The House Judiciary Committee approved the Faster & Smarter Funding for First Responders Act (HR-3266), which could create more funding for public safety interoperability. The bill would create $3.4 billion in Dept. of Homeland Security grants for states and localities that can be used for several purposes, including purchase of interoperable communication systems, along with other training and equipment purchases. The bill doesn’t specifically earmark any money for interoperability. On Wed., the Judiciary Committee approved an amendment that would require each state get at least 0.25% of grant funding. Opponents of the amendment argued that funding should go where the likelihood of a strike was imminent, but House Judiciary Committee Chmn. Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) said terrorists would try to strike at weak links, which is why funding needed to be spread out more evenly. The House Transportation Emergency Management Subcommittee has also required that each state get a minimum of support, but the House Commerce Committee rejected that approach, instead favoring one that gives grants based on risk assessments. - TL
Senate Commerce Committee Chmn. McCain (R-Ariz.) said Wed. he didn’t know if the Senate could complete action this year on Sen. Sununu’s (R-N.H.) VoIP bill, but he hoped at least to mark it up in committee “to give us the opportunity to amend and debate and improve Mr. Sununu’s bill.” Speaking at the committee’s first hearing on the bill, McCain said he’s aware there are “difficult issues” associated with VoIP technology, such as universal service, public safety and CALEA, but Sununu “has introduced a very important, comprehensive piece of legislation.” McCain said he thought VoIP was a “technological breakthrough that will fundamentally change and simplify the ability of Americans to communicate,” but “since it is a breakthrough technology, there’s going to be a lot of china broken.”
Lack of respect for intellectual property (IP) rights and govt. control of the media hinder China’s relationship with the U.S. and don’t reflect commitments made when the country joined the World Trade Organization (WTO), a bipartisan commission said Tues. The U.S.-China Economic & Security Review Commission created by Congress in 2000 submitted a 300-page report to Capitol Hill that said trends in China have “negative implications” for long-term U.S. security. Commission Chmn. Roger Robinson said the U.S. trade deficit with China was $214 billion in 2003, but would have been less if China had adhered to its WTO obligations. Vice Chmn. Richard D'Amato said that when China was admitted to the WTO, “certain assumptions were made,” including that China would have “new openness in information flows [and] enhanced respect for the rule of law.” IP rights and media restrictions were 2 of the 9 areas of the U.S.-China relationship examined by the Commission. One of the report’s key findings was that China has a poor enforcement record on IP rights protection, and it recommended Congress “press the administration to make more use of the WTO dispute settlement mechanism and/or U.S. trade laws to redress unfair Chinese trade practices.” The report also found “there has in practice been no fundamental change in the Chinese government’s approach to controlling the media, including information available through the Internet.” Content monitoring goes beyond the Internet, the report said. For instance, China has 277 million cell phones that are used regularly by citizens, but the Chinese govt. is monitoring cell phone users’ text messages. The Internet “is a growing focus of China’s information control efforts,” the report said, with web sites blocked and content filtered. Combined with China’s continued control over traditional media, Chinese citizens receive a distorted image of the U.S. and its policies, the report said. The Commission recommended Congress increase funding for Bcstg. Board of Governors’ (BBG) programs “aimed at circumventing China’s Internet firewall through the development of anticensorship technologies.” The Commission specifically endorsed the Global Internet Freedom Act, HR-48 by House Select Homeland Security Committee Chmn. Cox (R-Cal.) and S-1183 by Senate Judiciary Technology Subcommittee Chmn. Kyl (R-Ariz.), which would create an Office of Global Internet Freedom in BBG to target China and other countries. The Commission also said the Commerce Dept. and other agencies should review export administration regulations “to determine whether restrictions are needed on the export of U.S. equipment, software, and technologies that permit the Chinese government to surveil its own people or censor free speech.”
Lack of respect for intellectual property (IP) rights and govt. control of the media hinder China’s relationship with the U.S. and don’t reflect commitments made when the country joined the World Trade Organization (WTO), a bipartisan commission said Tues. The U.S.-China Economic & Security Review Commission created by Congress in 2000 submitted a 300-page report to Capitol Hill that said trends in China have “negative implications” for long-term U.S. security. Commission Chmn. Roger Robinson said the U.S. trade deficit with China was $214 billion in 2003, but would have been less if China had adhered to its WTO obligations. Vice Chmn. Richard D'Amato said that when China was admitted to the WTO, “certain assumptions were made,” including that China would have “new openness in information flows [and] enhanced respect for the rule of law.” IP rights and media restrictions were 2 of the 9 areas of the U.S.-China relationship examined by the Commission. One of the report’s key findings was that China has a poor enforcement record on IP rights protection, and it recommended Congress “press the administration to make more use of the WTO dispute settlement mechanism and/or U.S. trade laws to redress unfair Chinese trade practices.” The report also found “there has in practice been no fundamental change in the Chinese government’s approach to controlling the media, including information available through the Internet.” Content monitoring goes beyond the Internet, the report said. For instance, China has 277 million cell phones that are used regularly by citizens, but the Chinese govt. is monitoring cell phone users’ text messages. The Internet “is a growing focus of China’s information control efforts,” the report said, with web sites blocked and content filtered. Combined with China’s continued control over traditional media, Chinese citizens receive a distorted image of the U.S. and its policies, the report said. The Commission recommended Congress increase funding for Bcstg. Board of Governors’ (BBG) programs “aimed at circumventing China’s Internet firewall through the development of anticensorship technologies.” The Commission specifically endorsed the Global Internet Freedom Act, HR-48 by House Select Homeland Security Committee Chmn. Cox (R-Cal.) and S-1183 by Senate Judiciary Technology Subcommittee Chmn. Kyl (R-Ariz.), which would create an Office of Global Internet Freedom in BBG to target China and other countries. The Commission also said the Commerce Dept. and other agencies should review export administration regulations “to determine whether restrictions are needed on the export of U.S. equipment, software, and technologies that permit the Chinese government to surveil its own people or censor free speech.”
The Senate Commerce Committee hearing on VoIP scheduled for Wed. morning will likely feature a debate on how to apply Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) standards to VoIP. Laura Parsky, Justice Dept. deputy asst. attorney gen., and James Dempsey, Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) exec. dir., will comprise the first panel. A CDT spokesman said Dempsey will argue that the FBI must go to Congress for authority to apply CALEA to VoIP services. “The text of CALEA specifically excludes broadband Internet access,” the CDT spokesman said. He said the FBI has other means in which to get information from Internet services. The CDT spokesman also said Dempsey would likely address the costs that CALEA places on providers, arguing it would be too heavy a burden on the broadband services. The 2nd panel will feature: (1) Tom Rutledge, Cablevision COO; David Jones, Spartanburg (S.C.) emergency services dir.; Stan Wise, Ga. Public Service Comr.; Jeff Pulver, Pulver.com CEO; Arturo Macias, Wheat State Telephone Co. gen. manager. The hearing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. in Room 253 Russell Bldg.
At our deadline, debate continued on the Defense Dept. (DoD) authorization bill (S-2499) that could be used as a vehicle for media decency legislation. Sen. Brownback’s (R- Kan.) spokesman said Brownback is considering attaching a pared-down version of the media decency bill to the DoD bill, which sources said is often used as a vehicle for non-germane amendments. But sources also said Brownback was weighing the decision and talking with Senate leadership, which could object to addressing media issues in the defense bill. Brownback hadn’t decided whether he would introduce the [media decency] amendment on DoD, but he “intends to find any legislative vehicle that will pass the underlying decency bill,” his spokesman said. Brownback intends to introduce legislation that will raise FCC fines for indecent broadcast content. But the amendment would strip out some of the controversial provisions added to Brownback’s decency bill (S-2056), which passed the Senate Commerce Committee, but not before amendments on media ownership, violent content and other controversial topics -- such as applying fines to on- air talent -- were added. Sources said efforts by Brownback to move the raise in fines without the other provisions would only invite them to be reintroduced as 2nd-degree amendments. Specifically, Sens. Dorgan (D-N.D.) and Lott (R-Miss.) pushed an amendment that would require a General Accounting Office (GAO) study of media consolidation and how it affects content. It also prevented the FCC from implementing its new media ownership rules until that GAO study was complete, which drew objections from other senators. Also, Senate Commerce Committee ranking Democrat Hollings (S.C.) would likely push for a provision on media violence that would require the FCC to apply to broadcasters’ standards on violence that are similar to the standards on indecency. The Senate is expected to spend most of this week working on the DoD bill, which has nearly 100 proposed amendments.
Low demand for broadband services has emerged as one of the “major challenges” for U.S. policy, FCC Wireline Bureau Deputy Chief Carol Mattey told a panel sponsored by the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) Thurs. in Washington. She said while 80% of the U.S. population had access to broadband, only 20% of households subscribed: “A key question for the U.S. policy is why so many people that have access to broadband in the United States have chosen not yet to subscribe.” The panel focused on policy and regulatory developments in Japan and the U.S. as they affect broadband deployment
Senators eager to move broadcast decency legislation may use the Defense Dept. authorization legislation (S-2400) as a vehicle to move a pared down version of the Senate bill, industry sources said. Senate sources confirmed that Sen. Brownback (R-Kan.), the broadcast decency bill (S-2056) sponsor, has proposed such an amendment to the DoD bill, but it’s unclear whether Brownback will push this amendment when it comes to the Senate floor next week. Due to the state funeral for President Ronald Reagan, Senate floor activity was canceled this week, but the DoD bill is expected to be considered next week.
Intellectual property is the focus of 2 Senate hearings Wed. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee scheduled the leaders of 4 copyright-focused trade groups to testify on international piracy. The panel includes MPAA Pres. Jack Valenti, RIAA Chmn. Mitch Bainwol, Business Software Alliance Pres. Robert Holleyman, and Entertainment Software Assn. Pres. Douglas Lowenstein. The hearing is at 9:30 a.m., Rm. 419, Dirksen Bldg. At about the same time, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on commerce, Justice, State & Judiciary is examining intellectual property rights. Witnesses include U.S. Patent & Trademark Office Acting Dir. Jon Dudas, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Josette Shiner, Dept. of Justice Asst. Attorney Gen.-Criminal Div. Christopher Wray, and State Dept. Asst. Secy.-Economic & Business Affairs Tony Wayne. That hearing is at 10 a.m., Rm. 124, Dirksen Bldg.
Intellectual property is the focus of 2 Senate hearings set for Wed. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee scheduled the leaders of 4 copyright-focused trade groups to testify on international piracy. The panel includes MPAA Pres. Jack Valenti, RIAA Chmn. Mitch Bainwol, Business Software Alliance Pres. Robert Holleyman, and Entertainment Software Assn. Pres. Douglas Lowenstein. The hearing is at 9:30 a.m., Rm. 419, Dirksen Bldg. At about the same time, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on commerce, Justice, State & Judiciary is examining intellectual property rights. Witnesses include U.S. Patent & Trademark Office Acting Dir. Jon Dudas, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Josette Shiner, Dept. of Justice Asst. Attorney Gen.-Criminal Div. Christopher Wray, and State Dept. Asst. Secy.- Economic & Business Affairs Tony Wayne. That hearing is at 10 a.m., Rm. 124, Dirksen Bldg.