The U.K. lags in willingness to spend on next-generation network infrastructure, make digital issues a top priority and raise online consumer confidence, said speakers at a London conference Friday. The event centered on the interim “Digital Britain” report by Stephen Carter, the communications, technology and broadcasting minister, for keeping the U.K. at the forefront of the global digital economy (WID Jan 30 p5).
GENEVA -- An ITU-T request to ICANN for a top-level domain to resolve object identifiers shouldn’t be sent, Germany and the U.K. said in a submission to the study group developing a recommended international object identifier resolution system. Object identifier (OID) is an extensive hierarchical namespace for identifying countries, organizations, digital certificates, radio frequency identification, global sensors, e-health and power management, said participants in an ITU-T study group on telecom security. The identifiers also are crucial for cybersecurity, participants said. Potentially, many companies could implement a system for resolving OIDs, Rutkowski said.
The Public Safety Spectrum Trust asked the NTIA to devote at least 20 percent of its broadband-grant money to applications to improve public safety’s access to broadband and use of it. The trust said public safety improvement was one of the five core goals of Congress in approving the money. “NTIA similarly should recognize the value of public safety services and designate no less than one-fifth of the funds to further Congress’s public safety goals.” The National Emergency Number Association, meanwhile, asked the FCC to use its position as adviser to the NTIA and the RUS to help make public-safety communications central to their programs. “The NTIA/RUS broadband initiatives offer a significant opportunity to foster the migration from analog, voice-centric 911 and emergency communications systems, into a 21st century, next generation, IP broadband-based emergency services model that embraces a wide range of voice, video, and data applications,” NENA said. “Given the FCC’s previous and ongoing emergency communications efforts, the Commission should provide assistance to NTIA and RUS to ensure that they successfully establish programs that enable investment in the infrastructure, services and applications for safety organizations that will enable the effective and vastly expanded use of broadband networks for emergency response.”
To speed responses to emergency calls from users of telecom relay service, the FCC should allow video and Internet-based TRS providers to give communications assistant ID numbers to public safety orally, APCO and the National Emergency Number Association said in a letter to the FCC Tuesday. Commission rules require providers to send the IDs through the automatic location database, but public safety answering points can’t receive the information without making expensive changes to their systems, the groups said. The changes may also add to the costs of providers and 911 equipment vendors, they said. The FCC can avoid raising costs by removing the automatic-transmission requirement, APCO and NENA said. “Oral transmission of CA ID information can occur without any delay to emergency call processing and at no additional cost to PSAPs or providers.”
The U.K.’s copyright law is the most unfavorable to consumers of 16 countries reviewed, Consumers International said Wednesday. It also looked at IP legislation and enforcement practices in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, India, Indonesia, Israel, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea, Spain, Thailand and the U.S. Britain was “the worst, by far” on balancing the interests of consumers and copyright owners, outdoing the emerging economies of Thailand and Argentina to last place, the group said. Topping the list were India, South Korea and China, in “odd company” with the U.S. at fourth place, it said. The U.S. regularly criticizes those three Asian countries as failing to protect IP but applies a double standard to its own copyright system, the organization said. It said it rated as the worst national systems those that don’t take advantage of pro-consumer flexibilities in international law. No country surveyed took enough account of consumer interests concerning freedom of access to and use of content through blogs, online video-sharing, wiki entries and other avenues; freedom to share and transfer information and entertainment through public domain and freely licensed materials; and enforcement, the group said. But “best practices” are emerging, it said. Spain requires holders of works covered by technical protection measures to give consumers a way to enjoy them for legal purposes, the group said. The U.S. supports consumer interests through its broad “fair use” exception to copyright, and Australia has legalized shifting across time, space and format, it said. Consumers International called its survey a response to the USTR Special 301 report, which it said grades countries on how closely they follow U.S. standards of IP protection and enforcement regardless of the interests of consumers or of national circumstances. The group said it hopes the research will balance the “contention of multinational rightsholders” that “anything less than the highest levels of copyright protection is to be associated with piracy and criminality.” The U.K.’s dismal standing is ironic for the country that developed copyright law, said Consumer Focus and the Open Rights Group. Millions of Britons are “needlessly criminalized” by outdated IP laws that, for instance, forbid ripping a CD onto a personal computer or iPod, they said. The groups asked the government to introduce a broad fair-use exception that could adapt to new technology. They said they don’t condone piracy, but file-sharing is the “inevitable consequence” of the digital market’s failing to meet consumer demand and needs. A fair-use exception would also cover user-generated content where material is reworked for new, noncommercial purposes, they said. The content has an increasingly high social value for the “YouTube generation,” they added.
The U.K.’s copyright law is the most unfavorable to consumers of 16 countries reviewed, Consumers International said Wednesday. It also looked at IP legislation and enforcement practices in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, India, Indonesia, Israel, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea, Spain, Thailand and the U.S. Britain was “the worst, by far” on balancing the interests of consumers and copyright owners, outdoing the emerging economies of Thailand and Argentina to last place, the group said. Topping the list were India, South Korea and China, in “odd company” with the U.S. at fourth place, it said. The U.S. regularly criticizes those three Asian countries as failing to protect IP but applies a double standard to its own copyright system, the organization said. It said it rated as the worst national systems those that don’t take advantage of pro-consumer flexibilities in international law. No country surveyed took enough account of consumer interests concerning freedom of access to and use of content through blogs, online video-sharing, wiki entries and other avenues; freedom to share and transfer information and entertainment through public domain and freely licensed materials; and enforcement, the group said. But “best practices” are emerging, it said. Spain requires holders of works covered by technical protection measures to give consumers a way to enjoy them for legal purposes, the group said. The U.S. supports consumer interests through its broad “fair use” exception to copyright, and Australia has legalized shifting across time, space and format, it said. Consumers International called its survey a response to the USTR Special 301 report, which it said grades countries on how closely they follow U.S. standards of IP protection and enforcement regardless of the interests of consumers or of national circumstances. The group said it hopes the research will balance the “contention of multinational rightsholders” that “anything less than the highest levels of copyright protection is to be associated with piracy and criminality.” The U.K.’s dismal standing is ironic for the country that developed copyright law, said Consumer Focus and the Open Rights Group. Millions of Britons are “needlessly criminalized” by outdated IP laws that, for instance, forbid ripping a CD onto a personal computer or iPod, they said. The groups asked the government to introduce a broad fair-use exception that could adapt to new technology. They said they don’t condone piracy, but file-sharing is the “inevitable consequence” of the digital market’s failing to meet consumer demand and needs. A fair-use exception would also cover user-generated content where material is reworked for new, noncommercial purposes, they said. The content has an increasingly high social value for the “YouTube generation,” they added.
Wireless, broadband and privacy issues are among recent areas of inquiry by members of Congress, according to recent Congressional Research Service reports. Congress is eager to see the FCC produce a national broadband strategy and other federal government offices carry out programs authorized by the recent stimulus law, one report said. A major concern is dealing with the long-term effects of next-generation networks on consumer use of the Internet and with the challenges to regulators in keeping pace with the technology, said a report on broadband.
Wireless, broadband and privacy issues are among recent areas of inquiry by members of Congress, according to recent Congressional Research Service reports. Congress is eager to see the FCC produce a national broadband strategy and other federal government offices carry out programs authorized by the recent stimulus law, one report said. A major concern is dealing with the long-term effects of next-generation networks on consumer use of the Internet and with the challenges to regulators in keeping pace with the technology, said a report on broadband.
The FCC will likely get lengthy input on a vast array of controversial telecom issues, as it attempts to develop a national broadband plan, said industry officials we polled for reaction Thursday. In a 52-page notice of inquiry released Wednesday (CD April 9 p1), the FCC asks questions on universal service reform, open networks and nondiscrimination, the role of competition, how to define broadband, and several other big issues. The FCC is required under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to deliver its national broadband plan to Congress by Feb. 17.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has issued a proposed rule to amend its regulations to provide for the resumption of imports of certain wooden handicrafts from China under certain conditions.