Thursday, May 26, 2011

5.25 :: Map to Nowhere :: Streisand Effect :: $80K Legal Fees :: No IPocalypse :: Mostly Ignored by Users ::

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CyberTelecom News
Federal Internet Law and Policy
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"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went."-Will Rogers

26 Terabyte Laser Could Be Just What The Internet Needed, USTelecom
Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany have successfully transmitted 26 terabytes of data over a single strand of fiber. By employing orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), they were able to encode 350 separate data streams into a single laser
http://www.ustelecom.org/Video_Blogs/Blog/index.php/2011/05/23/26-terabyte-laser-could-be-just-what-the-internet-needed/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/broadband/

Broadband Investment Posted 4.2 % Gain to $66 Billion in 2010, USTelecom
Investment Totals $1.1 Trillion over Past 15 Years
http://www.ustelecom.org/Video_Blogs/Blog/index.php/2011/05/23/broadband-investment-posted-4-2-gain-to-66-billion-in-2010/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/broadband/

FCC Releases Broadband Progress Report, NATOA
The FCC released its latest Broadband Progress Report to Congress on May 20th. In the report, the Commission concludes that approximately 26 million Americans, mainly in rural communities, lack access to broadband and the economic benefits high-speed services can provide. ...
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/natoa-news/~3/HwM7gBjWQOc/fcc-releases-broadband-progres.html
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/broadband/706.htm

Walden Statement on FCC's Broadband Report, House Commerce
"It's difficult to understand how an objective look at the facts can lead the FCC to conclude that our progress on broadband is lacking. Congress has tasked the Commission in section 706 with examining the 'availability' and 'deployment' of high-speed broadband, and the numbers don't lie. Even the FCC has
http://republicans.energycommerce.house.gov/News/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=8638
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/broadband/706.htm

AOPA successfully rallies senators to protect GPS, AOPA
Thirty-three senators—including 13 Senate General Aviation Caucus members—have asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to rescind wireless network operatorLightSquared's approval to expand until the company can demonstrate that signals from thousands of ground stations won't interfere with GPS reception.
http://www.aopa.org/advocacy/articles/2011/110523aopa_rallies_senators_to_protect_gps.html
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/broadband/gps.htm

Roberts, Nelson to FCC: GPS Must Be Protected, WIBW
Bipartisan group of senators tell FCC that the threatened system is a matter of public safety and national defense
http://www.wibw.com/politics/headlines/Roberts_Nelson_to_FCC_GPS_Must_Be_Protected_122332954.html
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/broadband/gps.htm

Lawmakers Ask FCC To Revoke LightSquared Waiver, National Journal
LightSquared's plan to build a wholesale broadband network is facing increasing skepticism from members of Congress who worry that interference from the system could be a safety risk.
http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2011/05/lawmakers-ask-fcc-to-revoke-li.php
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/broadband/gps.htm

The FCC's Broadband Map to Nowhere, Muni
Why is it so incredibly difficult to figure out how much of the nation has access to affordable broadband? For the past 15 years, the Federal Communications Commission has been required by law to collect data on high-speed Internet access. For the most part that information has been fairly useless for the public or even for policy types. Up until recently, for example, a telecom company only needed to serve one customer
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/muniwireless/~3/oBpl4K5cBww/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/broadband/map.htm

Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee Teleconference Info, NTIA
The Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee (CSMAC) meeting will be available via a public telephone conference call on May 25, 2011, from 9 a.m. to 12:00 EST. Public teleconference information: Call-in number: 888-946-3505 Participant passcode: 1087669
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/advisory/spectrum/index.html
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/broadband/wireless.htm

NTIA Announces New Commerce Spectrum Advisory Committee Members, NTIA
NTIA announced the appointment of a diverse group of experts from outside the Federal government, including the nonprofit and private sectors, for a two-year term to the Commerce Spectrum Advisory Committee (CSMAC).
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/press/2011/CSMAC_members_05242011.html
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/broadband/wireless.htm

Twitter, Free Speech, Super-Injunctions and the Streisand Effect, EFF
Despite a super injunction in place to keep his name and the story of his extra-marital affair out of the tabloids, a British footballer has found that where there's the Internet, there's a way...for the story to get out, that is.
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/05/twitter-and-free-speech-case-super-injunction
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/cda/firsta.htm

Dentist Has To Pay Legal Fees For Suing Yelp & Reviewer Over Bad Review, Techdirt
We've had a number of posts lately about lawsuits over bad Yelp reviews, and it appears they're not going so well. We pointed out a doctorlosing a lawsuit over bad reviews, but Eric Goldman has the latest, in which a dentist who sued has to pay $80,000 in legal fees, not just to the reviewer, but also to Yelp itself. You see, the dentist and/or his lawyer apparently didn't bother to understand that Section 230 of the CDA
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110523/00162514389/dentist-has-to-pay-legal-fees-suing-yelp-reviewer-over-bad-review.shtml
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/cda/samaritan.htm

Dentist Pays Sizable Penalty for Not Knowing 47 USC 230--Wong v. Jing, Tech & Marketing Law
Wong v. Jing, 1-08-CV-12997I (Cal. Superior Ct. May 13, 2011). Wendy Davis' story on this ruling, plus...
http://blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/2011/05/dentist_pays_fi.htm
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/cda/samaritan.htm

The Netherlands To Enact Law That Ensures Net Neutrality, Gigaom
The Netherlands might be a tiny country, but when it comes to broadband, it is one that likes to make big moves. It had been quick to embrace fiber broadband. It was early to the idea of gigabit per second connectivity. And now it is enacting a law that guarantees "net neutrality" for its citizens.
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OmMalik/~3/rzyOQZn7dz0/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/ci/neutral.htm

No IPocalypse, but the IPv6 Transition Still Presents Risks, Circleid
In February 2011, the clock finally ran out on IPv4, the trusty Internet Protocol that has been used to connect networked computers for the last 30 years. The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), which manages the master pool of IP addresses, assigned its last five blocks of IPv4 space to the world's five Regional Internet Registries. From that moment, another clock started ticking the countdown to the moment — in
http://www.circleid.com/posts/no_ipocalypse_but_the_ipv6_transition_still_presents_risks/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/dns/ipv6.htm

Charter Prepares for World IPv6 Day - Plans Full IPv6 Upgrade in 2012, dslreports
Some ISPs are more prepared for the IPV6 transition than others, with both Comcast and Verizon taking the lead. Not to be left out of the discussion, Charter today issued a press release noting that they're preparing to participate in World IPv6 Day on June 8, 2011. According to Charter, the company will be embracing full IPv6 deployment next year. "The adoption of IPv6 requires a joint effort by the worldwide networking
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Charter-Prepares-for-World-IPv6-Day-114357
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/dns/ipv6.htm

How AT&T Eating T-Mobile Will Enhance AT&T's Special Access Monopoly., Wetmachine
"Special Access" is one of those fun telecom terms that makes no sense to those outside of telecom. Briefly, it's the rate that a regulated incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC), like AT&T, charges for certain non-residential telecom services. As
http://tales-of-the-sausage-factory.wetmachine.com/content/how-att-eating-t-mobile-will-enhance-atts-special-access-monopoly
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/industry/att.htm

The Internet's Real Strength, Verisign
I spend a lot of time thinking about Internet policy and the truth is that aside from some of the key policy questions – like privacy – the hardest thing to fathom is defining just what the Internet is. There are a wide array of definitions and many go back to the protocols that are involved, the fact that it is a "network of networks" or dwell on the large number of
http://policyblog.verizon.com/BlogPost/793/TheInternetsRealStrength.aspx
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/industry/verizon.htm

Feds Seize 8 More Domains in Piracy Crackdown, Wired
The Department of Homeland Security seized at least eight website addresses over the weekend, bringing to 128 the number of domains confiscated as part of a government piracy crackdown.
http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/politics/~3/i2jD32Diin4/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/ip/copyright.htm

Judge has "serious questions" about Righthaven, halts all Colorado cases, Ars Technica
A federal judge has put every Righthaven copyright infringement lawsuit in the state of Colorado on hold.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/05/judge-halts-every-righthaven-case-in-colorado.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/ip/copyright.htm

NBC stations reach out to non-profit news sites, Lost Remote
When regulators gave the green light to the Comcast-NBC deal earlier this year, the two companies made a commitment to collaborate with local non-profit news organizations. The idea stemmed from KNSD's relationship with Voice of San Diego, and today NBC announced it's opening the application process to find at least four more non-profit partners in markets with NBC owned-and-operated stations.
http://www.lostremote.com/2011/05/23/nbc-stations-reach-out-to-non-profit-news-sites/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/media/news.htm

Congress looks into FCC commissioner's move to Comcast, CNET
Chairman of the House oversight committee wants more information from the FCC about how Meredith Attwell Baker got her new job lobbying for Comcast just months after the agency approved the merger with NBC Universal.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-20065357-266.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/notes/fcc.htm

Congress probes FCC Commissioner's departure to Comcast, Ars Technica
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) chairs the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, a key investigative body of Congress. This afternoon, Issa finally decided that the committee would probe FCC Commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker's move from the FCC to a top government affairs job at Comcast/NBC Universal.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/05/congress-probes-fcc-commissioners-departure-to-comcast.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/notes/fcc.htm

FCC Announces June 28, 2011 Location Based Service (LBS) Forum, Telecom Law Monitor
In a May 17, 2011 Press Release, the FCC announced plans to hold a June 28, 2011 public education forum on consumer and privacy issues implicated by mobile Location Based Services (LBS) tracking. The FCC seeks input from consumers, industry, and academia on a variety of related topics, including industry best practices and the use of mobile devices by children.
http://feeds.lexblog.com/~r/TelecomLawMonitor/~3/vEaefU7tmnM/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/notes/geolocation.htm

Geolocation Comparison slideset, CAIDA
This slideset was presented at the Network Mapping and Measurement Conference (NMMC) in May 2011.
http://www.caida.org/publications/presentations/2011/nmmc_geocompare/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/notes/geolocation.htm

'Do Not Track' Privacy Tools Mostly Ignored By Users, Huffpo
Last year, the Federal Trade Commission suggested that consumers needed a way to tell online advertisers to bug off and not to follow their every online move. And Microsoft and Mozilla built Do Not Track tools into Internet Explorer 9 and Firefox 4, respectively. The problem? Very few online surfers are using those privacy features
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/24/do-not-track-firefox-feature-privacy_n_866403.html
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/privacy/

One Year After Wi-Spy, Policymakers Demand Answers From Google on Potential Lawbreaking, Huffpo
One year ago, it was revealed that Google used its Street View cars to download private emails and other personal information from wi-fi routers owned by millions of people around the world. In the last couple of weeks, policymakers and privacy advocates took the opportunity of that anniversary to demand answers from Google on whether and why it broke privacy laws.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nathan-newman/google-wifi_b_866132.html
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/privacy/

Do Not Track -- Now on Firefox Mobile!, Do Not Track
Since we first announced our implementation of the Do Not Track HTTP header, we've seen an amazing amount of support from trade groups, and even other browser makers. To build on our view that you should have control of how you're tracked
http://blog.sidstamm.com/2011/05/do-not-track-now-on-firefox-mobile.html
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/privacy/

WH Cybersecurity Proposal: Questioning the DHS Collection Center, CDT
The White House recently released its long-awaited cybersecurity legislative proposal, finally adding its voice to the ongoing debate over government cybersecurity authorities. This is the second of a four-part analysis from CDT of various elements of the Administration's far-reaching package.
http://cdt.org/blogs/greg-nojeim/wh-cybersecurity-proposal-questioning-dhs-collection-center
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/security/

WH Cybersecurity Proposal: CFAA Hack Goes Beyond Hackers, CDT
Part III: Revising the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act
http://cdt.org/blogs/joshua-gruenspecht/wh-cybersecurity-proposal-cfaa-hack-goes-beyond-hackers
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/security/

WH Cybersecurity Propsal: Good Start on Data Breach Notification, CDT
Part IV: Data Breach Notification: A Good Start
http://cdt.org/blogs/cdt/wh-cybersecurity-propsal-good-start-data-breach-notification
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/security/

North Carolina Caves to Big Cable, Free Press
North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue today refused to veto a bill that will hinder towns' and municipalities' ability to build their own broadband networks, ignoring of thousands of phone calls and emails from her constituents and others around the country concerned about communities being stranded on the wrong side of the digital divide.
http://www.freepress.net/press-release/2011/5/20/north-carolina-caves-big-cable
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/states/nc.htm

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Friday, May 20, 2011

5.20 :: 16 Hours?? :: Can't. Deal. With. The. Blathering. :: The Antics of FCC Officials :: Very Very Few People Get Groped :: Beastly Drone ::

============================================
CyberTelecom News
Federal Internet Law and Policy
============================================
Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the
future of the human race. -H. G. Wells

LightSquared GPS Interference Reported, AVWeb
Early field tests of the effects of LightSquared's 4G signal on
GPS-dependent devices showed some disruption of service when tested by
first responders in New Mexico. In a letter to federal officials (PDF)
last week, Bill Range, the program director for New Mexico's 911
system, says the tests run by police
http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/LightSquared_GPS_Interference_Reported_204668-1.html
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/broadband/gps.htm

Woman kicked off train after 16-hour cell phone chat, CNET
A woman is removed from an Amtrak train and charged with disorderly
conduct after she reportedly talks nonstop on her cell phone from
Oakland, Calif., to Salem, Ore.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-20064184-71.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/broadband/wireless.htm

Rural Township Develops Creative Broadband Solution Using Experimental
Technology, WISPA
Many have asked the question, "How can we fill the need for rural
broadband Internet access in our rural community?" But few have
actually ventured beyond the question to attempt to make it happen.
Ryan Peel, owner of Vergennes Broadband LLC is one of those rare few.
Having lived in the scenic rural town of
http://www.wispa.org/?p=4704
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/broadband/wireless.htm

Video: Tim Wu - The Master Switch, Center for Internet and Society
Tim Wu presented his widely acclaimed new book THE MASTER SWITCH: The
Rise and Fall of Information Empires at Stanford Law School on May 9,
2011.
http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/node/6673
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/ci/neutral.htm

Netflix Data: AT&T Caps Not That Generous After All, Gigaom
AT&T said that its average DSL subscriber only uses 18 GB of data per
month when it announced its 125 GB cap earlier this year, and the
company's spokesperson Mark Siegel even called the caps "generous."
But new data published by network management specialist Sandvine this
week might make one question the company's rosy take on its bandwidth
caps.
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OmMalik/~3/ph2mELaO3X8/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/ci/tiers.htm

Comcast Apologizes For Threatening Nonprofit Over Tweet, Tweet
Comcast has apologized to a Seattle nonprofit called Reel Grrls after
an executive told the organization that Comcast would no longer fund
it because of its Twitter post questioning Comcast's hiring of a
member of the Federal Communications Commission.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/19/comcast-reel-grrls-tweet_n_864408.html
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/industry/comcast.htm

Nonprofit sees Comcast funding yanked, restored after critical Tweet,
Ars Technica
Comcast saw fit last week to defund a nonprofit it supported after a
critical tweet and at least one Comcast employee thought it was the
right move. ReelGrrls, a nonprofit for teenage girls supported by
Comcast, have had their funding pulled, and then reinstated, in the
last few days after they expressed incredulity at former FCC
Commissioner Meredith Baker's new job at Comcast after she had helped
approve its merger with NBC.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/05/nonprofit-sees-comcast-funding-yanked-restored-after-critical-tweet.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/industry/comcast.htm

Righthaven Facing Class Action Lawsuit Over Its Sham Copyright
Transfer And Lawsuits, Techdirt
Things keep looking worse and worse for Righthaven. After documents
were unsealed that show that the transfer of copyrights from the Las
Vegas Journal-Review (and its parent company, Stephens Media) to
Righthaven were almost certainly a sham transfer, designed solely to
pass along "the right to sue" (which is not a separately transferable
right under copyright law), it seemed like Righthaven might finally
have to suck it up
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110517/15004814304/righthaven-facing-class-action-lawsuit-over-its-sham-copyright-transfer-lawsuits.shtml
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/ip/copyright.htm

Google chairman: Internet blacklists make us more like China, Ars Technica
Eric Schmidt, Google's chairman, has strong views on legislation
setting up government Internet blacklists. "I would be very, very
careful if I were a government about arbitrarily [passing] simple
solutions to complex problems," Schmidt said during a Google
conference in England today, according
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/05/eric-schmidt-internet-blacklists-make-us-more-like-china.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/ip/copyright.htm

Secret Service Blasts Fox 'Blathering' On Twitter, Huffpo
"Had to monitor Fox for a story. Can't. Deal. With. The. Blathering."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/18/secret-service-twitter-fox-news_n_863786.html
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/media/news.htm

Secret Service Apologizes For Tweet About 'Blathering' On Fox News, NPR
"Had to monitor Fox for a story. Can't. Deal. With. The. Blathering,"
someone in the agency wrote, thinking it would go on a personal
account. That individual no longer has access to the official Twitter
page.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/05/19/136457139/secret-service-apologizes-for-tweet-about-fox-news-blathering?ft=1&f=1019
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/media/news.htm

Shhh! Don't Tell Google News You're a Blog!, Gigaom
Google recently rolled out some enhancements to its Google News site,
including settings that allow users to say whether they want to see
more or less news from "blogs." But how does the search giant define
the term "blog?" After all, the lines between traditional media and
the blogosphere have blurred a lot over the past few years, with
traditional media entities launching blogs, and some blog sites
becoming major
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OmMalik/~3/kzwApMpRtLQ/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/media/news.htm

Cable Losing Market Share to TelcoTV, Internet Video - With 759
Million Pay TV Subscriptions by Year End, dslreports
The latest data from new data from ABI Research shows that while
overall pay TV services continue to grow, traditional cable TV
companies continue to lose market share in many markets due to both
telco TV (U-Verse TV and FiOS TV, predominately) and Internet video.
able TV subscriptions dropped from 72% in 2009 to 69% in 2010, with
cable providers in North America and Western Europe taking the
greatest hits,
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Cable-Losing-Market-Share-to-TelcoTV-Internet-Video-114312
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/media/video.htm

NIST Releases New DRAFT Cloud Computing Synopsis, Info Law Group
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently
released a new cloud computing draft special publication for public
review and comment (see associated press release), which NIST is
billing as "its most complete guide to cloud computing to date."
Public comments to NIST on the 84-page P 800-146 DRAFT Cloud
Computing Synopsis and Recommendations (PDF 1.9MB) are due by June 13,
2011,
http://feeds.lexblog.com/~r/InfoLawGroup/~3/o1x21cTwgDc/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/notes/cloud.htm

Public Knowledge Asks FCC To Make Recusal Process Public, PK
In a letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, PK President Gigi B.
Sohn noted that PK's FCC Reform report last year noted the lack of
transparency in post-FCC employment. The letter also noted that
officials recusing themselves from dockets or issues because of
employment negotiations had in the past been required to file a
publicly available letter with the recusal information. That
requirement has lapsed, and Public Knowledge said Genachowski should
"immediately reinstitute this requirement."
http://feeds.publicknowledge.org/~r/publicknowledge-main/~3/1L3jMKUJSA0/public-knowledge-asks-fcc-make-recusal-process-pub
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/notes/fcc.htm

Meredith Baker's Departure, PK
This member of the Federal Communications Commission comes to admire
the work of this company, votes to approve orders that help it and
then joins the company after the Commission term expires.
http://feeds.publicknowledge.org/~r/publicknowledge-main/~3/sqCrgsZchKs/meredith-bakers-departure
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/notes/fcc.htm

Daily Show mocks FCC's Baker for taking Comcast job, Ars Technica
The antics of FCC officials don't generally make their way into the
mass media, but FCC Commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker has managed
the feat. Turns out, it's easy enough to do: just announce that you
are leaving the FCC to take a senior government affairs job with
Comcast/NBC.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/05/daily-show-mocks-fccs-baker-for-taking-comcast-job.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/notes/fcc.htm

ARPANET Created in Arlington on May 17, 2011, bArlington
It's official. The ARPANET was created in Arlington on May 17, 2011 at
4:08 pm!Well, according to the video screen in the picture below that
is.After the Ruskies launched Sputnik, the United States government
decided that technology research and development would probably be a
good priority. The blog post from earlier today goes into that
history. Inside of ARPA was an office called
http://barlington.blogspot.com/2011/05/arpanet-created-in-arlington-on-may-17.html
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/notes/internethistory.htm

Senate bill would require warrant for e-mail, cloud searches, Ars Technica
Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) proposed
sweeping digital privacy protections Tuesday that would require the
government, for the first time, to get a probable-cause warrant to
obtain e-mail and other content stored in the cloud.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/05/senate-bill-would-require-warrant-for-e-mail-cloud-searches.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/privacy/

Rockefeller Questions Tech Companies on Compliance with Children's
Online Privacy Law, Senate Commerce
Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today announced that he is
asking Apple, Google and Association for Competitive Technology (ACT)
executives to show whether the applications running on their mobile
platforms are in compliance with children's online privacy law.
http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=1a4ec77e-d379-4d49-bffa-7188f0b8527a
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/privacy/coppa.htm

Senator To Facebook: I Don't Know How You Can Defend Your Company, Huffpo
Facebook's chief technology officer, Bret Taylor, was grilled by
senators Thursday on the adequacy of the social network's policy
barring users under 13 years old after a recent report found that
millions of children had Facebook accounts.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/19/facebook-senate-mobile-privacy-hearing_n_864240.html
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/privacy/socialnetworks.htm

DHS Boss: 'Very, Very, Very Few People Get A Pat Down'; Reality: ~1.8
Million People Per Month, Techdirt
With all of the talk about the TSA airport gropings, Homeland Security
boss Janet Napolitano has been a bit on the defensive about the
procedure. In answering questions at a press club lunch, she claimed
specifically that "very, very, very few people get a pat down," and
that it only happens in "under very limited circumstances." She also
joked that whenever anyone does get groped, those "tend to get on
YouTube."
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110517/17251614307/dhs-boss-very-very-very-few-people-get-pat-down-reality-18-million-people-per-month.shtml
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/security/bigbrother.htm

Supreme Court OKs Warrantless House Search, Wired
Police do not need a search warrant to knock on a suspected drug
dealer's door and then kick it down when a suspicious bustling noise
is heard from the other side, the Supreme Court ruled 8-1.
http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/politics/~3/zgT5qttgfMQ/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/security/bigbrother.htm

District Ct. Holds Use of Facebook at Work Does Not Violate the CFAA,
Info Law Group
Every now and then I wonder what goes through the mind of some
litigation parties and their respective attorneys. Case in point the
ongoing case of Wendi J. Lee v. PMSI, Inc., 8:10-cv-2904, out of the
U.S. Middle District of Florida within the 11th Circuit Court of
Appeals.
http://feeds.lexblog.com/~r/InfoLawGroup/~3/nX-Yc6zn_ac/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/security/crime.htm

No Computer Fraud and Abuse Act Violation for Access of Facebook and
Personal Email by Employee -- Lee v. PMSI, Tech & Marketing Law
Lee v. PMSI, 8:10 cv 2904 T 23TBM (M.D. Fla; May 6, 2011) I blogged last...
http://blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/2011/05/no_computer_fra.htm
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/security/crime.htm

US New Cybersecurity Strategy Includes Military Option, Circleid
Defense Systems reports: "The U.S. government's sweeping new
cybersecurity strategy announced May 16 states that the country will
respond to a major cyberattack using any or all of the means at its
disposal… Although military response to a cyberattack is one of the
options listed in the International Strategy for Cyberspace, it will
be considered only as a last resort, officials said."
http://www.circleid.com/posts/us_new_cybersecurity_strategy_includes_military_option/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/security/cyberwar.htm

US Top Cybersecurity Official Resigns, Circleid
Phil Reitinger, the Department of Homeland Security's top cyber and
computer crimes official, is resigning just days after the
administration launched its most ambitious cybersecurity initiative.
"I have decided that the time has come for me to move on from the
Department," Reitinger wrote in an e-mail to DHS employees this
afternoon
http://www.circleid.com/posts/us_top_cybersecurity_official_resigns/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/security/dhs.htm

Congressional Leaders Reach Agreement On Patriot Act Extension, Huffpo
Top congressional leaders agreed Thursday to a four-year extension of
the anti-terrorist Patriot Act, the controversial law passed after the
Sept. 11 attacks that governs the search for terrorists on American
soil.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/19/patriot-act-extension-_n_864415.html
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/security/patriot.htm

Congress Just Sold You Out: Leadership Plans To Extend Patriot Act For
Four Years With NO Concessions, Techdirt
As we've discussed, there were some very questionable provisions in
the Patriot Act which were set to expire last year, but got extended,
officially to allow time for debate. There was none, and when the
extension was set to expire, Congress extended the clauses again for
90 days, supposedly to debate them. There were some superficial
discussions, but the end result is what many people knew would happen
anyway: the
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110519/13502414343/congress-just-sold-you-out-leadership-plans-to-extend-patriot-act-four-years-with-no-concessions.shtml
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/security/patriot.htm

Smishing: another crimeware that threats mobile phone users' security,
Global Crossing
Specifically speaking, smishing is one of the latest criminal
activities in the computing environment, where social engineering
techniques and text messages are used to attack cell phone users
directly.
http://blogs.globalcrossing.com/?q=content/smishing-another-crimeware-threats-mobile-phone-users-security
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/spam/

Lawrence Lessig: An Open Letter to North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue:
Support Community Broadband, Huffpo
On your desk is a bill passed by the overwhelmingly Republican North
Carolina legislature to ban local communities from building or
supporting community broadband networks. (H.129). By midnight tonight,
you must decide whether to veto that bill, and force the legislature
to take a second look.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lawrence-lessig/an-open-letter-to-north-c_b_864562.html
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/states/nc.htm

North Carolina broadband bill would eliminate level playing field, Ars Technica
Michelle Kempinksi lives in Cedar Grove, North Carolina, a township of
about 2,000 on the fringes of Orange County. The county is home to the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and thousands of
plugged-in residents enjoying the benefits of high-speed broadband. In
Cedar Grove however, life is a different story.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/05/op-ed-north-carolina-broadband-bill-would-eliminate-level-playing-field.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/states/nc.htm

Beastly Drone Sub Is 'Underwater Predator', Wired
Why should flying robots deal out all the pain? A new robotic
submarine could become the first undersea 'bot to carry arms.
http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/politics/~3/DaltGkos0vY/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/

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Wednesday, May 18, 2011

[Notice] FCC/FTC Location Based Services Forum June 28

Public Notice: The Federal Communications Commission's (FCC's) Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (the Bureau) in consultation with Federal Trade Commission (FTC) staff will hold a public education forum featuring representatives of telecommunications carriers, technology companies, consumer advocacy groups and academia on June 28, 2011, exploring how consumers can be both smart and secure when realizing the benefits of Location Based Services (LBS).


Topics will include: how LBS works; benefits and risks of LBS; consumer DOs and DON'Ts; industry best practices; and what parents should know about location tracking when their children use
mobile devices.

The event will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at FCC Headquarters, 445 12th Street, SW,
Washington DC, 20554. This session, as well as comments received in response to this Public Notice,
will inform a forthcoming staff report on LBS.

Over the last few years, LBS have become an important part of the mobile market and a boon to
the economy. Commercial location-based services include applications that help consumers find the
lowest-priced product nearby or the nearest restaurant. Additionally, innovations in the use of location technology have the potential to open up new services for consumers and to aid public safety entities with emergency response. But recent reports have raised concerns about the location-based information that is gathered when consumers use mobile devices. While the use of location data has spurred innovation, the FCC's National Broadband Plan recognizes that consumer apprehension about privacy can also act as a barrier to the adoption and utilization of broadband and mobile devices.1 Clear information and public education can help consumers better understand these services. Indeed, both the staff at the FTC and the Department of Commerce recently issued separate reports noting the growing importance of addressing concerns about location privacy.2

. . . . .

PUBLIC NOTICE

Federal Communications Commission

News Media Information 202 / 418-0500

445 12th St., S.W.
Comments Due: July 8, 2011

Internet: http://www.fcc.gov

Washington, D.C. 20554

TTY: 1-888-835-5322

DA 11-857

Released: May 17, 2011

FCC STAFF TO HOST FORUM AIMED AT HELPING CONSUMERS NAVIGATE LOCATION-BASED SERVICES

WT Docket No. 11-84

Forum Date: June 28, 2011


[RFC] NIST Seeks Comments on Draft Guide to Cloud Computing

Notice: "The cloud computing research team at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is requesting public comments on a draft of its most complete guide to cloud computing to date.

NIST Cloud Computing Synopsis and Recommendations (Special Publication 800-146) explains cloud computing technology in plain terms and provides practical information for information technology decision makers interested in moving into the cloud. Cloud computing is a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources—for example networks, servers, storage, applications and services—that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.

"The Federal CIO has asked NIST to lead federal efforts on standards for data portability, cloud interoperability and security. The goal is to help the federal government reap the benefits of cloud computing.

"Cloud computing is not a single kind of system," explains project leader Lee Badger. "Since cloud computing spans a spectrum of underlying technologies and configuration possibilities, each organization's requirements call for different cloud technologies and configurations." SP 800-146 provides that level of guidance.

"The new guide reviews the NIST definition of cloud computing, provides an overview of cloud environments with detailed discussions of each and then provides a section on each of the main cloud environments—Software-as-a-Service, Platform-as-a-Service and Infrastructure-as-a-Service. Each of these sections looks at the environment's scope, its capabilities, benefits, and known issues and concerns. The publication also provides information on how organizations should consider the relative opportunities and risks of cloud computing. A section on Open Issues covers computing performance, reliability, economics, compliance and data and applications security. The final section discusses general recommendations. Appendices cover typical costs of cloud computing, roles and responsibilities, acronyms, terminology and resources for further investigation.

"NIST Cloud Computing Synopsis and Recommendations, SP 800-146, can be downloaded from the NIST Web site athttp://csrc.nist.gov/publications/drafts/800-146/Draft-NIST-SP800-146.pdf. Comments should be sent to 800-146comments@nist.gov by June 13, 2011."

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

ARPANET Created in Arlington on May 17, 2011

It's official. The ARPANET was created in Arlington on May 17, 2011 at 4:08 pm!

Well, according to the video screen in the picture below that is.

After the Ruskies launched Sputnik, the United States government decided that technology research and development
would probably be a good priority. The blog post from earlier today goes into that history. Inside of ARPA was an office called Information Processing Technologies Office (IPTO) - they were in charge of computer and network research. Larry Roberts was the Chief Technologist of IPTO - basically the project manager of something called the ARPANET. Funding main frame computers at the universities, Larry Roberts wanted to build a network between those computers in order to share resources and research. In 1969, in California, the first packets were transmitted on the ARPANET between UCLA (Leonard Kleinrock) and Stanford (Doug Engelbart). Packet switch computer networks had been born.

Pictured at the podium is Stephen Lukasik, ARPA Chief from 1970 to 1975 (in 1979 Lukasik would join the Federal Communications Commission, make a tremendous contribution to something known as the Computer Inquiries proceeding, and work with Michael Marcus to help establish unlicensed radio spectrum (ie WiFi)). Mr. Lukasik was present at today's Arlington County Board meeting as the County unveiled a new historic plaque which will be placed at 1400 Wilson Blvd in Rosslyn, the home of ARPA at the time.

By 1972, it was clear that the ARPANET would not be enough. The ARPANET could not interconnect with other networks. Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn set to work creating the Internet Protocol, a new network that could interconnect networks and support all the cools stuff on the ends. In 1981, the Department of Defense decided that its new Defense Digital Network would use this Internet Protocol, and the Internet was born. In 1985, the National Science Foundation would expand the Internet outside of the military community to the non-military academic community with the NSFNET. This proved wildly popular, and in the early 1990s NSF privitized NSFNET, opening the Internet up to the public for everyone to use.

The Internet starts with the ARPANET and the ARPANET starts in an office in Arlington, Virginia.

Today, Arlington County unveiled its new historic marker, acknowledging this tremendous historic event that had its inception in Arlington.

Stephen Lukasik was joined by fellow ARPA colleagues (from left to right) Robert Young, George Lawrence, Steve Lukasik, Eric Willis, Francis Niedenfuhr. Also featured in the picture holding the plaque that spells out ARPANET in binary is Christopher Zimmerman, chairman of the Arlington County Board.

The historic marker reads:
"The ARPANET, a project of the Advanced Research Projects Agency of the Department of Defense, developed the technology that became the foundation for the Internet at this site from 1970 to 1975. Originally intended to support military needs, ARPANET technology was soon applied to civilian uses, allowing information to be rapidly and widely available. The Internet, and services such as e-mail, e-commerce and the World Wide Web, continues to grow as the under-lying technologies evolve. The innovations inspired by the ARPANET have provided great benefits for society."
For more on the history of the Internet, see Cybertelecom :: Internet History

Arlington Invented the Internet!!

Actually... it did. And today at 3:30 the Arlington County Board will be recognizing this historic achievement.

The roots of the Internet go back to something called the ARPANET. ARPANET was a project of a special office in the Pentagon, ARPA, which had as a mission high tech research. ARPA was born after the Ruskies launched Sputnik, shaking the United State's nerves. Pres. Eisenhower realized the importance of technology for the security of the country, and set about rectifying the perceived disadvantage of the United States in terms of technology.

ARPA's mission was to develop missiles and space flight, and to develop IT research. Well, it was then decided that the missile and space flight stuff should go off to a civilian agency: NASA. ARPA proceeded to advance information technology research under the leadership JC Licklider and then Larry Roberts.

At about this time - and as is common with innovation - three different groups invented packet switching (the underlying technology of the Internet)
  • Don Davies in England experimented with packet switching, but for his work to advance, his packet switch networks would have had to been built by the British Postal System.
  • Paul Baran working for RAND under contract with the Air Force was very very concerned about how fragile DOD's command-and-control communications network was. The US communications network was a hub-and-spoke designed network. Take out the hub and you can take out the entire network. He wanted to move to a distributed network that was resilient and could transmit a reliable "Go / No Go" message to the troops. Baran recommended that DOD revise its entire communications network. DOD's communication network was run by analogy switched network engineers who had no interest in Baran's non-feasible ideas. And the idea died.
  • Larry Roberts at ARPA was funding Big-Iron main frame computers at different universities across the United States, supporting IT research. If he gave the X100 to MIT and then the X200 to Stanford, MIT would scream that it wanted the X200. And then if he gave the X300 to Carnegie Mellow, Stanford and MIT would both scream. Everyone wanted the latest and greatest. Roberts wanted them to share. He wanted them to share the hardware and he wanted them the software and research. To achieve this, he needed a network. This would be the ARPANET.
In 1969 two things happened. The United States landed a man on the moon. And the United States transmitted the first packets on the ARPANET. One was on the front page of every newspaper everywhere. The other received no coverage whatsoever. Both radically changed our world.

Paul Baran, whose work was to design a network that would survive nuclear war, attempted to change the entire DOD establishment, and failed. Larry Roberts, in a skunkworks project, attempted initially to network 4 computers. Then 12 computers. And he succeeded.

At about 1970 ARPA moved its office from the Pentagon to Rosslyn (both in Arlington).
ARPA was an experimental office. It was like a venture capital office. It started things. It did not maintain them. In 1971, when ARPANET was an established success, Larry Roberts approached AT&T and said, "hey, we have this packet switching network. We really arent in the business of running networks. Why dont you take it and we will be your anchor tenant." AT&T declined, seeing no role for packet switching in their business plan. Larry Roberts wrote,
I went to AT&T and I made an official offer to them to buy the network from us and take it over. We'd give it to them basically. Let them take it over and they could continue to expand it commercially and sell the service back to the government. So they would have a huge contract to buy service back. And they had a huge meeting and they went through Bell Labs and they made a serious decision and they said it was incompatible with their network. They couldn't possibly consider it. It was not something they could use. Or sell.
Nerds 2.0.1 : A Brief History of the Internet by Stephen Segaller, p. 109 (TV Books 1998)

In 1972, Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn began working on a new project known as the Internet Protocol that would provide for greater interconnection between packet switched networks. In 1973 Larry Roberts left ARPA to form Telenet, the first commercial packet switched network. In 1975, the Defense Communications Agency at DOD (the office that had turned Baran down) took over operational control of the ARPANET from ARPA. In 1981, the Defense Communications Agency concluded that it needed to migrate from ARPANET to a new Defense Digital Network, and selected Cerf's and Kahn's Internet Protocol for the network. The Internet was born.

For the rest of the story, see the Internet History at Cybertelecom.

It's good to see Arlington recognize this tremendous historic moment that took place on Arlington soil. Hopefully this will serve as an inspiration to Arlington schools to fully embrace and advance information technology and the important roll it places in our student's future. Arlington is, after all, where the ARPANet was conceived.

Monday, May 16, 2011

5.16 :: Change is Good :: Drawing More Heat :: 10% :: New Name More of the Same :: Will Only Add to Americans' Cynicism ::

============================================
CyberTelecom News
Federal Internet Law and Policy
============================================
"If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons." -James Thurber

Michael Powell and Cable's Commitment to Education, NCTA
Change is good. That, at least, is the mantra. And despite human nature's natural misgivings about change, it's probably true.
http://www.cabletechtalk.com/schools-and-education/2011/05/13/michael-powell-and-cable%e2%80%99s-commitment-to-education/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/broadband/cable.htm

FCC's Stance on GPS/LightSquared Drawing More Heat; Tests Show Interference, Inside GNSS
Pressure is mounting on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and proponents of LightSquared's plan to operate high-powered ground transmitters in spectrum adjacent to GPS L1
http://www.insidegnss.com/node/2589
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/broadband/gps.htm

IPv6 Usage Now at 10 Percent, Internet News
Interop panel explains how we get to IPv6. Don't worry about your printers -- yet.
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InternetnewsRealtimeNewsForItManagers/~3/Nxk3AM1wrY8/3933506
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/dns/ipv6.htm

IPv6 traffic study results - May 2011, Global Crossing
In a recent Global Crossing European backbone traffic analysis conducted by Global Crossing engineers we discovered that only an extremely small percentage of the total traffic was IPv6 (a tenth of a percent). What's more, essentially none of the traffic was native IPv6; it was all encapsulated inside of IPv4 packets (a.k.a. tunneled).
http://blogs.globalcrossing.com/?q=content/ipv6-traffic-study-results-may-2011
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/dns/ipv6.htm

EPIC Sues Federal Trade Commission for Details on Spy-Fi Investigation, EPIC
EPIC filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Federal Trade Commission over the agency's failure to disclose to EPIC information about the FTC's decision to end the Google Spy-Fi investigation. EPIC is specifically seeking documents that the FTC widely circulated to members of Congress and their staff that provide the basis for the agency's
http://epic.org/2011/05/epic-sues-federal-trade-commis.html
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/industry/google.htm

Next Verizon CEO Talks FiOS Expansion - Aiming for 20 Million, Waiting on Housing Reversal, dslreports
Chief Operating Officer Lowell McAdam will replace current Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg sometime before the end of this year. Seidenberg was a fairly fierce believer in the company's FiOS fiber to the home effort, expansion of which is currently on hold as Verizon waits for a full economic recovery, and tries to nab a bigger slice of the USF pie. About 40% of the
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Next-Verizon-CEO-Talks-FiOS-Expansion-114236
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/industry/verizon.htm

PROTECT IP Would Gut Parts Of The DMCA's Safe Harbors [Updated], Techdirt
We've been covering the newly released "son of COICA" censorship bill, now renamed the PROTECT IP Act, this week, breaking the news of the summary version of the law as well as posting the full text. However, as people dig deeper into the text, it looks worse and worse. In fact, I have to apologize, because I think I got fooled by the summary text into believing the
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110512/12451914251/protect-ip-would-gut-parts-dmcas-safe-harbors-updated.shtml
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/ip/copyright.htm

The Senators Who Say Merely Linking To Certain Sites Should Be A Felony, Techdirt
I wrote earlier about how the new PROTECT IP Act guts parts of the DMCA, but as you dig deeper, it's looking even worse. The original (and now updated) article focused on the use of the term "interactive computer service," which was in a draft copy of the bill. At the last minute, that was changed instead to be "information location tool." While, at first, this may seem to
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110513/11210514265/senators-who-say-merely-linking-to-certain-sites-should-be-felony.shtml
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/ip/copyright.htm

Public Knowledge Statement On Introduction of PROTECT-IP Act, PK
"This bill has a new name, but it's mostly more of the same. The new PROTECT IP bill, like its predecessor, alters the landscape of legal protections for Internet use in the name of cracking down on 'rogue web sites.'
http://feeds.publicknowledge.org/~r/publicknowledge-main/~3/z_nd_NgGq98/public-knowledge-statement-introduction-protect-ip
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/ip/copyright.htm

Senate bill gives feds power to order piracy site blacklisting, Ars Technica
Senate anti-piracy legislation introduced Thursday would dramatically increase the government's legal power to disrupt and shutter websites "dedicated to infringing activities."
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/05/senate-bill-gives-feds-power-to-order-piracy-site-blacklisting.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/ip/copyright.htm

Legal Guide Updated With D.C.'s New Anti-SLAPP Law, Citizen's Media
We're pleased to announce that we have updated the CMLP Legal Guide on the District of Columbia's anti-SLAPP law to incorporate its brand new anti-SLAPP statute that came into effect on March 31, 2011. A SLAPP, or "Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation," is a lawsuit filed in retaliation for speaking out on a public issue or controversy.
Legal Guide Updated With D.C.'s New Anti-SLAPP Law
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/media/news.htm

Google Adds News Near You — Newspapers Still Nowhere, Gigaom
An announcement from Google on Friday that it has added a feature called "News Near You" to the mobile version of its news platform isn't that surprising; the regular web version of Google News has had a similar feature since 2008. But the move is another step toward offering news that is personally relevant to readers, something newspapers and other media
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OmMalik/~3/OTliasUTyZc/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/media/news.htm

Netflix, Miramax finally sign streaming deal, CNET
The streaming service will now have access to "Pulp Fiction," "Scream," and other prominent films from the Miramax catalog of titles.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20063155-17.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/media/video.htm

FCC Commish defends ethics after taking Comcast/NBC lobbyist job, Ars Technica
In an editorial last week, the New York Times said that "Ms. Baker's swift shift from regulator to lobbyist for the regulated will only add to Americans' cynicism about their government. The fact that it is legal and that she is just one of many doesn't make it better."
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/05/fcc-commish-defends-ethics-after-taking-comcastnbc-lobbyist-job.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/notes/fcc.htm

Do Not Track for Kids Act: Good Idea Raises Real Challenges, CDT
ast Friday, Reps. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Joe Barton (R-TX) introduced House Bill 1895, the Do Not Track Kids Act of 2011, which would amend the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and introduce additional provisions to govern the collection and use of teens' personal information. (You can find CDT's unofficial redline, reflecting the changes
http://cdt.org/do-not-track-for-kids
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/privacy/

Operators of Online "Virtual Worlds" to Pay $3 Million to Settle FTC Charges That They Illegally Collected and Disclosed Children's Personal Information, FTC
The operators of 20 online virtual worlds have agreed to pay $3 million to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule by illegally collecting and disclosing personal information from hundreds of thousands of children under age 13 without their parents' prior consent
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2011/05/playdom.shtm
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/privacy/coppa.htm

Congressmen Demand Answers From Facebook, Huffpo
Lawmakers are once again pressuring Facebook to explain its privacy policies after a report revealed a Facebook security vulnerability mistakenly gave third parties, including advertisers, a way to access to users’ profile information.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/12/facebook-security-flaw-markey-barton_n_861136.html
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/privacy/socialnetworks.htm

U.S. Outlines Cybersecurity Initiative, NPR
Under the plan, private companies that manage the nation's "critical infrastructure" would be required to submit detailed plans showing how they can defend themselves against cyberattack. The federal government would then have the authority to approve or reject the proposals.
http://www.npr.org/2011/05/12/136250408/obama-lays-out-cybersecurity-plan?ft=1&f=1019
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/security/

White House Proposes Cybersecurity Plan, NPR
Among other things, the White House wants Congress to create a law that requires businesses to inform consumers in case of a data breach.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/05/12/136248087/white-house-proposes-cyber-security-plan?ft=1&f=1019
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/security/

White House Cybersecurity Plan: What You Need To Know, Huffpo
The White House has unveiled its proposal for far-reaching cybersecurity legislation that seeks to shore up the country's defenses against a growing number of threats to personal privacy, critical infrastructure, and the government's computing systems.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/12/white-houses-cybersecurity-plan_n_861382.html
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/security/

How bin Laden e-mailed without being detected, Globe and Mail
He had no Internet access. But a meticulous system involving a courier allowed al-Qaeda leader to stay in touch worldwide without leaving any digital fingerprints behind
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheGlobeAndMail-Technology/~3/vVs0ldTWxHs/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/spam/email.htm

FCC Releases Text of VoIP Outage NRPM; Latency, Jitter Proposed as Reporting Triggers, Telecom Law Monitor
As we discussed previously, the FCC is proposing to extend outage reporting obligations to interconnected VoIP providers, broadband Internet access providers and to Internet "backbone" providers. With the release of the text of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, we now know the specific triggers the FCC is proposing to use for these providers.
http://www.telecomlawmonitor.com/2011/05/articles/broadband-1/fcc-releases-text-of-voip-outage-nrpm-latency-jitter-proposed-as-reporting-triggers/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/voip/fcc.htm

FCC Proposes to Require Interconnected VoIP and Broadband Service Providers to File Outage Reports, Telecom Law Monitor
As we noted earlier this week, the FCC is moving ahead to expand its reporting obligations for telecommunications outages. Touting the outage reporting rules as a 911 service protection, the FCC proposed to expand its outage reporting rules to require interconnected VoIP and broadband Internet service providers to submit reports to the FCC, as wireline, wireless, cable and satellite providers must today. Indeed "resilience" and "reliability" were the buzzwords of the presentation before the Commission
http://www.telecomlawmonitor.com/2011/05/articles/compliance-filing/fcc-proposes-to-require-interconnected-voip-and-broadband-service-providers-to-file-outage-reports/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/voip/fcc.htm

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Thursday, May 12, 2011

5.12 :: A Good Day for Free Speech :: MSkype :: Whats More Revolting :: Grilled Apple :: Broadband Buffoonery ::

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CyberTelecom News
Federal Internet Law and Policy
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"If your dog is fat, you aren't getting enough exercise." -Unknown

Koch Brothers Can't Abuse Trademark & Hacking Laws To Sue Satirical
Critics, Techdirt
The Koch Brothers have been the center of a lot of attention over the
past year or so, for their funding of a variety of political efforts
that are often described as "right wing" or "libertarian" (tragically,
some people seem to think these two things are synonymous, when they
are not). Either way, you would think that if the Koch Brothers really
were so staunchly libertarian, as
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110510/02091314225/koch-brothers-cant-abuse-trademark-hacking-laws-to-sue-satirical-critics.shtml
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/cda/firsta.htm

Utah Court Strikes Blow for Free Speech, Dismisses Trademark and CFAA
Claims Against Political Activists, EFF
As we've noted before, many trademark owners are none too happy when
political activists use their marks as part of a larger statement
about the owners' business or political practices. Sometimes, that
unhappiness takes the form of improper legal threats and even lawsuits
designed to silence critical speech. In a ruling issued today, a
federal judge called a halt to one such
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/05/utah-court-strikes-blow-free-speech-dismisses
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/cda/firsta.htm

Newport News Holding Corp. v. Virtual City Vision, 4th Cir
Affirming lower courts grant of Summary Judgement to plaintiff on
Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act claim, where Defendant
altered content of website from one which demonstrated a total absence
of competition between the two sites - to new content which competed
closely with plaintiff
http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=10290906611629346909
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/dns/acpa.htm

Verisign and Coalition for ICANN Transparency, Inc. ("CFIT") Resolve
Litigation, Verisign
VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN), the trusted provider of Internet
infrastructure services for the networked world, announced today that
it has entered into a Settlement Agreement and Mutual Release with the
Coalition for ICANN Transparency, Inc. ("CFIT"), CFIT's members, and
specified related parties that resolves the over five-year long
https://press.verisign.com/easyir/customrel.do?easyirid=AFC0FF0DB5C560D3&version=live&prid=755133&releasejsp=custom_97
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/dns/icann.htm

Comcast subscribers can no longer reach The Pirate Bay directly., Ars Technica
Comcast subscribers can no longer reach The Pirate Bay directly.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/05/comcast-subscribers-can-no-longer.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rssamp;comments=1
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/industry/comcast.htm

For Microsoft, Skype Opens Vast New Market in Telecom, NYT
In agreeing to pay $8.5 billion to buy Skype, Microsoft is embracing a
technology that is transforming the way people communicate at home and
at work.
http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=c71a59c9a0ae32249950acd637103890
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/industry/skype.htm

Microsoft to Acquire Skype, Skype
Combined companies will benefit consumers, businesses and increase
market opportunity
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AboutSkype/~3/fs7a64sfu5E/microsoft_to_acquire_skype.html
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/industry/skype.htm

Twitpic Modifies Terms and Claims Exclusive Rights to Distribute
Photos Uploaded to Twitpic, Tech & Marketing Law
I posted about the dispute between a photographer and Agence
France-Presse over images AFP allegedly downloaded...
http://blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/2011/05/twitpic_modifie_1.htm
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/ip/copyright.htm

Copyright Group Sues 23,000 BitTorrent Defendants, Wired
At least 23,000 file sharers soon will likely get notified they are
being sued for downloading the Expendables in what has become the
single largest illegal-BitTorrent-downloading case in U.S. history.
http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/politics/~3/UfpTdD58-Zo/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/ip/p2p.htm

23,000 Sued For Illegally Downloading The Same Film, Huffpo
In what could be the largest illegal downloading case in U.S. history,
approximately 23,000 BitTorrent users are expected to receive notice
this week that they are being sued for illegally downloading the
action film "The Expendables."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/10/expendables-bit-torrent-download-case_n_860048.html
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/ip/p2p.htm

Internet News Soars, Ad Revenues Follow, USTelecom
According to a new study Americans are more engaged with the news than
ever before – and the Internet is responsible for driving this trend.
Analysis from the Pew Internet and American Life Project shows 41% of
Americans receive the majority of national and international news
online, marking a 17 percent jump in a single year. And for the first
time, more people said
http://www.ustelecom.org/Video_Blogs/Blog/index.php/2011/05/10/internet-news-soars-ad-revenues-follow/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/media/news.htm

Google, Drudge, Facebook the major drivers for news sites, Lost Remote
Social media and search are emerging as the driving force behind how
people visit media websites. A report by the Pew Project for
Excellence in Journalism shows us how people find online news. The
study looked at the top 25 news websites. Among the project's
findings: Google is the primary driver of traffic. It accounts [...]
Related posts:
http://www.lostremote.com/2011/05/10/google-drudge-and-facebook-are-the-major-drivers-for-news-sites/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/media/news.htm

Future of Media: Lots of Questions, But No Easy Answers, Gigaom
The Columbia School of Journalism released a massive report on Tuesday
that looks at the current landscape of digital media — the small and
the large, the mainstream and the alternative — and finds what will
come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the industry: disruption
and confusion, and a notable lack of any obvious solutions. Although
there are hints of
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OmMalik/~3/1CH6WIG54ec/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/media/news.htm

FCC Chairman Applauds Colleague Departing to Become FCC Lobbyist, Wired
What's more revolting: FCC Commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker
resigning to become NBC-Comcast's top lobbyist, or FCC Chairman Julius
Genachowski applauding the move? Vote now.
http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/politics/~3/e3K7YglKuFU/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/notes/fcc.htm

FCC Regulator To Join NBCUniversal--4 Months After Approving Merger, Huffpo
A top telecommunications regulator who voted to approve Comcast
Corp.'s takeover of NBCUniversal in January is leaving to join the
company as a lobbyist.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/11/meredith-attwell-baker-comcast-nbcuniversal_n_860889.html
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/notes/fcc.htm

Regulator to join Comcast after supporting NBC deal, Globe and Mail
Comcast said it did not begin discussions with Meredith Attwell Baker
about a possible job until after the transaction had closed
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheGlobeAndMail-Technology/~3/sReCyn6cfr4/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/notes/fcc.htm

Best Wishes to Commissioner Baker, USTelecom
"Commissioner Baker brought an extraordinary level of talent,
commitment and knowledge of communications to the commission, and we
will miss her. We are grateful for her public service, for her fair
and even-handed approach, and for the time and effort she spent in
seeking to thoroughly understand each of the major issues facing our
industry. We wish her much success in her new career with
NBCUniversal."
http://www.ustelecom.org/Video_Blogs/Blog/index.php/2011/05/11/best-wishes-to-commissioner-baker/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/notes/fcc.htm

AT&T Statement on Commissioner Baker's Departure from FCC, AT&T
"The FCC, the industry, and American consumers have greatly benefitted
from Commissioner Baker's dedication to public service and her
extensive knowledge in communications policy. We are sorry to see her
leave the Commission but we wish Meredith all the best and we look
forward to continuing to work with her in her new capacity."
http://attpublicpolicy.com/fcc/att-statement-on-commissioner-bakers-departure-from-fcc/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/notes/fcc.htm

After approving NBC buyout, FCC Commish becomes Comcast lobbyist, Ars Technica
Meredith Attwell Baker, one of the two Republican Commissioners at the
Federal Communications Commission, plans to step down—and right into a
top lobbying job at Comcast-NBC.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/05/after-approving-comcastnbc-deal-fcc-commish-becomes-comcast-lobbyist.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/notes/fcc.htm

FCC Commissioner Baker Joining Comcast/NBCU, Telecom Law Monitor
Today, FCC Commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker announced that she is
resigning from the Commission as of June 3, 2011. The Los Angeles
Times is reporting that she will join Comcast as Senior Vice President
of Government Affairs for Comcast's newly acquired NBCUniversal unit.
Baker voted to approve that merger in January. Her departure already
has
http://feeds.lexblog.com/~r/TelecomLawMonitor/~3/t99dzk9_Fos/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/notes/fcc.htm

Senate panel grills Apple, Google on location data, Globe and Mail
Smart phone makers say users have plenty of options available to
control tracking
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheGlobeAndMail-Technology/~3/COMBZ-Zy4dQ/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/notes/geolocation.htm

Senators Grill Apple, Google Over Privacy, Huffpo
At a senate hearing today, Apple and Google defended themselves
against allegations that the companies do an inadequate job of
protecting user privacy on mobile devices.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/10/senate-privacy-hearing_n_860269.html
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/notes/geolocation.htm

Our Senate testimony on protecting Android users' privacy, Google
This morning I'll be testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee
about the important issue of mobile privacy. You can read my full
testimony here or watch a webcast of the hearing here starting at 10
a.m. EDT.
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GooglePublicPolicyBlog/~3/uIRz6o6phrk/our-senate-testimony-on-protecting.html
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/notes/geolocation.htm

Facebook profile access 'leaked', BBC
Security firm Symantec has discovered a authentication flaw which has
potentially leaked access to thousands of Facebook profiles to
advertisers.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/technology-13358293
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/privacy/socialnetworks.htm

Griffin v. State of Maryland, Court Appeals MD
Myspace page cannot be authenticated simply by fact that it has
person's photo and DOB on it
http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=4904843973173906376
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/privacy/socialnetworks.htm

White House to unveil cybersecurity proposal, Globe and Mail
Proposed legislation focused on improving security for critical
infrastructure, government's networks and computers
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheGlobeAndMail-Technology/~3/Z4MfWmU1xH4/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/security/

New Department of Justice Documents Fail to Justify Expanding CALEA, EFF
Earlier this month the FBI, DEA and the Department of Justice Criminal
Division responded to our FOIA litigation for records related to the
Department of Justice's controversial efforts to push Congress to
expand the Communications Assistance to Law Enforcement Act (CALEA).1
Although the agencies stated in their court filings (here, here, and
here) that they had
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/04/newly-released-documents-fail-provide
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/security/calea.htm

Causing Damage Without Authorization: The Limitations of Current
Judicial Interpretations of Employee Authorization Under the Computer
Fraud and Abuse Act, William and Mary Law Rev
The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) has recently been described in
various publications as "another arrow in the quiver" of legal options
for employers to use against former employees, a way "to put some real
teeth into your complaint," and a "gap-filler"
http://scholarship.law.wm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3382&context=wmlr
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/security/crime.htm

North Carolina's Broadband Buffoonery Gains Attention - Unfortunately,
Only After Time Warner Cable Victory, dslreports
For years we've covered how multiple states have passed legislation
blocking towns and cities from wiring themselves with broadband, even
in cases where nobody else would. Such bills became less popular over
the years as the public and broader press became away of what was
going on, though that awareness came after nearly a dozen states
passed laws either banning or constricting community broadband rights.
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/North-Carolinas-Broadband-Buffoonery-Gains-Attention-114186
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/states/nc.htm

PUBLIC FORUM, PANELISTS SLATED FOR MAY 18 OMAHA FIELD WORKSHOP ON
MODERNIZING UNIVERSAL SERVICE FOR BROADBAND., FCC
No description
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-306412A1.pdf
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/usf/

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Link to us! www.cybertelecom.org
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