Telecom
FCC Chairman Martin Firm On Internet 911 Rules
     FCC Chairman Kevin Martin told the Senate Commerce Committee this week that his agency could benefit from additional authority on the emergency communications capabilities of telecommunications companies, and he held firm on imposing 911 emergency-calling obligations on Internet telephone companies. In his first testimony before the Senate since he became chairman in March, Martin summarized lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina, which struck the Gulf Coast in late August. "We need to ensure that all providers comply with our 911 rules," he said, and "first responders" to disasters and terrorist attacks need mobile systems that "talk" to each other. Martin also touted the role "smart radios" and wireless, Wi-Fi Internet connections could play. Sens. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and John Sununu, R-N.H., questioned whether the FCC has the authority it needs to impose a 911 requirement on Internet telephone providers comparable to the one for traditional phone companies. Committee Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, said, "We will provide the authority that the FCC needs to carry out that desire."

Security
Senate Panel OKs First Responder Funds
     The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved a measure that would authorize the Homeland Security Department to dole out $3.3 billion over the next five years so emergency responders can better communicate. The bill, S. 1725, would authorize $400 million in state grants to strengthen emergency communications systems next year and increase the amount annually to $1 billion by 2010. It would establish an office of emergency communications, interoperability and compatibility within the department. The office would replace the interoperability and compatibility unit proposed earlier this year by the Bush administration. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, said he plans to draft legislation to strengthen communications during disasters, but he did not outline specifics or a timeframe.

On The Hill
After CAFTA Vote, House Democrats Refocus On Tech
     After losing a big fight on the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), House Democrats have put technology back on their agenda. A bruising battle over CAFTA left the Democratic caucus at odds with the tech industry, which supported the treaty to expand trade with Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. But insiders said the rift was minor and that despite the rhetoric, CAFTA did not have the heft to do permanent damage to the relationship. CAFTA really was never about trade, some tech industry players said privately. "The reality was that CAFTA was a political issue," one executive said. "The goal was to [pass it] to make sure [President] Bush is not a lame duck." House Democrats now are refocusing on tech innovation. This month, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., began a multi-city tour to discuss the issue with industry CEOs. The first stop on Sept. 9 was Silicon Valley for a chat with venture capitalist John Doerr, Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers and Symantec John Thompson, among others.

Intelligence
'Able Danger' Employees Barred From Testifying
     The mystery over why a military intelligence unit destroyed information linking hijackers to convicted terrorists before they could share the information with federal law enforcers deepened during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Two individuals formerly involved in a Defense Department data-mining project known as Able Danger were barred from testifying. They are Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer, a former intelligence operations officer, and government contractor John Smith. Shaffer received a letter from the Defense Intelligence Agency on Monday instructing him not to testify. His lawyer, Mark Zaid, spoke for him before the committee. According to Shaffer's statements in press reports, Able Danger launched in 1999 to gather and analyze publicly available information, as well as information bought from commercial data brokerages. The project apparently identified Mohamed Atta as a potential terrorist before Sept. 11, 2001, but the information was not shared with the FBI.

Security
Former Security Chief Criticizes Local Response Efforts
     Former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge criticized state and local preparedness in advance of Hurricane Katrina but was careful not to address the Bush administration's role in responding to the disaster. Officials in New Orleans had "done their fair share of tabletop" exercises to prepare for a Category 3 hurricane, Ridge said at the Commonwealth of Virginia Information Technology Symposium in Richmond, Va. But "given the unique geography" of the Gulf Coast, they "never did planning around a Category 5" storm and did not consider the possibility of the levees breaking. "It's easy to be the quarterback after the game is over," he said. "We need leadership at all levels," but "local training must be vigorous." The lackluster response of officials had "a lot to do" with the fact that officials had not prepared for the worst, Ridge said.

Executive Branch
Federal Agencies Aim To Polish Image In New Orleans
     Officials from several federal agencies have opened a wireless operations center in Louisiana to ensure that the media receive information about government responses to Hurricane Katrina. Following scathing criticism about the federal government's response to the disaster, public information officials nationwide have descended on the Gulf Coast region. The workers represent the Army Corps of Engineers, the Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other key agencies involved in response efforts. "Although we are concerned about our image and want to give people information, we are really here to help people," said Dean Cushman, an official with FEMA, an agency that has received the brunt of criticism. "Our image comes second." At the joint information center, which is housed at an old department store in Baton Rouge, La., officials have laptop computers with wireless Internet connections and cellular telephones to "rapidly respond" to media questions.

Digital Television
One New Orleans Station Ready For DTV, Another Wary
     Advance planning and a little nudge from the FCC helped keep one New Orleans television station on the air amid Hurricane Katrina. But a competing broadcaster warns that the federal government is moving too quickly to force television stations to relinquish spectrum as part of the conversion to digital TV. WWL-TV, owned by Belo, took advantage of the federally mandated digital conversion to revamp its internal disaster preparedness plan and relocate its transmitter for digital conversion to a more secure site 18 feet above sea level. The station broadcast non-stop hurricane coverage without commercials for nine continuous days before returning to more normal programming. But Fred Young, a vice president for Hearst-Argyle, owner of WDSU-TV in New Orleans, said policymakers should not be hasty in their rush to digital television. "The critical role the broadcast industry plays in times of natural disaster may not be fully understood by those who advocate premature return of the analog spectrum," he said.