10/15. Sprint Nextel Corporation and SoftBank announced that they have entered into agreements that will give SoftBank a 70% stake in Sprint Nextel.

Sprint Nextel stated in a release that the two companies "have entered into a series of definitive agreements under which SoftBank will invest $20.1 billion in Sprint, consisting of $12.1 billion to be distributed to Sprint stockholders and $8.0 billion of new capital to strengthen Sprint’s balance sheet. Through this transaction, approximately 55% of current Sprint shares will be exchanged for $7.30 per share in cash, and the remaining shares will convert into shares of a new publicly traded entity, New Sprint. Following closing, SoftBank will own approximately 70% and Sprint equity holders will own approximately 30% of the shares of New Sprint on a fully-diluted basis."

Sprint Nextel added that "The transaction has been approved by the Boards of Directors of both SoftBank and Sprint. Completion of the transaction is subject to Sprint stockholder approval, customary regulatory approvals and the satisfaction or waiver of other closing conditions."

See also, video of October 15 news conference at which leaders of the two companies announced and described this transaction.

Softbank (Sofutobanku Kabushiki-gaisha) is based in Tokyo, Japan. It provides wireline and wireless telecommunications services, broadband internet access service, and numerous e-commerce and online financial, media, and technology services.

Masayoshi Son, Ch/CEO of Softbank, stated in the release that "This transaction provides an excellent opportunity for SoftBank to leverage its expertise in smartphones and next-generation high speed networks, including LTE, to drive the mobile internet revolution in one of the world’s largest markets. As we have proven in Japan, we have achieved a v-shaped earnings recovery in the acquired mobile business and grown dramatically by introducing differentiated products to an incumbent-led market. Our track record of innovation, combined with Sprint’s strong brand and local leadership, provides a constructive beginning toward creating a more competitive American wireless market."

The two companies also announced that Softbank will create a new U.S. subsidiary named "New Sprint", and that it will continue to have its headquarters in Overland Park, Kansas.

Sprint Nextel is the third largest telecom company in the US, measured by number of customers, behind Verizon and AT&T.

Dan Hesse, CEO of Sprint Nextel, stated at the news conference that this transaction is pro-competitive and pro-consumer. He said that it enable the new company to more effectively compete against Verizon and AT&T.

Matt Wood of the Free Press, a Washington DC based interest group that frequently advocates regulatory intervention in telecom, internet and media markets, stated in a release that "Sprint offers consumers a competitive alternative to Verizon and AT&T's overpriced wireless services. Sprint and its partner Clearwire also facilitate the important low-priced and free offerings of many other small wireless competitors, including mobile virtual network operators like FreedomPop and Credo Mobile. These alternative carriers buy capacity from Sprint and Clearwire and it’s unclear how this deal will impact this important segment of the market."

He added that "SoftBank's investment in Sprint could be a net positive for consumers, but only if Sprint deepens its commitment to its wholesaling and competitive pricing strategies. However, in the long run this deal and other mergers cannot fix the structural barriers to competition that plague the U.S. wireless market. We need bold policies from the Federal Communications Commission that will usher in real competition, fair prices and innovative services."

10/9. The Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) announced in a release that it will seek to undermine the effectiveness of the Microsoft browser do not track (DNT) function in Internet Explorer version 10.

The DAA announced that "The DAA does not require companies to honor DNT signals fixed by the browser manufacturers and set by them in browsers.  Specifically, it is not a DAA Principle or in any way a requirement under the DAA Program to honor a DNT signal that is automatically set in IE10 or any other browser."

Browser makers can write their software in a way that enables consumers to select a DNT browser setting. They can make DNT the default selection. Moreover, standards setting organizations, such as the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Tracking Protection Working Group (TPWG), can write a voluntary standard regarding what DNT means, and what web sites are expected to do, or not expected to do, in response to a user's DNT expression.

However, consumers can only realize the benefits of a DNT browser setting selection if web site operators honor statements sent by the browser, and follow the standard. The DAA now states that web sites may ignore DNT expressions sent by a consumer's browser. Microsoft and TPWG are powerless to legislate a mandate that web site operators honor DNT expressions.

The DAA explained that "The trade associations that lead the DAA do not believe that Microsoft's IE10 browser settings are an appropriate standard for providing consumer choice. Machine-driven do not track does not represent user choice; it represents browser-manufacturer choice. Allowing browser manufacturers to determine the kinds of information users receive could negatively impact the vast consumer benefits and Internet experiences delivered by DAA participants and millions of other Web sites that consumers value. In addition, standards that are different than the consensus-based DAA Principles could confuse consumers and be difficult to implement. A ``default on´´ do-not-track mechanism offers consumers and businesses inconsistencies and confusion instead of comfort and security."

At the same time, the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) announced in a release its "full support" of this DAA announcement.

See also, stories titled:

• "Representatives Condemn FTC Participation in W3C Development of DNT Standard", "Sen. Rockefeller Urges FTC Participation in W3C Development of DNT Standard", and "CDT Urges Stakeholders to Develop DNT Standard" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,457, October 3, 2012.
• "ITIF Asserts That Do Not Track is Madness" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,456, October 2, 2012.
• "Microsoft Reaffirms Its Commitment to Do Not Track By Default" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,426, August 10, 2012.
• "Microsoft's Next Brower Will Have Do Not Track on by Default" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,389, June 4, 2012.

10/16. Theresa May, the United Kingdom (UK) Home Secretary, stated in the UK Parliament on October 16, 2012, that the UK will not extradite Gary McKinnon to the United States. He is under indictment for hacking into U.S. military computer systems over a decade ago.

She stated that "he is seriously ill", because "he has Asperger's syndrome and suffers from depressive illness", and this precludes extradition. See, Wikipedia page on Asperger's syndrome.

She stated that "Mr. McKinnon's extradition would give rise to such a high risk of him ending his life, that a decision to extradite would be incompatible with his human rights. I have therefore withdrawn the extradition order against Mr. McKinnon." See, video [YouTube].

In 2002 a grand jury of the U.S. District Court (DNJ) returned an indictment that charges McKinnon with unauthorized access and damage to computer systems of the U.S. Navy, in  violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1030.

U.S. Department of State (DOS) spokesman Victoria Nuland stated at a news conference on October 16 that "The United States is disappointed by the decision to deny Gary McKinnon's extradition to face long overdue justice in the United States. We are examining the details of the decision." See, DOS transcript.

The UK's disclosure of its decision not to extradite McKinnon follows by just over one week its actual extradition of Abu Hamza al Masri, and others, to the US. These defendants have long been under indictment on terrorism related charges. See, October 6, 2012 release of the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara stated in this release that "As is charged, these are men who were at the nerve centers of Al Qaeda’s acts of terror, and they caused blood to be shed, lives to be lost, and families to be shattered. After years of protracted legal battles, the extradition of these three alleged terrorists to the U.S. is a watershed moment in our nation’s efforts to eradicate terrorism, and it makes good on a promise to the American people to use every available diplomatic, legal, and administrative tool to pursue and prosecute charged terrorists no matter how long it takes."

10/14. Former Sen. Arlen Specter (PA) died. He represented the state of Pennsylvania in the Senate for five terms, as a Republican, until the final year of his Senate career. He failed to win re-election in 2010.

He was a long time member of the Senate Judiciary Committee (SJC), and late in his career, its Chairman.

During his Chairmanship he sponsored patent reform legislation. However, the Congress did not enact its patent reform bill, HR 1249 [LOC | WW], the "Leahy-Smith America Invents Act", until 2011, just after Sen. Specter's retirement.

Sen. Specter was supportive of content industries' efforts to enforce their copyrights. For example, he was a cosponsor in the 111th Congress of S 3804 [LOC | WW], the "Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act", or "COICA", introduced on September 20, 2010. This was the predecessor to the current Congress's S 968 [LOC | WW], the "Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011", "PROTECT IP Act", or "PIPA".

See also, story titled "Senators Introduce Bill to Enable DOJ to Shut Down Web Sites Dedicated to Infringement", "Bill Summary: Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act", and "Commentary: Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,132, September 21, 2010.

During his Chairmanship he worked with the Bush administration to extend sunsetted surveillance related provisions of the 2001 USA PATRIOT Act.

In the 111th Congress, he advocated expanding the Title III wiretap and electronic surveillance regime to also cover video surveillance. See, S 3214 [LOC | WW], the "Surreptitious Video Surveillance Act of 2010", a bill that would have banned both private and governmental video surveillance. However, as with intercepts, the government could obtain court authorization.

See, story titled "Sen. Specter Introduces Surreptitious Video Surveillance Act of 2010" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,079, April 19, 2010. See also, stories titled "Senate Judiciary Subcommittee to Hold Hearing on Video Laptop Surveillance", "Class Action Complaint Alleges School District Use of Laptops to Surveil Students", "Analysis of Claims in Robbins v. Lower Marion School District", and "School District Webcams and 2252/2252A" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,062, March 23, 2010.

Sen. Specter sponsored Senate versions of the "Free Flow of Information Act". See, S 2035 [LOC | WW] in the 110th Congress, and S 448 [LOC | WW] in the 111th Congress. These bills would have limited the ability of federal entities to compel journalists to provide testimony or documents, or disclose sources, related to their work. These bills would also have limited government access to records of carriers, ISPs and other service providers. While the House passed one version of this bill in the 110th Congress, HR 2102 [LOC | WW], and another in the 111th Congress, both the Bush and Obama administrations have opposed these bills, and no bill has become law.

10/15. Michael Simon was promoted to P/CEO for the Harry Fox Agency (HFA). He was previously SVP of Business Affairs, General Counsel and Chief Strategic Officer. Simon replaces Gary Churgin. See, HFA release.

10/15. Douglas Sicker was named Executive Director of the Broadband Internet Technical Advisory Group (BITAG). Sicker is also a professor in the University of Colorado at Boulder's Department of Computer Science. Sicker replaces Dale Hatfield. See, BITAG release.

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Notices & Disclaimers
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The House will not meet. It is in recess, except for pro forma sessions, until after the November elections.

The Senate will not meet. It is in recess, except for pro forma sessions, until November 13, 2012.

7:45 AM - 5:30 PM. Day one of a two day meeting of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Advisory Committee for Engineering. See, notice in the Federal Register Vol. 77, No. 189, September 28, 2012, at Pages 59674-59675. Location: NSF, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1235, Arlington, VA.

9:00 AM - 3:00 PM. The Department of Health and Human Services' (DHHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology's (ONCHIT) HIT Standards Committee will meet. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 77, No. 192, October 3, 2012, at Pages 60438-60439. Location: Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert St., NW.

10:30 AM. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will hold an event titled "Open Meeting". See, notice. Location: FCC, Commission Meeting Room, Room TW-C305, 445 12th St., SW.

12:00 NOON. The World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Tracking Protection Working Group will meet by teleconference. The call in number is 1-617-761-6200. The passcode is TRACK (87225).

12:00 NOON - 2:00 PM. The National Science Foundation's (NSF) Advisory Committee for Cyberinfrastructure will meet online and on site. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 77, No. 185, September 24, 2012, at Page 58871. Location: NSF, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Room 1295, Arlington, VA.

12:15 - 1:30 PM. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will host an event at which David Turetsky, Chief of the FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau will speak. The FCBA asserts that this is an FCBA event. Location: FCC, 5th Floor South Conference Room, 5-B516, 445 12th St., SW.

1:00 - 2:30 PM. The American Bar Association (ABA) will host a webcast and teleconferenced panel discussion titled "Strategic and Effective Litigation Before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board". The speakers will be Cheryl Butler (Interlocutory Attorney, TTAB), Mary Kevlin (Cowan Liebowitz & Latman), Angela Lykos (Administrative Trademark Judge, TTAB), and Jonathan Hudis (Oblon Spivak). Prices vary. CLE credits. See, notice.

5:30 - 7:30 PM. The American Bar Association (ABA) will host an event titled "Mixing Antitrust and IP: A Social Mixer". The speakers will be Maureen Ohlhausen (FTC Commissioner), Renata Hesse (Deputy Assistant Attorney General), and Gail Levine (Verizon). No CLE credits. See, notice. Location: Wilson Sonsini, 5th floor, 1700 K St., NW.

7:45 AM - 12:45 PM. Day one of a two day meeting of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Advisory Committee for Engineering. See, notice in the Federal Register Vol. 77, No. 189, September 28, 2012, at Pages 59674-59675. Location: NSF, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1235, Arlington, VA.

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will host an event titled "FTC Robocall Summit". Free. Open to the public. See, notice and agenda. Location: FTC Conference Center, 601 New Jersey Ave., NW.

9:00 - 10:00 AM. The American Bar Association (ABA) will host a webcast and teleconferenced panel discussion titled "Cartel Enforcement Around the World: Chapter 6: Taiwan, Singapore & India". The speakers will be Mark Rosman (Wilson Sonsini), Liehling Wu (Taiwan Fair Trade Commission), Ng Ee Kia (Drew & Napier), and Vinod Dhall (Dhall Law Chambers). Free. No CLE credits. See, notice.

9:30 AM. The U.S. Court of Appeals (DCCir) will hear oral argument in PMCM TV v. FCC, App. Ct. No. 11-1330. This is an appeal from an order of the FCC denying applications to reallocate VHF TV licenses under 47 U.S.C. § 331(a). See, FCC brief [89 pages in PDF]. Judges Garland, Tatel, and Kavanaugh will preside. This is the third item on the Court's agenda. Location: Courtroom 11, 4th floor, Prettyman Courthouse, 333 Constitution Ave., NW.

11:45 AM - 2:30 PM. The Free State Foundation (FSF) will host an event titled "Ideas for Communications Law and Policy Reform for 2013". The speakers will include FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell, Randolph May (FSF), Robert Atkinson (Information Technology & Innovation Foundation), James Gattuso (Heritage Foundation), David Honig (Minority Media & Telecommunications Council), and Adam Thierer (Mercatus Center). Open to the public. Registration required: send e-mail to kbaker at freestatefoundation dot org. Lunch will be served. Location. National Press Club, 13th Floor, 529 14th St., NW.

1:00 - 5:00 PM. The Department of State's (DOS) Advisory Committee on Private International Law's (ACPIL) Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) Study Group will meet. The purpose is to prepare for November 5-9, 2012 meeting of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law Working Group III  regarding online dispute resolution pertaining to cross border electronic commerce transactions. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 77, No. 184, September 21, 2012, at Page 58607. Location: DOS, Navy Hill, Room 240, South Building, 2430 E St., NW.

3:00 - 4:30 PM. The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) will host an event titled "A Debate: Is the American Economy in Decline?". The speakers will be Robert Atkinson (ITIF, author of the book titled "Innovation Economics: The Race for Global Advantage"), Edward Luce (Financial Times, author of the book titled "Time to Start Thinking: America in the Age of Descent"), and Daniel Gross (author of the book titled "Better Stronger Faster: The Myth of American Decline ... and the Rise of a New Economy") . See, notice. Location: Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, 5th Floor Conference Room, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.

6:00 - 8:00 PM. The Federal Communications Bar Association (FCBA) will host an event titled "Meet the Bureau and Office Chiefs Reception". Prices vary. See, notice and registration form. Location: Capital Hilton, 1001 16th St., NW.

Deadline to submit to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) oppositions to the three robocallers' petitions for reconsideration of the FCC's order [48 pages in PDF] regarding implementation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and telemarketing robocalling. The FCC adopted and released this order on February 15, 2012. It is FCC 12-21 in CG Docket No. 02-278. See, petition [23 pages in PDF] of the Professional Association for Customer Engagement, petition [2 pages in PDF] of Marketlink, Inc., and petition [5 pages in PDF] of SatCom Marketing LLC. They object to, among other things, the abandoned call opt-out provision. See also, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 77, No. 192, October 3, 2012, at Page 60343.

The Senate will meet at 11:00 AM in pro forma session.

Day one of a two day event titled "2012 National Trademark Expo". Free. Open to the public. See, notice. Location: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Alexandria, VA.

12:00 NOON - 1:30 PM. The American Bar Association (ABA) will host a webcast and teleconferenced panel discussion titled "America Invents Act: Understanding the New Post-Grant and Inter Partes Review Proceedings". The speakers will be Donna Meuth (Eisai Inc.), Michael Tierney (Judge, Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences, USPTO), and Jonathan Sick (McAndrews Held & Malloy). Prices vary. CLE credits. See, notice.

Extended deadline to submit comments to the Copyright Office (CO) in response to its Notice of Inquiry (NOI) regarding creating a small copyright claims process. See, original notice in the Federal Register (FR), Vol. 77, No. 164, August 23, 2012, at Pages 51068-51071, which contains the NOI. See also, extension notice in the FR, Vol. 77, No. 179, September 14, 2012, at Pages 56874-56875, which extends the deadline from September 26 to October 19. See also, stories titled "Copyright Office Seeks Comments on Creating a Process for Adjudicating Small Copyright Claims", "Orphan Works Legislation and Adjudicating Small Copyright Claims", and "Summary of First Round of Comments on Creating a Process for Adjudicating Small Copyright Claims" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,445, September 11, 2012.

Day two of a two day event titled "2012 National Trademark Expo". Free. Open to the public. See, notice. Location: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Alexandria, VA.

10:30 AM - 1:00 PM. The Heritage Foundation (HF) will host an event titled "The Economic and Security Direction of the New Chinese Government". There will be two panels. The first is titled "Politics and Security". The speakers will be Cheng Li (Brookings Institution), Chris Yung (National Defense University), Dean Cheng (HF), and Walter Lohman (HF). The second panel is titled "Economics". The speakers will be Arvind Subramanian (Peterson Institute for International Economics), Melanie Hart (Center for American Progress), Derek Scissors (HF), and Terry Miller (HF). Free. Open to the public. Live webcast. See, notice. Location: HF, 214 Massachusetts Ave., NE.

12:00 NOON - 2:00 PM. The American Bar Association (ABA) will host a webcast and teleconferenced panel discussion titled "Antitrust Fundamentals". The speakers will be Andrea Murino (Wilson Sonsini), Subrata Bhattacharjee (Heenan Blaikie), Carolyn Feeney (Dechert), Robert Maness (Charles River Associates), and Adam Biegel (Alston & Bird). CLE credits. Prices vary. See, notice.

1:00 - 2:30 PM. The American Bar Association (ABA) will host a webcast and teleconferenced panel discussion titled "Taking the RAND Case to Trial". The speakers will be Eric Benisek and Richard Vasquez (both of Vasquez Benisek & Lindgren). Prices vary. CLE credits. See, notice.

Deadline to submit comments to the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Antitrust Division regarding the proposed final judgment in US v. Verizon, D.C. No. Case 1:12-cv-01354. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 77, No. 164, August 23, 2012, at Pages 51048-51064. See also, story titled "DOJ Approves Verizon Cable Deals" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,429, August 15, 2012.

Extended deadline to submit comments to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in response to its notice of inquiry regarding changing its trademark application filing fees. See, original notice in the Federal Register (FR), Vol. 77, No. 159, August 16, 2012, at Pages 49426-49427, and extension notice in the FR, Vol. 77, No. 182, September 19, 2012, at Page 58097.

The Senate will meet at 1:00 PM in pro forma session.

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. The U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission will meet to consider drafts of material for its 2012 annual report to Congress. See, original notice in the Federal Register (FR), Vol. 77, No. 143, July 25, 2012, at Pages 43662-43663, and second notice in the FR, Vol. 77, No. 171, September 4, 2012, at Pages 53965-53966. Location: Hall of the States, Conference Room 231, 444 North Capitol St., NW.

12:00 NOON - 1:00 PM. The Department of Justice's (DOJ) Antitrust Division's (AD) Economic Analysis Group (EAG) will host a presentation titled "Calibrating Demand Systems and Simulating Mergers: The Antitrust R Package". The speaker will be Charles Taragin (DOJ). This is a brown bag lunch. For more information, contact Gloria Sheu at gloria dot sheu at usdoj dot gov or 202-532-4932 or Nathan Miller at nathan dot miller at usdoj dot gov or 202-307-3773. Location: Liberty Square Building, EAG conference room, LSB 9429, 450 5th St., NW.

6:00 - 8:15 PM. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will host an event titled "Nuts and Bolts of Applications for Approval of Assignments or Transfers of Licenses in the Broadcast, Cable, and Satellite Industries". The speakers will include David Brown (Associate Division Chief of the FCC's Media Bureau's Video Division), Michael Wagner (Assistant Division Chief the FCC's MB's Audio Division), and Wayne McKee (Deputy Chief of the FCC's MB's Engineering Division), Karl Kessinger (Associate Chief of the FCC's International Bureau's Satellite Division), and Kenneth Satten (Wilkinson Barker Knauer). CLE credits. The Federal Communications Bar Association (FCBA) states that this is an event of its Transactional Practice Committee. Registrations and cancellations due by 12:00 NOON on October 22. See, notice. Location: Mayer Brown, 1999 K St., NW.

6:00 - 8:00 PM. The American Bar Association (ABA) will host an event titled "Changing Hats: Reception and Roundtable on Antitrust Careers". The speakers will be Amy Manning (McGuire Woods), Sharis Pozen (Skadden Arps), Jeff Jacobovitz (McCarthy Sweeney & Harkaway), Scott Scheele (Chief of the DOJ's Antitrust Division's Telecommunications and Media Section), and Mary Jean Fell (Sprint Nextel). No CLE credits. Free. See, notice. Location: Skadden Arps, 11th Floor Conference Room, 700 14th St., NW.

Deadline to submit reply comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regarding the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) report [51 pages in PDF] titled "Federal Communications Commission: Regulatory Fee Process Needs To Be Updated", and released on September 10, 2012. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 77, No. 193, October 4, 2012, at Pages 60666-60667. This is also the extended deadline to submit reply comments in response to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding proposed changes to the FCC's policies and procedures for assessing and collecting regulatory fees. The FCC adopted this NPRM on July 13, 2012, and released it on July 17, 2012. It is FCC 12-77 in MD Docket No. 12-201. See also, notice in the FR, Vol. 77, No. 160, August 17, 2012, at Pages 49749-49773.

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. The U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission will meet to consider drafts of material for its 2012 annual report to Congress. See, original notice in the Federal Register (FR), Vol. 77, No. 143, July 25, 2012, at Pages 43662-43663, and second notice in the FR, Vol. 77, No. 171, September 4, 2012, at Pages 53965-53966. Location: Hall of the States, Conference Room 231, 444 North Capitol St., NW.

12:00 NOON. The World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Tracking Protection Working Group will meet by teleconference. The call in number is 1-617-761-6200. The passcode is TRACK (87225).

5:00 PM. Second extended deadline to submit reply comments to the Copyright Office (CO) in response to its notice in the Federal Register (FR) that announces, describes, recites and requests comments on its proposed rules regarding the verification of Statements of Account and royalty payments that are deposited with the CO by cable operators and satellite carriers. See, original notice in the FR, Vol. 77, No. 115, June 14, 2012, at Pages 35643-35652, first extension notice in the FR, Vol. 77, No. 176, September 11, 2012, at Page 55783, and second extension notice in the FR, Vol. 77, No. 192, October 3, 2012, at Pages 60333-60334.

Deadline to submit reply comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in response to its Public Notice (DA 12-1411) regarding the auction of certain FM broadcast construction permits scheduled to commence on March 26, 2013, and the competitive bidding procedures for Auction 94. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 77, No. 193, October 4, 2012, at Pages 60690-60695.