Roy Mark

A major piece of President Obama’s technology policy fell into place June 25 with the Senate confirmation of Julius Genachowski as the next chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. As Obama’s chief technology adviser during the 2008 presidential campaign, Genachowski promoted a detailed technology and innovation plan that supports network neutrality, expansion of affordable broadband […]

A New Jersey Internet talk show host and blogger was arrested June 24 based “on a Federal complaint … alleging that he made Internet postings threatening to assault and murder three federal appeals court judges in Chicago,” according to an FBI news release. The postings included photographs, phone numbers, work address and room numbers of […]

NASA June Space Missions Falter After Successful May JUNE 3: Martian Reboot NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter goes into safe mode after an unexpected rebooting of its system. NASA reports all well. It was the sixth time since the Rover’s August 2005 launch that it has entered safe mode. (Photo courtesy of NASA) JUNE 4: Its […]

President Obama June 25 nominated Meredith Attwell Baker, who was acting assistant secretary of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration in the Bush administration, to fill the final Republican seat on the Federal Communications Commission. Earlier in June, Obama nominated Republican Robert McDowell to serve a second term on the FCC. For the three Democratic […]

The Department of Energy announced June 25 the agency is ready to solicit applications for $3.9 billion in grants to support efforts to modernize the electric grid. The money is part of the Recovery Act funds approved by Congress earlier this year.Approximately $3.3 billion is earmarked for the Smart Grid Investment Grant Program and $615 […]

Officials of the Obama administration urged China June 24 to revoke a rule set to take effect July 1 that would mandate all computers produced and sold in China pre-install a widely criticized Internet filtering program called Green Dam. China claims the filtering software is needed to allow Chinese citizens to surf the Internet protected […]

Comcast and Time Warner’s plan to make Time Warner’s content available for free over the Internet exclusively to Comcast cable subscribers was attacked by consumer groups June 24 as anti-competitive, anti-consumer and a threat to the open Internet. The trial service-known as TV Everywhere-is an attempt by content providers and cable companies to monetize streaming […]

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter successfully entered orbit around the moon June 23, four days after launching from Cape Canaveral along with its companion vehicle, the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite. A series of four engine burns over the next four days will put the LRO into its commissioning phase orbit.The primary objective of the […]

The Federal Communications Commission plans to open an anti-competitive review into exclusive deals between wireless carriers and cell phone manufacturers such as AT&T‘s arrangement with Apple to carry the Apple iPhone. Unlike traditional wire-line services, which are required by law to allow consumers to connect the legal devices of their choice to carriers’ networks, the […]

Not many presidential nominees come with the public record of David J. Kappos, President Obama’s pick to serve as the next director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. But Kappos, currently serving as IBM‘s vice president and assistant general counsel for intellectual property law, is a familiar face for Washington lawmakers. If confirmed, as […]