NEXT WEEK'S AGENDA
Everyone's Talkin' (In)decency
FCC, FBI Reach VoIP Accord
FCC Open Meeting 2/12
INTERNET
Pentagon Calls Off Voting by Internet
Pay, Don't Sue, Song-Swappers, Trade Group Urges
Communications-related Headlines is a free online news summary service
provided by the Benton Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted Monday through
Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments,
policy issues, and other related news events. Headlines are compiled by
Kevin Taglang (ktaglang( at )etpost.net) -- we welcome your comments.
NEXT WEEK'S AGENDA
EVERYONE'S TALKIN' (IN)DECENCY
Both the House and Senate Commerce Committee's will hold hearings on
Wednesday morning on broadcast television content. The House hearing will
focus on the Janet Jackson flap and HR-3717, Rep Fred Upton's bill to
increase indecency fines. The Committee will continue the discussion on
Thursday morning. The Senate hearing will be broader, looking at both
sexual and violent content. All five FCC commissioners are expected to
testify before both committees. On the table at the Senate hearing are
bills from Chairman John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen Ernest Hollings (D--SC). The
former's bill, the FCC Reauthorization Act (S-1264), is a more complete
modification of FCC procedures and would take a tougher stance on indecency
than Rep Upton's approach. The bill also addresses the UHF discount for
broadcasters and FCC travel policy. Sen Hollings bill, S-161, would create
a family hour safe harbor. A version of the bill has passed in this
committee three times, but it has never been voted on by the entire Senate.
FCC Chairman Michael Powell is heading an investigation of the Janet
Jackson incident. Many believe he will treat CBS parent Viacom as a repeat
offender.
[SOURCE: Communications Daily]
(Not available online)
FCC, FBI REACH VoIP ACCORD
The FCC and law enforcement agencies have an agreement that will allow the
Commission to approve a request by Pulver.com's Free World Dialup to offer
free Internet telephone service. But the FCC has also agreed to move
quickly to develop the new wiretap rules for telephone calls made using
Internet technology.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Mark Wigfield
mark.wigfield( at )dowjones.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB107603088921922571,00.html?mod=techno...
(requires subscription)
FCC OPEN MEETING THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12
The FCC release an agenda for its open meeting on Thursday; items include:
1) Pulver.com's Free World Dialup (see story above)
2) VoIP Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
3) Broadband over Power Line Systems Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
4) Access Charges/Universal Service Reform Report and Order
5) Service Disruption Reporting Requirements Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
[SOURCE: FCC]
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-243614A1.pdf
INTERNET
PENTAGON CALLS OFF VOTING BY INTERNET
After computer-security specialists released a report last week saying the
Internet and personal computers are so inherently vulnerable that online
election results could be undermined, the Department of Defense has decided
to cancel plans to collect votes over the Internet from military personnel
and civilians abroad for this fall's presidential election. The greatest
security concern is the personal computer of the individual voter; a virus
or other hidden program in a voter's computer could monitor keystrokes and
intercept -- or change -- votes.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Dan Keating]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17147-2004Feb5.html
See also:
Online Voting Clicks in Michigan
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17123-2004Feb5.html
California Seeks to Improve Electronic-voting Security
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/7885748.htm
PAY, DON'T SUE, SONG-SWAPPERS, TRADE GROUP URGES
The Distributed Computing Industry Association is proposing that the
recording industry pay Internet users who swap in a protected format. Under
the plan, record labels would encode their songs with copy-protection
technology so users would have to pay a small fee, between 80 cents and 40
cents, to listen to them. Prolific song-swappers would be encouraged to
convert their collections of unprotected material into the protected
format, and then paid a portion of the fees collected each time somebody
purchases a song after copying it from them. Eventually, user-friendly
software would allow amateur musicians without recording contracts to make
their music available as well, DCIA said.
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Andy Sullivan]
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=4296386
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Thanks so much for all the "welcome back" notes; they are very much
appreciated. Have a great weekend, "see" ya Monday...and we are outta here.
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