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CongressDaily
Waxman May Push Commerce Committee's Oversight Role
Submitted by Benton Foundation on November 25, 2008 - 8:57pmLast updated: November 25, 2008 - 8:58pm
Under the leadership of Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), the House Energy and Commerce Committee is expected to increase emphasis on government accountability and pursue a transparency agenda. To start that off, high-tech and telecommunications industry insiders are pointing to an investigation into the FCC the panel initiated in January.
Lobbyist's work for Obama transition raises concerns over ethics guidelines
Submitted by Benton Foundation on November 24, 2008 - 8:55pmLast updated: November 24, 2008 - 8:56pm
James Halpert, an attorney and registered lobbyist with DLA Piper, is advising the Obama-Biden Transition Team on matters involving the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and intellectual property. Critics are crying foul because they insist Halpert lobbied these issues just a few months ago, in violation of Obama's strict ethics guidelines, which state that parties joining the transition effort are prohibited from working in areas in which they focused as registered lobbyists in the last 12 months.
Obama Cell Phone Mishap Prompts Leahy Letter
Submitted by Benton Foundation on November 24, 2008 - 8:48pmLast updated: November 24, 2008 - 8:48pm
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) wrote to Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Friedrich on Monday requesting statistics on the number of prosecutions and/or investigations the Justice Department has undertaken to date pursuant to the Telephone Records and Privacy Protection Act -- a 2007 statute that Sen Leahy co-sponsored to address the growing number of data breaches involving sensitive phone records.
Obama Urged To Focus On Government Data Use
Submitted by Benton Foundation on November 22, 2008 - 5:13pmLast updated: November 22, 2008 - 5:14pm
President-elect Barack Obama's administration should craft sound policies on government use of data -- especially in the national security context, cybersecurity expert Fred Cate told reporters at a Friday briefing sponsored by Hunton & Williams' Centre for Information Policy Leadership.
Gordon Retains Sci-Tech Panel Chairmanship
Submitted by Benton Foundation on November 20, 2008 - 8:56pmLast updated: November 20, 2008 - 8:57pm
The House Democratic Caucus on Thursday reelected Rep Bart Gordon (D-TN) as chairman of the Science and Technology Committee for the 111th Congress. His agenda includes helping craft policies that can grow new sectors of the US economy and ensure the nation's long-term competitiveness.
Kevin Martin's Next Move? Mayor Of Wilmington?
Submitted by Benton Foundation on November 19, 2008 - 8:15amLast updated: November 19, 2008 - 8:16am
What will Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin's next job be? He says he's thinking about: 1) Mailroom clerk at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration sending out digital television converter box coupons in anticipation of the Feb.
Conyers To Abolish IP Subcommittee
Submitted by Benton Foundation on November 12, 2008 - 9:22pmLast updated: November 12, 2008 - 9:23pm
More proof that the 2008 election is bringing major changes to Congress, not just the White House. House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) will apparently abolish the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property in the new Congress and instead keep intellectual property issues at the full committee level.
Will Obama Do For Web What FDR Did For Radio?
Submitted by Benton Foundation on November 7, 2008 - 8:44amLast updated: November 7, 2008 - 8:44am
President-elect Barack Obama, who demonstrated through the success of his campaign's Internet outreach effort that he sees value in technology, may replace the White House's traditional Saturday radio address with a weekly speech on the popular video-sharing Web site YouTube, New Democrat Network founder Simon Rosenberg predicted Thursday.
NTIA Chief To ICANN: Proceed With Caution
Submitted by Benton Foundation on November 6, 2008 - 8:45pmLast updated: November 6, 2008 - 8:46pm
National Telecommunications and Information Administration chief Meredith Baker told the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers that the agency's blueprint for making sweeping changes to the way top-level domains are assigned must take into consideration the impact of potential changes to the registrar and registry marketplace and demonstrate that it has the sufficient capacity to enforce contract compliance with an as yet unknown number of new contracts.
Experts: McCain, Obama Both Good for IT Spending
Submitted by Benton Foundation on November 3, 2008 - 9:23pmLast updated: November 3, 2008 - 9:23pm
As president, either Sen John McCain (R-AZ) or Sen Barack Obama (D-IL) would have significant impact on the information technology outlay of state and local governments, according to consulting firm INPUT's experts.
