IEEE has "initiated" 500 new standards and revised 360 existing ones, the group told DOJ and FTC in National Cooperative Research and Production Act notifications Sept. 10, says Wednesday's Federal Register. Philips, meanwhile, withdrew from the UHD Alliance, the association reported Oct. 15, per Tuesday’s FR. HiSilicon Technologies withdrew, while Westinghouse joined. UHDA President Mike Fidler confirmed Philips departed. As UHDA "is focused from a hardware perspective on TV manufacturers, we decided the best representation for the global Philips TV brand would be TP Vision," emailed a Philips spokesperson.
Efforts to update broadcaster signal protections made limited progress at last week's meeting of the World Intellectual Property Organization Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR), but are moving toward a diplomatic conference (DipCon), participants told us. In his draft meeting summary, Chairman Daren Tang said talks on definitions, object of protection and rights to be granted were held in informal sessions with a view to clarifying technical issues and delegations' positions. A revised version of the text will be on the agenda for the next SCCR meeting, in spring. Progress was made on several points, we're told, including: (1) Rights to be granted, which seeks to accommodate different legal systems. (2) How to protect certain types of transmissions in particular live events. (3) New language on rights management information, which involves the concept of watermark used in program-carrying signals to monitor the uses made of them. (4) Whether to retain or delete "transmission over computer networks." Talks "started off well," with many delegations pressing to finalize the text to meet WIPO General Assembly instructions aimed at getting to a DipCon in 2020-21, emailed European Broadcasting Union Head-Intellectual Property Heijo Ruijsenaars. Informal discussions involved definitions and the scope of the treaty but then stalled on "lengthy discussions on how to deal with the (rather exceptional) situation where the foreign broadcaster would have no other option than to rely on protection of its programming content, rather than on the protection of its signal," he said. This is a minor issue relevant only to the U.S., and, meanwhile, one of the "big issues" -- protection of online rights -- remains largely unresolved, he said. To not lose momentum, continued drafting work is needed between now and the next meeting, Ruijsenaars said. Nevertheless, the committee moved a step closer to its DipCon goal, he said. The text is "still a mess," but there was very little opposition to moving to DipCon, emailed Knowledge Ecology international Director James Love.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said he's headed to Egypt for part of the World Radiocommunication Conference, which starts this week. “The issues being decided at WRC-19 are critical to our and the rest of the world's efforts to close the digital divide and promote next generation innovations,” Pai said after Friday's FCC meeting. “We need to create a flexible regulatory framework that allows continued growth of a multitrillion dollar global [information and communications technology] industry that will benefit consumers around the world,” he said: “We need to enable regional and global spectrum harmonization opportunities for all services, including broadcasting, Wi-Fi, mobile technologies and satellites.” The world needs “international economies of scale, roaming and interoperability, which would lower prices for manufacturers and consumers alike,” while ensuring “reasonable protections” for incumbents, Pai said. He stressed the importance of WRC's adopting the position of the Americas on the use of the 24 GHz band for 5G.
Network virtualization and open radio access networks (ORANs) could be key to securing 5G networks, FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel told the Mobile World Congress. Network virtualization “flips our traditional way of thinking about equipment supply chains,” Rosenworcel said. It builds on equipment markets where the U.S. remains strong, she said. AT&T Chief Technology Officer Andre Fuetsch told MWC Wednesday the company is on track to virtualize 75 percent of core network functions by Dec. 31, 2020. The challenge is bringing the different elements together to make 5G work, said Ricky Corker, Nokia president-customer operations, Americas. Through artificial intelligence and orchestration, “we can move data and loads around the network, seamlessly, where in the past that wasn’t possible,” he said. “Technology is predictable, but what people do with it is not,” said Asha Keddy, Intel 5G executive officer: “It’s all about removing the constraints.” Bejoy Pankajakshan, Mavenir chief strategy officer, said 5G “is not just a new generation” but a “network transformation.” Providers will become digital service providers instead of just communications companies, he said: AI, analytics and automation are the “key elements to make 5G successful,” Pankajakshan said. In later comments to us, experts agreed with MWC speakers. The equipment market is “a bit quirky, but if it's intended to include software and SAAS [software as a service], it works,” said Shane Tews of the American Enterprise Institute. Tom Struble, tech policy manager at the R Street Institute, sees reason for moving to ORANs: “ORAN provides greater transparency and can help assuage cybersecurity concerns about potential back doors or other vulnerabilities built into network equipment.” AT&T explained such advantages. “As network functions are virtualized … 5G’s virtual and cloud-based network systems will allow for more adaptable security since they can be quickly adjusted, removed, or replaced using software, reducing the likelihood that an entire network would be impacted by a cyberattack,” it wrote.
The Commerce Department got 200-plus Huawei-related license requests since the Chinese company was added to the agency’s entity list, according to a Commerce spokesperson. “Given the complexity of the matter, the interagency process is ongoing to ensure we correctly identified which licenses were safe to approve.” Companies haven't received approvals or denials, said trade lawyers with clients that submitted license applications. Huawei didn't comment Wednesday.
China signed memorandums of understanding on e-commerce with Samoa and Vanuatu, China’s Ministry of Commerce said Monday. China will establish an “e-commerce cooperation mechanism” with Samoa to “promote the trade of quality products … create a good cooperation environment for the development of e-commerce in the two countries, and further expand new channels for bilateral economic and trade cooperation.” China said it plans to work with Vanuatu to “strengthen policy communication and coordination in the field of e-commerce, and cooperate in corporate exchanges, personnel training, sharing best practices and innovative experiences.”
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D) released draft rules to implement the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). The AG office Thursday sought written comments on proposed regulations by Dec. 6, with hearings Dec. 2 in Sacramento, Dec. 3 in Los Angeles, Dec. 4 in San Francisco and Dec. 5 in Fresno. “By providing clear direction to businesses on how to inform consumers of their rights and how to handle their requests, the regulations will make it easier for consumers to exercise their rights,” said an accompanying statement. The law takes effect Jan. 1, but AG rules don’t need to be finalized until July 1 when enforcement begins. The office is moving to that summer deadline “as rapidly as we can,” said Supervising Deputy Attorney General Stacey Schesser Thursday at a news conference livestreamed from Sacramento. Proposed rules address notices to consumers of their rights, how to handle consumer requests, verifying consumers’ identities, protecting minors’ data and antidiscrimination and financial incentives, Becerra said. The regulations don’t consider state bills tweaking CCPA that await gubernatorial signature, Becerra said. If any are signed into law, “we will take a close look,” and the office can adapt rules to conform during the comment period, he said. “Fortunately, most of the proposals sitting at the governor’s desk are less ambitious than others” that failed to pass the legislature. Becerra would welcome more resources from the legislature for CCPA enforcement, said the AG, adding “we’re a very capable bunch.” His office tried to make “user friendly” rules for businesses, he said. “Ignorance is not an excuse for not complying.” Stakeholders are closely watching the rulemaking (see 1909200030). TechNet is reviewing and plans to comment on the draft rules, said Executive Director for California Courtney Jensen in a statement. Laws shouldn't stifle innovation, she said, so TechNet hopes the rules "will bring necessary clarifications to the law that were not made during the legislative session, and take seriously the burden of compliance and understanding."
An Oct. 16 joint subcommittee hearing on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (see 1909260041 and 1910070031) is set for 10 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn, the House Commerce Committee announced Wednesday.
The U.S. government lacks technical knowledge and a single, leading voice in its approach to technology competition with China, the Brookings Institution was told. U.S. industries are concerned technology policies, such as export controls, are being made without full understanding of impact, said Adam Segal, Council on Foreign Relations emerging technologies chair. “We have to have a much better sense of the technologies involved and how they're actually deployed across a range of sectors," he told a Friday panel. Artificial intelligence isn't "going to look the same as quantum, which is not going to look the same as semiconductors, even though we’re all clumping them together as emerging technologies,” he added. The Commerce Department is working on tech export control regulations (see 1907110044). U.S. industries say there doesn’t seem to be a single voice for the U.S. on technology involving China, Segal said. “There are many voices, often competing, and not explicitly being driven from executive [branch] agencies." Abraham Newman, director of Georgetown University's Mortara Center for International Studies, doesn't believe the U.S. “has a clear strategy of what it’s pursuing vis-a-vis China in the technology sphere.” He wants the U.S. approach coordinated with trading partners: “I don’t have the sense that the current government is pursuing that.” The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy didn't comment.
Facebook should forgo plans to deploy end-to-end encryption across its messaging services unless it can ensure user safety isn’t compromised and includes lawful police access to content, Attorney General William Barr reportedly plans to write the company with officials from the U.K. and Australia. Barr prepared the draft letter to Facebook with U.K. Secretary of State for the Home Department Priti Patel, Australian Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton and acting U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan. The draft cites Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s March 6 post acknowledging “real safety concerns to address before we can implement end-to-end encryption across all our messaging services.” The government officials noted Zuckerberg said the company has a “responsibility to work with law enforcement and to help prevent” child sexual exploitation, terrorism and extortion. The company and department didn’t comment.