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from: CNET

Appeals court may let NSA lawsuits proceed
By Declan McCullagh
Aug 15 20:06:53 PDT 2007

SAN FRANCISCO--A federal appeals court on Wednesday appeared unwilling to end a pair of lawsuits that claim the Bush administration engaged in widespread illegal surveillance of Americans.

from: Wired

Nation’s Soul Is at Stake in NSA Surveillance Case

By Jennifer Granick
August 15, 2007

Today the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco is hearing arguments on two of the most important cases in decades dealing with the rule of law and personal privacy.

from: BuzzFlash

Why Haven’t the Mainstream Corporate Media Covered the AT&T-NSA Domestic Spying Program?

August 13, 2007

By Elliot D. Cohen

The recently passed “Protect America Act of 2007” (S. 1927), which expands presidential powers under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to spy on our overseas phone and e-mail communications without a court warrant, appears to be just the tip of the iceberg of government eavesdropping on American citizens. Yet, mainstream media (MSM) have given scant coverage to the NSA/AT&T domestic spying program, and a landmark case now pending before the 9th circuit federal appeals court, the outcome of which may mark the final blow to Fourth Amendment privacy rights in America.

Note: Some of the reasons given for this law are telling - see boldfaced paragraph near bottom.

from: NY Times

August 6, 2007
Bush Signs Law to Widen Legal Reach for Wiretapping

By JAMES RISEN
WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 — President Bush signed into law on Sunday legislation that broadly expanded the government’s authority to eavesdrop on the international telephone calls and e-mail messages of American citizens without warrants.

Note: we couldn't let the slippery logic of silicon alley slip by without a comment - below.

from: Silicon Alley

Court Ruling Screws Telcos, Boosts Cable
Dan Frommer | July 27, 2007 5:43 PM

A federal court made things a lot stickier for AT&T as it builds out its "U-verse" Internet-based television network. Reuters reports that a U.S. District Court in Connecticut has decided to lump IPTV in the same legal category as cable TV, reversing a previous decision by a state commission. This forces telcos through an expensive, obnoxious town-by-town dance to get local cable franchise licenses, the results of which rarely benefit consumers. (Nevermind that cable companies skip this kind of legal hoopla when they go after phone companies' customers with Internet phone offerings.)

Harold has been on a roll lately and on target as usual - it's worth following his site regularly. It seems that once again the telcos are considered integral parts of the military industrial complex and as such have privileged military contractor status. With Bush involved, the 700 MhZ auction could become yet another rigged state secret.If the telcos seize this spectrum, they will cinch their roll-out efforts for triple/quadruple play that will leave cable, PEG and the cities in much the same situation as so many Iraqi towns.

from: Wet Machine
by Harold Feld

700 MHz Endgame: Has AT&T Asked Bush to Put Thumb On Scale?