Roy Mark

High tech interests scored a late victory in Congress when the lame duck legislature increased the 2005 H-1B visa ceiling by 20,000 foreign workers. The visas are limited to workers with graduate degrees from U.S. universities. The original quota of 65,000 with undergraduate or higher degrees was reached on Oct. 1, the first day of […]

The U.S. House of Representatives approved today the Senate version of a new Internet access tax moratorium, which bans state and federal tariffs on most Internet connections for the next four years. The Internet Tax Nondiscrimination Act (S. 150) extends the original Internet Tax Freedom Act of 1998 and expands the definitions of access to […]

Congress gave its final approval Wednesday to a high-performance computing bill that dedicates $165 million over the next three years to support U.S. development of the world’s fastest supercomputers. The Department of Energy (DOE) High-End Computing Revitalization Act of 2004 (H.R. 4516) establishes a research and development (R&D) program within the DOE to develop new, […]

Senate negotiators said late Wednesday afternoon that they had cleared the way for Congress to approve a new Internet access tax moratorium that will ban tariffs on most dial-up and broadband connections for the next four years. The Internet Tax Non-Discrimination Act (S. 150) extends the original Internet Tax Freedom Act of 1998, authored by […]

As part of three-pronged, anti-piracy attack launched Tuesday, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) plans to release free software to help parents determine what movie and music titles their children have stored on a computer, along with any installed peer-to-peer (P2P) file-swapping programs. In addition to the snooping software, the MPAA filed civil lawsuits […]

President Bush nominated Democrat Jonathan Adelstein Tuesday for a new five-year term on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee plans a Thursday confirmation hearing on the nomination. Adelstein, a former legislative assistant to Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) is one of two Democrats on the five-member FCC. He originally joined […]

For the key items still left on the technology industry’s legislative agenda, the final session of the 108th Congress has come down to wishing and hoping and not much else. The lame duck Congress will convene Tuesday afternoon and tentatively plans final adjournment on Friday. The four days leave little time to work out compromises […]

WASHINGTON — The American Conservative Union (ACU) accused Hollywood of attempting to “shanghai” public policy for its own agenda as it urged Congress to reject a package of proposed new intellectual property laws. Stacie Rumenap, deputy director of the million-member ACU, joined officials from the electronics industry and public interest groups Friday to denounce an […]

A World Trade Organization (WTO) panel ruled today that U.S. prohibitions on Internet gambling are unfair trade practices and that the country should open its borders to international casinos. The office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) said it would “vigorously” appeal the “deeply flawed” decision. In the ruling, the WTO affirmed a March […]

Both sides of the Voice over IP divide weighed in on yesterday’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruling that stipulates the interstate nature of VoIP services. Two lawmakers were quick to agree with FCC Chairman Michael Powell who said Tuesday’s ruling “lays a jurisdictional foundation” for future telecom reform. However, rural telecom and consumer groups saw […]

UPDATED: WASHINGTON — Voice over IP services are interstate in nature and not subject to traditional state public utility regulation, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decided today. The ruling gives the FCC the responsibility and obligation to decide what regulations apply to Internet telephony. The FCC voted 4-1 to grant N.J.-based VoIP provider Vonage’s request […]

Oracle will drop its efforts to block PeopleSoft’s defense to Oracle’s hostile takeover bid if PeopleSoft’s shareholders fail to tender a majority of their shares by Nov. 19, according to an Oracle letter sent to a Delaware court. The development could lead to Oracle abandoning its hostile takeover bid for PeopleSoft. If Oracle’s $24-a-share offer […]