This Week In Tech: DTV Deadline Nears
The FCC has cleared the decks for a Wednesday public meeting slated to focus solely on the final phase of the nationwide shift to digital television signals on Friday, June 12 -- nine days after the FCC session -- when more than 900 stations will cut their analog transmissions. In a replay of previous agency meetings addressing the same topic, federal officials, broadcasters, advocacy groups and other stakeholders will provide status reports about the switchover. The meeting kicks off at 9:30 a.m. at FCC headquarters.
Meanwhile, the buzz over the Obama administration's Friday release of its comprehensive cybersecurity review continues this week -- initially with a noon briefing today sponsored by the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee. Panelists will discuss the report, the role of the forthcoming White House "cyber czar" and the potential challenges in implementing the recommendations coming out of the White House review. Included on the panel are former Homeland Security Department Assistant Secretary for Policy Stewart Baker; James Lewis of the Center for Strategic and International Studies; Business Software Alliance President Robert Holleyman; Greg Nojeim of the Center for Democracy and Technology; and Marcus Sachs of Verizon.
The White House cybersecurity report will also be the subject of discussion and debate at the 19th annual Computers Freedom and Privacy conference this week. Attendees will hear from Susan Crawford, special assistant to the president for science, technology and innovation policy and a member of the National Economic Council -- who appears Tuesday. Other panels at the conference -- which runs through Thursday at George Washington University's Marvin Center -- will address issues including privacy, health IT, cloud computing, and Web safety. The conference also features a keynote by Craigslist founder Craig Newmark as well as officials from the FTC and FBI.
The House reconvenes Tuesday following a 10-day Memorial Day recess, and this week is slated to consider an unusual bill authorizing programs and spending for the Homeland Security Department's Transportation Security Administration. The bill represents the first-ever authorizing legislation for TSA since the agency was created in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Lawmakers will consider 14 amendments to the bill -- including one that would prohibit the agency from using so-called whole-body imaging machines at primary airport screening checkpoints. The legislation would authorize such activities as a test program to demonstrate the use of biometrics to improve aviation security.
The National Academies' National Research Council will release a congressionally mandated report Tuesday that examines the rates at which women and men are hired and promoted in science and engineering jobs at top research universities, and assesses the extent to which they have similar opportunities. The report will be released at a one-hour public briefing. The release of the report is certain to stir memories of the remarks made by then-Harvard University President Lawrence Summers in early 2005, when Summers asserted that women lacked the same "intrinsic aptitude" for science as men. A year later, the continuing controversy surrounding those remarks helped lead to a resignation under pressure by Summers -- who now heads the White House National Economic Council.
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