commission, but they proved less than enthusiastic and nothing ensued. We then directed the Federal Trade Commission to perform these tasks. To date, the Registry established by the FTC includes over 145 million telephone numbers, and the FTC has initiated 27 cases alleging Do-Not-Call violations, resulting in orders totaling $8.8 million in civil penalties and $8.6 million in redress or disgorgment."

HR 3541 amends the Do-Not-Call Implementation Act, which was enacted in 2003 to implement a Do Not Call Registry. The 2003 Act is Public Law No. 108-10. It is codified at 15 U.S.C. § 6101 note. Section 3 of the 2003 Act requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to adopt certain rules. Section 2 authorizes the FTC to adopt rules.

The 2003 Act is silent on the subject of automatic expiration. However, the FCC and FTC wrote a five year expiration into their rules. This bill eliminates the expiration.

It provides that "Telephone numbers registered on the national `do-not-callī registry of the Telemarketing Sales Rule (16 C.F.R. 310.4(b)(1)(iii)) since the establishment of the registry and telephone numbers registered on such registry after the date of enactment of this Act, shall not be removed from such registry except as provided for in subsection (b) or upon the request of the individual to whom the telephone number is assigned." (Parentheses in original.)

Subsection (b) provides that the FTC "shall periodically check telephone numbers registered on the national `do-not-callī registry against national or other appropriate databases and shall remove from such registry those telephone numbers that have been disconnected and reassigned."

The related bill in the Senate is S 2096 [LOC | WW]. The Senate Commerce Committee (SCC) amended and approved it on October 30, 2007. See, story titled "Senate Commerce Committee Approves Bill to Preclude Expiration of Do Not Call Registrations" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 1,666, October 31, 2007. The Senate has yet to approve either HR 3541 or S 2096.

HR 2601 also amends the 2003 Act. It extends the authority of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to collect Do-Not-Call Registry fees to fiscal years after fiscal year 2007.

This bill also lower fees for telemarketers who access the database to $54 per area code, or a maximum of $14,850, with the first five area codes free. Currently, telemarketers pay $62 for each area code, with the first five area codes free, and total fees capped at $17,050.

The related bill in the Senate is S 781 [LOC | WW], also titled the "Do-Not-Call Registry Fee Extension Act of 2007". The SCC approved an amended version [7 pages in PDF] of this bill on August 2, 2007. See, story titled "Senate Commerce Committee Approves Bill to Revise and Extend Do Not Call Registry Fees" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 1,620, August 1, 2007. The full Senate has yet to approve either HR 2601 or S 781.

On November 27, 2007, the FCC adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) seeking comment regarding extension of the current five year registration period for the Do Not Call Registry. See, story titled "FCC Adopts NPRM Regarding Extending Do Not Call Registrations" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 1,680, November 30, 2007. The FCC released the text on December 4, 2007.

12/6. The House amended and approved HR 3526 [LOC | WW] by voice vote. This is an untitled bill to include all banking agencies within the existing regulatory authority under the Federal Trade Commission Act (FTCA) with respect to depository institutions.

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), the Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, stated in the House that this bill "will enhance the ability of the Federal bank authorities to provide consumer protection".

He also explained the reason for enacting this bill. "Congress passed an amendment to the Federal Trade Act that gave the Federal Reserve System the right to promulgate rules which defined what were unfair or deceptive practices engaged in by banks. The Federal Reserve has, for many years, declined to exercise that authority."

Moreover, "The Comptroller of the Currency and the Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision a few years ago promulgated very strict rules preempting State rules and State laws and regulations regarding the activities of national banks."

The current situation is that only the federal government can regulate, but it is not doing so.

This bill does not contain any grant of authority to states to regulate, or to enforce federal regulations. Also, the bill grants no authority to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which is primarily a consumer protection agency. For example, when the FTC takes action for unfair and deceptive trade practices, including internet based fraud, it cannot take action against any financial institutions that might be involved.

12/5. The House passed HR 2517 [LOC | WW], the "Protecting Our Children Comes First Act of 2007", by a vote of 408-3. See, Roll Call No. 1,132.

This bill would amend the Missing Children's Assistance Act (MCAA), which is codified at 42 U.S.C. §§ 5771-5780, to extend and increase the authorization for appropriations. It would also add provisions related to internet activities.

This bill adds to the MCAA's recitation of findings (42 U.S.C. § 5771) a reference to use of the internet. It states that "growing numbers of children are the victims of child sexual exploitation, increasingly involving the use of new technology to access the Internet".

The MCAA assigns certain responsibilities to the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). (See, 42 U.S.C. § 5773.) This bill adds more responsibilities, including some that pertain to online activity.

It requires the OJJDP to "operate a cyber tipline to provide online users and electronic service providers an effective means of reporting Internet-related child sexual exploitation in the areas of ... (i) possession, manufacture, and distribution of child pornography; (ii) online enticement of children for sexual acts; ... (vi) unsolicited obscene material sent to a child; (vii) misleading domain names; and (viii) misleading words or digital images on the Internet, and subsequently to transmit such reports, including relevant images and information, to the appropriate international, Federal, State or local law enforcement agency for investigation".

It also requires the OJJDP to "work with law enforcement, Internet service providers, electronic payment service providers, and others on methods to reduce the distribution on the Internet of images and videos of sexually exploited children".

It also requires the OJJDP to "develop and disseminate programs and information ... on ... internet safety".

The MCAA currently authorizes appropriation for the OJJDP of $20 Million per year through FY 2008. This bill increases the authorization to $40 Million in FY 2008, and unspecified amounts for FY 2009 through 2013. The OJJDP funds the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), and Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) voted against the bill.

12/5. The House passed an amended version of HR 3791, [LOC | WW], the "Securing Adolescents From Exploitation-Online Act of 2007" or "SAFE Act", by a vote of 409-2. See, Roll Call No. 1,131.

This bill imposes reporting and data retention requirements upon providers of any "electronic communication service" (ECS) or "remote computing service" (RCS) with respect to child pornography (CP).

Current law requires internet service providers to report CP to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). This bill expands the requirement, by specifying in detail what information must be reported, by requiring registration by service providers, and by imposing a requirement to retain data related to CP incidents.

Rep. Nick Lampson (D-TX) introduced this bill on October 10, 2007. The House Judiciary Committee (HJC), which had jurisdiction over the bill, did not mark up or report the bill.

This bill adds to the criminal code a new section, to be codified as 18 U.S.C. § 2258A.

Registration and Reporting Requirements. First, the bill creates new reporting and registration requirements. It provides that "Whoever, while engaged in providing an electronic communication service or a remote computing service to the public through a facility or means of interstate or foreign commerce, obtains actual knowledge of any facts or circumstances described in paragraph (2) shall, as soon as reasonably possible" register with the CyberTipline of the NCMEC, and file a report with the NCMEC.

The above referenced paragraph (2) enumerates several child pornography (CP) related crimes. That is, any ECS or RCS that becomes aware of CP must register with the NCMEC, and file a report with the NCMEC.

The bill provides a detailed list of information that these reports must contain, including "electronic mail address, website address, uniform resource locator, or any other identifying information", information regarding time, and information regarding geographic location.

The bill further provides that the NCMEC "shall forward each report" to the Department of Justice (DOJ), and may forward reports to state, local, and foreign governments.

The bill provides that any ECS or RCS that "knowingly and willfully fails to make a report" shall be fined up to $150,000 for the first incident, and up to $300,000 for subsequent incidents.

Monitoring and Surveillance. The bill states that it does not require any ECS or RCS to "monitor any user, subscriber, or customer of that provider", "monitor the content of any communication", or "affirmatively seek facts or circumstances".

Data Retention. The bill also contains a data retention mandate. It provides that if any ECS or RCS receives a notice from the NCMEC, it must then preserve certain data for 180 days, "as if such notice was made pursuant to section 2703(f)"

This is a reference to the Stored Communications Act (SCA). 18 U.S.C. § 2703(f) provides in part that "A provider of wire or electronic communication services or a remote computing service, upon the request of a governmental entity, shall take all necessary steps to preserve records and other evidence in its possession pending the issuance of a court order or other process".

The data which the ECS or RCS must retain includes its report to the NCMEC, as well as the name, address, "local and long distance telephone connection records, or records of session times and durations", "length of service (including start date) and types of service utilized", "telephone or instrument number or other subscriber number or identity, including any temporarily assigned network address", and "means and source of payment for such service (including any credit card or bank account number)" or the user or subscriber. (Parentheses in original.)

This is not a general mandate to retain all data. Rather, it only requires retention of data related to the CP incident and the user or customer associated with the incident.

Immunity. The bill also provides limited immunity to any ECS or RCS, or "domain name registrar", as well as their agents, for complying with the requirements of this bill.

The bill also provides limited immunity to the NCMEC.

Statements by Sponsors. Rep. Lampson, the bill's sponsor, stated in the House that "Popular social networking Web sites allow profiles to be public, providing predators with an encyclopedia of pictures, personal interests and even addresses, which they can be used, or they can use to cause harm."

He continued that "this dangerous trend has become a feeding ground for pedophiles and convicted sex offenders. Parents, law enforcement and legislators must work together to bring social networking Web sites into the fight to protect America's children".

Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH), a cosponsor of the bill, stated in the House that this bill "recognizes that advances in technology have made electronic communication service providers the first line of defense against crimes against children, possessing the real-time information critical to child pornography investigations. By requiring electronic communication service providers to report this information to the CyberTipline as soon as reasonably possible and maintain this information for an investigation, this act, the SAFE Act, is giving Federal, State and foreign law enforcement and prosecutors a fighting chance to put these criminals away, no matter where they are located."

Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) and Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) voted against the bill.

Tech Law Journal publishes a free access web site and subscription e-mail alert. The basic rate for a subscription to the TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert is $250 per year. However, there are discounts for subscribers with multiple recipients. Free one month trial subscriptions are available. Also, free subscriptions are available for journalists, federal elected officials, and employees of the Congress, courts, and executive branch. The TLJ web site is free access. However, copies of the TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert are not published in the web site until one month after writing. See, subscription information page.

Contact: 202-364-8882.
P.O. Box 4851, Washington DC, 20008.

Privacy Policy
Notices & Disclaimers
Copyright 1998-2007 David Carney, dba Tech Law Journal. All rights reserved.

12/11. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a tentative agenda [4 pages in PDF] for its event scheduled for December 18, 2007, titled "Open Commission Meeting". This agenda includes seven items, including adoption of new rules regulating ownership of media.

1. The FCC is scheduled to adopt a 12th Annual Report and Analysis of Competitive Market Conditions with Respect to Commercial Mobile Services. The proceeding is WT Docket No. 07-71

2. The FCC is scheduled to adopt a 2nd Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding licensing satellite digital audio radio service (SDARS) terrestrial repeaters in the 2320­2345 MHz frequency band. The FCC is also scheduled to adopt a NPRM regarding facilitating the coexistence of SDARS and Wireless Communications Service licensees.

3. The FCC is scheduled to adopt a Report and Order (R&O) regarding its regulation of the ownership of media. The FCC's notice states that this R&O "addresses the relevant issues remanded by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Prometheus Radio Project, et al. v. FCC., 373 F.3d 372 (2004), and responds to petitions for reconsideration of the 2002 Biennial Review Order."

4. The FCC is scheduled to adopt a R&O and 3rd Further NPRM regarding initiatives designed to increase participation in the broadcasting industry by new entrants and small businesses, including minority and women owned businesses.

5. The FCC is scheduled to adopt a NPRM regarding trends in embedded advertising and the efficacy of the current sponsorship identification rules with regard to embedded advertising.

6. The FCC is scheduled to adopt a R&O and NPRM in its Broadcasting Localism proceeding. This proceeding is MB Docket No. 04-233.

7. The FCC is scheduled to adopt a 4th R&O and NPRM establishing the cable horizontal ownership limit and seeking comment on vertical ownership limits and cable and broadcast attribution rules.

This event is scheduled for 10:30 AM on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, in the FCC's Commission Meeting Room, Room TW-C305, 445 12th Street, SW. The FCC's recent events titled "Open Commission Meeting" have rarely been held at the time announced by the FCC. The FCC does not always take up all of the items on its published program. The FCC sometimes adds items to the program without providing the "one week" notice required 5 U.S.C. § 552b. The FCC usually does not release at its events copies of the items that it adopts at its events.

The House will meet at 10:00 AM for legislative business. The agenda includes consideration of the conference report on HR 1585 [LOC | WW], the "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008", the conference report on HR 2082 [LOC | WW], the "Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008". The agenda also includes consideration of HR 4299 [LOC | WW], the "Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007", subject to a rule, and HR 4351 [LOC | WW], the "Alternative Minimum Tax Relief Act of 2007". See, Rep. Hoyer's schedule for the week and schedule for Wednesday.

The Senate will meet at 9:00 AM for morning business. It will then resume consideration of HR 2419 [LOC | WW], the farm bill.

9:30 AM. The Senate Judiciary Committee's (SJC) Subcommittee on the Constitution will hold a hearing on S 1782 [LOC | WW], the "Arbitration Fairness Act of 2007". See, notice. Location: Room 226, Dirksen Building.

9:30 AM. Hugo Teufel (Chief Privacy Officer, Department of Homeland Security) will participate on a panel on the challenges of privacy, civil rights and civil liberties at an event hosted by the Homeland Defense Journal. Location: Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert St., NW.

12:00 NOON - 1:30 PM. The DC Bar Association will host a program titled "Communications Essentials - How Networks Work". The speakers will be Richard Hovey and Nick Alexander (both of the FCC). The price to attend ranges from free to $10. For more information, call 202-626-3463. See, notice. Location: DC Bar Conference Center, B-1 Level, 1250 H St., NW.

2:00 PM. The House Judiciary Committee's (HJC) Antitrust Task Force will hold a hearing titled "Media Consolidation: Impact on Minority Ownership and Localism". See, notice. Location: Room 2141, Rayburn Building.

3:00 - 5:00 PM. The Women's Bar Association of the District of Columbia's Communications Law Forum will host an event titled "Holiday Tea". The speaker will be Linda Greenhouse (New York Times). The price to attend ranges from $40 to $50. For more information, call Laura Mow at 202-508-5835. See, notice. Location: Crystal Ballroom, Willard Inter Continental Hotel, 1401 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.

CANCELLED. The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee will meet.

Deadline to submit comments to the Department of the Treasury (DOT) and the Federal Reserve Board (FRB) regarding their proposed rules implementing the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA). See, notice in the Federal Register, October 4, 2007, Vol. 72, No. 192, at Pages 56680-56699.

The House will meet at 10:00 AM for legislative business. See, Rep. Hoyer's schedule for the week.

9:00 AM. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will host an event titled "International Financial Reporting Standards in the U.S. Roundtable". Location: SEC, Auditorium (Room L-002), 100 F St., NE.

10:00 AM. The Senate Commerce Committee (SCC) will hold an oversight hearing regarding the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The witnesses will be the five Commissioners of the FCC. See, notice. Location: Room 253, Russell Building.

10:00 AM. The House Judiciary Committee's (HJC) Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property will hold a hearing on HR 4279 [LOC | WW], the "Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act of 2007". See, notice. Location: Room 2141, Rayburn Building.

10:00 AM. The Senate Judiciary Committee (SJC) may hold an executive business meeting. The agenda includes consideration of Sen. Arlen Specter's (R-PA) S 2402 [LOC | WW], the "FISA Intelligence Surveillance Substitution Act of 2007", S 1829 [LOC | WW], the "Protect Our Children First Act of 2007", S 431 [LOC | WW], the "Keeping the Internet Devoid of Sexual Predators Act of 2007", S 2344 [LOC | WW], the "Internet Safety Education Act of 2007", S 344 [LOC | WW], a bill to require the Supreme Court to permit television coverage of all open events, and S 1638 [LOC | WW], the "Federal Judicial Salary Restoration Act of 2007". All of these bills were held over at the previous executive business meeting. The SJC rarely follows its published agendas. See, notice. Location: Room 226, Dirksen Building.

2:00 - 5:00 PM. The Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) and the Information Technology -- Information Sharing and Analysis Center (IT-ISAC) will co-host a program titled "Incident Response and Management Roles, Responsibilities, and Planning in the IT Sector". See, notice and agenda. For more information, contact Liesyl Franz at lfranz at itaa dot org. Location: Room HC-5, Capitol Building.

6:00 PM. The Federal Communications Bar Association (FCBA) will host a panel discussion titled "Enforcement Of U.S. Patent Laws: International Activities, Standards For Patentability And Willfulness". This event qualifies for continuing legal education (CLE) credits. The speakers will be Joshua Turner, Karl Renner (Fish & Richardson) and Kevin Anderson (Wiley Rein). Location: Wiley Rein, 1776 K St., NW.

The House will meet at 9:00 AM for legislative business. See, Rep. Hoyer's schedule for the week.

10:00 AM. The Department of State's (DOS) Telecommunication Advisory Committee (ITAC) will meet as ITAC Study Group B to prepare advice on U.S. positions for the meetings of the Study Group of the International Telecommunication Union -- Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T). See, notice in the Federal Register, November 13, 2007, Vol. 72, No. 218, at Page 63951. Location: undisclosed.

12:15 - 1:30 PM. There will be a brown bag lunch titled "Media Ownership". The speakers will be Jane Mago (General Counsel, National Association of Broadcasters), Paul Nagle (Republican Chief Counsel, Senate Commerce Committee), Jennifer Schneider (Legislative Counsel, Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA)), Neil Fried (Minority Senior Telecommunications Counsel, House Commerce Committee), and Christopher Day (Legislative Assistant, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL)). Location: NAB, 1771 N St., NW.

3:00 - 6:30 PM. Day one of a two day meeting of the Department of Education's (DOE) National Mathematics Advisory Panel. See, notice in the Federal Register, December 10, 2007, Vol. 72, No. 236, Pages 69677-69678. Location: Baltimore Washington International (BWI) Airport Marriott, 1743 West Nursery Road, Baltimore, MD.

Deadline to submit comments to National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Computer Security Division (CSD) regarding its DRAFT SP 800-39 [60 pages in PDF], titled "Managing Risk from Information Systems: An Organizational Perspective".

Deadline to submit comments to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding its proposed rules changes pertaining to electronic filings with the SEC. The SEC proposes that mutual funds and other companies seeking exemptions under the Investment Company Act of 1940 submit their applications electronically, thus making them available to the public on the internet via the SEC's Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval (EDGAR) system. See, SEC notice [41 pages in PDF] and notice in the Federal Register, November 9, 2007, Vol. 72, No. 217, at Pages 63513-63523.

8:00 AM - 3:00 PM. Day two of a two day meeting of the Department of Education's (DOE) National Mathematics Advisory Panel. See, notice in the Federal Register, December 10, 2007, Vol. 72, No. 236, Pages 69677-69678. Location: Baltimore Washington International (BWI) Airport Marriott, 1743 West Nursery Road, Baltimore, MD.

8:30 AM - 5:00 PM. Day one of a two day workshop hosted by the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Privacy Office titled "Closed Circuit Television: Developing Privacy Best Practices". See, notice in the Federal Register, November 13, 2007, Vol. 72, No. 218, at Pages 63918-63919. Location: Gallery Ballroom, Hilton Arlington Hotel, Arlington, VA.

9:00 AM. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will host an event titled "International Financial Reporting Standards in the U.S. Roundtable". Location: SEC, Auditorium (Room L-002), 100 F St., NE.

Deadline to submit reply comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in response to its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding the Emergency Alert System (EAS). The FCC adopted this NPRM on May 31, 2007, and released text [75 pages in PDF] on July 12, 2007. It is FCC 07-109 in EB Docket No. 04-296. See, notice in the Federal Register, November 2, 2007, Vol. 72, No. 212, at Pages 62195-62198. See also, story titled "FCC Expands EAS Program" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 1,589, May 31, 2007.

Deadline to submit reply comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in response to its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding its program access and retransmission consent rules and whether it may be appropriate to preclude the practice of programmers to tie desired programming with undesired programming. The FCC adopted this NPRM on September 11, 2007, and released the text [144 pages in PDF] on October 1, 2007. It is FCC 07-169, in MB Docket No. 07-198. See, notice in the Federal Register, October 31, 2007, Vol. 72, No. 210, at Pages 61590-61603. See also, story titled "FCC Adopts R&O and NPRM Regarding Program Access Rules" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 1,640, September 17, 2007.

8:30 AM - 12:30 PM. Day two of a two day workshop hosted by the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Privacy Office titled "Closed Circuit Television: Developing Privacy Best Practices". See, notice in the Federal Register, November 13, 2007, Vol. 72, No. 218, at Pages 63918-63919. Location: Gallery Ballroom, Hilton Arlington Hotel, Arlington, VA.

9:00 AM - 12:30 PM. The Heritage Foundation will host an event titled "Taiwan's United Nations Bid: Domestic Democracy or International Crisis?". The event will include a speech by Jaushieh Joseph Wu (Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative's Office) and two panel discussions. See, notice. Location: Heritage, 214 Massachusetts Ave., NE.

10:00 AM. The Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA) Joint Advisory Committee on Communications Capabilities of Emergency Medical and Public Health Care Facilities will hold a meeting. See, FCC notice [PDF]. Location: AT&T, North Tower, Suite 1000 (10th Floor), 1120 20th St., NW.

12:30 - 2:00 PM. The Federal Communications Bar Association (FCBA) will host a brown bag lunch titled "Copyright and User Generated Content". The speakers will be Johanna Shelton (Policy Counsel & Legislative Strategist, Google) and Rick Lane (SVP Government Affairs, Newscorp). Location: Dow Lohnes, 1200 New Hampshire Ave., NW.

1:00 - 3:00 PM. The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board's (ATBCB) Telecommunications and Electronic and Information Technology Advisory Committee will meet by teleconference. See, notice in the Federal Register, November 1, 2007, Vol. 72, No. 211, at Pages 61827-61828.

2:00 - 3:45 PM. The Department of State's (DOS) Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy will meet. The agenda includes discussion of free trade agreements with Korea and other nations. See, notice in the Federal Register, December 6, 2007, Vol. 72, No. 234, at Page 68947. Location: Room 1107, DOS, 2201 C St., NW.

Deadline to submit comments to the Department of Commerce's (DOC) Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) regarding its proposed rules changes that would require that export and reexport license applications, classification requests, encryption review requests, License Exception AGR notifications and related documents be submitted to the BIS via its Simplified Network Application Process (SNAP-R) system. See, notice in the Federal Register, October 19, 2007, Vol. 72, No. 202, at Pages 59231-59238.

Deadline to submit reply comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in response to its Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) regarding post-reconfiguration 800 MHz band plans for the U.S.-Canada border regions. This FNPRM is DA 07-4489 in WT Docket No. 02-55. See, notice in the Federal Register, November 13, 2007, Vol. 72, No. 218, at Pages 63869-63871.

10:00 AM. The Senate Judiciary Committee (SJC) will hold a hearing on the nomination of Judge Mark Filip to be the Deputy Attorney General. See, Sen. Patrick Leahy's (D-VT) release. Location: Room 226, Dirksen Building.

6:00 - 9:15 PM. The DC Bar Association will host a continuing legal education (CLE) program titled "2007 Intellectual Property Law: Year in Review Series - Part I". Part I will address developments in copyright, trademark, and internet law. The speakers will be Brian Banner, Justyna Burr, and Terence Ross. The price to attend ranges from $80 to $115. For more information, call 202-626-3488. See, notice. Location: DC Bar Conference Center, B-1 Level, 1250 H St., NW.

Deadline to submit initial comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in response to its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding ancillary terrestrial components (ATC), which allow mobile satellite service (MSS) operators to integrate terrestrial services into their satellite networks in order to augment coverage in areas where their satellite signals are largely unavailable due to blocking, by re-using their assigned MSS frequencies. This item is FCC 07-194 in IB Docket No. 07-253. See, notice in the Federal Register, November 19, 2007, Vol. 72, No. 222, at Pages 64979-64980.