1. Monthly archive
  2. December 2009

December 2009

Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
Department of Health and Human Services
January 7, 2010
9 a.m. -- 12:30 p.m.
(location to be determined)
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-30673.pdf

Contact Person:
Judy Sparrow
Office of the National Coordinator, HHS
330 C Street, SW
Washington, DC 20201
202-205-4528, Fax: 202-690-6079
judy.sparrow@hhs.gov

The NHIN Workgroup is charged with creating a policy and technical framework that allows the internet to be used for the secure and standards-based exchange of health information, in a way that is open to all and fosters innovation.

The workgroup will be discussing the nationwide health information network (NHIN), with a primary emphasis on authentication mechanisms used by the NHIN and the private sector. The workgroup will be hearing testimony from stakeholder groups. ONC intends to make background material available to the public no later than two (2) business days prior to the meeting. If ONC is unable to post the background material on its Web site prior to the meeting, it will be made publicly available at the location of the advisory committee meeting, and the background material will be posed on ONC's Web site after the meeting, at http://healthit.hhs.gov. The meeting will be available via webcast; visit http://healthit.hhs.gov for instructions on how to listen via telephone or Web.


National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of Commerce
Building 101, Room LR-B
100 Bureau Drive
Gaithersburg, MD 20899
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
1 p.m. -- 5 p.m.
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-30655.pdf

The ISPAB was established by the Computer Security Act of 1987 (Pub. L. 100-235) and amended by the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-347) to advise the Secretary of Commerce and the Director of NIST on security and privacy issues pertaining to federal computer systems. Details regarding the ISPAB's activities are available at http://csrc.nist.gov/ groups/SMA/ispab/index.html/

  • The agenda is expected to include the following items:
  • Cloud Computing and the U.S. Government Trusted Internet Connection (TIC) Program working together to provide service and security.
  • Board discussion on Certification and Accreditation of federal information systems, current models and discussion on recommending using an initial and continuous monitoring model.
  • Applicability of current authentication models for new federal priorities and recommendations for expanded research in identification and authentication.
  • Board discussion and recommendations on the Office of Management and Budget proposed security metrics for federal agencies.

Headlines will return January 4

As is our tradition here (really, you can look it up), we're off to serve as back-up elves at Macy's for the remainder of the year and, therefore, will be unable to provide you, our dedicated readers, with our Headline service until January 4. We wish everyone communications-filled holidays!

Dec 24, 2009 (Moving to an IP Communications World)

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2009

** As is our tradition here (really, you can look it up), we're off to serve as back-up elves at Macy's for the remainder of the year and, therefore, will be unable to provide you, our dedicated readers, with our Headline service until January 4. We wish everyone communications-filled holidays! **

For January policy events see http://bit.ly/8FUI7L


NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN
   Moving from Switched Circuits to an IP Communications World
   NAB: Broadcast TV Crucial to Keeping Cable Prices in Check

MORE ON BROADBAND/INTERNET
   The State of IP
   1999-2009: How Broadband Changed Everything
   Top 10 Internet Moments of 2009
   Philly Wireless - Third Times the Charm
   Nice Thoughts and Naughty Thoughts About Broadband
   Basically Every ISP Is Trying to Scare You Into Paying for Internet You Don't Need
   New York Senator Wants Rural Broadband Action

WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
   Kohl, Hatch call on FCC to give spectrum to new wireless carriers
   FCC's Clyburn criticizes Verizon Wireless' justification for doubling fees
   Managing the Wireless Data Deluge
   AT&T Mobility CEO rebuts tiered iPhone data pricing claims
   Consumers Making Wi-Fi Hotspots Hot

JOURNALISM
   The business model for news is and always has been broken and Rupert Murdoch can't fix it

CONTENT
   Forget E-Books: The Future of the Book Is Far More Interesting
    See also:Tablets can't possibly save magazines and newspapers

HEALTH
   HHS Announces New Health IT Workforce Grants
   Bringing the Public Into the HIT Conversation

CYBERSECURITY
   Obama cyber czar choice worries about smartphones, social networking
    See alsoWith Schmidt in place, who's his deputy?
   Former FBI CIO Urges 'Actionable' Cybersecurity Plan
   Web Sites Disrupted in Silicon Valley

MORE ONLINE
   FCC Suspends Ownership Filing Form
   FTC prolongs review of Google-AdMob merger, asks for more details
   NTIA Launches Social Networking Presence, Restricts Employee Access
   Act Two for FCC's Meredith Attwell Baker
   Government Officials On Tap For CES
   Frustrated black youths take to the Internet

back to top

NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN
   Moving from Switched Circuits to an IP Communications World

MOVING FROM SWITCHED CIRCUITS TO AN IP COMMUNICATIONS WORLD
[SOURCE: Benton Foundation, AUTHOR: Kevin Taglang]
On December 1, the Federal Communications Commission released a Public Notice seeking comment on whether to issue a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) relating to the appropriate policy framework to facilitate and respond to the market-led transition in technology and services, from the circuit switched Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) system to an Internet Protocol (IP)-based communications world. The FCC sought help identifying the relevant policy questions that an NOI on this topic should raise in order to assist the Commission in considering how best to monitor and plan for this transition. Comments in the proceeding were due Monday, Dec 21 and here's a look at what the public is telling the FCC.
benton.org/node/30842 | Benton Foundation | NJ rate counsel | USTelecom | Verizon | AT&T | NTCA | CTIA | ars technica | NCTA
Recommend this Headline
back to top


TV AND CABLE PRICES
[SOURCE: National Association of Broadcasters, AUTHOR: Jane Mago]
The NAB continues its correspondence with the Federal Communications Commission's Blair Levin -- this time addressing the notion that consumers benefit from the competitive pressure placed on MVPDs by over-the-air broadcast. To be clear, the basic concept here is that given the existence of a free alternative to paid programming, at least some consumers would choose not to pay unlimited MVPD prices. Although it is difficult to empirically determine the precise extent to which the presence of free alternative programming constrains MVPD prices, the fact that it is widely considered a participant in the same product market as MVPD service strongly supports a view that it serves this function. As broadcasters add additional streams of programming, their ability to respond to consumer needs will only increase, thus making the free option even more attractive. As the FCC has stated, "[c]onsumers are the direct beneficiaries of head-to-head competition in the market for video programming."
benton.org/node/30841 | National Association of Broadcasters
Recommend this Headline
back to top

MORE ON BROADBAND/INTERNET

THE STATE OF IP
[SOURCE: TelephonyOnline, AUTHOR: Rich Karpinski]
[Commentary] It's been years since IP slowly but surely began infiltrating into mainstream carrier networks. In 2010 it's poised to make its biggest impact ever. Forget about the attention-getting but ultimately underwhelming VoIP softswitch overlays or IPTV service deployments of yesteryear. In today's carrier networks, IP may not always be hyped or even seen, but it is indeed everywhere ­ and in 2010, it's only going deeper and making an even bigger impact. Today the wireline network core is largely based on Internet Protocol -- or IP, for shorthand, the packet-based protocol that most famously handles Internet traffic. Long-haul transport is becoming increasingly so as well, with not just IP but Ethernet ­ which began its life on the local area network but whose simplicity and compatibility with IP has made it the network of choice almost everywhere ­ becoming largely predominant. Next up: the access network, where fiber-to-the-node and a focus on network/protocol convergence ­ not to mention the proliferation of IP applications ­ are pushing IP into tomorrow's connected homes (and pockets). Also on tap: greater levels of IP interconnect, in which carriers pass traffic from network to network as pure IP. On the wireless network front, meanwhile, LTE and other 4G technologies are driving IP into tomorrow's mobile packet core. Not to be outdone, IP is moving into the mobile backhaul network as well, where IP and Ethernet are replacing yesterday's leased T1s as bandwidth requirements boom and timing issues challenge backhaul providers mixing voice and data packets on new converged networks. Finally, there's a world of progress being made with IP at the application layer, with deep packet inspection (DPI), policy servers and other IP elements providing a new network intelligence layer.
benton.org/node/30837 | TelephonyOnline
Recommend this Headline
back to top


HOW BROADBAND CHANGED EVERYTHING
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: Om Malik]
From 1999 to 2009, the world changed dramatically. Malik cannot help but look at our modern lives through the lens of broadband. Thanks to that technology, the world today is more closely knit than ever. From 9/11 to the Asian tsunami to the election of Barack Obama to the terror attacks in Mumbai to the uprising in Iran, broadband enabled us to experience such global events together. He looks back at the decade that was in terms of companies and the products and services they brought us that have become fundamental to our everyday lives.
benton.org/node/30836 | GigaOm
Recommend this Headline
back to top


TOP 10 INTERNET MOMENTS OF 2009
[SOURCE: The Huffington Post, AUTHOR: Timothy Karr]
[Commentary] More than a decade ago, President Clinton pledged that every person in America would soon be able to go online "to order up every movie ever produced or every symphony ever created in a minute's time." Well, we're already well into the next millennium and less than one out of every 10 Americans has a connection capable of those speeds. And it's not just the speed of our connection that's fallen behind. When we can get online in the United States, a free and open Internet is no longer guaranteed. 2009 was a year when the openness of the Internet was debated every where from Obama's White House to your house. As all media -- including TV, radio, newspapers and books -- converge via a digital connection, the controversial issue of who ultimately controls your clicks has taken center stage. Much will be decided in 2010, and 2009 helped set the stage. The Top 10 Open Internet Moments of 2009 at the URL below.
benton.org/node/30835 | Huffington Post, The
Recommend this Headline
back to top


PHILADELPHIA MUNICIPAL NETWORK
[SOURCE: MuniWireless, AUTHOR: Craig Settles]
[Commentary] Last week Philadelphia announced it hopes to buy the wireless network from a group of local investors who bought it from EarthLink about a year ago. Urban areas are likely to continue to be left out of the lion's share of the broadband stimulus money. And unless someone really fights hard for them, there's a chance they may not benefit much from the FCC's efforts to reform the Universal Service Fund either. Therefore, this proposed exercise may be doubly valuable as a means of tackling the digital divide in urban America.
benton.org/node/30834 | MuniWireless
Recommend this Headline
back to top


ISPs PUSH TOO MUCH BANDWIDTH
[SOURCE: Gizmodo, AUTHOR: ]
Internet service providers often post charts that compare their service plans and the speeds consumers need to perform various activities. But the bottom line is that you have to know your own Internet habits and what kind of speed you really need—don't let your prospective ISP scare you into you paying for more bandwidth you'd actually use. Six Mbps downstream are probably sufficient for most people, unless you've got a bunch of people watching Netflix and downloading music and playing games all at once.
benton.org/node/30830 | Gizmodo
Recommend this Headline
back to top


RURAL BROADBAND
[SOURCE: BroadbandBreakfast.com, AUTHOR: Andrew Feinberg]
Proponents of Broadband over Power Lines got a boost last week as Sen Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced the Rural Broadband Initiative of 2009, to amend the Rural Electrification Act to include programs meant to bring broadband to areas where BPL might be most effective. The bill, if enacted, would create a Rural Broadband Advisory Panel under the auspices of an Office of Rural Broadband created by presidential directive. The panel would be headed by an undersecretary for rural broadband, to be appointed by the Senate.
benton.org/node/30821 | BroadbandBreakfast.com
Recommend this Headline
back to top

WIRELESS/SPECTRUM

SENS WANT SPECTRUM FOR CARRIERS
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Cecilia Kang]
Sens Herb Kohl (D-WI) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) have sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski asking the agency to put spectrum already in the FCC's inventory into the hands of new wireless carriers to promote competition among broadband Internet providers. "Rather than leaving it to the Department of Justice to address market failures after the fact, we believe the FCC should readily use its ample authority to promote new entry and increased competition in the broadband market," they wrote. Specifically, the lawmakers ask the FCC to put some of three spectrum bands already in the FCC's inventory into use by consumers. The three spectrum bands were identified in a meeting last week at the FCC where Blair Levin, head of the agency's national broadband planning process, revealed potential ways to get high-speed Internet to more U.S. homes. Senators asked Genachowski to explain what it plans to do with those spectrum bands.
benton.org/node/30840 | Washington Post
Recommend this Headline
back to top


CLYBURN RESPONDS TO VERIZON
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Cecilia Kang]
Federal Communications Commission member Mignon Clyburn said Wednesday that Verizon Wireless' justifications for raising the fines it charges for canceled contracts are "unsatisfying and, in some cases, troubling." Commissioner Clyburn criticized the company's response to an inquiry by the agency earlier this month that asked the nation's largest cell phone operator to explain why it more than doubled its early termination fees for smart phone customers starting in November. "Consumers already pay high monthly fees for voice and data designed to cover the costs of doing business," Commissioner Clyburn said. "So when they are assessed excessive penalties, especially when they are near the end of their contract term, it is hard for me to believe that the public interest is being well served." A Verizon Wireless spokesman said customers always have the choice of purchasing an device at full price that does not come with early termination fees. Commissioner Clyburn expressed concern with the company's admission that the ETFs are tied to general administrative costs like advertising and retail store operations. She also expressed concern that consumers were being charged "phantom fees" for inadvertently pressing a key on their phones that launched the provider's mobile Internet services.
benton.org/node/30850 | Washington Post | BusinessWeek | Commissioner Clyburn | www.benton.org
Recommend this Headline
back to top


MANAGING THE WIRELESS DATA DELUGE
[SOURCE: BusinessWeek, AUTHOR: Olga Kharif]
Updating the networks to handle the greater volume of wireless data could mean massive expenditures for carriers such as AT&T, Verizon Wireless, the joint venture of Verizon and Vodafone, and others in the coming years. Capital spending by major carriers in the U.S. could rise to $28.7 billion in 2011 from $19.3 billion in 2009, according to research firm IDC. That surge in spending could prove to be good news for companies that sell products and services to the wireless industry. Software companies such as Oracle and computing giant IBM, as well as smaller concerns like Camiant and Bridgewater Systems, which provide software for managing subscribers' data usage, are gunning for new opportunities to help wireless carriers better manage their networks. Software that helps carriers manage subscribers' data use can shave 10% to 20% off the cost of supporting growing data traffic, according to wireless consultant Chetan Sharma. So far, fewer than 10% of carriers have implemented so-called subscriber management software, which can tell carriers how much data particular subscribers are using, and which applications they're allowed to access.
benton.org/node/30848 | BusinessWeek
Recommend this Headline
back to top


IPHONE DATA PRICING
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Chris Foresman]
[Commentary] AT&T currently charges most smartphone users—including iPhone users—$30 for "unlimited" data access, though the fine print in the terms of service note that you can get cut off if you use more than 5GB per month. If a flat monthly rate for "unlimited" data (or at most 5GB) isn't working to provide the proper incentives—actually, it encourages using as much data as possible—tiered pricing is a logical next step. Perhaps more fair to users would be paying per megabyte. Heavy users would pay proportionally more money than light users, and would have a clear financial incentive to curb heavy use. However, light data users—those coming in at far less than the 5GB ceiling—might actually end up paying less. That could put downward pressure on AT&T's rising average revenue per user, which has increased significantly ever since the company became the exclusive US carrier for Apple's iPhone. The rising tide of data use by a growing number of smartphone users may have caught AT&T by surprise. But offering unlimited data plans on one hand, and trying to provide "incentives"—financial or otherwise—to not use that unlimited data on the other, seems disingenuous.
benton.org/node/30839 | Ars Technica
Recommend this Headline
back to top


CONSUMERS MAKING WI-FI HOTSPOTS HOT
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: Om Malik]
[Commentary] Forgoing the laptop in favor of a WiFi-enabled device such as a smartphone is becoming increasingly commonplace. Thanks to the growing popularity of such devices, including phones and cameras, Wi-Fi hotspots are becoming increasingly useful. "The ubiquity of Wi-Fi has created hotspot coverage as an expected amenity at many places of business," says Frank Dickson, In-Stat analyst. "While consumer or leisure users do not often carry a laptop, they do have Wi-Fi enabled handhelds and are using these devices to access hotspots. This, coupled with the service being bundled with mobile plans, is making hotspot access much more consumer-oriented compared to the service's former business focus." Handhelds accounted for 35 percent of all hotspot connections in 2009, up from 20 percent in 2008, and are forecast to account for fully half of them by 2011, according to market research firm, In-Stat,. The research firm estimates that the hotspot usage on the whole will increase 47 percent in 2009, bringing the total number of connections to 1.2 billion. A report by JiWire estimates that during the first half of 2009, the number of Wi-Fi hotspots around the world grew by 9 percent. According to In-Stat research, WiFi-enabled devices such as game players, personal media players and cameras are going to see a sharp increase between 2009 and 2013, rising from 108.8 million to 177.3 million.
benton.org/node/30838 | GigaOm
Recommend this Headline
back to top

JOURNALISM

THE NEWS BUSINESS MODEL IS BROKEN
[SOURCE: Online Journalism Review, AUTHOR: Nikki Usher]
In his remarks to the Federal Trade Commission's hearings on Journalism and the Internet, held at the beginning of this month, Rupert Murdoch made some characteristically bold statements about his views on the future of journalism. In Murdoch's world, the new model of journalism is one where people pay for journalism online. Murdoch is right when he asserts that the old model based on classified advertising is a failure, but he is wrong to suggest that people will actually pay for news. They never have paid for general interest news ­ not really, anyhow ­ and there's little to suggest that this historical precedent will change.
benton.org/node/30832 | Online Journalism Review
Recommend this Headline
back to top

CONTENT

THE FUTURE OF BOOKS
[SOURCE: Fast Company, AUTHOR: Adam Penenberg]
[Commentary] Coming soon ... It's the end of the book as we know it, and you'll be just fine. But it won't be replaced by the e-book, which is, at best, a stopgap measure. We are on the verge of re-imagining the book and transforming it something far beyond mere words. Like early filmmakers, some of us will seek new ways to express ourselves through multimedia. Instead of stagnant words on a page we will layer video throughout the text, add photos, hyperlink material, engage social networks of readers who will add their own videos, photos, and wikified information so that these multimedia books become living, breathing, works of art. They will exist on the Web and be ported over to any and all mobile devices that can handle multimedia, laptops, netbooks, and beyond. For the non-fiction author therein lie possibilities to create the proverbial last word on a subject, a one-stop shop for all the information surrounding a particular subject matter.
benton.org/node/30831 | Fast Company
Recommend this Headline
back to top

HEALTH

HIT WORKFORCE GRANTS
[SOURCE: Department of Health and Human Services, AUTHOR: Press release]
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the availability of two additional grant programs to support the training and development of the skilled workforce required to support broad adoption and use of health information technology (health IT). These programs are titled Information Technology Professionals in Health Care: Program of Assistance for University-Based Training Programs (University-Based Training Program) andInformation Technology Professionals in Health Care: Competency Examination for Individuals (Competency Examination Program). Authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the grants will work to help strengthen and support the health IT workforce. The new grant programs will award $32 million to establish university-based certificate and advanced degree health IT training programs and $6 million dollars to develop a health IT competency examination program. These awards, together with the previous announced $80 million in workforce program grants , recognize the critical importance of developing a well-trained health IT workforce to support the adoption and meaningful use of health IT. For the University-Based Training Program, ONC anticipates issuing approximately eight to twelve one-time funding awards to support academic programs that rapidly increase the availability of individuals qualified to serve in specific health IT professional roles requiring university-level training. The training supported by this program will emphasize programs that can be completed by the trainee in one year or less. Awards are for a 39-month project period. Four-year colleges and universities are eligible to apply. Applications are due by Jan. 25, 2010, with final awards expected in March 2010. For the Competency Examination Program, ONC anticipates issuing a single one-time funding award to support the development and initial administration of a set of health IT competency examinations. The examinations will assess basic competency for individuals trained through short-duration, non-degree health IT programs, and for members of the workforce with relevant experience or other types of training who are seeking to demonstrate their competency in certain health IT workforce roles integral to achieving meaningful use of electronic health information. The award is for a two-year project period. Applications are due by Jan. 25, 2010, and the final award is expected in March 2010.
benton.org/node/30828 | Department of Health and Human Services
Recommend this Headline
back to top

CYBERSECURITY

SCHMIDT WORRIES ABOUT CELLPHONES, SOCIAL NETWORKING
[SOURCE: NetworkWorld, AUTHOR: Tim Greene]
In choosing Howard Schmidt as cyber czar President Obama has gotten someone who has held a similar job in a previous administration, has varied experience at high-level corporate jobs, was a frequent panelist at security conferences and who has even written a book on defending the Internet. The new cyber czar favors government promotion of education, research and prodding vendors to produce more secure products that will work their way into everyday use. He thinks Internet security is greatly improved since the mid-1990s when he ranked the impact of a foreign cyberattack in the United States at 5 or 6 on a scale of one to 10, with 10 meaning attacks would have no effect. That has improved to 8 or 9 because the number of attack vectors has been reduced. "We have the ability to turn back attacks. We also could shut down systems that might be under attack and bring them internal," he says. Getting cybersecurity considered as important as physical security -- such as protecting planes and ports -- was a hurdle that is being overcome. Schmidt says he realizes the country can't have two No. 1 priorities, but it needs to boost the effort put behind cybersecurity. "The government has recognized that work has to be done. We're getting much closer to having them on equal footing," he says. In past interviews he has said smartphones and other such mobile devices generate the most concern.
benton.org/node/30826 | NetworkWorld
Recommend this Headline
back to top

FCC's Clyburn criticizes Verizon Wireless' justification for doubling fees

Federal Communications Commission member Mignon Clyburn said Wednesday that Verizon Wireless' justifications for raising the fines it charges for canceled contracts are "unsatisfying and, in some cases, troubling." Commissioner Clyburn criticized the company's response to an inquiry by the agency earlier this month that asked the nation's largest cell phone operator to explain why it more than doubled its early termination fees for smart phone customers starting in November. "Consumers already pay high monthly fees for voice and data designed to cover the costs of doing business," Commissioner Clyburn said. "So when they are assessed excessive penalties, especially when they are near the end of their contract term, it is hard for me to believe that the public interest is being well served." A Verizon Wireless spokesman said customers always have the choice of purchasing an device at full price that does not come with early termination fees. Commissioner Clyburn expressed concern with the company's admission that the ETFs are tied to general administrative costs like advertising and retail store operations. She also expressed concern that consumers were being charged "phantom fees" for inadvertently pressing a key on their phones that launched the provider's mobile Internet services.

FCC Suspends Ownership Filing Form

The Federal Communications Commission has decided to suspend filing of its revised media ownership form (323) until further notice. The FCC is collecting more information on the form partly as a way to better track minority ownership by requiring owners of smaller stakes in broadcast properties to report them. In a decision issued December 23, the FCC said that the Jan. 11 filing deadline would be suspended, and that even when the online form is available again (it had been online since Dec. 9), it would give broadcasters another 90 days from that date to file the forms. The information will still have to be current as of Nov. 1, 2009. The FCC was responding to a Dec. 18 request from broadcasters who asked for the extension as well as changes to the form.

Managing the Wireless Data Deluge

Updating the networks to handle the greater volume of wireless data could mean massive expenditures for carriers such as AT&T, Verizon Wireless, the joint venture of Verizon and Vodafone, and others in the coming years. Capital spending by major carriers in the U.S. could rise to $28.7 billion in 2011 from $19.3 billion in 2009, according to research firm IDC. That surge in spending could prove to be good news for companies that sell products and services to the wireless industry. Software companies such as Oracle and computing giant IBM, as well as smaller concerns like Camiant and Bridgewater Systems, which provide software for managing subscribers' data usage, are gunning for new opportunities to help wireless carriers better manage their networks. Software that helps carriers manage subscribers' data use can shave 10% to 20% off the cost of supporting growing data traffic, according to wireless consultant Chetan Sharma. So far, fewer than 10% of carriers have implemented so-called subscriber management software, which can tell carriers how much data particular subscribers are using, and which applications they're allowed to access.

Web Sites Disrupted in Silicon Valley

Multiple Internet sites, including those run by Amazon, were temporarily disrupted for some Web users after a company that provides them directory services suffered what it called a "denial of service" attack. Neustar, which runs the UltraDNS service that helps process the connections between individual computers and Web sites, says the disruption lasted about an hour and only affected Web users in Northern California. The company said it began to notice an unusual spike in traffic on its servers at about 7:45 p.m. Eastern Time, which led to the outage. "Immediately we identified it and put mitigation measures into effect," said Allen Goldberg, a Neustar spokesman. In a denial of service attack, criminals or pranksters typically use multiple computers located around the Internet to flood a Web site with traffic, making it difficult for other users to connect. In this case, the attack caused Web users in Silicon Valley and other parts of Northern California to get either an error message or delayed response when trying to access a site that uses the directory service from UltraDNS. Goldberg said the company is still investigating the source of the attack

Government Officials On Tap For CES

Top policymakers will address key technology issues at the 2010 International CES with government officials slated to speak, including Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski. CES attendees will hear the priorities of the FCC first hand, when FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski joins CEA President-CEO Gary Shapiro for a policy discussion at noon on Friday, Jan. 8, in the LVCC, North Hall, N255-257. Additionally, "Inside the FCC's Communications Agenda," at noon on Saturday, Jan. 9 in LVCC, North Hall, N262, will feature FCC Commissioners Meredith Atwell Baker, Mignon Clyburn and Robert McDowell, who will discuss the national broadband plan, accessibility, net neutrality and demands for more spectrum. The Tech Policy Summit at the 2010 CES will discuss critical issues including broadband deployment and spectrum allocation. "The Spectrum Grab and Innovation," at noon Thursday, Jan. 7 in LVCC, North Hall, N262, will feature remarks from Blair Levin, executive director of the FCC's Omnibus Broadband Initiative. "The Legislative Roadmap for 2010," at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8 in LVCC, North Hall, N260, will feature key policymakers, including Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), addressing policy priorities for 2010 and beyond.

Frustrated black youths take to the Internet

A university project found that black youths feel widely alienated ­ 48 percent of respondents believe the government treats most immigrants better than most black people. So researchers at the University of Chicago created a place for them on the Internet. The Black Youth Project is a website of research and blogs aimed at the group.

© 1994-2024 Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. All Rights Reserved.