News Review | FCC Votes To Kill U.S. Internet Net Neutrality, Video Replay

Domain Mondo's weekly internet domain news review (NR 2017-12-10) with analysis and opinion: Features •  1) FCC To Kill U.S. Internet Net Neutrality on December 14, 2) ICANN news: FY18 Q1, Failing New gTLD, and more, 3) Names, Domains & Trademarks: a. ICANN Enabled Fraud & Theft of Domain Names, b. Trademark Infringement, c. Domain Brokers, GDPR & WHOIS, d) Antitrust, 4) ICYMI: Wuzhen Summit (4th WIC), 5) Most Read.

1)  UPDATE: FCC Votes 3-2 To Kill U.S. Internet Net Neutrality Title II Rules

Open Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Hearing, December 14, 2017, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm EST, Room TW-C305, 445 12th Street S.W., Washington, DC. Watch the LIVE webcast replay below.

FCC Open Commission Meeting - December 14, 2017

Net Neutrality Issue begins at 01:09:52

The U.S. FCC proceeded with its scheduled December 14 vote to kill net neutrality rules despite calls for delay by consumer groups (pdf) (embedded below), and others, strongly urging the FCC to delay the vote on the “Restoring Internet Freedom” draft Order until resolution of the pending en banc Ninth Circuit case FTC v. AT&T Mobility LLC, 835 F.3d 993 (9th Cir. 2016), reh’g en banc granted, No. 15-­‐16585, 2017 WL 1856836 (9th Cir. May 9, 2017), which, if decided in favor of AT&T, would strip the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) of oversight authority over ISPs like AT&T, Verizon, and others, leaving consumers completely unprotected. The impact on startups and small and medium size businesses from the FCC's proposed Order, is also of great concern.

UPDATES: 

• Pioneers for Net Neutrality letter to select members of Congress: ".... We therefore call on you to urge FCC Chairman Pai to cancel the FCC’s vote. The FCC’s rushed and technically incorrect proposed Order to abolish net neutrality protections without any replacement is an imminent threat to the Internet we worked so hard to create. It should be stopped."--Tim Berners-Lee, Paul Vixie, Vint Cerf, Steve Wozniak, and more. (emphasis added)
• The FCC Still Doesn’t Know How the Internet Works | Electronic Frontier Foundation | eff.org

Want to stop the FCC? Go to Protect the Open Internet Order | EFF Action Center.

Highlighting added to embed of consumer groups letter below:

See also:

• Tim Wu: Why the Courts Will Have to Save Net Neutrality | NYTimes.com.

• Net neutrality supporters predict tough court battle over FCC's repeal plan | TheHill.com: "The draft order seems to say that the FCC is no longer interested in exercising its responsibilities as an expert agency,” Jonathan Sallet, a former FCC general counsel under the Obama administration, said in a call with reporters Wednesday, adding, "I do not believe a court of appeals will uphold this order.”

2) ICANN news

a. ICANN Quarterly Report FY18 Q1 (presentation and recordings) excerpt:

See also: FY19 Process Overview - Finance Community Wiki | ICANN.org.

b. Failing New gTLD: .WED Placed in Emergency Back-End Registry Operator (EBERO) Program | ICANN.org: "Registry operator, Atgron, Inc., which operates gTLD .WED, experienced a Registration Data Directory Services failure, and ICANN designated EBERO provider Nominet as emergency interim registry operator. Nominet has now stepped in and is restoring service for the TLD."

c. CCT-RT: Webinar: Competition, Consumer Trust, and Consumer Choice Review New Sections of Draft Report | ICANN.org: 18 December 2017 Time: 16:00 – 17:00 UTC, more info at link above.

d. GNSO: GNSO Council Strategic Planning Session 29 – 31 January 2018, Los Angeles (pdf)--Editor's note: Trying to make the unbalanced & inherently dysfunctional, functional?

e. 2017 Reconsideration Requests Status Update 07 Dec 2017: reconsideration-requests-status-2017-07dec17-en.pdf [104 KB].

f. Auction Schedule: New gTLDs "On Hold" (highlighting added):

3) Names, Domains & Trademarks

a. ICANN Enabled Fraud & Theft of Domain Names--Artful Misrepresentations of UDRP Jurisprudence:"... [UDRP] panelists do not walk in lock-step, and since there is no “appellate” authority to correct errors of law (in the U.S. only the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA) ..."--IPLegalCorner.com

b. Trademark Infringement: Apple vs Xiaomi--"Mi Pad” tablet computer denied EU trademark because the name is too similar to Apple’s “iPad”--Reuters.com.

c. Domain Names: i. The state of domain name brokers | OnlineDomain.com: "There are a few, probably less than 10, that are pretty good ...;" and ii. GDPR Updates: Whois Changes | OpenSRS.com.

d. Antitrust: Hearing | United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary | judiciary.senate.gov: The Consumer Welfare Standard in Antitrust: Outdated or a Harbor in a Sea of Doubt? Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition and Consumer Rights Date: Wednesday, December 13, 2017 at 02:30 pm EST - Watch LIVE.

“I think people are understanding just how poorly structured these institutions are, how sloppily they were built ... It’s not just a matter of the fact that these people have too much power, it’s also that they are sloppy in the use of their power.”--Barry Lynn--Google critic takes on tech giants | TheHill.com: "Since the 1980s, antitrust policy in the U.S. has largely drawn from what’s known as the Chicago School, which holds that competition regulators should focus on how consumers are impacted by issues like pricing when deciding whether to take action against a company. The new antitrust movement argues that framework is too narrow and that regulators also need to take into account a company’s effects on its competition."

4) ICYMI Internet Domain News 

Wuzhen Summit--4th World Internet Conference, Dec 3-5, Wuzhen, China:

• Cyber Sovereignty & Wuzhen Summit 2017 Update: China's 4th WIC (video) | DomainMondo.com

• China Hosts 4th World Internet Conference (WIC) Dec 3-5 | DomainMondo.com

• US, China experts differ on Net governance | StraitsTimes.com: "American panelists calling for a multi-stakeholder approach, while the Chinese said the role of governments cannot be overstated."

The U.S. can no longer ignore China as a global internet player | brookings.edu by Ryan Hass* who attended the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen for the first time this year:

"The Chinese government is aggressively moving to attract international support for its vision for internet rule-making and management, while the United States government appears largely missing in action."

*From 2013 to 2017, Ryan Hass served as the director for China, Taiwan and Mongolia on the Obama administration's National Security Council (NSC) staff. 

5) Most Read Posts (# of pageviews Sun-Sat) this past week on DomainMondo.com: 

1. News Review | China Hosts 4th World Internet Conference (WIC) Dec 3-5.

2. Smartphone Maker Xiaomi Seeking A $50 Billion IPO Valuation (video)

3. Cboe Launches Bitcoin Futures Trading in Chicago On Sunday (video)

4. Tech Review | The Internet Broke The Media & There's No Going Back 

5. Brexit: Luring Tech Talent to the UK vs EU (video)

6.  Tech Review | U.S. Tax Reform: What It Means For Big Tech (video) 

-- John Poole, Editor, Domain Mondo

Note: original post title: News Review | FCC To Kill U.S. Internet Net Neutrality on December 14

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DISCLAIMER

Securing Consumer Credit Data in the Age of Digital Commerce (video)

Securing Consumers’ Credit Data in the Age of Digital Commerce

U.S. House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing video above scheduled for Nov 1, 2017.

Securing Consumers’ Credit Data in the Age of Digital Commerce | Energy and Commerce Committee | energycommerce.house.gov: The Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection will hold a hearing on Wednesday, November 1, 2017, at 10:30 a.m. ET in 2123 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C., entitled “Securing Consumers’ Credit Data in the Age of Digital Commerce.” 

The following issues may be examined at the hearing:

• The legal and regulatory framework for CRAs, including the safeguards framework in GLBA and consumer protections contained in the FCRA. 

• Current cybersecurity standards, trends, best practices, and emerging threats, particularly with respect to known cybersecurity vulnerabilities.

• The relationship between data breaches and incidence of identity theft and fraud.

Witnesses:

Mr. Francis Creighton
President and CEO, Consumer Data Industry Association
Witness Statement and Truth in Testimony and CV

Ms. Anne P. Fortney
Partner Emeritus, Hudson Cook, LLP
Witness Statement and Truth in Testimony and CV

Mr. Jeff Greene
Senior Director, Global Government Affairs and Policy, Symantec
Witness Statement and Truth in Testimony and CV

Mr. Bruce Schneier
Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
Witness Statement and Truth in Testimony and CV

Documents: Hearing Notice; Hearing Notice – Time Change; Background Memo (embed below)

Background Memo:

@HouseCommerce  #SubDCCP

#SubDCCP Examines Data Security Practices For Consumers’ Credit Information - Energy and Commerce Committee: The Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection, chaired by Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH), announced a hearing for Wednesday, November 1, 2017, at 10:00 a.m. in room 2123 of the Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing is entitled, “Securing Consumers’ Credit Data in the Age of Digital Commerce.” Less than a month after holding a hearing on the Equifax data breach, #SubDCCP will examine data security practices within the credit reporting industry to shed light on best practices, cybersecurity information sharing, trends, and steps for improvement. “The Equifax data breach was a stark demonstration of the responsibility that credit bureaus have in holding hundreds of millions of Americans’ personal information. In light of this breach and others, consumers are right to be skeptical. This subcommittee will continue to ask questions on behalf of consumers to illuminate what is currently being done, and what needs to be done, to prevent and mitigate future hacks and restore consumer confidence,” said Latta.

Note also: House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) published op-ed Oct 27, "Consumer Protection in the 21st Century," announcing a series of hearings surrounding tech business practices and their impact on consumers. In the piece, Walden raises questions about how actions taken by tech companies and online businesses affect consumer privacy and choice.

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