3/25. The House Appropriations Committee's (HAC) Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government held a hearing on the Fiscal Year 2015 budget for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). FCC Chairman Thomas Wheeler wrote in his prepared testimony that the FCC's FY 2015 budget request is $375,380,313.

He said that the FCC requests "a total of 1,790 FTEs for FY 2015, which includes an additional 10 FTEs for Information Technology (IT) programming and 45 FTEs for USF modernization and oversight".

He also explained that "The FCC's spending levels decreased after FY 2009 from $341 million to $335 million, and hovered just at that mark for two years, finally hitting $339 million during the next three years -- with $17 million of that number going toward sequestration in FY 2013. During FY 2013, the FCC cut its programming to the bone and worked hard to find cost savings, often delaying lifecycle replacements and improvements for facilities and equipment. In FY 2011, the FCC had 1,776 employees. Today, we are down to 1,725, which is a 30-year low in FTEs. The number of FCC contracting personnel also has steadily decreased from a high of 959 in FY 2009 to a current level of 470."

Wheeler also boasted that the FCC's auctions provide vast revenues for the US Treasury.

However, this was not the case during the tenure of former Chairman Julius Genachowski.

FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai wrote in his prepared testimony that "From January 2009 through December 2013, the Commission raised a paltry $72 million in auction revenue, or about two-tenths of one percent of the amount raised in the prior four years. Indeed, when you account for the Commission’s spending on auctions, our auctions program has actually lost money during the last five years. This is bad news not just for the Treasury but also for American consumers, whose demands for additional bandwidth have increased as their use of tablets and smartphones has spiked over this same period of time."

Pai also wrote at length about the forthcoming auction of spectrum (federal spectrum in the 1755–1780 MHz and 2155–2180 MHz bands, and spectrum relinquished by broadcasters) provided for by the 2012 spectrum act.

He wrote that "My greatest worry regarding the incentive auction, at this point, is about participation. In order for the incentive auction to be successful, we will need robust participation by broadcasters and wireless carriers alike. But right now, I am concerned that the Commission will make unwise policy choices that will deter participation in both the reverse and forward auctions. My position on the reverse auction is simple. Prices paid to broadcasters should be determined by the market. The Commission should not set them by administrative fiat. The Commission should not deter broadcaster participation through a complicated ``scoring´´ scheme that tries to prejudge the compensation television station owners should receive."

Pai continued that "Any attempt to restrict payments to broadcasters will prove to be penny-wise and pound-foolish. Indeed, without sufficient broadcaster participation, the entire incentive auction will fail. And on the forward auction, the Commission should not limit carriers' ability to participate, such as by setting a spectrum cap or narrowing the spectrum screen despite the significant competition that exists in the wireless market. The inevitable effect of such a policy would be less spectrum for mobile broadband, less funding for national priorities, a higher budget deficit, and an increased chance of a failed auction."

Pai also addressed the FCC's universal service tax and subsidy programs, including expansion of the e-rate program, the IP transition, wireless infrastructure, network neutrality, regulation of media and media ownership, AM radio revitalization, 911 service and location surveillance, and FCC reform.

3/24. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released an agenda for its event on Monday, March 31, 2014 titled "Open Meeting".

The FCC is scheduled to adopt items pertaining to (1) unlicensed use of 5 GHz spectrum, especially for Wi-Fi, (2) commercial use of spectrum for advanced wireless services (AWS), (3) retransmission consent negotiations, network non-duplication, and syndicated exclusivity, and (4) broadcast ownership regulation, broadcast TV sharing agreements, and attribution of joint sales agreements (JSAs).

5 GHz Band. First, the FCC is scheduled to adopt a Report and Order (R&O) that will revise FCC rules regarding unlicensed use 5 GHz spectrum.

The FCC adopted and released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), as required by Section 6406(a) of the 2012 spectrum act, on February 20, 2013. It is FCC 13-22 in ET Docket No. 13-49.

The goal is deployment of Wi-Fi networks in the 5 GHz band. Currently, most Wi-Fi is in the 2.4 GHz band.

The spectrum act is Title VI of HR 3630 [LOC | WW], the "Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012", enacted in the 112th Congress.

AWS-3 Spectrum. Second, the FCC is scheduled to adopt a R&O that contains allocation, licensing, service, and technical rules for the 1695-1710 MHz, 1755-1780 MHz, and 2155-2180 MHz bands, as required by the spectrum act.

The FCC adopted and released its NPRM on July 23, 2013. It is FCC 13-102 in GN Docket No. 13-185.

Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA) and Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY) sent a letter to the FCC regarding this item on March 25. They wrote that "As the FCC finalizes its band plan and rules for an auction of the long-sought AWS-3 spectrum, we write to stress the importance of creating strong incentives for wireless carriers to compete in the auction. We urge the Commission to put forth a band plan that allows for robust competition, maximizing revenue through vigorous auction participation."

Retransmission Consent. Third, the FCC is scheduled to adopt an item that contains an Order related to retransmission consent negotiations, and a Further NPRM regarding whether the FCC should eliminate the network non-duplication and syndicated exclusivity rules. This is MB Docket No. 10-71.

Broadcast Ownership. Fourth, the FCC is scheduled to adopt an item that contains a FNPRM to commence its 2014 quadrennial review of its broadcast ownership rules. This item also contains an NPRM that proposes to define and require the disclosure of a category of sharing agreements between broadcast television stations. This item also contains a R&O that determines that certain television JSAs are attributable.

This meeting is scheduled to take place on Monday, March 31 at 10:30 AM in the FCC's Commission Meeting Room.

3/25. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released an Order [42 pages in PDF] that amends its rules to adjust FCC fees. The FCC adopted this order on March 24, and released it on March 25. It is FCC 14-24 in GEN Docket No. 86-285.

3/24. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Thomas Wheeler gave a speech in Washington DC in which he discussed the FCC's forthcoming incentive auction involving broadcast licensees' spectrum.

3/24. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Ajit Pai gave a speech in Washington DC in which he discussed 911 calls placed from multi-line telephone systems (MLTS).

3/18. The Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB) released a report [70 pages in PDF] titled "Universal Service Implementation Progress Report". This is WC Docket No. 10-90.

3/21. The U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCESRC) released a report titled "China’s Foreign Exchange Reserves and Holdings of U.S. Securities". The author is the USCESRC's Nargiza Salidjanova. This report addresses the People's Republic of China's huge investment in US Treasury Securities, and the growing trend of PRC direct foreign investment (DFI) in the US technology, communications, and services sectors.

It states that "Persistent intervention in the exchange rate markets to keep the RMB undervalued has allowed China to accumulate the world’s largest reserves of foreign exchange, most of which is in U.S. dollars. By yearend 2013, China had over $3.82 trillion in foreign exchange reserves, nearly double the figure five years earlier. A significant proportion of these reserves is invested in U.S. Treasury securities because Treasuries are seen as a safe investment; are denominated in dollars; and constitute the only financial market base vast enough to accommodate China’s surplus liquidity."

This report continues that "Another avenue is foreign direct investment (FDI). In 2001, the Chinese government officially adopted a policy encouraging Chinese companies to invest abroad. This “going out” policy has started to show results, although outward investment still pales in comparison to inward investment. According to the latest available Chinese government statistics, outward investment in 2012 reached $87.8 billion (an increase of 17.6 percent year-on-year), with the total accumulation at that time at $531.94 billion. Chinese companies have made major acquisitions of mining and other natural resource companies in Australia, Canada, and parts of Africa, while Chinese brands like Haier (home appliances), Huawei (telecommunications), and Lenovo (personal computers) are seeking to tap global markets, in part through direct investment abroad."

Hong Kong is the top destination for such FDI, and the US is second. The report adds that "Although Chinese FDI in the United States remains low, there is a clear upward trend, and it is expected to grow substantially. One reason is that Beijing has become increasingly aware of the risk of having most of its foreign exchange reserves invested in low-interest-bearing Treasuries and is looking to diversify its investments. In addition, U.S. leadership in technology and services has made the United States an attractive prospect for Chinese investors seeking to increase their competiveness at home and abroad." (Footnote omitted.)

3/26. The Public Knowledge (PK) and other interest groups sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee (SJC) urging passage of patent legislation. They urge a multi-pronged approach that includes fee shifting, heightened pleading requirements, regulation of demand letter practices.

The agenda for the SJC executive business meeting for March 27 includes consideration of  S 1720 [LOC | WW], the "Patent Transparency and Improvements Act of 2013". However, it will be held over.

The other groups that signed the letter are Engine Advocacy, Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), and Application Developers Alliance (ADA).

They want a bill that provides for "oversight" of "deceptive demand letters", that provides for presumptive fee shifting, and that requires "a clear, informative complaint" and "fair notice" in pleadings.

They also wrote that "Small businesses and consumers who buy off-the-shelf technology products should be shielded from the complexities of patent litigation, when there is a willing manufacturer who is better equipped to handle the litigation."

The House passed a bill on December 5, 2013. See, HR 3309 [LOC | WW], the "Innovation Act". That bill does not address pre-litigation demand letter practices. Rather, it focuses on litigation procedure, including pleading requirements, limitations upon discovery, and fee shifting.

HR 3309 would amend 35 U.S.C. § 285 to provide that "The court shall award, to a prevailing party, reasonable fees and other expenses incurred by that party in connection with a civil action in which any party asserts a claim for relief arising under any Act of Congress relating to patents, unless the court finds that the position and conduct of the nonprevailing party or parties were reasonably justified in law and fact or that special circumstances (such as severe economic hardship to a named inventor) make an award unjust." (Parentheses in original.)

See also, stories titled "Sen. McCaskill Introduces Bill to Regulate Patent Infringement Demand Letters" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,632, February 27, 2014, and "Obama Administration Condemns Patent Trolls" and "President Obama Mentions Patents in State of the Union Address" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,631, February 26, 2014.

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

The Senate will meet at 10:00 AM.

9:00 AM. The House Appropriations Committee's (HAC) Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies will hold a hearing on the FY 2015 budget for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and FBI reform. The witnesses will be James Comey (FBI Director), Timothy Roemer (APCO, and former Representative), Bruce Hoffman (Georgetown University), and Edwin Meese (Heritage Foundation, and former AG). See, notice. Location: Room H-309, Capitol Building.

9:00 AM - 12:00 NOON. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) will host an event titled "The U.S.-Japan Alliance: Planning for President Obama's Trip to Japan". The speakers will be Michael Schiffer (Senate Foreign Relations Committee staff), Yasuhiro Matsuda (University of Tokyo), Naoyuki Agawa (Keio University), Michael Green (CSIS) and Scott Miller (CSIS). See, notice. Location: Room 215, Dirksen Building.

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Day two of a three day event hosted by the Department of Commerce's (DOC) National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) titled "Intersection of Cloud and Mobility Forum and Workshop". Open to the public. The deadline to register is 5:00 PM on March 17. See, event web site and notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 79, No. 47, March 11, 2014, at Pages 13622-13623. Location: NIST, Red Auditorium, Building 101, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD.

9:30 AM - 3:00 PM. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will host an event titled "Cybersecurity Roundtable". The deadline to submit written comments is May 2, 2014. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 79, No. 56, March 24, 2014, at Page 16071. Location: SEC, 100 F St., NE.

9:30 AM - 3:00 PM. The Department of Health and Human Services' (DHHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology's (ONC/HIT) HIT Standards Committee will meet. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 243, December 18, 2013, at Page 76627-76628.

10:00 AM. The House Science Committee (HSC) will hold a hearing titled "A Review of the President’s Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Request for Science Agencies". The witness will be John Holdren (Director of the EOP's Office of Science and Technology Policy). See, notice. Location: Room 2318, Rayburn Building.

10:00 AM. The Senate Judiciary Committee (SJC) will hold a hearing titled "Reauthorization of the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act". The witnesses will be Stanton Dodge (DISH Network), Marci Burdick (Schurz Communications), Ellen Stutzman (Writers Guild of America, West), and John Bergmayer (Public Knowledge). Webcast. See, notice. Location: Room 226, Dirksen Building.

10:00 AM. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (SHSGAC) will hold a hearing titled "Strengthening Public-Private Partnerships to Reduce Cyber Risks to Our Nation’s Critical Infrastructure". The witnesses will be Phyllis Schneck (DHS Deputy Under Secretary for Cybersecurity), Donna Dodson (NIST Chief Cybersecurity Advisor), Stephen Caldwell (GAO), Elayne Starkey (Delaware's Chief Security Officer), David Velazquez (Pepco Holdings), Doug Johnson (Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council), and Steven Chabinsky (CrowdStrike, Inc.). See, notice. Location: Room 342, Dirksen Building.

1:00 - 5:30 PM. The New America Foundation (NAF) will host an event titled "Beyond Screen Time: Early Learning and Digital Media". Free. Open to the public. Webcast. See, notice. Location: NAF, Suite 400, 1899 L St., NW.

1:30 PM. The Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) North American Numbering Council (NANC) will hold a closed meeting. The agenda is selection of the Local Number Portability Administrator. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 79, No. 49, March 13, 2014, at Pages 14250-14251. Location: FCC, Room CY-A257, 445 12th St., SW.

2:00 PM. The House Appropriations Committee's (HAC) Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government will hold a hearing on the budget for the federal judiciary. The witnesses will be Julia Gibbons (Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit) and John Bates (Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts). See, notice. Location: Room 2359, Rayburn Building.

TIME CHANGE. 2:30 PM. 1:45 PM. The Senate Commerce Committee (SCC) will hold a hearing titled "Protecting Personal Consumer Information from Cyber Attacks and Data Breaches". The witnesses will be Edith Ramirez (FTC Chairman), John Mulligan (Target Corporation), Wallace Loh (University of Maryland), David Wagner (Entrust, Inc.), Peter Beshar (Marsh & McLennan), Ellen Richey (Visa Inc.). Location: Room 253, Russell Building.

4:00 - 5:00 PM. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) will host a panel discussion titled "Social Media and Protest Movements in Venezuela: A Blogger's Perspective". The speakers will be James Bosworth and Carl Meacham (CSIS). See, notice. Location: CSIS, 1616 Rhode Island Ave., NW.

6:30 - 8:00 PM. The Federal Communications Bar Association's (FCBA) Young Lawyers Committee will host an event titled "Bingo Night". No webcast. Location: Covington & Burling, 1201 Pennsylvania Ave.,  NW.

Deadline to submit comments to the Department of Transportation (DOT) in response to its Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) regarding banning voice communications on passengers' mobile wireless devices on flights. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 79, No. 36, February 24, 2014, at Pages 10049-10054.

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

9:00 AM. The House Intelligence Committee (HIC) will hold a closed hearing on undisclosed matters titled "Ongoing Intelligence Activities". No webcast. See, notice. Location: HVC-304, Capitol Building.

9:00 AM - 12:30 PM. Day three of a three day event hosted by the Department of Commerce's (DOC) National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) titled "Intersection of Cloud and Mobility Forum and Workshop". Open to the public. The deadline to register is 5:00 PM on March 17. See, event web site and notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 79, No. 47, March 11, 2014, at Pages 13622-13623. Location: NIST, Red Auditorium, Building 101, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD.

10:00 AM. The House Homeland Security Committee's (HHSC) Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications will meet to mark up HR 4289 [LOC | WW], the "Department of Homeland Security Interoperable Communications Act", HR 4263 [LOC | WW], the "Social Media Working Group Act of 2014", and HR 3283 [LOC | WW], the "Integrated Public Alert and Warning System Modernization Act of 2013". See, notice. Location: Room 311, Cannon Building.

10:00 AM. The House Appropriations Committee's (HAC) Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies will hold a hearing on the budget for the National Science Foundation (NSF). The witness will be Cora Marrett (acting NSF Director). See, notice. Location: Room H-309, Capitol Building.

10:00 AM. The Senate Judiciary Committee (SJC) will hold an executive business meeting. The agenda includes consideration of S 1720 [LOC | WW], the "Patent Transparency and Improvements Act of 2013". The agenda also includes consideration the nominations of Gregg Costa (to be a Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit), Tanya Chutkan (USCD/DC), Hannah Lauck (USDC/EDVa), and Leo Sorokin (USCD/DMass).Webcast. See, notice. Location: Room 226, Dirksen Building.

10:00 AM. The Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) North American Numbering Council (NANC) will meet. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 79, No. 50, March 14, 2014, at Pages 14511-14512. Location: FCC, Room 5-C162, 445 12th St., SW.

11:45 AM - 2:00 PM. The New America Foundation (NAF) will host a panel discussion regarding gender gaps in STEM fields. Free. Open to the public. Webcast. Lunch will be served. See, notice. Location: Dupont Circle Hotel, 1500 New Hampshire Ave., NW.

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

CANCELLED. 6:00 - 8:15 PM. The Federal Communications Bar Association's (FCBA) Mobile Payments Committee will host an event titled "The Advent of Mobile Payments: Evolutionary or Revolutionary?". Location: Hogan Lovells, 555 13th St., NW.

Deadline to submit to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) oppositions to the petition for reconsideration of the FCC's Report and Order regarding reliability and resiliency of 911 networks filed by Intrado, Inc. on February 18, 2014. The FCC adopted and released its order on December 12, 2013. It is FCC 13-158 in PS Docket Nos. 13-75 and 11-60. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 79, No. 48, March 12, 2014, at Pages 13975-13976.

Rep. Cantor's schedule states that "no votes are expected" in the House.

Supreme Court conference day. See, October Term 2013 calendar.

10:00 - 11:15 AM. 28. The Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee (ETAAC) will meet. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 79, No. 41, March 3, 2014, at Pages 11876-11877. Location: IRS, Room 3716, 1111 Constitution Ave., NW.

10:30 AM - 12:00 NOON. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) will host an event titled "China's Human Rights Diplomacy: Past, Present and Future". See, notice. Location: CSIS, 1616 Rhode Island Ave., NW.

12:15 - 1:30 PM. The Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Commissioners' media legal advisors will host a closed meeting. Maria Kirby (advisor to Tom Wheeler), Adonis Hoffman (Mignon Clyburn), Clint Odom (Jessica Rosenworcel), Matthew Berry (Ajit Pai) and Courtney Reinhard (Michael O'Reilly) will preside. Free. Bring your own lunch. No webcast. No reporters. The FCBA asserts that this is an FCBA meeting. Location: FCC, Meeting Room TW-C305, 445 12th St., SW.

The House will meet the week of March 31-April 4. See, 2014 House calendar.

9:00 AM - 6:00 PM. The National Science Foundation (NSF) will host an event titled "Understanding the Spectrum Environment: Using Data and Monitoring To Improve Spectrum Utilization". See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 79, No. 56, March 24, 2014, at Page 16061. Location: NSF, Room II-555, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA.

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

Deadline for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (OUSTR) to conclude its review of the operation, effectiveness, and implementation of, and compliance with the various trade agreements affecting telecommunications products and services. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 235, December 6, 2013, at Pages 73583-73584. See also, story titled "OUSTR Seeks Comments Regarding Trade Agreements Affecting Telecommunications" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,620, December 16, 2013.

Deadline to submit initial comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in response to the two Further Notice of Proposed Rulemakings (FNPRMs) contained in its huge item [114 pages in PDF] adopted on January 30, 2014, and released on January 31, regarding technology transitions in voice communications. This item is FCC 14-5 in GN Docket No. 13-5 and WC Docket Nos. 10-90 and 13-97. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 79, No. 40, February 28, 2014, at Pages 11366-11373.

Deadline to submit reply comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regarding "Experiment Proposals". See, Part III of the FCC's huge item [114 pages in PDF] adopted on January 30, 2014, and released on January 31, regarding technology transitions in voice communications. This item is FCC 14-5 in GN Docket No. 13-5 and WC Docket Nos. 10-90 and 13-97.

Deadline to submit comments to the Executive Office of the President's (EOP) Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to assist it in conducting its review titled "Big Data Study". See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 79, No. 42, March 4, 2014, at Pages 12251-12252.

Deadline to submit to the Public Knowledge (PK) nominations for its "Internet Protocol, Intellectual Property and Information Policy" awards. See, notice.

1:00 - 5:30 PM. Day one of a two day meeting of the Department of the Interior's (DOI) U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) National Geospatial Advisory Committee. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 79, No. 48, March 12, 2014, at Page 14078. Location: South Interior Building Auditorium, 1951 Constitution Ave., NW.

12:00 NOON. The Cato Institute will host a panel discussion titled "High Frequency Trading: Information Tool for Efficient Markets or Destabilizing Force?". The speakers will be Holly Bell (U Alaska), Steven Lofchie (Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft), Hester Peirce (GWU Mercatus Center), and Louise Bennetts (Cato). Lunch will be served after the program. See also, paper by Bell. Location: Cato, 1000 Massachusetts Ave., NW.

12:00 NOON. The Federal Communications Bar Association (FCBA) will host a lunch. The speaker will be Michael O'Rielly (FCC Commissioner). Registrations and cancellations are due by 12:00&nbp;NOON on March 26. Doors open at 11:30 AM. No webcast. Location: Capital Hilton, 1001 16th St., NW.

2:30 PM. The Senate Commerce Committee's (SJC) Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet will hold a hearing titled "Reauthorization of the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act". The witnesses will be __. Webcast. Location: Room 253, Russell Building.

4:30 PM. The House Intelligence Committee (HIC) will hold a closed hearing on undisclosed matters titled "Ongoing Intelligence Activities". No webcast. See, notice. Location: HVC-304, Capitol Building.

EXTENDED TO JUNE 2. 5:00 PM. Deadline to submit nominations to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for award of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. See, original notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 249, December 27, 2013, at Pages 78838-78839, and January 4, 2014 release. See, also extension notice in the FR, Vol. 79, No. 53, March 19, 2014, at Page 15321.

8:30 AM - 4:00 PM. Day two of a two day meeting of the Department of the Interior's (DOI) U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) National Geospatial Advisory Committee. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 79, No. 48, March 12, 2014, at Page 14078. Location: South Interior Building Auditorium, 1951 Constitution Ave., NW.

9:00 AM - 5:30 PM. Day one of a two day meeting of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Advisory Committee for Cyberinfrastructure. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 79, No. 36, February 24, 2014, at Pages 10199-10200. Location: NSF, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA.

RESCHEDULED FOR APRIL 9. 10:00 AM. The Senate Judiciary Committee (SJC) will hold a hearing titled "Examining the Comcast-Time Warner Cable Merger and the Impact on Consumers". The witnesses will be __. Webcast. See, notice. Location: Room 226, Dirksen Building.

10:30 AM. The House Commerce Committee's (HCC) Subcommittee on Communications and Technology will hold a hearing titled "Ensuring the Security, Stability, Resilience, and Freedom of the Global Internet". The witnesses will be __. See, notice. Location: Room 2322, Rayburn Building.

12:15 - 1:30 PM. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will host an event titled "Current Happenings in the Office of Engineering & Technology". The speaker will be Julius Knapp (Chief of the FCC's OET). For more information, contact Scott Patrick at Scott dot Patrick at fcc dot gov. No webcast. The FCBA asserts that this is an event of its Engineering and Technical Practice Committee. Location: T-Mobile, Suite 600, 601 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, North Building. Enter from Indiana Ave.

1:00 PM. The House Small Business Committee (HSBC) will hold a hearing titled "Bitcoin: Examining the Benefits and Risks for Small Business". The witnesses will be Jerry Brito (GMU's Mercatus Center), Adam White (Coinbase), and Mark Williams (Boston University). Webcast. See, notice. Location: Room 2360, Rayburn Building.

2:00 PM. The House Judiciary Committee's (HJC) Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet will hold a hearing titled "Preservation and Reuse of Copyrighted Works". The witnesses will be __. See, notice. Location: Room 2141, Rayburn Building.

2:00 - 4:00 PM. The National Science Foundation's (NSF) Networking and Information Technology Research and Development(NITRD) Program's Middleware and Grid Interagency Cooridination (MAGIC) Team meets the first Wednesday of each month. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 226, November 22, 2013, at Page 70076. Location: NSF, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA.

RESCHEDULED FROM JANUARY 23. TIME?. The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) will host an event titled "Names, Numbers, and Network Solutions: The Monetization of the Internet". The speakers will include Jeffrey Eisenach (AEI) and Michael Daniels. See also, book with the same title by Daniels and Robert Beyster. Free. Open to the public. Webcast. See, notice. Location: AEI, 12th floor, 1150 17th St., NW.

TIME? The Department of State's (DOS) International Security Advisory Board (ISAB) will hold a closed meeting. The agenda includes discussion of "cyber stability". See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 79, No. 50, March 14, 2014, at Page 14567. Location: Pentagon, VA.