November 2010

AGENDA

OBAMA TECH EXPECTATIONS
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Mike Zapler]
He was the embodiment of the modern, high-tech president when he took office: the first to fully harness the Internet to build a political movement, the first commander in chief to carry a BlackBerry, the first to promise to instill Silicon Valley sensibilities in the federal bureaucracy. However, halfway through President Barack Obama's first term, he has yet to deliver on much of his sweeping tech agenda, tempering the high expectations many in the industry had when he took office. A research and development tax credit that candidate Obama pledged to make permanent lapsed at the end of last year and remains dormant. Legislation to invest in basic research and math and science education is bottled up in Congress. And while the federal stimulus bill directed tens of billions of dollars to clean energy, health IT and broadband deployment -- money long sought by the tech sector -- Obama has disappointed the industry in critical areas such as tax policy and trade. It's not that the president has abandoned his positions on key issues or doesn't appreciate technology and innovation, industry representatives say. On issues such as cleantech and broadband, he's done more in two years, some of them argue, than his predecessor, George W. Bush, did in two terms. But there is still a palpable sense of disappointment. The recurring complaint is that the administration so far hasn't prioritized tech issues or devoted the time or energy to surmount resistance in Congress. And that resistance is certain to grow stronger after the Republican takeover of the House of Representatives, especially to any tech proposals that require more federal dollars.
benton.org/node/45251 | San Jose Mercury News
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TECH POLICY AGENDA
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Jasmin Melvin]
The Obama Administration on will push Congress next year to move ahead on critical technology policies, Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra said. The White House will work with Congress on bills dealing with on patent reform, privacy and corporate taxation. "Much of the policy work is really contingent on congressional action or budgetary action, so you're by default waiting for some bigger stakeholders to participate," he said. "Spectrum, (universal service fund) reform, privacy issues -- those kinds of things we need to work on and we can work on in a bipartisan fashion," Sen John Ensign (R-NV). Online privacy, which Congress has debated in one form or another for more than a decade, is being hailed as a consumer protection issue as more companies collect personal data and use it in advertising or sell it to third parties without telling people that they are doing it. Patent reform, another recurring theme, has the backing of technology investors who say the system is not keeping up with the fast pace of software development and other innovations. Sen Ensign, ranking member of the Senate subcommittee on communications, technology and the Internet, was less optimistic about prospects for network neutrality legislation.
benton.org/node/45250 | Reuters
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INTERNET/BROADBAND

DARK TREND AT WEB 2.0
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Chris O'Brien]
[Commentary] Normally a sunny celebration about the future of the Web, one of the largest annual gatherings of the Internet elite took on a darker and more pessimistic tone this week. The fear that ran through the seventh annual Web 2.0 Summit is that the days when the Internet was a playground for startups with unlimited potential are disappearing. Instead, we are moving into an era dominated by a handful of new Internet titans more interested in fighting each other for power and influence than in delighting users with new innovations. The names of the culprits are familiar, and include Apple, Google, Facebook and Amazon.com. Each has assumed a dominant position in their respective markets -- mobile, search, social networking, e-commerce -- and are focused on how to defend their turf while infiltrating their rivals' territory. We, the consumers, are caught in the crossfire. We're likely to see fewer new products (like Twitter) and more services aimed mainly at locking us into the new Internet titans (I'd count Facebook's new message service in this category). By building up their walls, they keep us inside longer, allowing them to amass an arsenal of data about our behavior. And they have become so indispensable it becomes almost impossible for us to contemplate leaving them.
benton.org/node/45212 | San Jose Mercury News
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NTIA NEEDS OVERSIGHT FUNDS
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Cecilia Kang]
The Commerce Department is done doling out $4 billion in broadband stimulus grants. Now, it says it doesn't have enough money for oversight and monitoring of those grants to ensure they are put to good use. In its quarterly report, Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration urged Congress to approve $23.7 million requested by President Barack Obama for broadband stimulus oversight. "Such funding is critically important to ensure that NTIA can effectively administer and monitor ... grants and to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent consistent with the Recovery Act's purposes," wrote NTIA. Indeed, the Commerce Department's Inspector General wrote in a report earlier this month that it was concerned with current oversight and management of grants, such as computer training for administrative staff. And it said funds to oversee the 233 grants would run out in December.
benton.org/node/45214 | Washington Post
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BROADBAND AND JOB CREATION
[SOURCE: Connected Planet, AUTHOR: Joan Engebretson]
A key goal of the broadband stimulus program is to create jobs -- not just temporary construction jobs or jobs with the service providers, but also jobs that will be created in a community as a result of improved broadband connectivity. One person who has some great insight on how jobs in the latter category can be created is David Hudgins, who is vice chairman of Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative as well as director of member and external relations with MBC member company Old Dominion Electric Cooperative. MBC operates a broadband network in southern Virginia, which is owned by service provider members.
But the network was not built primarily to be a telecom project but rather to be an economic development project, Hudgins says. The organization got some of its initial funding through a settlement from tobacco companies and through a grant from the Department of Commerce's Economic Development Association. The members also raised some funding on their own. Since construction several years ago, MBC has had some impressive successes in attracting businesses to member communities -- including a unit of Ikea and even Microsoft. MBC also has helped existing small businesses in its communities grow and create jobs. For example, a local florist established an online offering and now has added staff to support new sales to customers outside the community
benton.org/node/45204 | Connected Planet
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NETWORK NEUTRALITY

UPTON DECLARES WAR ON NET NEUTRALITY
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Rep Fred Upton (R-MI) reiterated his opposition to Federal Communications Commission network neutrality rules and said that opposition holds whether or not the FCC has the legal authority to do so. "I will block the FCC from regulating the Internet," he headlined item number five in his itemized pledge for what he would do as chairman of the House Commerce Committee. Echoing his consistent criticisms, Rep Upton said: "The FCC's regulatory compass must be broken as it continues in its unrelenting pursuit to impose so-called network neutrality regulations, regardless of whether the agency has the legal authority for such a blind power grab, and whether such regulations will actually undermine the FCC's ability to achieve the goals of the National Broadband Plan. The FCC must stand down from pursuing a course unauthorized and opposed by Congress," he said.
benton.org/node/45247 | Broadcasting&Cable
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BROADBAND ADOPTION, NOT NET NEUTRALITY
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Larry Downes]
[Commentary] As lawmakers gear up for the post-election Congress that convenes in January, the multiyear debate over new laws to keep ISPs from blocking Web sites or managing traffic in anticompetitive ways -- the so-called network neutrality rules -- is heating up again. The result can be safely predicted: more wasted energy and a continued failure by policymakers to focus on the real challenges of our increasingly important broadband infrastructure. The reality is that, as TV, telephony, and the Web continue to converge at breakneck speed, Net neutrality is little more than a sideshow in a complex circus of communications regulation. Now that the election is over, every stakeholder in Washington would do well to focus on the bigger problems--those that could stall progress in one of the few bright spots in the economy. First and foremost: stimulating broadband adoption.
benton.org/node/45246 | C-Net|News.com
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TELEVISION

MRC AND NIELSEN
[SOURCE: TVNewsCheck, AUTHOR: ]
The Media Rating Council has revoked accreditation of Nielsen's NSI service that includes 154 markets measured solely using diaries. The NSI service had been accredited by the MRC since September 1965. An annual independent external audit of the NSI service was completed in 2009 and a large audit committee -- comprising MRC members representing users of the NSI service including TV stations; broadcast networks; cable networks and operators; advertisers; agencies; and trade associations -- met on multiple occasions to consider the audit results and Nielsen's responses to audit questions and committee concerns. MRC said that the audit committee voted to recommend revoking MRC accreditation of the NSI diary-only markets. Both the MRC Television Committee and the MRC board of directors subsequently ratified this conclusion.
benton.org/node/45248 | TVNewsCheck
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TIME WARNER CABLE OFFERS CHEAPER PACKAGES
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Yinka Adegoke]
Time Warner Cable will start testing lower-priced cable TV packages in New York City and Ohio in a bid to give more options to customers struggling with the rising bills from ever expanding basic cable channel packages. The No.2 US cable company will kick off the trial of a new TV Essentials package in New York City next week with a $39.99 offer and on December 15 in north East Ohio for $29.99 in a promotional offer. It will officially retail at $49.99 and feature around 50 channels compared with around 130 channels for an average digital starter package at $59.95. Key to the reduced price will be the exclusion of higher cost channels such as Walt Disney Co's ESPN's flagship channels, which charge among the most expensive carriage fees in the cable business. Also excluded are Time Warner Inc's TNT Network, News Corp's Fox News and NBC Universal's MSNBC among others. One potential drawback of the new offer is that customers will not be able to buy it as a part of discounted 'Triple Play' or 'Double Play' package that would include Internet or/and telephone service.
benton.org/node/45249 | Reuters | Multichannel News
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NBC REORG
[SOURCE: paidContent.org, AUTHOR: Andrew Wallenstein]
Comcast has announced the new executive structure for NBC Universal, ending Hollywood's favorite guessing game these past few months. Few surprises given the endless speculation, but there were shifts worth noting on both the content and distribution sides of the digital business. Matt Bond, previously executive vice president of content acquisition for Comcast's portfolio of cable channels, becomes executive vice president of content distribution at NBCU. That will put him in charge of distribution of Comcast's now-massive portfolio of programming. Responsibility for NBCU distribution previously rolled up under Jeff Gaspin, who also oversaw the broadcast and cable assets. With Gaspin exiting NBCU, his direct reports on the distribution side now report to Bond: Bridget Baker, who managed affiliate relations, and JB Perrette, who led digital efforts. It was to be expected that distribution would be broken off into a separate job given Gaspin's responsibilities were likely seen by Comcast as overly broad to begin with. Essentially, the position reverts to what it was when David Zaslav was in this role before he moved on to run Discovery Networks.
benton.org/node/45202 | paidContent.org | B&C
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PUBLIC BROADCASTING

GOP ASKS FOR GAO PROBE OF NPR
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Sara Jerome]
Notching up the controversy dogging National Public Radio in recent weeks, two influential House Republicans want the government to probe whether taxpayer money has covered costs related to firing news analyst Juan Williams. Reps. Joe Barton (R-TX) and Michael Burgess (R-TX), senior members of the House Commerce Committee, urged the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to examine how NPR spends its money. One concern is whether the outlet spent federal funds in its controversial decision to dismiss Williams last month following remarks the analyst made about Muslims. "Were any federally appropriated funds expended in the course of any internal deliberations, negotiations, or drafting tasks carried out pursuant to NPR's October 20 decision to terminate its contract with Williams?" the lawmakers ask. The dismissal "may reflect a tendency on the part of NPR management to use its ethics rules to silence employees," they said. NPR might be using the pretense of ethical standards for reasons other than "[preserving] any core ethical or editorial standards."
benton.org/node/45211 | Hill, The | B&C
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HOUSE VOTE ON NPR
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Jordan Fabian]
The House voted to move forward on legislation without voting on a proposal put forth by Republicans to defund National Public Radio. Rep Eric Cantor (R-VA), the next majority leader, said that the vote demonstrates that Democrats "are still not ready to listen" following their sweeping midterm election losses. The House voted 239-171 to move forward on a teleworking bill without taking up the stripping of NPR's funding. Republicans put the item on the floor through their YouCut program, an initiative that allows the public to vote online on spending cuts they want to see enacted by Congress. Three Democrats, Reps John Adler (NJ), Gene Taylor (Mississippi) and Gabrielle Giffords (AZ) voted with Republicans. Adler and Taylor lost their elections two weeks ago.
benton.org/node/45210 | Hill, The
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WIRELESS

ENHANCEMENTS TO SPECTRUM DASHBOARD LAUNCHED
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: ]
The Federal Communications Commission's Spectrum Dashboard is no longer "beta" and includes several enhancements:
1) An "Advanced Search." The Advanced Search replaces the "License Categories" search and includes several different search criteria located at the same place, including the ability to search for licenses by channel block.
2) Auto Complete for Name Search. The auto complete function allows a user to search by a name and the Spectrum Dashboard will display all names that include the string of letters/characters entered.
3) Changes to Filters. The filters have been enhanced to allow a user to open and close filters, as they deem appropriate, and to include an additional filter for channel blocks.
4) Downloading Results. When a user downloads results by clicking on the "Export Results" link, the results will download automatically if the results are 65,000 rows or less. If the results are more than 65,000 rows a user will receive an e-mail when the results are available.
benton.org/node/45209 | Federal Communications Commission | visit the Spectrum Dashboard
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EMERGENCY WARNINGS THROUGH CELL PHONES
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Tiffany Hsu]
The Emergency Broadcast System -- or something very similar -- could be coming to more than just the couch potatoes and radio devotees. French telecommunications company Alcatel-Lucent has engineered a system that can send warning messages to cellphones in the event of a terrorist attack, major road accident, evacuation or natural disaster. The "Broadcast Message Center" would allow government agencies to zap alerts to phones in the geographic area affected, whether across a few blocks or nationwide. For those with visual and hearing impairments, the texts would include vibrations and audio signals. The system, which is expected to begin operating in early 2012, is in advanced testing stages. Alcatel-Lucent also said that versions of the messaging system could be used by advertisers and interest groups looking for other marketing channels, companies seeking to get in touch with their mobile workforce or even service providers offering subscriber perks.
benton.org/node/45213 | Los Angeles Times
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CELL PHONE BOOSTERS
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: Kevin Tofel]
Cellphone carriers now offer their own solution to the coverage problem in the form of femtocells: small cellular base stations that expand a localized coverage area up to 5,000 square feet. These femtocells are available for a fee, although in some cases, carriers have quietly offered them at no charge, and represent another revenue opportunity that signal boosters could be taking away. The carriers also sell additional service plans with femtocells; AT&T customers, for example, can pay $20 extra per month for unlimited voice calls made through the device. Clearly, there's a financial benefit for carriers to corner this market, but there are additional incentives for them to want to shut out signal boosting device companies. Femtocells take traffic from the handset and offload it away from the cellular operator's wireless network; customers connect a femtocell to their existing home wired broadband which handles the traffic. In effect, femtocells reduce the demand for a carrier's wireless infrastructure as opposed to standard signal boosters, which still keep voice and data traffic on the operator network.
benton.org/node/45244 | GigaOm
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ANDROID TO DOMINATE
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: Ryan Kim]
While it's been dawning on us for some time that Android is a beast, each day seems to bring new confirmation that the monster shows no signs of letting up. Android mobile ad impressions drew even with iOS for the first time, according to Millennial Media. The largest independent ad network said Android OS is tied with iOS with a 37 percent share of ad impressions. That's a big change from last month, when iOS represented 46 percent of impressions while Android grabbed 29 percent. The Millennial data came on the same day Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak predicted Android will be the dominant smartphone platform, comparing it to the dominance of Windows. Last week, consultancy PRTM said Android is helping build a Wintel-like juggernaut with Qualcomm, dubbed Quadroid, that could ultimately weed out some manufacturers. I'm not so sure about that last point, because there seems to be a fair amount of competition still in the processor market, with Texas Instruments and Samsung in the mix, Nvidia still pushing, and Intel pressing to get into the market. The ARM-licensing model means an x86 style domination would be more difficult to maintain. Plus, Android is also more open and customizable than Windows ever was.
benton.org/node/45206 | GigaOm
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STRICKLING ON SPECTRUM
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
National Telecommunications & Information Administration chief Larry Strickling will appear on this week's "The Communicators" on C-SPAN. He says the Obama Administration will offer a bill in the next Congress to provide funding for federal spectrum holders being eyed to give up or reduce their holdings. "They would be greatly aided if they had resources to do upfront planning and R&D if necessary to be able to participate more fruitfully in this reallocation and relocation," he said. Strickling said that if a bill does not pass giving the Federal Communications Commission the authority to pay broadcasters to clear off spectrum, using proceeds from an auction of their spectrum, "it will certainly slow things down." "Things" in this case is freeing up 500 Mhz over the next ten years from private and government users for wireless broadband. He said that the FCC believes it has to have the that authority if it is to reclaim its targeted 120 Mhz from broadcasters if it is to reallocate "as robustly as it would like to."
benton.org/node/45257 | Broadcasting&Cable
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CONTENT

SENATE PIRACY BILL
[SOURCE: National Journal, AUTHOR: Juliana Gruenwald]
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved legislation aimed at cracking down on online piracy and counterfeiting with a particular emphasis on rogue foreign websites. Even though it was approved on a 19-0 vote, the Combatting Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act is unlikely to pass the Senate during the lameduck session. While saying she was "pleased to support" the bill, Sen Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) noted the bill would need some more work as it moves forward. She cited concerns raised by critics of the bill with a provision that could lead to the revocation of a domain name for websites found to be involved in piracy or counterfeiting. The bill's opponents are "particularly concerned about the domain name remedy," Sen Feinstein said. She said the committee should be "open minded to the alternatives on this one point." Public Knowledge President Gigi B. Sohn said, "We are disappointed that the Senate Judiciary Committee this morning chose to disregard the concerns of public-interest groups, Internet engineers, Internet companies, human-rights groups and law professors in approving a bill that could do great harm to the public and to the Internet. We look forward to working with the Committee next year to craft a more narrowly tailored bill that deals with the question of rogue Web sites." [more at the URL below]
benton.org/node/45208 | National Journal | The Hill | Public Knowledge | National Journal - Wyden
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NEW COPYRIGHT REPORT
[SOURCE: Public Knowledge, AUTHOR: Press release]
Copyright owners are engaging in 'misleading and abusive' practices that are unfair to consumers, Public Knowledge said today in the third part of its Copyright Reform Act (CRA) project. The project was established to analyze problems with, and suggest solutions to, copyright law. PK offered the following recommendations:
Prohibition of Misleading Copyright Warning Notices: Congress should direct the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") to promulgate and enforce rules that ensure copyright warning notices claim only exclusive rights that copyright owners have under copyright law. Copyright owners that continue to claim rights they do not have would be subject to penalties for unfair and deceptive acts under existing FTC regulations.
Required Disclosure of Technological Restrictions: Congress should direct the FTC to promulgate and enforce rules requiring the full and conspicuous disclosure of technological restrictions on consumers' ability to use products and services in ways that would otherwise be lawful under copyright law. Copyright owners failing to meet these requirements would lose their ability to hold consumers responsible for circumvention of undisclosed technological restrictions.
Motion to Strike for Copyright Misrepresentation: The Copyright Act should be amended to provide for a new special motion to strike, which would act as an efficient and effective procedural response available to targets of abusive copyright infringement claims that are based on misrepresenting the rights of a copyright owner, or that are likely to cause significant harm to competition or free expression if upheld. The motion would suspend discovery, and provide for attorneys' fees and costs if successful.
benton.org/node/45240 | Public Knowledge | read the report
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ACCESSIBILITY

WHAT SHOULD DEAF-BLIND EQUIPMENT PROGRAM LOOK LIKE?
[SOURCE: Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology, AUTHOR: ]
In comments filed at the Federal Communications Commission, the Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology addressed the Deaf-Blind Technology Equipment Distribution program, which is required under the 21st Century Communications & Video Accessibility Act of 2010. COAT raised concerns about the definition of deaf-blind and the requirement for low-income people only to participate. They recommended that no more than 10% of available funding be allocated for research and development and suggested that the Commission make grants available for community-based organizations to conduct the necessary research and needs assessment. The Consumer Groups stated they are also strongly opposed to using existing state distribution programs for equipment distribution for the purpose of the new requirement, among other points made.
benton.org/node/45239 | Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology
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EDUCATION

ED TECH CAN HELP CUT COSTS
[SOURCE: eSchool News, AUTHOR: Jenna Zwang]
Education Secretary Arne Duncan told school officials Nov. 17 to look at saving money in their districts by increasing productivity. Sec Duncan spoke at an American Enterprise Institute event called "Bang for the Buck in Schooling," and he warned that schools will "have to face the challenge of doing more with less." "It's time to start treating the problem of productivity as an opportunity," said Sec Duncan. He called the current crisis affecting school budgets "the new normal," suggesting that education leaders should get used to tighter school budgets and should adjust their practices accordingly. "The strategy is to pare back less-than-essential costs while minimizing the effect on children," said Sec Duncan. He suggested lowering textbook costs by using more digital or open-access materials, consolidating bus routes, and reducing office personnel as ways for districts to cut back on spending. "My hope is that the new normal will encourage all of us to explore productive alternatives to the old way of doing things," he said.
benton.org/node/45207 | eSchool News
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MEDIA OWNERSHIP

FEDS PROBE TRIBUNE DEAL
[SOURCE: Chicago Tribune, AUTHOR: Julie Johnsson]
Federal authorities are taking a closer look at the stock transfer at the heart of billionaire Sam Zell's disastrous leveraged buyout of Tribune Company, after a US District Court last week determined a portion of the 2007 deal was a "prohibited transaction" under federal law. The U.S. Labor Department is investigating Tribune's employee stock ownership plan, as well as Lisle-based GreatBanc Trust Co., hired by Tribune Co. to serve as plan trustee and represent employee interests in the $8 billion deal, according to Tribune bankruptcy filings. Court filings show that the Internal Revenue Service also has audited the ESOP, which Zell employed in the novel transaction to shield Tribune from sizeable tax obligations once it went private. The ongoing investigations and a federal lawsuit filed in 2008 by current and former Los Angeles Times workers had been overshadowed by Tribune Co's 2-year-old bankruptcy drama.
benton.org/node/45203 | Chicago Tribune
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GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS

NO QUICK INTERNET FIXES
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Rebecca MacKinnon]
[Commentary] Tools for circumventing censorship are indeed important for activists. But they do nothing to protect against cyber-attacks, or to address a growing number of other ways that governments work to prevent activists from using the Internet to access information, get their message out, and organize. Still, many in Congress and the media have bought into the fantasy that all the U.S. needs to do is put enough money into these circumvention tools, and one in particular -- and freedom will flood through the crumbling firewalls. The State Department has come under fire in the Journal, the Washington Post and the New York Times for failing to support the Global Internet Freedom Consortium. And it's true that of the $20 million already allocated, most went to other groups that are less radioactive as far as U.S.-China relations are concerned. Some of these groups work to help activists with training and security against surveillance, cyber-attacks and other threats, in addition to circumventing censorship. Meanwhile in real life, the human rights watchdog organization Freedom House warns of a "global freedom recession." They point to a decrease in online freedom even in many countries that engage in little or no website blocking. Circumvention technology is one tactic to support access to information and online dissent. It makes sense to keep funding these tools, so long as activists are given choice. On their own, however, they are not the silver bullet that many claim. The State Department and Congress need to approach freedom of speech issues strategically, based on a clear understanding of purpose and effect. [MacKinnon is a senior fellow at the New America Foundation]
benton.org/node/45261 | Wall Street Journal
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E-RULEMAKING BILL
[SOURCE: nextgov, AUTHOR: Aliya Sternstein]
Sen Joe Lieberman (I-CT) announced a bipartisan bill that for the first time would require stable funding for technology aimed at letting the general public in on the arcane process of shaping federal regulations -- e-rule-making. Rules are what the executive branch uses to put Congress' words into action by, for example, prohibiting health insurance companies from denying coverage to children because of a pre-existing condition. Most people might not know or care about proposed rules, or their right to oppose such draft regulations through open comment periods. The 2002 E-Government Act, which Sen Lieberman wrote, attempted to change that by mandating that agencies post rules on a searchable website, Regulations.gov. But the site is handicapped by underlying structural problems that Lieberman's new bill could fix. The legislation, co-sponsored by Sen Susan Collins (R-Maine), would require a $10 million line item in the annual budget for Regulations.gov. Currently, agencies that want to use the site fund it based on the number of documents they file and the services they want. The bill also would provide $1 million a year to upgrade the system's architecture. The measure requires that rule-making data be formatted uniformly so that Internet users and agencies can easily retrieve and analyze materials. In addition, it stipulates improvements to the overall consistency of the rule-tracking system.
benton.org/node/45243 | nextgov
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TELEWORK BILL TO BECOME LAW
[SOURCE: nextgov, AUTHOR: Amelia Gruber]
The House sent President Barack Obama a bill to boost telework at federal agencies, over objections by Republicans who said the measure would grant civil servants another costly fringe benefit and add layers of bureaucracy at a time when Americans want a smaller government. Members voted 254-152 to pass the 2010 Telework Enhancement Act (H.R. 1722), which requires agencies to determine which employees are eligible to work outside the office, to establish policies allowing them to do so and to inform them of the option. The measure also requires agencies to designate an official to oversee their telework program and to incorporate the alternative work arrangement in continuity of operations planning for natural disasters and other emergencies.
benton.org/node/45242 | nextgov
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TOP TWEETERS IN CONGRESS
[SOURCE: Fast Company, AUTHOR: Austin Carr]
Republicans won the House at the mid-term election -- and they also won on social media. Democrats can take some solace in the fact that their newly elected minority leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), while ousted as House Speaker, is still the most influential tweeter in Congress. HP Labs, using its unique "influence algorithm," analyzed 22 million tweets to determine the most influential representatives and Senators on Twitter. Overall, the results show that Democrats might want to reconsider their social media strategy. Of the top 100 most influential reps, 70 were Republicans. Of the 86 that were up for election this cycle, 79 of these top influencers won their races, while just seven lost. The report also showed that "popularity" was no replacement for "influence." Though Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) boasts 1.7 million followers on Twitter -- the most of any member of Congress -- he ranks just seventh, behind reps with far less fans. Now-House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi has only 15,000 followers, yet tops the list, according to HP Labs, as the most influential House rep on Twitter. Rep Michele Bachmann (R-MN) placed third, with only 22,000 followers.
benton.org/node/45238 | Fast Company
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CYBERSECURITY BILL PROSPECTS DIM
[SOURCE: National Journal, AUTHOR: Juliana Gruenwald]
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman (I-CT) says that the Senate will not act on cybersecurity legislation during the lame-duck session, punting the issue of how to improve the government's response to cyber threats to the next Congress. He has been working with Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John (Jay) Rockefeller (D-WV) to try to merge the two panels' cybersecurity measures into one, but said time is running out to reach a compromise.
benton.org/node/45245 | National Journal
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STRANGLING INNOVATION
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Morris Panner]
[Commentary] We are creating so much regulation - over tax policy, health care, financial activity - that smart people have figured out that they can get rich faster and more easily by manipulating rules on behalf of existing corporations than by creating net new activity and wealth. Gamesmanship pays better than entrepreneurship. It is always hard to start a business. It is especially hard to start an innovative business, one that will foster a new technology or business method. Incumbent players in a market have an inherent advantage: Momentum counts for a lot, and it takes tremendous effort to get customers comfortable with a new product - or even to hear about it in the first place. From an entrepreneur's perspective, we need a national campaign to create transparency in our legislation and a national moratorium on the creation of commissions, regulators and czars. It is time for Congress to do the hard job of saying what lawmakers mean in clear and easy-to-understand language. It is also fair to hold our leaders to a standard of transparency. We should reject bills that are thousands of pages or that delegate vast authority to unelected regulators. [Panner is chief executive of TownFlier]
benton.org/node/45259 | Washington Post
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Daily Digest

Analysis

November 2010

The smartphone is changing everything

NJ officials consider NY, Philadelphia public broadcasting services to take over NJN

November 19, 2010 (Obama Performance, Agenda on Tech Issues)

No Quick Fixes for Internet Freedom

Senate confirms Lew as OMB director

Strangling innovation with red tape

TV industry beginning 'second digital switchover'

NTIA's Strickling on The Communicators

Public Safety, Industry Representatives Clash On Reallocation Of D Block

Cox is First US Cable Carrier to Start Mobile Phone Service