Headlines

At a time when the Obama administration is pressing for harsher sanctions against Iran for its nuclear program, democracy advocates in Iran have been celebrating the recent decision by the United States to lift sanctions on various online services, which they say only helped Tehran to suppress the opposition. But it is still a long way from the activists' goal of lifting all restrictions on trade in Internet services, which opposition leaders say is vital to maintaining the open communications that have underpinned the protests that erupted last summer after the disputed presidential election.

The creation and shutting down of a web site illustrate the need for clearer policies governing cyberwar.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has suspended work on parts of its huge computer overhaul, dealing the agency the latest costly setback in a decade-long effort to develop a modernized information system to combat crime and terrorism.

Good news: you can afford CDs again.

With a stroke of a pen, the Federal Communications Commission could connect millions of minorities and poor Americans to broadband. For several years, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition has supported a proposal that the FCC should auction the AWS-3 spectrum band and require that the winner provide a free tier of broadband service nationwide.

Some minority groups weighed in Thursday on the National Broadband Plan released earlier this week, saying they are hopeful the proposal will help narrow the broadband digital divide.

The National Broadband Plan may be too ambitious for many inside Washington to fully embrace in terms of executing legislation and making funds available. On the other hand, the plan is not ambitious enough for addressing competition.

"Nobody has a 'right' to the broadband, but it would be nice if everybody did have it."
-- Rep Mike Conaway (R-TX)

include sending and receiving e-mail, downloading Web pages, photos and video, and using simple video conferencing," opens the chapter of the Federal Communications Commission's National Broadband Plan titled "Availability."

Reps Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Randy Neugebauer (R-TX), and Mike Conaway (R-TX) railed on the Federal Communications Commission's newly released National Broadband Plan.