January 2011

Twitter is subpoenaed in Wikileaks affair

The latest development in the WikiLeaks saga involves yet another 21st-century online phenomenon – Twitter. The Department of Justice has subpoenaed Twitter for information pertaining to certain persons and accounts linked to WikiLeaks.

A Dec. 14 order by Magistrate Judge Theresa Buchanan directed Twitter to give federal prosecutors in Virginia account information for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and Bradley Manning, a U.S. Army intelligence analyst who is suspected of giving WikiLeaks classified information. The order, posted Saturday on WikiLeaks' website, seeks contact information, subscriber names, connection and payment records, correspondence and records of user activity for any Twitter accounts linked to the two men since November 2009. The order demands the same information for Birgitta Jonsdottir, an Icelandic parliament member and onetime WikiLeaks associate; Rop Gonggrijp, a Dutch computer hacker; and Jacob Appelbaum, a U.S. computer programmer. The information is "relevant and material to an ongoing criminal investigation," according to the order. The order provides the first public details of the investigation vowed by Attorney General Eric Holder in November after WikiLeaks' most recent disclosure posted State Department cables with sensitive and, in some cases, embarrassing information about U.S. government relations with officials of other nations.

Dynamic pricing: Internet retailers are treating us like foreign tourists in Egypt

[Commentary] More online merchants are launching 'dynamic pricing' schemes, which adjust prices based on perceived willingness to pay. But just as foreign tourists in Egypt grow tired of being overcharged based on looks, consumers may well object to being singled out based on their Web habits.

Oversight head to release business requests for regulation rollbacks

Rep Darrell Issa (R-CA) has promised to publicly release responses he receives from 150 companies, trade groups and think tanks he asked to come up with wish lists of regulations they would like rolled back.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) called on Chairman Issa to release the 150 letters he recently sent to the corporations and groups and to post their responses. Issa spokesperson Kurt Bardella said there is no reason to post the letters online because the same letter was sent to all the companies, associations and think tanks, and media reports have cited the entirety of its contents. He also said The Hill published the full list of companies who received the letters earlier this week so that’s already public too.

Over $12B at Stake if NFL Lockout Prevents 2011 Season

Fan outrage would be the least of the fallout if a breakdown in negotiations leads to an NFL lockout during the 2011 season. Add up lost TV ad revenue and sponsor activations, canceled fantasy football leagues and websites, empty sports bars and out-of-work stadium personnel and the price tag would be somewhere north of $12 billion.

Fox, CBS, NBC, ESPN and DirecTV pay a combined $4 billion annually in TV rights deals with the NFL -- deals that will stay in place even if there's no 2011 season, a bone of contention for the Players Association, which filed a grievance saying the money should be put in escrow instead of in the NFL's war chest. The networks get back $3 billion a year in ad revenue on NFL games. While some of that would be placed in other programming, it will be hard for anything to measure up to the NFL, which is enjoying a ratings increase. According to Horizon Media, 11 of the 13 TV programs that averaged 30 million viewers or more were live sports or sports-related programming.

Library of Congress Gets a Mile of Music

The Library of Congress has begun taking possession of a huge donation of recordings, some 200,000 metal, glass and lacquer master discs from the period 1926 to 1948 that have been languishing in the subterranean vaults of Universal Music Group, the largest music conglomerate in the United States. The bequest contains music representing every major genre of American popular song of that era -- jazz, blues, country and the smooth pop of the pre-rock-’n’-roll period -- as well as some light classical and spoken-word selections. One historic highlight is the master recording of Bing Crosby’s 1947 version of “White Christmas,” which according to Guinness World Records is the best-selling single of all time.

Arizona Shooting: Sheriff suggests radio, TV vitriol could have been factor

In an emotional press conference, Pima County (AZ) Sheriff Clarence Dupnik suggested to a national audience that radio and TV vitriol could have been a factor in the killing spree in Arizona Saturday that left a congresswoman gravely injured, a federal judge and five others dead, and more than a dozen more wounded.

He spoke of "all the vitriol we hear inflaming the American public by people who make a living off of doing that. That may be free speech," Sheriff Dupnik said, but that vitriol and political rhetoric "is not without consequence." Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) had her office windows broken after her vote in March in favor of healthcare reform. At press time doctors were optimistic she would survive, despite being shot in the head at close range. Sheriff Dupnik, who identified himself as a friend of the murdered judge as well as Giffords', said unbalanced people respond to such vitriol, and that Arizona had become a mecca for prejudice and bigotry. When asked by a reporter how they know that was a cause, he conceded: "You don't."

US worried by Tunisia riots, Internet freedoms

The United States called in Tunisia's ambassador in Washington because of its handling of anti-government riots and possible interference with the Internet, including Facebook accounts. A State Department official said the department was concerned about rising unrest in Tunisia and Algeria, both of which have seen rioting in recent weeks.

NTIA Requests FCC Broadband Data

Pursuant to its administration of the State Broadband Data and Development (SBDD) Program, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has requested access to data collected on the Commission's Form 477. Specifically, NTIA is seeking access to data on Internet access connections as of June 30, 2010, with a reporting deadline of September 1, 2010. This Notice initiates a pleading cycle that would allow any affected provider to oppose such disclosure of Form 477 data.

Affected parties have until January 17, 2011 to oppose disclosure to NTIA of the Form 477 data that the FCC collects from broadband service providers. If the FCC receives no opposition from affected parties by that date, the FCC will disclose the information requested above to NTIA. Among the purposes of the SBDD Program is to assist state-designated eligible entities in gathering data twice a year on the availability, speed, and location of broadband services, as well as on the use of broadband services by community institutions, such as schools, libraries and hospitals. The FCC and NTIA will use data collected from state eligible entities in the SBDD Program to develop a comprehensive national inventory map of broadband service capability and availability, in fulfillment of NTIA's obligation under the ARRA. NTIA intends to use Form 477 broadband data as a baseline for comparison with the data collected by the eligible entity in each State pursuant to the SBDD Program and may include non-confidential Form 477 data in the National Broadband Map website.

FCC Report Finds Number of Wireless Devices Skyrocketing

The Federal Communications Commission released the first in a series of reports by the Office of Engineering & Technology Laboratory which looked at trends in cutting-edge wireless devices.

The report showed the following:

  • The number of wireless transmitters authorized by the FCC in 2010 was nearly 12,000, an increase of almost four times the amount from a decade ago.
  • A 700% increase since 2008 in the number of devices with three or more transmitters, up from 7% of total devices in 2008 to more than 50% today.

Noting that new devices are becoming more useful and technologically advanced, the report found that the number of new increasingly sophisticated devices entering the marketplace with multiple transmitters, enabling access to 4G networks, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and other types of connections, will continue to present more options for consumers.

Chairman Upton Announces Republican Membership on Commerce Subcommittees for 112th Congress

House Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) announced the Republican membership of the six Commerce subcommittees for the 112th Congress.

The Subcommittee on Communications and Technology will be chaired by Rep Greg Walden (R-OR) and Rep Lee Terry (R-NE) will serve as the Vice Chair. Also on the subcommittee:

  • Cliff Stearns (FL)
  • John Shimkus (IL)
  • Mary Bono Mack (CA)
  • Mike Rogers (MI)
  • Brian Bilbray (CA)
  • Charlie Bass (NH)
  • Marsha Blackburn (TN)
  • Phil Gingrey (GA)
  • Steve Scalise (LA)
  • Bob Latta (OH)
  • Brett Guthrie (KY)
  • Adam Kinzinger (IL)
  • Joe Barton (TX)
  • Fred Upton (MI)