Edupage, April 21, 2003

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Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association
whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting
the intelligent use of information technology.
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TOP STORIES FOR MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2003
  Justice Department Backs Record Industry
  White House Loses Second Cybersecurity Advisor
  Online Advertising Picks Up
  DARPA Reportedly Revokes OpenBSD Funding
AND
  FCC Expected to Put New Restrictions on E-Rate Program
  Ocean Explorer Receives Technology Grant


JUSTICE DEPARTMENT BACKS RECORD INDUSTRY
The U.S. Department of Justice is required to submit its opinion on
lawsuits that raise constitutional issues and, in a not unexpected
move, has sided with the recording industry in its suit against Verizon
Communications. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
has been trying--under the terms of the Digital Millennium Copyright
Act (DMCA)--to force Verizon to disclose the identities of some of its
subscribers who the RIAA says are guilty of violating music copyrights.
Verizon argues that the law is an unconstitutional infringement of
free-speech and due-process rights. In its statement, however, the
Justice Department said the subpoena provision of the DMCA "targets the
identity of alleged copyright infringers, not spoken words or conduct
commonly associated with expression." The statement also says nothing
in the Constitution prohibits the investigative process set up by the
DMCA, rejecting Verizon's due-process argument.
Reuters, 18 April 2003
http://news.com.com/2100-1027-997568.html

WHITE HOUSE LOSES SECOND CYBERSECURITY ADVISOR
Just two months after Howard Schmidt replaced Richard Clarke as the
cybersecurity adviser to the White House, Schmidt announced he will
step down from the position at the end of the month. Schmidt played a
key role in developing the recently released cybersecurity strategy
document, and he was reportedly working to become the cybersecurity
adviser to the new Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Those plans
apparently fell through, and Schmidt's departure leaves a leadership
vacuum in what some consider an extremely important aspect of homeland
security. Clarke said that not having a cybersecurity adviser at the
DHS "reflects a total lack of intellectual understanding of the issue."
Responsibility for cybersecurity currently lies with the assistant
secretary of infrastructure protection at DHS, a position that some say
is so broad that it cannot pay sufficient attention to the issue of
cybersecurity.
Washington Post, 18 April 2003
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52162-2003Apr18.html

ONLINE ADVERTISING PICKS UP
Publishers of Web content stand to benefit significantly from an influx
of advertising dollars from large corporations. McDonald's, Coca-Cola,
and American Airlines are all planning or considering increases in
their online advertising. For companies like these with extremely large
advertising budgets, even a small shift to online media could mean many
millions of dollars going to Web sites. As the Web matures, say some
experts, the various types of online ads--including those that feature
audio, video, and animation--are attracting a larger number of
established corporations. According to Nielsen NetRatings, half of the
top 20 online advertisers in 2002 were Fortune 500 companies, compared
to just two in 2000.
CNET, 21 April 2003
http://news.com.com/2100-1024-997369.html

DARPA REPORTEDLY REVOKES OPENBSD FUNDING
Funding from the U.S. military for the OpenBSD project has reportedly
been cancelled after the leader of the project made anti-war comments,
which were printed in a Canadian newspaper. Theo de Raadt, who is a
resident of Canada, expressed his opposition to the U.S. war in Iraq
and said he feels uneasy taking money from the U.S. military. He said
he tries to convince himself, however, that "our grant means a half of
a cruise missile doesn't get built." The funding comes from the U.S.
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and the project is
handled through the University of Pennsylvania. According to de Raadt,
Jonathan Smith, a computer science professor at the university and head
of the project there, called last week to say that DARPA had pulled the
funding. A spokeswoman from DARPA denied that funding had been cut off.
She said the agency is simply conducting a review of the project and
will announce results when the review is complete.
IDG, 18 April 2003
http://www.idg.net/ic_1308816_9677_1-5043.html

AND
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FCC EXPECTED TO PUT NEW RESTRICTIONS ON E-RATE PROGRAM
Responding to continued charges of fraud in the e-rate program, the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is expected to enact stricter
rules for the program. The e-rate program provides subsidies for
schools and libraries to gain Internet access, but the program has been
charged with ongoing and widespread fraud. According to the Center for
Public Integrity, one school in the program paid $20,000 per year to
lease a piece of equipment that could be purchased for $20,000.
Investigations have been launched by Congress, the FCC, the Justice
Department, and several states. A spokesman for Rep. W. J. Tauzin
(R-La.) said, "We are not talking about a couple of isolated incidents
but widespread instances of fraud and abuse." Action from the FCC would
mark the third time the agency has tightened the program's rules.
San Jose Mercury News, 21 April 2003
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/5680997.htm

OCEAN EXPLORER RECEIVES TECHNOLOGY GRANT
High-profile ocean explorer Roger Ballard has received a $500,000
federal grant to establish a system to transmit images and data from
underwater research to students and other researchers around the world.
Ballard, founder of the Institute for Exploration at Mystic Aquarium
and discoverer of the wreck of the Titanic, said that the technology
will allow his group to "take millions to the ocean floor." The first
project site will be in the Black Sea and will begin transmitting in
July. Ballard said that being able to see underwater expeditions live
is key to attracting the attention of people, especially students,
given the competition from other live-action events, such as the war in
Iraq.
Associated Press, 19 April 2003 (registration req'd)
http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/860711p-6017969c.html

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