MOUNTAIN VIEW, Cal. -- ICANN Chmn. Vint Cerf said he'll be keeping an eye out for mischief by the Internet Governance Forum, which emerged from the World Summit for the Information Society and meets for the first time Oct. 30-Nov. 2. Like any govt.-founded agency, “they have the opportunity to get everybody in a lot of trouble,” he said. Cerf will be on the lookout for any proposals he thinks would “disrupt” the Net, he said. But he called security denial of service attacks and the like the main threat to Internet. Cerf spoke Tues. to the Chinese Software Professionals Assn. on the eve of Google’s lighting up its free Wi-Fi network in this, its home town.
Wireless DBS, the deep-pocketed partnership between DirecTV and Echostar, effectively dropped out of the bidding in the advanced wireless services (AWS) as the auction progressed more quickly than many expected. Bids topped more than $8 billion total. As of late Tues., the DBS partnership had used all its waivers and stopped bidding.
Wireless DBS, the deep-pocketed partnership between DirecTV and Echostar, has effectively dropped out of the bidding in the advanced wireless services (AWS), as the auction has progressed more quickly than many had expected. Bids top more than $8 billion total. The DBS partnership has used all its waivers and stopped bidding.
A 2nd major guitar tablature sharing site shut down after legal threats by music publishers. The Online Guitar Archive (OLGA) went offline about a week ago; Guitar Tab Universe pulled the plug last month. But guitarists used to picking with help from their online friends shouldn’t despair: One sites has hired an attorney and the other promised a legal version by week’s end.
The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has issued an Order denying certain export privileges for a period of six years to MUTCO International for activities involving the export of toxins to North Korea that were subject to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). (D/N 05-BIS-20, FR Pub 07/05/06 available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/pdf/06-5986.pdf)
The Dept. of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity team warned of a Windows hole that could let an attacker take remote control of a system, install programs, change data and create new accounts with full user rights. Windows users should install Microsoft security patch MS06-040 right away to fix the vulnerability, as attacks usually follow within 24 hours of a patch’s release, the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) said. The Wed. warning from US-CERT was unusual in that DHS sent the notice through its dept.- wide press office, a first for a specific cybersecurity warning. A National Cyber Security Div. spokesman confirmed the broader notice was a first for cybersecurity warnings, saying the potential impact on govt. and home computer users met DHS’s 3 concerns: “wormable” threats that can spread if not patched, impact on critical infrastructure given the prevalence of the Windows OS in the sector and remote access. DHS will continue sending notices to its broader list for “highly critical vulnerabilities” but not low-level threats or regularly-scheduled patch updates such as Microsoft offers, which will remain part of US-CERT’s alert system, the spokesman said.
New technology, or even new uses for old technology like voice mail, could greatly improve communications in disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, several organizations told the FCC in comments this week. “Policy makers and public safety officials alike should be attuned to the value that IP technologies bring to first responder and emergency communications,” said Cisco Systems.
ORLANDO -- Two years after the FCC released its massive 800 MHz rebanding order on the eve of the Assn. of Public Safety Communications Officials 2004 meeting, concern is growing in the public safety community about whether the rebanding will be finished, in a way that protects public safety licensees, in the 36 months allowed. The rebanding officially got under way in June 2005.
The Dept. of Homeland Security warned the FCC not to overstep by issuing rules in areas better left to DHS -- especially emergency response and recovery coordination. The comments came in response to a notice of proposed rulemaking the FCC released with the final report of the Independent Panel Reviewing the Impact of Hurricane Katrina on Communications Networks. “The existing coordination mechanisms such as the National Communications System (NCS) and the National Response Plan (NRP) Emergency Support Functions (ESFs), which are firmly anchored in statute, Presidential guidance, and interagency agreement, provide a more appropriate framework for FCC action than independent rule making,” DHS said. The agency said FCC rules on outage reporting and relaxation of FCC regulatory requirements during times of disaster could be helpful.
ORLANDO -- Challenges to E-911 call centers and emergency communications are ever more complex, demanding more planning and cooperation, Gen. Richard Myers, former Joint Chiefs of Staff chmn., said Mon. at the annual Assn. of Public Safety Communications Officials conference. Chmn. from after Sept. 11, 2001, through Katrina, retiring late in 2005, Myers said those two events showed many lessons remain to be learned.