ntia

European ISPs defend U.N. Internet tax

ASPEN, Colo.--European network providers today defended their proposal submitted to a United Nations body that would allow them to levy fees on content providers including Google, Facebook, Apple, and Netflix.

"We believe that this situation is putting at risk our capacity to invest," said Luigi Gambardella, chairman of the executive board of the European Telecommunications Network Operators, or ETNO. "We need to rethink together and to establish a new balance."

The idea was not exactly popular with representatives of the U.S. government and Verizon, who also spoke at the Technology Policy Institute's conference … Read more

Feds to mobile users: Drop dead

WASHINGTON--The federal government is slinking away from a promise by President Obama to free up badly-needed radio spectrum for mobile users and the already over-taxed networks that serve them.

Just months after the publication of the National Broadband Plan in early 2010, the president issued a memorandum ordering the FCC and the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration to "make available a total of 500 MHz of Federal and nonfederal spectrum over the next 10 years" for mobile users.

The goal was to clear unused or underutilized spectrum the FCC could then auction off for use … Read more

Congressional task force to study government's wireless spectrum use

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives have formed a bipartisan task force to figure out how the government can more efficiently use wireless spectrum.

The Federal Spectrum Working Group was announced Wednesday by Greg Walden (R-Ore.), chairman of the House Communications and Technology Subcommittee and Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), the Democratic ranking member on the subcommittee. And it will be led by Reps. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) and Doris Matsui (D-Calif.).

The purpose of this new group will be to study and come up with a possible action plan for making more efficient use of wireless spectrum used by the … Read more

Obama admin calls for more ICANN accountability

The Obama administration today called for improvements in the mechanisms used to oversee Internet domain names, saying changes are needed to make the process more "accountable" and "transparent."

Larry Strickling, a Commerce Department assistant secretary, said that the California nonprofit group created in 1998 to oversee these functions--the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN--"needs" to do more to explain the reasoning for its decisions and to heed the advice of national governments.

"We still have work to do to make the reality of ICANN meet the vision," said … Read more

Snowe, Kerry introduce spectrum inventory bill

WASHINGTON--Hopes for a solution to the looming crisis in available radio spectrum for mobile broadband users were raised today.

Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) introduced legislation aimed at solving some of the biggest threats to the mobile Internet, feeding hopes of bipartisan solutions for spectrum woes in an increasingly divided Congress.

"The Reforming Airwaves by Developing Incentives and Opportunistic Sharing (Radios) Act will set the proper foundation to meet growing demand for spectrum through greater planning and coordination and by promoting more innovative and efficient use of spectrum resources," Sens. Snowe and Kerry said in a statement. … Read more

No support for U.S. proposal for domain name veto

The Obama administration has failed in its bid to allow it and other governments to veto future top-level domain names, a proposal before ICANN that raised questions about balancing national sovereignty with the venerable Internet tradition of free expression.

A group of nations rejected (PDF) that part of the U.S. proposal last week, concluding instead that governments can offer nonbinding "advice" about controversial suffixes such as .gay but will not receive actual veto power.

Other portions of the U.S. proposal were adopted, including one specifying that individual governments may file objections to proposed suffixes without paying … Read more

U.S. delves into broadband access with new map

If you ever wanted to dig into data about broadband availability around the U.S., now's your chance.

The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has launched the National Broadband Map in time for today's deadline set by Congress. According to the NTIA, the broadband map is designed to be a public tool offering data that could eventually be used to help expand broadband access in areas around the country that need it most.

A map of the state of U.S. broadband access has been a long time coming. Back in 2008, the … Read more

The coming fight over .gay domain (Q&A)

SAN FRANCISCO--Scott Seitz has the dubious distinction of proposing what might become the most controversial new top-level Internet domain: .gay.

Seitz, the chief executive of dotGAY, is the founder of SPI Marketing, which bills itself as a "full service" gay marketing, public relations, and event planning agency. Clients include Absolut Vodka, American Express, Subaru, and Travelocity; campaigns included a Ru Paul drag race.

Now, as soon as the application period begins, Seitz is planning to ask the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, to approve .gay. At least 115 proposals are expected, including .car, .health, .… Read more

U.S. seeks veto powers over new domain names

The Obama administration is quietly seeking the power for it and other governments to veto future top-level domain names, a move that raises questions about free expression, national sovereignty, and the role of states in shaping the future of the Internet.

At stake is who will have authority over the next wave of suffixes to supplement the venerable .com, .org, and .net. At least 115 proposals are expected this year, including .car, .health, .nyc, .movie, and .web, and the application process could be finalized at a meeting in San Francisco next month.

Some are likely to prove contentious among more … Read more

High interest in broadband stimulus spurs public meetings

WASHINGTON--Two government agencies have 19 months to distribute $7.2 billion in stimulus funds for broadband deployment projects in all 50 states--and already thousands of potential grant recipients are knocking at their doors.

President Obama's economic stimulus package dictated that all of the money set aside for broadband will have to be allocated to worthy projects by September 30, 2010. To meet that goal, the federal government will need the help of "the best and the brightest," Mark Seifert, one of the people responsible for the broadband funds, said Tuesday.

"I invite you to work very … Read more