FCC Future of Media Report: The Information Needs of Communities

The Information Needs of Communities: The Changing Media Landscape in the Broadband Age

Steve Waldman and the Working Group on the Information Names of Communities

June 2011

"In most ways today’s media landscape is more vibrant than ever, offering faster and cheaper
distribution networks, fewer barriers to entry, and more ways to consume information. Choice abounds. Local TV stations, newspapers and a flood of innovative web start-ups are now using a dazzling array of digital tools to improve the way they gather and disseminate the news—not just nationally or internationally but block-by-block. The digital tools that have helped topple governments abroad are providing Americans powerful new ways to consume, share and even report the news.

"Yet, in part because of the digital revolution, serious problems have arisen, as well. Most significant among them: in many communities, we now face a shortage of local, professional, accountability reporting. This is likely to lead to the kinds of problems that are, not surprisingly, associated with a lack of accountability—more government waste, more local corruption, less effective schools, and other serious community problems. The independent watchdog function that the Founding Fathers envisioned for journalism—going so far as to call it crucial to a healthy democracy—is in some cases at risk at the local level.

"As technology offered consumers new choices, it upended traditional news industry business models, resulting in massive job losses—including roughly 13,400 newspaper newsroom positions in just the past four years. This has created gaps in coverage that even the fast-growing digital world has yet to fill. It is difficult to know what positive changes might be just around the corner, but at this moment the media deficits in many communities are consequential. Newspapers are innovating rapidly and reaching new audiences through digital platforms but most are operating with smaller reporting staffs, and as a result are often offering less in-depth coverage of critical topics such as health, education and local government. Many local TV news broadcasts remain excellent, and, on average, they actually produce more hours of news than a few years ago—but too few are investing in more reporting on critical local issues and some have cut back staff. Beyond that, a minority are exhibiting alarming tendencies to allow advertisers to dictate content. In most communities, commercial radio, cable, and
satellite play a small role in reporting local news. Public TV does little local programming; public radio makes an effort to contribute but has limited resources. Most important, too few Internet-native local news operations have so far gained sufficient traction financially to make enough of an impact.

On close inspection, some aspects of the modern media landscape may seem surprising:

> An abundance of media outlets does not translate into an abundance of reporting. In many

communities, there are now more outlets, but less local accountability reporting

> While digital technology has empowered people in many ways, the concurrent decline in

local reporting has, in other cases, shifted power away from citizens to government and other

powerful institutions, which can more often set the news agenda.

> Far from being nearly-extinct dinosaurs, the traditional media players—TV stations and

newspapers—have emerged as the largest providers of local news online.

> The nonprofit media sector has become far more varied, and important, than ever before.

It now includes state public affairs networks, wikis, local news websites, organizations

producing investigative reporting, and journalism schools as well as low-power FM stations,

traditional public radio and TV, educational shows on satellite TV, and public access channels.

Most of the players neither receive, nor seek, government funds.

> Rather than seeing themselves only as competitors, commercial and nonprofit media are

now finding it increasingly useful to collaborate.

This report looks not only at the changing face of media, but at the relevant policy and regulatory situation, including the FCC’s own track record. Our basic conclusion: with the media landscape shifting as fast as it has been, some current regulations are out of sync with the information needs of communities and the fluid nature of modern local media markets.

In crafting recommendations, this report started with the overriding premise that the First Amendment circumscribes the role government can play in improving local news. Beyond that, sound policy would recognize that government is simply not the main player in this drama.

However, greater transparency by government and media companies can help reduce the cost of reporting, empower consumers, and generally improve the functioning of media markets. And

policymakers can take other steps to remove obstacles to innovation and ensure that taxpayer

resources are well used.

Our specific recommendations follow six broad principles:

> Information required by FCC policy to be disclosed to the public should, over time, be made

available online.

> Greater government transparency will enable both citizens and reporters to more effectively

monitor powerful institutions and benefit from public services.

> Existing government advertising spending should be targeted more toward local media.

> Nonprofit media need to develop more sustainable business models, especially through

private donations.

> Universal broadband and an open Internet are essential prerequisites for ensuring that the

new media landscape serves communities well.

> Policymakers should take historically underserved communities into account when crafting

strategies and rules.

It is a confusing time. Breathtaking media abundance lives side-by-side with serious shortages in reporting. Communities benefit tremendously from many innovations brought by the Internet and simultaneously suffer from the dislocations caused by the seismic changes in media markets. Our conclusion: the gaps are quite important, but they are fixable. In other words, we find ourselves in an unusual moment when ignoring the ailments of local media will mean that serious harm may be done to our communities—but paying attention to them will enable Americans to develop, literally, the best media system the nation has ever had.

Commerce Dept Proposes NewCybersecurity Policy Framework

Press Release "The U.S. Department of Commerce today released a report that proposes voluntary codes of conduct to strengthen the cybersecurity of companies that increasingly rely on the Internet to do business, but are not part of the critical infrastructure sector. The report, Cybersecurity, Innovation and the Internet Economy, focuses on the “Internet and Information Innovation Sector” (I3S) – these are businesses that range from small and medium enterprises and bricks-and-mortar firms with online services, to social networking sites and Internet-only business, to cloud computing firms that are increasingly subject to cyber attacks.

“Our economy depends on the ability of companies to provide trusted, secure services online. As new cybersecurity threats evolve, it’s critical that we develop policies that better protect businesses and their customers to ensure the Internet remains an engine for economic growth,” said Commerce Secretary Gary Locke. “By increasing the adoption of standards and best practices, we are working with the private sector to promote innovation and business growth, while at the same time better protecting companies and consumers from hackers and cyber theft.”

Today’s report, based on extensive public input, addresses the growing economic importance of strengthening cybersecurity protection and preserving consumer trust in the Internet. Global online transactions are currently estimated by industry analysts at $10 trillion annually. As Internet business grows, so has the threat of cybersecurity attacks. The number of Internet malware threats was estimated to have doubled between January 2009 and December 2010. In 2010, an estimated 55,000 new viruses, worms, spyware and other threats were bombarding the Internet daily.

The report, developed by the Department’s Internet Policy Task Force, makes a number of specific recommendations for reducing I3S vulnerabilities:

• Establish nationally recognized but voluntary codes of conduct to minimize cybersecurity vulnerabilities. For example, the report recommends that businesses employ present-day best practices, such as automated security, to combat cybersecurity threats and that they implement the Domain Name System Security (DNSSEC) protocol extensions on the domains that host key Web sites. DNSSEC provides a way to ensure that users are validly delivered to the web addresses they request and are not hijacked.
• Developing incentives to combat cybersecurity threats. The report also recommends exploring and identifying incentives that could include reducing “cyberinsurance” premiums for companies that adopt best practices and openly share details about cyberattacks for the benefit of other businesses.
• Improve public understanding of cybersecurity vulnerabilities through education and research. Programs like the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education should target awareness and training to the I3S and develop methods for cost/benefit analyses for cybersecurity expenditures.
• Enhance international collaboration on cybersecurity best practices to support expanded global markets for U.S. products. This should include enhanced sharing of research and development goals, standards, and policies that support innovation and economic growth.

This report follows a series of recent Internet security policy recommendations made by the Obama administration. In April, the Administration released [8]the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace, which seeks to better protect consumers from fraud and identity theft. Last month, the Administration proposed legislation to require companies providing critical infrastructure services, such as the financial and energy sectors, to implement stronger cybersecurity practices (fact sheet [9]). In addition, the Administration recently released a strategy [10]for managing international issues in cyberspace.

The Commerce Department launched the Internet Policy Task Force in April 2010 to identify and address the Internet’s most pressing policy issues and to recommend new policies. The Task Force was directed to look at establishing practices, norms and ground rules that promote innovative uses of information in four key areas where the Internet must address significant challenges: enhancing Internet privacy; improving cybersecurity; protecting intellectual property and encouraging the global free flow of information.

In order to gather additional stakeholder input and refine the report’s preliminary recommendations, the Commerce Department will seek public comment and publish questions from the report in a Federal Register notice later this week. The Commerce Department’s Internet Policy Task Force will also continue to work with others in government to engage the domestic and global privacy community, and will consider publishing a refined set of policy recommendations in the future.

The full report, including questions seeking additional stakeholder input, can be found here [11].

Files

Cybersecurity, Innovation and the Internet Economy Green Paper [12]

Hubbard v Myspace :: ECPA Cause/Action Dismissed

Hubbard v. MYSPACE, INC., Dist. Court, SD New York 2011

Cause of Action: Plaintiff claims Myspace's disclosure of member account information violated Stored Communications Act, on grants that magistrate issuing warrants lacked jurisdiction.

Procedure: Deft Motion to Dismiss

Holding: Georgia Magistrate has sufficient jurisdiction pursuant to 18 USC 2703(a) to issue warrants to Myspace Record Holder in California. Case dismissed.

Davis v State MD: MD Didnt Violate ECPA by Tapping Cell Phone Call Placed & Received in Virginia

Davis v. State, Md: Court of Special Appeals 2011

Appellant appeals trial court's denial of Appellant's Motion to Suppress evidence on grounds that law enforcement violated the Electronic Communications Privacy Act.

Issue: Does Maryland Law Enforcement have authority to intercept a call made on a Virginia registered mobile phone, where the caller was in Virginia and the recipient was in Virginia.

Holding: Lower court affirmed. The two relevant factors are the situs of the crime is in Maryland and the location of the listening post - where the wiretap took place, is in Maryland.

The case is filled with wonderful language and an extensive review of the history of wiretap authority. It starts:

Where was the interception? In football, a quarterback, standing on his own ten-yard line, may direct a pass to his wide receiver on the forty-yard line. An intervening defensive back, however, with probable cause to anticipate the pass, may leap up and pull the ball out of the air at the thirty-yard line. In the binary "either-or" world of football, the interception precludes the reception. In the multi-layered world of electronic surveillance, by contrast, the message may be received at its destination even as it is simultaneously intercepted in mid-flight. Our problem on this appeal is to pinpoint the legally significant spot at which an electro-magnetic transmission is effectively converted by the opposing team to its own use. Where, jurisdictionally, does the interception take place? At the ten-yard line, the thirty-yard line, the forty-yard line, or at all three places at once?

On the other hand, does such a question even make sense? May valid analogies be drawn between a tangible actuality such as a football and an intangible concept such as communication? Is intercepting the opposing quarterback's pass at all analogous to aiming a parabolic microphone at him to intercept his signal calling? Analogies, at the very least, will be highly strained.

In focusing on the situs of the crime in question, which was in Maryland, and the location of the listening post, which was in Maryland, the Court stated

In the earlier and simpler world of wiretapping, with caselaw trailing all the way back toOlmstead v. United States, supra, in 1928, a focus on the actual location of the phone to be tapped made sense. The phone was tethered by a landline and it could not wander off, let alone cross a boundary line. In the infinitely more fluid world of cellular phone technology, by contrast, the physical location of a cell phone at any given moment is so random as to be meaningless. The instrument itself can easily cross, and even recross, a political border — county, state, or national — in the course of a single conversation. The jurisdictional dilemmas, if the focus were on the instrument itself, could be kaleidoscopic. We confidently hold that the Maryland General Assembly did not, with its 1991 amendment, intend to create such a jurisdictional phantasmagoria.

NIST NOI National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace NSTIC

NIST Notice of Inquiry: Models for a Governance Structure for the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace

Comments Due on or before July 22, 2011

SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (Department) is conducting a comprehensive review of governance models for a governance body to administer the processes for policy and standards adoption for the Identity Ecosystem Framework in accordance with the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC or “Strategy”). The Strategy refers to this governance body as the “steering group.” The Department seeks public comment from all stakeholders, including the commercial, academic and civil society sectors, and consumer and privacy advocates on potential models, in the form of recommendations and key assumptions in the formation and structure of the steering group. The Department seeks to learn and understand approaches for: 1) the structure and functions of a persistent and sustainable private sector-led steering group and 2) the initial establishment of the steering group. This Notice specifically seeks comment on the structures and processes for Identity Ecosystem governance. This Notice does not solicit comments or advice on the policies that will be chosen by the steering group or specific issues such as accreditation or trustmark schemes, which will be considered by the steering group at a later date. Responses to this Notice will serve only as input for a Departmental report of government recommendations for establishing the NSTIC steering group.

. . . . .

Written comments may be submitted by mail to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, c/o Annie Sokol, 100 Bureau Drive, Mailstop 8930, Gaithersburg, MD 20899. Electronic comments may be sent to NSTICnoi@nist.gov

. . . . .

RFC OJO App to Discon VoIP Service :: New FCC Chief Econ

From today's FCC Daily Digest

Released: 06/07/2011. COMMENTS INVITED ON APPLICATION OF OJO SERVICE
LLC TO DISCONTINUE INTERCONNECTED VOIP SERVICES. (DA No. 11-1006). (Dkt
No 11-98 ). Comments Due: 06/22/2011. WCB . Contact: Carmell Weathers
at (202) 418-2325, Email: Carmell.Weathers@fcc.gov or Rodney McDonald at
(202) 418-7513, Email: Rodney.McDonald@fcc.gov, TTY: (202) 418-0494
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-11-1006A1.doc
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-11-1006A1.pdf
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-11-1006A1.txt

FCC NAMES MARIUS SCHWARTZ CHIEF ECONOMIST; JONATHAN BAKER AND GREGORY
ROSSTON TO SERVE AS SENIOR ECONOMISTS FOR TRANSACTIONS. News Release
OCHJG . Contact David Fiske at (202) 418-0513, email:
David.Fiske@fcc.gov
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-307135A1.doc
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-307135A1.pdf
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-307135A1.txt

[Workshop] National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC) Workshop: Governance

National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC) Workshop: Governance
Purpose:

Click here to view the Federal Register Notice for this June 2011 workshop.

The U.S. Department of Commerce will soon release a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) seeking comment on the requirements of and possible models for the NSTIC steering group models. This workshop will provide the opportunity for discussion and clarification of the NOI.

Workshop Goals:

1. Provide participants with a better understanding of the role of governance in the Identity Ecosystem;

2. Create a foundation of understanding and additional clarity in regards to the NOI and response expectations;

3. Identify focus areas and collaborate upon potential models/structures of governance for the NPO and Steering Body;

4. Express requirements for the Steering Group from the government's perspective;

5. Hear and understand requirements for the Steering Group from attendees' perspectives; and

6. Collaborate and build an understanding of the government's role in establishing the Steering Body.

Agenda:

Draft Agenda

Related Project(s):

National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC)
http://www.nist.gov/nstic/

Conference Web site:

http://www.nist.gov/nstic/

6.6 :: Continued Interference :: Boondoggle :: Censoring Begins at Home :: Any Legitimate Purpose :: Sputter ::

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CyberTelecom News
Federal Internet Law and Policy
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It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it." -Upton Sinclair

Tests showed continued GPS interference from LightSquared equipment ahead of FCC filing, RCRWireless
LightSquared continued its public relations push today hosting a conference call designed to set expectations for its June 15 final report filing with the Federal Communications Commission on recently concluded tests of potential interference between its hybrid satellite/terrestrial network and ground-based GPS systems.
http://www.rcrwireless.com/article/20110601/CARRIERS/110609996/tests-showed-continued-gps-interference-from-lightsquared-equipment
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/broadband/gps.htm

The National Broadband Map: a $350 million "boondoggle"?, Ars Technica
The United States government's National Broadband Map has been out for three months and hasn't generated much heat—until now. Suddenly advocates from the New America Foundation are posting commentaries calling the project a big disappointment.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/06/national-broadband-map-a-350-million-boondoggle.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/broadband/map.htm

The IPv6 Impact to Telecom Addressed in USTelecom Webinar, USTelecom
USTelecom has conducted several webinars on IPv6 this year, mainly dealing with IP address exhaust, implementing dual stack architectures and using carrier-grade NATs.
http://www.ustelecom.org/Video_Blogs/Blog/index.php/2011/06/03/the-ipv6-impact-to-telecom-addressed-in-ustelecom-webinar/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/dns/ipv6.htm

World IPv6 Day Will Test the Readiness for Change, CISCO
On Wednesday, June 8, the technicians, engineers and content providers who rely on the internet's viability will conduct a grand, global experiment. For more than a decade, an alternative to the internet's standard communications protocols has been under development and testing in private networks. On World IPv6 Day, Internet Protocol Version 6 ( ...
http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2011/ts_060611.html?CMP=AF17154&vs_f=News@Cisco:+Press+Releases+and+Features&vs_p=News@Cisco:+Press+Releases+and+Features&vs_k=1
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/dns/ipv6.htm

CAIDA participation in IPv6 day, CAIDA
On June 8 2011 a group of content providers, including Google, Yahoo and Facebook, are going to dual-stack their content, in an event calledWorld IPv6 Day. This trial will enable content providers to gain experience with increased levels of IPv6 traffic and gauge the extent and effect of broken dual-stack end-users. CAIDA is cooperating with the RIPE NCC's measurements on this day, providing a dozen Ark monitors to
http://blog.caida.org/best_available_data/2011/06/05/caida-participation-in-ipv6-day/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/dns/ipv6.htm

Senators Target Website That Sells Narcotics, NPR
Sens. Charles Schumer of New York and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, both Democrats, said they asked the Justice Department and Drug Enforcement Administration to shut down and investigate the website, often referred to as the Silk Road after an ancient Asian trade route.
http://www.npr.org/2011/06/05/136971766/senators-target-website-that-sells-narcotics?ft=1&f=1019
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/ecom/emed.htm

UN Report Declares Internet Access a Human Right, Wired
A United Nations report said Friday that disconnecting people from the internet is a human rights violation and against international law.
http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/politics/~3/08az-4qpA-c/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/intl/

Censoring Begins At Home: Iran Announces Plans To Build Its Own Internet, Operating System, Techdirt
Iran's government has decided to push past regular villainy and head straight for cartoonish super-villainy with its plan to build its own internet. Being one of the "most sophisticated nations in online censoring" just isn't enough these days, what with every "civilized" nation pushing its own brand of censorship. It looks as if Iran has decided that if the internet is too difficult to regulate, it may be easier to start from the ground floor
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110531/13372014492/censoring-begins-home-iran-announces-plans-to-build-its-own-internet-operating-system.shtml
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/intl/iran.htm

Internet back online in Syria; violent protest videos surface, cnet
Internet access is back online in Syria after two-thirds of networks in the country became unreachable from the rest of the world in the midst of street protests
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-20069113-93/internet-back-online-in-syria-violent-protest-videos-surface/?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/intl/me.htm

UPDATE: Syria Cuts The Internet, VOA
1500 hours UTC Friday: Earlier we posted about the near flat-lining of Internet traffic within Syria, wondering whether Damascus was adopting a tactic tried earlier this year by Egypt.
http://blogs.voanews.com/digital-frontiers/2011/06/03/syria-cuts-the-internet/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/intl/me.htm

Syrian Internet Shutdown, Renesys
Starting at 3:35 UTC today (6:35am local time), approximately two-thirds of all Syrian networks became unreachable from the global Internet. Over the course of roughly half an hour, the routes to 40 of 59 networks were withdrawn from the global routing table.
http://www.renesys.com/blog/2011/06/syrian-internet-shutdown.shtml
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/intl/me.htm

Dan Snyder Helping Politicians Recognize The Importance Of A Federal Anti-SLAPP Law, Techdirt
We've discussed a few times in the past the need for a federal anti-SLAPP law, rather than the weak state-by-state laws against SLAPP lawsuits, which are filed mainly to stifle speech, rather than for any legitimate purpose. Earlier this year, in particular, we discussed how the lawsuit filed by Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder against a DC-publication, highlighted the need for a federal anti-SLAPP law
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110602/12583214529/dan-snyder-helping-politicians-recognize-importance-federal-anti-slapp-law.shtml
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/media/news.htm

FCC Members: Don't Lobby for AT&T After Approving Merger, Wired
A media-reform group is demanding each of the FCC's four commissioners publicly pledge that they won't take a lobbying job with AT&T if they approve its proposed merger with T-Mobile. Departing FCC commissioner Meredith Atwell Baker resigned her post last month to become the top lobbyist for the merged Comcast-NBC, just four months after she approved that merger.
http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/politics/~3/2iH2zTa7qD8/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/notes/fcc.htm

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski Announces Jonathan Zittrain as FCC Distinguished Scholar, Berkman Center
Today, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski announced the appointment of Professor Jonathan Zittrain as the agency's Distinguished Scholar. He will be based in the Office of Strategic Planning & Policy Analysis and will work on a range of issues related to 21st century communications networks. He succeeds Professor Stuart Benjamin from Duke University School of Law as the Commission's first Distinguished Scholar.
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/newsroom/Zittrain_FCC_Distinguished_Scholar
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/notes/fcc.htm

Cyber Attacks May Be 'Acts Of War', NPR
According to the Wall Street Journal, the Pentagon (in a report expected to be made public next month) has said an act of computer sabotage may constitute an "act of war." Ira Flatow and guests discuss cyber attacks and the challenges in defining and fighting cyber warfare.
http://www.npr.org/2011/06/03/136925541/cyber-attacks-may-be-acts-of-war?ft=1&f=1019
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/security/cyberwar.htm

NebuAd Deep Packet Inspection Lawsuits Sputter -- Deering v. CenturyTel & Green v. Cable One, Tech & Marketing Law
The alleged monitoring and use of ISP subscribers' internet activity for advertisement targeting purposes by NebuAd...
http://blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/2011/06/nebuad_deep_pac.htm
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/security/ecpa.htm

Hackers Target FBI Affiliate, Post Passwords Online, NPR
Nearly 180 passwords belonging to members of an Atlanta-based FBI affiliate have been stolen and leaked to the Internet, the group confirmed Sunday. Online hacking collective Lulz Security claimed it was acting in response to a recent report that the Pentagon was considering whether to classify some cyberattacks as acts of war.
http://www.npr.org/2011/06/05/136984937/hackers-target-fbi-affiliate-post-passwords-online?ft=1&f=1019
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/security/hacker.htm

FTC, Department of Justice to Host Forum on Child Identity Theft, FTC
The FTC and the Department of Justice's Office for Victims of Crime will host "Stolen Futures: A Forum on Child Identity Theft," on July 12, 2011.
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2011/06/childtheft.shtm
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/security/idtheft.htm

Are the feds torturing the Patriot Act for location data?, Ars Technica
It's hard to imagine a Senator making a blunter statement than Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) made in the heat of the Patriot Act reauthorization fight last month: "When the American people find out how their government has secretly interpreted the Patriot Act," he said, "they will be stunned and they will be
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/06/its-hard-to-imagine-a.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/security/patriot.htm

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4.2 :: Nearing the End :: 966 Exabytes by 2015 :: A Bad Idea That Should Be Stopped :: Tupac Still Alive in NZ ::

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CyberTelecom News
Federal Internet Law and Policy
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Experience should teach us to be most on our guard to protect liberty when the Government's purposes are beneficent. Men born to freedom are naturally alert to repel invasion of their liberty by evil-minded rulers. The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding. – Justice Brandeis, Olmstead v US (1928), http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=5577544660194763070

LightSquared Nears the End of GPS Testing, Light Reading
LightSquared says that it will be done with GPS interference testing by June 15 and will then have to wait for Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to decide its fate. The carrier still expects to launch in 2012 and cover 100 million people with service in the U.S. by the end of that year.
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=208508&f_src=lightreading_gnews
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/broadband/gps.htm

Wi-Fi to Overtake Wired by 2015 - As Global IP Traffic Heads for 966 Exabytes by 2015, dslreports
Cisco's Visual Networking Index (VNI) Global IP Traffic Forecast annually tries to predict usage trends, this latest study suggesting that global IP traffic will almost reach the zettabyte threshold (966 exabytes) by the end of 2015. The report offers a myriad of interesting statistical bits, noting
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/WiFi-to-Overtake-Wired-by-2015-114475
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/broadband/wifi.htm

Comcast Launches New Internet Safety Services, Comcast
For the past several years, Congress has passed resolutions designating June as Internet Safety Month. So this year, I'm excited to announce Comcast is supporting Internet safety awareness efforts by launching the next generation of our online protection program, which we call Constant Guard™.
http://blog.comcast.com/2011/06/comcast-launches-new-internet-safety-services-1.html
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/cda/child.htm

Ripoff Report Gets Another Big 47 USC 230 Win--Asia Economic Institute v. Xcentric, Tech & Marketing Law
Economic Institute v. Xcentric Ventures LLC, 2:10-cv-01360-SVW -PJW (C.D. Cal. May 4, 2011) The AEI Ruling...
http://blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/2011/06/ripoff_report_g_2.htm
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/cda/samaritan.htm

Network Neutrality Becoming a Major Concern for Europe's Governments, Circleid
There is no single definition of network neutrality, though generally it is recognised as the principal that there should be no restrictions by fixed and mobile ISPs, or governments and the like, in providing consumers with access to internet networks. Nor should there be restrictions or discrimination against associated content and platforms.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20110526_network_neutrality_becoming_major_concern_for_europes_governments/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/ci/neutral.htm

Global Internet Traffic to Quadruple by 2015, Reaching 966 Exabytes Per Year, Circleid
Cisco predicts that the number of network-connected devices will be more than 15 billion, twice the world's population, by 2015. In its Visual Networking Index (VNI) Forecast (2010-2015) report released today, the company also predicts the total amount of global Internet traffic to quadruple by 2015 and reach 966 exabytes per year.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20110601_global_internet_traffic_to_quadruple_by_2015_966_exabytes_per_year/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/data/broadband.htm

Pew study finds 13 percent of adults on Twitter, Pew
More than one in 10 adults online in the United States uses Twitter, according to a new study from the Pew Internet and American Life Project.
http://www.pewinternet.org/Media-Mentions/2011/Pew-study-finds-13-percent-of-adults-on-Twitter.aspx
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/data/statapps.htm

Pew study finds more people using Twitter, CNET
A total of 13 percent of online users recently surveyed by Pew Internet use Twitter, compared with just 8 percent last November.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-20067912-93.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/data/statapps.htm

Traffic to Top U.S. Sites Dipped in April, Clickz
Nine of the 10 most popular U.S. web properties saw fewer users in April.
http://feeds.clickz.com/~r/clickzstats/~3/PUDdcKpA8jk/traffic-sites-dipped-april
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/data/statapps.htm

Internet phone calls, Pew
24% of internet users have made phone calls online
http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/13--Internet-phone-calls--Skype.aspx
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/data/statapps.htm

Internet Adds 4.5 Million Domain Names in First Quarter of 2011, Verisign
Four and a half million domain names were added to the Internet in the first three months of 2011, according to the latest Domain Name Industry Brief published by VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN), the trusted provider of Internet infrastructure services for the networked world.
https://press.verisign.com/easyir/customrel.do?easyirid=AFC0FF0DB5C560D3&version=live&prid=760155&releasejsp=custom_97
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/dns/

Internet Society's 24-Hour Test Flight for IPv6 Gains Momentum in Asia, ISOC
No description
http://isoc.org/wp/newsletter/?p=3847
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/dns/ipv6.htm

RIPE NCC to Conduct Live Measurements for World IPv6 Day, Circleid
RIPE NCC has announced plans to conduct live measurements for World IPv6 Day on 8th June 2011. The not-for-profit organization has set to measure connectivity to World IPv6 Day participants; "the IPv6 Eye Chart tests visibility of all World IPv6 Day participants and other sites
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20110601_ripe_ncc_to_conduct_live_measurements_for_world_ipv6_day/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/dns/ipv6.htm

Sprint Formally Asks FCC to Block AT&T/T-Mo Merger, Gigaom
Third-place U.S. cellular carrier Sprint filed a petition with the FCC today formally requesting a block of the AT&T-T-Mobile mergersaying it would harm consumers, competition and the broadband economy and would produce no tangible public interest benefits. The filing comes after Sprint testified before a Senate judiciary
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OmMalik/~3/DF5SaaaOmBc/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/industry/att.htm

Why the FCC Should Block the AT&T/T-Mobile Merger: The Director's Cut, PK
The FCC must not allow AT&T and T-Mobile to merge. Today, Public Knowledge and the Future of Music Coalition explained to the FCC why this merger, which would eviscerate wireless competition in the US, is a bad idea that should be stopped.
http://feeds.publicknowledge.org/~r/publicknowledge-main/~3/s2iQHhCjrY8/why-fcc-should-block-attt-mobile-merger-direc
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/industry/att.htm

AT&T to Congress: T-Mobile buy good for consumers, CNET
The phone giant's CEO defends the proposed acquisition to lawmakers, who question the company about market concentration and potential job losses.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-20066493-94.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/industry/att.htm

China says it's not behind Google hacking, Globe and Mail
Giant search engine Wednesday disclosed some of its e-mail users suffered attacks that originated within the country
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheGlobeAndMail-Technology/~3/ZCxVEWUTzEY/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/industry/google.htm

Republican pushes FCC for details on Google 'Wi-Spy', Hill
A Republican lawmaker is urging the FCC to release information about its investigation of Google's so-called "Wi-Spy" breach.
http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/163183-republican-pushes-fcc-for-details-on-google-wi-spy
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/industry/google.htm

Nevada ISP uses microwave backhaul to expand operations, improve service, Muni
Arizona Nevada Tower Corporation (ANTC), an ISP and network service provider headquartered in Las Vegas, has deployed Exalt microwave backhaul systems to expand its operations by providing carrier grade backhaul service and wireless broadband Internet access to select rural communities
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/muniwireless/~3/b_6mR0p-o9k/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/industry/isp.htm

'China hackers' hit Google e-mail, BBC
Hackers in China have compromised personal e-mail accounts of top US officials, military personnel and journalists, Google says.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-us-canada-13623378
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/intl/china.htm

Iran Vows To Unplug The Internet, Huffpo
Iran is taking steps toward an aggressive new form of censorship: a so-called national Internet that could, in effect, disconnect Iranian cyberspace from the rest of the world.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/28/iran-unplug-internet_n_868403.html
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/intl/iran.htm

Why PROTECT IP Breaks The Internet, Techdirt
Last year, after the entertainment foisted COICA on an unsuspecting public, Paul Vixie -- a guy you should listen to when he's concerned about the technical impact of something on the internet -- explained why COICA's reliance on DNS block was incredibly stupid. Not only would it not work, but
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110531/13331214491/why-protect-ip-breaks-internet.shtml
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/ip/copyright.htm

Under hack attack, PBS Newshour falls back on Tumblr, Lost Remote
PBS suffered a hacking attack Monday that included intruders posting inaccurate information to some of its news sites. The attack affected the websites for NewsHour, Frontline and PBS. In response, PBS Newshour took to its Tumblog to publish transcripts and videos from Monday's broadcast.
http://www.lostremote.com/2011/05/31/pbs-newshour-under-hack-attack-falls-back-on-tumblr/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/media/news.htm

Disney CEO: Disney.com to sort of compete with Netflix, Hulu, CNET
But having a multitude of content delivery options for its content "keeps people honest," CEO Robert Iger says in an interview at D9.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-19882_3-20068284-250/disney-ceo-disney.com-to-sort-of-compete-with-netflix-hulu/?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/media/video.htm

YouTube Celebrates Six Years, USTelecom
ecently, YouTube marked six years since launching its wildly successful website, earning its place as the online king of video. In fact, according to comScore's video metrix Google sites — primarily driven by YouTube — took the top spot with 144.1 million unique viewers and 1.9 billion viewing
http://www.ustelecom.org/Video_Blogs/Blog/index.php/2011/06/01/youtube-celebrates-six-years/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/media/video.htm

Free Press Urges FCC to Stop the Revolving Door, Free Press
In a letter sent to the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday, Free Press asked the four remaining commissioners to pledge not to seek employment with either AT&T or T-Mobile, whose multi-billion merger is now under review at the FCC.
http://www.freepress.net/press-release/2011/6/2/free-press-urges-fcc-stop-revolving-door
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/notes/fcc.htm

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski Announces Jonathan Zittrain as FCC Distinguished Scholar, Berkman Center
No description
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/node/6902
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/notes/fcc.htm

Feds investigate alleged attacks on Gmail accounts, CNET
The U.S. government is looking into reports that hackers tried to access Gmail accounts of federal officials, journalists, and political activists.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-20068229-83/feds-investigate-alleged-attacks-on-gmail-accounts/?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/security/

Cyber Attack Hits Lockheed Martin, NPR
Hackers launched a "significant and tenacious" cyber attack on Lockheed Martin, a major defense contractor holding highly sensitive information, but its secrets remained safe, the company said Saturday.
http://www.npr.org/2011/05/29/136764977/cyber-attack-hits-lockheed-martin?ft=1&f=1019
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/security/

CFAA violation where employee's access to work computer violated fiduciary duty to employer, Internet Cases
Plaintiff former employer sued defendant former employee for violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, 18 U.S.C. 1030, alleging that defendant, while still in the employ of plaintiff, accessed confidential business information and destroyed other important data. Defendant moved to dismiss the CFAA claim. The court denied the motion.
http://blog.internetcases.com/2011/05/26/cfaa-violation-where-employees-access-to-work-computer-violated-fiduciary-duty-to-employer/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/security/crime.htm

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

============================================
CyberTelecom News
Federal Internet Law and Policy
============================================
"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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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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