OVERNIGHT TECH: Final countdown to net neutrality rules

LEDE: New net neutrality regulations take effect at 12:01 a.m. Friday, after the U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C. declined a request from the industry for a delay.

Democrats on Capitol Hill cheered the decision.

Rep. Anna Eshoo (Calif.), ranking member of the Communications and Technology subcommittee of Energy and Commerce, said the ruling was “critical validation that the new rules to protect an open Internet are grounded in strong legal footing and can endure future challenges by broadband providers.”

{mosads}”Today’s decision by the DC Circuit Court is a victory for the Internet,” said Rep. Doris Matsui (Calif.) in a statement.

Opponents of the rules said that they would continue to press their case in court, and praised the three-judge panel’s decision to expedite the case. The decision will leave the case winding through the legal system for the next year as Republicans continue their attempts to kill the rules — this time through the appropriations process. A few lawmakers continue to push for a legislative compromise on the issue.

NELSON CONTINUES OUTREACH: Ranking Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), said he will continue to work with Republicans to craft a bill to codify net neutrality rules. Republicans floated legislation earlier this year that would implement net neutrality rules, but most Democrats said the proposal would go too far to limit other FCC authority.

“While the court conducts its review, I remain committed to finding true bipartisan consensus to take the important protections the FCC put into place and provide the certainty that only legislation can provide,” Nelson said in a statement after the ruling. “That legislation, though, must fully protect consumers, preserve the FCC’s role, and leave the agency with flexible, forward-looking authority.”

READ THE RULING HERE: http://bit.ly/1S8GkUP

WHEELER TAKES A VICTORY LAP (EXCLAMATION POINT AND ALL): “This is a huge victory for Internet consumers and innovators!” Chairman Wheeler said in a statement.

FIGHT IS JUST BEGINNING FOR GOP: Republican FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly said the net neutrality fight “has only just begun,” while the other GOP commissioner Ajit Pai said the ruling wasn’t a surprise: “Although I am disappointed that the court did not stay the rules pending its review, this development was not unexpected. The bar for granting any stay is quite high, and I am pleased that the court did not suggest that the rules are in fact legally valid,” he said. 

DOTCOM ACT EMERGES IN SENATE: Senators introduced a proposal Thursday that mirrors a House bill that would give Congress a month to review any final plan to hand over the government’s oversight of the Internet domain system. A House subcommittee passed an identical version of the Dotcom Act this week, after Democrats and Republicans came to a compromise. The bill would also require accountability measures imposed on the group leading the transition and would require the administration to certify that the plan does not harm the open Internet. The Senate version is sponsored by Commerce Chairman John Thune (R-S.D.) and Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii). 

CHILD PRIVACY BILL INTRODUCED: Bipartisan lawmakers in the House and Senate introduced legislation that would limit the type of information Internet companies can collect from children. The Do Not Track Kids Act is led by Ed Markey (D-Mass.) in the Senate and Joe Barton (R-Texas) in the House. 

The bill would bar companies from collecting personal or location information from children less than 13 and would require consent from those between 13 and 15. Parents would have to give the go-ahead before companies could target children with advertising and would establish a digital marketing “bill of rights” for teens. It would also give parents and children the power to ask tech companies to remove personal information that is publicly available, what lawmakers call an “eraser button.”

WHEELER URGES ANTI-THEFT FEATURES ON PHONES: FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said on Thursday that cell phone companies should make anti-theft functions in smartphones the default. That could include having a phone lock remotely or wipe its data in the event of theft. “If implemented, these features will result in more consumers using these powerful features which, in turn, will mark a key milestone in combatting smartphone theft,” he said in a statement.

UBER, BUT FOR HOUSE PROCEDURE: House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer’s (D-Md.) office released an app called “Whip Watch” on Thursday that allows users to follow floor action in the House, schedules, press releases and job openings. Hoyer branded the move as a step to make the House “more open and transparent” to the public. The app is available through Apple’s iOS. 

ON TAP: 

At 8:30, IPWatchdog and the law firm Drinker Biddle will host a seminar on patent reform.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 

Legislation to crack down on so-called patent trolls cleared another hurdle in Congress on Thursday. 

Twitter CEO Dick Costolo will step down on July 1, the company said Thursday.

The new federal rules for net neutrality will be allowed to take effect on Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled Thursday.

House lawmakers voted to further rein in the nation’s spies on Thursday, in a signal that legislators aren’t yet done reforming surveillance laws.

The Federal Trade Commission has fined a man more than $100,000 for misleading the backers of a Kickstarter campaign.

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