Broadband
Bush Details Plans For Nationwide High-Speed Internet
     President Bush put a little pep in the step of the telecommunications and technology communities this week when he announced a revived administration commitment to help bring high-speed Internet access to all Americans by 2007. He said government has a role in approving technologies to make such broadband service available over power lines and the airwaves. He also said taxes should not be imposed on broadband service. Meanwhile, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry outlined his vision for stimulating the economy by increasing investment in cutting-edge technology and accelerating the nation's transition to digital television. The dueling, same-day speeches were the latest round in a spat between Democrats and Republicans over which candidate is the most committed to science and technology innovation.

Spectrum
Administration Initiative Aims To Aid Communication
     The Bush administration proposed reserving a new chunk of spectrum designed to stimulate new radio-frequency technologies that allow more intensive usage and sharing of the airwaves between the government and the private sector. Seeking 20 megahertz of spectrum for the test bed within two years, the Commerce Department's National Technology and Information Administration (NTIA) hopes to stimulate the development of "smart radios" that can use spectrum more efficiently than traditional radios or cellular telephones. The two-part Commerce Department report also seeks legislation granting the FCC permanent authority to conduct spectrum auctions and collect revenues for the federal government. If that plan is enacted, the report urges the FCC and NTIA to "develop increased economic incentives for efficient spectrum use." That recommendation also urges the agencies to consider "modifying spectrum rights as a means to encourage the deployment of spectrally efficient technologies."

Intellectual Property
Senate Copyright Bill Appears To Target File-Sharing Firms
     The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee introduced a bill that appears to specifically target peer-to-peer (P2P) computer networks such as Morpheus and Grokster, two of the largest networks used by millions of people to distribute music online. The bill has broad bipartisan support, including Senate leaders. In addition to Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and ranking Democrat Patrick Leahy of Vermont, other backers include: Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn.; Minority Leader Thomas Daschle; D-S.D.; Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.; and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. The measure, S. 2560, would dramatically reshape copyright law and alter the relationship between technology companies and copyright owners struck in the landmark 1984 Supreme Court case Sony Corp. v. Universal City Studios.

Cyber Security
Government Report Shows Holes In Cyber-Security Action
     A new report sent to a House oversight committee details the Homeland Security Department's progress in implementing the national cyber-security strategy issued last year. The report, sent in reply to a request from the House Homeland Security Committee for a detailed account of the strategy's implementation, shows both progress and remaining work. There has been no formal progress report from the Bush administration since the strategy's release in January 2003. The report also breaks down the fiscal 2005 funding request for each cyber-security item. The department's National Cyber Security Division is leading the implementation. The report shows that an assessment of vulnerabilities to critical infrastructures long sought by Congress is targeted for 2005, with a process for assessing Internet weaknesses due later this year.

Security
Calls Intensify For Better Sharing Of Intelligence Data
     A panel of experts offered more ideas on how to reform the nation's intelligence community. The issue has become central to the investigation of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and the commission looking into it is expected to release a report next month. The House Homeland Security Committee -- a new entrant to the longstanding debate about intelligence "stovepipes," the term used to describe communications that travel only vertically, within agencies, and not to other agencies -- was the locus for the discussion. Former Director of Central Intelligence James Woolsey recommended that Congress hold executive-session hearings with top officials from the various intelligence agencies and generally backed a proposal by California Democratic Rep. Jane Harman to create a new director of national intelligence. Former Virginia Gov. James Gilmore, who headed a security commission, offered support for the currently temporary Homeland Security Committee to continue its work but said the committee that holds such hearings must be "steeped in expertise."

Privacy
System To Screen Airline Passengers Sparks More Questions
     For three straight days on Capitol Hill, officials from the Homeland Security Department fended off questions about the development of a system to screen airline passengers that has raised privacy concerns. Testifying before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee on the last of those days, Tom Blank, an assistant administrator at the Transportation Security Administration, said the program is under review for possible changes to reflect privacy and civil-liberties concerns, and he signaled that the program would not be ready until next year. Blank said he could not give a timeline for implementing the Computer-Assisted Passenger Pre-screening System (CAPPS II) because it "depends on the outcome of the review." When directly asked by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., about the interim steps to complete the review, he said those steps "go to layers of security." He cited other programs in place or underway, arguing that the existing pre-screening program -- which Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., earlier this week noted did not identify the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists -- is not without value.

Science
Senators See High-End Computing As Economic Boost
     Advances in high-end computing will benefit the U.S. economy and science community, a Senate committee chairman said. "There is a large concern in this country about keeping our jobs from moving overseas," said Tennessee Republican Lamar Alexander, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy. "Advanced computing would enable us to lower our manufacturing costs and improve our technologies, which would mean better jobs here in the U.S." Japan surpassed the United States in high-end computing dominance in 2002 with the creation of the Earth Simulator, a computer that is 2.5 times as powerful as any other computer in the world, Alexander said. He added that the advantage the United States once held "has played a significant role in our ability to compete in the global marketplace and our standard of living."