The National Institute of Standards and Technology-facilitated Cybersecurity Framework, as currently constructed, “will not stop attacks by advanced threat actors using sophisticated tactics such as exploiting previously unknown vulnerabilities (zero-day attacks) or using never seen before malware,” said Rep. Mike Honda, D-Calif., in comments filed with NIST last week. NIST had solicited public input on the preliminary version of the framework, which the agency released in late October (CD Oct 23 p1). That feedback will aid the agency and industry partners as they ready a final version of the framework for release in February. Comments were due Friday.

It may be an uphill battle for two partisan video bills House lawmakers introduced Thursday before breaking for recess, lobbyists told us. Two House Commerce Committee Republicans introduced the Next Generation Television Marketplace Act, which would kill compulsory copyright licenses and some FCC broadcast and media ownership rules. Two Democrats introduced the Video CHOICE (Consumers Have Options in Choosing Entertainment) Act (http://1.usa.gov/18qEVWT), which would allow the FCC to step in during retransmission consent blackouts and introduce rules for how companies can behave during such retrans negotiations. In contrast to the praise several cable companies and associations offered, broadcasters slammed both bills, while NCTA pointed to a need to change retrans rules.

The Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee’s work on spectrum sharing in the 1695-1710 MHz and 1755-1850 MHz bands was a long, sometimes painful process, but yielded some good results, members of CSMAC and the industry working groups said during a lessons-learned meeting Friday. The process led to what is expected to be the eventual opening of the 1755-1780 MHz band for commercial use, a band long targeted by wireless carriers. Sharing, as opposed to exclusive use, has been a top focus of the Obama administration (CD June 17 p1).

With two satellites under construction, DirecTV is “gearing up” to deliver 4K programming, but the technology won’t be a major revenue generator immediately for the company, CEO Michael White said at the company’s investor conference in New York.

Aereo won’t oppose broadcasters’ attempt to bring their case against the streaming TV service to the U.S. Supreme Court, the company said in a response Wednesday to the broadcasters’ petition for cert. “While the law is clear and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and two different federal courts have ruled in favor of Aereo, broadcasters appear determined to keep litigating the same issues against Aereo in every jurisdiction that we enter,” said Aereo CEO Chet Kanojia in a released statement. “We want this resolved on the merits rather than through a wasteful war of attrition.” Cert petitions that are supported by both sides aren’t uncommon at the Supreme Court, said Fletcher Heald appellate attorney Harry Cole, who’s not connected to the case. Cole said it’s not clear that Aereo’s lack of opposition would make the case more attractive to Supreme Court justices. “The trouble is you never know how that’s going to go,” he said. The broadcasters’ cert petition asked the Supreme Court to overturn the decision of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals not to grant a preliminary injunction against Aereo to protect the “viability of over-the-air broadcast television” (CD Oct 15 p15).

January’s order on the IP transition will “invite, on a rolling basis, service-based experiments with short timelines for submission,” Jon Sallet, interim director of the FCC Technology Transitions Policy Task Force, told commissioners at Thursday’s agency meeting. Commissioners Ajit Pai and Michael O'Rielly have emphasized the need for speed, Sallet noted, so the deadline to submit experimental ideas will come up quickly. Later, companies can propose more experiments that the commission would process on a rolling basis, he said. By “service-based,” Sallet means trials where real customers with real services will see those services transition to IP, he said.

The FCC voted to require carriers to file annual audits addressing how they are following best practices for 911 connections, over a dissent by Commissioner Ajit Pai, who said the order goes too far. Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, then acting chairwoman, had first circulated the order, which Chairman Tom Wheeler teed up for a vote at Thursday’s meeting.

The FCC approved an NPRM seeking comment on modernizing rules to allow mobile wireless calls on airplanes while in-flight. The item was backed by Chairman Tom Wheeler and commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Jessica Rosenworcel at the commission’s monthly meeting Thursday. Rosenworcel approved letting the proposal move toward the comment phase, but she doesn’t support allowing such usage. Commissioners Ajit Pai and Mike O'Rielly opposed it. The Department of Transportation meanwhile said it will look at whether to block such calls.

Major wireless carriers agreed to voluntary standards for unlocking both postpaid and prepaid wireless devices, FCC officials said Thursday during a presentation at the agency’s December meeting. The commission released a letter from CTIA President Steve Largent detailing the commitments (http://bit.ly/1fo0mrg). Carriers including Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular agreed to the pact, which had been the subject of talks leading up to the meeting (CD Dec 12 p1).

Hill pressure on the idea of cellphone conversation on airplanes while in-flight escalated Thursday as all five FCC commissioners faced the House Communications Subcommittee, hours before the agency took up an item to propose allowing such conversation from a technical perspective (see separate report in this issue). At the hearing, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler defended the proposal and said he’s talked with others in government about what will happen next. Members of both houses of Congress have raised the controversial issue, and the U.S. Department of Transportation is kicking off a process that may ban voice calls on planes, officials said.