The Intellectual Property chapter in a final Trans-Pacific Partnership deal must ensure trade secret protection and violation enforcement, said National Association of Manufacturers Senior Director Christopher Moore in a Tuesday post (http://bit.ly/1bRNvwO). Improving trade secret domestic laws and international agreement provisions is critical, due to the ever-increasing value of trade secret protection, said Moore. “Trade secrets are often subject to much weaker legal protections than other intangible assets. Once disclosed, their value cannot be recovered,” said Moore. “In recent years, trade secrets misappropriation has risen rapidly due to greater global workforce mobility, increased international competition and the proliferation of digital devices that multiply opportunities for cyber theft.” The U.S. Cyber Command believes trade secret theft is costing U.S. businesses $250 billion annually, said Moore. U.S. negotiations are convening in Salt Lake City this week to hash out IP provisions, among other unresolved issues. The Obama administration has targeted the conclusion of negotiations with the 12 TPP participant nations this year. WikiLeaks last week published a secret TPP IP chapter, allegedly disseminated at a summit in late August (CD Nov 14 p21). Moore called the leak the “most boring scoop ever” but beneficial nonetheless because it “put the spotlight in the right place."

Gray and affiliated company Excalibur Broadcasting agreed to buy 15 network-affiliated TV stations in seven markets from Hoak Media and Parker Broadcasting for $335 million, Gray said in a press release Wednesday (http://bit.ly/1fiZiHx). In a separate transaction, Excalibur will also buy two Fox affiliates from Prime Cities Broadcasting for $7.5 million, and Gray will provide “back office services and limited programming” to three of Excalibur’s stations through shared services agreements, said the release. Gray and Excalibur will also enter into option agreements through which Gray could buy Excalibur’s stations if FCC ownership rules changed. Because of those rules, the transaction will also require Gray to sell two of Hoak’s TV stations to third parties, and Excalibur to divest itself of one of Parker’s stations, the release said. The combined transactions will give Gray “the number-one ranked local television station operations in four of seven markets and the number-two ranked operations in two markets,” said the release. When the transaction is complete, Gray will own duopolies in 16 markets, the release said, and its stations will reach 7.33 percent of U.S. TV households. Gray will acquire three stations in South Dakota, five in North Dakota, three in Colorado, two in Nebraska, two in Louisiana and one in Florida. A North Dakota station and the Florida one will be divested for regulatory reasons. Excalibur is buying three stations in North Dakota, and one each in Nebraska, Louisiana and Colorado. Excalibur will sell the Colorado station to comply with ownership rules, the release said. The transactions are expected to close in the first or second quarter of 2014, the release said.

Comments on the rulemaking to revitalize the AM band are due to the FCC Media Bureau by Jan. 21. Reply comments are due Feb. 18, the commission said in a Federal Register notice (http://1.usa.gov/17NvmM1). The bureau released the NPRM text this month (CD Nov 4 p8).

The FTC will follow up Tuesday’s Internet of Things workshop with a report on IoT privacy best practices, said Bureau of Consumer Protection Director Jessica Rich in the event’s closing remarks. The report will “capture all the great things we learned today,” Rich said. “This is the beginning of our conversation.” The comment period for the report will stay open until mid-January and the report will drop sometime in the spring, said an FTC spokesman. It’s unclear exactly what role the FTC should take in regulating IoT, Rich said. While it’s clear “industry must step up to ensure privacy and security safeguards are baked into the products and services we talked about today,” the FTC is still “grappling with when and how” to disseminate privacy and security best practices for the IoT, she said. Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen gave her thoughts on the FTC’s role in the matter, earlier at the event: “The FTC’s approach of doing policy R&D to get a good understanding of the technology, educating consumers and businesses about how to maximize its benefits and reduce its risks, and using our traditional enforcement tools to challenge any harms that do arise offers, in my opinion, the best approach.”

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the wireless industry Wednesday announced the launch of “Warriors 4 Wireless,” a nonprofit organization that will steer military veterans to jobs in the wireless industry (http://1.usa.gov/17LQLdI). FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, who was at the White House event, said the wireless industry is “winding up” while the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are winding down. “We need armies of skilled workers” to make the buildout of wireless networks work, Wheeler said. “It’s a win for the increasing number of Americans across our nation who rely on wireless networks at work and at home, and the exciting new opportunities that these networks are helping create in health care, education and every corner of our economy.” PCIA President Jonathan Adelstein, a former FCC commissioner, said wireless companies are struggling to fill jobs as they build out LTE . “We're facing a wireless data crunch and carriers are addressing it by building up their infrastructure as quickly as they can,” Adelstein said. “There’s nobody better positioned to help us address this than veterans. ... Too many veterans are having trouble finding jobs.” Cisco and American Tower are among the companies that have agreed to participate in the program.

Dish Network asked the FCC to dismiss the DBS company’s complaint against Media General and that broadcaster’s request for sanctions against Dish. “The parties have resolved their dispute and signed a confidential settlement agreement,” Dish said in its request. Dish had alleged Media General failed to act in good faith during carriage agreement negotiations (CD Oct 21 p7). In opposition, the broadcaster had asked the FCC to consider sanctioning Dish (CD Nov 18 p23). The companies reached a carriage agreement last week (CD Nov 19 p21).

Users are responding more to video and mobile advertising, but social ads create the largest advertising reach, said a Q3 Global Media Intelligence report from Neustar (http://bit.ly/1fVKYlV). “The report demonstrates the huge opportunities that exist for marketers and brands across key verticals,” said Vice President-Marketing Solutions David Jakubowski. Mobile ads generated 288 percent more impressions than in Q2, but 11 percent fewer clicks. Video network ads saw increases across the board over Q2: Impressions were up 15 percent, clicks were up 73 percent and click revenue grew 48 percent, according to a release. “The value marketers are getting from defining target audiences and reaching them with the right message is driving huge increases in campaign effectiveness and return on marketing investment, which hasn’t been possible before,” Jakubowski said.

Corrections: The satellite broadband speeds that EchoStar now provides are as fast as 15 Mbps, said Vice President-Regulatory Affairs Jennifer Manner (CD Nov 20 p25 ). … The organization with which Steven Metalitz is affiliated is the International Intellectual Property Alliance CD Nov 20 p25). … The amount allocated for the FCC E-rate program is $2.38 billion, said John Bailey, Digital Learning Now executive director (CD Nov 20 p19).

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler Wednesday named retired Rear Adm. David Simpson chief of the Public Safety Bureau, replacing David Turetsky, who is staying at the commission (http://fcc.us/1jncM2j). Simpson was most recently vice director of the Defense Information Systems Agency, which oversees communications for the military. From 2009-2010, he was director for Communications and Information Services for U.S. Forces serving in Iraq. Simpson is the second former Navy flag officer named to the post. Retired Rear Adm. Jamie Barnett was chief of the bureau from 2009 through April 2012. Simpson graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and holds a master’s degree in systems technology from the Naval Postgraduate School. “Simpson’s extensive experience managing and securing complex and disparate information environments worldwide makes him exceptionally well suited to lead” the bureau, Wheeler said. Barnett said in an email he worked with Simpson at the Pentagon. “He is steeped in networks and cybersecurity,” Barnett said. “I think this signals where Chairman Wheeler would like to go.” Turetsky’s new job at the FCC is coordinator of the FCC’s informal task force on the response to international disasters such as Typhoon Haiyan, the FCC said.

PMCM TV’s MeTV affiliate KJWP Wilmington, Del., went on-air Monday for the first time since its reallocation from Wyoming, said a blog post (http://bit.ly/1bDDSyf) from law firm Fletcher Heald, which represented PMCM in the court battle with the FCC that preceded the move (CD Dec 17 p4). PMCM TV requested the reallocation after the DTV transition, basing the request on a section of the Communications Act which allows VHF stations to move to states without any VHF stations. The FCC opposed the move, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit overturned that decision. “PMCM is in the process of developing locally-produced non-entertainment programming to provide Wilmington and the rest of the station’s service area with the benefits of a local station,” said the blog post. “Consistent with the unusual nature of this project from the get-go, KJWP has retained its distinctive ‘K'-prefix call sign even though it’s now east of the Mississippi.” The other station involved in the decision, KVNV Ely, Nev., is still in the process of moving to Middletown Township, N.J., the blog post said.