Best Buy and Netflix dealt HD DVD a double-barreled blow Monday, with each announcing they'll abandon or de-emphasize HD DVD because they think Blu-ray has won the format war or soon will. As of early March, Best Buy “will prominently showcase” and recommend Blu-ray as “the preferred format,” though it also will continue carrying HD DVD, it said. Netflix went further, saying it won’t reorder HD DVD movies and will phase them out altogether by year-end.
| Hearing | Date | Committee, Subcommittee |
| International aspects of a carbon cap and trade program | 02/14/08 | Senate Committee on Finance |
| The role of the Department of Defense in homeland security, focusing on how the military can and will contribute | 02/13/08 | Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs |
| The President's proposed budget request for FY 2009 for the Department of Homeland Security | 02/14/08 | Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs |
| Management Challenges-Inspector General and GAO | 02/13/08 | Subcommittee on Homeland Security; House Committee on Appropriations |
| Land Border Enforcement | 02/14/08 | Subcommittee on Homeland Security; House Committee on Appropriations |
| The President's FY 2009 Budget Request for the Department of Homeland Security | 02/13/08 | House Committee on Homeland Security |
| \"Homeland Security Intelligence at a Crossroads: the Office of Intelligence and Analysis' Vision for 2008\" | 02/14/08 | Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing and Terrorism Risk Assessment; House Committee on Homeland Security |
| Design Law-Are Special Provisions Needed to Protect Unique Industries? | 02/14/08 | Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property; House Committee on the Judiciary |
| Recommendations of the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission | 02/13/08 | House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure |
| Recommendations of the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission | 02/13/08 | Subcommittee on Highways and Transit; House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure |
The National Institute of Standards and Technology offers an e-mail notification service which alerts readers to drafts or changes to foreign technical regulations for manufactured products which may be considered technical barriers to trade and are therefore required to be reported to the World Trade Organization, which distributes the information to WTO Member countries.
A House Ways and Means press release reports that Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rangel has introduced H.R. 5264, a bill to provide, among other things, an extension to September 30, 2010 of the following three trade preference programs scheduled to expire this year: the Andean Trade Preferences (ATPA/ATPDEA) due to expire on February 29; the Caribbean Basin Preferences (CBI/CBTPA) scheduled to expire in September 30; and the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) scheduled to expire on December 31. (Release, dated 02/08/08, available at http://waysandmeans.house.gov/News.asp?FormMode=release&ID=620; text of H.R. 5264 available at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=110_cong_bills&docid=f:h5264ih.txt.pdf.)
The Department of Homeland Security has issued a final rule to amend 6 CFR Part 37 to establish minimum standards for state-issued driver's licenses and identification cards that Federal agencies would accept for "official purposes" on or after May 11, 2008, in accordance with the REAL ID Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-13). Such driver's licenses and identification cards intended for use for "official purposes" are referred to as REAL ID-compliant cards.
The Journal of Commerce reports that Democratic presidential frontrunners Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, weighing in on California's controversial Clean Trucks Program, are urging state officials to require that all port truck drivers be employees (rather than independent contractors). (JoC, dated 01/21/08, www.joc.com)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted a notice announcing that the third tranche for the fiscal year 2008 specialty sugar tariff rate quota that opened on Wednesday, January 30, 2008 oversubscribed at opening moment. The pro rata percentage is 72.130952% or 0.72130952.
In December 2007, U.S. Customs and Border Protection posted a notice announcing the phased enforcement of mandatory Automated Commercial Environment electronic manifest: Truck for advance cargo information purposes at all land border ports in Alaska beginning February 11, 2008.
The satellite industry is trying to reignite the in- flight communications debate. “We are distressed that broadband connectivity seems to be happening outside the U.S.,” said Paul Domorski, CEO of EMS Technologies, which installs satellite antennas on airplanes. EMS sponsored a Tuesday panel in which participants said passengers want to be able to communicate. “It is not about the person behind you yakking away but rather it is about being connected,” Domorski said.
The NTIA said Tuesday it seeks participants for its long-awaited spectrum testbed to test the effectiveness of dynamic spectrum access technology. Companies that want to take part must notify the agency by Feb. 28.