Roy Mark

The third time proved the charm for Rep. Mary Mack Bono (R-CA) as the U.S. House approved the Informed P2P User Act Dec. 8, mandating P2P (peer-to-peer) software vendors to provide a “clear and conspicuous” notice to consumers about the files being shared by the software and to obtain user consent for sharing the files. […]

Agito Networks and Rivada Networks have been selected to aid in emergency response support for homeland security and defense missions. The companies’ ICE24 (Interoperable Communications Extension) is an interoperable, mobile-deployable first responder communications solution allowing interoperable communications at an incident site using voice over IP technologies.ICE24 kits, delivered by Rivada and powered by Agito’s RoamAnywhere […]

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office plans to fast track green technology patent applications under a pilot program announced Dec. 7 by Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and Energy Secretary Steven Chu. Pending patent applications in green technologies will be eligible for special status and given an expedited examination. The pilot program will reduce the total […]

The Federal Trade Commission has targeted three companies that allegedly made so-called robocalls “to sell worthless credit card interest-rate reduction programs for hefty up-front fees of as much as $1,495,” the agency announced Dec. 8. In addition to the lawsuits, the FTC obtained temporary restraining orders against the companies pending trial. The FTC requires bloggers […]

Federal CTO Aneesh Chopra and CIO Vivek Kundra Dec. 8 released the White House’s Open Government Directive (PDF) for federal agencies, directing all agencies to make more data available to the public and develop their own open government Web presences.The initiative also commits the White House to launching a dashboard on WhiteHouse.gov as a tool […]

A team of MIT students has captured DARPA’s (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) Network Challenge, a competition requiring participants to locate 10 large, red balloons at undisclosed locations across the United States. Utilizing social networking tools, the winning MIT team identified the 8-foot, red balloons in less than nine hours to win the $40,000 contest. […]

As the United Nations Climate Change Conference gets under way in Copenhagen, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has declared greenhouse gases a public health threat. According to an EPA statement Dec. 7, “GHGs are the primary driver of climate change, which can lead to … heat waves that threaten the health of the sick, poor […]

Shortly after darkness falls on the Mojave Desert Dec. 7, the world’s first manned commercial spaceship will make its public debut with all the usual unbridled restraint of Sir Richard Branson, the money behind Virgin Galactic and the SpaceShipTwo.“This is truly a momentous day. The team has created not only a world first but also […]

As climate change critics, skeptics and outright deniers have a romp at the expense of facts and scientific research over the disclosure of leaked e-mails at a British research facility suggesting the threat that man-made greenhouse gas emissions is overstated, delegates are arriving in Copenhagen for the Dec. 7-18 United Nations Climate Change Conference.The goal […]

The Center for Democracy & Technology launched a Take Back Your Privacy campaign Dec. 3 that the privacy advocates hope will eventually lead to a comprehensive federal consumer privacy law. The group also aims to increase demand for and availability of user-friendly privacy tools to give Internet users more control of their data. The new […]

The controversy over Verizon Wireless’ early termination fees spread to the Federal Communications Commission Dec. 4, as the regulatory agency is now seeking answers from Verizon about the company’s decision to double ETFs for smartphone customers. The FCC’s inquiry letter also asks whether consumers are being charged for minimal, inadvertent use of Verizon’s Mobile Web […]

Four U.S. senators, led by Minnesota’s Amy Klobuchar, introduced legislation Dec. 3 to set limits on early termination fees. The bill follows a Nov. 10 letter Klobuchar wrote to Verizon Wireless President and CEO Lowell McAdam criticizing the company’s decision to double ETFs for certain smartphone customers.Verizon Wireless said Nov. 5 that beginning Nov. 15 […]