Conferrees reached agreement Wednesday on an estimated $790 billion economic stimulus bill (HR-1) with more than $6 billion in funding for broadband grants. Details on specific provisions were not available at our deadline, but the bill was expected to favor language on broadband that the Senate had passed.
Stations in smaller markets are preparing to end analog service Tuesday, FCC data released Tuesday night show. Counterparts in larger markets are generally waiting until June. Broadcasters had until 11:59 p.m. Monday to tell the commission if they planned to go through with the Feb. 17 cutoff.
GENEVA -- Telecom security concerns are increasing based on the rise in sheer computing power available for conducting cyber attacks and other malevolent acts, officials said Tuesday during an ITU-T workshop on new challenges for telecom security standardization. One problem for dealing definitively with cybersecurity is that government, industry and users each describe the problem and what exactly is needed differently.
The economy, wireless consumer standards, universal service and FCC reform lead the agenda for NARUC committee meetings next week in Washington, D.C. A panel on broadband stimulus will feature Verizon Executive Vice President Tom Tauke. Other panels will feature congressional staffers, state regulators and executives. Former FCC Commissioner Deborah Tate will be among panelists on FCC reform. The Feb. 15-18 meeting will be at the Renaissance Washington Hotel.
GENEVA -- Telecom security concerns are increasing based on the rise in sheer computing power available for conducting cyber attacks and other malevolent acts, officials said Tuesday during an ITU-T workshop on new challenges for telecom security standardization. One problem for dealing definitively with cybersecurity is that government, industry and users each describe the problem and what exactly is needed differently.
The State Department has issued two notices, effective February 2, 2009, announcing determinations that the following seven entities (from China, Iran, and North Korea) have engaged in proliferation activities that warrant the imposition of measures pursuant to Executive Order (EO) 12938, as amended by EO 13094 and EO Order 13382:
On February 3, 2009, Senator Dorgan and six other Senators sent a letter to the new Secretary of Agriculture expressing concern with loopholes in the USDA's country-of-origin (COOL) labeling rules which allow meatpackers to put a multiple country of origin label on products that are exclusively U.S. products as well as those that are foreign. The Senators conclude their letter by asking the Agriculture Secretary to revise the COOL rules to close the loopholes. (Letter, dated 02/03/09, available at http://dorgan.senate.gov/newsroom/extras/020309vilsack.pdf)
On January 28, 2009, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Economic Stimulus Bill) by a vote of 244-188.
Open source vendors like Sun Microsystems predict significant adoption of open source systems in the federal agencies under the Obama administration, which has a strong open source focus, Sun Federal Chief Operating Officer Bill Vase told us. Vase and Sun co-founder Scott McNealy met with the new administration and were asked to draft a policy paper on benefits of using open source in the government, Vase said. The Obama Administration is expected to work to ensure the full and free exchange of information through an open Internet and using technology to create a more transparent and connected democracy, said vendor Red Hat’s Paul Smith, vice president of government sales operations.
According to The Congressional Record, on February 9, 2009, the Senate is expected to continue its consideration of H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the Economic Stimulus Bill) and vote on a motion to invoke cloture (i.e., end debate) on a Collins/Nelson substitute amendment. If cloture is invoked, the Senate is expected to vote on the substitute amendment on February 10, 2009. If the amendment is agreed to, the Senate is then expected to proceed to a vote on the passage of H.R. 1, as amended by the Senate. (Congressional Records, dated 02/06/09 and 02/07/09, available at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/B?r111:@FIELD(FLD003d)@FIELD(DDATE20090206) and http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/B?r111:@FIELD(FLD003d)@FIELD(DDATE20090207)