January 2010

Gail Huff, wife of Senator-elect Scott Brown (R-MA), is staying put as a general assignment reporter for WCVB-TV, Hearst Television's ABC affiliate in Boston.

WCVB made the announcement about Huff Thursday (Jan. 21) as the press speculated about her future now that her husband was elected to fill the seat held by the late Sen. Edward Kennedy. During the Senate race, Huff did not campaign with or for her husband, only appearing with him publicly on election night. Huff also did not cover politics during the campaign, and she will not cover them in the future.

Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, issued the following statement regarding the notification from several major e-retailers that they will no longer allow third party companies to make misleading offers to their customers during the checkout process on their websites.

For financial gain, these e-retailers had shared their customers' billing information, including credit card numbers, with Affinion, Vertrue, and Webloyalty.

"This is a step in the right direction for American consumers that is a direct result of the Commerce Committee's investigation into Affinion, Vertrue, and Webloyalty's aggressive online marketing tactics," said Chairman Rockefeller. "Tricking consumers into buying goods and services they do not want is not okay. It's not ethical, it's not right, and it's not the way business should be done in America. American consumers shouldn't have to worry that their favorite websites are ripping them off during the checkout process. While I am pleased that Fandango, Priceline.com, and other companies have discontinued using these misleading practices, there are many other websites still engaged in practices designed to confuse and trick online consumers. I will continue working until these practices have been stopped."

[Commentary] Ramping up the Obama Administration's "democratizing data" initiatives could both cut government spending and increase its effectiveness.

It could be done through administrative reforms Obama could implement unilaterally rather than requiring legislation that might fail in today's bitter wrangling. Democratizing data refers to a combination of policy and technology innovations that make government data available to those who need it, preferably on a real-time basis (i.e., data is released as soon as it is entered) plus tools that allow users to interpret and use that data. You need only think of how government real-time GPS data fostered an multi-billion dollar industry (location-based services) while improving the quality of our lives, to understand the potential benefits. This data is "tagged," i.e. information that identifies the data and lets it be automatically used by both equipment and programs is permanently linked to the data as it is entered. Tagged government data can serve many purposes at minimal cost since the information flows automatically. The Obama Administration launched Data.gov in May to release government data streams for public (including commercial) use. Starting with 47 feeds, within less than 2 months the number had increased to a staggering 100,000. These feeds not only make government transparent and accountable, but can be used by state and local governments, non-profits, and businesses to create new services. That same data should also be made available internally in real-time to government employees. It would help them make better decisions by considering both historical trends and current conditions. Even better, Web 2.0 data visualization tools to interpreting data using striking graphic displays plus collaboration tools such as wikis could improve agency decision-making by encouraging collaborative analysis among many users.

The Free Flow of Information Act (S 448) would exempt journalists from being compelled to disclose protected information (confidential sources or related records, communications, or documents) unless a court finds that one of the following exceptions apply:

• The party seeking protected information has exhausted all reasonable alternative sources;
• In criminal investigations or prosecutions, there are reasonable grounds to believe a crime has occurred, the Attorney General has certified that the decision to request compelled disclosure is consistent with federal regulations, if applicable, the sources or records sought are essential to the investigation, prosecution, or defense, and the journalist has not sufficiently shown that disclosure would be contrary to the public interest;
• In all other matters, the protected information sought is essential to the resolution of the matter and the public interest in compelling disclosure of the document or information involved outweighs the public interest in gathering or disseminating news information;
• The protected information was obtained during the alleged criminal conduct of the reporter;
• The information sought is necessary to prevent certain actions, including death and kidnapping, among others; and
• The information sought would materially assist the government in preventing or mitigating an act of terrorism or other act that could harm national security.

CBO estimates that implementing S. 448 would cost about $500,000 annually over the 2011-2013 period from appropriated funds. The bill would not affect direct spending or revenues. S. 448 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments. Based on information from the Department of Justice, we expect that the department would need to hire about three people to carry out the audits required by S. 448. CBO estimates that it would cost about $500,000 annually over the 2011-2013 period for DOJ to complete the audits and report required by the bill. Such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.