The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) today issued its national cybersecurity framework as outlined in the White House cybersecurity executive order.

“CenturyLink commends NIST on the release of its national cybersecurity framework. This framework provides a common language and is the necessary first step in improving communications among government and industry stakeholders,” said CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL) Executive Vice President for Public Policy and Government Relations Steve Davis. “We applaud NIST for partnering with the private sector during this year-long endeavor and believe the framework will serve as a solid foundation for continued collaboration that will enhance our nation’s overall cybersecurity posture.”

CenturyLink is one of many U.S companies across a wide array of industries that are urging Congress to extend the bonus depreciation provision of The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, which expired December 31, 2013.

Bonus depreciation provides tax incentives to companies that continue to invest, or expand their investments, in a slow economy. Such investments include infrastructure improvements that create new jobs and lead to increased productivity.

Extending the bonus depreciation provision will provide companies with the certainty they need to make investments that will improve our global competitiveness and help drive our economy forward.

Two industry groups recently sent letters to the leaders of both houses of Congress that push for the renewal of the bonus depreciation provision and highlight how broadband investments can help fuel our economic recovery. You can read the letters from USTelecom and from Broadband for America here and here.

As a nation, we need to continue to grow our economy. CenturyLink urges Congress to extend the bonus depreciation provision and support capital investments in our nation’s broadband infrastructure. We believe such investments will help lift our economy, deliver the benefits of broadband to more communities and bring more Americans online.

The Federal Communications Commission today outlined its plan to invest $2 billion over the next two years to dramatically expand high-speed Internet connectivity for America’s schools and libraries.

“We commend Chairman [Tom] Wheeler and the administration for their commitment to making the E-rate program more effective and efficient,” said CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL) Executive Vice President for Public Policy and Government Relations Steve Davis. “CenturyLink has long been a strong supporter of bringing high-speed Internet access to schools and libraries. We look forward to working with the FCC on the ConnectED initiative and on how we can best continue delivering broadband to thousands of schools and libraries in our territory.”

Late last year, the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee took a significant and much-needed first step forward in modernizing our nation’s telecommunications laws. CenturyLink commends Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton and Communications Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden for launching an important initiative that will better reflect the changing marketplace and encourage the development of new, faster services at lower costs for consumers.

The various titles and major amendments to those titles in the Communications Act were adopted to address specific technologies and market conditions that existed at the time. While they were coherent and reasonable frameworks for those technologies and market conditions in 1996, they no longer make sense or serve the public interest because of the vast changes in technologies and market conditions.

Most of the Communications Act’s market-opening and consumer-protection provisions have now become impediments to competition and innovation. If the Communications Act is not substantially reformed and harmonized, the legislative framework can only harm the public interest and hold our nation back as we compete in the global marketplace. We must also realize, consumer demands and technology are evolving so rapidly, Congress should move quickly to make sure laws keep pace with on-going changes.

CenturyLink believes Congress should forge a new Communications Act founded on three basic principles:

1. Competitive and Technological Parity. Similar services, meaning those that are used interchangeably, should be subject to the same regulation, regardless of technology and provider. In particular, Congress should modernize incumbent provider-specific regulation, which threatens to slow the ongoing IP transition and dampen further competition and innovation for customers.
2. Narrowly-Defined Public Interest Principles. While Congress may not be able to “future-proof” new communications legislation, it can dramatically increase its staying power by grounding it in fundamental narrowly-defined public interest principles, rather than detailed prescriptive regulation.
3. Meaningful Periodic Review. All the Communications Act’s provisions should be subject to automatic sunset provisions, by which statutory obligations would cease to be in force after a certain date unless affirmatively retained and justified by the FCC.

CenturyLink believes that communications legislation rooted in these principles will successfully guide the industry, enabling it to provide yet unforeseen communications technologies and services to the benefit of all Americans.

You can read the full text of the comments CenturyLink submitted to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee here.

The Federal Communications Commission today adopted a notice of inquiry and a notice of proposed rulemaking on advanced technology trials.

“CenturyLink supports the FCC’s invitation to providers to propose advanced technology trials. We look forward to participating in the process and hope the trials will encourage investment in next-generation IP networks and services,” said CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL) Executive Vice President for Public Policy and Government Relations Steve Davis. “We expect these trials will demonstrate that consumer and public safety needs will be met, that many current regulations are unnecessary and that the remaining regulations should be applied equally to all providers.”

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia today announced its decision to overturn parts of the Federal Communications Commission’s net neutrality rules.

“CenturyLink’s network is built on the idea that customers should be able to access the Internet whenever, wherever and however they choose. Because we strongly support a vibrant and open Internet, we urge the FCC to limit government regulations that impede investment, innovation and consumer choice,” said CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL) Executive Vice President for Public Policy and Government Relations Steve Davis.

Two video retransmission consent bills were introduced today by U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee members Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) and Steve Scalise  (R-La.).

“CenturyLink supports the efforts of Congresswomen Eshoo and [Zoe] Lofgren, and Congressmen Scalise and [Cory] Gardner to reform the 1992 Cable Act and to make sure consumers aren’t caught in the middle of video retransmission consent disputes,” said CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL) Executive Vice President for Public Policy and Government Relations Steve Davis.

“The Video CHOICE Act, introduced by Congresswomen Eshoo and Lofgren, would empower the FCC to protect television consumers from unfair blackouts, examine broadcasters’ blocking of online video content and address industry tying arrangements that limit consumer choice.

“The Next Generation Television Marketplace Act, introduced by Congressmen Scalise and Gardner, would eliminate outdated rules that have become a barrier to competition in today’s modern video marketplace.

“We look forward to working with Congress to reform outdated retransmission consent rules that inhibit competition in the pay TV market and negatively impact consumers when it comes to viewing and programming alternatives,” Davis said.

Over the past five years, CenturyLink has begun offering its Prism™ TV service to more than 1.5 million homes and has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in deploying high-speed broadband services to support its digital video product.

“CenturyLink is pleased that the FCC has begun to distribute the second round of its Connect America Fund phase I monies so that thousands of Americans in high-cost, rural parts of the country will be able to receive high-speed Internet service and all the economic and educational benefits that go with it,”  said CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL) Executive Vice President for Public Policy and Government Relations Steve Davis. “We’re also investing millions of dollars of our own money to bring broadband to unserved homes and businesses.”

CenturyLink announced earlier this year that it will accept $54 million in CAF phase I, round 2 money from the Federal Communications Commission to bring broadband speeds of 4 Mbps downstream and 1 Mbps upstream to unserved locations in high-cost, rural areas. Today’s disbursement includes almost $40 million of that $54 million in phase I, round 2 CAF monies that will help CenturyLink bring broadband to more rural homes and businesses.

U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairmen Fred Upton and Greg Walden today announced plans to update the nation’s telecommunications laws.

“CenturyLink applauds Chairmen Upton’s and Walden’s plans to update federal communications laws,” said CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL) Executive Vice President for Public Policy and Government Relations Steve Davis. “How people communicate has changed dramatically over the two decades since the laws were last amended, as has the competitive marketplace. By taking action to modernize current law and eliminate unnecessary regulation, this reform will help foster innovation and investment across every telecommunications sector, encouraging the development of new, faster services at lower costs for consumers.”

Company to sell Uplogix local network management, configuration capabilities

CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL) recently signed an agreement authorizing it to sell the Uplogix management solution, which operates like an onsite virtual network technician, providing innovative out-of-band and automated network management capabilities to federal government agencies. CenturyLink will sell the Uplogix solution via several contract vehicles, including under its General Services Administration (GSA) IT Schedule 70 contract.

The Uplogix local management platform is located with, and is directly connected to, managed networking and communications devices. By putting advanced capabilities within the centrally managed infrastructure, Uplogix provides secure out-of-band access, logs customer premises equipment errors, manages automated configuration changes and monitors system reboots and reconfigurations that are typically performed by onsite technicians.

“This sales agreement allows CenturyLink to offer the Uplogix management solution to our many federal government clients,” said Diana Gowen, CenturyLink Public Sector senior vice president and general manager. “As a leading provider of network and managed services to the government, CenturyLink can now use the Uplogix platform to enhance the value and differentiation of our managed service offerings in the federal marketplace.”

“Uplogix deploys the same product in enterprise networks in industries as diverse as oil and gas, finance and the military,” said Lisa Frankovitch, vice president of sales and business development for Uplogix. “Our value proposition for managed service providers is a strong one, and we’re excited to team with CenturyLink to bring these benefits to government customers.”

CenturyLink is initially using the Uplogix automated configuration capabilities to speed the installation and deployment of network infrastructure and managed devices at branch offices and data centers for a major federal government agency. As the network infrastructure provider, CenturyLink will use Uplogix for day-to-day management of customer premises equipment, and agency technicians will also use Uplogix to securely access and manage agency devices.

CenturyLink will be deploying Uplogix local management products at each site. Once the products have been installed, Uplogix will manage the gear with intensive monitoring and by performing defined, automated, routine run-book actions as needed. Uplogix will also provide secure out-of-band access to remote sites for network administrators.