7/20. The House Rules Committee adopted a rule for consideration of HR 3199, the "USA PATRIOT and Terrorism Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2005". The full House will begin consideration of the bill on Thursday, July 21, and likely finish on Friday, July 22. The rule permits twenty amendments to be offered. See, summary, with hyperlinks to each amendment.

The Committee met for two and one half hours on Wednesday afternoon, July 20. It heard from fourteen Representatives who sought to have amendments made in order. In addition, several members of the Committee offered their own amendments. The Committee met again Wednesday night. It approved a substitute version of the bill, and made in order for consideration by the full House twenty amendments. About sixty-three proposed amendments had been submitted to the House Rules Committee (HRC).

The HRC's substitute [PDF] takes the bill as introduced [PDF] on July 11, and incorporates most, but not all, of the amendments approved on July 13 by either the House Judiciary Committee (HJC) and the House Intelligence Committee.

The USA PATRIOT Act includes a section that sunsets sixteen sections of Title II of the Act at the end of this year. These sixteen provisions pertain mostly to surveillance, searches, and seizures by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and in particular, to wiretapping in traditional telecommunications, surveillance in new internet protocol based services, and accessing stored electronic data.

During the HJC meeting to mark up HR 3199 on Wednesday, July 13, much of the debate focused on just a few provisions, and especially § 206 (regarding roving wiretaps) and § 215 (regarding access to business records, including library records, under the FISA).

The concern over § 215 pertains in large part to Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) orders for the records of libraries. Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), the Chairman of the HJC, spoke at the HRC meeting. He stated, as he has in the past, that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has informed the HJC that it has never used a § 215 related order to obtain records from a library about a U.S. person.

Nevertheless, Rep. James McGovern (D-MA), who is a member of the HRC, and Representatives who offered further § 215 related amendments, argued that the current law has a chilling effect, and needs to be revised.

The HRC did not make in order most of the amendments offered that pertain to § 215. It did, however, make in order an amendment [PDF] offered by Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) that would require that the Director of the FBI must personally approve any request for records from a library or bookstore by the FBI under § 215. This is largely symbolic, given the likely rarity of the exercise of this authority.

The HRC also made in order an amendment [PDF] offered by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) regarding § 206 and roving wiretaps. It would increase the oversight over the use of roving wiretaps by requiring an applicant to notify the issuing judge within a reasonable time, as determined by the court but not more than 15 days, of the change of surveillance from the initial facility or place to a new one. It would also require the applicant to specify the total number of electronic surveillances that have been or are being conducted.

The HRC also made in order an amendment [PDF] offered by Rep. Flake, Rep. William Delahunt (D-MA), Rep. Butch Otter (R-ID), and Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY). The authors wrote this summary. "Specifies that the recipient of a national security letter may consult with an attorney, and may also challenge national security letters in court. Authorizes a judge to throw out the national security letter request by the government “if compliance would be unreasonable or oppressive” to the recipient of the national security letter. Allows the recipient to challenge the non-disclosure requirement (gag order) of the national security letter request. Permits a court to modify or remove the non-disclosure requirement of the national security letter request “if it finds that there is no reason to believe that disclosure may endanger the national security of the United States, interfere with a criminal, counterterrorism, or counterintelligence investigation, interfere with diplomatic relations, or endanger the life or physical safety of any person.” Modifies the non-disclosure requirement so that recipients may tell individuals whom they work with about the national security letter request in order to comply with the national security request. Contains penalties for individuals who violate the non-disclosure requirements of a national security letter. Requires that reports on national security letters by federal agencies to Congress must also be sent to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees."

The HRC also made in order numerous amendments that may relate to terrorism, but not to the extension of the sixteen sunsetted provisions of the PATRIOT Act.

For examples, there is an amendment [PDF] offered by Rep. Shelley Capito (R-WV) regarding terrorist attacks on railroad and other transportation systems, an amendment [PDF] offered by Rep. Schiff and others that would make it a crime to use a vessel to smuggle terrorists or dangerous materials, an amendment [PDF] offered by Rep. Henry Hyde (R-IL) that would make narco-terrorism a crime, an amendment [PDF] offered by Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) regarding aircraft, and an amendment offered by Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY) regarding the way the federal government provides grant funding to first responders.

The HRC also made in order an irrelevant amendment [PDF] offered by Rep. Howard Coble (R-NC). It would amend the Contraband Cigarette Trafficking Act. Perhaps it should be noted the HJC held about twelve hearings on the PATRIOT Act in April, May and June. Most of these were conducted by the Subcommittee on Crime, which Rep. Coble chairs. That is, he contributed a vast amount of time and effort to leading the HJC's PATRIOT Act oversight activities.

Finally, there is a technology related amendment [PDF] offered by Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA) and Rep. Delahunt. It would require a report to the Congress on the development and use of data mining technology by departments and agencies of the federal government.

Rep. Berman and Rep. Delahunt offered a very similar data mining amendment during the HJC mark up on July 11. Chairman Sensenbrenner stated that it was not germane, and Rep. Berman withdrew the amendment. However, Sensenbrenner also stated at that mark up that he supports the concept, and wants to see the Congress enact data mining related legislation as part of a separate bill.

The amendment defines data mining, requires an annual report on data mining activities by federal agencies, and specifies the contents of the report.

7/19. The U.S. Court of Appeals (10thCir) issued its opinion in Crystal Clear Communications v. Southwestern Bell, a dispute between an ILEC and independent payphone providers.

Southwestern Bell Telephone Company (SWBT) is an incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC). Crystal Clear Communications and other independent payphone providers filed a complaint in U.S. District Court (WDOkla) against SWBT alleging violation of Section 2 of the Sherman Act and the Oklahoma Antitrust Reform Act in connection with its alleged anticompetitive conduct in an attempt to retain its payphone monopoly after the deregulation mandated by the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

The District Court held that Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) have primary jurisdiction over the issues raised in the complaint, and stayed the District Court action pending administrative resolution. The payphone plaintiffs then brought this interlocutory appeal.

The Court of Appeals reached neither the merits of the antitrust issues, nor the merits of the procedural decision to stay the District Court proceeding. It held that the stay order of the District Court is not an appealable final order. Hence, it dismissed for lack of appellate jurisdiction.

This case is Crystal Clear Communications, Inc., et al. v. Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, App. Ct. No. 03-6219, an appeal from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, D.C. No. 00-CV-1683-C.

7/20. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Visa USA announced that they will hold a series of nine seminars in nine U.S. cities in August and September to educate businesses regarding maintaining the security of customer data.

Daniel Caprio, the Chief Privacy Officer at the Department of Commerce, also spoke at the event. He said that it is important to "create a culture of security", in order "to safeguard consumer information".

Steve Ruwe of Visa USA stated that the Visa fraud rate is now down to five cents on every $100. He said that this is an "all time low".

Members of Congress will also be invited to participate in the seminars. The nine seminars will be held in or near the districts of some of the Representatives who will play major roles in drafting legislation affecting data security. Some have already sponsored bills. For example, while no seminars will be held in the huge metropolitan areas of New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, or Houston, one will be held in or near Arlington, Texas, which is represented by Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), the Chairman of the House Commerce Committee.

Another will be held in Charlotte, North Carolina, which, in addition to being a financial services industry center, is represented by Rep. Mel Watt (D-CA), a member of the House Financial Services Committee and its Consumer Credit Subcommittee, and Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC), a member of the HCC and its Consumer Protection Subcommittee. Another seminar will be held in Springfield, Missouri, which is represented by Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO), a member of the HCC, and the Republican leadership. Yet another will be held in Columbus, Ohio, which is represented by Rep. Patrick Tiberi (R-OH) and Rep. Deborah Pryce (R-OH), both of whom are members of the HFSC. Another seminar will be held in Wilmington, Delaware, which is represented by Rep. Michael Castle (R-DE), a senior member of the HFSC, and its Consumer Credit Subcommittee.

7/20. The Progress and Freedom Foundation (PFF) released a paper [19 pages in PDF] titled "An Economic Analysis of Notification Requirements for Data Security Breaches". Thomas Lenard (PFF) and Paul Rubin wrote the paper. Rubin is a professor of law and economics at Emory University.

They conclude that "A series of highly publicized data security breaches have created the perception that identity theft and related frauds are a large and growing problem, in need of a new regulatory solution. But, this perception is not borne out by the actual data, which indicate that, depending on the time period and measure used, identity theft has been either constant or diminishing over time. Thus, calls for new regulation should be treated with some skepticism."

They add that "the market seems to be working fairly well to restrain identity theft. Firms in the credit industry bear most of its costs and have a strong incentive to keep those costs under control."

They assert that "the costs of a notification requirement are likely to be substantially higher than the benefits. Even for consumers whose data has been compromised, the probability of being a victim of fraud is so low -- only 2 percent -- that little action is justified."

They argue that consumers and businesses will incur substantial costs in the form of overreaction to notifications of data breaches. "Consumers, for example, may be induced to place fraud alerts on their accounts or close them entirely, actions that are likely to be far more costly than being an identity theft victim. They may also be induced to shift their credit transactions offline, which the data show would actually increase their exposure to identity theft."

Also, on Friday, July 22, at 12:00 NOON the PFF will host a panel discussion titled "Data Security and Privacy Protection: What is the Public Sector's Role?" in Room B-369 of the Rayburn Building on Capitol Hill. Professor Rubin will be one of the panelists. Marc Rotenberg of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, will argue in favor of notification laws. David Cavicke, Chief Counsel to the House Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection, will also participate.

7/20. The U.S. Court of Appeals (6thCir) issued its opinion [8 pages in PDF] in Mid-Michigan Computer Systems v. Glassman, a diversity case, applying the state law of Ohio, regarding the computation of damages for misappropriation of trade secrets involving software. This case is Mid-Michigan Computer Systems, Inc. v. Marc Glassman, Inc., U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, App. Ct. No. 04-3058, an appeal from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, at Cleveland., D.C. No. 00-03117, Judge Kathleen O'Malley presiding.

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The House will meet at 9:00 AM for legislative business. The House will likely begin its consideration of HR 3199, the "USA PATRIOT and Terrorism Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2005". See, Republican Whip Notice.

The Senate will meet at 9:30 AM. It will consider the nomination of Thomas Dorr to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development. It will then resume consideration of  S 1042, the defense authorization bill.

8:30 AM - 1:00 PM. The Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) will host a conference titled "Public Trust on the Line: Security, Safety and VoIP". The price to attend ranges from $50 to $250. See, notice. Location: National Press Club, 529 14th St. NW, 13th Floor.

9:30 AM. The Senate Judiciary Committee (SJC) may hold an executive business meeting. The SJC frequently cancels meetings without notice. The agenda includes S 1389, the "USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005", S __, the "Personal Data Privacy and Security Act of 2005", S 751, the "Notification of Risk to Personal Data Act", and S  1326, the "Notification of Risk to Personal Data Act". The SJC rarely follows its published agenda. See, notice. Press contact: Blain Rethmeier (Specter) at 202 224-5225, David Carle (Leahy) at 202 224-4242 or Tracy Schmaler (Leahy) at 202 224-2154.

10:00 AM. The Senate Commerce Committee (SCC) will meet to mark up several bills. The agenda includes consideration of S 1392, the "Federal Trade Commission Reauthorization Act of 2005". Press contact: Melanie Alvord (Stevens) (202) 224-8456 or Melanie_Alvord at commerce dot senate dot gov, or Andy Davis (Inouye) at 202 224-4546 or Andy_Davis at commerce dot senate dot gov. Location: Room 253, Russell Building.

10:00 AM. The House Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing titled "Credit Card Data Processing: How Secure Is It?" Location: Room 2128, Rayburn Building.

10:00 AM. The Senate Banking Committee will hold a hearing to receive testimony from Alan Greenspan, Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board. See, notice. Location: Room 538, Dirksen Building.

10:00 AM - 12:00 NOON. The House Science Committee will hold a hearing titled "U.S. Competitiveness: The Innovation Challenge". The witnesses will be Nicholas Donofrio (SVP, IBM), John Morgridge (Chairman, Cisco Systems), and William Brody (President, Johns Hopkins University). Location: Room 2318, Rayburn Building.

10:00 AM - 12:00 NOON. The Department of State's (DOS) International Telecommunication Advisory Committee (ITAC) will meet to prepare for the Americas Regional Preparatory Meeting for the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-06) in Lima, Peru, from August 9-11, 2005. See, notice in the Federal Register, June 22, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 119, Page 36224. Location: DOS, Room 2533A.

12:00 NOON. The Cato Institute will host a panel discussion titled "The USA Patriot Act: Renew, Revise, or Repeal?". The speakers will be Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), former Rep. Bob Barr (R-GA), and Tim Lynch (Cato). See, notice and registration page. Location: Room B-369, Rayburn Building.

RESCHEDULED FROM JUNE 9. 12:15 PM - 2:00 PM. The Forum on Technology will host a luncheon panel discussion titled "Basic Research - The Foundation of the Innovation Economy". See, notice. Location: Room 902, Hart Building, Capitol Hill.

2:00 PM. The Senate Appropriations Committee will meet to consider HR 3058, the appropriations bill for the Departments of Transportation, Treasury, and Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, District of Columbia, and some independent agencies. Location: Room 116, Dirksen Building.

2:30 PM. The House Armed Services Committee's (HASC) Subcommittee on Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities and the House Homeland Security Committee's Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Science and Technology Subcommittee will hold a joint hearing on counter terrorism technology sharing. The witnesses will include Tony Tether (Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), Sue Payton (Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Advanced Systems and Concepts), and John Kubricky, Acting Director, Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency). Location: Room 2118, Rayburn Building.

2:30 PM. The Senate Finance Committee's Subcommittee on Long-Term Growth and Debt Reduction will hold a hearing titled "Updating Depreciable Lives: Is there Salvage Value in the Current System?". The witnesses will be Christopher Anderson (President of the Massachusetts High Technology Council), Joseph Mikrut (Capitol Tax Partners), Thomas Neubig (Ernst & Young), Jane Gravelle (Congressional Research Service), Kenneth Simonson (Associated General Contractors of America). Location: Room 215, Dirksen Building.

2:30 PM. The Senate Intelligence Committee will hold a hearing on the nomination of John Redd to be Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Location: Room 216, Hart Building.

Deadline to submit reply comments to the Copyright Office's Copyright Royalty Board regarding its interim regulations governing the organization, administration, and procedures of the Copyright Royalty Board. See, notice in the Federal Register, May 31, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 103, at Pages 30901 - 30916.

The House will meet at 9:00 AM for legislative business. The House may continue its consideration of HR 3199, the "USA PATRIOT and Terrorism Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2005". See, Republican Whip Notice.

10:00 AM. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold a hearing on several nominations, including that of Josette Shiner to be Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs. Location: Room 419, Dirksen Building.

12:00 NOON - 2:00 PM. The Progress and Freedom Foundation (PFF) will host a panel discussion titled "Data Security and Privacy Protection: What is the Public Sector's Role?". The speakers will include Orson Swindle (former Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Commissioner), Howard Beales (former Director of the FTC's Consumer Protection Bureau), Paul Rubin (Emory University), David Cavicke (Chief Counsel to the House Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection), Marc Rotenberg (Electronic Privacy Information Center), and Tom Lenard (PFF). See, notice and registration page. Lunch will be served. For more information, contact Andrea Knutsen at 202 289-8928 or aknutsen at pff dot org. Press contact: Patrick Ross at 202-289-8928 or pross at pff dot org. Location: Room B-369, Rayburn Building, Capitol Hill.

Deadline to submit reply comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in response to its Public Notice [10 pages in PDF] regarding video news releases (VNRs). This notice is FCC 05-84 in MB Docket No. 05-171.

12:00 NOON. The Senate Judiciary Committee (SJC) may hold a hearing on the nomination of Timothy Flanigan to be the Deputy Attorney General. The SJC frequently cancels hearings without notice. Press contact: Blain Rethmeier (Specter) at 202 224-5225, David Carle (Leahy) at 202 224-4242 or Tracy Schmaler (Leahy) at 202 224-2154. Location: Room 226, Dirksen Building.

EXTENDED TO SEPTEMBER 9. Deadline to submit reply comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in response to its notice of second further proposed rulemaking regarding horizontal and vertical cable ownership limits. The FCC adopted this Second Further NPRM on May 13, 2005, and released it on May 17, 2005. This item is FCC 05-96 in MM Docket No. 92-264. See, notice in the Federal Register, June 8, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 109, at Pages 33679 - 33687. See, notice of extension of deadlines, in the Federal Register, July 6, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 128, at Pages 38848 - 38849.

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Day one of a two day roundtable hosted by the Copyright Office on orphan works. See, notice in the Federal Register, July 7, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 129, at Pages 39341 - 39343. Location: Room 188, Russell Building, Capitol Hill.

9:30 AM. The Senate Judiciary Committee may hold a hearing on immigration law reform. Press contact: Blain Rethmeier (Specter) at 202 224-5225, David Carle (Leahy) at 202 224-4242 or Tracy Schmaler (Leahy) at 202 224-2154.

10:00 AM - 12:00 NOON. The Department of State's (DOS) International Telecommunication Advisory Committee (ITAC) will meet to prepare for the ITU-D's meetings of Study Group 1 and Study Group 2, which will take place in September, Geneva, on September 6-9 and 12-15, 2005. See, notice in the Federal Register, July 8, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 130, at Pages 39544 - 39545. Location: Room 2533A, State Department.

12:15 - 1:30 PM. The Chamber of Commerce will host a luncheon program titled "The Wireless Revolution: Enriching the Global Economy with Mobile Broadband and Smart Devices". The speaker will be Irwin Mark Jacobs, Chairman of Qualcomm. The price to attend ranges from free to $145. For more information, contact Natalie Safertal at 202-463-5500. See, notice. Location: Chamber of Commerce, 1615 H Street, NW.

2:15 PM. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold a business meeting. The agenda includes consideration of ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime, which was signed by the U.S. on November 23, 2001. Location: Room S-116, Capitol Building.

2:30 PM. The Senate Judiciary Committee's (SJC) Subcommittee on Intellectual Property has scheduled another hearing titled "Perspective on Patents: Harmonization and Other Matters". The SJC frequently cancels hearings without notice. Press contact: Blain Rethmeier (Specter) at 202 224-5225, David Carle (Leahy) at 202 224-4242 or Tracy Schmaler (Leahy) at 202 224-2154.Location: Room 226, Dirksen Building.

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Day two of a two day roundtable hosted by the Copyright Office on orphan works. See, notice in the Federal Register, July 7, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 129, at Pages 39341 - 39343. Location: Room 2237, Rayburn Building, Capitol Hill.

9:00 AM. Day one of a two day meeting of the Bureau of Industry and Security's (BIS) Information Systems Technical Advisory Committee. The agenda includes "Department of Energy's uses of High Performance Computers", "Ethernet Technology Trends" and "Nanotechnology Update". Part of the meeting will be close to the public. See, notice in the Federal Register, July 11, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 131, at Pages 39720 - 39721. Location: Room 3884, Department of Commerce, 14th Street between Constitution and Pennsylvania Avenues, NW.

9:30 AM. The Senate Judiciary Committee may hold a hearing on the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Location: Room 226, Dirksen Building.

10:00 AM. The House Ways and Means Committee's Subcommittee on Health will hold a hearing titled "Health Care Information Technology". See, notice. Location: Room 1100, Longworth Building.

12:00 NOON - 2:00 PM. The New Republic will host a panel discussion titled "Updating America's Telecommunications Laws: What's In It For Us?" The speakers will be Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR), Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT), Michael Crowley (Senior Editor of The New Republic), Kim Anderson (National Education Association), Harry Alford (National Black Chamber of Commerce), George Kohl (Communications Workers of America), and Clyde Prestowitz (Economic Strategy Institute). Lunch will be served. For more information, contact Joan Daly at 703 407-3204 or jdaly at tnr dot com. Location: Room 11, Dirksen Building, Capitol Hill.

2:00 - 3:00 PM. The President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC) will meet by teleconference. See, notice in the Federal Register, July 12, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 132, at Page 40052.

Deadline to submit initial comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in response to its Further Notice of Proposed Rule Making (FNPRM) regarding advancing the date on which all new television receiving equipment must include the capability to receive over the air DTV broadcast signals from July 1, 2007, to a date no later than December 31, 2006. The FCC adopted and released this item on June 9, 2005. This item is FCC 05-121 in ET Docket No. 05-24. See, notice in the Federal Register, July 6, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 128, at Pages 38845 - 38848. See also, story titled "FCC Adopts Order and NPRM Regarding Its Digital Tuner Rules" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 1,153, June 14, 2005.

9:00 AM. Day two of a two day meeting of the Bureau of Industry and Security's (BIS) Information Systems Technical Advisory Committee. The agenda includes "Department of Energy's uses of High Performance Computers", "Ethernet Technology Trends" and "Nanotechnology Update". Part of the meeting will be close to the public. See, notice in the Federal Register, July 11, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 131, at Pages 39720 - 39721. Location: Room 3884, Department of Commerce, 14th Street between Constitution and Pennsylvania Avenues, NW.

10:00 AM - 3:00 PM. The Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Technological Advisory Council will meet. See, notice in the Federal Register, March 25, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 57, at Page 15316. See also, notice in the Federal Register, July 6, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 128, at Pages 38928. Location: FCC, 445 12th Street, SW, Commission Meeting Room (TW-C305).

10:00 AM - 12:00 NOON. The Department of State's (DOS) International Telecommunication Advisory Committee (ITAC) will meet to prepare for the Americas Regional Preparatory Meeting for the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-06) in Lima, Peru, from August 9-11, 2005. See, notice in the Federal Register, June 22, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 119, Page 36224. Location: DOS, Room 2533A.

10:30 AM -12:30 PM. The Internet Governance Project and others will host a panel discussion titled "Regime Change on the Internet? Internet Governance After WGIG". See, notice. See also, the United Nation's (UN) Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG). Location: Syracuse University's Paul Greenberg House, 2301 Calvert Street, NW.

2:00 - 5:15 PM. The DC Bar Association will host a continuing legal education (CLE) seminar titled "How to Do Legal Research on the Internet: Find It Fast and Free". The speakers will be Carole Levitt and Mark Rosch of Internet for Lawyers. The price to attend ranges from $80-$135. For more information, call 202-626-3488. See, notice. Location: D.C. Bar Conference Center, 1250 H Street NW, B-1 Level.

2:00 - 4:00 PM. The Department of State's (DOS) International Telecommunication Advisory Committee's (ITAC) U.S. Study Group A will meet to prepare positions for the next meeting of ITU-T's Study Group 3 (tariff and accounting principles for international telecommunication services), which will be on September 12-16, 2005, in Geneva, Switzerland. To participate by teleconference, contact minardje at state dot gov. See, notice in the Federal Register, July 8, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 130, at Pages 39544 - 39545. Location: AT&T, Suite 210, 1133 21st Street, NW.