Edupage, May 23, 2003 (fwd)

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TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2003
  House Moves to Make Internet Tax Ban Permanent
  New Cybersecurity Position Will Be Part of DHS
  California Lawmakers Push for Stricter Limits on Spam
  Approval Expected for 802.11g
AND
  Changing Tides for Computer Majors
  Author Files New Suit Alleging Copyright Violations


HOUSE MOVES TO MAKE INTERNET TAX BAN PERMANENT
The U.S. House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Commercial and
Administrative Law has voted to recommend approval of the Internet Tax
Nondiscrimination Act. The law would make permanent the prohibition on
Internet-specific taxes, currently covered by a moratorium that will
expire November 1. The prohibition is not on Internet sales taxes but
on Internet access taxes, which 10 states enacted before the moratorium
was passed. Those 10 states were grandfathered under the moratorium,
but the new bill would disallow those taxes. Lawmakers said they would
work on issues of helping states collect sales taxes on Internet
purchases and of ensuring that the ban on taxation applies evenly to
all forms of Internet access, including DSL, which some states have
deemed subject to access tax. The bill now goes to the full Judiciary
Committee.
IDG, 22 May 2003
http://www.idg.net/ic_1317205_9677_1-5041.html

NEW CYBERSECURITY POSITION WILL BE PART OF DHS
Responding to complaints from the technology industry that the Bush
administration is not paying enough attention to cybersecurity,
officials at the White House are expected to announce shortly a new
position for cybersecurity chief. The new position, however, will
reside within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), several steps
below Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge. Richard Clarke, former
cybersecurity advisor to the White House, said, "It won't work. It's
not a senior enough position." Harris Miller of the Information
Technology Association of America offered a milder critique, saying
it's not "mission impossible, it's just a difficult mission" having
the new position on such a relatively low rung. The new chief of
cybersecurity will be responsible for enacting the "National Strategy
to Secure Cyberspace," which many industry executives have criticized
for depending on voluntary compliance.
Associated Press, 23 May 2003
http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/896692p-6246912c.html

CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS PUSH FOR STRICTER LIMITS ON SPAM
The California State Senate this week approved legislation that would
create an "opt-in" requirement for e-mail marketers. If passed, the law
would require an e-mail marketer to obtain approval to send promotional
messages unless it already has a relationship with the recipient. The
state currently has an "opt-out" law on the books, which requires
e-mailers to stop sending messages if users so request. The current law
also requires that "ADV" be included in the subject line for
promotional e-mails. State Sen. Debra Bowen, who had introduced the
existing law, said she proposed the opt-in bill because the opt-out
bill has done little to stem the onslaught of spam. The opt-in measure,
which now goes to the California Assembly, carries a per-message fine
of $500, which can be tripled by a judge if the action is deemed to be
in willful and knowing violation of the law.
CNET, 22 May 2003
http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-1009411.html

APPROVAL EXPECTED FOR 802.11G
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has
approved a final draft of the specification for 802.11g, and the IEEE
Standards Board is expected to ratify the new specification in June.
Although some hardware manufacturers have already released 802.11g
devices, concerns over interoperability have kept others, including
Hewlett-Packard and Texas Instruments, from producing 802.11g hardware
until the standard is ratified. Capable of transfering data several
times faster than 802.11b products, 802.11g products are intended to be
backward compatible with devices running the older standard.
Internet News, 22 May 2003
http://www.internetnews.com/wireless/article.php/2211211

AND
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CHANGING TIDES FOR COMPUTER MAJORS
As the technology bubble has burst and most companies have slashed the
number of computer programmers they are hiring, so too the numbers of
students choosing to major in computer science have dropped
significantly. The slump in technology has increased the number of
graduate students, however, as many stay in or return to school to
avoid the difficult job market. Computer science departments report
enrollment declines of as much as 40 percent for undergraduates from
two to three years ago. Officials at some universities noted, however,
that even as the numbers of students have gone down, the quality has
increased. Randal Bryant of Carnegie Mellon said current students in
computer science programs are "very enthusiastic about computers" and
that they "aren't looking to become millionaires by age 25." Some
expressed concern that the low numbers of undergraduates in such
programs today will become a significant problem when the demand picks
up again.
New York Times, 22 May 2003 (registration req'd)
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/22/technology/circuits/22comp.html

AUTHOR FILES NEW SUIT ALLEGING COPYRIGHT VIOLATIONS
Paul Andrew Mitchell, author of "The Federal Zone: Cracking the Code of
Internal Revenue," has filed a second lawsuit against more than 100
defendants--including 20 colleges and universities--over alleged
copyright infringement. Mitchell had filed an earlier suit against many
of the same defendants for failing to prevent the widespread online
posting of parts of his book, which has developed a strong cult
following. Mitchell's new case alleges similar copyright violations as
well as racketeering and obstruction of justice. The book in question
can be purchased from Mitchell's Web site, and Mitchell is seeking
$5.2 billion in damages. Mitchell is currently appealing the decision
to throw out the first suit.
Chronicle of Higher Education, 23 May 2003 (sub. req'd)
http://chronicle.com/daily/2003/05/2003052301t.htm

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