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The Business Roundtable, which represents the chief executives of top U.S. companies, unveiled a proposal that's aimed at boosting the security of American companies' computer infrastructure against cyberattacks from hackers.

The group is calling for Congress to pass legislation aimed at improving the sharing of information about malicious source code and other cyber threats between government and industry so companies can thwart cyberattacks in real-time. Business Roundtable President John Engler said improving information-sharing — rather than implementing top-down regulations — is key to preventing hackers from siphoning companies' valuable intellectual property or attacking their computer systems. The trade association stresses that information-sharing legislation needs to include liability protection for companies so they're protected from legal action after sharing cyber-threat data with the government. The legislative framework also needs to include antitrust and freedom of information protections for businesses so they don't suffer legal and financial repercussions for sharing cyber-threat data with the government and their corporate peers.

TiVo CEO Tom Rogers likened the looming threat of Internet video distribution to traditional pay TV to the “fiscal cliff,” warning that if operators don’t act now they will face a day of reckoning.

“Television, far from the music or newspaper industries, has avoided falling off the digital cliff so far,” he told me when we met here at CES. But the issue has been “hugely unaddressed by the mainstream television industry.” Rogers’ view is that context -- not connectivity or content -- will be what keeps consumers paying for television service. It’s not an original vision. But the professorial Rogers articulates it well. “The essence is, you want to get in front of people the most relevant content that is immediately actionable,” he said. For pay TV operators, “putting a bunch of channels on Roku is not the answer,” Rogers opined -- a reference to Time Warner Cable’s deal to provide up to 300 live channels through the Internet set-top. In fact, that makes it easier for a customer to drop cable altogether, he argued. Social media will be a key element in next-generation guides, Rogers said. But he doesn’t mean a Facebook app on TV. Rather, “what your social network, the people who you most care about in the world, thinks is important” will be an important factor for content recommendations.

Picture yourself sitting in Cleveland and using the internet to explore places to visit in France. Later, you pull up online radio service Pandora on your web browser to listen to Motown songs and what do you hear? Ads promoting cheap flights to Paris. While marketers have long targeted online radio listeners based on their zip code or gender, this type of interest-based targeting is new. The ad options, which are the result of a deal between radio service Triton Digital and data provider eXelate, mean radio ads are about to get a lot more specific.

A new report by AT&T summarizing the company’s positions on network neutrality/open Internet principles highlights a “worrisome failure in corporate citizenship” and raises significant concerns about AT&T’s long-term commitment to open Internet principles that benefit the American economy and all consumers, according to a group of AT&T investors.

The report was issued by AT&T December 2012 in response to a proposal by shareholders concerned about the company’s current open Internet policies for wireless networks, which comprise the fastest-growing segment of the Internet. In 2011 wireless constituted about half of AT&T revenue; the company has projected that its mobile data traffic will grow more than eight times in the five-year period ending in 2016. “We believe open Internet policies help drive the economy, encourage innovation and reward investors,” the investors said in their proposal. “An open Internet also has particular importance for minority and economically disadvantaged communities, which rely on wireless more than other demographic groups.” AT&T’s response to the shareholders was noted in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission but not otherwise publicized by the company. Following AT&T’s action, shareholders informed the SEC that their proposal requesting a report has been withdrawn.

Jonas Kron, Senior Vice President, Director of Shareholder Advocacy & Corporate Engagement at Trillium Asset Management, noted that AT&T’s position on open Internet for wireless amounted primarily to complying with existing federal regulations – which, in fact, provide huge exemptions from oversight for wireless networks.

Other shortcomings of the report:

• AT&T does not mention a recent and widely-publicized controversy concerning alleged violations of federal regulations involving the blocking of Apple’s FaceTime wireless application. The FaceTime episode raises significant questions about AT&T’s willingness to be forthright with the public and its ability to manage risk.
• AT&T fails to discuss reports of an increasing number of consumer complaints about discrepancies in how much data AT&T wireless customers are using and being charged for.
• There do not appear to be adequate protections to ensure that AT&T does not act as a gatekeeper to innovation, especially with regard to new wireless services and applications. Innovation without the permission of incumbents has been the basis of the Internet becoming an engine of economic growth. AT&T needs to go the extra mile to ensure that innovators are free to develop the next important technology.