What this Week’s Internet Privacy Action Really Means

It has become increasingly easy to turn off the news or not read the paper as even the most seemingly common sense approaches to regulation default to partisan bickering among clout-heavy lobbyists. And with a pro-big business Republican House, Senate, and president, it’s easy to understand how the current Congress and administration would abandon regulations designed to protect consumer privacy in favor of the interests of lobbyist clients that pay the biggest bills -- namely AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon, among others.

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What’s All This Fuss about Lifeline? It may not be what you think.

Sometimes, when I start writing pieces like this, I write an outline and just put the whole document together. Other times, like for this piece, I have rewritten the outline 4 times, as I learned more and have found that the issues that have forced Lifeline into the spotlight are not always what they appear—at least to outsiders. The focus also keeps changing.  There are so many issues at multiple levels at play here that it’s tough to know not only where to begin, but where the matter is going.

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Legally & Practically: What Avaya's Chapter 11 Means to Customers

As Avaya comes before the bankruptcy judge today in its second major court appearance since filing for Chapter 11 protection on Jan. 19, it's hoping that the final orders will be approved and "negotiations will begin in earnest," as Avaya's John Sullivan, VP or corporate treasury, shared with No Jitter Editor Beth Schultz (and she related to me). However, the company recognizes that the just-formed unsecured creditor group may request, and be granted, more time.

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Hacked Recordings Put Inmate Calling Systems on Trial

The twists and turns that occur in the telecom legal world are varied and fascinating.
Most telecom litigation doesn't make for great cocktail party patter (and it is that season), but the case I read about last week is not only interesting, but appropriate for all audiences. Most importantly, it shines a bright light onto an oft-ignored regulatory realm for communications law junkies. Prepare to be captivated.

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FCC Champions Consumer Privacy

With the FCC's new privacy rules for broadband, providers are held to stricter standards for protecting consumer data.
The FCC in its regularly scheduled monthly meeting at the end of Oct., approved new privacy rules for providers of broadband Internet access service. The new rules are, in part, a result of the classification of broadband services as “common carrier” services in the 2015 Open Internet Order, thus moving consumer issues from the regulatory realm of the Federal Trade Commission to that of the Federal Communications Commission.

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