Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano will cut the ribbon on the federal government’s National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) this week, she said on Wednesday. With the convergence of communications and Internet technology, the government must collocate and make interoperable its cyberresponse mechanisms, she told the Meridian conference on global critical infrastructure protection in Washington. The department has also posted 150 cyberdefense jobs so far at DHS.gov/cyber, part of its newly granted “special authority” to hire up to 1,000 cyber professionals (WID Oct 2 p3), Napolitano said.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano will cut the ribbon on the federal government’s National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) this week, she said Wednesday. With the convergence of communications and Internet technology, the government must collocate and make interoperable its cyber response mechanisms, she told the Meridian conference on global critical infrastructure protection in Washington.
Advocates for people who are deaf want an emergency stay of an FCC order requiring Internet-based relay providers to redirect users’ old toll-free numbers to their new 10-digit geographic numbers in the service management system 800 database. In comments on a petition by CSDVRS (CD Sept 14 p8), the National Association of the Deaf and six other groups also sought reconsideration of the order. The requirement “will result in disruption of service to the severe detriment of those consumers who currently use toll free numbers,” the groups said in their petition. They agreed with CSDVRS that the order violates the Administrative Procedure Act by adopting “a new restrictive rule without first engaging in a notice and comment rulemaking proceeding.” The rule also violates functional equivalency principles required by Section 225 of the 1934 Communications Act and is inconsistent with FCC rules on video relay service interoperability and point-to-point videophone calling, they said.
The NAB and the Association for Maximum Service Television went on the defensive in comments on National Broadband Plan Public Notice No. 6. They made a case against raiding broadcast TV spectrum to give wireless carriers a leg up as they build out their 4G networks. The arguments come as carriers ratchet up pressure on the FCC for additional spectrum. CEA said the U.S. faces a spectrum “crisis” though huge swaths of spectrum are underused.
The NAB and the Association for Maximum Service Television went on the defensive in comments on National Broadband Plan Public Notice No. 6. They made a case against raiding broadcast TV spectrum to give wireless carriers a leg up as they build out their 4G networks. The arguments come as carriers ratchet up pressure on the FCC for additional spectrum. CEA said the U.S. faces a spectrum “crisis” though huge swaths of spectrum are underused.
A coalition of nine1 business associations sent a letter to Senate leadership on October 21, 2009 urging the Senate to quickly confirm the nominees for five sub-Cabinet posts that affect international trade in the Commerce, Treasury, and State Departments, and the Office of the United States Trade Representative.
"Daily Update on Capitol Hill Trade Actions" is a regular feature of International Trade Today. The following are brief summaries of recent Capitol Hill actions.
AT&T, Verizon Wireless and the CTIA went on the attack against the Consumer Federation of America “and other like-minded groups” in reply comments on the notice of inquiry on the FCC’s report about mobile-wireless competition. Smaller carriers took on AT&T, arguing for rule changes that they said would make the wireless industry more competitive. Public interest groups said the record shows that only the largest carriers are satisfied with the state of competition.
Justice ministers urged EU states to join the European financial coalition against Internet child pornography, establish national financial coalitions and exchange best practices. The coalition, begun in March with financial support from the European Commission, is headed by the U.K. Child Exploitation and Online Protection Center and includes founding members MasterCard, Microsoft, PayPal, VISA Europe, Europol and nongovernmental organization Missing Children Europe, the EC said then. The coalition aims to help identify and protect victims, find criminals, seize the proceeds of online child pornography and prevent the purchase of such material with credit cards or other e-payments, it said. The Justice and Home Affairs Council Thursday asked the EC to look into emerging online payment systems, such as prepaid accounts, that are beyond the control of financial institutions, and to get newly identified parties that control such payment systems into the coalitions. Governments are also considering ways to boost the fight against child sex abuse, exploitation and pornography, the council said.
During the Bureau of Industry and Security's Update Conference on Export Controls on September 30-October 2, 2009, various officials from BIS, the Census Bureau, the State Department, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and other agencies gave presentations on various topics.