Archive for the ‘Congress’ Category
Wednesday, October 10th, 2007
Here is a letter I just sent to Rep. Albio Sires (D-NJ), my elected representative, with added links:
Dear Rep. Sires,
I am a voter in your district, and I am writing in regards to H.R. 3773, the RESTORE Act. I urge you not to support this legislation unless it meets two ...
Posted in Congress, Constitutional, Internet policy, Privacy, Surveillance, Telecommunications, Telecommunications law, Terrorism | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, September 25th, 2007
On this FreePress page, Senator John Kerry has asked what you think we should do to fix broadband policy.
Here is my answer:
Force incumbents to interconnect & lease access
Dear Sen. Kerry,
Thank you for taking on this country’s appalling failure to compete internationally in the race for widespread adoption of top-speed internet ...
Posted in Congress, Internet policy, Network neutrality, Telecommunications, Telecommunications law | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 19th, 2007
As CNet reports, Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-SD) is still pushing for net neutrality legislation.
Our 3.5 regular readers can guess how I feel about this.
Posted in Congress, Internet policy, Network neutrality | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 7th, 2007
Game Politics reports that another video game sales restriction law has been overturned in court. This time, it was the long-awaited decision on California's 2005 law, upon which some other (since stalled or overturned) bills and laws were built. Game Politics is also hosting a PDF of the judge's ruling, ...
Posted in Congress, Constitutional | 1 Comment »
Saturday, July 21st, 2007
Earlier this week, the Senate Judiciary Committee plowed forward on patent reform, passing the Patent Reform Act of 2007 by a whopping 13-5 vote.
This bill is exciting for three reasons. First, it might cut down on the number of junk patents that are filed. (See Section 6.) Right now, challenging ...
Posted in Congress | No Comments »
Thursday, June 7th, 2007
Tina and I are now back from our honeymoon trip to Italy and Greece. And so are the copyright absolutists, who were again rattling their swords at colleges' IT departments this week.
On Tuesday, there was yet another congressional hearing filled with cries of rampant infringement via campus networks. These have ...
Posted in Congress, Copyright, DRM, Internet policy, Network neutrality, Technological Protection Measures, Telecommunications, Telecommunications law | No Comments »
Sunday, March 18th, 2007
In an op-ed in yesterday's New York Times, Stanford law professor Lawrence Lessig describes the legal uncertainty surrounding the Viacom suit as impending "copyright chaos."
Lessig blames the 2005 Grokster decision for inviting Viacom's lawsuit of YouTube. The Supremes overstepped their bounds, usurping Congressional authority to damn new technologies, heightening the ...
Posted in Congress, Constitutional, Copyright, Internet policy, Telecommunications, Telecommunications law | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 14th, 2007
I'm in the middle of a 2-week vacation in Colorado, but I guess I have to say something about Viacom's suit against YouTube--or, at least, I have to link to some people who say something.
At News.com, Declan McCullagh says the case depends on how you view 17 USC § 512, ...
Posted in Congress, Copyright, DRM, Technological Protection Measures | No Comments »
Thursday, March 1st, 2007
Representatives Rick Boucher (D-VA) and John Doolittle (R-CA) have introduced a bill that would scale back the effect of the anti-circumvention provisions of the DMCA and limit the liability of technological innovators, sparking debate among all stakeholders.
The Freedom And Innovation Revitalizing U.S. Entrepreneurship Act of 2007, or FAIR USE Act ...
Posted in Congress, Copyright, DRM, Technological Protection Measures | No Comments »
Thursday, December 14th, 2006
Senator Patrick Leahy, the (presumptive) incoming chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is promising reforms that will increase privacy and reform patents.
Among key privacy reforms, he is seeking tighter supervision of government databanks, action on data leaks and identity theft, and (the shock!) warrants as a prerequisite to surveillance of ...
Posted in Congress, Privacy, Surveillance | No Comments »