June 2010

Military Taps Social Networking Skills

The Central Intelligence Agency and the military use drones to wage long-distance war against insurgents, with pilots in the United States pressing the missile-firing buttons. But as commanders in Afghanistan mass drones and U-2 spy planes over the hottest areas, the networking technology is expanding a homefront that is increasingly relevant to day-to-day warfare. And the mechanics are simple in this age of satellite relays. Besides viewing video feeds, the analysts scan still images and enemy conversations. As they log the information into chatrooms, the analysts carry on a running dialogue with drone crews and commanders and intelligence specialists in the field, who receive the information on computers and then radio the most urgent bits to troops on patrol. Marine intelligence officers say that during the Marja offensive in February, the analysts managed to stay a step ahead of the advance, sending alerts about 300 or so possible roadside bombs.

Telecom Supply Strained

A shortage of electronics parts is curbing sales at telecommunications-equipment makers, forcing them to scramble for supplies as manufacturers that slashed production fail to restore capacity fast enough.

Telecom-gear firms say they are hunting for new suppliers, paying higher prices for components and rushing deliveries by plane. Parts suppliers are hiring more workers, deferring plans to shut factories and rationing parts to their best customers -- but demand still outstrips supply. The problem stems from the recession, when electronics-component manufacturers scaled back production. That created fewer parts to sell to companies, such as Alcatel-Lucent SA and Telefon AB L.M. Ericsson, that make network equipment for wireless carriers. In recent months, demand for that equipment has accelerated, as wireless carriers need it to increase their network capacity. The proliferation of smartphones is taxing wireless carriers' existing networks, and the shortages are mainly of basic parts used in equipment to build and upgrade network capacity.

At the White House, getting in touch with the inner circle's inner iPads

The folks who gather early every morning in the West Wing office of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel have something new in common these days. Practically everyone has an iPad -- or will have one very soon. The device is the hot, new White House toy, a gizmo that is popping up around Washington but seems to be particularly in vogue at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

White House is directing agencies to cut budgets

The White House is directing agencies to develop plans for trimming at least 5 percent from their budgets by identifying programs that do little to advance their missions or President Obama's agenda.

The request, made amid rising public anxiety over government spending, comes on top of a pledge by Obama this winter to freeze spending at most agencies for the next three years. In a joint memo to be delivered Tuesday morning, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and budget director Peter Orszag order agency heads to go further by listing the programs that "are least critical" to their overall goals.

Mobile groups lose EU roaming charge case

Leading mobile phone operators have lost their bid to overturn a European Union cap on the roaming fees they can charge customers when they travel overseas.

The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg said the EU had the right to impose price caps on roaming charges in the interest of promoting the bloc's internal market. France Telecom's Orange, Deutsche Telekom, Telefónica's O2 and Vodafone had challenged the measures before UK courts, who passed on key parts of the case to the ECJ. Their challenge aimed to overturn a price-capping regime that came into force in 2007, in spite of extensive lobbying from telecoms groups. A favorable decision from the court might have reopened the lucrative roaming market, which was worth €8.7bn at the time the regulation came into force, according to Brussels.

Chinese Government Spells Out Internet Restrictions After Google's Exit

The Chinese government announced topics it censors on the Internet, including material which may damage "state honor and interests" or "subverts state power." No organization can "produce, duplicate, announce or disseminate information" on topics which may be "against the cardinal principles set forth in the constitution," or which may "instigate ethnic hatred," jeopardize "state religious policy," or spread "superstitious ideas," China's State Council Information Office said in a 31-page policy paper on the Internet issued June 7.

Material which can disrupt "social order and stability," spreads "obscenity, pornography, gambling, violence, brutality and terror" or abets a crime, "humiliates or slanders others" or infringes on people's "lawful rights" is also banned, according to the report. "Other content forbidden by laws and administrative regulations" is also prohibited online, according to the document. "With their right to freedom of speech on the Internet protected by the law," Chinese citizens "can voice their opinions in various ways on the Internet," it said.

Ridge: New FCC plan will endanger first responders

In a letter to Federal Communications Chairman (FCC) Julius Genachowski, former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and two deputies said the FCC's proposal to auction off a valuable block of spectrum to commercial bidders "seriously shortchanges the first responder community and simply will not give these vital public servants adequate spectrum to do their jobs when it matters most, during times of crisis."

Tribune's reorganization plan seen headed for creditors vote

The Tribune Company modified the description of its reorganization plan on June 4. Delaware Bankruptcy Judge Kevin Carey directed Tribune to change the description of how it treats holders of bridge loans.

Under the proposed plan, the bridge loan lenders would receive a recovery between zero and 4.6 percent of their $1.6 billion in claims, and they felt the disclosure did not accurately describe their treatment. Tribune plans to turn the company over to senior lenders led by JPMorgan Chase. Those lenders funded the take over of the company by real estate developer Sam Zell in 2007 in a $8.2 billion leveraged buyout. Tribune filed for bankruptcy about a year later. The company also plans to set aside about 7 percent of its post-bankruptcy equity for bondholders led by Centerbridge Capital Advisors to satisfy their legal claims against the management and leveraged buyout lenders. An examiner is expected to report by July 12 on potential legal claims stemming from the leveraged buyout, which could change the case if it is determined valuable claims could be brought against the lenders, management and others.

Final Stages of Domain Name System Security Extensions Implementation

The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announces the availability of the Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) testing and evaluation report and NTIA's intent to proceed with the final stages of DNSSEC deployment in the authoritative root zone. As part of this notice, NTIA is providing a public review and comment period on the testing and evaluation report and the commencement of the final stage of the DNSSEC deployment before taking any action. Comments must be submitted by June 21, 2010.

75% of New Zealanders to get 100Mbps fiber by 2020

Taking a page from the Australian broadband playbook, New Zealand has decided not to sit around while incumbent DSL operators milk the withered dugs of their cash cow until it keels over from old age. Instead, the Kiwis have established a government-owned corporation to invest NZ$1.5 billion for open-access fiber to the home.

By 2020, 75 percent of residents should have, at a bare minimum, 100Mbps down/50 Mbps up with a choice of providers. Crown Fibre Holdings Limited is the company, and it's wholly owned by the government—for now—and the company's mission couldn't be any clearer. Two of its six guiding principles include "focusing on building new infrastructure, and not unduly preserving the 'legacy assets' of the past" and "avoiding 'lining the pockets' of existing broadband network providers." The New Zealand government set up the company late last year, but the government won't install and own the network by itself. Instead, Crown Fibre will partner with local companies across New Zealand to roll out fiber. Those companies will have to invest their own money as well, but in return they become part of the national dark fiber open-access system envisioned by Crown Fibre. Here's how it works: every fiber builder who takes government money needs to lay basic, unmanaged dark fiber that any ISP can light in order to offer service to a particular home or business. The fiber companies can also run some particular Layer 2 services, but they can't offer full-blown Internet access directly. Instead, they are allowed to sell Internet access to their own retail unit so long as it operates like a separate business, and all other ISPs must be offered access at the same rate.

Benton

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