FTC and Intel Settle Antitrust
Claims |
8/4. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and
Intel announced that they have settled the
FTC's administrative claims that Intel violated Section 5 of the FTC Act. See,
Agreement Containing
Consent Order [3 pages in PDF] and
Decision and
Order [22 pages in PDF].
This proceeding is in the nature of a Sherman Act antitrust case. However,
the FTC proceeded under Section 5 of the FTC Act, which has only rarely been
invoked in the antitrust context, to avoid the large body of antitrust case law,
and reach conduct that is not prohibited by the antitrust statutes.
The Decision and Order, among other things, regulates Intel's pricing and
other marketing practices, changes Intel's obligations under intellectual
property contracts with AMD,
Nvidia, and
Via, requires Intel to extend
Via's x86 licensing agreement through 2018, and compels Intel to maintain the
PCI Express Bus for at least six years.
The order consists of definitions and mandates. It does not explain the FTC's
understanding of the antitrust obligations that arise under Section 5 of the FTC Act.
The order is not final. The FTC seeks public comments before making the order
final. Comments are due by September 7, 2010.
Summary of the Order. The Decision and Order provides that it "does not
constitute an admission by Respondent that the law has been violated as alleged in such
complaint, or that the facts as alleged in such complaint, other than
jurisdictional facts, are true". (Intel is the Respondent.)
This settlement does not resolve the legal questions of whether the FTC has
authority to bring antitrust actions under Section 5 of the FTC Act, and if so,
what is the extent of that authority, and what anticompetitive conduct
constitutes a violation of Section 5.
The FTC stated in a release
that Intel is prohibited by the order from "conditioning benefits to computer makers
in exchange for their promise to buy chips from Intel exclusively or to refuse to buy
chips from others; and retaliating against computer makers if they do business with non-Intel
suppliers by withholding benefits from them".
The FTC stated in this release that Intel must also "modify its intellectual
property agreements with AMD, Nvidia, and Via so that those companies have more
freedom to consider mergers or joint ventures with other companies, without the
threat of being sued by Intel for patent infringement".
The FTC stated in an
analysis
[16 pages in PDF] of the order that it "is designed to protect
the ability of customers and existing and future Intel competitors to engage in
mutually beneficial trade, while prohibiting Intel from using certain practices
to deter or thwart such trade. The Proposed Consent Order therefore prohibits
Intel from engaging in: 1) certain pricing practices that could allow Intel to
exclude competitors while maintaining high prices to consumers ...; 2) predatory
design that disadvantages competing products without providing a performance
benefit to the Intel product ...; and 3) deception related to its product road
maps, its compilers, and product benchmarking ..."
This FTC analysis also states that the order "seeks to undo
the effects of Intel’s past restraints on competition by enhancing the ability
of AMD, NVIDIA, Via, and others to compete effectively with Intel. To that end,
the Proposed Consent Order seeks: 1) to make it easier for AMD, NVIDIA, and Via
to use third-party foundries to manufacture products (to enable them to better
match Intel's manufacturing advantages) ...; 2) to give AMD, NVIDIA, and Via
flexibility to secure modifications of change of control provisions in their
Licensing Agreements with Intel ...; 3) to extend Via’s intellectual property license
...; and 4) to provide assurances to manufacturers of complementary and peripheral products
that they will be able to connect their devices to Intel’s CPUs ..."
The FTC analysis cites as authority for the proposition that it can use
Section 5 as an antitrust tool only two ancient cases. The main authority is the
Supreme Court's 1953
opinion in FTC v. Motion Picture Adv. Serv. Co., 344 U.S. 392. The
Court wrote then that "the Federal Trade Commission Act was designed to
supplement and bolster the Sherman Act and the Clayton Act". Then, in 1966, the
Supreme Court quoted this opinion in its
opinion in FTC. v. Brown Shoe Co., 384 U.S. 316. Antitrust law has
been transformed significantly since then.
Procedural History. On December 16, 2009, the FTC filed a five count
administrative
complaint [24 pages in PDF] against Intel alleging violation of Section 5 of
the FTC Act, which is codified at
15 U.S.C. § 45. However, the allegations are in the nature of violations of federal
antitrust law. See, story titled "FTC Files Antitrust Charges Against Intel by
Administrative Complaint Under FTC Act" in
TLJ Daily E-Mail
Alert No. 2,024, December 17, 2009.
The FTC complaint alleged that from 1999 forward Intel's conduct "was and is
designed to maintain Intel's monopoly in the markets for Central Processing
Units" or CPUs, and "to create a monopoly for Intel in the markets for graphics
processing units" or GPUs.
The complaint alleged that the relevant markets are first, "CPUs for use in
desktop, notebook, netbook (or nettop) computers, servers, and narrower relevant
markets contained therein", and second, "GPUs (including all graphics
processors, or chipsets with graphics processors regardless of industry nomenclature)
for use in desktop, notebook, netbook (or nettop) computers, servers, and narrower
relevant markets contained therein". (Parentheses in original.)
The complaint alleged, among other things, that Intel acted "to block or slow
the adoption of competitive products and maintain its monopoly to the detriment
of consumers. Among those practices were those that punished Intel’s own
customers – computer manufacturers -- for using AMD or Via products. Intel also
used its market presence and reputation to limit acceptance of AMD or Via
products, and used deceptive practices to leave the impression that AMD or Via
products did not perform as well as they actually did."
It further alleged that Intel entered into "anticompetitive arrangements with
the largest computer manufacturers that were designed to limit or foreclose the
OEMs’ use of competitors' relevant products", "offered market share or volume
discounts selectively to OEMs to foreclose competition in the relevant CPU
markets", "used its position in complementary markets to help ward off
competitive threats in the relevant CPU markets", and "paid or otherwise induced
suppliers of complementary software and hardware products to eliminate or limit
their support of non-Intel CPU products".
On December 31, 2009, Intel submitted its
Answer [22 pages in PDF]. It denied most of the factual allegations in the complaint.
It denied that it violated Section 5 of the FTC Act. It asserted that "The
Complaint fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted under Section 5".
It also argued that the relief sought in by the complaint would "harm competition,
injure consumers, interfere with valid contracts, and abrogate valid intellectual property
rights".
Intel's answer also argued that Intel did not receive "fair notice" of the
FTC's "new, ad hoc interpretations" of Section 5 of the FTC Act. Moreover,
"Those interpretations are vague, novel, and in important respects inconsistent with
existing antitrust standards. Intel did not have reasonable or adequate notice of the
standards by which the Commission now proposes to judge its conduct when it engaged in that
conduct. Further, the Commissioners' new, proposed interpretations of Section 5 do not
provide reasonable persons, including Intel, with fair notice of the standards to which
they must conform their conduct in the future. The Commission’s proposed interpretations
of Section 5 are thus unconstitutionally vague on their face and/or as applied to
Intel’s prior and contemplated conduct. Therefore, application of the Commissioners’
proposed interpretations of Section 5 to Intel would not be in the public interest
and would violate Intel's rights to due process under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution
of the United States."
Intel also argued in its answer that the microprocessor market is competitive. It wrote
that "The Complaint paints a picture of competition for microprocessors and graphics
products that bears little resemblance to reality. Competition in these sectors has been
robust during the period covered by the Complaint, producing greater consumer benefits
than any other sector of the economy."
Intel continued that "According to the Complaint, Intel's alleged
conduct raised the prices of microprocessors (also known as ``CPUs´´) and the
products containing them. In reality, during the period covered by the
Complaint, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, microprocessor
prices, adjusted for quality, declined at an annual rate of 42%. This rate
of decline was greater than that of any of the 1,200 other products that the
Bureau tracks, including any other high-technology product. During the same
period, the quality-adjusted price of personal computers declined at an annual
rate of 23%. Contrary to the Complaint's allegation that Intel’s conduct reduced
output, sales of x86 microprocessors grew from 136.5 million in 1999, the first
year covered by the Complaint, to 324.7 million in 2008." (Emphasis in original.
Parentheses in original.)
The FTC sought to admit into evidence the European Commission's decision in its
antitrust proceeding against Intel. See, EC
Decision [518 pages in PDF].
See also, story
titled "European Commission Initiates Proceeding Against Intel Alleging Anticompetitive
Behavior" in TLJ Daily
E-Mail Alert No. 1,617, July 26, 2007, story titled "EC Fines Intel One Billion
Euros" in TLJ Daily
E-Mail Alert No. 1,937, May 12, 2009, and story titled "EC Releases Intel
Decision" in TLJ
Daily E-Mail Alert No. 1,986, September 22, 2009.
On May 6, 2010, the FTC's administrative law judge (ALJ) ruled the EC decision
inadmissible in this U.S. administrative proceeding. See,
Order Denying Complaint Counsel's Motion to Admit European Commission Decision
[PDF].
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Reaction to the FTC Intel
Settlement |
8/4. Doug Melamed, Intel's General Counsel, stated in a
release
that the antitrust settlement agreement between the Federal
Trade Commission (FTC) and Intel "provides a framework that will allow us to
continue to compete and to provide our customers the best possible products at the best
prices ... The settlement enables us to put an end to the expense and distraction of the FTC
litigation."
Melamed was part of the legal team at the Department of Justice's (DOJ)
Antitrust Division (AD) that sued Microsoft in 1998.
He was a Deputy Assistant Attorney General, and later head of the AD after the departure of
Joel Klein.
Jonathan
Leibowitz (at right), Chairman of the FTC, stated in a FTC
release that "This case
demonstrates that the FTC is willing to challenge anticompetitive conduct by even the most
powerful companies in the fastest-moving industries".
Ed Black, head of the Computer and Communications
Industry Association (CCIA), stated in a release that "This
proposed settlement hopefully means that we may soon end a dark chapter in our
industry's history. However, we are not there yet. Whether the settlement is
effective largely depends on how the FTC enforces it, including the mechanisms
it puts in place to do so. It also depends on Intel making a good faith effort
to live up to the spirit of the agreement. I have seen well-intentioned
antitrust actions completely gutted during the enforcement process."
He added that "Of particular significance to our industry is the recognition, once
again, that intellectual property rights and claims have been misused to achieve
anticompetitive purposes."
Tom Lenard, head of the Technology Policy
Institute (TPI), stated in a release that "It is understandable that both the FTC
and Intel would want to settle this case and avoid protracted litigation. However, because
the FTC's initial complaint was questionable, it is questionable whether this settlement helps
consumers or promotes competition. Overall, I am concerned that this order
does the opposite of what antitrust enforcement is supposed to do and runs the
risk of deterring behavior that is pro-competition and pro-consumer."
Lenard elaborated that "Major provisions of the proposed order limit Intel's volume
discounting practices and modify, in potentially significant ways, some of Intel's intellectual
property agreements. Both can have adverse consequences. Since price competition is the
essence of competition, authorities should be extremely wary of micromanaging the ways in
which firms can price compete. Moreover, ex post modifications of intellectual property
licensing agreements affect not only Intel but other firms in high-tech markets in ways that
reduce incentives to invest in innovation."
Paul Otellini, P/CEO
of Intel, is scheduled to speak at the three day conference titled "TPI
Aspen Forum" and "Innovation and Critical Policy Choices: Is the United States
Losing its Edge", in Aspen, Colorado, on August 22-24, 2010.
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Commentary on Antitrust
Processes |
8/4. Intel stated in its
release
regarding the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC)
administrative action against it that this settles an "antitrust suit". The FTC
stated in its release that it
"sued" Intel.
However, there is no lawsuit or other judicial proceeding. Moreover, the FTC alleged
no violation of the Sherman Act, Clayton Act, or other antitrust statute.
The FTC proceeded administratively, acting as investigator, prosecutor, and judge. And,
it proceeded under Section 5 of the FTC Act, which is codified at
15 U.S.C. § 45. This is primarily an anti-fraud statute.
The FTC has statutory authority to enforce antitrust laws. There are well developed
bodies of judicial case law that construe and give meaning to the various sections of the
Sherman Act and Clayton Act. In contrast, Section 5 of the FTCA has hardly been
invoked as an antitrust statute for decades. There is no body of case law that gives meaning
to Section 5 as an antitrust statute.
This is why the FTC has chosen to invoke Section 5. It enables the FTC to
regulate conduct that is not unlawful under the antitrust statutes.
There now is almost nothing to put companies on notice as to what might
constitute a violation of Section 5 in the antitrust context. There is almost
nothing to constrain the FTC. This is the essence of government intransparency.
Intel raised the issues of whether the FTC has authority under Section 5 of the FTC
Act to bring this administrative action, and whether the lack of notice to Intel violated
various of its rights.
With this settlement, these issues go unresolved. Although, now that the FTC has brought
and settled a high profile antitrust action under the rubric of Section 5 of the FTC Act,
other prospective antitrust targets of FTC actions are on notice that the FTC may apply
Section7nbsp;5 again.
Leibowitz stated in the FTC release that now everyone has "a greater degree
of certainty about the rules of the road going forward". Actually, future FTC
targets remain in the dark as to what the FTC might consider to constitute a
violation of Section 5 in the antitrust context.
Moreover, no one knows, if the FTC brings another antitrust Section 5 administrative
action, and enters an order without the consent of the target, whether the judicial department
will say that the Sherman Act, but not Section 5, apply to that antitrust claim.
Perhaps the FTC will invoke Section 5 antitrust authority in a manner analogous to
how the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) invokes antitrust merger review authority.
The FCC lacks statutory authority to conduct antitrust merger reviews. Hence, it invokes
this authority in a manner that evades judicial review. Such review would likely result in
a Court of Appeals holding that the FCC lacks antitrust merger review authority.
The FCC only conducts antitrust merger reviews involving entities that are repeat players
before the FCC, and for whom time is of the essence in obtaining FCC approval of the merger.
In other mergers, the parties may not consent to the FCC's conditions. If the FCC were to
issue a final order without consent that blocks the merger, or imposes conditions, then
those parties might file a petition for review of the FCC's final order. Hence, the FCC is
careful in picking its targets and its merger conditions.
Similarly, the FTC, cognizant of the weakness of its assertions that Section 5 of
the FTC Act can be applied as a substitute for the Sherman Act, and that in can proceed in
the absence of any guidance as to what constitutes an antitrust violation of Section 5,
may be cautious in picking its targets and remedies.
For example, a company like Oracle, which has a
history of snubbing the FTC and defeating the FTC in the District Court, may make an unlikely
target. The FTC may also be hesitant to impose draconian remedies that might incent an
otherwise compliant company to seek judicial review.
Also, the FTC, in the case of targets that refuse to enter into consent agreements, may
simply keep the proceeding open indefinitely, and not issue an appealable final order.
It should be noted that under Section 3 of the FTC's rules, the FTC can force the
proceeding at a pace so rapid that it denies the target the opportunity to mount an effective
defense. But, nothing in these rules then requires the FTC to enter a final order in a
timely manner. See, story titled "FTC Writes Rules to Bolster Power of Antitrust
Regulators" in TLJ Daily
E-Mail Alert No. 1,882, January 13, 2009.
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In This
Issue |
This issue contains the following items:
• FTC and Intel Settle Antitrust Claims
• Reaction to the FTC Intel Settlement
• Commentary on Antitrust Processes
• People and Appointments
• More News
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Washington Tech
Calendar
New items are highlighted in
red. |
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Wednesday, August 4 |
The House is in recess. It will next meet at
2:00 PM on September 14, 2010. See,
HConRes 308.
The Senate will meet at 9:30 AM. It will resume
consideration of the House message to accompany HR 1586
[LOC |
WW].
8:30 - 10:45 AM. Day two of a two day partly closed meeting of the
Department of Commerce's (DOC) Bureau of Industry
and Security's (BIS) Emerging Technology and Research Advisory Committee.
The BIS did not disclose the subject matter of this meeting. See,
notice in the
Federal Register: July 16, 2010, Vol. 75, No. 136, at Pages 41439-41440.
Location: DOC, Hoover Building, Room 3884, 14th Street between Pennsylvania
and Constitution Avenues, NW.
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Day one of a three day meeting of the
National Institute of Standards and Technology's
(NIST) Information Security and Privacy
Advisory Board (ISPAB). The agenda includes "Embedded software (biomedical,
ICS) and associated malware", "FISMA Guidance", "National Initiative
for Cybersecurity Education (NICE)", "Key Priorities next 2-3 years for NIST in
cyber security", "Threat Vector Initiative", "Fedramp",
"Cyber Coordinator Briefing", "National Protection and Programs Directorate
Briefing", "Security Roadmap", "Initiative 3 Exercise (Einstein)",
"S-Cap usage and continuous monitoring", "Authentication and Trust Framework
Secure Online Transaction (SOT) Work", and "Assurance of Legitimate Government
Outbound Mail". See, notice
in the Federal Register, July 13, 2010, Vol. 75, No. 133, at Pages 39920-39921. Location:
Marriott Hotel Washington, 1221 22nd St., NW.
10:00 AM. The
Senate Judiciary Committee's (SJC) Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland
Security will hold a hearing titled "Government Preparedness and Response
to a Terrorist Attack Using Weapons of Mass Destruction". See,
notice.
The HJC will webcast this event. Location: Room 226, Dirksen Building.
10:00 - 11:00 AM. The American
Enterprise Institute (AEI) will host an event titled "After ECFA: The Present
and Future of Cross-Strait Relations". The ECFA is the Economic Cooperation
Framework Agreement, a free trade agreement between the People's Republic of China and
Taiwan. The speakers will be Shin-Yuan Lai (Minister of Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council),
and Gary Schmitt (AEI). See, notice.
Location: AEI, 1150 17th St., NW.
10:00 AM. The U.S. Court of
Appeals (FedCir) will hear oral argument in Shum v. Intel,
App. Ct. Nos. 2009-1385 and 2010-1109. Location: Courtroom 201.
2:00 - 4:00 PM. The Federal Communications Commission's (FCC)
Consumer Advisory Committee will meet. See,
FCC notice
and notice in the Federal
Register, July 19, 2010, Vol. 75, No. 137, at Page 41863. Location: FCC, Room 3B516, 445
12th St., SW.
4:00 PM. Timothy Geithner (Secretary of the
Treasury) will give a speech. The
Center for American Progress (CAP) will webcast this event. Location: CAP,
10th floor, 1333 H St., NW.
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Thursday, August 5 |
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM. Day two of a three day meeting of the
National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST)
Information Security and Privacy Advisory
Board (ISPAB). See,
notice in the Federal Register, July 13, 2010, Vol. 75, No. 133, at Pages 39920-39921.
Location: Marriott Hotel Washington, 1221 22nd St., NW.
10:00 AM. The Senate Judiciary
Committee (SJC) will hold an executive business meeting. The
agenda again includes consideration of several judicial nominees: Mary Helen Murguia (to
be a Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th
Circuit), Edmond E-Min Chang (U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois),
Leslie Kobayashi (USDC/DHawaii), Denise Casper (USDC/DMass), and Carlton Reeves
(USDC/DMiss). See,
notice.
The SJC will webcast this event. The SJC rarely follows its published agendas. Location:
Room 226, Dirksen Building.
10:00 AM. The U.S. Court
of Appeals (FedCir) will hear oral argument in Typhoon Touch v. Dell,
App. Ct. No. 2009-1589, an appeal from the U.S. District Court (EDTex) in a patent
infringement case regarding touch screen computing technology. Location: Courtroom 201.
10:00 AM. The U.S.
Court of Appeals (FedCir) will hear oral argument in Nuance Communications v.
ABBYY Software, App. Ct. No. 2010-1100. Location: Courtroom 201.
10:30 AM. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) may hold an
event titled "open meeting". Location: FCC, Commission Meeting Room, 445 12th
St., SW.
2:30 PM. The
Senate Intelligence Committee
(SIC) will hold a closed hearing. Location: Room 218, Hart Building.
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Friday, August 6 |
8:00 AM - 12:30 PM. Day three of a three day meeting of the
National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST)
Information Security and Privacy
Advisory Board (ISPAB). See,
notice in the Federal
Register, July 13, 2010, Vol. 75, No. 133, at Pages 39920-39921. Location: Marriott Hotel
Washington, 1221 22nd St., NW.
10:00 AM. The U.S.
Court of Appeals (FedCir) will hear oral argument in Extreme Network v.
Enterasys Network, App. Ct. No. 2009-1325, an appeal from the U.S. District Court
(WDWisc) in a patent infringement case regarding computer networks technology.
Location: Courtroom 201.
10:00 AM. The U.S. Court of
Appeals (FedCir) will hear oral argument in Western Union v. Moneygram,
App. Ct. No. 2010-1080, an appeal from the U.S. District Court (WDTex) in a patent
infringement case regarding money transfer technology. Location: Courtroom 201.
Deadline to submit initial comments to the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) in response to its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding license
renewals, discontinuance of operations, geographic partitioning, and spectrum disaggregation
for certain Wireless Radio Services. The FCC adopted this NPRM on May 20, 2010, and released
the text [71
pages in PDF] on May 25, 2010. It is FCC 10-86 in WT Docket No. 10-112. See,
notice in the Federal
Register, July 7, 2010, Vol. 75, No. 129, at Pages 38959-38974.
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Tuesday, August 10 |
The House may meet. See,
release of
Rep. John Boehner (R-OH), the House Republican
leader.
6:00 - 8:15 PM. The DC Bar Association
will host a panel discussion titled "The Legal Duty to Provide Information Security:
Who, What, When, Where and How". The speaker will be
Jay Westermeier (Finnegan). The price
to attend ranges from $89 to $129. Reporters are barred from attending most DC Bar events.
This event qualifies for CLE credits. See,
notice. For more information, call 202-626-3488. Location: DC Bar Conference Center,
1101 K St., NW.
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Wednesday, August 11 |
9:00 AM - 1:00 PM. The
Commodities Futures Trading Commission's (CFTC) and
Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC)
Joint CFTC-SEC Advisory Committee on Emerging Regulatory Issues will meet.
See, notice in
the Federal Register, July 29, 2010, Vol. 75, No. 145, at Page 44781.
Location: CFTC, Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st St., NW.
2:00 - 4:00 PM. The Department of State's (DOS) International
Telecommunication Advisory Committee (ITAC) will meet to discuss preparations for
the 2011 ITU-R World Radiocommunication Conference Preparatory Meeting. See,
notice in the Federal
Register, June 21, 2010, Vol. 75, No. 118, at Page 35122. Location: 1200 Wilson Boulevard,
Arlington, VA.
Deadline to reply comments to the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) in response to its
Notice of
Inquiry and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOI and NPRM) [222 pages in PDF] regarding
high cost universal service subsidies and broadband. The FCC adopted and released
this item on April 21, 2010. It is FCC 10-58 in WC Docket No. 10-90, GN Docket No. 09-51,
and WC Docket No. 05-337. See,
notice in the Federal Register, May 13, 2010, Vol. 75, No. 92, at Pages 26906-26916.
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More
News |
8/4. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) published a
notice in the
Federal Register that sets comment deadlines for its
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) [92 pages in PDF] regarding
changes to its Personal Radio Services rules. Initial comments are due by
September 3, 2010. Reply comments are due by September 20, 2010. The FCC adopted this NPRM
on June 1, 2010, and released the text on June 7, 2010. It is FCC 10-106 in WT
Docket No. 10-119. See,
Federal Register, August 4, 2010, Vol. 75, No. 149, at Pages 47141-47169.
8/4. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) published a
notice in the
Federal Register that sets comment deadlines for its
Notice
of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) and Further NPRM [36 pages in PDF] regarding
"prescribing a point to point predictive model for determining the ability of
individual locations to receive an over the air digital television broadcast signal at
the intensity level needed for service through the use of an antenna" (NPRM), and
"determining eligibility of satellite subscribers for receiving distant network signals
from their satellite TV provider using on-location testing/measurements" (FNPRM). Initial
comments are due by August 24, 2010. Reply comments are due by September 3, 2010. This NPRM
is required by the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act of 2010 (STELA),
which the Congress enacted in May. See, story titled "Obama Signs Satellite TV Bill"
in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No.
2,089, May 28, 2010. The FCC adopted and released this item on July 28, 2010. It is FCC
10-133 in ET Docket Nos. 10-152 and 06-94. See, in the Federal
Register, August 4, 2010, Vol. 75, No. 149, at Pages 46885-46894.
8/2. The Semiconductor Industry
Association (SIA) announced in a
release that "Global sales of semiconductors in the second quarter of 2010
grew to $74.8 billion, an increase of 7.1 percent from the first quarter total
of $69.9 billion" and that "June 2010 sales of $24.9 billion were 0.5 percent
higher than May when sales were $24.8 billion."
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About Tech Law
Journal |
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