February 2013

The European Union will propose new cybersecurity rules Feb 7, requiring search engines, energy providers, banks and other companies to report disruptions to government authorities.

Transit hubs, stock exchanges and a host of other entities would be covered by the proposal, which has been seen by The Wall Street Journal and which the European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, drafted after a decade of failed voluntary measures. The proposals still must be reviewed by the European parliament and the leaders of the EU's 27 national governments before becoming law. Such proposals are generally amended but ultimately approved, a process that normally takes roughly two years. The proposal requires all EU countries to establish competent authorities to monitor online security and set up Computer Emergency Response Teams. Many of the countries already have such an authority. That would encourage countries to share information and improve resilience.

[Commentary] It all originated from one Washington Post report with the less-shouty headline "Tech, telecom giants take sides as FCC proposes large public Wi-Fi networks." The report had some bold, inaccurate claims, notably this one: "If all goes as planned, free access to the Web would be available in just about every metropolitan area and in many rural areas."

Isn't this just the White Spaces proposal that's been around for a few years and has never once been pitched as "free Wi-Fi for all"? White Spaces may well be an important step toward expanding Internet access, but it isn't going to bring free Wi-Fi to every major US city. It seemed no one was asking the most obvious question: who would build Wi-Fi everywhere and give it away for free? "It would cost money, so I don't see a path toward ubiquitous free Wi-Fi that is at an acceptable quality level," said wireless engineer Steven Crowley. Citywide Wi-Fi networks would have to be built by someone with deep pockets and likely a profit motive—there's no reason to think someone would build the network and then just leave it. Congestion can happen on any network, but that doesn't mean no one is managing it.

Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) reiterated that he only talks to local Minnesota press.

Onboard Air Force One with President Obama, Sen. Franken was asked if he supports Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-CA) assault weapons ban. According to White House pool reporter Phil Rucker, of the Washington Post, the Senator responded by saying that he did not talk to national reporters. "You can talk to my press secretary. I do Minnesota press on virtually – only," Franken said. "But I think if you’ll check, you can see that I’m a co-sponsor.” Franken spokesperson Alexandra Fetissoff said: “Senator Franken feels that the most important people for him to communicate with are his Minnesota constituents, which is why he speaks most frequently to Minnesota media outlets. He does participate in interviews with national press from time to time, and our office makes every effort to respond to every press request we receive.”

“Silicon Valley” is a deceptively grand title for the new “American Experience” documentary on PBS. “Fairchild Semiconductor” would be more accurate. It could even be called “Robert Noyce” or, with a musical score and some dance numbers, “Noyce!” But the film’s modest goals work in its favor. “Silicon Valley” takes one piece of the sprawling story of the electronics industry in Northern California and tells it with admirable clarity and detail. Stopping well short of the valley’s modern era — the action ends in the early 1970s, with the invention of the microprocessor — it’s rewarding as both history and nostalgia.