By
Gautham Nagesh
| July 31, 2013, 2:09 p.m.
West Virginia University recently became a pioneer in the use of unlicensed spectrum when it launched a Wi-Fi network based on unused airwaves between TV channels known as “white spaces.”
By
Gautham Nagesh
| July 31, 2013, 2:05 p.m.
Baby monitors. Bluetooth headsets. Wi-Fi Internet access. E-Z Pass. These are just some of the common technologies used by consumers every day that run on free, public airwaves known as unlicensed spectrum.
John Replogle
| July 31, 2013, 5 a.m.
It might sound like a crazy thing to say but the United States Senate has been doing a pretty good job at compromise in the past month or so. From student loans, to immigration, to even avoiding a crisis over filibuster reform, Democrats and Republicans have been working together to move forward on getting things done. It’s my hope that this sense of compromise holds intact for an important piece of legislation that stands to make the products we buy online and off store shelves a lot safer when we bring them into our homes.
Andy Igrejas
| July 31, 2013, 5 a.m.
Both chambers of Congress are suddenly stirring on how to protect the public from toxic chemicals. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has a marathon hearing on Wednesday with three large panels of experts. House Energy and Commerce has already conducted two hearings. Improbably, reforming our broken chemical law is emerging in this Congress as a thing that can get done.
By
Emma Dumain
| July 26, 2013, 3:54 p.m.
An enterprising computer hacker or foreign intelligence agent would have little problem hacking into the House of Representatives’ information technology systems, an unauthorized review of the chamber’s cybersecurity found.
Ev Ehrlich
| July 26, 2013, 5 a.m.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee recently held a hearing on the government auction of spectrum — the fuel that brings us modern-day miracles such as the Internet, smartphones and other mobile devices, and the applications that ride over these networks. Additionally, the Senate Commerce Committee just held a “State of Wireline Communications” hearing. Unlike Congress’ many fishing expeditions, these separate but interconnected hearings are time well spent. Because while it is now a lively younger sibling to some cable and fiber technologies, mobile wireless is the future of pretty much everything we do.
Michael S. Lubell
| July 24, 2013, 1:38 p.m.
Social, behavioral and economic science research has become the punching bag for many conservatives. In February, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., told an American Enterprise Institute audience, “Funds currently spent by the government on social science . . . would be better spent helping find cures to diseases.”
By
Ambreen Ali
| July 23, 2013, 3:06 p.m.
After being frustrated for decades in their efforts to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas development, Alaska politicians are trying a new approach that may shift the battleground from Congress to the courts.
By
Gautham Nagesh
| July 17, 2013, 2:27 p.m.
The question of whether law enforcement officials need a warrant to track individuals using their cellphones remains open, but the prospects for legislation on the issue are murky at best in Congress.
By
Gautham Nagesh
| July 17, 2013, 2:13 p.m.
When Maine enacted legislation last week banning law enforcement officials from tracking individuals using cellphones or other GPS-enabled devices, it became the second state to do so after Montana. A similar effort failed in the Texas Legislature, but there is little doubt that other states will also act if Congress fails to update the statutes that govern access to digital communications.
Katherine Tully-McManus
| July 10, 2013, 5:06 p.m.
The House Science, Space and Technology Subcommittee on Space approved legislation to reauthorize NASA for two years, calling for $16.9 billion annually for the agency.
Moses Chan
| July 9, 2013, 5 a.m.
The commentary “Blimps and Budgets: The Helium Reserve Isn’t Broken” erroneously criticizes the need for legislation to continue sales of helium from the Federal Helium Reserve and ignores the legislation’s benefits to U.S. taxpayers and America’s leading industries and scientific researchers. It also ignores the fact that the 1996 bill created more problems than it solved. Congress has a chance to get it right this time.
Ajit Manocha
| July 5, 2013, 11:26 a.m.
You know about the fiscal cliff, but have you heard of the helium cliff?
Jason Oxman
| June 27, 2013, 1:29 p.m.
If there’s one thing recent news about the National Security Agency’s data collection programs has made clear, it’s that our personal information, especially online, can be susceptible to being seen by others. Americans are now paying closer attention to protecting their personal information, and the president and Congress are discussing more stringent online privacy laws that address consumer concerns.
Eva M. Clayton
| June 27, 2013, 5 a.m.
I have long believed the Internet is an empowerment tool, providing access to information that was once more readily available to a few. This is especially true for minority and rural communities. And through a combination of considerable private investment and prudent public policies, the percentage of Americans with access to high-speed broadband quadrupled in just the past four years alone.
By
Gautham Nagesh
| June 26, 2013, 3:10 p.m.
Minority Media and Telecommunications Council President David Honig has devoted his life to civil rights issues, particularly those revolving around the media and telecom policy.
By
Gautham Nagesh
| June 26, 2013, 3:06 p.m.
At his confirmation hearing last week, Tom Wheeler, President Barack Obama’s choice to lead the Federal Communications Commission, was grilled on everything from his ties to the telecom industry to his stance on crucial broadband policy issues such as net neutrality.
Michael Moroney
| June 21, 2013, 5 a.m.
Earlier this year, when the librarian of Congress declared that unlocking a cellphone to make it available on other carriers was illegal under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998, many people were outraged. A genuine grass-roots effort to change the policy sprung up and more than 114,000 people signed a White House petition to voice their discontent.
By
Tim Starks
| June 17, 2013, 4 p.m.
Edward Snowden, the man who publicly exposed several controversial National Security Agency programs, said Monday that he was inspired to leak the secrets because of spy agency leaders’ “lies” to Congress, and because congressional leaders did nothing about it.
Rick Boucher
| June 17, 2013, 3:17 p.m.
The numbers never lie. In the fifth game of the NBA finals, starters for the Spurs poured in 107 points, Danny Green made six 3-pointers (beating the NBA finals record) and the team became the first to shoot 60 percent in a finals game in four years. By contrast, the Heat’s first string put up just 73 points, and its leading 3-point shooter made two fewer than Green.
