[Cybertel-Ann] 12.1.6 :: GAO on Broadband :: Hey Buddey, I gots this new broadband technology :: Unconfirmed Unspecified Cyber Threat ::

Fri Dec 1 20:07:21 PST 2006

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CyberTelecom News  
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"Be conservative in what you do, be liberal in what
you accept from others" 
Jon Postel's Law

Telecommunications: FCC Needs to Improve Its Ability
to Monitor and Determine the Extent of Competition in
Dedicated Access Services GAO-07-80, November 29,
2006, GAO, 12/1/2006 
Government agencies and businesses that require
significant capacity to meet voice and data needs
depend on dedicated access services. This segment of
the telecommunications market generated about $16
billion in revenues for the major incumbent
telecommunications firms in 2005. The Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) has historically
regulated dedicated access prices. With the
Telecommunications Act of 1996, FCC reformed its rules
to rely on competition to bring about cost-based
pricing.
http://www.gao.gov/docsearch/abstract.php?rptno=GAO-07-80
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/broadband/

No 'rubber stamp' on telecom mergers, judge says,
CNET, 12/1/2006 
Judge says he'll do "independent review" of deals
between AT&T-SBC and Verizon-MCI, but offers no hints
of when a ruling will come.
http://news.com.com/2100-1036_3-6139838.html?part=rss&tag=2547-1_3-0-20&subj=news
More Info:
http://www.cybertelecom.org/broadband/merger.htm

Broadband Over Powerlines: The Technology Of The
Perpetual Future..., Techdirt, 12/1/2006 
We've been hearing about the supposed wonders of
"broadband over powerlines" (BPL) for many, many
years. There were some reports in the mid-nineties
about the technology, where it was made pretty clear
that powerlines really couldn't handle BPL at any
serious scale, but that hasn't stopped plenty of
companies from trying over the years -- nearly all of
which have received tons of hype from the press and
the FCC
http://techdirt.com/articles/20061130/134052.shtml
More Info:
http://www.cybertelecom.org/broadband/power.htm

Mobile Video, Net Neutrality, and Verizon Wireless -
Mobile providers and the walled garden approach to
content, Broadband Reports, 12/1/2006 
Over the last few weeks, Verizon Wireless has
announced deals with both Youtube and Revver, allowing
them to offer exclusive home-brew video content to
VCAST subscribers. VCAST users shell out $15 a month,
on top of other costs, to view a crop of video
services selected by Verizon.
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/79989
More Info:
http://www.cybertelecom.org/broadband/w3g.htm

FCC Grants First Set of Advanced Wireless Services
Licenses Won in Auction No. 66., FCC, 12/1/2006 
Today, the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC)
Wireless Telecommunications Bureau granted 550 of the
1,087 licenses won in the Advanced Wireless Services
(AWS) Auction completed September 18, 2006 (Auction
No. 66).  The grant of these licenses will promote the
further deployment of broadband services across the
United States, as they can be used to provide a wide
array of innovative wireless services and
technologies, including voice, data, video, and other
wireless broadband services.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-268728A1.doc
More Info:
http://www.cybertelecom.org/broadband/wireless.htm

CASELAW: Barrett v. Rosenthal, CA Supreme Ct,
12/1/2006 
Blogger who posted 3rd party material on blog, where
3rd party material was found defamatory, enjoys
immunity pursuant to Sec. 230 of the Communications
Decency Act - the Good Samaritan Provisions
http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/opinions/documents/S122953.PDF
More Info:
http://www.cybertelecom.org/cda/samaritan.htm

Markey to Take Telecom Subcommittee, Tales from the
Sausage Factory, 12/1/2006 
Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) has confirmed he will take the
Telecom Subcommittee rather than seek chairmanship of
the Resources Committee. I can't think of better news
to close out 2006. Ed Markey displays that rare,
brilliant combination of staying ...
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/ci/neutral.htm

Evolution in the Management of Country Code Top-Level
Domain Names (ccTLDs), OECD, 12/1/2006 
This document quantifies ccTLD registrations and
demand; trends in administering ccTLDs; current and
ongoing policy and technical issues such as
internationalised domain names (IDNs), Whois, or
security, and ccTLD managers’ institutional
relationships.
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/8/18/37730629.pdf
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/dns/

.Com Domain Registry Agreement:, NTIA, 12/1/2006 
NTIA approved today a new .com domain name registry
agreement between the Internet Corporation for
Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and VeriSign Inc. 
The new agreement allows VeriSign to operate the .com
domain through 2012.
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/press/2006/icanncom_113006.htm
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/dns/ntia.htm

Communications Daily Publisher Albert Warren, Wash
Post, 12/1/2006 
Albert Warren, 86, who built a group of newsletters
covering the telecommunications, broadcasting and
consumer electronics industries into a small,
influential empire, died after a stroke Nov. 26 at his
home in Washington.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/29/AR2006112901451.html?nav=rss_technology
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/industry/

Commerce OKs VeriSign `.com' contract, Internet News,
12/1/2006 
VeriSign Inc. will run the key directories that keep
track of ".com" domain names until at least 2012 as
the U.S. Commerce Department approved a lucrative
contract extension.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061130/ap_on_hi_te/commerce_verisign
More Info:
http://www.cybertelecom.org/industry/verisign.htm

Classes of Works Subject to Exemption from Prohibition
against Circumvention Announced, LOC, 12/1/2006 
The Librarian of Congress, on the recommendation of
the Register of Copyrights, has announced the classes
of works subject to the exemption from the prohibition
in 17 U.S.C. section 1201(a)(1) against circumvention
of technological measures that control access to
copyrighted works.
http://www.copyright.gov/newsnet/2006/301.html
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/ip/dmca.htm

Internet replaces TV shows, books, The Exponent,
12/1/2006 
Americans have begun to use the Internet as a primary
form of entertainment, according to a study at the
University of Southern California.
http://www.purdueexponent.org/index.php/module/Section/section_id/5/?module=article&story_id=3194
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/media/

Bush Appoints Two to National Security
Telecommunications Advisory Committee, White House,
12/1/2006 
President George W. Bush today announced his intention
to appoint two people and designate two people to
serve in his Administration.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/11/20061130-15.html
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/security/

U.S. Reports Unconfirmed Cyber Threat, Wash Post,
12/1/2006 
The government warned on Thursday of a possible
Internet attack on U.S. stock market and banking Web
sites from a radical Muslim group, but officials said
the threat was unconfirmed and seemed to pose no
immediate danger.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/30/AR2006113001115.html?nav=rss_technology
More Info:
http://www.cybertelecom.org/security/cyberwar.htm

Attacks Possible on Stock Market and Bank Web Sites,
NYT, 12/1/2006 
The government issued the alert Thursday, but said the
threat by a radical Muslim group was unconfirmed and
seemed to pose no immediate danger.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/01/technology/01hack.html?ei=5088&en=8ba1858c3d51cb62&ex=1322629200&adxnnl=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1164989032-Qqs4SnbyIlsjfUqx+S3JdA
More Info:
http://www.cybertelecom.org/security/cyberwar.htm

New Rules Compel Firms to Track E-Mails, Wash Post,
12/1/2006 
The rules, approved by the Supreme Court in April,
require companies and other entities involved in
federal litigation to produce "electronically stored
information" as part of the discovery process, when
evidence is shared by both sides before a trial.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/01/AR2006120100233.html?nav=rss_technology
More Info:
http://www.cybertelecom.org/security/records.htm

Spam, Spam, Spam!, emarketer, 12/1/2006 
The Monty Python team said it best. According to a
number of sources, the spam problem is getting worse.
http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?1004311
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/spam/

Dog Eats Opt-Out Requests, FTC Is Not Impressed,
CircleID, 12/1/2006 
Last week the Federal Trade Commission settled a
lawsuit against Yesmail, a large ESP (Email Service
Provider). The facts of the case are not in dispute,
but their meaning is. Yesmail, like most large ESPs,
has absorbed a number of its smaller competitors over
the years including a company called @Once. Back in
2004, they screwed up their incoming mail so that a
whole lot of bounces and opt-out requests were
erroneously filtered out as spam. As a result,
thousands of people who'd told @Once to stop sending
them mail kept getting mail anyway
http://www.circleid.com/posts/esp_spam_ftc_not_impressed/
More Info:
http://www.cybertelecom.org/spam/enforce.htm

Omega World Travel v. Mummagraphics Inc, 4th Cir,
12/1/2006 
The CAN-SPAM Act preempts Mummagraphics’ claims under
Oklahoma’s statutes. In addition, Mummagraphics failed
to allege the material inaccuracies or pattern of
failures to conform to opt-out requirements that is
necessary to establish liability under the CAN-SPAM
Act. The CANSPAM Act addresses "spam" as a serious and
pervasive problem, but it does not impose liability at
the mere drop of a hat.
http://pacer.ca4.uscourts.gov/opinion.pdf/052080.P.pdf
More Info:
http://www.cybertelecom.org/spam/enforce.htm

Security Of Electronic Voting Is Condemned, Wash Post,
12/1/2006 
Paperless electronic voting machines used throughout
the Washington region and much of the country "cannot
be made secure," according to draft recommendations
issued this week by a federal agency that advises the
U.S. Election Assistance Commission.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/30/AR2006113001637.html?nav=rss_technology
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/vote/

NIST Recommends Decertifying Paperless Voting
Machines, Freedom to Tinker, 12/1/2006 
In an important development in e-voting policy, NIST
has issued a report recommending that the
next-generation federal voting-machine standards be
written to prevent (re-)certification of today’s
paperless e-voting systems.
http://www.freedom-to-tinker.com/?p=1092
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/vote/

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