1/19. On January 12, 2010, Google released a statement regarding cyber attacks on its systems, and the systems of other companies, by the People's Republic of China (PRC). Google accused the PRC of hacking for the purpose of surveilling "human rights activists". Google added that it is "no longer willing to continue censoring" search results in the PRC, and that it may "shut down Google.cn".

On January 20, the New America Foundation (NAF) will host and webcast a panel discussion titled "Authority, Meet Technology: Will China's Great Firewall Hold?" Eric Schmidt is the Chairman of both Google and the NAF.

The speakers will be Evgeny Morozov (Georgetown University), Rebecca MacKinnon (Open Society Institute), Tim Wu (NAF and Columbia Law School), Alec Ross (Department of State), and James Fallows (NAF). See, notice.

Google attributed its January 12 statement to David Drummond, whose title at Google is "SVP, Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer".

Drummond stated that "In mid-December, we detected a highly sophisticated and targeted attack on our corporate infrastructure originating from China that resulted in the theft of intellectual property from Google."

Moreover, "this attack was not just on Google". He wrote that "at least twenty other large companies from a wide range of businesses -- including the Internet, finance, technology, media and chemical sectors -- have been similarly targeted."

He continued that "we have evidence to suggest that a primary goal of the attackers was accessing the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists."

However, "Based on our investigation to date we believe their attack did not achieve that objective. Only two Gmail accounts appear to have been accessed, and that activity was limited to account information (such as the date the account was created) and subject line, rather than the content of emails themselves." (Parentheses in original.)

Drummond also disclosed that "we have discovered that the accounts of dozens of U.S.-, China- and Europe-based Gmail users who are advocates of human rights in China appear to have been routinely accessed by third parties. These accounts have not been accessed through any security breach at Google, but most likely via phishing scams or malware placed on the users' computers."

Drummond stated that "we are also working with the relevant U.S. authorities".

Drummond opined that "this information goes to the heart of a much bigger global debate about freedom of speech".

He also wrote that "We launched Google.cn in January 2006 in the belief that the benefits of increased access to information for people in China and a more open Internet outweighed our discomfort in agreeing to censor some results. At the time we made clear that ``we will carefully monitor conditions in China, including new laws and other restrictions on our services. If we determine that we are unable to achieve the objectives outlined we will not hesitate to reconsider our approach to China.´´"

"These attacks and the surveillance they have uncovered -- combined with the attempts over the past year to further limit free speech on the web -- have led us to conclude that we should review the feasibility of our business operations in China. We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all. We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China."

Sen. John Rockefeller (D-WV) stated in a release that "Cyber-attacks are increasing exponentially and we need to get serious about America’s cybersecurity -- our nation's public and private infrastructure is too critical to remain vulnerable and unprotected".

He added that "I intend to markup my cybersecurity bill early this year to address these ever-evolving attacks and secure our networks. It's an understatement to say that cybersecurity is one of the most important issues we face; the increasingly connected nature of our lives only amplifies our vulnerability to cyber attacks and we must act now."

Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) stated in a release that "When Google went to China, it seemed to forget all about its quirky corporate slogan, `Don’t be evil,´ but two cheers now for deciding that making a fortune there may not be worth the cost of accepting the routine oppression that passes for governance in China. The Chinese plundering of Google's database for the names and e-mail addresses of human rights activists is hardly surprising. Google's announcement that it may abandon the China market is appropriate, if belated, and news that it will no longer censor searches on Google.cn marks a great leap forward for freedom."

"I hope to work with Google and the other companies to protect the private data of the human rights activists and anybody else who might attract invasive attention because their beliefs diverge from communism. On a broader front, protecting American cybersecurity was a daily challenge even before China decided to practice its skills on Google, but as co-chairman of the House Privacy Caucus, I hope this episode will set off alarms about how prevalent the threat is everywhere."

Leslie Harris, the head of the Washington DC based Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), stated in a release that "Google has taken a bold and difficult step for Internet freedom in support of fundamental human rights.  No company should be forced to operate under government threat to its core values or to the rights and safety of its users. We support Google for being willing to engage in this very difficult process."

"We have always supported the presence of Western companies in these difficult markets because we believe that they can provide more access to information and can be more protective of human rights than domestic providers.  Having said that, we've also stressed that companies have to constantly evaluate whether the demands placed on them and the activities of the governments themselves simply make it impossible to operate ethically and in a way consistent with human rights norms."

1/19. The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) released a report [91 pages in PDF] titled "Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Overview of Participation in U.S. Exports".

This report states that "In 2007, Canada and Mexico were the largest destination markets for U.S. merchandise exports from firms of all sizes, including SMEs. The main SME export products to these countries were computer and electrical products; machinery; and chemicals."

For manufacturers, SMEs have less than 500 employees.

This report adds that SME merchandise exports of "computers and electronics" totaled over $47 Billion in 2007, up from $29 Billion in 2002. The totals for large businesses was $123 and $103 Billion. Hence, SME exports of computers and electronics have been growing at a faster rate than large business exports.

This report also finds that "SMEs are an important source of innovation processes, products, and services and can be more efficient at producing innovation than large firms."

Ron Kirk, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) stated in a release that "All of us here at USTR want America's small- and medium-sized businesses to be able to export more around the world and to hire more people here at home. The information in this ITC report will be combined with the real-world stories that we get from small- and medium-sized enterprises, and with the existing trade policy expertise at USTR, to shape trade policy in ways that better serve these businesses."

However, he said nothing in this release about Congressional approval of concluded free trade agreements (FTAs), such as the U.S. Korea FTA, or negotiation of further bilateral or multilateral FTAs.

1/19. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report [68 pages in PDF] titled "FCC Management: Improvements Needed in Communication, Decision-Making Processes, and Workforce Planning". It addresses the organization, interaction, and activities of the FCC's bureaus and offices.

The report states that "Although FCC has established some function-based bureaus and reorganized its bureaus to reflect some changes in the telecommunications market, further evolutions and the growth of new technologies have continued to create crosscutting issues that span several bureaus." It cites as an example broadband services.

It states that earlier this decade the FCC "created broadband regulations in a piecemeal fashion, issuing four separate orders (one for cable modems, one for facilities-based wireline broadband Internet access, one for broadband over power line, and one for wireless broadband Internet access) to regulate competing methods of providing broadband services by the same standard." (Parentheses in original.)

This report adds that "as companies that once provided a distinct service (such as cable and telephone companies) have shifted to providing bundles of services (voice, video, and data services) over a broadband platform, new debates have arisen regarding how rules previously intended for a specific industry and service (such as universal service, customer retention rules, and video franchising rules) should be applied to companies now providing multiple services." (Parentheses in original.)

The report further finds that the "FCC’s lack of written policies and its reliance on informal interbureau coordination to address issues that span beyond the purview of a single bureau can result in inefficiencies".

1/19. AT&T announced in a release the donation of 7,000 wireless phones to a carrier, and smartphones and service to a humanitarian organization, among its other efforts in Haiti.

1/17. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski released a statement regarding the state of telecommunications in Haiti. He wrote that "immediate issues of concern are continuity of service by existing telecommunications companies, which are providing essential communications for Haitians and the disaster relief efforts, and their ongoing operational challenges such as access to fuel and security."

1/15. Google announced in a release the creation of "an online People Finder gadget so that people can submit information about missing persons and to search the database".

1/15. Verizon Wireless (VW) announced in a release that it "transmitted $2,987,560 to the American Red Cross, representing dollars pledged by texting customers to the Red Cross relief effort for Haiti. This represents donations made by Verizon Wireless customers for the first two days of the campaign from 12:01 a.m. EST on Wednesday, Jan. 13 through 2 p.m. EST on Friday, Jan. 15." VW stated in another release that it "will open a Haiti Relief Connection Center in Miami to help the local Haitian-American community connect with family and friends back in Haiti in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake there."

1/15. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Mignon Clyburn wrote in a statement that the FCC's Media Bureau "is providing guidance to noncommercial broadcasters on the procedures for obtaining expedited approval to engage in fundraising on behalf of the Haitian people. Commission staff is also talking with USAID about relief and restoration on the telecommunications front and reaching out to Haitian communications providers to assess the needs for satellite, wireless, wireline, submarine and broadcast communications both within the country and with the U.S." See also, FCC's January 15 release.

1/15. Hewlett Packard (HP) announced in a release that it "has committed $500,000 to the American Red Cross International Response Fund to support relief efforts in Haiti".

1/14. T-Mobile USA announced in a release that it is "enabling phone calls to Haiti without charges for international long distance through January 31, 2010, and retroactive to the earthquake on January 12, 2010. Additionally, T-Mobile customers who may already be in Haiti will be able to roam on T-Mobile’s partner networks in Haiti (operated locally in Haiti under the names Voila and Digicel) free-of-charge through the end of the month. In both cases, T-Mobile will remove these charges from customer bills accordingly." (Parentheses in original.)

1/14. Sue James was elected to Yahoo's Board of Directors. See, Yahoo release. She retired from Ernst & Young in 2006.

1/11. Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) announced the election of three new board members: Jill Lesser (Glover Park Group), Deirdre Mulligan (UC Berkeley) and Ira Rubinstein (New York University law school). The other CDT Directors are Jerry Berman, Hal Abelson, Fred Epstein, Morton Halperin, Beryl Howell, Tracey Westen, and Leslie Harris.

1/19. Microsoft Corporation announced in a release it "has signed a patent cross-licensing agreement with Funai Electric Co. Ltd., manufacturer of LCD TVs sold in the United States under brands such as Philips, Magnavox, Sylvania and Emerson, to further the development of each company’s current and future products."

1/19. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski gave a short speech regarding the FCC's "open Internet proceeding". He said that "sunlight is the best disinfectant, and that making network management practices clear and transparent to consumers can help discourage problematic behavior and minimize disputes".

1/19. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) published a notice in the Federal Register that sets comment deadlines for its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding its e-rate program, and the "Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act". See,  Federal Register, January 19, 2010, Vol. 75, No. 11, at Pages 2836-2843. See also, story titled "FCC Adopts E-Rate NPRM" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,011, November 9, 2009. The FCC adopted this NPRM on November 4, 2009, and released the text on November 5, 2009. It is FCC 09-96 in CC Docket No. 02-6. Initial comments are due by February 18, 2010. Reply comments are due by March 5, 2010.

1/14. The National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Computer Security Division (CSD) released its draft SP 800-131 [22 pages in PDF] titled "Recommendation for the Transitioning of Cryptographic Algorithms and Key Sizes". Comments are due by March 15, 2010.

1/14. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released presentation slides [57 pages in PDF] for its briefing of the House Appropriations Committee's (HAC) Subcommittee on Defense on "Commercial and Department of Defense Space System Requirements and Acquisition Practices".

1/13. The House Judiciary Committee (HJC) approved by voice vote HR 3190 [LOC | WW], the "Discount Pricing Consumer Protection Act of 2009". See, story titled "House Judiciary Committee to Mark Up Bill to Undo Leegin" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,020, December 3, 2009.

1/12. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) issued a release regarding an award of grants under its State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program.

1/12. The Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a release regarding the creation of a non-profit organization titled "FocusDriven" that is devoted specifically to raising awareness about the dangers of distracted driving, such as the use of cell phone and other wireless communications devices. Steve Largent, head of the CTIA, stated in a related release that "the key to truly changing people's behavior involves uniform legislation, technology, and education

1/12. Ed Black, head of the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), sent a letter to the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Antitrust Division regarding its review of the merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation. Black focused on the primary and secondary markets for live event tickets, and urged the DOJ to impose four conditions upon its approval of the merging companies. First, wrote Black, "Promote competition in the primary market for event ticketing by requiring the divestiture of Front Line and related businesses." Second, "Prohibit exclusionary agreements that limit competition among primary market ticketvendors or secondary market platforms." Third, "Promote competition in the secondary market for event ticketing by requiring paperless ticketing systems to interoperate with all secondary market providers on a reasonable and nondiscriminatory basis." Fourth, "Generally prohibit the limitation of consumers’ resale rights in their tickets, including prohibiting price floors and restrictions on what online or offline platforms consumers may use to re-sell tickets."

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The House will meet at 12:30 PM for morning hour, and at 2:00 PM for legislative business. The House will consider numerous non-technology related items under suspension of the rules. See, Rep. Hoyer's schedule for the week of January 18.

The Senate will meet at 11:00 AM in pro forma session.

12:30 - 2:00 PM. The American Bar Association's (ABA) Section of International Law will host a program titled "The Latest Developments in Private Enforcement of Competition Claims in Europe". The ABA will teleconference this event. Prices vary. This event is open to the public. See, notice.

12:30 - 2:00 PM. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Verizon, and Federal Communications Bar Association's (FCBA) International Committee will host a brown bag lunch. The speaker will be Mindel De La Torre, Chief of the FCC's International Bureau. For more information, contact Gardner Foster at Gardner dot Foster at fcc dot gov or Jennifer Ullman at Jennifer dot ullman at verizon dot com. Location: Verizon, Suite 400 West, 1300 I St., NW.

1:00 PM. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will host the second in a series of events titled "public workshops for the FCC's open Internet proceeding". The FCC's release does not contain an proceeding title or number. The FCC has a proceeding titled "In the Matter of Preserving the Open Internet Broadband Industry Practices". The FCC adopted and released its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) [107 pages in PDF] on October 22, 2009. This NPRM is FCC 09-93 in GN Docket No. 09-191 and WC Docket No. 07-52. Initial comments are due by January 14, 2010. Reply comments are due by March 5, 2010. In this proceeding the FCC proposes to regulate the network management practices of broadband internet access service providers. See, story titled "FCC Adopts Internet Regulation NPRM" and related stories in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,008, October 23, 2009. The FCC's release adds that this event "will address consumers, transparency, and the open Internet". Location: FCC, Commission Meeting Room, 445 12th St., SW.

1:30 - 3:30 PM. The Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) World Radiocommunication Conference 12 Advisory Committee's (WRC-12 AC) Informal Working Group 2: Terrestrial Services will hold a meeting. See, notice [PDF]. Location: FCC, South Conference Room (7th Floor, Room 7-B516), 445 12th St., SW.

The House will meet at 10:00 AM for legislative business. The House will consider numerous non-technology related items under suspension of the rules. See, Rep. Hoyer's schedule for the week of January 18.

The Senate will meet at 10:00 AM. It will consider the nomination of Beverly Martin to be a Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.

9:00 - 11:00 AM. The Brookings Institute will host a program titled "Cloud Computing for Business and Society". The speakers will be Brad Smith (Microsoft General Counsel), Robert Atkinson (Information Technology and Innovation Foundation), Michael Nelson (Georgetown University), Jonathan Rochelle (Google), and Darrell West (Brookings). See, notice. Location: Brookings, 1775 Massachusetts Ave., NW.

9:30 AM. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a hearing titled "Intelligence Reform: The Lessons and Implications of the Christmas Day Attack". See, notice. Location: Room 342, Dirksen Building.

9:30 AM - 12:30 PM. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will host a public roundtable in connection with its proposed rulemaking regarding practice before the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences (BPAI) in ex parte patent appeals. See, notice in the Federal Register, December 22, 2009, Vol. 74, No. 244, at Pages 67987-68004. See also, story titled "USPTO Seeks Comments on Rules of Practice before the BPAI in Ex Parte Appeals" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,026, December 22, 2009. Location: USPTO, Madison Auditorium, Madison Building, 600 Dulany Street, Alexandria, VA.

FULL. 9:30 - 11:00 AM. The New America Foundation (NAF) will host a panel discussion titled "Authority, Meet Technology: Will China's Great Firewall Hold?" The speakers will be Evgeny Morozov (Georgetown University),
Rebecca MacKinnon (Open Society Institute), Tim Wu (NAF and Columbia Law School), Alec Ross (Department of State), and James Fallows (NAF). The NAF will webcast this event. See, notice. Location: NAF, Suite 400, 1899 L St., NW.

10:30 AM. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will hold an event titled "Open Meeting". See, agenda. Location: FCC, Commission Meeting Room.

The American Bar Association's (ABA) Tort and Insurance Practice Section will host a program titled "Data Privacy Breaches and US Data Security Laws: New Worries, New Rules, New Roles for Counsel". The ABA will teleconference this event. See, notice.

1:00 - 5:00 PM. The National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Information Security and Privacy Advisory Board (ISPAB) will hold a meeting. The agenda includes "Cloud Computing and the U.S. Government Trusted Internet Connection (TIC) Program", "U.S. Government Acquisitions Role in Security", "Research and Development for Secure Software", and "Security Measurements and Metrics". The ISPAB also seeks oral comments at the meeting, and written comments at any time. See, notice in the Federal Register, December 28, 2009,  Vol. 74, No. 247, at Page 68581. Location: Room LR-B, Building 101, NIST, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD.

6:00 - 8:15 PM. The DC Bar Association will host an event titled "Ethics of Email, Blogs, Twitter, and other Social Networks". The speaker will be Thomas Spahn (McGuire Woods). The price to attend ranges from $89 to $129. Most DC Bar events are not open to the public. This event qualifies for continuing legal education (CLE) credits. See, notice. For more information, call 202-626-3488. Location: DC Bar Conference Center, 1101 K St., NW.

The House will meet at 10:00 AM for legislative business. The House will consider non-technology related items. See, Rep. Hoyer's schedule for the week of January 18.

9:00 - 11:00 AM. The House Intelligence Committee (HIC) will hold a closed hearing titled "Cybersecurity Threats". Location: Room HVC 304, Capitol Building.

9:00 AM - 3:00 PM. The Department of Health and Human Services' (DHHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology's (ONCHIT) Clinical Operations' Vocabulary Task Force will meet. See, notice in the Federal Register, January 5, 2010, Vol. 75, No. 2, at Pages 368-369. The DHHS will webcast this meeting. The webcast is open to the public. The physical location of the meeting is closed to the public. Written comments are due two days prior to the meeting.

9:30 AM. The Senate Banking Committee (SBC) will hold a hearing on numerous nominations, including those of Kevin Wolf and David Mills (to be Assistant Secretaries of Commerce for Export Enforcement) and Suresh Kumar (to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service). See, notice. Location: Room 538, Dirksen Building.

10:00 AM. The House Commerce Committee's (HCC) Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet will meet to mark up HR 3125 [LOC | WW], the "Radio Spectrum Inventory Act", and HR 3019 [LOC | WW], the "Spectrum Relocation Improvement Act Of 2009". See, notice. Location: Room 2123, Rayburn Building.

10:00 AM. The Senate Judiciary Committee (SJC) will hold an executive business meeting. The agenda includes consideration of the nominations of Rogeriee Thompson to be a Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit, and James Wynn and Albert Diaz to be Judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit. See, notice. Location: Room 226, Dirksen Building.

POSTPONED. 10:00 AM. The House Ways and Means Committee will hold a hearing titled "Japanese and South Korean Barriers to U.S. Auto Imports". See, notice. Location" Room 1100, Longworth Building.

12:00 NOON - 2:00 PM. The DC Bar Association will host an panel discussion of "likely legislative developments relating to intellectual property". The speakers will be Capitol Hill staff. The price to attend ranges from $15 to $45. Most DC Bar events are not open to the public. Reporters are barred from this event. See, notice. For more information, call 202-626-3463. Location: DC Bar Conference Center, 1101 K St., NW.

EXTENDED FROM JANUARY 7. Deadline to submit comments to the Executive Office of the President's (EOP) Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) regarding public access to archived publications resulting from research funded by federal science and technology agencies. See, notice of extension in the Federal Register, December 31, 2009, Vol. 74, No. 250, at Pages 69368-69370.

The House may meet at 9:00 AM for legislative business. See, Rep. Hoyer's schedule for the week of January 18.

10:00 AM - 12:00 NOON. The Department of Health and Human Services' (DHHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology's (ONCHIT) Privacy & Security Policy Workgroup will meet. See, notice in the Federal Register, January 5, 2010, Vol. 75, No. 2, at Page 369. The DHHS will webcast this meeting. The webcast is open to the public. The physical location of the meeting is closed to the public. Written comments are due two days prior to the meeting.

12:00 NOON - 1:30 PM. The Federal Communications Bar Association's (FCBA) Annual Seminar Committee will host a brown bag lunch for planning purposes. Location: Wiley Rein, 1776 K St., NW.

Deadline to submit comments or objections to the Copyright Royalty Judges (CRJ) in response to their notice of proposed rulemaking regarding minimum fees for webcasters. See, notice in the Federal Register, December 23, 2009, Vol. 74, No. 245, at Pages 68214-68215, and story titled "Copyright Royalty Judges Announce NPRM on Webcaster Fees" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,027, December 24, 2009.

Deadline to submit initial comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in response to its Public Notice (PN) [3 pages in PDF] requesting comments on the Petition for Reconsideration or Clarification [16 pages in PDF] of the FCC's Declaratory Ruling (DR) regarding cell towers citing requests and 47 U.S.C. § 332(c)(7)(B). The DR is FCC 09-99 in WT Docket No. 08-165. The PN is DA 09-2629 in WT Docket No. 08-165. See also, stories titled "FCC Adopts Declaratory Ruling Regarding State and Local Tower Siting Procedures" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,017, November 23, 2009, and "State and Local Government Groups Seek Revision of FCC Tower Citing Application Shot Clock" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,029, December 29, 2009. See also, notice in the Federal Register, January 11, 2010, Vol. 75, No. 6, at Pages 1382-1383.

Deadline to submit comments to the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Computer Security Division (CSD) regarding its draft SP 800-126 Rev. 1 [71 pages in PDF] titled "The Technical Specification for the Security Content Automation Protocol (SCAP): SCAP Version 1.1".

1:00 - 2:30 PM. The American Bar Association (ABA) will host a program titled "Privacy and Data Security Relating to Medical Records". The speakers will include Loretta Garrison of the FTC's Division of Privacy and Identity Protection. The ABA will teleconference this event. It is free and open to the public. See, notice.

2:00 - 3:30 PM. The Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) World Radiocommunication Conference 12 Advisory Committee's (WRC-12 AC) Informal Working Group 1: Maritime, Aeronautical and Radar Services will hold a meeting. See, notice [PDF]. Location: FCC, South Conference Room (8th Floor, Room 8-B516), 445 12th St., SW.

Deadline to submit comments to the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Computer Security Division (CSD) regarding its draft NIST IR-7657 [32 pages in PDF] titled "Privilege Management".

Deadline to submit initial comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in response to its Notice of Inquiry (NOI) [31 pages in PDF] regarding empowering "parents to help their children take advantage of the opportunities offered by evolving electronic media technologies while at the same time protecting children from the risks inherent in use of these technologies". This NOI is FCC 09-94 in MB Docket No. 09-194. The FCC adopted this NOI on October 22, 2009, and released it on October 23, 2009. See, notice in the Federal Register, November 24, 2009, Vol. 74, No. 225, at Pages 61308-61316.

Deadline to submit comments to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (OUSTR) on trade related intellectual property, e-commerce, competition, procurement, and other issues being negotiated for a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement. See, notice in the Federal Register, December 16, 2009, Vol. 74, No. 240, at Pages 66720-66722. See also, story titled "OUSTR Seeks Comments on IP and Tech Issues for Negotiation of Trans Pacific Trade Agreement" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,026, December 22, 2009.

9:00 - 10:30 AM. The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) will host a panel discussion titled "Info-communism: A progressive path forward or a political and intellectual dead end?". The speakers will be Robert Atkinson (ITIF), Milton Mueller (Syracuse University), and Patrick Ross (Copyright Alliance). See, notice. Location: ITIF, Suite 610, 1101 K St., NW.

9:00 AM. The Department of Commerce's (DOC) Bureau of Industry and Security's (BIS) Sensors and Instrumentation Technical Advisory Committee (SITAC) will meet. See, notice in the Federal Register, January 11, 2010, Vol. 75, No. 6, Page 1339. Location: DOC, Hoover Building, Room 3884, 14th Street between Constitution and Pennsylvania Avenues,  NW.

10:00 AM. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a hearing titled "Intelligence Reform: The Lessons and Implications of the Christmas Day Attack". See, notice. Location: Room 342, Dirksen Building.

10:00 AM - 12:00 NOON. The Department of Health and Human Services' (DHHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology's (ONCHIT) Implementation Workgroup will meet. See, notice in the Federal Register, January 5, 2010, Vol. 75, No. 2, at Pages 368-369. The DHHS will webcast this meeting. The webcast is open to the public. The physical location of the meeting is closed to the public. Written comments are due two days prior to the meeting.

3:00 - 5:00 PM. The Department of Health and Human Services' (DHHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology's (ONCHIT) Privacy & Security Workgroup will meet. See, notice in the Federal Register, January 5, 2010, Vol. 75, No. 2, at Pages 368-369. The DHHS will webcast this meeting. The webcast is open to the public. The physical location of the meeting is closed to the public. Written comments are due two days prior to the meeting.

TIME? The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will host a seminar for chief compliance officers. See, SEC release.

TIME? The Department of Justice's (DOJ) Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will host the fifth of five public workshops regarding amending the Horizontal Merger Guidelines (HMG). See, DOJ release, FTC list of questions, and FTC HMG Project web site. See also, stories titled "Antitrust Division and FTC May Amend Horizontal Merger Guidelines" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 1987, September 23, 2009, and "DOJ's Shapiro Discusses Upcoming Revisions to Horizontal Merger Guidelines" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,015, November 16, 2009. Location: FTC Conference Center, 601 New Jersey Ave., NW.

Deadline to submit comments to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) regarding its document titled "Special Trademark Issues Review Team Recommendations". See, notice.