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TOP STORIES FOR MONDAY, JUNE 14, 2004 FCC Preserves Educational Spectrum Student Cleared of Supporting Terrorism Laptop Stolen from UCLA Contained Personal Data RIAA Wants Limits on Digital Radio House Committee Seeks to Block Accenture Contract FCC PRESERVES EDUCATIONAL SPECTRUM The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted unanimously to reject a proposal that would have stripped educational institutions of a portion of the broadcast spectrum set aside for them for decades. Supporters of the proposal argued that commercial interests could better develop a portion of the Instructional Television Fixed Service (ITFS) with technologies including digital broadcasting. Colleges and other organizations that use the spectrum fought the proposal; as a result, the FCC asked the institutions to forfeit just a small portion of underused spectrum. Some universities lease unused spectrum to companies such as Sprint Communications and would have been prevented from continuing those leases had the proposal been passed. Chronicle of Higher Education, 14 June 2004 (sub. req'd) http://chronicle.com/prm/daily/2004/06/2004061404n.htm STUDENT CLEARED OF SUPPORTING TERRORISM A graduate student at the University of Idaho has been acquitted of charges that he provided expert assistance to terrorists, a standard put into place by the Patriot Act. The government accused Sami Omar al-Hussayen of aiding terrorist groups in raising money and attracting recruits through several Web sites he maintained. Hussayen's attorneys argued that the student was a Muslim volunteer who simply maintained the sites and was not involved in creating the content on them. Further, the material on the sites was protected by the First Amendment, Hussayen's attorneys contended. After a seven-week trial, the jury deliberated for seven days and found Hussayen not guilty on several of the charges. For the remaining charges, the jury was deadlocked, and a mistrial was declared for those charges. Wall Street Journal, 10 June 2004 (sub. req'd) http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB108689045795533910,00.html LAPTOP STOLEN FROM UCLA CONTAINED PERSONAL DATA A laptop computer stolen from UCLA included personal information on 145,000 blood donors, according to officials from the university, and could present a risk for identity theft. The computer was stolen last November, but concerns over identity theft did not arise until a security audit last month. In response to that audit, the Blood and Platelet Center included a warning about the theft in a letter sent to those who donated blood through the center. According to a university statement, the laptop included names, birth dates, and Social Security numbers. The statement said the database that contained this information was password protected but was not encrypted. Investigators looking into the theft reportedly have turned up no evidence that any of the information has been misused. In a separate statement, university officials said another laptop was stolen two weeks ago, this one from the health care division, that included personal information for 62,000 patients. CNET, 10 June 2004 http://news.com.com/2100-1029_3-5230662.html RIAA WANTS LIMITS ON DIGITAL RADIO The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to institute regulations to prevent digital radio broadcasts from becoming another avenue for music pirates. Digital radio allows broadcasters to transmit CD-quality music over the airwaves, which could allow users simply to make digital recordings from the radio and share them on P2P networks. According to the FCC, about 300 radio stations already send digital signals or are working to do so. The RIAA has proposed restrictions that would allow recordings of digital radio broadcasts but would not allow those broadcasts to be broken up into individual songs. Under the proposal, users also would not be able to share recordings on P2P networks. In discussing the threat posed by digital radio, Mitch Bainwol, CEO of the RIAA, said, "A little bit of prudence right now goes a long way." A spokesman for the National Association of Broadcasters, however, expressed that group's concern that the proposed restrictions would slow development of digital radio. "We want to roll out this technology as quickly as possible," he said, "and if this is going to delay that, that's something that's going to cause consumers and broadcasters a lot of concern." CNET, 11 June 2004 http://news.com.com/2100-1027_3-5232048.html HOUSE COMMITTEE SEEKS TO BLOCK ACCENTURE CONTRACT The Appropriations Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives voted 35-17 to block a contract recently awarded to Accenture by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The contract, which is worth as much as $10 billion, is to help DHS improve the nation's security, but members of the committee objected to the contract's being awarded to a country headquartered outside the United States. Accenture has offices in Virginia but is based in Bermuda. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro (D-Conn.) cosponsored an amendment to the DHS budget that would prohibit the department from awarding contracts to companies that are incorporated in other countries in order to avoid U.S. taxes. DeLauro said that the "government should not be doing business with those who want all the benefits of citizenship without any of the responsibilities that come along with it." The amendment must pass the full House as well as the Senate before being sent to the president for his signature. Internet News, 9 June 2004 http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3366241 ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your settings, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/ Or, you can subscribe or unsubscribe by sending e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To SUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SUBSCRIBE Edupage YourFirstName YourLastName To UNSUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SIGNOFF Edupage If you have subscription problems, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For past issues of Edupage or information about translations of Edupage into other languages, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/ ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE PUBLICATIONS EDUCAUSE publishes periodicals, including "EQ" and "EDUCAUSE Review," books, and other materials dealing with the impacts and implications of information technology in higher education. 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