Vint Cerf on the origin of the term RFC. [Scripting News]

Dane Carlson notes that “blog” is being added to the Oxford English Dictionary. [Scripting News]

Senators Say U.S. Should Keep Tabs on ICANN
“NYT” story.

“WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. lawmakers said on Wednesday that they would step up oversight of the nonprofit group that oversees the Internet’s domain-name system, but stopped short of saying the United States should run the controversial body.

Several senators and a Bush administration official said the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, would have to change the way it operates if it wants to continue to oversee the system that allows Internet users to navigate using easy-to-remember domain names like ”www.example.com.”

But Montana Republican Sen. Conrad Burns, who two days before called for the United States to exert more direct control if ICANN did not clean up its act, said the Department of Commerce should renew ICANN’s contract when it expires in September….”

Getting a lock on broadband
Salon story.

The Federal Communications Commission is quietly handing over control of the broadband Internet to a handful of massive corporations. Fifth in a series of articles on BigCo’s moves to control the Net.

The RIP Act really begins to bite
Guardian story.

“The news in the UK this week that surveillance powers are to be handed to a host of government departments and other groups takes the use of data retention – the keeping of detailed information on how and with whom we are communicating – to a level not seen anywhere else in the world.

The new UK proposals would allow bodies ranging from the Home Office and local councils to Consignia and fire authorities to access the records. “

[ more]

“A draft order to be debated by MPs next Tuesday reveals that ministers want the list of organisations empowered to demand communications data to be expanded to include seven Whitehall departments, every local authority in the country, NHS bodies in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and 11 other public bodies ranging from the postal services commission to the food standards agency. Until now, the list included only police forces, the intelligence services, customs and excise and the inland revenue. ”

What happens when the 2.4GHz band becomes so congested that it’s unusable?

Bob Cringeley can sometimes be irritating (because of the way he makes himself a central part of any story), but even his sternest critic has to admit that he’s very good at explaining complex issues. As here, for example. The basic puzzle is this: according to reliable sources, a company called Fusion Lighting has developed a new kind of street lamp. It gives off radiation in the unregulated 2.4GHz band used by 802.11b — so much so that it is claimed that a single bulb can shut down WiFi nets with half a mile. Why then, asks Cringeley, is the WiFi industry not up in arms about this outrageous threat to its technology? Answer: because the industry has already sussed that 802.11b is on its way to commodification (i.e. low profit margins) and would like to move us quickly onto 802.11a — more expensive (and therefore more profitable) kit operating in the 5GHz band. Hmmm… sounds plausible.

Update on governments which are actively exploring Open Source solutions to their software problems

Useful survey article.

Granada & Co steamed up over the BBC’s ambitions in online education

“A group of educational publishers including Granada, HarperCollins and Pearson, owner of the Financial Times, are calling on the government to regulate the BBC’s attempts to establish an online curriculum for schools, with software and teaching materials delivered over the internet on a broad variety of school subjects.

The group, known as the Digital Learning Alliance, have asked Tessa Jowell, the culture, media and sport secretary, to reject the BBC’s bid to launch an online curriculum next year with £150m of licence-fee funds, claiming the BBC’s proposals could cost the commercial sector £400m over five years.

In parallel to this, a group of 18 educational publishers, led by RM, the listed educational software developer, are going further – they filed legal papers with the High Court in London in April, applying for leave for judicial review. At the heart of the action lies the question of how the BBC’s licence fee is spent, and how far it is appropriate for the BBC to provide services in markets already served by the private sector.” [ more…]

The ‘war blogs’ controversy
“NYT” story.

Hacked 802.11b dodges the coming bandwidth congestion on 2.4GHz?

“CUPERTINO, Calif., June 7 — Anyone looking for the next big thing in Silicon Valley should stop here at Layne Holt’s garage.

Mr. Holt and his business partner, John Furrier, both software engineers, have started a company with a shoestring budget and an ambitious target: the cable and phone companies that currently hold a near-monopoly on high-speed access for the “last mile” between the Internet and the home.

At the core of their plan is the inexpensive wireless data standard known as Wi-Fi or 802.11b, which is already shaking up the communications industry, threatening to undermine the business plans of cellular phone companies by offering a much cheaper method for mobile access to the Internet.

The pair’s company, known as Etherlinx, has taken the 802.11b standard and used it to build a system that can transmit Internet data up to 20 miles at high speeds — enough to blanket entire urban regions and make cable or D.S.L. connections obsolete.” [more…]