Politech mailing list archives
FC: Modem tax still possible? and more anti-terrorism legislation
From: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>
Date: Sat, 20 May 2000 18:57:48 -0400
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,36427,00.html Dialup Fees: Banned or Bandaid? by Declan McCullagh (declan () wired com) 3:00 a.m. May. 20, 2000 PDT When the U.S. House of Representatives voted unanimously this week for an Internet bill, proponents claimed Americans would be free from paying per-minute taxes on dialup connections. The plan would "prevent a stopwatch from being placed on the Internet," proclaimed sponsor Rep. Fred Upton (R-Michigan). But it's not clear that the bill accomplishes what Congress clearly intended it to do: Ban the Federal Communications Commission from levying minute-by-minute charges. Even though it's called the "Internet Access Charge Prohibition Act," the term "access charge" appears nowhere in the relevant section, and experts say the wording doesn't go very far in limiting the FCC's ability to act. FCC spokesman Michael Balmoris, in the agency's common carrier bureau, agreed. Although he said that the FCC was not considering such a move, he acknowledged that the bill did not bar the agency from levying per-minute fees should it choose to in the future. [...] http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,36452,00.html Getting a Drop on the Cybergoons by Declan McCullagh (declan () wired com) 3:00 a.m. May. 20, 2000 PDT WASHINGTON -- The U.S. military will receive $45 million to develop face-recognition technology that will be used to fight terrorism, according to a bill approved by the House this week. The House overwhelmingly approved, 353-63, a massive 658 KB defense appropriations bill that includes money earmarked for the project. "The committee recommends $45.3 million ... an increase of $4 million for continued development of facial recognition technology," the House Armed Services committee report stated. Another $41.3 million is set to go to a related project called Combating Terrorism Technology Support, which is "an interagency program for development and demonstration of surveillance, physical security, and infrastructure protection technology." The panel also approved the Defense Department's $19.9 billion request for its information technology program, which includes additional spending on "infowar" activities. "Additional work is required, particularly in the areas of operations-other-than-war or asymmetrical conflict," the committee said. TECH CRIME BILL: The Justice Department will receive $200 million to create an office of technology programs, according to a bill introduced this week. Among the research and development areas are so-called smart guns, DNA identification techniques, and "tools and techniques that facilitate investigations of computer crime." [...] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- the moderated mailing list of politics and technology To subscribe, visit http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------
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- FC: Modem tax still possible? and more anti-terrorism legislation Declan McCullagh (May 20)