Prioritizing broadband grants toward states that have completed mapping programs could have “certain advantages,” NTIA and USDA officials told House Commerce Committee GOP leaders. But since the maps “vary in accuracy” they are “only one of many factors that we may consider in evaluating a project,” officials told Reps. Joe Barton of Texas and Cliff Stearns of Florida in a letter responding to the lawmakers’ questions raised in a March 25 letter. Barton and Stearns suggested that prioritizing grants to pre-mapped states could be an efficient way of spending grant money.

Rising termination rates, regulatory transparency and equipment trade topped concerns in an annual review of U.S. international telecom trade agreements, the U.S. Trade Representative said. The review is based on public comments filed by interested parties. Eight companies and trade associations and two foreign governments commented or replied to comments.

Rising termination rates, regulatory transparency and equipment trade topped concerns in an annual review of U.S. international telecom trade agreements, the U.S. Trade Representative said. The review is based on public comments filed by interested parties. Eight companies and trade associations and two foreign governments commented or replied to comments.

LAS VEGAS -- An OECD review on the practice of counting wireless connections may add confusion to national broadband rankings, said George Ford, the Phoenix Center’s chief economist. The result could be that wireless broadband connections being added in the U.S. and elsewhere may not count, he said on a CTIA convention panel.

LAS VEGAS -- An OECD review on the practice of counting wireless connections may add confusion to national broadband rankings, said George Ford, the Phoenix Center’s chief economist. The result could be that wireless broadband connections being added in the U.S. and elsewhere may not count, he said on a CTIA convention panel.

Assistant Senate Majority Leader Durbin (D) recently sent a letter to Acting Chairman Nord of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) expressing concern over her recent public comments and letters that were critical of new Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA).

The Patent Reform Act (S-515) underwent changes to provisions on damages, venue selection and willful infringement before it was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee by a 15-4 vote Thursday. But the lack of a provision on inequitable conduct -- more narrowly defining when patent owners have acted in bad faith -- cost the bill support from its original co-sponsor, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R- Utah. He warned it would let infringers run amok over patent owners. An amendment to tighten the standard for post-grant review offered by Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., went down 4-13. An amendment by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., to prevent diversion of user fees from the Patent and Trademark Office was tabled by the committee, 10-9.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control has announced its first Annual Symposium for International Trade to take place in Washington, DC on May 15, 2009 designed to provide the international trade community with insight and perspective from top officials on compliance, enforcement and licensing issues related to U.S. export controls. (OFAC notice available at http://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/events/symp_flyer_040109.pdf)

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has posted a request it received for an exclusion for certain components of youth all-terrain vehicles, motorcycles, and snowmobiles (ATVs) from the lead content limits¹ for children's products of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA²). The CPSC Commissioners are due to vote on the request by April 8, 2009.

Just as Senate Judiciary Committee leaders said they were near a breakthrough on contested provisions of the Patent Reform Act (S-515) during a markup Tuesday, another senator warned that some proposals would paralyze the Patent and Trademark Office. Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., who has sponsored his own overhaul bill (S-610), asked his colleagues to junk a provision on post-grant review of patents from the House-approved overhaul bill from the last Congress. Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., told Kyl that the Republican needed to be involved more than “intermittently” in drafting changes. Kyl said his packed schedule in other committees this week may make that difficult.