The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) must act to make cable set-top boxes easier for consumers to install and use without being tied to a single cable provider, according to a letter from Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.).

The commission has scheduled a vote at next Thursday's open meeting on possible changes to the FCC’s CableCARD rules to make cable set-top boxes more consumer-friendly and to promote competition in the market for such devices. The FCC's original rules were designed in hopes of spurring a retail market in video navigation devices, which has thus far not met expectations.

"There has been tremendous innovation in two of the three main devices for connecting to broadband services — smartphones and personal computers — but the set-top box is simply not as 'smart' or as available as it should be for consumers," Markey wrote.

Markey urged FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski to simplify the CableCARD rules to make it easier for users to install the boxes themselves instead of relying on a technician. He also expressed his support for a video gateway device that enables users to switch seamlessly between cable and Internet video content.

"30 Rock" mocks "vertical integration" in NBC-Comcast merger, and the FCC wants to end wireless bill "shock."

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski received an award Thursday night at an event held by One Economy, a group that works to bring technology to low-income people.

In accepting the award, Genachowski stressed the challenges people face when they do not have an Internet connection.

"People who don’t have access to broadband are at an increasingly serious disadvantage," he said, according to prepared remarks.

"Our country is not where it needs to be. Broadband access is not where it needs to be. Digital skills and knowledge are not where they need to."

Genachowski said the FCC's National Broadband Plan could help fill in the gaps. His progress report: "A lot of progress. A lot of work to do."

He said National Broadband Plan recommendations that the FCC has already begun implementing include its white-spaces order, reform of pole-attachment rules, a move to free up spectrum for mobile broadband and reform of the E-Rate program to help bring technology into schools.

As for initiatives still on the way, Genachowski named a few: reform the Universal Service program, promote broadband adoption, launch incentive auctions to recover underused spectrum and empower consumers of wired and wireless broadband. (That last one is ambiguous; it could refer to policies ranging from net neutrality to "bill shock.")

Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) President Gary Shapiro wrote to the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) on Thursday to oppose a proposal that asks Congress to mandate FM radio reception on every cell phone.

In a letter to NAB President Gordon Smith, Shapiro extended a "special invitation" to the NAB's Radio Board and "any of your other radio station members to join us at the 2011 International CES, Jan. 6-9 in Las Vegas, to explore the next generation of devices enabling consumers to access local broadcast content."

Shapiro noted that consumer electronics companies "did not ask to be included in [the] debate" over FM chips, which the NAB and the recording industry may push for as part of a deal settling a separate dispute about performance royalties. 

Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that aims to help families navigate challenges brought on by technology and media, will announce a campaign on Friday to help families protect kids' personal information online.

Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Jon Leibowitz, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski and Deputy Education Secretary Anthony Miller will be on hand for the announcement.

It is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the National Press Club.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) wants to regulate wireless billing practices and is pressing hard to gain flattering publicity on this policy.

The agency launched the effort earlier this year by releasing a survey that showed one in six customers have experienced alarm when they find their monthly wireless bills are higher than expected. The agency termed the condition "bill shock."

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski will discuss his search for a cure in a speech on Wednesday at the Center for American Progress. He will release the findings of a new FCC paper on "bill shock."

The speech comes a day before an FCC meeting where the agency is expected to begin a proceeding to regulate wireless billing practices.

It also follows a spate of bad publicity the chairman received for failing to move on his net neutrality proceeding or his Title II reclassification proposal. The Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post each looked at how Genachowski's policies have frustrated both regulatory proponents and the companies he regulates.

Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.Mex) wrote to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Thursday to urge it to consider making new regulations to protect consumers from "bill shock," an issue he also addressed in legislation introduced last month.

"Bill shock" is the alarm consumers are said to feel when see their monthly phone bills are higher than expected. An FCC survey this year said one in six consumers have experienced that.

"I encourage you to consider the notification and customer consent principles of the Cell Phone Bill Shock Act in order to help consumers avoid bill shock," Udall said in his letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) praised the recently passed NASA reauthorization bill on Thursday, claiming it will provide clear direction and a new path forward for the nation's space program.

The bill, which passed the Senate in August and the House in September, significantly alters the landscape of America's space program by moving resources away from the space shuttle program and toward the commercial space industry. President Obama is expected to sign the bill into law this week.

“This is a crucial period for our vaunted space agency and our nation’s proud heritage of innovation,” Hutchison said. "Only months ago, NASA was at a crossroads as the administration’s NASA proposal poised America to surrender its half-century of leadership in space exploration. Our nation’s manned spaceflight program was approaching extinction just as the International Space Station was finally nearing completion."

Obama's original plan for NASA included the elimination of much of the Constellation program, which is largely based in Houston. Hutchison's vocal opposition, along with that of Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), helped two key portions of the Constellation program, the Orion crew capsule and a heavy-lift rocket designed to travel to Mars, survive the cuts. But most of NASA's human spaceflight program will be shut down when the space shuttle is retired after one final flight next year.

"This new direction will allow America again to reach for the stars and put its best and brightest minds back to work trailblazing a path into the future,” Hutchison added.

Hutchison joined Texas lawmakers including Reps. Pete Olson (R) and Gene Green (D) at a press conference at Johnson Space Center in Houston on Thursday afternoon to mark the passage of the bill. In total, more than 6,000 jobs in the Houston area are tied to the space shuttle and Constellation. Hundreds of layoffs are expected when work on Constellation contracts winds down later this year.

The AFL-CIO and its community affiliate group, Working America, on Thursday unveiled a massive database that details companies outsourcing U.S. jobs.

Drawing upon government data, the Job Tracker database lists information on more than 400,000 corporations and subsidiaries that have sent jobs overseas, run afoul of health and safety codes or violated labor law. 

The labor federation used the Freedom of Information Act to request government documents like Trade Adjustment Assistance records, Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notices and Occupational Safety Health Administration records to come up with the database. Once it was all compiled into the database, the information became searchable for users by company name, industry and ZIP code to show how their neighborhood has been affected by outsourcing.