The three-judge panel has been picked to hear the appeal of Mozilla et al. to the Federal Communications Commission's network neutrality deregulation. According to the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, the Feb 1 oral argument in the Mozilla appeal will be heard by Judges Judith Rogers, Patricia Millett, and Stephen Williams.

Judge Rogers was on the 2014 panel that unanimously rejected the FCC's imposition of common carrier-like net neutrality regulations because the FCC had tried to do it under Title I. However, that 2014 decision also said that while the FCC had not justified making ISPs adhere to common-carrier regulations imposed on phone companies, it gave the agency a chance to try again with the suggestion it had good reason for trying and legal avenues--Title II--for succeeding. Judge Williams, back in May 2017, was one of three judges who denied a petition by ISPs and others for en banc (full court) review of the earlier three-judge panel decision that the FCC had reasonably defended its decision to reclassify ISPs as common carriers in the 2015 Open Internet order. There is an outside chance the argument scheduling could be disrupted if the government shutdown continues.

Hundreds of cities, large and small, have adopted or begun planning smart cities projects. But the risks are daunting. Experts say cities frequently lack the expertise to understand privacy, security and financial implications of such arrangements. Some mayors acknowledge that they have yet to master the responsibilities that go along with collecting billions of bits of data from residents. Concerns have intensified as Kansas City prepares to expand its technology experiment from downtown to poor neighborhoods on the city’s East Side. The expansion will bring free wireless to homes, but also dozens of surveillance cameras and a gunshot detection system, and some residents worry that in the quest to be seen as forward thinking, the city may be handing off too much control to private companies and opening up residents to consequences it doesn’t fully understand.

The Senate has confirmed Commissioner Brendan Carr to a full, five-year term and has confirmed Geoffrey Starks to the open seat on the Federal Communications Commission. Both had already been approved by the Senate Commerce Committee -- Starks in June and Carr in Jan 2017 for his current role filling out the unexpired term of former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. The House does not have to follow suit, so once they are sworn in, which could happen soon, the FCC will be at full strength with three Republicans and two Democrats.

Prior to serving as a Commissioner, Carr was an advisor to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai during his time as a Commissioner, and before that he worked at the law firm Wiley Rein LLP. Starks, who served as assistant bureau chief of the FCCs enforcement bureau, also served as senior counsel at the US Justice Department.

FCC Chairman Pai issued the following statement: “I congratulate Geoffrey on his Senate confirmation. He brings a wealth of experience and expertise, including having served most recently as Assistant Chief in the Enforcement Bureau. During his confirmation hearing, I was excited to hear him highlight the need to expand rural broadband and the power of telemedicine. I look forward to working with him and having a fellow Kansan on the Commission. I also congratulate Brendan on his confirmation to a full term. Brendan has done tremendous work on a number of issues, including his leadership on wireless infrastructure modernization. He has also been a staunch advocate for rural broadband deployment, particularly for precision agriculture and advancements in telemedicine.”