Tech Policy Pod

Down To The Wire In Congress

2006-12-08T11:44:00.000-05:00

Lawmakers will be closing the books on the 109th Congress this week, so advocates of a trio of technology-related bills have been working feverishly to see that their pet concerns are addressed.

At the top of the list for the tech industry is the research and development tax credit. House and Senate leaders appear to have reached agreement on that issue as part of a broader bill on business tax relief. The compromise could come up for quick votes in both chambers.

On the privacy front, advocates of a measure aimed at "pretexting," or obtaining and selling telephone records under false pretenses, are urging the Senate to clear the House-passed bill to President Bush. And Internet activists and campaign finance watchdogs are seeking passage of a bill to mandate electronic filings for future Senate candidates.

Other topics covered in this week's podcast include improper payments for disaster relief, data security and accounting law.

Techies Ponder Life With Democrats

2006-12-01T11:44:00.000-05:00

The 109th Congress is just days from its end, and all of Washington, including the tech industry, is looking ahead to the 110th Congress.

The New Year will bring new chairmen from the newly dominant Democratic Party, but tech lobbyists are not too concerned about all of the change. They are taking comfort in the bipartisan dialogue of key lawmakers like Charles Rangel of New York, who is slated to run the House Ways and Means Committee.

Tech lobbyists expect to have to do more work to get trade deals passed with Rangel as the chairman, but they do not see him as an enemy.

In the Senate, more oversight is expected to be one of the biggest changes under new Democratic chairmen. Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, said both parties likely would agree that the Republican-led Congress has not provided much oversight of Republican President Bush lately.

Rotenberg predicted that Patrick Leahy of Vermont, who is expected to head the Senate Judiciary Committee, "will be very good at that role." Techies also look forward to patent reform under Leahy's leadership.

The Supreme Court also heard arguments in two tech-related cases this week, one on patent reform and the other on price-fixing in the telecommunications sector. For that news and more from the tech policy front, listen to the podcast.

The Lame-Duck R&D Pitch

2006-11-17T11:12:00.000-05:00

Leaders from more than a dozen high-tech groups this week urged Congress to renew the research and development tax credit before adjourning their post-election session.

The United States was the innovator of the R&D credit in 1981 but has fallen behind other nations, industry leaders lamented. They added that U.S. innovation could lag as a result.

The U.S. R&D credit expired this year, and attempts to renew it have failed because of unrelated political maneuvering. Industry officials said the credit should be renewed during the lame-duck Congress because it is not a partisan issue and the election is behind lawmakers.

Other major tech policy news this week touched on anti-terrorism surveillance, e-voting reform and caller-identification spoofing. Listen to the podcast for details.

Election 2006: America Turns Blue

2006-11-10T11:31:00.000-05:00

Democrats have regained political power for the first time in 12 years, and their success stretches from Capitol Hill to statehouses and state legislatures across the country.

The Democratic Party rode a wave of voter concern about the Iraq war and frustration over Republican scandals straight into the seats of power in both chambers of Congress. Some Republican lawmakers favored by the technology industry were among the casualties.

They included Sens. George Allen of Virginia and Conrad Burns of Montana, as well as Rep. Nancy Johnson of Connecticut, a big booster of health information technology and the research and development tax credit.

Democrats also gained a majority of governorships and state legislatures, and an online fundraising effort for Democratic candidates to become secretaries of state bore plenty of electoral fruit.

Listen to the podcast for more details on the election and the tech outlook under a Democratic-controlled Congress.

The Final Exam For Electronic Voting

2006-11-03T11:02:00.000-05:00

Americans go to the polls for a pivotal mid-term election Tuesday, and one of the great unknowns is how well the numerous new machines for recording their votes will work. Election officials are busy making last-minute preparations so that candidates, not e-voting systems, make the news.

Voting-rights activists are going to be closely watching the performance of machines that many of them suspect are unreliable and insecure. According to a report released earlier this month by Electionline.org, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington are the states where problems are most likely to occur.

All of the states except New York, which uses lever-based machines, have deployed fleets of electronic optical scanners and touch-screen devices to satisfy federal law. Maryland and Ohio have been thrust into the spotlight this fall because of technical glitches and human errors that caused delays in primaries in both states.

This week's podcast also covers the growing Washington presence of Google, concerns about searches and seizures of laptop computers and other devices of air travelers, and the software industry's decision to slap lawsuits on peddlers of pirated at the eBay online auction site.

'Google Bombs' On The Campaign Trail

2006-10-27T09:50:00.000-05:00

The 2006 campaign is being "Google-bombed." Both liberal and conservative bloggers this week started trying to manipulate the Google search engine so that negative articles about the candidates they oppose appear near the top.

Liberal blogger Chris Bowers of MyDD outlined the strategy first. He said the plan involves purchasing Google AdWords that will place each negative article on the most common searches for each Republican candidate in about 50 targeted races.

Conservative blogger John Hawkins of Right Wing News learned of the strategy and urged his allies to "fight fire with fire."

Experts in political technology disagreed about whether the effort could succeed in time for the election, and Google criticized the effort and said such campaigns to distort search results are unlikely to be effective.

Other technology-related topics in news this week included controversy over campaign "robocalls," the push for e-voting standards, and IBM's patent suit against Amazon.com. Listen to the podcast for details.

Making Money With Musical Ring Tones

2006-10-20T09:54:00.000-05:00

You know that favorite tune stored as a ring tone on your cell phone? The recording industry stands to make bundles of money for those ring tones under a new Copyright Office ruling.

The office decided that most ring tones are subject to royalties under the compulsory licensing system of copyright law. The recording industry said the decision helps inject clarity into the music marketplace.

A communications analyst said the market for musical ring tones could have bottomed out without the move. But groups that represent songwriters and music publishers said the royalties could hurt an important new technology income scheme for them.

The tech-related news this week also featured discussions about anti-terrorism surveillance, border security, media consolidation and spectrum for emergency personnel. Listen to the podcast for details.

A Telecom Mega-Merger Without Rules

2006-10-13T08:19:00.001-05:00

The push by AT&T and BellSouth to merge their telecommunications businesses in a $78 billion deal moved one step closer to reality this week.

The Justice Department approved the plan without imposing any conditions on it. It said the presence of other competitors, changing regulatory requirements and the emergence of new technologies warranted the ruling.

But the FCC's two Democratic commissioners harshly criticized the decision, and their desire for conditions on the deal delayed debate at the agency by at least a day. The FCC is tentatively scheduled to consider the merger proposal today.

Also in the news this week, former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner announced that he will not seek the presidency in 2008. And the FTC charged two real-estate groups with hindering competition from online property brokerages.

Listen to the podcast for details of those stories and more.

The Online 'Grooming' Of House Pages

2006-10-06T09:41:00.000-05:00

Much of political America is preoccupied with sex these days -- the cyber sex that former Rep. Mark Foley of Florida reportedly had or wanted to have with congressioinal pages -- and the discussion has prompted some talk of new laws.

The question some people on Capitol Hill are asking is whether Foley's explicit electronic communications with some pages was his attempt at "grooming" them for illegal sexual activities. Cyber-law expert Parry Aftab has been deluged with calls from Hill aides asking about the limitations of federal law in punishing such grooming.

Aftab said federal laws require proof of intent to perform criminally liable sexual acts. She has not decided for herself whether stronger laws against grooming are needed.

Other news on the technology front includes a push to grant telecommunications firms liability for anti-terrorism surveillance ordered by the government, the status of the fight for a permanent Internet tax moratorium, and the FCC's first field hearing on media ownership. Listen to the podcast for details.

Winners And Losers In The Recess Rush

2006-09-29T10:09:00.000-05:00

This looks to be the last legislative workweek in Congress before the election, and that means lawmakers are scrambling to finish work on must-pass bills and measures that might win them favor with voters. Other matters are falling by the wayside.

A bill aimed at streamlining the licensing of online music was among the latter. Sponsors of the measure abruptly pulled it from consideration by the House Judiciary Committee this week, acknowledging that it had little or no prospect of gaining approval in the current Congress.

Texas Republican Lamar Smith, the chief bill sponsor, said he believed he had the support to push it through the House but saw no reason to do so in view of the fact that the measure has become bogged down in the Senate.

Also in the news this week: the spying scandal at Hewlett-Packard, the renewed push for a deal on legislation aimed at preventing such spying, and the outcry against a planned merger between AT&T and BellSouth. Listen to the podcast for details on those stories and more.

There's A New Cyber Czar In Town

2006-09-22T10:00:00.000-05:00

Republicans in Congress have dubbed this month "Security September," and the Homeland Security Department endorsed that theme this week by naming a cyber-security chief after 14 months of industry anticipation.

Greg Garcia was named to the post. He has been the vice president for information security programs at the Information Technology Association of America since 2003 and was on the majority staff of the House Science Committee.

Industry sources lauded the choice. Business Software Alliance President and CEO Robert Holleyman said Garcia has the perfect mix of government cyber-security knowledge and policy and political skills to do the job well. Paul Kurtz, executive director of the Cyber Security Industry Alliance, called the hiring "a very important step forward for the department."

Other tech-related news developments this week included a pledge for Senate action on telecom legislation after the November election, an appeal to review the government's fight against child pornography, and a court's decision to put an e-voting initiative on the ballot in Florida. Listen to the podcast for details on those stories and more.

Security September: The GOP Theme

2006-09-15T11:27:00.000-05:00

Security September. That's what Republicans in Congress are calling this month in Washington, and the agenda certainly lived up to that billing this week.

The week started with events to mark the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and then came the legislative work. The House and Senate each passed homeland security bills.

The Senate passed a maritime security bill by a vote of 98-0 after defeating a Democratic-backed amendment on cargo scanning. That proposal would have required the Homeland Security Department, within four years, to scan all containers before they arrive at U.S. ports.

The House, meanwhile, passed a border security bill that calls for 700 miles of fencing, as well as cameras, ground sensors and unmanned aerial vehicles, along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Other topics that surfaced this week included the push to ban Internet gambling, the effort to protect civil liberties as the nation combats terrorism, and the quest to overhaul telecommunications law. Listen to the podcast for details.

Summer Pitches On Net Neutrality

2006-09-08T10:45:00.000-05:00

Congress is back in town from its August recess, and telecommunications reform is one of the biggest technology issues on its agenda. The topic was the focus of some heavy lobbying during the break.

Opponents and proponents of a network neutrality mandate, which would prohibit high-speed Internet providers from potentially slowing competitors' content, worked to educate Americans about the issue. The opponents used cable television, airing ads in some cable markets in August as part of a campaign that went national Sept. 1.

Supporters used the Internet to deliver thousands of petitions to Senate offices in 25 cities. Craig Aaron, the spokesman for the Save the Internet coalition, said his group can't compete with the hundreds of millions of dollars being spent by net neutrality foes, but it doesn't want to anyway. He said the most effective way to save the Internet is by using it.

This week's podcast also covers: the effort to link a broad telecom bill with a narrower one focused on "enhanced 911" emergency telephone service; lobbying for a research and development tax credit and other competitiveness initiatives; and the ongoing investigation into corporate backdating of stock options to illegally boost executive pay. Listen to the podcast for details.

A Legal Setback For NSA Wiretaps

2006-08-18T10:52:00.000-05:00

A federal court in Michigan ruled that the National Security Agency cannot keep monitoring phone calls and e-mails of Americans without first getting warrants.

An official with the American Civil Liberties Union called the decision "another nail in the coffin" of the government's legal strategy in the war on terror. But the Justice Department called the surveillance program a "critical tool" in combating terrorism and asked that the ruling be stayed pending appeal.

At Tech Daily this week, we continue our series on politics and technology, publishing multiple stories on the subject. At the top of the list was our look at the tech money flowing into campaigns.

Republican incumbents are benefiting the most from the dominant telephone and cable companies that are vying for an upper hand in the telecommunications debate. But a different picture emerged in Silicon Valley, where the top 20 donors gave either 100 percent or most of their money to Democrats.

Listen to the podcast for details on those stories and more.

Politics And Tech In Campaign 2006

2006-08-11T10:04:00.000-05:00

With lawmakers at home campaigning, August presented a perfect opportunity for a special Tech Daily series on the intersection between politics and technology. Today's podcast covers this year's tech candidates, tech issues and tech tools and more.

The most visible congressional challenger thus far has been Ned Lamont, who this week defeated Sen. Joseph Lieberman in the Connecticut Democratic primary.

Lamont successfully mobilized bloggers by attacking Lieberman's stance on the war in Iraq. He also pledged to match online donations to his campaign with cash from the fortune he made as the founder of Lamont Digital Systems.

Lamont won 52 percent of the vote to 48 percent for Lieberman, who now has vowed to run as an independent in the fall.

Listen to the podcast for more insights from our political package and for news from the tech policy scene.

R&D Credit Suffers Setback In Senate

2006-08-04T10:26:00.000-05:00

House lawmakers left Washington last week for the annual August congressional recess, and senators joined them this week. But the Senate had one key tech issue on its agenda before leaving town: renewal of the research and development tax credit.

Unfortunately for techies who wanted the credit extended, the proposal suffered a setback despite some creative legislative maneuvering.

The House had included the R&D tax credit in a "trifecta" package of business tax extensions, a minimum-wage hike and a permanent reduction of the estate tax. But the attempt to link issues sought by both conservative and moderate Republicans failed to sway enough Democrats.

Other issues that surfaced this week -- or that Congress, the courts and the executive branch will face later this year -- included online child safety and speech, high-speed Internet service, and broadcast indecency. Listen to the podcast for details.

John Kerry, Communications Man

2006-07-28T10:09:00.000-05:00

Our top story this week is from Senior Writer Drew Clark, who dug into the voting and campaign finance records of Sen. John Kerry to analyze his connections to the communications industry.

Drew's thorough research showed that Kerry has been aligned with the interests of each major communications industry segment at various times during the attempt to rewrite telecommunications law this Congress. But it also revealed that at last month's Senate Commerce Committee vote on the issue, the Massachusetts Democrat returned to his roots and took actions aligned with the cable television industry.

The cable industry has been the most generous industry toward Kerry in his career, according to Drew's analysis of donor data. Kerry's leanings on communications legislation have not always been clear, though. He has backed the Bells at times, including as recently as February.

Also in the news this week: a crackdown against online social networks, a deal between a file-sharing firm and the music and movie industries, and the tech industry's reaction to the collapse of global trade talks. Listen to the podcast for details.

Bush Blocks Probe Of Wiretaps

2006-07-21T10:47:00.000-05:00

Complaints about secret wiretaps of Americans that are implemented without warrants have been front-page news off and on since late last year. The issue hit the headlines again this week when Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said President Bush personally blocked an internal Justice Department investigation into the ethics of the wiretap.

Under sharp questioning from Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, Gonzales said Bush was the reason that lawyers from the Justice Department's office of professional responsibility could not obtain security clearance to see the relevant documents.

Specter noted that the blockage was the latest in a string of events where the administration sought to exempt its wiretapping program from court and congressional oversight. He noted that many other department lawyers had clearance and asked why the office known as OPR didn't.

Gonzales answered that the president makes the decisions.

Other tech issues that garned attention this week included data security, health information technology, e-voting and civil liberties in China. Listen to the podcast for details.

From Gambling To Wireless Tracking

2006-07-14T11:10:00.000-05:00

Congress tackled Internet gambling, appropriations funding and launched a new caucus on wireless tracking technology this week.

In the courts, a judge took another look at telecom mega mergers while communications issues continued to percolate in the lobbying community.

Department Lags In Naming Cyber-Security Czar

2006-07-07T11:06:00.000-05:00

With Congress out of session this week to observe Independence Day, activities were a bit quieter around Washington.

Though Americans celebrated the anniversary of our nation on Tuesday, there is another anniversary that has not gone unnoticed by some in the tech community. It has been nearly a year since Homeland Security Department Secretary Michael Chertoff announced the creation of a position for a cyber security czar, and still, the position remains unfilled.

Elsewhere in the Homeland Security Department, officials announced this week that about $400 million in fiscal 2006 funding will be made available to protect critical infrastructure sites across the country. The effort covers transit systems, sea ports and chemical facilities through the Infrastructure Protection Grant Program.

On the lobbying front, the Chamber of Commerce is hoping that lawmakers can move on several pending data security proposals before they adjourn for the August recess.

Other tech policy news this week involved the defense authorization bill and a Verizon lawsuit over video franchising rules. Listen to the podcast for details.

Senate Panel Approves Telecom Rewrite

2006-06-30T10:51:00.000-05:00

The telecommunications debate dominated the tech policy front this week, as the Senate Commerce Committee finished its work on the issue. The panel approved a major overhaul of nearly all sectors of the communications industry on a 15-7 vote.

But the defeat of a so-called network neutrality amendment may bode ill for Senate passage of the bill this year. That amendment was defeated on an 11-11 tie vote after an extensive debate. Olympia Snowe of Maine was the only Republican to vote for the amendment.

Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden went to the Senate floor to announce a procedural "hold" on the legislation because it lacks strong network neutrality language. Senate Commerce Chairman Ted Stevens, an Alaska Republican, said he will seek support from 60 senators -- the number needed to prevent a filibuster -- by potentially deleting portions of the bill.

Other tech policy news this week involved a century-old telephone tax, the recovery of a computer with veterans' personal data and online child exploitation. Listen to the podcast for the details.

Rethinking Media Ownership Rules

2006-06-23T10:33:00.000-05:00

Media ownership has been a lingering issue at the FCC ever since a federal court overturned new rules on the subject in June 2003. The topic re-entered the spotlight this week as the agency began a review that must be finished this year.

The FCC will consider whether broadcast ownership rules need to be changed when considering advancing technologies. The agency must decide if the same company within a given market can own a certain number of television and radio stations, and it must determine how to treat rules for the combination of broadcast stations and newspapers.

Chairman Kevin Martin said the commission plans to hold six public hearings on the issue and has adopted an extended comment period of 120 days.

The FCC also acted on a couple of issues related to the funding stream for the universal service fund, which aims to ensure communications services to all Americans.

Other issues from this week's roundup include the telecom debate in Congress, the aftermath of a data breach at the Veterans Affairs Department and a progress report on fighting piracy both domestically and internationally. Listen to the podcast for details.

Network Neutrality Fight Moves To Senate

2006-06-16T11:07:00.000-05:00

If you've tuned in before, you know all about the ongoing fight over network neutrality. It has been a staple of our podcast for weeks, and this week is no different. One thing is different, though: The fight now has moved to the Senate.

Net neutrality was among the contentious issues that surfaced at a Commerce Committee hearing in the upper chamber this week. Top panel Democrat Daniel Inouye of Hawaii griped about a lack of strong safeguards to prevent high-speed Internet operators from potentially acting as content gatekeepers.

The Senate Judiciary Committee also held a hearing on the topic. That panel's leaders said they are worried that pending measures could undermine the ability of antitrust authorities to continue ensuring robust competition on broadband networks.

Also this week, former technology industry lobbyist Harris Miller lost his bid for the Democratic Senate nomination in Virginia. And we examined the latest controversies surrounding e-voting. Listen to the podcast for the details.

Telecom Bill Passed After Net Neutrality Defeat

2006-06-09T11:01:00.000-05:00

The House overwhelmingly passed a telecommunications bill after defeating an amendment designed to ensure neutral treatment for high-speed Internet content. The vote for passage was 321-101, while the net neutrality language was defeated 152-269.

The bill is largely designed to expedite the entry of Bell telecom companies into the video services market by allowing them to obtain nationwide franchises. But network neutrality has been the most controversial issue for weeks.

The fight now moves to the Senate, where Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens this week said he will alter his approach to network neutrality. The Alaska Republican said he would change his legislation to clarify that the FCC should be involved in net neutrality that affects consumers and the competitive market.

Other tech issues in the news this week included per-channel pricing for cable television, "must carry" rules for digital broadcast feeds, fines for "indecent" broadcast content, and piracy in China. Listen to the podcast for details.

Grants To Fight Terrorism Announced

2006-06-02T11:23:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the weekly Tech Policy Pod brought to you by National Journal's Technology Daily, www.technologydaily.com.

The Homeland Security Department announced its state grants to help regions stave off terrorism efforts and protect themselves from natural disasters.

Homeland Security's decision has outraged several lawmakers, as cities such as New York and Washington will see a decline in funding from last year. Retaliatory plans from lawmakers range from public hearings to adding funds to the must-pass fiscal 2006 supplemental appropriations bill for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, the IRS said it will stop collecting a controversial telephone tax. The agency will no longer take in the 3 percent federal phone excise tax on long-distance calls as of July 31.

Please tune in for the rest of our podcast to find out more about other hot tech policy and politics issues.

Tech Bills Approved Amid Rush To Recess

2006-05-26T11:16:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the weekly Tech Policy Pod brought to you by National Journal's Technology Daily, www.technologydaily.com

This week, Congress was in full force as committees kept busy before leaving town for the Memorial Day recess.

For starters, the House Judiciary Committee took action on a variety of measures. It addressed a controversial telecommunications bill and took action on Internet gambling.

House Energy and Commerce approved two bills aimed at frauds who cheat customers -- either through identity theft or by stealing their personal information or by impersonating officials in phone calls.

Please tune in for the rest of our podcast to find out more about other hot tech policy and politics issues.

You Can Still 'Buy It Now' At EBay

2006-05-19T11:03:00.000-05:00

The eBay online auction site had its day in court and won -- at least in the short term. The Supreme Court this week ordered a lower court to reconsider a ruling that would have blocked eBay from using its "Buy It Now" feature.

The case pits eBay against MercExchange, a firm that claims ownership of the technology behind the feature. A district court jury had agreed that the eBay feature was a patent infringement and awarded MercExchange $35 million. An appeals court said an injunction also should have been granted to stop eBay from using the patented feature.

In a unanimous opinion, the Supreme Court justices wrote that the district court took too broad a view and the appeals court took too harsh a view.

Other tech-related news this week involved surveillance by the National Security Agency, the separate pushes for patent and telecommunications reform, and homeland security spending. Listen to the podcast for details.

Uncle Sam Opens Wallet For Security Efforts

2006-05-12T10:33:00.000-05:00

Spring is in the air, and in the Washington policy world, that is when Uncle Sam turns his attention to spending money.

The House Appropriations Committee continued its annual appropriations debates this week with subcommittee action on a bill to fund the Homeland Security Department in fiscal 2007. The panel approved $32 billion but agreed to withhold funds for several major department priorities.

Subcommittee Chairman Hal Rogers, a Kentucky Republican, said the subcommittee is not hesitating to give the department "spankings and punishment" by denying funding for certain programs. A total of $500 million, for instance, would be withheld from the science and technology directorate.

Other topics on the Washington radar include the push for tools to check the work status of immigrants and the turf battle over telecommunications reform. Listen to the podcast for details.

Telecom Bill Delayed Over Turf Fight

2006-05-05T10:29:00.000-05:00

This was supposed to be the week when the House went on record about telecommunications reform, but plans to push the issue to the floor hit a procedural snag. The House Judiciary Committee sought a referral of the bill.

The delay is likely to work to Judiciary's advantage. Judiciary Committee leaders have drafted their own version of legislation on "network neutrality," a key point of contention in the debate.

Kevin Madden, an aide to Majority Leader John Boehner, said parliamentarians are getting ready to address the jurisdictional dispute, and the House leadership wants to let that play out first before scheduling floor debate.

Other tech-related news this week involved the privacy of telephone records, the push to prevent terrorist attacks by screening cargo and the adoption of health information technology. Listen to the podcast for the details.

Lawmakers Focus On Telecom Overhaul

2006-04-28T10:20:00.000-05:00

This week's tech focus on Capitol Hill was heavily slanted toward the telecommunications sector, as lawmakers returned from their Easter break with telecom reform on their minds.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee was the primary battleground. By a vote of 42-12, the panel approved a measure considered favorable to the Bell telecom firms.

Members rejected two Democratic amendments, one designed to ensure "network neutrality" for all high-speed Internet content and the other to require new video programmers to offer service to their entire communities.

Listen to the rest of the podcast for the full report on this week's telecom activities.

Bush, China's Hu Discuss Tech Issues

2006-04-21T10:40:00.000-05:00

Chinese President Hu Jintao came to America this week, and tech talk was on the agenda.

While at the White House, Hu urged the United States to ease controls on high-technology exports to China. U.S. President Bush and Hu agreed to more cooperation in countering terrorism, combating avian flu and responding to natural disasters.

Hu added that China is ready to expand its market access, increase U.S. imports and strengthen intellectual property protection. He further said that that is ready to expand people exchanges in culture, education, science and technology.

Also this week, President Bush picked a new White House budget director and U.S. trade representative, and details of comprehensive Senate telecommunications legislation surfaced. For those stories and more, listen to this week's podcast.

Telecom Bill Overcomes First Hurdle

2006-04-07T10:19:00.000-05:00

The push for telecommunications reform passed its first test in the House when an Energy and Commerce subcommittee that oversees telecom issues approved the bill that has dominated debate for two weeks. The vote was 27-4.

Lawmakers focused on two big issues of discrimination: "redlining" and "network neutrality."

Redlining refers to the practice of offering services in select areas based on income -- in this case, video services. Network neutrality describes efforts to keep top telecom and cable companies from charging competitors more to distribute certain high-speed Internet content.

The panel rejected Democratic-sponsored amendments on both issues.

Other tech-related news this week involved the privacy of taxpayer data, the right to gamble online and the growth of tech "pork" in the federal budget. Listen to the podcast for the details.

New Telecom Draft Generates Buzz

2006-03-31T11:20:00.000-05:00

Telecommunications reform dominated the tech talk in Washington this week, as lawmakers, industry lobbyists and consumer advocates buzzed about the latest draft bill. The measure was unveiled just days before a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on it.

The legislation would effectively exempt Bell telephone companies and cable operators from local video franchises. The Bells and other new entrants in the video market would be eligible for national franchises. Dominant cable companies would be eligible for them once competitors are in their markets.

The bill also would give the FCC a limited role in policing price discrimination by the Bells and cable companies against Internet content firms -- an issue known as "network neutrality."

For more details about the ongoing telecom debate, as well as the latest news on campaign regulations for the Internet and congressional actions on the privacy front, listen to this week's podcast.

Online Obscenity And The Internet Bubble

2006-03-28T12:25:00.000-05:00

Lawmakers were away from Washington this week, but the nine justices of the Supreme Court were still here to play -- and they had a thing or two to say about technology. The court reached two decisions of interest to the tech community.

The first ruling concerned a 1996 online obscenity law, with the high court rebuffing a challenge to the statute. The second ruling, which was initiated after the Internet stock bubble burst, curtailed investors' ability to launch large class-action lawsuits.

Also in the news this week: data security, content neutrality over high-speed Internet networks and video-franchising rules in New Jersey. For the details on those stories and more, listen to the podcast.

The Freedom To Blog

2006-03-28T12:19:00.000-05:00

Bloggers hoped this would be the week that both Congress and the Federal Election Commission took a stand for largely unfettered online political speech, but both of them balked.

The FEC postponed by a week its decision on new campaign finance rules for the Internet, and the House indefinitely delayed floor debate on a bill designed to exempt most bloggers from any such rules. The FEC now plans to tackle the subject March 23.

Other stories this week include the Justice Department's attempt to get data from Google, the House Judiciary Committee's fight for its turf in the telecommunications debate and Congress' push toward consensus on registering sex offenders. Listen to the podcast for the details.

Welcome To The Tech Policy Pod

2006-03-28T11:12:00.000-05:00

National Journal's Technology Daily is the premier publication for technology policy news from the nation's capital and key tech hubs around the country and the world.

We publish two issues a day for our subscribers -- our blog-like "coverage of the coverage" that summarizes news from other publications each day at 9 a.m., and our original content that is published at 4 p.m. We also publish a feature each day: "Issue of the Week" on Mondays, the "People Column" on Tuesdays, an "International Roundup" on Wednesdays, a "State Roundup" on Thursdays, and our "Executive Summary" of the top tech news each week on Fridays.

This month, Tech Daily started producing podcasts of about six minutes that are based on the "Executive Summary." The podcasts are free to the public. They are available at Apple's iTunes, Podcast Alley, Podcast Directory, Podcast.net and other services.

I'm Danny Glover, the managing editor of Tech Daily, and I record and publish the audio roundups to the Web each week. I hope you'll listen and send your feedback to dglover-at-nationaljournal.com -- and I hope you will visit www.technologydaily.com and consider subscribing to our publication.