Source: http://techlawjournal.com/home/newsbriefs/2005/04f.asp
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 08:07:09+00:00

Document:
TLJ News: April April 26-30, 2005.
4/29. Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT) introduced S 976, a bill to further amend the "Open-market Reorganization for the Betterment of International Telecommunications Act", which is also known as the ORBIT Act. The Senate approved the bill, by unanimous consent, without debate. See, Congressional Record, April 28, 2005, at Page S4607.
The bills repeals Section 623 of the ORBIT Act, which is codified as 47 U.S.C. § 763b. It is titled "Specific criteria for INTELSAT separated entities".
The bill replaces Section 624 of the ORBIT Act, which is codified as 47 U.S.C. § 763c. It is titled "Specific criteria for Inmarsat". The bill replaces the current language with the following: "In securing the privatization of Inmarsat required by section 621, and thereafter, the United States shall preserve space segment capacity of the GMDSS."
The bill modifies Section 621(5)(D) of the ORBIT Act, which is codified at 47 U.S.C. § 763. It modifies the restrictions on who can be directors or officers of successor or separate entities. It removes the the language prohibiting those who "have any direct financial interest".
The bill also requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to report to the Congress annually on competitive market conditions with respect to domestic and international satellite communications services.
S 976 was approved on April 29, but as a part of the legislative day for April 28. The ORBIT Act is Public Law No. 106-180. It was enacted in 2000.
4/29. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) released its 2005 Special 301 Report [65 pages in PDF]. See also, Executive Summary [13 pages in PDF]. This report, among other things, elevates the People's Republic of China to the Priority Watch List. It has long been on the USTR's Priority Foreign Country List. See, full story.
4/29. The twenty members of the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over trade issues, wrote a letter [PDF] to President Bush "to express our serious concern with the lack of adequate and effective enforcement of China’s intellectual property rights (IPR) laws". They urge the President to initiate proceedings before the World Trade Organization (WTO).
They wrote that "IPR infringement in China is having a real impact on U.S. companies in a wide range of industries, including motion pictures, software, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, information technology, and consumer goods. According to certain estimates, piracy alone accounts for roughly $2.5 to $3.8 billion in losses to the U.S. industry."
They added that "We need to see immediate results to eradicate these problems in China. Unfortunately, the Chinese government does not seem fully committed to doing so. Recently, the Chinese government issued a white paper, which praised China's progress on IPR issues. The paper noted that, ``while adhering to the international rules on IPR protection, China has decided on a level of IPR protection appropriate for its own national situation.” China cannot unilaterally establish its own measures for judging its success in dealing with its IPR crisis. Instead, as a signatory to the WTO Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), Chinese progress must be judged by the same standards all WTO Members."
Finally, they urged the Bush administration "to intensify your efforts to ensure China’s compliance with its TRIPS obligations, including, as appropriate, through WTO dispute settlement."
In addition, Rep. Mary Bono (R-CA), Rep. Chip Pickering (R-MS), and many other Representatives wrote a similar letter to President Bush. See, Rep. Bono's release.
4/29. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Kevin Martin announced his intent to name Tom Navin to be the Chief of the FCC's Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB). Navin is currently Chief of the Wireline Competition Bureau's (WCP) Competition Policy Division (CPD). Before that, he was Deputy Chief of the CPD. Before going to work for the FCC, he worked for the law firm of McDermott Will & Emery. See, FCC release [PDF].
4/29. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin announced his intent to name Kris Monteith to be Chief of the FCC's Enforcement Bureau. She is currently the Deputy Bureau Chief of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau for Outreach and Intergovernmental Affairs. Before going to work for the FCC in 1997, she worked for the law firms of McDermott Will & Emery and Keller & Heckman. See, FCC release [PDF].
4/29. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin announced his intent to name Monica Desai to be Chief of the FCC's Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau. She has worked at the FCC since 1999. She previously worked for the law firm of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal. See, FCC release [PDF].
4/29. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin announced his intent to name Daniel Gonzalez (at right) to be FCC Chief of Staff. Gonzalez is currently Martin's Senior Legal Advisor and Wireline Advisor since February of 2002. He has also worked in the Common Carrier Bureau's Policy and Program Planning Division and the Accounting and Audits Division. He also worked for former FCC Commissioner Rachelle Chong. He also worked as VP of External and Regulatory Affairs for XO Communications. See, FCC release [PDF].
4/29. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin announced his intent to name Michelle Carey to be his Legal Advisor for Wireline Issues. Carey is the Deputy Chief of the FCC's Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB). She was previously Chief of the WCB's Competition Policy Division (CPD). The FCC wrote in a release [PDF] that "she managed rulemaking proceedings concerning a variety of issues including local competition, broadband, and IP-enabled services. She also supervised numerous adjudicatory proceedings, including applications by the regional Bell companies to provide long-distance service and wireline telecommunications mergers."
4/29. FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein named Rudy Brioché to be his Legal Advisor on media issues. Brioché previously worked for Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Commerce Committee. Before that, he was Washington Bureau Counsel for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). See, FCC release [PDF].
4/29. FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein named Amber Danter to be his Confidential Assistant. She previously worked for former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD). See, FCC release [PDF].
4/29. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted, but did not release, a Report and Order regarding the mandatory electronic filing for international telecommunications services. The FCC issued a short release [PDF] that describes this item. It states that this requirement will take effect in several phases, and will apply to applications and associated filings in connection with § 214 authorizations, cable landing licenses, accounting rate changes, assignment of data network identification codes, recognized operating agency status, assignment of an international signaling point code, and foreign carrier notifications. This item is FCC-05-91 in IB Docket No. 04-426.
4/29. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted, but did not release, a First Report and Order and Order on Reconsideration and Notice regarding directory assistance information. This item pertains to clarification and/or reconsideration of the Subscriber List Information (SLI)/Directory Assistance (DA) First Report and Order, and SLI/DA Order on Reconsideration and Notice. The FCC wrote in a short release [PDF] describing this item that the FCC denied a petition filed by BellSouth and SBC "seeking reconsideration of rules that bar them from imposing restrictions on the use by competitors of directory assistance information competitors obtain from the LECs under the Communications Act. Section 251(b)(3) of the Act requires that LECs provide nondiscriminatory access to directory assistance, and the Commission has determined that this permits competitors to have the same access to directory assistance information that the LECs provide to themselves." The FCC release adds that "a LEC must not provide access to numbers that are unlisted at the customer’s request.", and that "competitors are required to abide by other state and federal laws and regulations governing use of these data". It also states that the FCC "rejected SBC and BellSouth’s argument that LECs should not be required to provide access to local listings that were obtained from third parties. Even though the Commission has declined to require LECs to provide nondiscriminatory access to nonlocal directory assistance data, it has consistently required nondiscriminatory access to all of their local directory assistance database listings." This item is FCC 05-93 in CC Docket Nos. 96-115, 96-98, and 99-273.
4/29. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted, but did not release, a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to implement satellite broadcast carriage requirements in the noncontiguous states, as required by Section 210 of the Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Reauthorization Act of 2004 (SHVERA). The FCC issued a short release [PDF] that describes this item. It states that the NPRM "seeks public comment on a number of issues, such as whether the term ‘noncontiguous states’ includes territories and possessions such as Puerto Rico and Guam, as well as Alaska and Hawaii. It also seeks comment on the interpretation that satellite carriers' obligation to carry local stations' signals extends to the whole broadcast signal, including multicast digital signals and high definition signals. The proposed rules establish two deadlines for local stations to elect mandatory carriage or retransmission consent: October 1, 2005, for analog signals, and April 1, 2007, for digital signals." The Congress included the SHVERA in the huge omnibus appropriations bill, HR 4818 (108th Congress), that it enacted late last year. Section 210 amended 47 U.S.C. § 338(a). This item is FCC 05-92 in Docket 05-181.
4/29. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced that its new electronic facility for hearing patent appeals before the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences (BPAI) and appeals and contested cases before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) is now operational. The new facility, named the "Electronic Hearing Room", allows attorneys to participate remotely, either by obtaining the necessary equipment and software, or by using facilities at Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries in Sunnyvale, California, Detroit, Michigan, or College Station, Texas. See, USPTO release.
4/28. The House Judiciary Committee's (HJC) Subcommittee on Crime Terrorism, and Homeland Security held oversight hearings on Thursday, April 21, Tuesday, April 26, and twice on Thursday, April 28. It will hold more hearings on Tuesday, May 3, and Thursday, May 5.
Rep. Dan Lungren (R-CA) and Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), who are defending the DOJ and the PATRIOT Act at these hearings, emphasized this revelation. In contrast, Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), the ranking Democrat on the Committee, stated that the Committee only gets information when its surveillance powers are about to expire. And, "other than that, we get stiffed".
Gregory Nojeim, of the ACLU, offered an opposing viewpoint. First, while the agenda for this hearing specified § 215 and § 206 (regarding roving wiretaps in FISA investigations), Nojeim said that the Committee should consider § 215 and § 505(a) (which pertains to national security letters) in conjunction. The gist of his argument was that even if the Congress amended § 215 to exempt library records, the FBI could still obtain a library's internet use records from its ISP with a national security letter under the new powers provided by § 505(a) of the PATRIOT Act. Nojeim noted that this would only provide the FBI with internet use records, and not with the library's book checkout records.
4/28. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), and six other Democratic Senators, introduced S 967, the "Truth in Broadcasting Act of 2005", a bill to further regulate "prepackaged news stories" produced by federal agencies.
The bill would add a new Section 342 to the Communications Act, which is codified as Title 47. It would provide, in part, that "Any prepackaged news story produced by or on behalf of a Federal agency that is broadcast or distributed by a network organization, broadcast licensee or permittee, or multichannel video programming distributor in the United States shall contain an announcement supplied by the Federal agency within the prepackaged news story that conspicuously identifies the United States Government as the source for the prepackaged news story."
Currently, 47 U.S.C. § 317 pertains to "Announcement of payment for broadcast", while 47 U.S.C. § 508 pertains to "Disclosure of payments to individuals connected with broadcasts". S 967 would cover federal agency prepackaged news stories in the absence of payments.
The bill was referred to the Senate Commerce Committee, which has scheduled a hearing on the bill for Thursday, May 12, at 10:00 AM.
In addition, on February 17, 2005, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) wrote a memorandum [3 pages in PDF] to the heads of executive branch departments and agencies. This memorandum describes practices related to prepackaged news stories and video news releases. It states that "Prepackaged news stories are complete, audio-video presentations that may be included in video news releases, or VNRs. They are intended to be indistinguishable from news segments broadcast to the public by independent television news organizations. To help accomplish this goal, these stories include actors or others hired to portray "reporters" and may be accompanied by suggested scripts that television news anchors can use to introduce the story during the broadcast. These practices allow prepackaged news stories to be broadcast, without alteration, as television news."
The GAO memorandum also instructs executive branch officials that "While agencies generally have the right to disseminate information about their policies and activities, agencies may not use appropriated funds to produce or distribute prepackaged news stories intended to be viewed by television audiences that conceal or do not clearly identify for the television viewing audience that the agency was the source of those materials." It asserts as authority appropriations legislation.
The GAO is an arm of the Congress. It has no authority to instruct executive branch officials.
Also, on April 13, 2005, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a document [10 pages in PDF] titled "Public Notice" that it has received communications regarding video news releases (VNRs). It further states that it has authority, pursuant to 47 U.S.C. §§ 317 and 508 and 47 C.F.R. §§ 73.1212 and 76.1615, to instruct its licensees and operators that "whenever broadcast stations and cable operators air VNRs, licensees and operators generally must clearly disclose to members of their audiences the nature, source and sponsorship of the material that they are viewing."
The FCC notice further warns that "We will take appropriate enforcement action against entities that do not comply with these rules".
Finally, the FCC notice requests public comments. It states that " we seek comment on the ways in which VNRs are used in programming, and on which practices are the most common. For example, we also seek comment on whether the entities producing or providing VNRs, including the government, pay broadcast licensees and cable operators to air VNRs, or whether the VNRs are provided free of charge, without separate payment or consideration. Are mechanisms in place to ensure that broadcast licensees and cable operators receive notice regarding the payment of consideration from all individuals and entities that are involved in the production and provision of VNRs? Are mechanisms in place to ensure that broadcast licensees and cable operators receive notice regarding the identity of entities providing programming involving political material or the discussion of controversial issues of public importance? Do broadcast licensees and cable operators receive VNRs as part of an overall news service, which may be provided under contract or on a subscription basis? If so, should this affect the applicability of our sponsorship identification rules? Finally, we seek comment on whether there are alternative or better means of ensuring proper disclosure concerning VNRs in addition to those prescribed by the existing rules."
Initial comments are due by June 22, 2005. Reply comments are due by July 22, 2005. This notice is FCC 05-84 in MB Docket No. 05-171.
4/28. Peter Lichtenbaum gave a speech on government control of exports and related regulation. He discussed, among other topics, MTOPS based restrictions, the merging of software and hardware, and the "deemed export" rules.
Lichtenbaum is the acting Under Secretary for Industry and Security and Assistant Secretary for Export Administration. He is the head of the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), which is also known as the Bureau of Export Administration (BXA). The BIS/BXA controls exports, and "deemed exports", for national security purposes, including exports of dual use items, such as computers, microprocessors, software and encryption products.
Lichtenbaum (at right) stated that "BIS continues to work toward adopting a new metric for controlling exports of strategically significant computers. Changes in computer technology and market developments have diminished the effectiveness of the current metric for measuring the critical performance of HPCs. The current metric is ``MTOPS´´ -- Millions of Theoretical Operations per Second. The U.S. Government and industry have been discussing options for replacing MTOPS. In 2005, we hope to finalize this reform effort and put in place a more modern system for controlling computers."
He also stated that "We also plan to update the existing ``de minimis´´ rule for determining when a reexport is subject to U.S. jurisdiction. The ``de minimis´´ rule determines when a reexport is subject to U.S. jurisdiction. Advisory committees and other industry groups have urged that we update this rule to reflect changes in technology, such as how software is now incorporated into hardware. For example, when a U.S.-origin chip provides instructions for a foreign car's engine. The merging of software and hardware makes it appropriate to review whether we should continue to treat software and hardware separately under our de minimis rule. We expect to move forward on this issue soon."
He also discussed the "deemed export" rule. He said, among other things, that "The Administration's liberalizations of controls on microprocessors and advanced computer technology have also limited ``deemed export´´ license applications.
4/28. Peter Mandelson, the European Commissioner for Trade, gave a speech in Singapore titled "Tilting the Global Balance: Asia's New Trade Growth". He said that Europe should welcome trade with Asia, but that intellectual property rights enforcement, and other trade related issues, remain a problem. He also argued that for Europe to be competitive, it must be innovative in the knowledge economy. And, he said that completion of the Doha round remains the EU's top priority.
Mandelson (at right) stated that "Emerging Asia is, and will increasingly be the essential trade partner of choice for Europe. There are already millions of wealthy households in China and India offering a huge future potential for EU business. This is why, amongst other reasons, the ``new´´ Asia is to be welcomed, not feared."
He continued that "What should be of greatest concern to Europe is the task of maintaining and increasing our market share in the new Asia. There are legitimate worries here: and they raise questions not just of European competitiveness, but of trade policy such as protection of intellectual property, the opening up of public procurement, genuine -- not commitments on paper -- market access for European service businesses and in some cases, persistently high industrial tariffs."
He elaborated that "Innovation remains key for Europe to be able to respond to the Asian phenomenon. Urgent action to reassert Europe's technological leadership is crucial ..." He reiterated proposals for increased investment in the knowledge economy. He said that "We need to advance economic reforms, to equip people for change and to bring governments and business to work in partnership to improve competitiveness."
He also discussed trade agreements. He said that the U.S. "is increasing its economic influence in the region through bilateral FTAs. The obvious risk is that these regional efforts detract from multilateral trade liberalisation and the multiple benefits this offers."
Hence, he said that "our number one priority in the successful and ambitious outcome of the ongoing multilateral trade negotiations, the Doha Round."
4/28. The state of New York filed a complaint [PDF] in state court in New York against Intermix Media alleging violation of state laws regarding deceptive and fraudulent business practices in connection with Intermix's distribution of software which the complaint characterizes as "spyware". New York seeks to enjoin distribution of the software.
The complaint states that Intermix Media, Inc., which was previously known as eUniverse, Inc., "has distributed to millions of consumers a wide variety of “free” games, cursors, screensavers and other small software programs", and that it has "deceptively and surreptitiously ``bundled´´ with these programs undisclosed and invasive spyware (also known as ``adware´´) programs." (Parentheses in original.) The complaint further alleges that Intermix "has contracted with agents to bundle the spyware with their own free programs."
The complaint adds Intermix does not provide advance notice to consumers. It states that "Intermix offers consumers either no notice or only token notice about the hidden spyware programs. Intermix either fails to disclose these additional programs in any manner, or hides mention of them deep within lengthy, legalistic license agreements. Even in the latter case, the information Intermix does provide about the spyware programs is vague, incomplete and often factually incorrect."
Eliot Spitzer, the Attorney General of New York, stated in a release that "Spyware and adware are more than an annoyance ... These fraudulent programs foul machines, undermine productivity and in many cases frustrate consumers' efforts to remove them from their computers. These issues can serve to be a hindrance to the growth of e-commerce."
The release of the Office of the Attorney General of New York also quotes Ari Schwartz, who works for the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) in Washington DC. He states that "One of Internet users' biggest frustrations today is unwanted software that sneaks onto computers without their owner's consent and cannot be uninstalled. Companies have gotten away with unethical and illegal software download practices for too long. The practices alleged in this case are widespread on the Internet and we hope that both federal and state authorities follow Attorney General Spitzer's lead in making this a priority".
4/28. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Sen. John Sununu (R-NH) introduced S 936, the "E-Mail Privacy Act of 2005".
This bill is a reaction to the split opinion of the three judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals (1stCir) in USA v. Bradford Councilman, a criminal case involving the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) and unauthorized accessing of the content of stored e-mail messages. The Court of Appeals held that there was no violation of the Wiretap Act, as amended by the ECPA, when stored e-mail was accessed, because, since it was in storage, there was no interception within the meaning of the statute. See also, story titled "1st Circuit Holds Wiretap Act Does Not Apply to E-Mail in Storage" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 930, July 1, 2004.
The Leahy Sununu bill amends 18 U.S.C. § 2510 to undo Councilman.
4/28. The Senate confirmed Robert Portman to be the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). Portman wrote in a statement [PDF] that "I plan to focus on continuing this record of opening markets to expand freedom and reduce poverty, working closely with the U.S. Congress. I will also redouble our efforts to enforce international trade agreements and U.S. trade laws. As a now former Member of Congress, I know well the positive, and at times disruptive, effects of trade. I will work hard to make sure Americans are competing on a level playing field and have the opportunity to sell their world class goods and services in overseas markets. Congressional approval of the Central American and Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement, China trade issues, the enforcement of existing agreements, keeping on pace the Doha talks to lower trade barriers, and our ongoing regional and bilateral trade negotiations, are all front and center issues for me."
4/28. Regina Brown was named Designated Federal Officer (DFO) to the North American Numbering Council (NANC), an advisory committee of the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC). She replaces Sanford Williams. Brown is a staff attorney in the FCC's Wireline Competition Bureau's (WCB) Telecommunication Access Policy Division (TAPD). In addition, Marilyn Jones was named Alternate DFO. She replaces Pam Slipakoff. Jones is also a staff attorney in the TAPD. See, FCC release [PDF].
4/27. Rep. Gary Miller (R-CA), and 39 other Representatives, introduced HR 1898, the "Telephone Excise Tax Repeal Act of 2005".
There were similar bills in the 105th, 106th, 107th, and 108th Congresses. None became law. See, HR 3648 in the 105th Congress, HR 3916 in the 106th Congress, HR 236 in the 107th Congress, and HR 2957 in the 108th Congress. The House passed HR 3916 (106th) on a roll call vote of 420-2, on May 25, 2000. See, Roll Call No. 233. However, the full Senate did not pass the bill. HR 236 (107th) had 149 sponsors.
This tax dates back to the Spanish American War. Hence, the sponsors waited until April to introduce the bill so that it would be assigned the number 1898, which is also the year in which the tax was first imposed.
"I think it is safe to say that the Spanish American War is over", said Rep. Miller in a release. He added, "like a cockroach, this tax refuses to die".
26 U.S.C. § 4251 provides that "There is hereby imposed on amounts paid for communications services a tax equal to ... 3 percent". HR 1898 would, among other things, repeal this section.
§ 4251(b) provides that the term ''communications services'' means "(A) local telephone service; (B) toll telephone service; and (C) teletypewriter exchange service". Nevertheless, last year the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that it might, by administrative fiat, expand the scope of the tax to include some internet protocol services. See story titled "IRS Publishes Advance NPRM Regarding Expanding the Excise Tax on Telephones to Include New Technologies" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 931, July 6, 2004.
Phone companies, which do not like to have their customers singled out for a special tax, have long sought repeal of this tax. Steve Largent, P/CEO of the CTIA, stated in a release that the excise tax "is today slowing the development of innovative products and services that help make our lives more productive and enjoyable".
4/27. President Bush nominated Shara Aranoff to be Commissioner of the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) for the remainder of a nine year term expiring on December 16, 2012. See, White House release. On January 28, 2005, Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), the Senate Democratic Leader, designated Aranoff for nomination to a Democratic position on the USITC. She is currently Senior International Trade Counsel on the Democratic staff of the Senate Finance Committee. She has also worked in the USITC's Office of General Counsel, and for the law firm of Steptoe & Johnson. Aranoff will, if confirmed by the Senate, fill the seat of Marcia Miller, whose term has expired. Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, praised Aranoff in a January release [PDF].
4/27. President Bush nominated Ben Bernanke to be Member of the Council of Economic Advisers. Bush previously announced his intent to make this nomination. See, White House release.
4/27. The House Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet held a hearing titled "How Internet Protocol-Enabled Services Are Changing the Face of Communications: A View from Government Officials". See, prepared testimony [18 pages in PDF] of Lewis Billings (Mayor of Provo City, Utah), prepared testimony [7 pages in PDF] of Diane Munns (Commissioner, Iowa State Utilities Board, on behalf of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners), prepared testimony [20 pages in PDF] of Kenneth Fellman (Mayor of Arvada, Colorado, on behalf of: the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors), prepared testimony [20 pages in PDF] of Charles Davidson (Commissioner, Florida Public Service Commission), prepared testimony [7 pages in PDF] of John Perkins (President, National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates), prepared testimony [7 pages in PDF] of Karen Strauss (Alliance for Public Technology), and prepared testimony [15 pages in PDF] of David Quam (National Governors Association).
4/27. The Copyright Office published a notice in the Federal Register that describes and sets the comment deadline (May 27, 2005) for its notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) regarding requiring eligible digital audio services availing themselves of the statutory licenses set forth in 17 U.S.C. §§ 112 and 114 to report their usage of sound recordings. See, Federal Register, April 27, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 80, at Pages 21704-21711.
4/27. Bill Gates, Chairman of Microsoft, gave a speech in Washington DC.
Witness Testimony. Buchanan wrote in her prepared testimony [6 pages in PDF] that that the PATRIOT Act made the requirements for obtaining a PRTTD order in intelligence investigations similar to the requirements in criminal investigations. "Section 214 of the USA PATRIOT Act allows the government to obtain a pen register order in national security investigations where the information likely is relevant to an international terrorism or espionage investigation. This provision is similar to the 1986 criminal pen register statute (18 U.S.C. § 3121) that has been frequently used by criminal prosecutors to obtain pen registers and trap and trace devices in a variety of criminal investigations." She added that "Pen registers are not used to collect the content of communications." She did not specifically address § 216.
Rep. Scott pursued a line of questions regarding the distinction between content and addressing and routing information. This was a question that was asked during consideration of the PATRIOT Act in 2001, but never fully answered. Rep. Scott did not receive responsive answers at this hearing.
4/26. Viviane Reding, the European Commissioner for Information Society and Media, gave a speech in Brussels regarding innovation in Europe. She said that there is an innovation gap, in which Europe lags behind the U.S., and that Europe should do something about this, especially in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector.
Reding (at right) stated that "A significant innovation gap still exists between the US and the EU, as well as between Japan and the EU."
She said that "According to the European Innovation Scoreboard, an instrument developed to evaluate and compare the innovation performance of Member States with other countries, the US leads mainly because of more patents, a bigger working population with tertiary education, and higher R&D expenditure, in particular from private sources."
She said that "It is essential for Europe to catch up, to improve the conditions under which European companies can succeed, and to support innovation wherever possible." She added that ICT "play a key role", and are "enabling technologies" that "underpin innovation in all sectors of the economy and are responsible for around half of the productivity growth in modern economies."
She discussed Europe's lack of success in ICT. "In IT hardware, only two European companies are among the world’s top ten, and in software and computer services we have only one top ten company."
She then offered government policy solutions.
First, she said, create a "European information space ... to further develop the internal market in information goods and services in Europe, in particular through simple, flexible and market oriented regulation." She did not explain. Although, she added that the Europe should focus on several ICT sectors, "Voice over Internet, security and privacy issues, intellectual property rights, and on-line payments."
Second, she said, government should spend more on research and development (R&D). She argued that "Europe is under-investing in its future. Its ICT investments are only a third of those in the USA and only two thirds of those in Japan. Our overall target therefore is to raise European investment in R&D to 3% of GDP in all 25 EU Member States. At EU level, I would like to see the current R&D funding doubled ..."
Proponents of increased R&D funding by the U.S. similarly argue that the U.S. may fall behind Europe and Asia in a looming innovation gap. For a U.S. based view of how the U.S., Europe and Asia compare on innovation metrics, see, February 2005 report [PDF] titled "The Knowledge Economy: Is the United States Losing Its Competitive Edge?" This report is also subtitled "Benchmarks of Our Innovation Future". It concludes that "Nations from Europe to Eastern Asia are on a fast track to pass the United States in scientific excellence and technological innovation". See also, story titled "University and Industry Representatives Urge More R&D Funding" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 1,079, February 17, 2005.
4/26. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a release regarding the acquisition of Oracle databases, application servers, associated options and Oracle applications for government agencies.
Go to News from April 21-25, 2005.

References: § 763
 § 763
 § 763
 § 214
 § 338
 § 215
 § 206
 § 215
 § 505
 § 215
 § 505
 § 317
 § 508
 v. 
 § 2510
 § 4251

§ 4251
 § 3121
 § 216