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Tuesday, June 11, 2013, 11:45 AM, Alert No. 2,575.
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Obama and Xi Discuss Cyber Security

6/8. U.S. President Barack Obama and People's Republic of China (PRC) President Xi Jinping met in California on June 7 and 8, 2013. They discussed, among other topics, cyber security. But, neither Xi nor the PRC government made any commitments to reduce cyber theft of US intellectual property.

Unless more was accomplished than the participants have publicly disclosed, President Obama failed to achieve the most important U.S. goal of the meeting -- a commitment by the PRC government to take action to limit the large scale government supported theft of intellectual property by cyber intrusion.

The two Presidents held a joint news conference on June 8. President Obama stated that "President Xi and I had a very constructive conversation on a whole range of strategic issues, from North Korea to cyberspace to international institutions". See, transcript.

After the meetings, President Obama's National Security Advisor, Tom Donilon, spoke and answered questions at a news conference on June 8. Among other things, he described the discussions regarding cyber security, with more words, but little more detail. See, transcript and related story in this issue titled "PRC Offers No Apologies or Commitments Regarding Cyber Theft of Intellectual Property".

President Obama said at the joint news confernece that "What both President Xi and I recognize is that because of these incredible advances in technology, that the issue of cybersecurity and the need for rules and common approaches to cybersecurity are going to be increasingly important as part of bilateral relationships and multilateral relationships."

He added that "it's critical, as two of the largest economies and military powers in the world, that China and the United States arrive at a firm understanding of how we work together on these issues."

President Xi said at this event that "in our meeting this afternoon we just briefly touched upon the issue of cybersecurity.  And the Chinese government is firm in upholding cybersecurity and we have major concerns about cybersecurity."

He added that "In the few days before President Obama and I meet today, I note sharp increased media coverage of the issue of cybersecurity. This might give people the sense or feeling that cybersecurity as a threat mainly comes from China or that the issue of cybersecurity is the biggest problem in the China-U.S. relationship."

On May 22, 2013, the Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property released a report [100 pages in PDF] which received much media coverage, and Congressional attention. For example, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI), Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee (HIC), stated in a release that "all should carefully read what the report has to say about Chinese economic espionage".

That report stated that "China is the world's largest source of IP theft". It elaborated that "The scale of international theft of American intellectual property (IP) is unprecedented -- hundreds of billions of dollars per year, on the order of the size of U.S. exports to Asia. The effects of this theft are twofold. The first is the tremendous loss of revenue and reward for those who made the inventions or who have purchased licenses to provide goods and services based on them, as well as of the jobs associated with those losses. American companies of all sizes are victimized. The second and even more pernicious effect is that illegal theft of intellectual property is undermining both the means and the incentive for entrepreneurs to innovate".

Xi JinpingPresident Xi (at left) also stated that "The application of new technology is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it will drive progress in ensuring better material and cultural life for the people. On the other hand, it might create some problems for regulators and it might infringe upon the rights of states, enterprises, societies and individuals."

"We need to pay close attention to this issue and study ways to effectively resolve this issue. And this matter can actually be an area for China and the United States to work together with each other in a pragmatic way. And I'm happy to learn that within the context of the China-U.S. strategic and economic dialogue, a working group has been established to discuss cybersecurity issues. So this is an issue that the two sides will continue to discuss."

Finally, he said that "By conducting good-faith cooperation we can remove misgivings and make information security and cybersecurity a positive area of cooperation between China and the U.S. Because China and the United States both have a need and both share a concern, and China is a victim of cyber attacks and we hope that earnest measures can be taken to resolve this matter."

President Obama and President Xi also gave public speeches on June 7. President Obama stated that the U.S. "seeks an international economy and international economic order where nations are playing by the same rules, where trade is free and fair, and where the United States and China work together to address issues like cybersecurity and the protection of intellectual property." See also, transcript.

PRC Offers No Apologies or Commitments Regarding Cyber Theft of Intellectual Property

6/8. President Obama's National Security Advisor Tom Donilon spoke to, and answered questions from, reporters on June 8, 2013. He discussed many topics, including the discussions between U.S. President Barack Obama and People's Republic of China (PRC) President Xi Jinping involving cyber security and cyber theft of intellectual property. See, transcript.

He spoke at length about cyber theft, but said little. What is most significant about his statements is that he reported no apologies from the PRC government, and no commitments by the PRC government to reduce cyber theft, except to continue to study the issues, and engage in dialogue with the U.S.

He offered this opening statement regarding the cyber discussions:

"Obviously, given the importance of our economic ties, the President made clear the threat posed to our economic and national security by cyber-enabled economic espionage. And I want to be clear on exactly what we're talking about here. What we're talking about here are efforts by entities in China to, through cyber attacks, engage in the theft of public and private property -- intellectual property and other property in the United States. And that is the focus here, which is why it was in the economic discussion this morning. And again, we had a detailed discussion on this. The President underscored that resolving this issue is really key to the future of U.S.-China economic relations. He asked President Xi to continue to look seriously at the problem that we've raised here. And again, I gave a speech on this in March in New York, and went through exactly what the agenda would be for us with respect to China, and number one is to acknowledge this concern. And I think this concern is acknowledged at this point. Number two -- to investigate specifically the types of activities that we have identified here -- and the Chinese have agreed to look at this. And third, to engage in a dialogue with the United States on norms and rules -- that is what is acceptable and what's not acceptable in the realm of cyber. The two Presidents provided guidance to the new cyber working group, which, as you know, has been set up under out strategic economic dialogue, which will engage in a dialogue, as I said, on the rules and norms of behavior in cyberspace that will explore confidence-building measures. And we instructed the teams to report back on their discussions to the leaders."

In response to one question he said that "The discussion that we're having with China with respect to this topic is really not focused on cyber-hacking and cyber crime. These are problems that we've faced and we've faced jointly, and we need to work together in a joint way to defend ourselves against these and to come up with norms of rules of the road with respect to those problems that we face as two nations whose economy and whose full range of activities are increasingly online and increasingly linked up to the Internet, which makes them vulnerable. That's not the focus of the discussion, though, that we had today -- except to the extent that we both acknowledge that this is a problem and for the two large economies in the world addressing them is important. The specific issue that President Obama talked to President Xi about today is the issue of cyber-enabled economic theft -- theft of intellectual property and other kinds of property in the public and private realm in the United States by entities based in China. And the President went through this in some detail today with some specifics today and asked the Chinese government engage on this issue and understand that it is -- if it's not addressed, if it continues to be this direct theft of United States' property, that this was going to be a very difficult problem in the economic relationship and was going to be an inhibitor to the relationship really reaching its full potential. We've undertaken, as you know, a systematic effort with respect to this issue. We have had conversations with the Chinese about it over the course of the last year or so. We've raised it publicly. I did so -- the first administration official to do it. And we have had increasingly direct conversations with the Chinese through the various dialogues that we've set up. What's critical, though, I think is that it is now really at the center of the relationship. It is not an adjunct issue, it's an issue that is very much on the table at this point. With respect to the question that you asked directly about whether they acknowledge it, it's interesting, you could ask whether or not the Chinese government at the most senior levels was aware of all the activities that have been underway with respect to the cyber-enabled theft -- you can't answer that question, though, today. You'd have to -- it's quite directly and it's quite obvious now that the Chinese senior leadership understand clearly the importance of this issue to the United States, the importance of the United States of seeking resolution of this issue."

He also said this in response to another question: "I think it's accurate to say that the President described to President Xi the exact kinds of types of problems that we're concerned about, and underscored that the United States did not have any doubt about what was going on here, that in fact, that these activities had been underway and that they were inconsistent with the kind of relationship that we want to build with China, which is a comprehensive partnership. Having a comprehensive partnership at the same time when you have large-scale theft underway is not -- well, it's going to be very difficult to do. But this, as I was saying to Julie, I think what's important here is this is a broad relationship with China. We have a full range of issues. We have a half-a-trillion-dollar-a-year trade relationship with China. We have all manner of interaction between the United States and China. We are highly interdependent countries and societies and economies, and again, we have a range of issues. And this is an issue that's come to the fore and it's one that is going to have to be resolved, again, in the context of this broad relationship.

Nevertheless, Donilon asserted that the "discussions were positive and constructive, wide-ranging and quite successful in achieving the goals that we set forth for this meeting".

US and PRC Discuss TPP

6/8. President Obama's National Security Advisor Tom Donilon spoke to, and answered questions from, reporters on June 8, 2013. He discussed many topics, including the discussions between U.S. President Barack Obama and People's Republic of China (PRC) President Xi Jinping regarding ongoing Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations, which also known as either TPP or TPPA. See, transcript.

Donilon said that "Our rebalancing strategy, of course, has a number of elements: strengthening alliances, deepening partnerships with emerging powers, empowering regional institutions, helping to build regional economic architectures that can sustain shared prosperity -- TPP obviously is at the core of that."

He added that "the TPP is our principal effort right now with respect to economics".

He was asked, "Did you discuss at all the TransPacific Partnership, and did China indicate a willingness to join those discussions?"

Donilon answered that the TPP "is one of the major initiatives that the administration has underway. It's really the principal thrust of our economic work and our rebalancing effort in Asia. We hope to try to complete the TPP by later this year, and maybe as early as October."

He also said that "It was discussed a bit today, with President Xi indicating that China was interested in having information on the process as it went forward and being briefed on the process and maybe setting up a more formal mechanism for the Chinese to get information on the process and the progress that we're making with respect to the TPP negotiation. Of course, we've agreed to do that. Essentially, it was a request for some transparency with respect to the effort. And again, we expect to complete that effort this year. That, of course, is one of the major trade initiatives that we have underway".

More Trade News

6/11. The European Commission (EC) adopted a Proposal for a Directive [PDF] regarding antitrust damages. The EC stated in a release it has "has adopted a proposal for a Directive on how citizens and companies can claim damages when they are victims of infringements of the EU antitrust rules, such as cartels and abuses of a dominant market position."

6/11. The European Parliament (EP) adopted rules regarding customs enforcement of intellectual property rights. See, EP release.

6/8. President Obama's National Security Advisor Tom Donilon spoke to, and answered questions from, reporters on June 8, 2013. He discussed many topics, including the discussions between U.S. President Barack Obama and People's Republic of China (PRC) President Xi Jinping regarding tension between Japan and the PRC over the Senkaku Islands. Donilon said that "They discussed the Senkaku Island issue at some length last night at the dinner. The United States' view on this, as you know, is we don’t take a position, ultimately, on the sovereignty issue. But the President's points last night were along these lines -- that the parties should seek to de-escalate, not escalate; and the parties should seek to have conversations about this through diplomatic channels and not through actions out of the East China Sea. That’s essentially the conversation that took place last night." See, transcript.

6/4. Neelie Kroes, Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for the Digital Agenda, gave a speech titled "The EU, safeguarding the open internet for all".

5/23. The European Commission (EC) announced in a release that "decided today to ask the Member States for their agreement on a mandate to open negotiations on an investment agreement with China."

Groups Urge Reform of Surveillance Laws

6/11. A collection of groups sent a letter to Senators and Representatives urging them to take action to address the National Security Agency's (NSA) phone records surveillance program disclosed last week by the public disclosure of a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) order directed at Verizon.

They urge the Congress to "take immediate action to halt this surveillance and provide a full public accounting of the NSA’s and the FBI’s data collection programs".

More specifically, "Enact reform this Congress to Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act, the state secrets privilege, and the FISA Amendments Act to make clear that blanket surveillance of the Internet activity and phone records of any person residing in the U.S. is prohibited by law and that violations can be reviewed in adversarial proceedings before a public court".

The 86 groups that joined in this letter include the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), American Library Association (ALA), Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), Consumer Watchdog (CW), Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Free Press (FP), Public Knowledge (PK), Tech Freedom (TF), and the World Wide Web Foundation (WWWF).

Public Beliefs and Opinions Regarding Government Surveillance

6/10. The Rasmussen Reports announced that it commissioned a public opinion poll that found that 68% of 1,000 likely voters polled on June 8 and 9, 2013 believe that the government is listening to their phone conversations. See, release.

The wording of the key question was "President Obama said no one is listening to your phone calls. How likely is it that government agencies are listening in on private conversations of American citizens?" See, questions.

The Pew Research Center published a report based upon the findings of a public opinion poll  of 1,004 persons conducted on June 6 through 9, 2013 regarding government surveillance.

This report states that 56% of respondents find "acceptable" the National Security Agency's (NSA) phone records surveillance program disclosed last week by the public disclosure of a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) order directed at Verizon. 41% find the program "not acceptable".

This report provides evidence that party affiliation, and the party of the President, affects attitudes about surveillance. That is, in 2006 poll results showed that more Republicans than Democrats found NSA phone records surveillance acceptable, while now more Democrats than Republicans find NSA surveillance acceptable. This report discloses a similar finding for government monitoring of e-mail.

People and Appointments

6/10. The Senate Commerce Committee (SCC) approved the nomination of Democratic Party fundraiser Penny Pritzker to be Secretary of Commerce. See, story titled "President Obama Picks Democratic Fund Raiser for Secretary of Commerce" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,557, May 6, 2013.

6/4. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) announced a job opening in Geneva, Switzerland, for a program officer. The deadline to submit applications is July 2, 2013.

Technology News

6/10. Michael Powell, head of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), gave a speech [PDF] at the Cable Show in Washington DC. He said that "Today, cable networks capable of delivering speeds of 100 megs or more are available to 85 percent of all households -- an achievement envied around the world. While speeds have skyrocketed, the price for consumers has not. All of this has been accomplished with private investment and the government's light touch." He also said that "The cable industry has always believed in an open Internet and we will continue to embrace it."

6/10. Sony announced at the Electronic Entertainment Expo that it will sell its forthcoming PlayStation 4 video game console in the U.S. for $399, and that it will omit digital rights management (DRM).

6/10. Microsoft announced at the Electronic Entertainment Expo that it will sell is forthcoming XBox One for $499. See, release, release, and release.

6/10. Apple released information about it iOS7, operating systems for the iPhone, iPad, and other devices. See, release.

6/10. The Pew Research Center released a report titled "Tablet Ownership 2013". It finds that "A third (34%) of American adults ages 18 and older own a tablet computer like an iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Google Nexus, or Kindle Fire—almost twice as many as the 18% who owned a tablet a year ago." (Footnote omitted.)>

6/5.  The Pew Research Center released a report titled "Smartphone Ownership -- 2013 Update". It finds that "55% of cell phone owners say that their phone is a smartphone" and that "58% of cell phone owners say that their phone operates on a smartphone platform common to the U.S. market." (Footnote omitted.) It continues that "Taken together, 61% of cell owners said yes to at least one of these questions and are classified as smartphone owners. Because 91% of the adult population now owns some kind of cell phone, that means that 56% of all American adults are now smartphone adopters. One third (35%) have some other kind of cell phone that is not a smartphone, and the remaining 9% of Americans do not own a cell phone at all."

More News

6/10. The Supreme Court issued its opinion [14 pages in PDF] in Oxford Health Plans v. Sutter, a case regarding class arbitration. This case is Oxford Health Plans LLC v. John Ivan Sutter, Supreme Court of the United States, Sup. Ct. No. 12-135, on writ of certiorari to the U.S. Court of Appeals (3rdCir).

6/7. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released its 14th ORBIT Act report (FCC 13-80) to the Congress. This report is required by Section 646 (47 U.S.C. § 765e) of the Open-Market Reorganization for the Betterment of International Telecommunications Act, or ORBIT Act. It was S 376 in the 106th Congress. It is now Public Law No. 106-180. The Congress passed the ORBIT Act in 2000 to mandate the privatization of INTELSAT and Inmarsat. The Act seeks "to promote a fully competitive global market for satellite communication services for the benefit of consumers and providers of satellite services and equipment by fully privatizing the intergovernmental satellite organizations, INTELSAT and Inmarsat".

6/6. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a tentative agenda for its event on June 27, 2013 titled "Open Meeting". The FCC is scheduled to adopt (1) a Report Order (R&O) regarding "collection of broadband subscription and deployment data", (2) a R&O that contains licensing, service, and technical rules for the H Block in the 1915-1920 and 1995-2000 MHz bands, and (3) a Declaratory Ruling regarding customer proprietary network information (CPNI) and mobile devices. The FCC is also scheduled to hear a presentation by staff of the Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB) and Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) regarding reform of the FCC's universal service tax and subsidy programs, and a presentation by staff of the Incentive Auction Task Force television broadcast incentive auctions. This event is scheduled for 10:30 AM in the FCC's Commission Meeting Room, at 445 12th St., SW.

6/6. The U.S. Court of Appeals (FedCir) issued its divided opinion [26 pages in PDF] in InterDigital Communications v. ITC. This case is InterDigital Communication LLC, et al. v. International Trade Commission, appellee, and LG Electronics, Inc., et al., intervenors, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, App. Ct. No. 2012-1628. Judge Sharon Prost wrote the opinion of the Court, in which Judge Bryson joined. Judge Lourie wrote a dissent.

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In This Issue
This issue contains the following items:
 • Obama and Xi Discuss Cyber Security
 • PRC Offers No Apologies or Commitments Regarding Cyber Theft of Intellectual Property
 • US and PRC Discuss TPP
 • More Trade News
 • Groups Urge Reform of Surveillance Laws
 • Public Beliefs and Opinions Regarding Government Surveillance
 • People and Appointments
 • Technology News
 • More News
Washington Tech Calendar
New items are highlighted in red.
Tuesday, June 11

The House will meet at 12:00 PM for morning hour, and at 2:00 PM for legislative business. Votes will be postponed until 6:30 PM. The House will consider several non-technology related items under suspension of the rules. See, Rep. Cantor's schedule.

The Senate will meet at 10:00 AM. The schedule includes resumption of consideration of the motion to proceed to S 744 [LOC | WW], the immigration bill.

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 titled "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.

9:30 AM. The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) will hold a hearing in its proceeding titled "U.S. Trans Pacific Partnership Free Trade Agreement Including Japan: Advice on the Probable Economic Effect of Providing Duty-Free Treatment for Imports". See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 94, May 15, 2013, at Pages 28623-28625. Location: USITC, 500 E St., SW.

RESCHEDULED FROM JUNE 5. 10:30 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.

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.

2:30 PM. The Senate Intelligence Committee (SIC) will hold a closed hearing on undisclosed matters. See, notice. Location: Room 219, Hart Building.

4:00 - 5:00 PM. The New America Foundation (NAF) will host a panel discussion titled "The Story of WPFW and A Crisis in Grassroots Media". The speakers will be Askia Muhammad (WPFW), Jean Yves Point du Jour (WPFW) and Mark Lloyd (NAF). See, notice. Location: NAF, Suite 400, 1899 L St., NW.

5:00 - 6:00 PM. The New America Foundation (NAF) will host a panel discussion titled "A Crisis in Grassroots Media: Local Outlets and Global Content". The speakers will be Catherine Komp and Alice Ollstein (both of Free Speech Radio News) and Mark Lloyd (NAF). See, notice. Location: NAF, Suite 400, 1899 L St., NW.

Deadline to submit to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) replies to oppositions to the Western Telecommunications Alliance's, Eastern Rural Telecom Association's, and National Exchange Carrier Association's April 18, 2013 petition for reconsideration [36 pages in PDF] 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, and notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 96, May 17, 2013, at Pages 29097-29098.

Deadline to submit to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) replies to oppositions to the US Telecom Association's April 4, 2013 petition for reconsideration and clarification [34 pages in PDF] of the FCC's 2011 USF/ICC Transformation Order regarding the reporting requirements to which eligible telecommunications carriers (ETC) are expected to adhere. See also, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 96, May 17, 2013, at Page 29097.

Extended deadline to submit reply comments to the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB) in response to its Public Notice (PN) regarding rural call completion. This PN is DA 13-780 in WC Docket No. 13-39. The FCC released it on April 18, 2013. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 88, May 7, 2013, at Pages 26572-26573. See also, FCC's May 22 Public Notice (DA 13-1196) extending the reply comment deadline.

Wednesday, June 12

The House will meet at 10:00 AM for morning hour, and at 12:00 NOON for legislative business. See, Rep. Cantor's schedule.

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.

10:00 AM. The House Appropriations Committee (HAC) will meet to mark up the FY 2014 defense appropriations bill. See, notice. Location: Room 2359, Rayburn Building.

10:00 AM. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (SHSGAC) will hold a hearing on the nomination of Howard Shelanski to be Administrator of the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. See, notice, and story titled "Obama Picks Shelanski for OMB Post" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,557, May 6, 2013. Location: Room 342, Dirksen Building.

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.

2:00 PM. The Senate Appropriations Committee (SAC) will hold a hearing titled "Cybersecurity: Preparing for and Responding to the Enduring Threat". The witnesses will be General Keith Alexander (Commander of the U.S. Cyber Command, Director of the National Security Agency, and Chief of the Central Security Service), Rand Beers (acting Deputy Secretary, DHS), Patrick Gallagher (Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology), and Richard McFeely (FBI). See, notice. Location: Room G-50, Dirksen Building.

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.

Thursday, June 13

The House will meet at 10:00 AM for morning hour, and at 12:00 NOON for legislative business. See, Rep. Cantor's schedule.

Supreme Court conference day. See, Supreme Court calendar.

RESCHEDULED FOR JUNE 27. The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) will host an event titled "Is Technology Responsible for American Job Loss?".

10:00 AM. The House Judiciary Committee (HJC) will hold an oversight hearing on the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The witness will be FBI Director Robert Mueller. See, notice. Location: Room 2141, Rayburn Building.

10:00 AM. The House Intelligence Committee (HIC) will hold a closed meeting to mark up HR __, the "Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014". Location: Room HVC-304, House Visitor Center.

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), and Vernon Broderick (USDC/SDNY), 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.

1:00 - 4:00 PM. The Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Technological Advisory Council (TAC) will meet. Tom Wheeler is the Chairman of the TAC. See, story titled "Obama to Nominate Tom Wheeler to Be FCC Chairman" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,556, May 1, 2013. See also, FCC's Public Notice, and notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 106, June 3, 2013, at Page 33092. Location: FCC, Commission Meeting Room, 445 12th St., SW.

1:00 - 2:30 PM. The American Bar Association (ABA) will host a webcast and teleconferenced panel discussion titled "Cyber Security for the Overseas Attorney: Understanding and Mitigating the Risk to Client Information When Traveling Abroad". The speakers will be David Manning (Applied Security, Inc.), Keith Riggins (Pamir Consulting), Allen Vaughn (Applied Security, Inc.), and Chandran Iyer (Sughrue Mion). Prices vary. CLE credits. See, notice.

1:00 - 3:15 PM. The DC Bar Association will host an event titled "Cloud Computing Transactions Workshop: A Systems Approach to Avoiding Thunderstorms". The speakers will be Henry Classen (Computer Sciences Corporation) and Philip Porter (Hogan Lovells). The price to attend ranges from $89 to $129. CLE credits. For more information, call 202-626-3488. The DC Bar has a history of barring reporters from its events. See, notice. Location: DC Bar Conference Center, 1101 K St., NW.

2:30 PM. The Senate Intelligence Committee (SIC) will hold a closed hearing on undisclosed matters. See, notice. Location: Room 219, Hart Building.

Deadline to submit initial comments to the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) regarding the 45 day public trial of Google's TV bands database system that was completed on April 17, 2013. See, FCC's May 29, 2013 Public Notice, DA 13-1220 in ET Docket No. 04-186.

Deadline to submit initial comments to the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) regarding the 45 day public trial of Keybridge's TV bands database system that was completed on April 24, 2013. See, FCC's May 29, 2013 Public Notice, DA 13-1222 in ET Docket No. 04-186.

Friday, June 14

The House will meet at 9:00 AM for legislative business. See, Rep. Cantor's schedule.

8:00 AM - 4:00 PM. The Georgetown University's Georgetown Center for Business & Public Policy (GCBPP) will host an event titled "Optimal Coevolution of Mobile Broadband Technology and Spectrum Policy". See, notice and registration page. Location: McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University.

9:00 AM - 4:30 PM. The Department of Commerce's (DOC) Bureau of the Census's (BOC) Federal Economic Statistics Advisory Committee (FESAC) will meet. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 99, May 22, 2013, at Page 30269. Location: BOC Conference Center, 4600 Silver Hill Road, Suitland, MD.

10:30 AM - 3:30 PM. The Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Emergency Access Advisory Committee (EAAC) will meet to discuss ensuring access to 911 by individuals with disabilities. See, FCC Public Notice. Location: FCC, Commission Meeting Room, 445 12th St., SW.

12:00 NOON - 1:15 PM. The American Bar Association's (ABA) Section of Antitrust Law will host a an on site and teleconferenced panel discussion titled "Patent Pools". The speakers will be Amanda Reeves (Latham & Watkins), Patrick Kuhlmann (DOJ Antitrust Division), Jeffrey Blumenfeld (Crowell & Moring), and Bob Levinson (Charles River Associates). Free. No CLE credits. See, notice. Location: Latham & Watkins, Suite 1000, 555 11th St., NW.

4:30 PM. The Department of Commerce's (DOC) Bureau of the Census's (BC) Federal Economic Statistics Advisory Committee Meeting will meet. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 99, May 22, 2013, at Page 30269. Location: BC Conference Center, 4600 Silver Hill Road, Suitland, MD.

Deadline to submit Expressions of Interest to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA) regarding serving on the Board of Directors of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet). See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 106, June 3, 2013, at Pages 33072-33073.

Deadline to submit initial comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in response to its Public Notice (PN) requesting comments that supplement the record regarding the 600 MHz wireless band plan. This PN is DA 13-1157 in GN Docket No. 12-268. See, statement of Commissioner Ajit Pai explaining that this PN has "substantive and procedural infirmities that I fear will lead the incentive auction rulemaking astray". See also, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 101, May 24, 2013, at Pages 31472-31475.

Deadline to submit comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regarding the Section 214 application [18 pages in PDF] of MCI Communications Services, Inc. dba Verizon Business Services to discontinue MCI 900 Service. See also, FCC's Public Notice. This proceeding is WC Docket No. 13-139.

Monday, June 17

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM. The American Bar Association's (ABA) Section of Antitrust Law will host a teleconferenced panel discussion titled "A day with the French Data Protection Authority, the CNIL". The speakers will be Florence Raynal (head of the Commission Nationale de L'informatique et des Libertés' Department of European and International Affairs) and Marie-Andrée Weiss. Free. No CLE credits. See, notice.

12:00 NOON. The Tech Freedom and Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) will host a panel discussion titled "What Should Congress Do about Cell Phone Unlocking?" The speakers will be __. See, notice. Location: Methodist Building, 101 Maryland Ave., NE.

12:15 - 1:45 PM. The Federal Communications Bar Association's (FCBA) Intellectual Property and Video Programming and Distribution Committees will host a brown bag lunch titled "Copyright, Technology, and Media Litigation: A Mid-Year Review". Location: Wiley Rein, 1776 K St., NW.

Deadline to submit initial comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in response to its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) [55 pages in PDF] regarding equipment authorization processes. The FCC adopted this NPRM on February 12, 2013, and released the text on February 15, 2013. It is FCC 13-19 in ET Docket No. 13-44. See also, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 86, May 3, 2013, at Pages 25916-25938.

Deadline to submit initial comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in response to its Public Notice (PN) requesting input and data on mobile wireless competition to assist the FCC in preparing a report titled "Seventeenth Annual Report on the State of Competition in Mobile Wireless". This PN is DA 13-1139 in WT Docket No. 13-135.

Deadline to submit initial comments to the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB) in response to its May 16 Public Notice (PN) regarding promoting the availability of voice and broadband capable networks in rural areas served by rate of return carriers. This PN is DA 13-1112 in WC Docket No. 10-90. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 109, June 6, 2013, at Pages 34016-34020.

Deadline to submit comments to the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) in its proceeding titled "U.S. Trans Pacific Partnership Free Trade Agreement Including Japan: Advice on the Probable Economic Effect of Providing Duty-Free Treatment for Imports". See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 94, May 15, 2013, at Pages 28623-28625.

Tuesday, June 18

8:00 - 10:00 AM. Broadband Census News LLC will host an event titled "Advanced Energy, Smart Grid and Fiber to the Home: Using Advanced Energy to Jumpstart Fiber Builds". The speakers will include James Salter (CEO of Atlantic Engineering Group). Breakfast will be served. This event is open to the public. The price to attend is $47.12. See, notice and registration page. This event is also sponsored by Comcast NBCUniversal, Google, and US Telecom. Location: Clyde's of Gallery Place, 707 7th St., NW.

8:30 - 10:00 AM. The CTIA and Georgetown University will host an event titled "Spectrum Supply and Demand". The speakers will be __. See, notice. Location: Washington Post, 1150 15th St., NW.

9:00 - 10:15 PM. The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) will host a panel discussion titled "The Next Digital Crossroads: Regulating Competition in the Internet Ecosystem". The speakers will be Jonathan Nuechterlein (Wilmer Hale), Philip Weiser (University of Colorado Law School) and Jeffrey Eisenach (Navigant Economics). Free. Open to the public. Breakfast will be served. Webcast. See, notice. Location: AEI, 1150 17th St., NW.

12:00 NOON - 1:00 PM. The American Bar Association (ABA) will host a webcast and teleconferenced panel discussion titled "Big Bang Theory: Does Section 5 of the FTC Act Have Limits or Can It Achieve Infinite Expansion?". The speakers will be Susan Creighton (Wilson Sonsini), Robert Lande (University of Baltimore School of Law), Tom Rosch (Latham & Watkins), Joe Sims (Jones Day), and Carter Simpson (Dentons US). Prices vary. CLE credits. See, notice.

1:00 - 2:30 PM. The American Bar Association (ABA) will host a webcast and teleconferenced panel discussion titled "Ethics for Trademark Attorneys Practicing Before the USPTO". The speakers will be Stephanie Bald (Kelly IP) and Christina Hieber (USPTO). Prices vary. CLE credits. See, notice.

6:00 - 8:15 PM. The Federal Communications Bar Association's (FCBA) Young Lawyers Committee will host an event titled "Summer Kick-Off Happy Hour & Welcome to Interns". For more information, contact Jessica Elder at jessica dot elder3 at gmail dot com or Justin Faulb (Eckert Seamans) at Jfaulb at eckertseamans dot com. Location: Iron Horse Tap Room, 507 7th St., NW.

EXTENDED TO JULY 18. Deadline to submit reply comments to the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Office of General Counsel (OGC) and Enforcement Bureau (EB) in response to the Public Notice regarding whether the full Commission should make changes to its broadcast indecency policies, and especially, policies regarding isolated expletives, and isolated non-sexual nudity. The FCC released that PN on April 1, 2013. It is DA 13-581 in GN Docket No. 13-86. See also, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 76, April 19, 2013, at Pages 23563-23564, setting comment deadlines. And see, May 10, 2013 Public Notice, DA 13-1071, extending comment deadlines.

Deadline to submit comments to the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB) in response to its Public Notice regarding Version 3.1.2 of the Connect America Fund Phase II Cost Model. This item is DA 13-1136 in WC Docket No. 10-90. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 103, May 29, 2013, at Pages 32224-32225.