Telcos

F.C.C. Set to End Sole Cable Deals for Apartments

Posted on October 29, 2007 - 1:47pm.

from: NY Times

October 29, 2007
F.C.C. Set to End Sole Cable Deals for Apartments
By STEPHEN LABATON

WASHINGTON, Oct. 28 —The Federal Communications Commission, hoping to reduce the rising costs of cable television, is preparing to strike down thousands of contracts this week that gave individual cable companies exclusive rights to provide service to an apartment building, the agency’s chairman says.

( categories: Telcos | FCC | FCC Video Franchise )

Get Your Hands Off the Web

Posted on October 26, 2007 - 7:43am.

from: Business Week

Get Your Hands Off the Web
Interference in Web content by AT&T and Verizon shows that more regulation is needed

by Stephen H. Wildstrom

A bit over a year ago, I wrote a column arguing that innovation on the Internet would be best served if the government mostly kept its hands off. I've changed my mind. The behavior of the top telecommunications companies, especially Verizon Communications (VZ) and AT&T (T), has convinced me that more government involvement is needed to keep communications free of corporate interference.

( categories: Telcos | AT&T | Verizon )

Senators Say White House Cut Deal with Panel on FISA

Posted on October 23, 2007 - 9:55pm.

from: Washington Post

Senators Say White House Cut Deal with Panel on FISA

Presidential authorizations and the Justice Department opinions do not make it legal. “That makes it an executive power grab that is not justified by the statute or by the Constitution.” Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.)

Even if You Have Nothing to Hide, Government Surveillance Threatens Your Freedom

Posted on October 23, 2007 - 8:12am.

from: FindLaw

Even if You Have Nothing to Hide, Government Surveillance Threatens Your Freedom

October 19, 2007
By John W. Dean

“I’ve got nothing to hide, so electronic surveillance doesn’t bother me. To the contrary, I’m delighted that the Bush Administration is monitoring calls and electronic traffic on a massive scale, because catching terrorists is far more important that worrying about the government’s listening to my phone calls, or reading my emails.” So the argument goes. It is a powerful one that has seduced too many people.

Immunity for Telecoms May Set Bad Precedent, Legal Scholars Say

Posted on October 23, 2007 - 8:10am.

from: Washington Post

Immunity for Telecoms May Set Bad Precedent, Legal Scholars Say

“The unfortunate reality is that once you’ve done it, once you immunize interrogators or phone companies, then it’s easy to do it again in another context.” Retired Rear Adm. John Huston, Franklin Pierce Law Center

Where Does Your Senator Stand on Spying Immunity?

Posted on October 23, 2007 - 8:08am.

from: Wired

Call for Reader Help: Where Does Your Senator Stand on Spying Immunity?

By Ryan Singel
October 16, 2007

Two key Senate committees are working on introducing a measure reworking what powers the government has to wiretap communications transiting phone and internet switches, and the administration and the nation's telecoms are pushing for immunity from lawsuits alleging the companies massively violated the nation's privacy laws by aiding the government's secret spying programs.

Senator Dodd Fights Telco Wiretap Suit Immunity

Posted on October 23, 2007 - 8:05am.

from: Broadband Reports

Senator Dodd Fights Telco Wiretap Suit Immunity
And how much does getting immunity from the law cost these days, anyway?

10:00AM Friday Oct 19 2007 by Karl

As we mentioned yesterday, an incredibly well-lobbied Congress has decided to give AT&T and Verizon retroactive immunity for their roles in handing over customer data to the NSA without a court order. The proposed deal would derail cases like the EFF's against AT&T, who has been accused of building entire rooms tasked with shoveling customer voice and Internet data (from multiple carriers) to Uncle Sam without any kind of judicial oversight.

Community television weakened by FCC

Posted on October 15, 2007 - 10:02pm.

from: Gresham Outlook

Community television weakened by FCC

By Rob Brading
Oct 5, 2007

When Congress didn’t enact telecommunications legislation in late 2006, local governments and advocates of media that’s less concentrated, more diverse and more local breathed a sigh of relief. Less than a year later, those same folks are wondering if they should have paid more heed to the old adage about being careful what you wish for.

( categories: Telcos | FCC Video Franchise )

Phone carriers quiet on U.S. surveillance program

Posted on October 15, 2007 - 9:54pm.

from: CNET

Phone carriers quiet on U.S. surveillance program

By Reuters
Published: October 15, 2007, 5:27 PM PDT

Major U.S. telephone carriers refused to answer questions from the Democratic-led Congress about their possible participation in President Bush's warrantless domestic spying program, according to documents released by lawmakers Monday.

Ex-phone chief says NSA sought data earlier

Posted on October 15, 2007 - 7:51am.

from: New York Times

Ex-phone chief says NSA sought data earlier

By Scott Shane
Story last modified Sun Oct 14 09:58:07 PDT 2007

The phone company Qwest Communications refused a proposal from the National Security Agency that the company's lawyers considered illegal in February 2001, nearly seven months before the terrorist attacks on September 11, the former head of the company contends in newly unsealed court filings.

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