Skullcandy said “there’s no proof that Hitachi, its licensees or a third party can replace more than a small part of the volume of articles potentially subject to an exclusion order and a cease and desist order within a commercially reasonable time,” in comments Friday on an ITC complaint brought by Hitachi over unfair trade practices on the manufacture of sintered rare earth magnets. The commission “should not simply take Hitachi Metals’ word for it,” Skullcandy said. Skullcandy said China manufactures 75 percent of the world’s neodymium magnets, a lower number than other projections that have put China’s share of rare earth production at more than 95 percent. “Even if U.S. rare earth production ramps up, much of the processing/alloying and metal fabrication would occur in China,” it said.
Skullcandy said there’s no proof that Hitachi, its licensees or a third party "can replace more than a small part of the volume of articles potentially subject to an exclusion order and a cease and desist order within a commercially reasonable time,” in comments Aug. 29 on an ITC complaint brought by Hitachi over unfair trade practices on the manufacture of sintered rare earth magnets. The commission “should not simply take Hitachi Metals’ word for it,” Skullcandy said. Skullcandy said China manufactures 75 percent of the world's neodymium magnets, a lower number than other projections that have put China’s share of rare earth production at more than 95 percent. “Even if U.S. rare earth production ramps up, much of the processing/alloying and metal fabrication would occur in China,” it said. Email documents@brokerpower.com for copies of ITC filings.
A California public library system will increase its e-reader resources to include those that are accessible for individuals with disabilities, according to a settlement between the Sacramento Public Library Authority and the National Federation of the Blind, the Justice Department announced Wednesday (http://xrl.us/bnnro9). The library system faced allegations that it had violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by using inaccessible Barnes & Noble Nook devices as a part of its lending program. Under the terms of the settlement, the library system will obtain 18 accessible e-readers that offer features such as text-to-speech or audio or tactile navigations and will not acquire any additional inaccessible e-readers, according to the release. “Emerging technologies like e-readers are changing the way we interact with the world around us and we need to ensure that people with disabilities are not excluded from the programs where these devices are used,” Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez said in a statement.
A California public library system will increase its e-reader resources to include those that are accessible for individuals with disabilities, according to a settlement between the Sacramento Public Library Authority and the National Federation of the Blind, the Justice Department announced Wednesday (http://xrl.us/bnnro9). The library system faced allegations that it had violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by using inaccessible Barnes & Noble Nook devices as a part of its lending program. Under the terms of the settlement, the library system will obtain 18 accessible e-readers that offer features such as text-to-speech or audio or tactile navigations and will not acquire any additional inaccessible e-readers, according to the release. “Emerging technologies like e-readers are changing the way we interact with the world around us and we need to ensure that people with disabilities are not excluded from the programs where these devices are used,” Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez said in a statement.
The storm known as Isaac evolved into a category-1 hurricane early Wednesday and continued its assault. States of emergency were declared in Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. But by 3 p.m. EDT the storm weakened back into a tropical storm, but still with “life-threatening hazards,” the National Hurricane Center said. Isaac has left many power outages in its wake and plenty of communications frenzy, but little clear picture of how telecom has been affected.
The question of how to identify and name objects linked to the Internet of Things “is more complex than we originally thought,” a European Commission official said. The EC expects to make a recommendation to EU governments on a range of IoT topics about mid-2013, said Gérald Santucci, who until July 1 was responsible for IoT policy in the EC “Connect” Directorate General. It’s too early to say what the final outcome will be, he told us, “but there is huge consensus on the fact that the issue of identification of a particular object and its addressing mechanism will be a critical one for any network of interconnected objects.” The discussion has traditionally focused on whether there should be an object naming service (ONS) akin to the domain name system (DNS) used on the Internet, but a new approach, “Handle,” may also prove viable, Santucci and others said.
Wisconsin is in the final stages of crafting a “broadband playbook” to sharpen its strategy and create a forum for state legislators and other stakeholders, state officials said. The playbook is a joint effort of the Wisconsin Public Service Commission and its own broadband-focused initiative, LinkWISCONSIN, and has been in the works for months. Comments on the 13-page playbook draft, Wisconsin’s Playbook for Broadband Progress, are due Aug. 31 and the final version is expected to come out shortly after, the PSC said.
MINNEAPOLIS -- The text-to-911 item up for consideration will propose a regulatory framework for all wireless carriers to deliver texts to Public Safety Answering Points, and will propose a timetable for deployment, an FCC Public Safety Bureau official told the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials convention Wednesday. The item will propose implementation of a standardized “bounce back” message, requiring carriers to respond to customers who text 911 where the service is not yet available, said bureau attorney advisor Patrick Donovan. That message would direct the texter to dial 911. “We haven’t had a whole lot of pushback from carriers on this,” Donovan said. “It seems like something that is pretty easily doable.” People wouldn’t need to have a text plan in order to send a text to 911, he said. The item could be an order, a further notice of proposed rulemaking, or both; it has not yet been circulated on the eighth floor, he said.
MINNEAPOLIS -- A text-to-911 order could be released next month, FCC Public Safety Bureau Chief David Turetsky told the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) conference. Last September the bureau sought comment on near- and long-term options for next generation 911, and received a variety of ideas on how to best support a text-to-911 service, he said. While only a fully deployed next-gen system will support the full range of multimedia communications, including photos and video, “it’s feasible to quickly and cost-effectively implement” an interim version, which would allow people to use SMS text messaging to contact 911. An order could come at the September or October monthly meeting, he said.
MINNEAPOLIS -- Nineteen months after a national wireless network for first responders was proposed in the 2011 State of the Union address, the FirstNet’s board of directors was named Monday at the opening session of the Association of Public Communications Officials annual conference. After commending President Barack Obama for calling for the creation of the national wireless network for first responders, Acting Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank revealed the dozen selections. Most were pleased with the selections, though the National Governors Association said it was “disappointed” by the lack of representation by current state officials.