http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/ en Copyright 2009 Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:19:20 GMT http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification Legislation that would renew for five years a law governing transmission of broadcast television signals via satellite services such as DirecTV and EchoStar moved a step closer to enactment Thursday when the Senate Commerce Committee approved its version of a reauthorization bill. The Satellite Home Viewer Act, which sets the copyright royalty fees for "local-into-local" service and the delivery of distant network signals to customers who can't receive over-the-air broadcasts, needs to be renewed before the law expires Dec. 31. Under "local into local," TV signals are redelivered to their respective markets via satellite. The Commerce and Judiciary committees in http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/11/panel-oks-satellite-home-viewe.php http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/11/panel-oks-satellite-home-viewe.php Television Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:19:20 GMT The Senate Commerce Committee backed legislation Thursday intended to eliminate restrictions on the operation of low-power FM stations. The bill (S. 592), which passed on a voice vote, calls for scuttling a requirement that low-power stations be located more then three clicks away on both sides of the FM dial from commercial broadcasters. As a part of the 2000 legislation authorizing low-power FM, Congress imposed the limitation to assuage fears on the part of larger broadcasters that the newly authorized community stations -- which generate signals of less than 100 watts -- would cause interference over the FM airways. For http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/11/senate-bill-lifts-lowpower-fm.php http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/11/senate-bill-lifts-lowpower-fm.php Radio Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:12:30 GMT Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., wants the federal government to follow her state's lead in cutting the energy usage of power-hungry high-definition television sets. The California Energy Commission earlier this week approved a plan to cut the energy consumption of new televisions sold in the state by one-third beginning in 2011 and by one-half starting in 2013. In a Thursday letter to Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Feinstein urged the Energy Department to take a "serious look" at crafting national standards for TVs that are as rigorous as the ones adopted in California. But the Consumer Electronics Association, which represents major TV http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/11/senator-seeks-federal-standard.php http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/11/senator-seeks-federal-standard.php Television Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:49:38 GMT President Obama has nominated Walter Isaacson, who headed CNN from 2001-2003, to be the next chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors - an independent agency that oversees non-military international broadcasts by the federal government, including the Voice of America. Isaacson is currently president and chief executive officer of the Aspen Institute, a non-partisan educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, D.C. Among those nominated to other slots on the board are Michael Lynton, chairman and chief executive of Sony Pictures Entertainment. By law, the Broadcasting Board of Governors must be bipartisan, and members are subject to Senate confirmation. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/11/former-cnn-chief-sony-chairman.php http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/11/former-cnn-chief-sony-chairman.php People Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:26:38 GMT The Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday approved by voice vote the nomination of Victoria Espinel to be the White House intellectual property enforcement coordinator. She most recently served as the founder and president of Bridging the Innovation Divide, a nonprofit foundation focused on empowering Americans to obtain the full benefit of their creativity. She also has served as a visiting professor at George Mason University Law School, focusing on intellectual and international trade, and has served as an intellectual property adviser to the Senate Judiciary and Finance committees and the House Judiciary and Ways and Means committees. During the Bush administration, http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/11/judiciary-panel-backs-ip-enfor.php http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/11/judiciary-panel-backs-ip-enfor.php Intellectual Property Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:14:48 GMT FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski sits down with C-SPAN later this week to tape an interview for the network's "Communicators" series, with the segment airing on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. EST. The taping is planned for 3 p.m. Friday at the commission in the main meeting room. C-SPAN is expected to ask about several controversial regulatory matters, including the creation of a national broadband plan to be presented to Congress in February, Genachowski's push to toughen network neutrality rules governing the Internet's openness and the level of his commitment to running a transparent agency. As they discussed the logistics of the http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/11/genachowski-does-cspan.php http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/11/genachowski-does-cspan.php FCC Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:09:44 GMT The House passed two small business bills by voice vote Wednesday that may spur technological innovation. The first, H.R. 3738, would create a new early-stage investment program and authorize equity investment financing for small businesses. The bill calls for participating financiers to invest at least half of the funds in early-stage small firms. "This proposal is very well targeted toward companies that drive American innovation and are working to help solve some of our nation's greatest challenges," said TechAmerica President Phil Bond. The second small business bill, H.R. 3014, would authorize $10 billion in loans to be guaranteed to small http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/11/house-passes-two-small-busines.php http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/11/house-passes-two-small-busines.php Health IT Innovation Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:56:53 GMT Information technology lobbying group TechNet has hired Rey Ramsey as the organization's new president and chief executive officer. Ramsey currently is chief executive officer of One Economy Corp., a global nonprofit that leverages the power of technology to improve the lives of low-income people. He co-founded the group in 2000. One Economy brings unserved and underserved communities into the economic mainstream through facilitating affordable at-home broadband access, producing public-purpose media, and training and employing "Digital Connectors," youth aged 14-21, to enhance their communities' technology capacity, according to the group's Web site. At TechNet, Ramsey will be based in Washington, D.C. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/11/technet-taps-rey-ramsey-as-new.php http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/11/technet-taps-rey-ramsey-as-new.php Lobbying Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:09:29 GMT The House Science and Technology Committee approved legislation Wednesday that would reauthorize and expand federal cybersecurity research programs. The bill (H.R. 4061) would require federal agencies to develop, update, and implement a strategic plan for cybersecurity research and development. The bill, which combined two different bills, would require the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop and implement a plan to ensure coordination on the development of international cybersecurity technical standards within the federal government. "This bill will help to ensure an overall vision for the federal cybersecurity R&D portfolio, will help train the next generation of cybersecurity professionals, http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/11/bill-would-boost-cybersecurity.php http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/11/bill-would-boost-cybersecurity.php Science Security Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:48:38 GMT The fourth annual Internet Governance Forum wrapped up Wednesday in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Among the major issues that the forum must tackle at its fifth meeting next year is whether to continue the forum, which was created following the United Nation's World Summit on the Information Society in 2005. Sha Zukang, the United Nations undersecretary general for economic and social affairs, sought feedback on whether to continue the forum. After obtaining feedback, the U.N. secretary general will make his recommendations in his annual report to the General Assembly next year on whether to continue the forum. In a summary http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/11/internet-forum-wraps-up-in-egy.php http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/11/internet-forum-wraps-up-in-egy.php International Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:41:38 GMT The FTC Tuesday released its agenda for its upcoming privacy roundtable scheduled for Dec. 7. The December roundtable is the first of three such events aimed at examining the privacy challenges posed by technology and business practices that collect and use consumer data. The Washington event will include discussion of online brokers, online behavioral advertising, consumer expectations and disclosures, and the "benefits and risks of collecting, using and retaining consumer data." Nearly three dozen companies, groups and individuals have filed comments on the upcoming workshop. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/11/ftc-privacy-roundtable-agenda.php http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/11/ftc-privacy-roundtable-agenda.php Privacy Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:47:24 GMT Don't kill off over-the-air television just yet. That's the central message in a terse letter that Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., fired off to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski Monday urging him not to go rummaging for wireless spectrum among the frequencies allocated to TV broadcasters for their digital signals. Citing a major spectrum scarcity, the FCC needs to identify more wireless airwaves to accomplish the sweeping goals to be outlined in its upcoming national broadband plan -- and is salivating over the juicy frequencies broadcasters received. "I believe that a further loss of spectrum by broadcasters may have an adverse effect http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/11/dingell-warns-fcc-on-spectrum.php http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/11/dingell-warns-fcc-on-spectrum.php Television Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:33:00 GMT Senate Commerce Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller, D-W.V., said Tuesday that he may pursue legislation to crack down on some controversial online marketing tactics that result in consumers paying for products and services they did not realize they signed up for or used. During a hearing on these aggressive online marketing methods, Rockefeller detailed the results of a committee investigation into the marketing tactics of three firms: Affinion, Vertrue and Webloyalty. "Tricking consumers into buying goods and services they do not want ... It's not ethical. It's not right and it's not the way business should be done," Rockefeller said. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/11/senators-bash-online-marketing.php http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/11/senators-bash-online-marketing.php Congress Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:41:50 GMT Music industry officials and broadcasting representatives were expected to meet Tuesday afternoon to begin negotiations called for by key members of Congress over legislation that would require AM and FM radio stations to pay a new fee to performers and record labels. House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., and Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and other key lawmakers have requested that music and broadcasting executives come together on Capitol Hill to begin two weeks of negotiations on the issue. Music industry representatives expected at the talks included Mitch Bainwol, president of the Recording Industry Association of America as well http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/11/music-industry-broadcasters-me.php http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/11/music-industry-broadcasters-me.php Intellectual Property Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:30:45 GMT Senate Commerce Chairman John (Jay) Rockefeller, D-W.V., has quietly urged the FCC to closely scrutinize Verizon's plan to unload its rural assets in 14 states -- including his own -- to Frontier Communications, a deal that critics insist would leave customers without the latest broadband technologies, Congress Daily's AM edition reported Tuesday. Rockefeller is reportedly so worried about the impact on his home state of West Virginia that he met late last month with Verizon Chairman and CEO Ivan Seidenberg and over the summer with Frontier Chairman and CEO Maggie Wilderotter to convey his concerns. Rockefeller and other critics worry http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/11/rockefeller-urges-scrutiny-of.php http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/11/rockefeller-urges-scrutiny-of.php FCC Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:47:55 GMT