Universities think the content industry is holding fair use hostage, with the elimination of illegal downloading as ransom, a Copyright Alliance conference Monday on universities and copyright in Washington was told. Colleges are wildly misinformed about copyright, speakers said.
ENGLEWOOD, N.J. - Best Buy, Circuit City and RadioShack have signed on to carry LG’s coupon-eligible Zenith DTV convertor boxes in early 2008, Consumer Electronics Daily has learned.
A report by the Commerce Department’s Spectrum Advisory Committee contains principles on a spectrum testbed but does not identity where to locate the bed on the band. The report, submitted Thursday, said the record shows “overwhelming support” for multiple testbeds in different spectrum ranges to study more efficient sharing. But the government may not be able to support more than one bed, it said. “Participation of federal users is essential,” the report said. “It may prove difficult for federal users to provide sufficient technical staff to support multiple testbeds.” The committee also released a report titled “Assessment of Alternative Future Federal Land Mobile Radio Systems.” It concluded that “trunked” systems, which let users share channels, use less spectrum than conventional systems. The committee also examined proposals for increasing the accountability of government users of spectrum.
The following are documents which CBP updates frequently (weekly, monthly, etc.):
CBP has posted the following Automated Commercial Environment "Topic" documents:
John Kneuer, most recently NTIA administrator, has landed at Rivada Networks, which specializes in interoperable public-safety communications. As senior vice president of strategic planning and external affairs for Rivada, Kneuer expects to be involved in some public policy making, but his main role will be in building Rivada’s business, he said. He will be showing public safety it need not wait for a shared broadband wireless network to be built by the eventual 700 MHz D block winner, he said. “There is certainly some operational and timing uncertainty around the public safety interoperable network,” he told us. “This enables public safety to have an interoperable broadband network in weeks, not years.” Kneuer doubts the shared network will solve the problems with public safety agencies that have difficulty working together, he said, noting that the Public Safety Spectrum Trust’s existence doesn’t eliminate control and training questions. Rivada Networks contracted with the Louisiana Army National Guard to build a high-speed voice and data system for day-to-day Guard operations and disaster response. Rivada deploys a CDMA and satellite system using existing commercial resources. Kneuer wouldn’t identify Rivada’s CDMA wholesale partner. Sprint Nextel and Verizon Wireless use that air interface.
Nine radio stations were fined a total of $37,750 by the FCC for missing deadlines to file for license renewals and for operating without agency authorization, said Media Bureau notices of apparent liability released Monday and Friday. The stations all got their licenses renewed, and some got their call signs reinstated. The broadcasters are KXOX AM/FM Sweetwater, Tex., KBEL AM/FM Idabel, Okla., WSLX(FM) New Canaan, Conn., WMCX(FM) West Long Branch, N.J., and FM translators in Gouverneur, N.Y., Orderville, Utah, and Sugar Land, Tex.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued an ABI administrative message announcing that effective immediately, the phone tree options for the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) Help Desk have changed.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted to its Web site a notice which announces 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.
Amazon.com will launch New Medium Enterprises’ red laser-based Versatile Multilayer Disc HD players around Dec. 15, NME’s Executive Vice President Alexander Potter told us. Amazon, which has been taking pre-orders, will sell the ML777 both as a standalone player for $199 and in a $249 bundle with five Anthem Pictures titles, he said. Amazon couldn’t be reached for comment to verify Potter’s contention.