Government & Policy
18 October 2008
Faster broadband the goal of all parties in NZ election New Zealand Herald
Fast, affordable broadband-for-all is a common goal of all political parties in this election. All also recognise that Telecom is not going to deliver such a service anytime soon.
Ofcom to have wider remit with more online powers The Guardian
Outgoing Ofcom chairman David Currie has said that his successor should expect the communications regulator to have an expanded remit with responsibility for stricter control over internet content.
16 October 2008
Council of Europe plans extension of broadcast rules to on-demand material OUT-LAW News
The Council of Europe aims to increase the scope of a convention that affects the regulation of TV broadcasting to include video on-demand services and some online video. The changes will match those already made by the European Union.
15 October 2008
Bush signs RIAA-backed intellectual-property law CNET
President Bush on Monday signed into law an intellectual-property enforcement bill that would consolidate federal efforts to combat copyright infringement under a new White House cabinet position.
14 October 2008
au: No opt-out of filtered Internet Computerworld
Australians will be unable to opt-out of the government's pending Internet content filtering scheme, and will instead be placed on a watered-down blacklist, experts say.
fr: Sarkozy snubbed by Barroso in the three strikes approach EDRI-gram
Barroso, President of the European Commission has refused French President Sarkozy's request to withdraw Amendment 138 included in the Telecoms Package recently voted by the European Parliament.
10 October 2008
Is an Internet tax coming for Canada? by Michael Geist Toronto Star
The emergence of cultural funding as a hot-button political issue in the current election campaign appears to have taken virtually everyone by surprise. The roughly $50 million in cuts may be tiny in terms of the overall federal budget, yet the significant impact on the cultural community has propelled the issue onto the national stage.
09 October 2008
Australian broadband network 'must be independent' ABC News
Terria, a rival consortium bidding to build the high-speed broadband network for Australia says regulators should not cave in to outrageous demands from rival bidder Telstra reports ABC News.
01 October 2008
Obama Calls for Broadband Deployment During Debate PC World
Senator Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate for U.S. president, mentioned broadband rollout as one of his top priorities during a debate Friday evening, bringing applause from several groups promoting universally available broadband as a key part of a turn-around in the U.S. economy.
Google Goes to Washington, Gearing Up to Put Its Stamp on Government Washington Post
The tall buildings in Reston bear the familiar names of big government contractors: Northrop Grumman, CACI, Raytheon and Accenture. Last month another name appeared, but not one that's typically associated with the federal market.
26 September 2008
EU adopts law to raise telecom competition International Herald Tribune
The European Parliament adopted measures Wednesday to increase competition in EU telecommunications markets in a bid to give consumers a wider choice and less-costly services.
25 September 2008
Political barrels pushed in NZ internet debate New Zealand Herald
Some of the first shots in the election were fired last night, when the four main parties fronted up to a debate broadcast live over the internet and TV to discuss four of the key ICT-related issues; broadband, cyber-safety, copyright and the convergence of traditional and digital media channels.
24 September 2008
US Politicians Push for Net Neutrality, Broadband Policy PC World
The U.S. needs to adopt a comprehensive broadband policy to bring connections to many areas of the country that don't yet have them, two Democratic politicians said Monday.
Taking the next step to rein in European mobile phone industry International Herald Tribune
The European Union's telecommunications commissioner is gearing up for the next phase of her effort to bring the Continent's mobile phone industry under control and pass the benefits on to consumers.
Ofcom and Whitehall jointly attack EU move to cut mobile charges The Guardian
The British government and the telecoms regulator Ofcom yesterday attacked as ill-judged and premature the European commission's plans to cut the fees that mobile operators charge to connect calls on rival networks.
23 September 2008
EU gambling firms see WTO case coming against U.S Reuters
A dispute over U.S. enforcement actions against European Union online gambling companies could be headed to the World Trade Organization soon, an European industry group said on Wednesday.
20 September 2008
European telecoms told to end broadband monopoly Financial Times
Leading European telecoms companies should give rivals access to their superfast broadband networks, the European Commission said on Thursday.
EU Invites Comments on High-speed Telecom Growth PC World
The European Commission invited the telecommunications industry to comment on its plans to encourage the creation of high-speed, (NGA (next generation access) networks across the E.U. Thursday, sparking swift criticism from both sides in the debate.
Internet Gambling Vote Looms In US Congress InformationWeek
If the new Payments System Protection Act becomes law, it will be a boon to the estimated 23 million Americans who play poker over the Web.
19 September 2008
UK government clampdown on 'suicide websites' The Times
The law on suicide is to be clarified as part of an attempt to curb so called "suicide websites", but the government was unable to say how it would be enforced.
17 September 2008
EU competition officials probing Google-Yahoo deal Reuters
European Union antitrust watchdogs are looking into a planned deal between Internet giants Google Inc and Yahoo Inc to share some advertising revenue.
MEPs to vote on European telecoms reform vnunet
MEPs will vote on new European telecoms reforms next week, and are likely to throw out proposals for a Europe-wide telecoms regulator.
16 September 2008
Ads That Built Google Could Now Pose Test Washington Post
Most people pay little mind to the text ads that surface after an Internet search. ... But appearing as they do millions of times daily, such unremarkable quatrains form one of the largest single sources of the $21 billion Internet advertising market in the United States. For Google, the undisputed master of delivering them, those slivers of text are the foundation of a digital empire.
14 September 2008
UK telecoms industry should pay for super-fast broadband The Times
Telecoms companies will have to foot the bill, expected to run to billions of pounds, for the next generation of super-fast broadband across the UK, according to the former boss of Cable & Wireless, who was asked by the Government to review the British broadband market.
10 September 2008
au: Bob Carr backs Telstra in bid for broadband network The Australian
Former NSW Labor Government politicians have thrown their weight behind opposing bids in the bid for the National Broadband Network. In June Michael Egan was announced as chairman of Terria, a consortium of Telstra's rivals, while yesterday former premier Bob Carr announced his support for the Telstra bid reports The Australian.
