The 463: Inside Tech

As Kentucky Goes, So Goes the Nation?

Dark horse Kentucky has moved to the front of the pack in states looking to lead in the development of eHealth systems.  Systems that provide the "safe, private" networked exchange of medical records between doctors, hospitals .  Last week, Kentucky's state Senate unanimously passed a health care information bill.  The bill is expected to be passed by the state's House and signed by their governor.

State Senator Daniel Mongiardo -- a practicing physician -- had the following to say about the bill in an op-ed...

Daily Show on Bloggers vs. Mainstream Media

By now, you've probably seen this.  If you haven't, you probably should... Click below to stream...

Download dailyshowonblogs.mov

iAm. Therefore, iEgocast.

This last Saturday, The Trader Joe's in San Francisco's South of Market was filled with three types of people:

1) Those with mobile phone headpieces talking loudly about future corrective surgery plans as they checked the ripeness of mangos.
2) Those with iPods on avoiding the phone people and knowingly thinking to themselves how "OK Computer" is so ironic when engaging in a consumerist orgy.
3) Those with ever-rising blood pressures who bounced and navigated between the talkers and listeners.

In the Sunday NYT Reader section, the iPodded shoppers are explored.  The short piece notes that the latest issue of New Atlantis magazine studies "The Age of Egocasting", in an exploration of the growing trend toward customized, personalized entertainment.  The New Atlantis notes:

Unfurling the Broadcast Flag

Some are calling the "broadcast flag" an issue as big as the Grokster case in terms of its potential ramifications.  Yesterday's New York Times (Tom Zeller Jr.) ran a nice summary of why.

The broadcast flag is a FCC regulation that they plan to implement this July.  Susan Crawford, an Internet law expert (and a vocal opponent of the flag), explains that the rule:

"is a mandate that all consumer electronics manufacturers and information technology companies ensure that any device that touches digital television content 'recognize and give effect to' the flag by protecting content against unauthorized onward distribution. The FCC claims that the rule will protect digital television (DTV) broadcasts from massive redistribution over the internet."

The impetus of the Time's piece is a Public Knowledge (et al) lawsuit against the FCC challenging the rule.  Today, oral agruments begin in the D.C. Circuit for the US Court of Appeals.   (For a CNET review of today's proceedings. go here).

Hang the DJ

Reuters reports: 

"An Italian DJ has been fined a record 1.4 million euros ($1.8 million) for using thousands of pirate music files in a nightclub near Rome....

"Police ... said they raided a popular nightclub earlier this week as part of a crackdown on piracy and seized 500 illegally copied music videos and more than 2,000 MP3 music files.

"Police said the files belonged to a "well-known" Italian DJ..."

Do Feds Deserve an F in Cyber Security?

At yesterday's RSA show in San Francisco, former White House cyber security czar Dick Clarke says government and industry deserve an "F" for cybersecurity. Clarke called for more regulation of cybersecurity in certain sectors, such as electricity and Internet service providers.  Joining Clarke on a panel to discuss the issue was Rick White, President and CEO of TechNet, who disputed the need for additional government regulation.  To read more, click below...

Tech CEOs in DC

An impressive gaggle of tech CEOs came to DC this week with a message to policymakers:  the United States can't take its economic leadership for granted. The CEOs, including Intel's Craig Barrett, NCR's Mark Hurd,  Unisys' Joseph McGrath, Dell's Kevin Rollins and EMC's Joe Tucci, outlined a competitiveness agenda focused on trade, innovation and eHealth. To get the full story click below....

Powell Says Don't Rewrite It

Outgoing FCC Chairman Michael Powell said today in Colorado that the "broken" Telecom Act of 1996 shouldn't be completely overhauled.  Instead, he said, according to WirelessWeek, the act just needs to be tweaked to include an "IP statute that will take the industry forward".  Powell is worried that, if rewritten, the legislation will get bogged down for many years.

The WirelessWeek piece continues:

"If an IP statute isn't enacted, Powell suggested it could dampen a renewed interest in telecom from Wall Street. An IP statute would make it more attractive for incumbents to get into such things as VoIP services."

Some of the key people who write legislation said last week at the Congressional Internet Caucus that the Telecom Act needs to be completely revised, including the influential Senator Conrad Burns (R-Mont.). 

However, Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee is taking the middle ground for now.  He's quoted by GCN saying that he is:

"'not exactly sure whether we should rewrite or amend the 1996 act'.... He said he does believe 'all communications technologies—wireline or wireless—should be treated equally. We must not have multiple separate sets of regulations' for new services such as WiMax and IP video. Congress should foster more competition and innovation, not try to 'put every new technology in its own regulatory box. I do believe we will act in this [109th] Congress.'"

NSA + RSA = News

Those in the cyber security industry generally reserve special respect for one government agency: the National Security Agency.  And, Ted Bridis at Associated Press is reporting that a NSA director will be announcing Wednesday that:

"The Bush administration is considering making the National Security Agency ... its 'traffic cop'' for ambitious plans to share homeland security information across government computer networks....  Such a decision would expand NSA's responsibility to help defend the complex network of data pipelines carrying warnings and other sensitive information."

The AP piece quotes Paul Kurtz, a former White House cybersecurity adviser and head of the Washington-based Cyber Security Industry Alliance:

"Bring it on. This clearly ought to be done.  This will raise the bar across the federal government to a far more secure infrastructure.''

The NSA announcement will be made at the RSA conference in San Francisco.  In show of how important cyber security has become to the industry, at large, keynotes will come several tech titans including Microsoft's Bill Gates and Cisco's John Chambers.

Grokster Grok

Wednesday’s Congressional Internet Caucus conference had a host of panels that addressed hot IP issues.  Two specifically addressed the potential impact of the Supreme Court MGM v. Grokster case and legislation that might be crafted in reaction to it.  Panelists included several congressional staffers on committees of jurisdiction, Boalt Law School Internet expert Pam Samuelson, Viet Dinh, a former Supreme Court clerk, current Georgetown law professor and consultant to the MPAA and RIAA and lawyers for the Digital Media Association, MPAA and technology companies.

If one thing was clear from the panels, it’s that Congress greatly appreciates the relative quiet on the debate afforded by the coming Supreme Court decision.

Regardless, most everyone acknowledges that Congress will have to reengage in the heated battle after a late spring or early summer ruling.  This is because the Supreme Court is unlikely to completely accept the 9th Circuit Appellate Court’s decision in favor of Grokster (for one, the Court almost never agrees with the 9th Circuit on any issue), and is as equally unlikely to provide guidelines so detailed and comprehensive in the ruling that it takes Congress of the hook....