August 2011

North Korea denies South Korean hacking claims

North Korea has denied allegations by South Korea that it engaged in a hacking scheme to steal millions of dollars from online gaming sites.

The North's Committee for Peaceful Unification of the Fatherland said in a statement carried Sunday by the official Korean Central News Agency that the allegations were an unacceptable provocation and were meant to sully North Korea's image overseas. Last week, South Korean police said they arrested five people who had collaborated with elite North Korean hackers in a ring that pocketed about $6 million over the past year and a half.

LightSquared lands new partner

Texas-based Internet and mobile phone service provider EarthComm Solutions signed a multiyear agreement to use LightSquared's network. EarthComm provides service primarily in small and mid-sized cities in the southwest.

Should Apple buy a carrier, or just go around them?

Apple is famous for its “own and control” philosophy where it controls the operating system and hardware of its devices, and more recently, its heavily guarded gates to its app stores, both iOS and Mac. When it comes to the iPhone, the main element that’s still much beyond Apple’s reach is the carriers. Jean-Louis Gassee proposed Apple solve this problem by just scooping up a carrier, like Deutsche Telekom. It’s certainly got the cash and clout to do so, but Apple has been reported for months to be working on this from a totally different angle. And more recently, the company is continuing to rack up patents on methods that could allow it to do an end-run around carriers.

Detroit can win by using genius of the Internet

[Commentary] Throughout history, the American economy has been invigorated through giant leaps forward in technological vision and genius. Today, most of us imagine the proverbial Silicon Valley garage when we think of innovators at work on the next big idea. But a century ago, the workshops of Detroit gave birth to the innovations that lifted society up. The auto industry created new economic growth and jobs for middle class Americans. Detroit became a world-class manufacturing center -- the American dream made real. In the 21st Century, the Internet plays a similar role. Like the auto industry before it, inventions that began in spare rooms and college dorms are generating a new wave of prosperity and opportunity. And that's true right here in Michigan.

Drug companies lose protections on Facebook, some decide to close pages

Facebook and the pharmaceutical industry have had an uneasy partnership in recent years. Many drug companies didn't join the site until Facebook gave them a privilege that others do not have — blocking the public’s ability to openly comment on a page Wall. But that’s about to change.

In a reversal by Facebook, most drug company pages will have to have open Walls starting August 15. Companies are worried that open Walls mean risks, and many are reconsidering their engagement on Facebook. On Friday, AstraZeneca, which sells the antidepressant Seroquel, shut down a page devoted to depression. Johnson & Johnson said it will close four of its pages Monday. Other companies said they will monitor their pages more closely once the changes take effect. The industry is concerned that users might write about bad side effects, promote off-label use or make inappropriate statements about a product, and that the comments could raise concerns from government regulators.

Reps Eshoo, Markey request wireless healthcare study

Reps. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Ed Markey (D-MA) asked the General Accountability Office to study the safety, reliability and compatibility of wireless healthcare technologies. The lawmakers wrote that wireless medical devices hold “significant promise for enhancing health and reducing the costs of healthcare for all Americans,” but they expressed concern over whether the Federal Communications Commission is doing enough to address the challenges and risks the devices pose.

Rural ERs lag in electronic prescribing: study

Emergency departments in rural hospitals may be behind their urban counterparts in switching to computerized drug prescriptions, a new study finds. Researchers found that in 2008, 30 percent of ERs surveyed in four U.S. states had "fully implemented" electronic prescribing. But there was a large gap between urban and rural hospitals; 40 percent of urban ERs had electronic prescribing, versus only 6 percent of rural ones. Rural ERs that were relatively close to cities fared better -- with 21 percent having taken up electronic prescribing. The study, reported in the Annals of Emergency Medicine, also found wide variation among the four states -- Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts and Oregon.

USDA Farm Computer Usage and Ownership Report

A total of 62 percent of U.S. farms now have Internet access, compared with 59 percent in 2009. Sixty-five percent of farms have access to a computer in 2011, up 1 percentage point from 2009. The proportion of U.S. farms owning or leasing a computer in 2011, at 63 percent, was up 2 percentage points from 2009. Farms using computers for their farm business remained virtually stable at 37 percent in 2011 compared to 36 percent in 2009.

DSL was the most common method of accessing the Internet, with 38 percent of U.S. farms using it, up from 36 percent in 2009. Dialup access dropped from 23 percent in 2009 to 12 percent in 2011. Satellite and wireless were each reported as the primary Internet access methods on 15 and 20 percent of those U.S. farms with Internet access, respectively. Cable was reported as the primary access method on 11 percent of the farms, the same level as 2009.

In 2011, 84 percent of U.S. farms with sales and government payments of $250,000 or more have access to a computer, 83 percent own or lease a computer, 72 percent are using a computer for their farm business, and 82 percent have Internet access. For farms with sales and government payments between $100,000 and $249,999, the figures are: 68 percent have access to a computer, 68 percent own or lease a computer, 52 percent are using a computer for their farm business, and 67 percent have Internet access. Of the farms with sales and government payments between $10,000 and $99,999, 63 percent reported having computer access, 62 percent own or lease a computer, 41 percent use a computer for their farm business, and 60 percent have Internet access.

For crop farms, 67 percent have computer access and 41 percent use a computer for their farm business in 2011, up 2 and 1 percentage points from 2009, respectively. Internet access for crop farms has increased to 64 percent in 2011, compared with 60 percent in 2009. In 2011, a total of 63 percent of livestock farms have computer access and 61 percent have Internet access.

North Carolina broadband initiative kicks off new, $104 million phase

The Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative has launched a $104 million, second phase of its project to increase access to broadband service in North Carolina’s rural communities. The initiative seeks to improve access to broadband capabilities in rural communities and promote economic growth.

The overall project is targeted for completion by July 31, 2013. It will create one of the largest broadband networks in the country, says Joe Freddoso, president and chief executive of MCNC. The project’s second phase received a $75.75 million grant from the Department of Commerce’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program. It also received $28.25 million in private donations, including $24 million from the Golden LEAF Foundation. The Rocky Mount-based foundation administers funds from North Carolina’s share of a 1990s national settlement with cigarette manufacturers. It uses the money to aid economic advancement across the state. In total, the initiative will invest $144 million in broadband services for rural communities. It will add 1,620 miles of fiber-optic cable in 79 of the state’s 100 counties.

FCC Probing Wireless Blocking by San Francisco Authorities

The Federal Communications Commission is investigating actions by the transportation authority in San Francisco which interrupted wireless service in commuter stations in an effort to foil protesters who had planned demonstrations.

FCC spokesman Neil Grace said that the agency is "continuing to collect information" about the actions by the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and "and will be taking [steps] to hear from stakeholders about the important issues those actions raised." In particular, Grace alluded to potential public safety problems that could arise when the authorities interrupted service, an action that has caused a national outcry over whether BART exceeded its authority. "Anytime communications services are interrupted, we seek to assess the situation," Grace said.

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