SCIENCE - TECHNOLOGY  

The New Logic of High-Tech R&D.

Pisano, G. ; Wheelwright St.Harvard Business Review, September/October 1995, pp 93-105

"Few managers of high-technology companies view manufacturing as a primary source of competitive advantage. But the authors warn that such thinking is often costly and potentially dangerous to the competitive health of hightech companies. In fact, it is not only possible but also necessary to excel at developing new products and new manufacturing processes simultaneously. In many high-tech markets, manufacturing process innovation is becoming an increasingly critical capability for product innovation."

The Truly Endless Frontier.

Sapolsky, Harvey M. (M.I.T.) Technology Review, November/December 1995, pp. 37-42"Few, if any, university administrators anticipated the double calamities that have recently befallen academic science -- the end of the Cold War and the election of a Republican-controlled Congress," writes Sapolsky. These events have drastically reduced the defense-related basis of federal support for university research. The writer says that academic scientists

must develop a new political rationale for federal research funding and proposes that they make it health care.

The Crisis of Contemporary Science.

Kevles, Daniel J.Wilson Quarterly, Summer 1995. Pp 41-60"With the United States no longer engaged in war, hot or cold, American science is entering a new -- and uncertain -- age." Here three scientists explore the condition of science in the United

States: Kevles looks at how the close relationship between science and government is being redefined; Goodstein explores why the exponential growth of the scientific enterprise is coming to an end; and Bishop examines how science itself is increasingly under attack from a scientifically illiterate public.

Technology Integration: Turning Great Research into Great Products

Iansiti M.; West J. Iansiti M.; West J. Harvard Business Review, May-June 1997, pp 69-79

"It used to be that creating new technologies gave companies a competitive advantage. Not anymore. With a mind-boggling number of technologies and an increasingly complex manufacturing environment, that advantage goes to the companies most adept at choosing and refining technologies. The authors describe the prices of technology integration, which was behind the comeback of the U.S. electronics industry. "

Science and Technology in Foreign Affairs

a) Watkins, James D. (Former Secretary of Energy)b) Timothy E. Wirth (Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs)a) Watkins, James D. (Former Secretary of Energy)b) Timothy E. Wirth (Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs)  Science, vol. 277, no. 5326, August 1, 1997, pp. 650-651

The U.S. State Department today has neither the human resources, organizational structure, nor funds to promote major bilateral or multilateral efforts in science and technology. Watkins writes that this "lack of connectivity" between scientific research and foreign affairs was obvious in the cancellation of projects like the Superconducting Super Collider and the failure to develop new renewable energy technologies. The danger of not having a stronger link between foreign affairs and science is that exciting research opportunities will be lost and the United States will be seen as an unreliable partner on major scientific projects. T. Wirth cites recent successes by State Department.

Technology Policy and Economic Growth

Borrus, Michael; Stowsky, Jay Borrus, Michael; Stowsky, Jay BRIE Working Paper 97, April 1997, 15p  http://brie.berkely.edu/BRIE/pubs/wp/wp97.html

"Technology policy is obscured in deep shadow: The idea in American practice is to let the market decide industrial fortunes, but a half century of government sponsorship of new technology industries from jet aircraft to electronics and biotechnology suggests a different reality: Unacknowledged U.S. practice often contradicts what is preached, to enormous economic benefit... It is time to move technology policy into the light...In what follows, we suggest why and how it should be done."

*CLINTON ANNOUNCES NEW RESEARCH INVESTMENTS FOR AMERICA'S FUTURE

($200 million for new (R&D) partnerships);    THE WHITE HOUSE December 16, 1997Today, at an event honoring the winners of the Medals of Science and Medals of Technology, President Clinton announced two new research and development partnerships that will leverage roughly $200 million in government and industry funds. Federal government funding is $96 million, already appropriated for the current fiscal year, with the remainder coming from industry.SUPERCOMPUTER ON A CHIPThe Defense Department and the semiconductor industry will fund long-term R&D at leading universities that will eventually allow U.S. companies to manufacture a "supercomputer on a chip" -- with billions of transistors on a fingernail-sized piece of silicon. The focus will be on technology that is more than eight years to commercialization, beyond the time horizon of individual companies.The ability to double the number of transistors on a chip every 12-18 months is a driving force behind products such as affordable computers that are "faster, smaller and cheaper," in a high-tech industry that is the #1 employer in the United States. The high-tech sector (information, communications, electronics) now employs 4.3 million Americans at wages that are 73 percent above the private sector average.This initiative is being funded by the Defense Department's $14 million Government-Industry Cosponsored University Research program, which is also investing in research to enhance the protection of our nation's critical electronic communications, energy and information infrastructure. This program allows DoD to meet its national security needs while keeping America at the cutting-edge of new technologies.U.S. LEADERSHIP IN CIVILIAN TECHNOLOGYThe Commerce Department's Advanced Technology Program (ATP) will provide $82 million in cost-shared funds for eight new competitions to support R&D with broad-based benefits to the U.S. economy.These competitions could lead to breakthroughs such as computer displays the size and weight of a magazine page; a fast, inexpensive DNA diagnostics laboratory that fits on a chip; low-cost methods of producing higher-quality life-saving drugs; smaller, lighter, more reliable electronics devices -- things like hand-held video communications devices and radio-transmitting ID cards that locate lost children; and improved, cost-effective fuel cells that produce energy while reducing greenhouse gases.

More than half of all ATP grants have gone to small companies or joint ventures led by small companies.

INTELLECTUAL AND PROPERTY RIGHTS

La Propriete Intellectuelle dans l’Economie Mondiale

La Propriete Intellectuelle dans l’Economie Mondiale

Perspectives Economiques, USIS, Mai 1998, 42p

Ce dossier etudie les conséquences de la mondialisation et des nouvelles techniques numeriques sur la protection de la propriété intellectuelle. Ce dossier existe en version anglaise.

'Special 301' Annual Review On Intellectual Prop. Rights

USIS File , May 1998, 27 p

This is the 1998 annual review of the "Special 301" provision of U.S. trade law on intellectual property rights (IPR). It includes a fact sheet on actions taken.

Patent Laws and the Public Good: IPR Protection in Japan and the United States

Baughn C.; Bixby M.; Woods L.Shelton. Baughn C.; Bixby M.; Woods L.Shelton. Business Horizons, vol. 40, no. 4, July/August 1997, pp. 59-65

The article contrasts U.S. and Japanese approaches to patent protection and offers a brief look at historical factors in Japan that may have shaped Japanese laws. Japanese patent protection is aimed at assuring the dispersal of inventions in order to develop national industries rather than favoring the inventor as American laws do. Like most industrialized countries, Japan does not keep the application confidential during the entire approval process but publishes new patent applications 18 months after they are filed (unlike the U.S., which observes secrecy throughout the process). New technologies are driving changes in both nations' patent laws and there is some convergence, but rights and practices continue to differ.

Patent Medicine.

Shulman, Seth Technology Review, November/December 1995, pp. 28-36Intellectual property protection - patents and copyrights - has been a major part of the economic growth of America from its founding. But today, the author argues, things have gone awry with the U.S. patent system. Noting that today companies in emerging fields often receive patents that are so broad they hinder competition, he argues for a reinvention of the200-year-old U.S. Patent Office that would include better training for examiners and a weakening of the protection it grants.

U.S. Congress. Joint Economic Committee High-Tech Summit, June 14-16, 1999 http://jec.senate.gov/techsummit/ http://www.senate.gov/~jec/hightechtest.htm Schacht, Wendy H. Small Business Innovation Research Program Congressional Research Service, Updated September 1999 http://www.cnie.org/nle/econ-58.html

TECHNOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT

William Gale, Janet Rothenberg Pack and Samara Potter

The New Urban Economy: Opportunities and Challenges

The Brookings Institution, Conference Report #7 - June 2001http://www.brookings.edu/comm/ConferenceReport/cr7.htm"The Brookings-Wharton Papers on Urban Affairs (BWPUA) is aimed at remedying that lack of attention. This conference report summarizes the findings of the second volume of BWPUA, featuring six papers presented at the Brookings Institution on October 26-27, 2000. The volume features a symposium on issues relating to urban sprawl and decentralization, as well as papers on minority entrepreneurs, the effects of neighborhood on children's educational achievement, and the factors behind the decline in food stamp participation."

Richard Florida and Gary Gates

Technology and Tolerance: The Importance of Diversity to High-Technology Growth

Brookings Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy, June, 2001, 12phttp://www.brookings.edu/es/urban/techtol.pdf"This survey finds that diversity - measured by the proportion of gay couples, artists, and foreign-born residents - is a very strong indicator of a metropolitan area's strength in high-technology businesses. A large gay or otherwise diverse population does not directly cause high-tech success in a particular place. Rather, talented tech workers are drawn to places known for diversity of thought and open-mindedness." Innovation Policy and the Economy, Volume 2Adam Jaffe, Joshua Lerner and Scott Stern, EditorsConference held April 17, 2001 - Forthcoming from The MIT Press

http://www.nber.org/books/innovation2/index.html

These papers, preliminary drafts unless otherwise noted, will become chapters in the conference volume. Papers by David S. Evans, Richard Schmalensee, Timothy F. Bresnahan, J. Bradford DeLong

Investing in Information Technology: Productivity Payoffs for U.S. Industries

FRB New York, Current Issues in Economics and Finance, June 2001, 6phttp://www.newyorkfed.org/rmaghome/curr_iss/ci7-6.pdf

Although firms have invested billions of dollars in information technology to boost their productivity, many analysts continue to question whether these investments do in fact lead to productivity gains. An industry-level analysis of productivity performance provides robust evidence of a link, showing that the industries experiencing the largest productivity acceleration in the late 1990s were the producers and most intensive users of information technology.

The Medical Technology Revolution: Is FDA Ready?

An AdvaMed Press Briefing and Panel Discussion, June 18, 2001, The National Press Club--Washington, D.C.http://www.advamed.org/publicdocs/61801_toc.html

"Innovation in medical technology could slow unless the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reorganizes to better handle emerging technologies and new "hybrid" products, warns a report by the Lewin Group for the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed). Hybrids are products that combine device and drug technology into one treatment -- such as a laser-activated drug or an inhaler that delivers insulin."

INNOVATION - BIOTECHNOLOGY Building a New Foundation for Innovation: Results of a Workshop for the National Science Foundation Rand, June 2002, 124p http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR1534/index.html Signs of Life: The Growth of Biotechnology Centers in the U.S. Brookings Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy, June 2002, 44p http://www.brookings.edu/dybdocroot/es/urban/publications/biotech.pdf The Economic Impact of Biotechnology Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Southwest Economy, Issue 2, March/April 2002 http://www.dallasfed.org/htm/pubs/swe/3_4_02b.html

USE OF THE INTERNET IN PLACES OTHER THAN HOME OR WORK Pew Internet Project (PIP) Data Memo. The Pew Internet & American Life Project. March 3, 2004.  http://www.pewinternet.org/reports/toc.asp?Report=115 "The Pew Internet & American Life Project has found that 23% of adult U.S. Internet users have gone online from a place other than home or work. That is close to 30 million people. In that group of online Americans, 27% have used the Internet at school, 26% have used it at friends' or neighbors' homes, and 26% have used it at libraries. On any given day more than 4 million Americans are accessing the Internet from some place other than home or work." WWW.TERROR.NET: HOW MODERN TERRORISM USES THE INTERNET Gabriel Weimann. United States Institute of Peace (USIP).  March 2004.  http://www.usip.org/pubs/specialreports/sr116.pdf "Terrorists fight their wars in cyberspace as well as on the ground. However, while politicians and the media have hotly debated the dangers that cyberterrorism poses to the Internet, surprisingly little is known about the threat posed by terrorists' use of the Internet. Today, as this report makes plain, terrorist organizations and their supporters maintain hundreds of websites, exploiting the unregulated, anonymous, and easily accessible nature of the Internet to target an array of messages to a variety of audiences. Gabriel Weimann identifies no fewer than eight different ways in which terrorists are using the Internet to advance their cause, ranging from psychological warfare to recruitment, networking to fundraising." CONTENT CREATION ONLINE The Pew Internet & American Life Project. February 29, 2004.  http://www.pewinternet.org/reports/toc.asp?Report=113 "A new survey and report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project find that 44% of U.S. Internet users have contributed material to the online commons. More than 53 million American adults have used the Internet to publish their thoughts, respond to others, post pictures, share files and otherwise contribute to the explosion of content available online. Polls of Internet users have shown that somewhere between 2% and 7% of American Internet users have created blogs and about 11% of Internet users are blog readers. These are not hugely impressive figures, but they are hardly trivial. They mean that anywhere from 3 million to nearly 9 million Americans have created these diaries." IS THE UNITED STATES FALLING BEHIND IN ADOPTING BROADBAND? Economic and Budget Issue Brief. Congressional Budget Office (CBO). February 19, 2004. http://ftp.cbo.gov/showdoc.cfm?index=5082&sequence=0 "Some observers contend that the United States is lagging behind other industrialized nations in a race for technological leadership and prosperity in the future because by at least one measure of the prevalence of high-speed Internet access - the number of subscribers to broadband services per 100 people in the population - the United States ranks only sixth. But the burgeoning growth of participation in the Internet documented in other countries is far more likely to enhance rather than detract from the U.S. economy's continued expansion and the nation's overall economic welfare." LETTER TO THE HONORABLE LAMAR ALEXANDER REGARDING STATE TELECOMMUNICATIONS TAXES Congressional Budget Office (CBO). February 13, 2004. http://ftp.cbo.gov/showdoc.cfm?index=5040&sequence=0 "This letter responds to several questions posed to CBO about state telecommunications taxes: What are the components of telecommunications taxes collected by state and local governments? How much of these revenues could be affected by the enactment of S. 150, the Internet Tax Nondiscrimination Act (ITNA)? How quickly will telecommunication services "migrate" to the Internet; and how much state and local revenue could be affected? How many states tax cable? How much revenue did the federal USF fund generate in 2003? How much money did the federal excise tax on telecommunications generate in 2003?"   RURAL AREAS AND THE INTERNET The Pew Internet & American Life Project. February 17, 2004.  http://www.pewinternet.org/reports/toc.asp?Report=112 "There has been steady penetration of the Internet into rural areas in recent years and more than half of rural adults - 52% - now go online. However, a corresponding rise in the percentage of urban and suburban residents going online has left a persistent gap between rural areas and the rest of the country. Some 67% of urban residents and 66% of suburbanites are online. The Pew Internet & American Life Project finds that the gap is probably tied to the fact that rural residents as a group earn less and are older than their urban and suburban counterparts." TO TAX OR NOT TO TAX? THAT IS THE QUESTION Robert Atkinson. The Hill. Progressive Policy Institute. February 4, 2004. http://www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=140&subsecID=292&contentID=252371 "As we continue the transition to a digital economy, one of the more contentious public-policy issues is Internet taxation. Last year, the House passed legislation (H.R. 49) extending the moratorium on Internet-access taxes and discriminatory taxes. However, the Senate version (S. 150) was held up largely by state concerns over revenues, particularly as Internet telephony (referred to as voice over Internet protocol, or VOIP) begins to replace traditional - and heavily taxed - telephone service." TELECOMMUNICATIONS: WIRE-BASED COMPETITION BENEFITED CONSUMERS IN SELECTED MARKETS Report to the Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. Senate. General Accounting Office (GAO). February 2004. http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04241.pdf  "One of the primary purposes of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was to promote competition in telecommunication markets, but wire-based competition has not developed as fully as expected. However, a new kind of entrant, called broadband service providers (BSP), offers an alternative wire- based option for local telephone, subscription television, and high- speed Internet services to consumers in the markets they have chosen to enter. This report provides information on (1) BSPs' business strategy, (2) the impact of BSPs' market entry on incumbent companies' behavior and consumer prices for telecommunications services, (3) the key factors that BSPs consider when making decisions about which local markets to enter, and (4) the success of BSPs in attaining subscribership and any key factors that may limit their success." "NET NEUTRALITY": DIGITAL DISCRIMINATION OR REGULATORY GAMESMANSHIP IN CYBERSPACE? Adam D. Thierer. Policy Analysis No. 507. Cato Institute. January 12, 2004. http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-507es.html "Several major software and e-commerce firms have formed the Coalition of Broadband Users and Innovators to petition the Federal Communications Commission to adopt rules ensuring that cable and telephone industry broadband operators will not use their control of high-speed networks to disrupt consumer access to websites or other users. In the name of preserving "network neutrality" and Internet "openness," CBUI members argue that the FCC must adopt preemptive "nondiscrimination safeguards" to ensure Net users open and unfettered access to online content and services in the future. Such rhetoric and calls for preemptive regulation are unjustified. There is no evidence that broadband operators are unfairly blocking access to websites or online services today, and there is no reason to expect them to do so in the future." CYBER PIRACY Shane Ham. Blueprint Magazine. Progressive Policy Institute. January 8, 2004. http://www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=140&subsecID=289&contentID=252304 "Stealing off the Internet is not only illegal, it can cripple the future of e-commerce. It is possible, however, to hold piracy to a manageable level if two things happen together. First, the inconvenience of piracy and the risk of getting caught and punished for it must increase. Second, both public and private measures must be taken to make it easier for consumers to pay for the content they want to download. This will move us toward the truly desirable goal: an environment in which digitally transmitted content is widely available and the creators of content are fairly compensated for their efforts." SHARP DECLINE IN MUSIC FILE SWAPPERS Pew Internet Project (PIP) Data Memo. The Pew Internet & American Life Project. January 4, 2004.  http://www.pewinternet.org/reports/toc.asp?Report=109 "The percentage of online Americans downloading music files on the Internet has dropped by half and the numbers who are downloading files on any given day have plunged since the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) began filing suits in September against those suspected of copyright infringement. Furthermore, a fifth of those who say they continue to download or share files online say they are doing so less often because of the suits." THE UNCERTAIN FUTURE OF THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY Robert E. Litan and Roger G. Noll. Policy Brief No. 129. The Brookings Institution. January 2004. http://www.brook.edu/comm/policybriefs/pb129.htm "The U.S. telecommunications industry is riding a roller coaster. For most of the 1990s, the industry's future looked promising. But in the years following enactment of the 1996 Telecommunications law and the investment boom, demand for both standard telephone and broadband services, while strong, did not explode as the industry had anticipated. As capacity expanded more rapidly than demand and competition began to take hold, prices fell. Not surprisingly, a few major and many minor players fell into bankruptcy. The growing gap between expectations and reality in industry performance has given rise to new calls to rethink national communications policy. This brief addresses several issues that are now or should be front and center in the debates over future policy." INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT: GOVERNMENTWIDE STRATEGIC PLANNING, PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT, AND INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT CAN BE FURTHER IMPROVED Report to Congressional Requesters. General Accounting Office (GAO). January 2004. http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d0449.pdf "According to the President's most recent budget, the federal government spends billions of dollars annually on information technology (IT) - reportedly investing about $50 billion in fiscal year 2002 and expecting to invest about $60 billion in fiscal year 2004. Despite this substantial investment, the government's management of information resources has produced mixed results. Although agencies have taken constructive steps to implement modern strategies, systems, and management policies and practices, our most recent high-risk and performance and accountability series identified continuing high-risk system modernization efforts and governmentwide information and technology management challenges." U.S. CONSUMERS AND ELECTRONIC BANKING, 1995-2003 Christoslav E. Anguelov, Marianne A. Hilgert, and Jeanne M. Hogarth. Federal Reserve Bulletin. Winter 2004. http://www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/bulletin/2004/winter04_ca.pdf "The availability and variety of electronic banking technologies in the marketplace has greatly expanded in recent years. For financial institutions, e-banking technologies can speed processing, reduce costs, and help attract and retain customers. For consumers, they can save time and money and may be more convenient than more traditional ways of banking. This article draws on data from two nationwide surveys to look at consumer use of such products and services as debit cards, pre-authorized debits, and computer banking, particularly as use relates to consumer demographic characteristics and consumer perceptions." CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS: VOICE OVER INTERNET PROTOCOL (VOIP) U.S. Senate. Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Full Committee. February 24, 2004. http://commerce.senate.gov/hearings/witnesslist.cfm?id=1065 "Today, the Committee examines Voice over Internet Protocol B - or VOIP B - a technology that enables voice to be carried over the Internet. While this technology is not new, recent advances have enhanced the quality of voice services delivered using Internet Protocol such that VOIP may now be competitive with traditional telephone services. Members will hear testimony on the appropriate federal and state regulatory treatment of VOIP, including obligations related to intercarrier compensation, disability access, E-911, universal service, and assistance to law enforcement." VIRTUAL THREAT, REAL TERROR: CYBERTERRORISM IN THE 21ST CENTURY U.S. Senate. Committee on the Judiciary. Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security. February 24, 2004. http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearing.cfm?id=1054 "Today's hearing will examine issues related to the potential misuse of computer technologies to commit terrorist acts. While to this point we have been fortunate that terrorists have not been able to infiltrate and dismantle our networks, we can assume, unfortunately, that they would if they had the opportunity. Recent reports about domestic uses of worms and other computer viruses also remind us that our vulnerability is not limited to foreign threats." CABLE COMPETITION - INCREASING PRICE; INCREASING VALUE? U.S. Senate. Committee on the Judiciary. Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition, and Business and Consumer Rights. February 11, 2004. http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearing.cfm?id=1041 "About two-thirds of the households in this country rely on cable for their television programming. And more and more households receive their Internet services from a cable company as well. We now rely on cable for entertainment and information. More and more, cable has become part of the monthly budget for the average consumer. And instead of the cost going down because so many people now use the service, the cost just keeps rising." THE CURRENT STATE OF COMPETITION IN THE COMMUNICATIONS MARKETPLACE U.S. House of Representatives. Committee on Energy and Commerce. Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet. February 4, 2004. http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/Hearings/02042004hearing1164/hearing.htm "Observed through the lens of the stock market the US telecom services industry would appear to be in pretty bad shape. Many companies, large and small, have seen collapses in market value since the March 2000 peak. In addition there have been many high profile bankruptcies, some with alleged fraud. As with the larger market "bubble' much time and effort has been invested in trying to identify the causes of "the problem" of which this collapse is deemed to be a manifestation. Also of course many look to identify a "solution"." Don't forget to visit the IRC page on Information Technologies: http://www.amb-usa.fr/irc/technology/techno.htm

Information Technologies – Documents on the Web –

June 2004

Please see below for your information recent documents which may be of interest to you:

REPORTS AND PAPERS:

Negotiate, Not Litigate

Randolph J. May, James L. Gatusso and Adam Thierer. TechKnowledge Issue #82. The Cato Institute. June 7, 2004.

http://www.cato.org/tech/tk/040607-tk.html

“When the D.C. Circuit Appeals Court in March once again threw out the Federal Communications Commission’s rules requiring incumbent telephone companies like Verizon to share their network facilities at regulated rates, the court handed the telecommunications industry a huge opportunity. In short, there is an opportunity to replace the traditional public utility, litigation-oriented regulatory regime with a less-regulated, commercially oriented regime in which telecom providers wishing to share facilities are free to enter mutually acceptable agreements.”

Information Security: Continued Action Needed to Improve Software Patch Management

General Accounting Office (GAO). June 2, 2004.

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04706.pdf

“Flaws in software code can introduce vulnerabilities that may be exploited to cause significant damage to federal information systems. Such risks continue to grow with the increasing speed, sophistication, and volume of reported attacks, as well as the decreasing period of the time from vulnerability announcement to attempted exploits. The process of applying software patches to fix flaws, referred to as patch management, is a critical process to help secure systems from attacks. GAO has been requested to assess the (1) reported status of 24 selected agencies in performing effective patch management practices, (2) patch management tools and services available to federal agencies, (3) challenges to performing patch management, and (4) additional steps that can be taken to mitigate the risks created by software vulnerabilities.”

Intellectual Property: Economic Arrangments Among Small Webcasters and Third Parties and Their Effect on Royalties

General Accounting Office (GAO). June 1, 2004.

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04700.pdf

“The Internet has led to a new generation of content providers, commonly known as “webcasters,” who transmit digitized audio or video works over the World Wide Web. The emergence of this new industry raised concerns among record companies and performers because their works could be widely disseminated, which might result in diminished sales of their copyrighted works through record albums, compact discs, and other prerecorded formats. To address these concerns and to support the emergence of new digital technologies, the Congress extended limited copyright protection to performances of sound recordings being digitally transmitted.”

File Sharing: Selected Universities Report Taking Action to Reduce Copyright Infringement

General Accounting Office (GAO). May 28, 2004.

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04503.pdf

“According to a coalition of intellectual property owners in the entertainment industry, an increasing number of students are using the fast Internet connections offered by college and university networks to infringe copyrights by illegally downloading and sharing massive volumes of copyrighted materials on peer-to-peer networks. GAO was asked to describe (1) the views of major universities on the extent of problems experienced with student use of file-sharing applications as well as the actions that the universities are taking to deal with them and (2) the actions that federal enforcement agencies have taken to address the issue of copyright infringement on peer-to-peer networks as well as agency views on any legislative barriers to dealing with the problems.”

Spectrum Management: Better Knowledge Needed to Take Advantage of Technologies That May Improve Spectrum Efficiency

General Accounting Office (GAO). May 28, 2004.

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04666.pdf

“With the increased demand, the radio-frequency spectrum--a resource that once seemed unlimited--has become crowded and, in the future, may no longer be able to accommodate all users' needs. As a result, there has been a growing debate among spectrum policy leaders about how to use spectrum more efficiently. To help inform these debates, GAO was asked to look at agencies' investments in spectrum efficient technologies and how the nation's spectrum management system may affect the development and adoption of these technologies.”

Technology Assessment: Cybersecurity for Critical Infrastructure Protection

General Accounting Office (GAO). May 28, 2004.

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04321.pdf

“Defending against attacks on our information technology infrastructure-- cybersecurity--is a major concern of both the government and the private sector. Consistent with guidance provided by the Senate's Fiscal Year 2003 Legislative Branch Appropriations Report (S. Rpt. 107-209), GAO conducted this technology assessment on the use of cybersecurity technologies for CIP in response to a request from congressional committees. This assessment addresses the following questions: (1) What are the key cybersecurity requirements in each of the CIP sectors? (2) What cybersecurity technologies can be applied to CIP? (3) What are the implementation issues associated with using cybersecurity technologies for CIP, including policy issues such as privacy and information sharing?”

How Americans Get in Touch With Government

The Pew Internet & American Life Project. May 24, 2004.

 http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_E-Gov_Report_0504.pdf

“The drive by public agencies to provide information and services on the Internet opens up a way for Americans to contact government that was not available a decade ago. This report takes stock of how e-government is faring by placing e-gov in the context of the other ways people get in touch with government, such as telephone calls, in-person visits, and letters. It then assesses whether different means of contact – or other factors – are connected to the rates of success and satisfaction that users report when they reach out to government. This comparative look at how Americans get hold government reveals the benefits and limits of e-government at its current stage of evolution.”

28% OF AMERICAN ADULTS ARE WIRELESS READY

Pew Internet Project (PIP) Data Memo. The Pew Internet & American Life Project. May 12, 2004.

 http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Wireless_Ready_Data_0504.pdf

“More than one quarter of all Americans use devices – either laptop computers with wireless modems or cell phones – that enable them to go online to surf the Web or check email. 28% of Americans – and fully 41% of all Internet users – have within the past month used a laptop that can connect wirelessly to the Internet or a cell phone that lets them send and receive email. This means that 56 million American adults are “wireless ready.” That is, they have used devices that allow them to connect to the Internet by wireless means.”

Federal Plan for High-End Computing

High-End Computing Revitalization Task Force (HECRTF). Executive Office of the President. May 10, 2004.

http://www.itrd.gov/pubs/2004_hecrtf/20040510_hecrtf.pdf

“While the importance of high-end computing has grown, the flow of R&D needed to maintain supporting technologies, and the human capital required to sustain them, have not matched this expansion. The current dependence largely on clusters of commercial-off-the-shelf processors and industry’s understandable focus on the hardware and software needs of business applications and smaller scale scientific and engineering problems is likely to sustain an existing gap between the Nation’s projected high-end computing needs and capabilities.”

Data Mining: Federal Efforts Cover a Wide Range of Uses

General Accounting Office (GAO). May 4, 2004.

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04548.pdf

“Both the government and the private sector are increasingly using "data mining"--that is, the application of database technology and techniques (such as statistical analysis and modeling) to uncover hidden patterns and subtle relationships in data and to infer rules that allow for the prediction of future results. As has been widely reported, many federal data mining efforts involve the use of personal information that is mined from databases maintained by public as well as private sector organizations. GAO was asked to survey data mining systems and activities in federal agencies. Specifically, GAO was asked to identify planned and operational federal data mining efforts and describe their characteristics.”

Preliminary findings from a Web survey of musicians and songwriters

Pew Internet Project (PIP) Data Memo. The Pew Internet & American Life Project. April 30, 2004.

 http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Musicians_Prelim_Findings.pdf

“An online survey of 2,755 musicians and songwriters shows they are quite divided in their opinions about the impact of music file sharing by Internet users. There is no clear consensus regarding the effects of online file-sharing on artists - about a third of artists say that file-sharing is simultaneously good for promotional purposes, but also bad because file-sharing circumvents payments to artists. Also included in this preliminary report are artists’ attitudes towards the legal measures the RIAA has pursued, and what artists say are the effects of file-sharing on their own livelihoods.”

Is the Bush Administration Finally Getting Serious about Broadband Policy?

Adam Thierer. TechKnowledge Issue #81. The Cato Institute. April 28, 2004.

http://www.cato.org/tech/tk/040428-tk.html

“For the past three and a half years, high-tech sector officials and watchers have been patiently waiting and wondering if the Bush administration was ever going to formulate a serious broadband policy. Early speeches or announcements on the subject were quite ambiguous and generally characterized by plenty of talk about the importance of a broadband future, but contained very little in the way of action items. In a speech this week in Minneapolis, however, President Bush finally decided to get a little more specific about his vision for this sector.”

The state of music downloading and file-sharing online

Pew Internet Project (PIP) Data Memo. The Pew Internet & American Life Project. April 25, 2004.

 http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Filesharing_April_04.pdf

“14% of online Americans say that at one time in their online lives they downloaded music files, but now they no longer do any downloading. That represents more than 17 million people. However, the number of people who say they download music files increased from an estimated 18 million to 23 million since the November-December 2003 survey. The Pew Internet Project poll shows that a third of the former music downloaders, close to 6 million Internet users, say they have turned away from downloading because of the suits brought against music file-sharers by the Recording Industry Association of America.”

Google E-mail, What's All the Fuss About?

Rob Atkinson. Front & Center. The Progressive Policy Institute. April 5, 2004.

http://www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=140&subsecid=288&contentid=252511

“The explosion of the Internet has created a new privacy conundrum. Companies are willing to provide a host of free online services, but the quid pro quo they sometimes ask for is personal information in exchange. Google's new email service with targeted online ads is a case in point. However, we shouldn't let paranoid rhetoric from privacy advocates stop this or other similar types of consumer-friendly services.”

"Offshoring" Service Jobs: Bane or Boon and What to Do?

Lael Brainard and Robert E. Litan. Policy Brief #132. The Brookings Institution. April 2004.

http://www.brook.edu/comm/policybriefs/pb132.htm

“The nation still has a lot to learn about offshoring because existing data are incomplete or contradictory. Economic theory and past performance suggest that although offshoring provides overall economic gains, it also is redistributive, with affected workers facing possible job loss and wage pressures. The challenges are to ensure that American workers have the critical skills to compete successfully in the global economy, that America remains the most attractive location for high value services and manufacturing, and that the playing field does not artificially induce U.S. firms to go abroad. Most immediately, lawmakers must address the serious challenges faced by permanently displaced workers.”

Does Spectrum Abundance Justify Public Control?

Stuart Minor Benjamin. The Progress & Freedom Foundation. April 2004.

http://www.pff.org/publications/communications/pop11.9spectrumabundance.pdf

“Technologists and legal scholars have argued that new wireless networks can be developed that would allow for a wireless “commons” in which people could transmit freely on open radio spectrum. They contend that we can now have wireless networks in which each new device also creates new capacity, such that a wireless network can add users without creating interference. They also take a further step: They assert that such networks will not be created if spectrum is privately owned, and that a commons—in which no one owned spectrum rights—would be a more efficient system for managing the spectrum than would a property rights regime. In this paper, I critically assess the argument that a government-created commons is a more efficient means of spectrum allocation than is private property, and in particular that it is a more efficient means of producing these new networks. I conclude that private owners will create these capacious networks if such networks are as promising as their advocates suggest, and that—in light of the tradeoffs involved in the choice between public and private control—private control is preferable to public control.”

CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS:

Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities

U.S. House of Representatives. Committee on Government Reform. Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and the Census. June 2, 2004.

http://reform.house.gov/TIPRC/Hearings/EventSingle.aspx?EventID=1085

“We continue our in-depth review of cyber security issues affecting our Nation. Today’s hearing is an opportunity to examine: the challenges in managing information system vulnerabilities; strategies to assess and reduce the risks created by these vulnerabilities; the pace of the federal government’s and the private sector’s employment of these strategies in securing their own systems; and how automated tools should be employed in applying these strategies.”

Advancing the DTV Transition: An Examination of the FCC Media Bureau Proposal

U.S. House of Representatives. Committee on Energy and Commerce. Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet. June 2, 2004.

http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/Hearings/06022004hearing1289/hearing.htm

“As a result of the FCC Media Bureau’s proposal, the public will reclaim, on January 1, 2009, a significant amount of spectrum throughout the country that will yield great benefits to our citizens, economy and the industries involved in the digital television transition.  The public interest benefits include advances in homeland security, broadband deployment, economic growth and job creation and the consumer adoption of digital television.  The result of the Media Bureau’s construct is that these substantial public interest benefits will be realized at minimal cost to the public and the various industry segments driving the digital transition.”

CAN-SPAM Act

U.S. Senate. Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Full Committee. May 20, 2004.

http://commerce.senate.gov/hearings/witnesslist.cfm?id=1199

“Today, the Committee will examine the effectiveness of the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 at curtailing the proliferation of spam in America. Since our review of this issue last May, the volume of spam received by American consumers has risen unabatedly. Spam now accounts for anywhere from 64% to 83% of all e-mail traffic on the Internet. Just a year ago, spam constituted only 45% of e-mail traffic. The rising tide of spam is driving nearly a third of consumers away from using e-mail, a result that could well impact Internet usage and, consequently, the future financial health of our telecommunications, online retail, and information technology industries.”

Competition in the Communications Marketplace: How Convergence Is Blurring the Lines Between Voice, Video, and Data Services

U.S. House of Representatives. Committee on Energy and Commerce. Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet. May 19, 2004.

http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/Hearings/05192004hearing1278/hearing.htm

“Technological evolution in networks, in algorithms and in cost reduction of computing has enabled the convergence of transport of Voice, Data and Video. So now a twisted pair cable which has historically been deployed to deliver only voice services, can now also deliver broadband data and video services, using DSL technology. A coaxial cable can, in addition to television, deliver telephony and broadband data. Other access technologies have emerged including satellite, wireless and fiber to the home. Not just the access, but also the core of the network, can now be converged.”

The Satellite Home Viewer Extension Act

U.S. Senate. Committee on the Judiciary. Full Committee. May 12, 2004.

http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearing.cfm?id=1183

“Today we will be discussing some very important issues relating to the reauthorization of section 119 of the Copyright Act, which provides a statutory license for the retransmission of distant network signals. The extension of section 119 has far reaching implications for the satellite and broadcast television industries, as well as for those who create video content, and I am sure that the tremendous panel of witnesses that we have here today will do their best to make this somewhat difficult subject matter accessible to all of us, while also providing us with some insight into the economics of providing direct broadcast satellite or DBS service.”

Telecommunications Policy Review: A View from Industry

U.S. Senate. Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Full Committee. May 12, 2004.

http://commerce.senate.gov/hearings/witnesslist.cfm?id=1187

“Today we continue our series of hearings reviewing telecommunications policy. We will hear the perspectives of leading companies in each of various industry sectors regarding the elements that should be considered in any legislation seeking to reform existing telecommunications law.”

H.R. 107, The Digital Media Consumers' Rights Act of 2003

U.S. House of Representatives. Committee on Energy and Commerce. Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection. May 12, 2004.

http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/Hearings/05122004hearing1265/hearing.htm

“In an effort to further refine the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and maintain a fair and balanced approach to copyright protection, Mr. Boucher has introduced HR 107 "The Digital Media Consumers' Rights Act of 2003." HR 107, would establish a "fair use" defense for "circumvention" and allow consumers, in effect, to "unlock" encryption or DRM technology to make "fair use" of the copyrighted work. Supporters of HR 107 point out that the DMCA prevents consumers from making fair use of encrypted materials. As a practical matter this means that a consumer cannot make a copy of a DVD for his or her "fair use." In contrast, those opposed to HR 107 contend that without the prohibition against breaking encryption, the protection for copyrighted works under current law would be weakened.”

Online Pornography: Closing the Doors on Pervasive Smut

U.S. House of Representatives. Committee on Energy and Commerce. Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection. May 6, 2004.

http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/Hearings/05062004hearing1264/hearing.htm

“Web pornographers are increasingly using online deception and trickery to lure visitors to their websites. Domain names are being manipulated to appear benign and "mousetrap" their victims. Spam and fraudulent advertising are being employed to lure unsuspecting visitors, many of them children, to obscene material. And now, distributed computing technology like file-sharing software applications known as "Peer to Peer" or "P2P" software are quickly becoming a favorite medium, particularly to lure our children from the perceived safety of the family living room out into the dangers of the Internet wilderness.”

The 'Dot Kids' Internet Domain: Protecting Children Online

U.S. House of Representatives. Committee on Energy and Commerce. Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet. May 6, 2004.

http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/Hearings/05062004hearing1262/hearing.htm

“Internet access has benefited children enormously by giving them new research tools and information sources, new avenues of expression, expanded and more collaborative learning opportunities, and connections to other communities. Parents want the Internet to be a place where children can access educational material and enjoy their experience. The kids.us space provides us with an opportunity to create a unique place to do that.”

Reauthorization of the Satellite Home Viewers Improvement Act of 1999 (SHVIA)

U.S. Senate. Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Full Committee. May 4, 2004.

http://commerce.senate.gov/hearings/witnesslist.cfm?id=1174

“Today the Committee reexamines its previous work: The Satellite Home Viewers Improvement Act of 1999, commonly known as SHVIA. Portions of SHVIA are set to expire at the end of this year, and efforts to reauthorize this legislation have begun in both the House and the Senate. In 1999, Congress’ goal in enacting SHVIA was to place satellite operators on equal footing with cable operators. Congress’ attempt at achieving regulatory parity for these two providers of video subscription services has produced mixed results.”

Spyware: What You Don't Know Can Hurt You

U.S. House of Representatives. Committee on Energy and Commerce. Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection. April 29, 2004.

http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/Hearings/04292004hearing1255/hearing.htm

“Spyware is loosely defined as malicious software, downloaded from the Internet, that "spies" on the computer owner or user, usually to provide information to third parties. A spyware relative, known as adware, enables the computer owner or user to receive a stream of ads and other marketing information, usually based on data the software has collected about the user. Our panel today will help us understand how spyware and adware programs are distributed in commerce - both legitimate and fraudulent, the scope of the privacy and security risks posed by this software, its effects on economic productivity, and the need for federal legislation.”

Telecommunications Policy: A Look Ahead

U.S. Senate. Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Full Committee. April 28, 2004.

http://commerce.senate.gov/hearings/witnesslist.cfm?id=1166

“Today we continue our series of hearings reviewing telecommunications policy. We look ahead to consider potential reforms to our telecommunications policy given advances in technology. This examination is important because numerous members have discussed reforming the Act. It is imperative that any new legislation will provide a more streamlined statutory framework for telecommunications policy in the 21st century – one in which technological innovation could flourish, competition could thrive, and the need for regulation is either eliminated or greatly reduced.”

Telecommunications Policy Review: Lessons Learned from the Telecom Act of 1996

U.S. Senate. Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Full Committee. April 27, 2004.

http://commerce.senate.gov/hearings/witnesslist.cfm?id=1164

“Today’s uncertain telecommunications policy landscape, wrought largely by rapidly developing technology, an outdated statutory framework unable to keep pace, and federal regulations mired in litigation from their outset, requires us to reexamine the very assumptions under which the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was put into law. The VOIP hearing in February was the first hearing in this series and gave members an opportunity to look at the catalytic role of technology in our increasingly outmoded telecommunications policies. Today, we look squarely at the Act and the lessons we can learn from it. I look forward to hearing testimony from some of the telecom industry’s finest leaders as they take a look back at the past eight years since passage of the Act to identify its successes and failures.”

Don’t forget to visit the IRC page on Information Technologies:

http://www.amb-usa.fr/irc/technology/techno.htm