Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., said significant technological progress has been made in the past several years, and "yet policy has not changed" and is out of date. Her remarks came at the IoT Global Summit Monday. A lack of education on technology and tech policy is one of the biggest challenges facing the IoT at the congressional level, said DelBene, and it is critically important to inform individuals about the way certain policies could affect technology. She also said spectrum availability is critical for the Internet's ability to thrive.

Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., said significant technological progress has been made in the past several years, and "yet policy has not changed" and is out of date. Her remarks came at the IoT Global Summit Monday. A lack of education on technology and tech policy is one of the biggest challenges facing the IoT at the congressional level, said DelBene, and it is critically important to inform individuals about the way certain policies could affect technology. She also said spectrum availability is critical for the Internet's ability to thrive.

From extending its voluntary concessions for several more years to "synthetic bundles" of Charter Communications broadband with other providers' cable services, opponents of Charter's purchase of Bright House Networks and Time Warner Cable had plenty of suggestions on how to make the deal more palatable. The comment deadline on the FCC review was Tuesday, with replies due Nov. 2.

From extending its voluntary concessions for several more years to "synthetic bundles" of Charter Communications broadband with other providers' cable services, opponents of Charter's purchase of Bright House Networks and Time Warner Cable had plenty of suggestions on how to make the deal more palatable. The comment deadline on the FCC review was Tuesday, with replies due Nov. 2.

The New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute and Google added their voices to those raising concerns on whether the FCC’s proposed new device certification rules would prohibit third-party firmware installation on devices, including Wi-Fi routers (see 1509300063). The FCC has received many short comments that raised similar concerns. Other industry commenters saw most of the proposed changes as helpful on the whole, streamlining the certification process.

The New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute and Google added their voices to those raising concerns on whether the FCC’s proposed new device certification rules would prohibit third-party firmware installation on devices, including Wi-Fi routers (see 1509300063). The FCC has received many short comments that raised similar concerns. Other industry commenters saw most of the proposed changes as helpful on the whole, streamlining the certification process.

The New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute and Google added their voices to those raising concerns on whether the FCC’s proposed new device certification rules would prohibit third-party firmware installation on devices, including Wi-Fi routers (see 1509300063). The FCC has received many short comments that raised similar concerns. Other industry commenters saw most of the proposed changes as helpful on the whole, streamlining the certification process.

The European Commission vowed to ratchet up privacy talks with the U.S. following Tuesday's rejection by Europe's highest court of the EU-U.S. safe harbor agreement for transfer of personal data. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled safe harbor invalid and ordered the Irish data protection authority to determine whether Facebook's transfer of European subscribers' data to servers in the U.S. should be suspended on the ground that U.S. privacy protections are inadequate. The decision confirms the EC's approach in its negotiations for a new agreement, EC Vice-President Frans Timmermans said at a news conference.

The European Commission vowed to ratchet up privacy talks with the U.S. following Tuesday's rejection by Europe's highest court of the EU-U.S. safe harbor agreement for transfer of personal data. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled safe harbor invalid and ordered the Irish data protection authority to determine whether Facebook's transfer of European subscribers' data to servers in the U.S. should be suspended on the ground that U.S. privacy protections are inadequate. The decision confirms the EC's approach in its negotiations for a new agreement, EC Vice-President Frans Timmermans said at a news conference.

Privacy advocates and government officials agree that Tor Internet anonymizing software can be a positive tool, though they acknowledged that federal and state law enforcement agencies have to beware that Tor can be an attractive option for criminals. Advocates said nonetheless that government and law enforcement officials have overblown the frequency with which the network could be used maliciously. The small Kilton Public Library in West Lebanon, New Hampshire, recently became a focal point for the continuing controversy over the technology.