Following up on his post on Senator Jay Rockefeller’s proposed privacy legislation, Covington & Burling privacy attorney Jeff Kosseff had the opportunity to discuss what it means with Colin O’Keefe of LXBN. In the short interview, Jeff explains that, while this likely won’t become law, it does hint at Congress’ priorities on this front
December 2014
FCC Extends Deadline for Compliance with Television Closed Captioning Quality Rules
The FCC announced in a recent Public Notice that it will extend the deadline for compliance with its new television closed captioning quality rules until March 16, 2015.
Previously scheduled to go into effect on January 15, 2015, the quality rules establish standards for television closed captioning concerning (1) accuracy, (2) synchronicity, (3) completeness, and (4) placement. The rules…
Health Information Exchanges Form a Trade Association
Earlier this month, a group of Health Information Exchanges (HIE) announced the formation of a trade association called the “Strategic Health Information Exchange Collaborative” (SHIEC). According to press coverage, approximately 20 HIEs across the country formed SHIEC to share HIE best practices and collaborate on advocacy and public education efforts. Dick Thompson, the Executive Director…
FCC Tentatively Concludes that Certain Online Video Distributors are MPVDs
On December 19, the FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) relating to the designation of certain online video programming distributors as “multichannel video programming distributors” (MVPDs) under the Communications Act. This NPRM raises important and complex issues for the content community and has implications for other statutory regimes as well as existing program…
New State Privacy Laws Go Into Effect on Jan. 1, 2015
In advance of the new year, our colleagues at the InsidePrivacy blog have summarized new privacy laws that go into effect in California and Delaware in 2015. This summary may be of interest to entities that collect, store, or maintain personal information in those states.
NGOs May Sue European Governments for Failure to Comply with EU Mandatory Environmental Standards
In November, the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CoJ”) held once again that NGOs and persons directly concerned may bring legal actions before national courts against EU Member States that fail to comply with EU mandatory environmental standards. The CoJ’s decision (CJEU, C-404/13) concerned the UK government’s failure to adopt adequate…
The SEC Pay-to-Play Rule Year in Review
When the history of the Securities & Exchange Commission’s pay-to-play rule is written, 2014 could be the inflection point. Developments this year suggest two dramatically different paths for the rule in the years to come: either the rule will unravel from court challenges or it will become an increasingly prominent enforcement weapon in the SEC’s…
Agencies Propose Pilot Program for Wraparound Health Coverage
By Amy N. Moore
New proposed regulations modify the rules that would allow employers to offer limited wraparound health coverage as an “excepted benefit” to employees who purchase individual health coverage through an Exchange. Although the new rules relax some of the controversial requirements proposed in 2013, they also create new restrictions and reporting requirements.
The new proposed regulations…
Increase to Transit Reimbursement Limits Might Necessitate Corrective Tax Filings
By Inside Jobs
The tax extenders legislation (formally called the “Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014“) signed into law on December 17 included a one-year extension of “parity” for the limits on tax-exempt mass transit and parking benefits. The change retroactively increases the limit on pre-tax mass transit benefits, which means that it affects the information…
ITC Report Focuses on U.S. Trade and Investment in India
On December 22, 2014, the U.S. International Trade Commission released its report on Trade, Investment, and Industrial Policies in India: Effects on the U.S. Economy. Prepared at the request of the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means Committees, the 450-page report highlights the substantial growth in U.S. economic engagement with India since 2007,…