On March 11, 2009, House Ways and Means Committee Trade Subcommittee Chairman Levin discussed a variety of trade issues that are expected to be part of the Obama Administration's new trade policy, as well as issues that will be considered by the Trade Subcommittee.
The National Research Council's1 report, "Beyond 'Fortress America' National Security Controls on Science and Technology in a Globalized World" states that U.S. export controls and visa regulations are outdated, undermine U.S. national security and economic well-being, and need to be restructured.
Craigslist is a public nuisance that facilitates prostitution, Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart said. He filed suit in U.S. District Court in northern Illinois on Thursday to force Craigslist to eliminate its erotic services section. Furthermore, Dart said, his office spent more than $105,000 on Craigslist-related arrests in 2008 and he wants that money back. “Craigslist is the single largest source of prostitution in the nation,” Dart said in a press release. A Craigslist spokeswoman said the company hadn’t seen the lawsuit, but said misuse of the site is “exceptionally rare” compared to legal use and that Craigslist continues to work to eliminate criminal activity. “Craigslist is an extremely unwise choice for those intent on committing crimes, since criminals inevitably leave an electronic trail to themselves that law enforcement officers will follow,” she said. “On a daily basis, we are being of direct assistance to police departments and federal authorities nationwide.” In November, Craigslist announced an agreement with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and 40 state attorneys general, in which it tightened up procedures for posting ads in the erotic services section. The company also said it was suing businesses that offered services circumventing Craigslist’s technical defenses. Dart acknowledged the announcement but said the changes had made no practical difference. The lawsuit said there are more than 300 posts daily to the Chicago erotic services section. The overwhelming number of posts to the erotic services section drives traffic to the Web site and allows Craigslist to charge the rates it does for postings for apartments and jobs, the sheriff said, meaning that Craigslist profits from prostitution. The lawsuit said Dart’s office arrested more than 200 people through Craigslist since January 2007. Arrests resulted from actual posts and stings. Dart said Craigslist is a public nuisance because it knowingly facilitates prostitution. Service providers and sites can raise the immunity defense from the Communications Decency Act if they aren’t publishing the content themselves. The sheriff’s office, however, said the immunity doesn’t apply to sites that develop or create content. “Craigslist has clearly created a specific section of their website to facilitate the specific activity of erotic activity in exchange for cash,” a spokesman said in an e-mail. “People looking to simply have sex, without a price, can connect in other areas. The ‘erotic services’ section was specifically developed by Craigslist to provide a forum for a service for a fee. Creating this specific section, we believe, negates the CDA protections.” Elsewhere in the country, MSNBC reported that Omaha police arrested two women who advertised their services on Craigslist, and the Washington Examiner reported that a northern Virginia sting operation launched on Craigslist in December netted five arrests on charges of enticement of a minor.
DALLAS -- Rivals of AT&T and Verizon are looking more seriously at forming broad coalitions in Washington, D.C., that transcend technology lines. On a CompTel panel Wednesday led by former congressman Chip Pickering, officials and lawyers representing competitors highlighted the benefits of alliances, suggesting they'll play an important role in future broadband policy debates.
DALLAS -- Rivals of AT&T and Verizon are looking more seriously at forming broad coalitions in Washington, D.C., that transcend technology lines. On a CompTel panel Wednesday led by former congressman Chip Pickering, officials and lawyers representing competitors highlighted the benefits of alliances, suggesting they'll play an important role in future broadband policy debates.
On February 25, 2009, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1105, the fiscal year 20091 omnibus appropriations bill, which is intended to "wrap up work" on the remaining FY 2009 appropriations bills2.
Anna Gomez, the acting NTIA administrator, disqualified herself from directly managing the broadband grant program because of her former job at Sprint, the NTIA confirmed Thursday. Mark Seifert, a former staffer at the FCC and the House Commerce Committee, was hired as the lead on the broadband program. Gomez will concentrate on DTV. The $4.7 billion NTIA broadband program is a part of the economic stimulus law. It’s expected to bring a great deal of additional attention to the agency over the next year.
The DTV transition, distribution of the broadband stimulus money and economic recovery plans will remain top priorities this year and beyond for the FCC, speakers said at the FCBA summit on the 75th anniversary of the agency and the Communications Act.
On February 20, 2009, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's Subcommittees on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials and Highways and Transit held a hearing in Los Angeles, CA on "Confronting Freight Challenges in Southern California."
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted the Departmental Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Related Homeland Security Functions (COAC) Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Subcommittee report that was approved at the November 2008 COAC meeting.