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US anti-SOPA forces have ISP snooping bill in their crosshairs

David Goldstein — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 04:06:03 +0000

It took an Internet-wide outcry from millions of voters to prompt Rep. Lamar Smith, author of the Stop Online Piracy Act, to postpone a vote on the controversial Hollywood-backed bill.

Now Smith, a conservative Texas Republican, is being targeted a second time: for championing legislation that would require Internet service providers to keep track of their customers, in case police want to review those logs in the future. His bill is called H.R. 1981.

To read this CNET report in full, see:
news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-57371426-281/anti-sopa-forces-have-isp-snooping-bill-in-their-crosshairs/

India’s Dropped Call: The Supreme Court overreacts to India’s Telecom corruption.

David Goldstein — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:06:19 +0000

Navigating India’s bureaucracy while trying to run an honest business is already difficult. Yesterday a Supreme Court verdict made it harder. In response to a petition by anticorruption activists, the court issued a ruling which means that even if a company manages to keep its own nose clean and win regulatory approval without paying off greedy bureaucrats, it could still lose its license to operate if competitors bribed officials.

The court canceled all 122 mobile phone licenses Delhi awarded in 2008 because former Telecom Minister Andimuthu Raja decided to do so on a first-come, first-served basis, instead of through a fair auction. This approach was indefensible, and the case has snowballed into the largest corruption case in Indian history. It’s hardly an aberration. Judging by reports, graft and abuses of power are reaching epidemic proportions.

To read this Wall Street Journal report in full, see:
online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203889904577198691493796270.html

UK broadband speed climbs 22 percent

David Goldstein — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:39:58 +0000

India’s Supreme Court Cancels Telecom Licenses Sold in Tainted Sale

David Goldstein — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:44:10 +0000

The Supreme Court of India issued a stinging rebuke to the government on Thursday by canceling 122 telecommunications licenses sold at below-market prices in 2008 that have been the subject of a long-running controversy.

The move comes after several years of litigation in what has popularly become known as the “2G scam” in India. The controversy, which involved the awarding of wireless phone licenses at a predetermined price set almost a decade earlier, became the rallying cry for a large anti-corruption movement that dominated the public debate in the country last year.

To read this New York Times report in full, see:
www.nytimes.com/2012/02/03/business/global/india-supreme-court-cancels-2g-licenses.html

Also see:

India court orders licences cancelled in telecom scandal
India’s Supreme Court ordered on Thursday telecoms licences issued under a scandal-tainted 2008 sale be revoked, striking a decisive blow against corruption that plagues the country and roiling the world’s second biggest cellular market.

The ruling applies to 122 licences held by eight operators but potentially affects fewer than 5 percent of users in a fiercely competitive market crowded with more than a dozen players.
uk.reuters.com/article/2012/02/02/oukin-uk-india-telecoms-idUKTRE81112M20120202

Apple Loses German Court Bid to Ban Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1N, Nexus Phone

David Goldstein — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 04:27:17 +0000

Apple Inc. failed to get a preliminary ban on sales of Samsung Electronics Co.’s Galaxy 10.1N and Galaxy Nexus mobile phone from a German court.

The Munich Regional Court rejected the motion today, in a case where Apple invoked a patent granted last year protecting technology related to touch screens for tablets and smartphones.

To read this Bloomberg report in full, see:
www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-01/apple-loses-german-court-bid-to-ban-samsung-galaxy-tab-10-1n-nexus-phone.html

US House Panel Approves Cyber Bill As Senate Version Faces Delay

David Goldstein — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:25:39 +0000

A House subcommittee kicked off this year’s cybersecurity agenda by approving a bill designed to protect “critical infrastructure” from cyberattacks, even as a Senate bill waits in the wings.

Leaders in both the Senate and the House, as well as President Obama, have said they want to pass broad cybersecurity legislation this year. Senate leaders had been expected to introduce their version as soon as this week, but a Senate aide now say that’s unlikely.

To read this Tech Daily Dose report in full, see:
techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2012/02/house-panel-approves-cyber-bil.php

OECD Defends Mexico Telecom Report After Criticism By Carlos Slim

David Goldstein — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:58:28 +0000

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Wednesday defended a report it published this week on the Mexican telecommunications industry after the report’s conclusions drew sharp criticism from Mexican telecom magnate Carlos Slim.

The OECD argues that a lack of competition in Mexico’s communications industry and comparatively high prices for broadband, mobile and fixed-line phone service cost the country about $25 billion a year, or 2% of gross domestic product.

To read this Wall Street Journal report in full, see:
online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20120201-715062.html

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Carlos Slim, Mexican Telecom Magnate, Denies His Company Has Monopoly
Telephone magnate Carlos Slim denied Tuesday that he has a monopoly on telecommunications in Mexico, disputing a report by an international economic forum that say a lack of competition has cost the country billions.

Slim, who is one of the world’s richest people, said his phone companies have either kept prices the same or reduced them. His Telmex company controls 80 percent of Mexico’s landline market, while his Telcel controls 70 percent of the mobile phone business.
www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/01/carlos-slim-monopoly_n_1246487.html

Canada Said to Set Wireless Spectrum Auction Rules

David Goldstein — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:57:00 +0000

The Canadian government may announce rules as soon as this month to govern its next auction of wireless spectrum, which could unlock billions of dollars of infrastructure investments by companies such as BCE Inc.

The government may release the auction rules as early as Feb. 13, a person familiar with the plans said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the information isn’t public. A final decision on the timing has not yet been made.

To read this Bloomberg report in full, see:
www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-01/canada-said-to-set-wireless-spectrum-auction-rules-correct-.html

Australian opposition paving a telecoms road to nowhere

David Goldstein — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:54:38 +0000

Fish, barrel; fox, henhouse; Abbott, NBN. Mocking Tony Abbott’s ignorance of telecoms has become so easy and habitual that his latest pronouncements would normally hardly merit a response. But with his latest policy speech being seen as an informal roll-up to next year’s election campaign, and Telstra’s recent behaviour reaffirming the need for government intervention in the telco sector, it’s important to once again weigh the implications of Abbott’s cost-redirection policy against the reality of the situation.

Most glaring is Abbott’s ongoing commitment to redirect NBN expenditure towards building roads to ease congestion. It’s not the first time he has made this commitment, it emerged during the Coalition’s response to last year’s Labor budget, but the fact that he’s still repeating it confirms that he really believes in its value.

To read this ZDNet report in full, see:
www.zdnet.com.au/abbott-paving-a-telecoms-road-to-nowhere-339330810.htm

India’s Supreme Court to rule on telecoms licences Thursday

David Goldstein — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:53:21 +0000

India’s Supreme Court will give its verdict on Thursday whether telecoms licences granted to several companies in 2008 should be revoked, in the latest judgement in one of the country’s biggest-ever corruption scandals.

To read this Reuters report in full, see:
www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/01/india-telecoms-scandal-idUSL4E8D15NY20120201

Also see:

Supreme Court to rule on telecoms licences today
Supreme Court will give its verdict today whether telecoms licences granted to several companies in 2008 should be revoked, in the latest judgement in one of the country’s biggest-ever corruption scandals.

The judgement will be closely watched as a test case of how stable business contracts and government regulation is in India, with any cancellation of licences likely to damage the country’s reputation with foreign investors.
economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/telecom/supreme-court-to-rule-on-telecoms-licences-on-thursday/articleshow/11715780.cms