On December 3, 2004, President Bush signed into law the conference version of H.R. 1047, the Miscellaneous Trade and Technical Corrections Act of 2004 (Public Law (P.L.) 108-429).

The White House has issued a press release announcing that the U.S. and Canada have committed to deepening their cooperation in North America and in the world.

The FCC would like to call for comments on the industry proposals for intercarrier compensation (ICC) reform by year-end, although that may be an overly ambitious goal, FCC Wireline Bureau Chief Jeffrey Carlisle said Wed. at an ALTS conference. With so much going on this month -- such as final action on the TRO remand order -- the date may slip into early 2005, Carlisle said. The same goes for the mid-2005 target for voting on the ICC item, he said. “It would be nice if we could complete the process by the middle of next year, but it would be a tremendous undertaking” because the Commission also will working on major proceedings such as IP-enabled services and universal service contribution methodology, he said.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a notice identifying the 50 most trafficked land ports of entry where Phase II of the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology Program (US-VISIT) will be implemented, no later than December 31, 2004.

The Blu-ray camp views the endorsements of HD DVD by Paramount, Universal and Warner as little more than a “trial,” much as they're conducting trials of video-on- demand or other forms of HD content delivery, Maureen Weber, gen. mgr. of HP’s Optical Storage Solutions Business and a key Blu-ray spokeswoman, told Consumer Electronics Daily. As such, she said, “we're not looking at any of this as threatening.”

Congress is set to vote on a bill to prohibit video voyeurism and broadcast on U.S. federal lands, ships and aircraft. Bill S-1301 would impose fines and a prison term of no more than one year on perpetrators who video private areas of individuals without their consent.

Internet entrepreneur Jeff Pulver and SBC Senior Vp Dorothy Attwood traded quips and barbs on Pulver’s weblog Fri. over SBC’s plan to offer a new VoIP access tariff. Pulver said he wondered if SBC had a “mad genius” hatching an “elaborate plan to take over the world of communications,” with the new tariff part of it. Attwood said she’s perplexed that SBC is “attempting to bring to the market a product that more efficiently routes IP traffic to POTS users and the result is outrage and suspicion.” She said that, although Pulver expressed doubts about the voluntary nature of the TipTop tariff, it’s “totally voluntary -- no one has to buy it if they don’t want to. TipTop will succeed in the market only if VoIP providers find it to be a worthwhile service at an attractive price.” Attwood said BellSouth has a similar product tariffed at the FCC since May, 2003 and “you know what? BellSouth has not ’taken over the world of communications.'” She said Pulver’s right that there’s still uncertainty about intercarrier compensation but: “Why should we (or any company) put our business plans on hold because the FCC might rule against us, while independent VoIP providers are allowed to proceed freely with their own business plans under the assumption that the FCC will rule in their favor. Until the FCC rules on compensation for VoIP traffic, the law of the land is clear. If the FCC applies different rules than what we have today, we'll abide by them.” Attwood also questioned complaints about the price of the new offering: “Before suggesting that purchasers of TipTop will ‘overpay’ for the service, perhaps it would be wise to see what the rates for the service actually are and what features and functionality come along with those rates.” Pulver had said, among other things: “Potential problems emerge if this offering turns out to be comparable to SBC’s traditional long distance access service, which seems to be SBC’s intention. Does it really matter to SBC or SBC-IP if it has to overpay for this product? It certainly would matter to any unaffiliated VoIP provider.” Attwood signed her comments “dba Mad Genius” and titled SBC’s response “how everyone is voting SBC off Survivor Island before we even get there.”

In a recent speech before the Propeller Club of Washington, D.C., Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Steven Blust commented on a number of maritime issues, including the recent Supreme Court decision, Norfolk Southern v. Kirby, which reaffirmed the statutory distinction between forwarders and non-vessel-operating common carriers (NVOCCs).

A bill to extend the indemnification of satellite launch companies from damages to 3rd parties in case of a failed launch cleared Congress and landed on President Bush’s desk. Acting by unanimous consent late Tues., the Senate passed HR-5245, which was approved by the House in Oct. Under the bill, the federal govt. would insure companies that launch satellites for damages or deaths sustained by individuals who were not involved in the launch. The program would require satellite companies to acquire private insurance for the “maximum probable loss” of 3rd parties as a result of the launch, with the govt. covering any additional costs up to about $1.5 billion per launch. The current federal program was scheduled to expire Dec. 31, and the bill would extend it to Dec. 31, 2009. It also would require a study of whether indemnification could be ended without undue harm to the satellite industry. Senate Science Committee Chmn. Boehlert (R-N.Y.) said he hopes Congress will act soon on a larger bill that would set up a new regulatory regime for private human space flight.

Kmart’s sales organization “has far better skills than we have” in categories such as commoditized CE goods including personal electronics and DVDs, Sears CEO Alan Levy told Consumer Electronics Daily Wed. at the N.Y.C. news conference announcing the chains’ blockbuster merger into the new Sears Holdings. Conversely, “there are certain categories where we've got more expertise than they've got,” such as flat-panel large-screen TVs and monitors and other big-ticket items, Levy told us: “So we'll figure out the way to get the best of both into the combined company.”