Andrew Noyes is moving to Facebook's lobbying shop as manager of public policy communications. He has covered the technology beat for National Journal Group's CongressDaily since 2006 and launched the Tech Daily Dose blog the same year. He knows that making the leap to private industry is a definite role reversal. Tech lobbyists he once called for quotes are already welcoming him to the "dark side," while fellow reporters tease that they'll want exclusive scoops.

Although Silicon Valley heavyweights Google and Microsoft have sprawling D.C. lobby shops, the social-networking website is just establishing its K Street operations. Noyes, 29, will divide his time between putting out public-relations fires and drawing on his extensive Rolodex to help the company get established in Washington. Facebook hired its first lobbyist in April, and Noyes will become just the third employee in the office.

* Effective Nov. 7, Noyes can be reached at andrew{at}andrewnoyes.net.

Earlier this year, Carper asked the GAO to study whether the Office of Management and Budget was providing Congress with the true cost of IT investments based on several hearings that revealed agencies often under-report the price tag for federal projects. "At a time when our country faces record deficits and dramatic budget cuts, it is unacceptable that agencies are not telling Congress and the taxpayers the true costs for these large-scale technology investments," Carper said in a statement.

Due to laws prohibiting him from lobbying Congress for two years after leaving office, Smith said he requires an ethics waiver that indicates his participation in their planned Nov. 17 meeting is legally and ethically permissible. Smith was defeated by Democrat Jeff Merkley in 2008 after two terms in office and was named head of NAB in September. He said there may be an exception for communications made in congressional testimony and needs confirmation from the Senate that his involvement falls within that, or another exception.

Read more in Tech Daily Dose here and in CongressDaily here (subscription required).

"If Google really wanted to give users control over their privacy it would give consumers the ability to be anonymous from the company and its advertisers in crucial areas such as search data and online behavior," Consumer Watchdog's John Simpson said in a press release. "The Dashboard gives the appearance of control without the actual ability to prevent Google from tracking you and delivering you to its marketers." That function is Google's "black box and data mine," he said.

Consumer Watchdog said Google should offer a simple "make-me-anonymous" or "don't track" button or icon on its home page, or at the very least in its dashboard, that would prevent search information from being logged at the choice of the user. The group also said that the dashboard, though useful, is not easy to find. Read more about dashboard here.

In their letter, they reference Obama's day one memo pledging increased openness and participation in executive decision-making and directing agencies to "take affirmative steps to make information public." The continuing Open Government Initiative indicates a strong commitment to applying the principles in practice but multiple aspects of ACTA fail to meet those standards, they said. Read the text of the letter here (PDF).

He noted he has been working with Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl and other leaders from both parties to help make that happen. Leahy said last month that he wants to work with Majority Leader Harry Reid to schedule, before the end of the year, floor debate on legislation that would overhaul the U.S. patent system. The Obama administration has thrown its support behind the bill. Patent and Trademark Office Director David Kappos recently told a group of IP attorneys that a legislative fix is needed immediately.

A dozen senators, including Sens. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Senate Finance ranking member Charles Grassley, sent a letter to Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell stating the bill needs more work before it is brought to the floor. Judiciary ranking member Jeff Sessions and Kyl have questioned the bill's approach to challenging a patent after it is granted.

"Americans are increasingly enjoying the convenience of online services provided by both private and government entities and voter registration shouldn't be an exception," they said in a statement, acknowledging the bill is still a work in progress. "Providing states with incentives to implement online programs would not only assist registrants, but would also help state election administrators reduce costs, save time and increase accuracy," they said.

The draft bill would direct the Election Assistance Commission to reimburse states for the cost of creating Web-based voter registration programs. In order to qualify, a program would have to be operated through the Web site of the chief state election official. The state agency would also have to ensure the accuracy, integrity, and security of the information provided by an applicant. That includes flagging registration attempts originating from an automated source or multiple attempts by the same individual.

"There is no justification for delaying the compliance date for the long-overdue regulations implementing UIGEA," Bachus and Kyl wrote. If the final rule represented an "unreasonable burden on regulators and the financial services industry," as some lawmakers have claimed, the Treasury and Federal Reserve could have reconsidered the regulations early in the new administration and before the industry began taking steps to comply. This did not happen and the financial services sector did not petition to have the rule amended, they wrote.

Kyl and Bachus said the Treasury and Federal Reserve should carefully monitor the law's effectiveness after they go into effect and consider modifications if necessary. "Delaying the compliance date serves no interest except that of the Internet gambling enterprises that have long evaded American gambling laws and will continue to do so until effective enforcement is in place," they wrote. Read the letter here (PDF).

More baby boomers are heading into a system, which is relying on technology that was cutting edge --- back when this generation was putting their children through college, CCIA said in a press release. The SSA has faced criticism from Congress and its inspector general about the accessibility and security of vital data and the agency was granted $500 million under the economic stimulus package to fix its aging IT infrastructure.

In the CCIA paper, "The Promise of Open IT at Social Security," industry analyst Jeffrey Gould recommends that SSA switch to open standards for citizens' data, and that critical citizens' data be stored in standardized data tables that can easily be read and used by any widely used relational database. He also writes that new versions of all critical applications should be translated to modern computer languages that are not tied to a particular hardware platform or operating system. Read more about the paper here.

Green and Conaway sponsored a resolution opposing the bill and it has garnered more than 250 backers. Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., introduced an identical proposal. "We have serious concerns that legislation imposing a new royalty on local radio stations, particularly in this economic climate, will be tremendously harmful to radio stations and their employees, local communities that rely on radio, and recipients, such as charities and non-profits, that receive free airtime for their causes," Green and Conaway wrote.

Fiorina made her announcement at Earth Friendly Products in Garden Grove, Calif., where she discussed her top priorities including job creation, economic recovery and restoring fiscal accountability in Washington. "Throughout my career I've brought people together and solved problems and that is what I plan to do in government - set aside ego and partisanship and work to develop solutions to our problems," she said in a statement.

"I believe big change is not impossible, but it does require leadership, innovative thinking, teamwork and tackling the most obvious and pressing problems first," Fiorina said. "My campaign is going to be about solutions that work for the people of California and about holding Barbara Boxer accountable for her failed record over her last 18 years in the Senate, her utter failure to lead and her track record of bitter and ineffective partisanship."

She will face off in the GOP primary against California Assemblyman Chuck DeVore. For more information visit CarlyforCalifornia.com.

House Judiciary ranking member Lamar Smith and other Republicans have unsuccessfully argued that the PATRIOT Act bill introduced two weeks ago by Chairman John Conyers with House Judiciary Constitution Subcommittee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., and Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security Subcommittee Chairman Bobby Scott, D-Va., deserves a hearing before it is teed up for a vote.

Smith called the lack of a hearing an "unwarranted departure" from the regular committee process. He chaired a GOP briefing on the bill Tuesday. Smith said Democrats insist on making unnecessary changes to the law that could undermine law enforcement. The Obama administration backed a full reauthorization of the expiring provisions but said it remained open to suggestions for modifications.

Read the full CongressDaily story here (subscription required) and read more coverage in Thursday's AM Edition.

"Rather than compete fairly, Intel used bribery and coercion to maintain a stranglehold on the market," said Cuomo, who served Intel with a wide-ranging subpoena in January 2008. "Intel's actions not only unfairly restricted potential competitors, but also hurt average consumers who were robbed of better products and lower prices," he added. Intel has repeatedly denied antitrust allegations and filed an appeal against a recent European Commission ruling.

More than 20 lawmakers recently urged Justice Department antitrust chief Christine Varney and FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz to view the European antitrust ruling with a critical eye and weigh its impact on U.S. high-tech firms. The Sept. 18 letters to Varney and Leibowitz, spearheaded by Oregon Reps. Earl Blumenauer, a Democrat, and Greg Walden, a Republican, argued the Intel ruling "is the latest evidence of a troublesome trend in Europe toward regulatory protectionism."

The DOT-FCC partnership will also include outreach efforts to educate the public about the dangers of texting and taking on cell phones while driving and other behavior that can lead to accidents, according to a press release. LaHood told lawmakers distracted driving "is costing lives and inflicting injuries across the nation's roads and railways. Genachowski said combining the resources of both agencies "can have a major impact on this problem."

Other witnesses included CTIA - The Wireless Association President Steve Largent; David Teater of Transportation Strategic Initiatives; Center for Auto Safety Executive Director Clarence Ditlow; Robert Strassburger of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers; Tom Dingus of the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute; and Anne McCartt of the Insurance Institute for Highway and Auto Safety.

"Transforming VA into an organization that is veteran-centric, results-oriented and forward-looking is my top priority," Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki said in a press release. "Leveraging the talent, innovation and creativity of stakeholders, like Craig Newmark, is just one of the many ways VA can think outside of the box to help deliver tangible results to our nation's veterans."

VA officials from each of the agency's 57 regional offices across the country have submitted more than 3,000 ideas, which will be reviewed by Newmark and other panel members. Newmark said he looked forward to working with VA's leadership team to "bring tangible results" to veterans. He added that he is encouraged by the fact that VA is "embracing new ways to look at old problems."