Tag archive: Ed Markey

A newly drafted bill, floated by Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA), would require mobile carriers, cell phone manufacturers, operating system makers, and third-party app creators to disclose to customers when their devices or software includes the ability to track user activity, and obtain explicit consent from customers to do so. The creation of the bill follows last year's controversy surrounding mobile monitoring software, Carrier IQ. The Mobile… Read More

At this point, it's fair to assume most U.S. television viewers have heard that analog television broadcasts are due to shut off on February 17, 2009, and that if folks want to continue receiving over-the-air broadcasts they need to either get a newer TV with a digital tuner, or buy a converter box they can hook up to their old TVs to receive digital signals. The good news is that the U.S. government set aside some funds to subsidize… Read More

Members of the U.S. Congress have begun questioning how some of the most widely-trafficked Internet companies and sites keep track of their users' online behavior in an effort to target advertising based on search terms, site usage, and other parameters. The requests have been sent to more than 30 Internet companies, including major names like Google, Microsoft, Verizon, Comcast, Time Warner, and AT&T. The rising concern over… Read More

Online music broadcasters may have received a temporary stay of execution from an unlikely source: speaking at a roundtable committee meeting held by Massachusetts representative Ed Markey, SoundExchange's executive director Jim Simson said his organization will not enforce new music royalty rates approved by the Copyright Royalty Board. Instead, the new rates will be postponed indefinitely while SoundExchange works with online… Read More