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January 26, 2007
Tech Talk In Committee
The partisan shift of power from Republicans to Democrats on Capitol Hill means the policymaking terrain has changed for the technology industry. That is especially true in the House and Senate committees, where much of the heavy congressional lifting occurs.
With that in mind, Technology Daily this week began a two-week series to examine the tech-related agendas of the committees and subcommittees, the leaders behind those agendas and the newest lawmakers on the panels. We started by covering the panels with the broadest tech and telecom jurisdictions, including the House Energy and Commerce Committee now headed by Michigan Democrat John Dingell.
Dingell has an ambitious 2007 agenda. His priorities include fresh telecom legislation with a more deregulatory focus; a further examination of television "indecency;" and renewed efforts to overhaul the universal service fund that subsidizes telecom services in rural and impoverished areas.
Massachusetts Democrat Edward Markey will head the panel's Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee, and he is expected to continue pushing for a mandate to treat high-speed Internet content equally, among other things.
The rest of this week's podcast includes reports on tech industry reaction to the president's State of the Union address, the state rebellion against federally mandated ID standards, and an emerging type of stock fraud.
Posted by Technology Daily at 11:27 AM | Permalink
January 19, 2007
Uproar Over Electronic Surveillance
The hottest topics on the technology front this week were electronic surveillance and data mining aimed at catching terrorists. The Bush administration announced a change in course for one controversial program even as concerns about another one arose.
The administration announced that it will begin getting permission from a secret court charged with handling requests for surveillance warrants on U.S. soil. Previously, it has bypassed the court, engendering criticism of the program.
Civil libertarians, meanwhile, urged Congress to investigate the Pentagon's just-disclosed use of anti-terrorism law to collect financial records of American citizens and those suspected of terrorism or espionage in the United States.
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was grilled about both programs during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
Other topics covered in this week's podcast include the number of names on the "no-fly" list, the call for a study of Internet pornography, and the FCC chairman's agenda for 2007.
Posted by Technology Daily at 10:51 AM | Permalink
January 12, 2007
Gadgets, Gizmos And Tech Policy
Techies swarmed to Las Vegas this week for the annual Consumer Electronics Show, but they took a few breaks from their celebration of gizmos and gadgetry to talk about technology policy.
Tech Daily Senior Writer Andrew Noyes was there to capture all of the news for our PM Edition and our blog, Tech Daily Dose.
Gary Shapiro, the dean of the consumer electronics sector, kicked off the festivities with an opening keynote that promoted "fair use" of copyrighted content for tech users. He claimed success in fighting past efforts to "restrict, tax, ban and hobble" technologies but said innovators still face "debilitating lawsuits."
Other topics we covered this week included: a debate about Internet gambling at CES, a Supreme Court ruling on who can challenge patents and when, and the prospects for a merger of tech industry groups. Listen to the podcast for details.
Posted by Technology Daily at 12:10 PM | Permalink
January 05, 2007
The Dawn Of Democratic Rule
Lawmakers returned to Washington this week to start the 110th Congress -- the gift that keeps on giving for Democrats who took control of both the House and Senate, and the lump of coal in the stocking for Republicans who lost power.
House Democrats started the session by taking steps to clean their own house. They cast votes on ethics reform hours after the swearing-in ceremony.
The ethics package would ban gifts from lobbyists and require that tickets to sporting events for lawmakers and staff by non-lobbyists be valued at market price. Virtually all travel funded by lobbyists would be banned. The Ethics Committee would develop guidelines for lobbyist involvement in one-day/one-night travel, and would review all trips in advance.
Art Brodsky of Public Knowledge said his group would like to see the travel restrictions allow room for general education of lawmakers on issues. He noted, for instance, that it may be useful for lawmakers to attend the Consumer Electronics Show that begins Sunday in Las Vegas, particularly if they follow tech issues.
Other topics this week include the e-voting controversy in Florida, network neutrality after the AT&T, BellSouth merger, and the agenda of the Congressional Internet Caucus. Listen to the podcast for those stories and more.
Posted by Technology Daily at 11:11 AM | Permalink
