The government cannot come into your home and rifle through your personal belongings without a warrant or a subpoena authorizing such a search. However, unless the outdate Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), which was enacted in 1986, is amended, files stored online with cloud computing vendors, email service providers and others may be subject to […]
Navigating Healthcare Privacy
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded $67 million in grants to more than 100 organizations to assist individuals needing help navigating the confusing process of signing up for Obamacare. On August 14, 2013, the attorney generals of 13 states sent a letter to HHS Secretary Sebelius, raising apprehension about what they […]
The Brave New World of Intellectual Piracy
By any standard, the Pirates of the Caribbean have nothing on the antics of the pirates of India. An April 2013 Indian Supreme Court decision has handed over the keys to the castle, and declared open season on pirating intellectual property (IP). The booty in that case was for a drug to treat cancer that was developed by Novartis, a Swiss drug manufacturer. The decision opens the door for future denials of drug patents and IP infringement for other industries.
Software Mess At IRS
On August 29, 2013, The Washington Post published an article about Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Chief Information Officer (CIO) Terence Milholland and his desire to make the agency’s information technology (IT) program “world-class.” The article cited the uphill battle Milholland faces in merging disparate IT systems, retraining programmers in newer technologies, and dealing with entrenched […]
Private Sector Solution to Digital Literacy
As students return to school this fall, they are finding that their teachers are using technology tools, such as online curriculums and textbooks, and assigning online homework more frequently. Today, virtually all schools and libraries are connected to the Internet. However, once the school day has ended, students may find a different picture when they […]
Summer Retransmission Dispute Heats Up
In the midst of the summer doldrums, a broadcaster and a multi-channel video programming distributor (MVPD) are battling over retransmission fees with consumers suffering the consequences. The parties this time are CBS and Time Warner Cable (TWC), with millions of viewers across the country losing access to shows such as “NCIS,” “The Big Bang Theory,” and “Under the Dome.”
Time for FCC Overhaul
On Thursday, July 11, 2013, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held a hearing on two draft bills, the FCC Process Reform Act and the FCC Consolidated Reporting Act, which was introduced on July 26, 2013 as H.R. 2844. On July 25, 2013, the Subcommittee voted to advance the bills to the full Committee by a unanimous voice vote. Similar bills were passed on a bi-partisan basis by the House in the last Congress, but failed to make headway in the Senate.
Keeping Internet Access Free of Taxes
On November 1, 2014, the moratorium banning discriminatory taxes on the Internet and taxes on Internet access imposed by the Internet Tax Freedom Act in 1998 will expire. At the time the legislation was initially enacted, the Internet had approximately 300 million users. Since then, the number of users on the Internet has increased to nearly […]
E-Rate Program Reform To Take Center Stage at FCC
On Friday, July 19, 2013, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will be meeting to discuss, among other items, reforms to the Universal Service Fund (USF)’ E-Rate program, which was highlighted in the July edition of Wastewatcher. It is expected that the outcome of this meeting will be a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) to […]
E-Rate for Education
Without a doubt, broadband provides the promise of improving every aspect of daily life in America. Job seekers can find employers, shoppers can find great deals and information can be shared through Internet access.