Roy Mark

The U.S. House Commerce Committee backed the White House Thursday and emphatically opposed turning over governance of the Internet to the United Nations (U.N.). In a letter to administration officials, Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tex.), chairman of the House Commerce Committee, and ranking member John Dingel1 (D-Mich.) wrote that the “United States should maintain its historic […]

Later this month, a number of Silicon Valley executives plan to swarm Capitol Hill to press lawmakers on technology policy. They shouldn’t bother; neither the White House nor Congress cares in 2005. In the relative order of issues this year in Washington, technology policy ranks slightly behind naming post offices. The White House ranks tech […]

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is trying to stop the operations of a New Hampshire company that allegedly includes with its peer-to-peer (P2P) software secret spyware and adware that can’t be uninstalled. According to an FTC lawsuit, Odysseus Marketing and its owner Walter Rines offer free P2P software, known as Kazanon, that claims to make […]

MANASSAS, Va. — Just one year after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved rules for the deployment of broadband over power lines (BPL), the technology made its commercial debut in this Washington suburb. “We have accomplished something here that will be a model for other cities and towns across the United States,” a beaming Manassas […]

The Department of Justice (DoJ) indicted a Florida man late Monday afternoon for running an alleged Internet scam seeking to profit from Hurricane Katrina. Gary S. Kraser of Aventura, Fla., is charged with four counts of wire fraud for soliciting charitable donations supposedly intended for the humanitarian relief of Hurricane Katrina victims. According to the […]

A woman accused of illegally downloading 1,400 gangsta rap tunes is counter suing the music industry for allegedly violating Oregon’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO). While normally used against organized crime, RICO laws are also used against businesses in cases involving alleged criminal activities. In the case of the Recording Industry Association of […]

Just in time for the holiday shopping season, 18 states are preparing to clear the path this weekend for imposing online sales taxes. Clearing and collecting, however, are entirely different matters. On Saturday, the Streamlined Sales Tax Project (SSTP) is expected to organize into a legal entity called the Streamlined Sales Tax Governing Board with […]

WASHINGTON — More spectrum and money for first responders is getting renewed Congressional interest in the backwash of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. As has repeatedly happened in natural disasters and terrorist attacks, emergency workers faced overwhelming odds in New Orleans: with virtually all power sources down and telecommunications networks smashed, first responders were working with […]

In the devastating wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and George Allen (R-Va.) are urging the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to finally put the “Net Guard” into action. Wyden and Allen are the authors of the National Emergency Technology Guard (NET Guard) passed as part of the Homeland Security […]

The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) decision to expand wiretap accessibility requirements to broadband providers and Internet telephone companies continued to come under legal fire today. Fewer than 24 hours after the Center for Democracy and Technology announced it plans to challenge the FCC’s ruling, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) said it has similar intentions. Both […]

The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) rules on Voice over IP wiretapping accessibility is likely to set off another round of regulatory uncertainty, all in the name of regulatory certainty. Since the FCC began investigative proceedings on VoIP almost two years ago, the agency has promised a light regulatory approach but stressed that Internet telephone services […]

UPDATED: For the third time in as many months, The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is delaying its order that Internet telephone providers cut off service to customers who have not acknowledged the possible limitations of Voice over IP E911 calling services. Because the nomadic nature of VoIP allows users to place and receive calls from […]