Roy Mark

It was one of the biggest wins of 2008 for tech when the Federal Communications Commission approved rules for the unlicensed use of the “white spaces” between digital television signals. The use of the interference buffers zones between digital channels opens the spectrum for another broadband venue.Google co-founder Larry Page was one of the first […]

In Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), President Barack Obama’s new nominee to run the Department of Commerce, the tech industry has found their man when it comes to expanding the H1-B visa program. The 61-year-old senator is an unabashed fan of the program. A favorite of American technology companies, the H-1B program is a temporary work […]

Vuze, the peer-to-peer entertainment platform that delivers high-definition streaming and downloading, is not happy with Cox Communications’ plans to test new bandwidth management practices designed to slow traffic that isn’t “time-sensitive” during periods of peak network usage.As Vuze sees it, Cox is reducing its application to second-class status since Cox lists P2P as a primary […]

The U.S. House of Representatives Feb. 4 voted 264-158 to move the digital television transition from Feb. 17 to June 12, joining the U.S. Senate in approving a 115-day delay for television stations to begin exclusively broadcasting in digital.Democrats cast 241 votes for the digital TV transition delay while House Republicans voted solidly against the […]

Skype released Feb. 3 its latest version for Microsoft Windows. Touting full-screen video calling and easier customer setup, Skype called the release the “most distinctive new release in the company’s five-year history.”Skype 4.0 features a built-in bandwidth manager that the company claims will enhance video calling even on low-bandwidth connections. For customers with a fast […]

Four Google executives are facing criminal charges in Italy for allegedly defaming a Turin teenager with Down syndrome and failing to exercise editorial control over information posted to Google. None of the executives charged were directly involved in handling the Italian video. All face up to 36 months in prison.The trial was originally set to […]

Google’s Global Privacy Counsel Peter Fleischer is facing Italian criminal charges for Google’s posting of a video showing four Turin high school teenagers harassing a Down syndrome student. The charges are thought to be the first criminal sanction ever pursued against a privacy professional for his company’s actions, according to the International Association of Privacy […]

Republican efforts to deep-six legislation delaying the digital television transition are likely to come to an end Feb. 4 when the U.S. House votes for a second time on the controversial measure. The proposal would move the deadline for broadcasters to switch to digital broadcasting from the current Feb. 17 date to June 12.The week […]

Just two days after the U.S. House passed an economic stimulus package that includes $6 billion for broadband build outs to rural and underserved areas, the sniping has begun that lawmakers are short-changing the country’s broadband future. The Wall Street Journal notes, “The funding that Congress is likely to set aside for build-outs of high-speed […]

Most of the last year’s big winners of the Federal Communications Commission’s 700MHz auction are reluctant-perhaps understandably-to push Congress to stay the course on a Feb. 17 deadline for television stations to make the switch from analog to digital broadcasting.Even though they paid billions to secure the analog spectrum being vacated by broadcasters and much […]

Should the government postpone the digital television transition currently scheduled for Feb. 17? The Senate says yes, the House says no. Let the legislative hijinks ensue.Since the National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced Jan. 5 that funding for the $1.34 billion digital converter box coupon program was temporarily exhausted and then President-elect Barack Obama said […]

Federal officials have agreed to postpone the start of the controversial E-Verify program until May 21 at the earliest. E-Verify would require federal contractors and subcontractors to use an Internet-based electronic verification system to confirm that prospective employees are legally eligible to work.The Jan. 28 announcement by the Department of Homeland Security of the delay […]