Government

AT&T's planned merger with DirecTV is far from a done deal. Among the objections that have been raised is one stemming from a filing this week with the Federal Communications Commission. There is now concern that the merger would make it more difficult for consumers to cut their cable-TV cords.

The U.S. Department of Justice this week said it would review long-held agreements with two major performing-rights organizations with an eye to updating them to reflect the climate of the music industry more accurately. The DoJ's agreements with ASCAP and BMI have been in place for more than 70 yea...

I think the European Union often goes overboard, and I typically don't agree with its rulings. However, when the EU declared Google invaded privacy, it seemed to have struck a nerve. Countless users worldwide agreed. So, what impact will the EU have on Google with respect to a citizen's right to be ...

The U.S. Defense Department last month adopted a set of final rules covering the detection and avoidance of counterfeit electronic parts in the federal supply chain. The rules affect a wide swath of information technology firms that supply electronic components to the department, including software ...

IT groups and a wide range of other businesses are so divided on proposed changes to U.S. patent law that a key lawmaker abruptly terminated work on patent reform legislation last week. The legislation addresses IP protection practices, known as "patent trolling," that overwhelmingly affect computer...

The U.S. government could save billions of dollars in the management of IT resources by significantly improving outdated and overworked networks. Federal agencies are making progress on five key IT initiatives: data consolidation, virtualization, cloud computing, remote access and infrastructure div...

Protecting supply lines is essential to military success. But the U.S. government has now launched an initiative designed to protect the supply chain of both civilian and military agencies from potential cyberattacks. The effort will be especially important in the e-commerce procurement process. In ...

The FCC on Thursday approved by voice vote proposed rules governing neutrality on the Internet. Following a public comment period and review of those comments by the commission, the agency will finalize the rules, possibly as soon as the end of this year. "Today marks the starting line for a new con...

The European Court of Justice, which is the highest court for matters of European Law, has handed down a preliminary ruling that indicates Google may have to remove links to consumers' names on request -- if appropriate. The case was referred to the ECJ by Spain's Audiencia Nacional, or National Hig...

A major federal agency has launched a program designed to acquire information technology and other essential goods and services for the government the same way that major corporations handle procurement. The General Services Administration, which acquires a wide range of products and services on beh...

The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission reportedly is changing a proposal for regulating Internet traffic in response to a wave of dissension against the idea. Chairman Tom Wheeler had proposed a new "Net neutrality" plan that would allow Internet service providers to negotiate with ...

More than 100 companies in the tech industry have come together to battle a proposal by the Federal Communications Commission that they say could irreparably harm the open Internet. Firms including Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Google, Kickstarter, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Netflix, Twitter, and Yahoo signed a...

The use and scope of information technology has grown dramatically since 2000 -- and along with that growth have come ever greater cybersecurity threats to businesses, government agencies and consumers. The need to counter actual threats, as well as to prevent potential cybersecurity problems, calls...

Reports that the FCC is abandoning its support of Net neutrality are incorrect, the agency's chairman claimed Thursday. The reports appeared just prior to the release by the FCC of a notice that it is proposing some new Open Internet rules. The old rules were rejected by a federal court in January a...

The allure of Big Data stems from the ability to use advanced technology to manage and manipulate huge amounts of information. Not only that, Big Data offers the opportunity for unlocking information not previously available, and even not previously knowable. However, the software required to unde...