Obama Administration Proposes Patent
Litigation Reforms |
6/4. The Executive Office of the President (EOP) released a
document that outlines the Obama administration's positions regarding patent
reform, particularly abusive threats and litigation by patent assertion entities.
This document includes a proposal that the Congress enact legislation that would
"Permit more discretion in awarding fees to prevailing parties in patent cases,
providing district courts with more discretion to award attorney’s fees under 35 USC 285
as a sanction for abusive court filings". It also proposes real party in interest
reforms, changing in the USITC standard for issuance
of injunctions, and creating an exemption from liability for patent infringement for off
the shelf use by consumers and business. Rep. Bob
Goodlatte (R-VA), Chairman of the House
Judiciary Committee (HJC), and Sen. Patrick
Leahy (D-VT), Chairman of the Senate
Judiciary Committee (SJC) both welcomed these proposals.
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USITC Enjoins Importation of Certain Older
iPhones and iPads |
6/4. The U.S. International Trade Commission
(USITC) issued a
Notice of the Commission's Final Determination Finding a Violation of Section
337 [4 pages in PDF] in its proceeding (Inv. No. 337-TA-794) on the
complaint of Samsung against Apple regarding the importation of certain
electronic devices alleged to infringe Samsung patents.
Section 337, which is codified at
19 U.S.C. § 1337,
among other things, makes unlawful the following: "The importation into the
United States, the sale for importation, or the sale within the United States
after importation by the owner, importer, or consignee, of articles that ...
infringe a valid and enforceable United States patent or a valid and enforceable
United States copyright ... or ... are made, produced, processed, or mined
under, or by means of, a process covered by the claims of a valid and
enforceable United States patent".
The USITC found Apple in violation of Section 337 as to some but not all of
the patents cited in the complaint.
The USITC also issued a limited exclusion order that prohibits Apple from importing
certain wireless communication devices, portable music and data processing devices,
and tablet computers (certain older AT&T models -- iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 3G,
and iPad2 3G).
It also issued a cease and desist order prohibiting sale and distribution in the U.S.
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Clyburn Announces Staff
Changes |
6/4. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman
Mignon Clyburn
announced personnel changes.
On May 30, Clyburn named Michelle Ellison, who was Chief of the FCC's
Enforcement Bureau (EB) to be her Chief of Staff.
See, FCC
release. Then, on June 4, Clyburn named Robert Ratcliffe to be acting
Chief of the FCC's EB, replacing Ellison. See, FCC
release. Ellison has worked at the FCC since
1995. Ratcliffe was Deputy Chief of the FCC's Media Bureau.
Clyburn
named Dave Grimaldi (at right) to be her Chief Counsel and Senior Legal
Advisor. He previously worked as Chief of Staff to Clyburn. Before that, he
worked on Capitol Hill, as Senior Counsel to Clyburn's father,
Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC), and for
former Rep. Ed Towns (D-NY), a senior member of the
House Commerce Committee (HCC).
Clyburn named Louis Peraertz (at
left) to be her Legal Advisor for wireless, international, and public safety
issues. He has
worked for Clyburn since 2009. Before that, he worked in the FCC's
Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB)
and Office of General Counsel.
And before joining the FCC, he worked in the Department of Justice's (DOJ)
Civil Rights Division.
Clyburn named Rebekah Goodheart to be her Legal Advisor for wireline issues.
She has worked at the FCC since 2008, as Deputy Director of the Technology Transitions
Policy, Associate Chief of the
Wireline Competition Bureau
(WCB), Senior Policy Advisor for the Omnibus Broadband Initiative, and Assistant
Division Chief in the Media Bureau's (MB)
Industry Analysis Division. Before joining the FCC, she worked in the DOJ's
Antitrust Division's Telecommunications and
Media Enforcement Section. And before that, she worked for the Washington DC law firm
of Wiley Rein.
Clyburn named Sarah Whitesell to be her Legal Advisor for media issues.
She is a long time FCC employee. She was previously Deputy Bureau Chief of the FCC's
MB. Before joining the MB in 2005, she held numerous other positions around the FCC,
including in the FCC's Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis, in the
formerly named Cable Bureau, as acting Legal Advisor to former Commissioner Jonathan
Adelstein on media issues, and as Legal Advisor to former Commissioner Gloria Tristani
for common carrier issues. She has also worked at the DOJ's Antitrust Division,
and for the law firm now known as Wilmer Hale (Wilmer Cutler & Pickering).
Clyburn named Drema Johnson to be her Confidential Assistant, DeeAnn
Smith to be her Staff Assistant, Dorothy Terry to be her Special Assistant,
and Carol Lott to be her Special Assistant.
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Obama Launches Effort to Pack the DC
Circuit |
6/4. President Obama nominated
Patricia Ann Millett,
Cornelia Pillard,
and Robert Wilkins to be Judges
of the U.S. Court of Appeals (DCCir). See,
White House news office
release.
He also gave a
speech in which he asserted that this is not "court packing". He argued
that "We're not adding seats here. We're trying to fill seats that are already
existing." He added, "I didn't create these seats. I didn't just wake up
one day and say, let's add three seats to the District Court of Appeals."
The DC Circuit by statute has 11 seats for active status judges. See,
28 U.S.C. § 44(a). With
the confirmation of Sri Srinivasan last month, the DC Circuit now has 8 judges.
Four of the current active status judges were appointed by Republicans: Janice Brown,
Brett Kavanaugh, Karen Henderson and Thomas Griffith. Four were appointed by Democrats:
Merrick Garland, Judith Rogers, David Tatel, and Sri Srinivasan.
At issue is whether this circuit needs any more judges, given its workload,
and whether the President now seeks to pack the court with judges who are
inclined to uphold broad assertions of executive authority.
One consequence of three more Democratic judges would be that most three judge panels
would have a majority of Democrats. A consequence of just one more Democratic judge would
be that en banc reviews of opinions of three judge panels that go against the President,
which require a majority vote from the active status judges, would be more likely.
Court Packing Hypothesis. Of the three persons nominated on June 4, two
(Millett and Pillard) have records as government lawyers who have often defended executive
action in the courts. Their nominations are consistent with the hypothesis that the
President is seeking to pack the court with judges more favorably disposed to the
actions that he is likely to take in his second administration.
President Obama showed only limited interest in the DC Circuit in his first term.
Moreover, he squandered two and a half years half heartedly pushing a nominee (Caitlin
Halligan) whom he could foresee from the outset would incite conservative opposition, and
for whom red state Democratic Senators would be loath to vote.
When President Obama came to office, there were solid Democratic majorities in the
House and Senate. President Obama could implement many of his policy objectives through
legislation, and Senate confirmation of his executive branch nominees. This limited the
chances that any particular action would be overturned by the courts. Then,
Republicans won control of the House in 2010, and Democrats failed to retake the House
in 2012. Senate Democrats were left with a narrower majority in the Senate after the
2010 elections, and markedly less enthusiasm for pushing many of the President's
initiatives.
One Presidential reaction has been to implement policy objectives by
executive action, rather than legislation. This in turn, resulted in greater scrutiny
of executive nomimees. And this, in turn, resulted in the President making appointments
-- purportedly recess appointments -- which the DC Circuit rejected in its January 25
opinion [PDF] in Canning v. NLRB.
Hence, as the court packing hypothesis goes, President Obama, is concerned
that the DC Circuit will strike down more unilateral executive actions, and
thereby frustrate his pursuit of his policy objectives. Thus, to attain his
policy objectives, his strategy is now to put more judges on the one circuit
that hears many of the challenges to executive actions.
President Obama is probably motivated most by concerns that the DC Circuit,
without more Democrats, would strike down actions by the
Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and financial regulatory agencies acting under the
rubric of Dodd Frank authority.
However, the success or failure of his current effort would also affect
technology related areas of law. For example, the President has failed to win
passage of his favored cyber security regulation bill in either the House or
Senate, and is now acting without legislative authority through an executive order
and agency actions. He may take action that would be overturned by the DC
Circuit with its current composition.
Similarly, the Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) may seek to create new or expanded regulatory regimes under the rubric of
Section 5 of the FTC Act, for example, by ditching existing antitrust statutes
and precedent, and instead regulate competition in the tech sectors under
Section 5 in a more interventionist manner than the antitrust statutes now
permit. A reconstituted court would likely be more amenable to such action.
Backgrounds of the Three Nominees. Millett works in the Washington DC office
of the law firm of Akin Gump. From 1996
through 2007 she worked in the Department of
Justice's (DOJ) Office of the Solicitor
General (OSG). Before that, she worked as a litigator in the DOJ's
Civil Division.
None of these three nominees could be described as experts in technology related
areas of law. Very few judicial nominees are. However, it might be recalled that
Millett argued for the government in KP Permanent Make-Up v. Lasting Impressions,
Sup. Ct. No. 03-409, a case regarding fair use and trademarks.
See, DOJ/OSG
amicus brief, December 8, 2004
opinion of
the Supreme Court, reported at 543 U.S. 111, and
story
titled "Supreme Court Rules on Fair Use in Trademark Case" in
TLJ Daily E-Mail
Alert No. 1,034, December 9, 2004.
The Supreme Court held that "a plaintiff claiming infringement of an
incontestable mark must show likelihood of consumer confusion as part of the prima
facie case, 15 U. S. C. §1115(b), while the defendant has no independent burden to
negate the likelihood of any confusion in raising the affirmative defense that a
term is used descriptively, not as a mark, fairly, and in good faith".
Pillard is a professor at Georgetown
University law school. During the Clinton administration she worked in the DOJ's
OSG and Office of Legal Counsel (OLC). She
also possesses a record that would lead many conservatives to oppose her nomination
absent any allegations of court packing.
Wilkins is a Judge of the U.S. District
Court (DC). President Obama appointed him in 2010. From 2002 through 2010 he was
a partner in the law firm of Venable. Before that,
he worked for twelve years in the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia.
More Information. See, related TLJ stories: "Sen. Grassley Condemns
Obama's Plans to Pack DC Circuit" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,569, May 3,
2013, "Obama Wants to Appoint Three More Judges to DC Circuit" in TLJ
Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,566, May 23, 2013, and "Future Nominees for the DC
Circuit May Face Republican Opposition" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,562,
May 15, 2013.
The American Constitution Society for Law and
Policy issued a
release backing the President.
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USTR Nominee Froman Mired in Ugland House
Controversy |
6/4. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA)
commented on President Obama's nomination of Mike Froman to be the U.S. Trade
Representative.
President Obama, who knows Froman from their law school student days, nominated
Froman a month ago. See, story titled "President Obama Picks Mike Froman to be
USTR" in TLJ Daily
E-Mail Alert No. 2,557, May 6, 2013. He works in the Executive Office of the
President (EOP) as Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs.
Before joining the Obama administration he worked at Citgroup. He also worked in the
Department of the Treasury during the Clinton administration.
Miriam Sapiro (at right) has been the acting USTR since May 23, 2013.
The Senate Finance Committee (SFC),
of which Sen. Grassley is a senior member, has jurisdiction over trade issues,
and the nomination of the USTR. The financial disclosure form that Froman
submitted to the SFC discloses Ugland House investment holdings.
Ugland House is a building in the Cayman Islands that serves as the official
address of thousands of corporations.
President Obama gave a
speech on May 4,
2009 regarding international tax policy and offshore tax havens. He focused on Ugland
House.
He said that "I used to talk about the outrage of
a building in the Cayman Islands that had over 12,000 business -- businesses
claim this building as their headquarters. And I've said before, either this
is the largest building in the world or the largest tax scam in the world."
He said that while most Americans meet their responsibilities to pay their
fair share of taxes, "there are others who are shirking theirs. And many are
aided and abetted by a broken tax system, written by well-connected lobbyists on
behalf of well-heeled interests and individuals. It's a tax code full of
corporate loopholes that makes it perfectly legal for companies to avoid paying
their fair share. It's a tax code that makes it all too easy for a number -- a
small number of individuals and companies to abuse overseas tax havens to avoid
paying any taxes at all."
The President said then that "It's the kind of tax scam that we need to
end. That's why we are closing one of our biggest tax loopholes."
Sen. Grassley's point is that Froman is one of those well heeled tax shirkers
against whom the President railed in his 2009 speech.
Sen. Grassley wrote in a
memorandum to reporters and editors titled "Nominee with offshore accounts"
that "President Obama called the Ugland House `the biggest tax scam in the world.´
Yet he nominated two top advisers in a row who invested in the Ugland House."
Sen. Grassley continued that "When he was first elected, the President said
tax avoidance through international tax havens forced ordinary Americans to `pick up
the slack.´ He railed against fat cats who avoid taxes offshore. President Obama's
hypocrisy is piling up with his picks for top posts in his Administration. If the
latest nominations go through, he'll have two members of his Cabinet and one adviser
with Cabinet-rank status who used the offshore practices he said forced ordinary
Americans `to pick up the slack.´"
Jack Lew is the other Ugland House alumus picked for high office by Obama.
Politicians have for a long time criticized tax laws regarding foreign income,
and offshore tax havens. Moreover, most of the targets of these attacks are engaging
in entirely lawful activity. However, the integrity and fairness of the U.S. tax
system came under close public scrutiny with the disclosure in April of political
targeting by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Jack Lew won Senate confirmation
before the IRS scandal broke. In contrast, Froman faces a confirmation contest set
against the backdrop of this unfolding IRS scandal.
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More
News |
6/4. The Senate Commerce Committee's
(SCC) Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet held a hearing
titled "The State of Wireless Communications". See,
prepared testimony of
Steve Largent (head of the CTIA),
prepared testimony of Doug Webster (Cisco Systems),
prepared testimony of Steven Berry (head of the
Competitive Carriers Association),
prepared testimony of Delara Derakhshani (Consumers
Union),
prepared testimony of Thomas Nagel (Comcast Corporation), and
prepared testimony of
George Ford
(Phoenix Center). See also, SCC
web page with hyperlink to archived webcast.
6/4. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) published a
notice
in the Federal Register (FR) that sets comment deadlines for its
Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Notice of Inquiry (FNPRM & NOI)
regarding human exposure to RF electromagnetic fields. The deadline to
submit initial comments is September 3, 2013. The deadline to submit reply
comments is November 1, 2013. The FCC adopted this item on March 27, 2013, and
released it March 29, 2013. It is FCC 13-39 in ET Docket Nos. 03-137 and 13-84.
See, FR, Vol. 78, No. 107, June 4, 2013, at Pages 33654-33687. See also, story
titled "FCC Addresses Cellphone RF Exposure" in
TLJ Daily E-Mail
Alert No. 2,543, April 1, 2013.
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About Tech Law
Journal |
Tech Law Journal publishes a free access web site and a subscription e-mail alert.
The basic rate for a subscription to the TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert is $250 per year for
a single recipient. There are discounts for subscribers with multiple recipients.
Free one month trial subscriptions are available. Also, free subscriptions are
available for 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 two months after writing.
For information about subscriptions, see
subscription information page.
Tech Law Journal now accepts credit card payments. See, TLJ
credit
card payments page.
TLJ is published by
David
Carney
Contact: 202-364-8882.
carney at techlawjournal dot com
3034 Newark St. NW, Washington DC, 20008.
Privacy
Policy
Notices
& Disclaimers
Copyright 1998-2013 David Carney. All rights reserved.
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In This
Issue |
This issue contains the following items:
• Obama Administration Proposes Patent Litigation Reforms
• USITC Enjoins Importation of Certain Older iPhones and iPads
• Clyburn Announces Staff Changes
• Obama Launches Effort to Pack the DC Circuit
• USTR Nominee Froman Mired in Ugland House Controversy
• More News
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Washington Tech
Calendar
New items are highlighted in
red. |
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Wednesday, June 5 |
The House will meet at 10:00 AM for morning hour, and at
12:00 NOON for legislative business. The House will consider HR 2217
[LOC |
WW], the
"Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2014". See, Rep.
Cantor's schedule.
The Senate will meet at 9:00 AM.
It is scheduled to resume consideration of S 954
[LOC
| WW],
the "Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2013".
Day one of a two day conference titled "Health
Privacy Summit". See,
conference web site. Location: Georgetown University law school, 600
New Jersey Ave., NW.
8:00 AM - 12:30 PM. Day one of a two day conference hosted by the
Center for Strategic and International Studies
(CSIS) titled "Managing Tensions in the South China Sea". See,
notice.
Location: CSIS, B1 Conference Center, 1800 K St., NW.
10:00 AM. The House
Judiciary Committee's (HJC) Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and
Antitrust Law will hold a hearing on HR 1493
[LOC |
WW], the
"Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act of 2013". The
witnesses will be Thomas Easterly (Indiana Department of Environmental Management),
William Kovacs (U.S. Chamber of Commerce), Allen Puckett (Columbus Brick Company),
and John Walke (Natural Resources Defense Council). See,
notice.
Location: Room 2141, Rayburn Building.
POSTPONED. 10:00 AM.
The Senate
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (SHSGAC) will hold a
hearing titled "Reducing Duplication and Improving Outcomes in Federal
Information Technology". The witnesses will be
Steven VanRoekel (Office of
Management and Budget),
Simon
Szykman (Department of Commerce),
Frank Baitman (Department
of Health and Human Services), and David Powner
(Government Accountability Office). See,
notice. Location: Room 342, Dirksen Building.
10:00 AM. The U.S. Court
of Appeals (FedCir) will hear oral argument in In Re SRI
International, App. Ct. No. 2012-1456. Panel E. Location: Courtroom 201,
717 Madison Place, NW.
10:00 AM. The U.S. Court
of Appeals (FedCir) will hear oral argument in Tahir Mahmood v.
Research in Motion, App. Ct. Nos. 2012-1517 and 2013-1062. Panel E.
Location: Courtroom 201, 717 Madison Place, NW.
10:00 AM. The U.S. Court
of Appeals (FedCir) will hear oral argument in Lifescan Scotland v.
Shasta, App. Ct. No. 2013-1271. Panel F. Location: Courtroom 402, 717
Madison Place, NW.
6:00 - 8:00 PM. The DC Bar
Association will host an event titled "2013 Annual Spring Reception
Honoring David Kappos". The speakers will included David Kappos (former
head of the USPTO) and
Judge
Sharon Prost (USCA for the Federal Circuit). The price to attend ranges from $20
to $40. No CLE credits. For more information, call 202-626-3463. Reporters are barred. See,
notice. Location:
Dolley Madison House, 721 Madison Place, NW.
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Thursday, June 6 |
The House will meet at 9:00 AM for legislative business.
The House will consider non-technology related items. See, Rep. Cantor's
schedule.
Supreme Court conference day. See, Supreme Court
calendar.
Day two of a two day conference titled "Health
Privacy Summit". See,
conference web site. Location: Georgetown University law school, 600
New Jersey Ave., NW.
8:00 AM - 12:30 PM. Day two of a two day conference hosted by
the Center for Strategic and International Studies
(CSIS) titled "Managing Tensions in the South China Sea". See,
notice.
Location: CSIS, B1 Conference Center, 1800 K St., NW.
9:00 AM. The House
Intelligence Committee (HIC) will hold a closed hearing on undisclosed matters. See,
notice. Location: Room HVC-304, Capitol Visitor Center.
9:00 AM - 2:00 PM. The U.S.
China Economic and Security Review Commission will hold a hearing titled
"China and the Middle East". See,
notice [PDF]. Location: Room 608, Dirksen Building.
10:00 AM. The House
Judiciary Committee's (HJC) Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property
and the Internet will hold a hearing on HR 1123
[LOC |
WW], the
"Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act". The
witnesses will be __. See,
notice.
Location: Room 2141, Rayburn Building.
10:00 AM. The Senate
Judiciary Committee (SJC) will hold an executive business meeting. The agenda
includes consideration of Tony West (to be the Associate Attorney General)
and four judicial nominees: Valerie Caproni (USDC/SDNY), Vernon
Broderick (USDC/SDNY), Patricia Smith (U.S. Court of Federal Claims),
and Elaine Kaplan (U.S. Court of Federal Claims). See also, story titled
"Senate Judiciary Committee Holds Hearing on West" in TLJ Daily E-Mail
Alert No. 2,568, May 31, 2013, and
story
titled "Obama Nominates Caproni to District Court" in
TLJ Daily E-Mail
Alert No. 2,474, November 19, 2012. Live and archived webcast. See,
notice. Location: Room 226, Dirksen Building.
10:00 AM. The Senate
Appropriations Committee (SAC) will hold a hearing on FY 2014 budget for the
Department of Justice (DOJ). The witnesses
will be Eric Holder (Attorney General) and Michael Horowitz (DOJ Inspector General).
Location: Room 192, Dirksen Building.
10:00 AM. The U.S. Court
of Appeals (FedCir) will hear oral argument in John T. Minemyer v.
R-ROC Reps Inc., App. Ct. No. 2012-1532, an appeal from the
U.S. District Court (NDIll). Panel G.
Location: Courtroom 201, 717 Madison Place, NW.
10:00 AM. The U.S. Court
of Appeals (FedCir) will hear oral argument in IA Labs CA, LLC v.
Nintendo Co., Ltd., App. Ct. No. 2012-1644, an appeal from the
U.S. District Court (DMd) in a patent
infringement case. Panel G. Location: Courtroom 201, 717 Madison Place, NW.
2:30 PM. The Senate
Intelligence Committee (SIC) will hold a closed hearing on undisclosed matters. See,
notice. Location: Room 219, Hart Building.
MOVED TO JUNE 27. 10:30 AM. The Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) will host an event titled "open meeting". Location:
FCC, Commission Meeting Room, TW-C305, 445 12th St., SW.
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Friday, June 7 |
Rep. Cantor's schedule
states that "no votes are expected" in the House.
8:30 AM. The Department of Labor's (DOL)
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is
scheduled to release its May 2013 unemployment data.
12:00 NOON - 1:30 PM. The Internet Caucus will host
a panel discussion titled "Faceoff: A Fact-Based Debate on U.S. Internet
Policy and Access Networks". The speakers will be
Bryan Tramont (Wilkinson
Barker Knauer), Ev Ehrlich (ESC Company),
Jeffrey Eisenach
(Navigant Economics), Rob Frieden (Penn
State University), and Ellen Goodman
(Rutgers School of Law). Free. Open to the public. Some box lunches will be served.
Respond to RSVP at netcaucus dot org. Location: Room SVC 203-02, Capitol
Visitors Center.
12:00 NOON - 1:30 PM. There will be an event titled
"Get It Online: Legal Implications of Social Media for Communication &
Government Relations Executives". The speakers will include
Jason Torchinsky (Holtzman
Vogel Josefiak). Prices vary. See,
notice and registration page. Location:
National Press Club, 13th Floor, 529 14th St., NW.
11:59 PM. Deadline to submit comments to the
Office of
the U.S. Trade Representative (OUSTR) regarding Japan's participation in the
Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement negotiations. See,
notice
in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 88, May 7, 2013, at Pages 26682-26684.
Deadline to submit comments to the
National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST)
Computer Security Division (CSD) regarding
its draft
NIST IR 7924 [91 pages in PDF], titled "Reference Certificate
Policy", released in April, 2013.
Deadline to submit reply comments to the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) in response to its
Public Notice (PN) [17 pages in PDF] regarding its e-rate tax and
subsidy program for schools and libraries. The FCC released this PN on
April 9, 2013. It is DA 13-592 in CC Docket No. 02-6 and GN Docket No. 09-51.
See,
notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 78, April 23, 2013, at Pages
23877-23882.
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Monday, June 10 |
Day one of a three day event hosted by the
National Cable & Telecommunications
Association (NCTA) titled "Cable Show". See,
web site. Location: Washington
Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place, NW.
12:00 NOON - 1:00 PM. The American
Bar Association's (ABA) Section of Antitrust will host a teleconferenced panel
discussion titled "May In-House Counsel Antitrust Update". The
speakers will be Anita
Banicevic (Davies Ward), and
Andrea Murino,
Mark Rosman,
Michael Rosenthal, and
Daniel Wieck (all of Wilson, Sonsini). Free. No CLE credits. See,
notice.
Deadline to submit reply comments to the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) in response to its
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) [47 pages in PDF] regarding implementation
of the 2012 spectrum act's provisions regarding deployment of a nationwide public
safety broadband network in the 700 MHz band under a nationwide license issued to
the FirstNet. See, HR 3630
[LOC |
WW], the
"Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012", Public Law No.
112-96. The FCC adopted this item on March 7, 2013, and released the text on March 8.
It is FCC 13-31 in PS Docket Nos. 12-94 and 06-229, and WT Docket No. 06-150. See,
notice
in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 79, April 24, 2013, at Pages 24138-24147.
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Tuesday, June 11 |
Day two of a three day event hosted by the
National Cable & Telecommunications
Association (NCTA) titled "Cable Show". See,
web site. Location: Washington
Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place, NW.
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Day one of a two day meeting of
the Department of Commerce's (DOC) National
Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST)
Visiting Committee on Advanced
Technology (VCAT). See,
notice
in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 98, May 21, 2013, at Pages 29704-29705.
Location: NIST, Portrait Room, Administration Building, 100 Bureau Drive,
Gaithersburg, MD.
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Day one of a two day meeting of the Executive
Office of the President's (EOP)
Office of Science and
Technology Policy's (OSTP) Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology
Subcommittee. See,
notice
in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 79, April 24, 2013, at Page 24241. Location:
USDA Conference and Training Center, Patriots Plaza III, 355 E St., SW.
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Day one of a two day event hosted by
Georgetown University's (GU) Georgetown
Center for Business and Public Policy (GCBPP) titled "Workshop on
the Economics of Information Security". See,
notice.
Location: GU, Hariri Building, McDonough School of Business.
8:30 - 10:00 AM. The Microsoft and Georgetown University will
host an event titled "Privacy in a Digital World". The speakers
will be Julie Brill (FTC Commissioner), Marc Rotenberg (EPIC), and Jules Polenetsky
(Future of Privacy Forum). See,
notice.
Location: Washington Post, 1150 15th St., NW.
8:30 AM - 5:30 PM. Day one of a two day meeting of the Department
of the Interior's (DOI) National Geospatial
Advisory Committee (NGAC). The agenda includes discussion of the Strategic
Plan of the National Spatial Data
Infrastructure (NSDI), which provides data for, among other things, Google
Maps and Microsoft Bing maps. See,
notice
in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 99, May 22, 2013, at Page 30328. Location:
South Interior Building Auditorium, 1951 Constitution Ave., NW.
9:00 AM. The Department of Commerce's (DOC)
Bureau of Industry and Security's (BIS)
Regulations and Procedures Technical Advisory Committee will hold a partially
closed meeting. See,
notice
in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 102, May 28, 2013, Page 31884. Location:
DOC, Room 3884, Hoover Building, 14th Street between Constitution and Pennsylvania
Avenues, NW.
9:00 AM - 2:30 PM. The Federalist
Society will host an event titled "Executive Branch Review Conference".
This event will include numerous panels, including ones "Is Government a
Friend or Foe of Innovation", "Is the Administrative State on the
Rise?", and "Regulation and the Rule of Law". Lunch will be
served. Free. The price for CLE credits is $50. See,
notice and registration page. Location: National Press Club, 529 14th
St., NW.
RESCHEDULED FROM JUNE 4. 9:30 AM. The
Senate Judiciary Committee (SJC) will
hold a hearing on nominations, including that of
Stuart Delery to
be the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department of Justice's (DOJ)
Civil Division. Delery has been acting
AAG since February of 2012. The SJC will provide a live and archived webcast. See,
notice. Location: Room 226, Dirksen Building.
12:15 PM. The New America
Foundation (NAF) will host a discussion of the
book [Amazon] titled "Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now".
The speakers will be Douglas Rushkoff (author),
Christine Rosen (NAF) and
Marvin Ammori
(NAF). See, notice.
Location: NAF, Suite 400, 1899 L St., NW.
1:00 - 5:00 PM. The Department of Commerce's (DOC)
National Telecommunications and Information
Administration (NTIA) will hold another in its series of meetings
regarding mobile application transparency. See,
notice
in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 62, April 1, 2013, at Pages 19461-19462.
Location: American Institute of Architects, 1735 New York Ave., NW.
1:00 PM. The US
Telecom will host a webcast seminar to present a report titled "Independent
Telco Benchmark Report". The speaker will be Tim Owens of Cronin Communications.
The price for a copy of the report and access to this seminar is $395. See,
notice.
Deadline to submit to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) replies
to oppositions to the April 18 petition for reconsideration of the FCC's
Sixth Order on Reconsideration and Memorandum Opinion and Order regarding
the Connect America Fund and high cost universal service subsidies. The FCC
adopted that item on January 31, and released it on February 27. It is FCC
13-16 in WC Docket Nos. 10-90 and 05-337. See also, FCC
Public Notice regarding deadlines.
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Wednesday, June 12 |
Day three of a three day event hosted by the
National Cable & Telecommunications
Association (NCTA) titled "Cable Show". See,
web site. Location: Washington
Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place, NW.
8:00 AM - 1:00 PM. Day two of a two day meeting of the Executive
Office of the President's (EOP)
Office of Science
and Technology Policy's (OSTP) Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology
Subcommittee. See,
notice
in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 79, April 24, 2013, at Page 24241. Location:
USDA Conference and Training Center, Patriots Plaza III, 355 E St., SW.
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Day two of a two day event hosted by Georgetown
University's (GU) Georgetown Center for Business
and Public Policy (GCBPP) titled "Workshop on the Economics of Information
Security". See,
notice.
Location: GU, Hariri Building, McDonough School of Business.
8:30 - 11:45 AM Day two of a two day meeting of the
Department of Commerce's (DOC) National
Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST)
Visiting Committee on Advanced
Technology (VCAT). See,
notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 98, May 21, 2013, at Pages
29704-29705. Location: NIST, Portrait Room, Administration Building, 100
Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD.
8:30 AM - 4:00 PM. Day two of a two day meeting of the
Department of the Interior's (DOI) National
Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC). The agenda includes discussion of the
Strategic Plan of the National Spatial
Data Infrastructure (NSDI), which provides data for, among other things, Google
Maps and Microsoft Bing maps. See,
notice
in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 99, May 22, 2013, at Page 30328. Location:
South Interior Building Auditorium, 1951 Constitution Ave., NW.
12:15 - 1:45 PM. The DC Bar
Association's Media Law Committee will host a closed brown bag lunch meeting
to discuss media and communications law developments. Free. No CLE credits.
Reporters are barred from covering this event. For more information, contact the
DC Bar at 202-626-3463 or Kurt Wimmer
(Covington & Burling) at kwimmer at cov dot com or Jim McLaughlin at
mclaughlinj at washpost dot com. See,
notice. Location: Washington Post, 1150 15th St., NW.
Deadline to submit to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
objections to AT&T's April 17, 2013 application to discontinue certain
domestic telecommunications services that utilize obsolete technologies. See,
Public Notice [3 pages in PDF], DA 13-1083 in WC Docket No. 13-126.
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Highlights of Georgetown Center for Business & Public
Policy (GCBPP) Conference on Mobile Broadband and Spectrum Policy
Friday,
June 14 |
8:30 AM. Peter Rysavy will make introductions. |
8:45 - 9:30 AM.
John Mayo
(GCBPP) and Kevin Hassett
(American Enterprise Institute) will speak. |
9:30 - 10:15 AM. Tom Power (EOP's OSTP), may give a speech. |
10:30 - 11:15 AM. Al Jette (Nokia Siemens Networks" will give a speech
titled "Standardization efforts (including 3GPP, ETSI, IEEE) to accommodate
new spectrum policy approaches, including LTE spectrum coordination and white-space
networks". |
11:15 AM - 12:00 NOON. Dean Brenner (Qualcomm) will give a speech titled
"Opportunities and challenges of new bands, including the proposed
3.5 GHz small-cell band". |
12:00 NOON - 1:00 PM. Lunch will be served. |
1:00 - 1:45 PM. Ruth Milkman (Chief of the FCC's
Wireless Telecommunications Bureau)
will give a speech. |
1:45 - 2:30 PM. Jennifer Fritzsche (Wells Fargo Securities) will give a
speech titled "Making the business case for continued investment in the
mobile broadband sector: a Wall Street perspective". |
2:45 - 4:00 PM. There will be a panel titled "Efficiencies in Spectrum Use and
Distribution: A Review of the Perspectives". The speakers will be
Carolyn Brandon
(GCBPP), Anna-Maria
Kovacs (GCBPP),
Scott Wallsten (Technology Policy Institute),
Harold Feld (Public Knowledge),
and Peter Rysavy (Rysavy Research). |
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