Blogs

National Cyber Security Awareness Month was kicked-off on October 1st at an event held in Washington, D.C., attended by Secretary Napolitano from the Department of Homeland Security and other dignitaries. The event, orchestrated by the National Cyber Security Alliance, brought together partners from government, industry, and academia to declare their commitment to advancing safety and security in cyberspace.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced plans to hold three roundtables that will focus on consumer privacy issues. According to the announcement, the purpose of the series of roundtables are:

. . . to explore the privacy challenges posed by the vast array of 21st century technology and business practices that collect and use consumer data. Such practices include social networking, cloud computing, online behavioral advertising, mobile marketing, and the collection and use of information by retailers, data brokers, third-party applications, and other diverse businesses. The goal of the roundtables is to determine how best to protect consumer privacy while supporting beneficial uses of the information and technological innovation.

There were two events on September 25 that demonstrated that the Net Neutrality debate is alive and well, revived by FCC Chairman Genachowski’s speech earlier in the week. The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) released a report, “Designed for Change: End-to-End Arguments, Internet Innovation, and the Net Neutrality Debate.”  It was launched with the help of its primary author, network architect, Richard Bennett, along with well-known Internet experts Christopher Yoo, John Day, and economist William Lehr. As an argument against using the end-to-end principle as a reason for net neutrality legislation, I think the presentation and viewpoints were very convincing. But about half-way through the session I began to ask myself...

The US Broadband Coalition presented its latest progress report to the FCC and to the public on September 24. EDUCAUSE has been a member of the coalition since its inception almost two years ago and has played an active role in both facilitating its work and contributing to its debate. The Coalition represents, above all else, an unprecedented effort to bring stakeholders in the National Broadband Plan (NBP) together to try and reach consensus on the myriad issues facing the development of such a proposal. Blair Levin, in charge of developing the FCC’s NBP, due to Congress in February 2010, had requested that the USBBC report be issued no later than October 1. But when Mr.