Commerce Secretary Locke issued a statement on the release of the September 2009 U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services Report, which indicated U.S. exports increased by 2.9 percent since August 2009, while imports increased 5.8 percent. Exports rose for the fifth consecutive month. (Press release, dated 11/13/09, available at http://www.commerce.gov/NewsRoom/PressReleases_FactSheets/PROD01_008612)
Nonprofit group ProCon.org said it launched a website, http://cellphones.procon.org, exploring whether cellphones are safe. “Although the FCC and many other U.S. government agencies consider cell phones to be safe when used properly, there is an accumulating amount of scientific research showing that cell phone use may cause cancer, disrupt pacemakers, decrease fertility, damage DNA, and increase the risk of traffic accidents,” the group said. “ProCon.org has researched pro and con arguments, facts, and studies about cell phone safety. The findings should help readers think critically, educate themselves, and make informed decisions on cell phone use.”
China's Ministry of Commerce reports that China will abolish export duties on some grains and industrial products and cut the export duties for chemical fertilizers and nonferrous metals from July 1 to promote exports. (Notice, dated 06/23/09, available at http://english.mofcom.gov.cn/aarticle/newsrelease/commonnews/200906/20090606352494.html)
A study of amateur radio uses for emergency and disaster relief communications would be required under a bill introduced by Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee, D-Texas. “Amateur radio, at no cost to taxpayers, provides a fertile ground for technical self-training in modern telecommunications, electronic technology, and emergency communications techniques and protocols,” the bill said. It would require the Department of Homeland Security to do a study on possible uses during emergencies that would identify any “unreasonable or unnecessary impediments” to its use. For instance, the bill would study the impact of private land use regulations on residential antenna installations.
Although the recording industry’s legal campaign will evolve, lawsuits against unauthorized P2P file-sharing will “continue for the foreseeable future,” RIAA Gen. Counsel Steven Marks told the Digital Music Forum in N.Y.C. Mon.
The Department of Homeland Security has issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking to solicit comments on its anticipated development of a regulatory program covering the sale and transfer of ammonium nitrate1. Comments are due on or before December 29, 2008.
If the FCC approves unlicensed use of TV white spaces, the spectrum could be used for more than just surfing the net, Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer for Microsoft, told FCC Chairman Kevin Martin over the phone last week, according to a filing at the FCC. That use of the white spaces could spur peer-to-peer sensor networks with, for example, farmers deploying white space wireless sensors to manage irrigation and fertilization, he said. And the white spaces can be used for communications among “smart” devices and for device-device media sharing, Mundie said. All “would … be possible if the Commission adopts the proposal of the White Spaces Coalition,” Mundie said.
If the FCC approves unlicensed use of TV white spaces, the spectrum could be used for more than just surfing the net, Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer for Microsoft, told FCC Chairman Kevin Martin over the phone last week, according to a filing at the FCC. That use of the white spaces could spur peer-to-peer sensor networks with, for example, farmers deploying white space wireless sensors to manage irrigation and fertilization, he said. And the white spaces can be used for communications among “smart” devices and for device-device media sharing, Mundie said. All “would … be possible if the Commission adopts the proposal of the White Spaces Coalition,” Mundie said.
If the FCC approves unlicensed use of TV white spaces, the spectrum could be used for more than just surfing the net, Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer for Microsoft, told FCC Chairman Kevin Martin over the phone last week, according to a filing at the FCC. That use of the white spaces could spur peer-to-peer sensor networks with, for example, farmers deploying white space wireless sensors to manage irrigation and fertilization, he said. And the white spaces can be used for communications among “smart” devices and for device-device media sharing, Mundie said. All “would … be possible if the Commission adopts the proposal of the White Spaces Coalition,” Mundie said.
The Food and Drug Administration has issued a question and answer document about melamine, including testing on imports of milk-derived products from China, and its interim safety and risk assessment of melamine and melamine-related compounds in food and infant formula.