CyberTelecom News
Federal Internet Law and Policy
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Microsoft isn't evil, they just make really crappy operating systems.
-Linus Torvalds
Smart Government Fixes for Lifeline, FCC
These past few months have been especially proud ones for me at the
Federal Communications Commission for one very simple reason: I have
had the privilege of being part of a team that put the principles of
smart government to work. Yesterday, the Commission released a
bipartisan Order comprehensively reforming the Lifeline program, the
culmination of months of effort to clean-up and modernize this vital
program
http://www.fcc.gov/blog/smart-government-fixes-lifeline
Frontier Lays Off FiOS Install Staff - Continuing Their "Dedication"
to FiOS, DSLReports
Frontier just got done swearing to the heavens they were dedicated to
the FiOS TV customers they acquired from Verizon, after socking those
customers with huge price hikes and whopping new $500 installation
fees. The company can't afford to be in the TV business or expand
fiber to the home services, but couldn't acknowledge
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Frontier-Lays-Off-FiOS-Install-Staff-118272
GPS air traffic navigation system would be crippled by LightSquared
network, Congress is told, Ars Technica
Airline industry representatives and a US transportation official told
members of Congress yesterday that LightSquared's planned 4G LTE
network would interfere with a GPS-based navigation system that
government and industry has invested $8 billion in.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2012/02/nextgen-air-traffic-navigation-system-would-be-crippled-by-lightsquared-network-congress-is-told.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss
LightSquared asks FCC for stricter GPS gear standards, CNET
LightSquared is asking the FCC to impose stricter standards on GPS
equipment to ensure that its network can coexist with these GPS
devices.
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/tcoc/~3/wIngIRH-jxg/
In a suspect move, LightSquared calls for GPS design standards, Gigaom
In its ongoing fight to launch its nationwide LTE service,
LightSquared on Wednesday Tuesday asked the Federal Communications
Commission to impose the first-ever standards on GPS device design,
claiming such requirements would allow GPS and its 4G network to
co-exist peacefully in the satellite bands. While LightSquared would
appear to be taking the middle path, the proposal smacks of a
political stunt.
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OmMalik/~3/MIWDDRZ_wuc/
The FCC map of places your mobile data plan won't work, Gigaom
The Federal Communications Commission is spearheading a big effort to
get rural Americans online, and to help, later this year carriers can
apply for a $300 million fund to bring wireless broadband to the
heartlands. Only it's not the heartlands, as the nifty interactive map
shows. The largest areas without 3G coverage are in the Western U.S.
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OmMalik/~3/jVxHsth_eng/
Verizon, AT&T Lobby to Weaken FCC Spectrum Authority - Duopoly
Protection Language Buried in Jobs Bill, DSLReports
Since 1993 the FCC has had the authority to place restrictions on
auctions or conditions on spectrum (like requiring auction winners
offer wholesale access) -- depending on the bidders' market dominance
and/or current spectrum holdings. As their spectrum and market
positions attest, neither AT&T and Verizon have been harmed by the
requirements. Still,
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Verizon-ATT-Lobby-to-Weaken-FCC-Spectrum-Authority-118302
Auctions Should Be Open, Not Closed, AT&T
"Auctions should be open, not closed. Any qualified carrier,
including those on today's letter, should have a chance to bid on any
spectrum available in an auction. This group, however, wants the FCC
to stack the deck in its favor. Congress is right to resist this
notion. In fact, what this group proposes could not be called an
auction with a straight face. These companies should be prepared to
compete in a fair and open auction, and should stop seeking a rigged
spectrum auction that would harm consumers and cost the Treasury
billions."
http://attpublicpolicy.com/wireless/auctions-should-be-open-not-closed/
State of the Internet in Q3 2011: Observations on Attack Traffic, Akamai
To say that Web-based security attacks are on the rise would be an
understatement. Consider this: in just the past three years, we've
seen an eye-popping 2,000% increase in the number of DDoS attack
incidents investigated on behalf of our customers.
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheAkamaiBlog/~3/9HFR0gwjPzE/state-of-the-internet-in-q3-2011-observations-on-attack-traffic.html
Cisco to Issue Updated Mobile Internet Traffic Forecast and Host Panel
on Global Policy Implications of Surging Bandwidth Demand, CISCO
On Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 10 a.m. (GMT) at the Royal Opera Housein
London, Cisco will announce the latest findings of the Cisco Visual
Networking Index (VNI) forecast for global mobile Internet traffic.
The event will also include a panel discussing the implications of
surging bandwidth demands on service provider networks, consumers,
business services and policies for the radio spectrum.
http://newsroom.cisco.com/press-release-content?type=webcontent&articleId=668203
ACPA Part 7: Safe Harbor (no mere tiffs allowed), Cybertelecom
At the end of the AntiCybersquatting Consumer Protection Act nine
factors is the Safe Harbor Provision, which acts as a failsafe and
reiterates Congressional intent: Bad faith intent described under
subparagraph (A) shall not be found in any case in which the court
determines that the person believed and had reasonable grounds to
believe that the use of the domain name was a fair use or
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CybertelecomBlog/~3/kPHRaFh4QyU/acpa-part-7-safe-harbor-not-mere-tiffs.html
ACPA Part 6: The Scorecard, Cybertelecom
The courts reject the notion that they mechanically churn through the
9 Bad Faith Factors, allotting points to the different parties, adding
up the score, and declaring victory for the party with the highest
score. But hat is exactly what the courts have done. They have created
a scorecard, they go down the factors and they score points for either
the Trademark Owner
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CybertelecomBlog/~3/4IpHcWWTyH8/acpa-part-6-scorecard.html
Trustwave Admits It Issued A Certificate To Allow Company To Run
Man-In-The-Middle Attacks, Techdirt
We've pointed out for years that the whole structure of SSL
certificate-based security is open to attack via man-in-the-middle
attacks... if you can somehow get a certificate authority to grant you
a fake certificate. Of course, the protection against that was
supposed to be that a certificate authority wouldn't do that. But what
if one
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120208/03043317695/trustwave-admits-it-issued-certificate-to-allow-company-to-run-man-in-the-middle-attacks.shtml
FBI reveals 1991 probe of Steve Jobs, CW
The FBI today made public a background probe of Steve Jobs conducted
in 1991, when he was being considered by the George H. W. Bush
administration for a spot on the President's Export Council.
http://rss.computerworld.com/~r/computerworld/news/feed/~3/o-wAselUfQI/FBI_reveals_1991_probe_of_Steve_Jobs
FBI file paints Steve Jobs as deceptive, dishonest, Globe
Newly released FBI interviews conducted in 1991 were part of a
background check for an appointment to the President's Export Council
during George H.W. Bush's administration
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheGlobeAndMail-Technology/~3/GLjuygAMDRU/
The FBI's Steve Jobs File: Computing 'Genius,' Lousy GPA, Forbes
Guest post written by Connie Guglielmo
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericsavitz/2012/02/09/the-fbis-steve-jobs-file-computing-genius-lousy-gpa/
AT&T Responds to Throttling Complaints - Says That 2 GB is Not the
Magic Number for Everyone, DSLReports
Earlier this week we noted how AT&T's waging a quiet war on those
"unlimited" data users it had agreed to grandfather when it eliminated
unlimited data back in 2010. One, those that legally jailbreak and use
unofficial tethering options are automatically being moved to metered
service as punishment for refusing to pay AT&T a fee for doing
nothing. Two,
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/ATT-Responds-to-Throttling-Complaints-118292
AT&T data throttling prompts outcry, FierceBroadband
AT&T (NYSE: T) is not winning friends with its efforts to throttle
service to alleged data hogs that are grandfathered in on its
unlimited plans.
http://www.fiercebroadbandwireless.com/story/att-data-throttling-prompts-outcry/2012-02-08?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss
Federal court expedites case on Google privacy policies, WAPO
A federal court said Thursday that it would accelerate a lawsuit that
aims to punish Google for alleged privacy violations.
http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=c4acd709f0aaae7b5daaab3dd248bd04
EPIC sues FTC over Google privacy plan, CW
The Electronic Privacy Information Center has filed a lawsuit against
the Federal Trade Commission to force the agency to take action
against Google over planned changes in collecting personal data.
http://rss.computerworld.com/~r/computerworld/news/feed/~3/Z8w0cK2SWCo/EPIC_sues_FTC_over_Google_privacy_plan
Level 3: Cowen Ups Rating, Level 3
Cowen analyst Colby Synesael this morning raised his rating on the
telecom services provider Level 3 to Outperform from Neutral.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericsavitz/2012/02/09/level-3-cowen-ups-rating/
Xbox 360 Maintains Lead in U.S. Console Market in January, Ends 2011
as No. 1 Console Worldwide, Microsoft
Kicking off 2012, Xbox 360 continues to lead the console market,
turning in another month as the best-selling console in the U.S.
http://blogs.technet.com/b/microsoft_blog/archive/2012/02/09/xbox-360-maintains-lead-in-u-s-console-market-in-january-ends-2011-as-no-1-console-worldwide.aspx
comScore Releases January 2012 U.S. Search Engine Rankings, comscore
released its monthly comScore qSearch analysis of the U.S. search
marketplace. Google Sites led the explicit core search market in
January with 66.2 percent of search queries conducted.
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/comscore/~3/wpSOezQ8Jz0/comScore_Releases_January_2012_U.S._Search_Engine_Rankings
Wolfram Alpha unveils Pro service, BBC
The data-crunching site unveils a premium service that allows users to
upload data, photos and sounds for analysis.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/technology-16926868
Supreme Court rules ISPs not subject to broadcast regulations, Globe
Court says Internet service providers just a mode of transmission, not
subject to same rules and levies as content originators
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheGlobeAndMail-Technology/~3/QBLLyqrOmoA/
Supreme Court of Canada Rules ISPs Are Not Broadcasters, Geist
The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that Internet providers are not
broadcasters for the purposes of the Broadcasting Act when they simply
transmit content to subscribers. The court noted "when providing
access to the Internet, which is the only function of ISPs placed in
issue by the reference question, they take no part in
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MichaelGeistsBlog/~3/CDfNFNrHMAk/
Indonesia bans website for the International Gay and Lesbian Human
Rights Commission, APC
The website for the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights
Commission is the latest victim of censorship in Indonesia. It joins a
number of other LGBT rights organisations which have been blocked by
pornography filters.
http://www.apc.org/en/news/indonesia-bans-website-international-gay-and-lesbi
RIAA Whines About The Public Standing Up to Them - Insists That
SOPA/PIPA Opponents Were Duped by Evil Wikipedia, DSLReports
RIAA boss Cary Sherman penned an editorial in the New York Times this
week that's effectively a very large pout against the recent backlash
to both SOPA and PIPA. According to Sherman, opponents of the
universally-considered-awful laws (including thousands of websites and
technical experts in numerous fields) were engaged in a campaign of
"misinformation" when they were pointing out how the law effectively
created a system of website censorship while potentially breaking key
components of the Internet:
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/RIAA-Whines-About-The-Public-Standing-Up-to-Them-118288
What the RIAA Won't Tell You: Users Matter, EFF
We really have to wonder when the message is going to sink in. On
January 18, millions of Internet users spoke out together in one of
the most profound and effective uses of technology to organize
political opposition in U.S. history, sending a clear message to
Congress that voters will not tolerate crippling of the Internet. But
big content remains tone deaf to this chorus of Internet users.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/02/what-riaa-won%E2%80%99t-tell-you-users-matter-0
Latvia Freezes ACTA Ratification, Germany Won't Sign For Now, Geist
Latvia has become the latest European country to freeze ratification
of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement and Germany has said it
will await the European Parliament vote before deciding whether to
sign the agreement. The moves comes as the mainstream media takes
increasing notice of the ACTA protests (coverage from the Economist
here) and continent-wide protests are planned for Saturday.
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MichaelGeistsBlog/~3/lqpnJNIB32E/
Meet Richard Mack, Republican challenger to SOPA's author, CNET
Richard Mack, a retired sheriff and constitutional conservative, is
hoping to use Rep. Lamar Smith's authorship of SOPA and an Internet
surveillance bill to pry him out of office.
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/tcoc/~3/ZCRv-1gOOkw/
Boxee to Consumers: More Service Calls for You, Cable Tech Talk
Boxee should be applauded for their creativity. For years, they have
proudly touted their service as the ultimate answer for consumers who
want to "cut the cord" and cancel their cable or satellite service.
We disagree with their premise, but it's a free country.
http://www.cabletechtalk.com/cord-cutting/2012/02/09/like-waiting-boxee-is-looking-out-for-you/
TV 'cord cutters' and 'cord nevers' increase, finds Nielsen study, Lost Remote
A new report by Nielsen reveals a rise in homes with over-the-air TV
and a broadband connection, but no cable, satellite or IPTV service.
It's still a small segment of the overall U.S. population (5% of
households), it's grown 22.8% over the last year. While this group
still watches much more traditional TV than broadband-delivered video,
it watches half as much TV and streams twice as much video as the
general population.
http://www.lostremote.com/2012/02/09/cord-cutters-and-cord-nevers-increase-finds-tv-study/
FBI Puts Cloud Providers on Notice Over Security Rules, Wired
The FBI is taking a tough line on cloud vendors looking to do business
with U.S. law enforcement agencies, saying Tuesday that there would be
no compromise in its new rule that all such services comply with the
agency's Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS) security
requirements.
http://www.wired.com/cloudline/2012/02/fbi-cloud-security/
NIST Cloud Computing Videos Available Online, NIST
Video recordings of the Nov. 2-4, 2011 Cloud Computing Forum ampamp
Workshop IV hosted by the National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST) are now available for on-line viewing.The three-day
November meeting featured, among
http://www.nist.gov/itl/ssd/cloud-020712.cfm
Jury strikes down Eolas' 'Interactive Web' patent, CNET
Patent-holding company claimed a host of Web giants owed it hundreds
of millions in royalties for their use of online video streaming,
search suggestions, and other "interactive" elements on pages.
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/tcoc/~3/n_o01lo6_bM/
Tim Berners-Lee In Court To Try To Prevent Patent Troll Eolas From
Patenting Key Web Concepts, Techdirt
Remember Eolas? We've written about this infamous patent troll many
times, mostly focusing on its big patent fight with Microsoft over the
idea of browser plugins -- a case it eventually settled. In 2009,
however, Eolas came back and basically sued the web, claiming that all
sorts of very basic web technologies were, in fact, infringing on a
brand new,
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120209/05030017708/tim-berners-lee-court-to-try-to-prevent-patent-troll-eolas-patenting-key-web-concepts.shtml
Eolas loses in Web patents claim against Google and others, CW
A jury in Texas gave the verdict that two patents of Eolas
Technologies that enable Internet browsers to host embedded
interactive applications were invalid, in a protracted legal battle
which involved top Internet companies like Google and Amazon.com.
http://rss.computerworld.com/~r/computerworld/news/feed/~3/mSNG82WyLSE/Eolas_loses_in_Web_patents_claim_against_Google_and_others
Good call: Path apologizes, erases all lifted address book data from
servers, Gigaom
Path, the mobile app for cataloging your daily activities and sharing
them with a relatively small circle of contacts, came under serious
fire on Tuesday when it was discovered that Path's iPhone app imports
all of its users' address book data onto Path's own servers without
notification or asking permission. Not surprisingly, many people saw
this as a major breach of user trust.
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OmMalik/~3/K4FhLZpL-ho/
Your Online Privacy Is Worth Less Than A Six Pack Of Marshmallow Fluff, Forbes
Privacy utopians have long dreamed of a day when we would be paid for
giving up our data, and would get a slice of the profits that
companies make from collecting, storing, aggregating, remixing,
sharing, and selling our personal information. Well, utopians, the day
has arrived! Google is going to pay Chrome users who are willing to
http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/02/09/your-online-privacy-is-worth-less-than-a-six-pack-of-marshmallow-fluff/
Senate Cybersecurity Bill Nukes Privacy Protections, TLF
My seen-it-all cool was shaken yesterday when I examined how a Senate
cybersecurity bill would scythe down legal protections for privacy.
Anyone participating in government "cybersecurity exchanges" would
have nearly total immunity from liability under any law. No Privacy
Act, no ECPA, no E-Government Act, no contract law, no privacy torts.
The scuttlebutt is that Senator Reid (D-NV) may push this especially
hard as payback to the Internet for the SOPA/PIPA debacle.
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/techliberation/~3/K638H2Xanps/
Time to Act on Companies Selling Mass Spy Gear to Authoritarian Regimes, EFF
On Wednesday, EFF will give recommendations to the European Parliament
for how to combat one of the most troubling problems facing democracy
activists around the world: the fact that European and American
companies are providing key surveillance technology to authoritarian
governments that is then being used to aid repression.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/02/time-act-companies-selling-mass-spy-gear-authoritarian-regimes
FCC Clarifies USF Reform/Intercarrier Compensation Order, Telecom Law Monitor
On Friday, February 3, 2012, the FCC's Wireline Competition Bureau and
Wireless Telecommunications Bureau jointly released an order revising
and clarifying certain aspects of the sweeping universal service and
intercarrier compensation reform order adopted last November. The
clarifications address the rates applicable to VoIP-PSTN traffic,
access stimulation and the CETC phase-down of high-cost support, among
other things.
http://feeds.lexblog.com/~r/TelecomLawMonitor/~3/nUbBUHddn-A/
VoIP Outage Reporting Obligations to be Adopted at February 15 FCC
Meeting, Telecom Law Monitor
VoIP providers, prepare to report outages to the FCC. Since early in
2010, the FCC has been on a path to impose new outage reporting
obligations on providers of interconnected VoIP services, despite
industry opposition to the new requirements. Today, the FCC released
its "Sunshine Notice" confirming that it will vote on an order to
adopt reporting
http://feeds.lexblog.com/~r/TelecomLawMonitor/~3/uTKXfxdj67Y/
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