| 
        
          | 
              
                | 5th Circuit Holds Section 230 
                Immunizes MySpace |  
                | 5/16. The U.S. Court of Appeals (5thCir) issued 
its 
opinion [13 pages in PDF] in Doe v. MySpace, affirming the 
District Court's dismissal of the complaint pursuant to Section 230. While the 5th Circuit's willingness to apply Section 230 may be viewed as a victory for 
internet based activities, it should be noted that the opinion, without referencing the 9th 
Circuit's opinion in the Roommates.com case, stated that it did not decide questions regarding 
whether any content creation by MySpace would deprive it of Section 230 immunity. Hence, it 
is possible that the 5th Circuit, in a later opinion, will follow the 9th Circuit. Background. A 13 year old individual identified in the opinion as Julie Doe 
created an online profile on the social networking web site named MySpace, which is now 
owned by News Corporation. Myspace only allows people aged 14 and above to create profiles. However, people, such as this Julie Doe, lie about their ages. MySpace's web 
site is also configured 
to limit the information that is displayed in profiles of persons aged 14 and 15. Julie Doe 
claimed she was 18. She met through MySpace a 19 year old named Pete Solis, who is not a party to this appeal. 
They later met in person, and he sexually abused her. Proceedings Below. Julie Doe's mother, who is identified in the opinion as Jane 
Doe, filed a complaint in a trial court of the state of Texas against MySpace, News 
Corporation, and Solis. She alleged sexual abuse by Solis. She also alleged fraud, 
negligent misrepresentation, negligence, and gross negligence by MySpace. Doe later moved for nonsuit (a procedure under which the complaint is dismissed without 
adjudication on the merits), which was granted. She filed another complaint, not naming 
Solis as a defendant, in a trial court of the state of New York. She alleged, among other things, that MySpace "owed a legal duty 
to 14-year-old Julie to institute and enforce appropriate security measures and 
policies that would substantially decrease the likelihood of danger and harm". MySpace removed the action to the U.S. District 
Court (SDNY), and moved for a change of venue to the
U.S. District Court (WDTex), which motion was 
granted. MySpace then moved to dismiss based upon the immunity provision of 47 U.S.C. 
§ 230, and Texas common law. The District Court granted the motion to dismiss 
the claims for negligence and gross negligence. Jane Doe withdrew her other 
claims. Jane Doe then brought the present appeal. Statute.
47 U.S.C. § 230 provides certain immunity for an "interactive computer 
service".  The key subsection, §230(c)(1), provides that "No provider or user of an 
interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any 
information provided by another information content provider". Subsection 230(d)(3) provides that "Nothing in this section shall be 
construed to prevent any State from enforcing any State law that is consistent 
with this section. No cause of action may be brought and no liability may be 
imposed under any State or local law that is inconsistent with this section." Court of Appeals. The Court of Appeals affirmed, holding that Section 230 immunizes 
MySpace from the negligence claims. The Court of Appeals cited and relied upon the long series of cases extending 
Section 230 to a wide range of web based service providers. However, it did not cite the one case that defies this line of precedent, and the language 
and purpose of Section 230, the 9th Circuit's opinion in the Roommates.com case. The Court wrote that "Parties complaining that they were harmed 
by a Web site's publication of user-generated content have recourse; they may 
sue the third-party user who generated the content, but not the interactive 
computer service that enabled them to publish the content online." The Court of Appeals rejected the argument of Jane Doe that her claims did 
not attempt to 
treat MySpace as a "publisher", and that therefore, Section 230 does not immunize 
MySpace. It wrote that MySpace published the communications of Solis, and that Doe now seeks 
to hold MySpace liable as a result of those publications. The Court of Appeals also rejected the argument of Jane Doe that MySpace created and 
selected some of the content, and therefore is not entitled to Section 230 immunity. The 
Court also rejected the argument that MySpace's search function makes it an "information 
content provider". The Court of Appeals first suggested that the record in this case 
does not support these arguments, but ultimately ruled that Doe is barred from making these 
arguments because she did not raise them until the appeal. The next plaintiff in the 5th Circuit who introduces evidence into the trial 
court record, and raises this argument in the trial court, will be free to 
advance this argument on appeal. The Court of Appeals concluded in the present case as follows: "We therefore 
hold, without considering the Does’ content-creation argument, that their 
negligence and gross negligence claims are barred by the CDA, which prohibits 
claims against Web-based interactive computer services based on their 
publication of third-party content. 47 U.S.C. § 230(c)(1), (e)(3). Because we 
affirm the district court based upon the application of § 230(c)(1), there is no 
need to apply § 230(c)(2), or to assess the viability of the Does’ claims under 
Texas common law in the absence of the CDA." Roommates.com. It should be noted that these theories that interactive computer 
service providers are also content providers, and that search functions are not immune, are 
what the 9th Circuit seized upon in its aberrant opinion in the Roommates.com case. Last month, an en banc panel of the 
U.S. Court of Appeals (9thCir) issued its 8-3
opinion 
[54 pages in PDF] in FHCSFV v. Roommates.com. See,
story 
titled "En Banc 9th Circuit Panel Rejects Section 230 Immunity in Roommates.com 
Case" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 1,741, April 2, 2008. The majority held, as did the three judge panel, that an interactive computer 
service, such as Roommates.com, can be held liable for the speech of users, 
despite language to the contrary in Section 230. Moreover, the majority held 
that 
the web site's search and e-mail notification functions have no immunity. The 9th Circuit opined that because Roommates.com users provide information in response 
to an online questionnaire written by Roommates.com, this causes or induces the users to 
make statements, and hence, makes Roommates.com a content creator. Search functions, e-mail services, and requesting users to supply answers to certain 
questions are an integral part of most interactive computers services. The approach of the 
9th Circuit, if followed and extended by other courts, threatens to undermine Section 230 
immunity. This could result in new state regulation, and a torrent of libel, negligence, 
and other tort litigation against web site operators. This case is Jane Doe v. Myspace, Inc. and News Corporation, U.S. Court of Appeals 
for the 5th Circuit, App. Ct. No. 07-50345, an appeal from the U.S. District Court for the 
for the Western District of Texas. Judge Edith Clement wrote opinion of the Court of Appeals, 
in which Judges Garwood and Elrod joined. |  |  
          |  |  
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                | Rep. Schiff Introduces Bill to Revise 
Section 1030 |  
                | 5/14. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and other introduced 
HR 6060 [LOC | 
WW], the 
"Identity Theft Enforcement and Restitution Act of 2008". This bill does contain 
provisions related to identity theft. However, more of the bill addresses
18 U.S.C. § 1030, the computer hacking statute. This bill would affect activities 
other than identity theft. It would also affect both criminal prosecutions and civil actions. On November 16, 2007, the Senate passed S 2168 
[LOC |
WW], the 
"Identity Theft Enforcement and Restitution Act of 2007 ", sponsored by 
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and 
Sen. Arlen Specter 
(R-PA). S 2168 and HR 6060 are substantially identical.  Rep. Schiff (at right) stated in a
release that "Criminals are increasingly using new technologies to prey upon 
their victims ... As they adapt to these new opportunities to defraud consumers, 
we must develop better ways to track down the perpetrators and put them away.  
This legislation will help protect American consumers and businesses from the 
costly effects of cyber crime and identity theft.”
 Rep. Steve Chabot (R-IN), a 
cosponsor of the bill, stated in this release that "Cyber-criminals are becoming 
increasingly more tech-savy and aggressive, which raises the stakes for 
consumers and businesses ... Statistics released by the FBI and industry experts 
reveal that as many as 10 million computers are under the control of someone 
other than the owner. This is a serious problem and current law must be updated 
so we can deal with the sophistication of these crimes." Bill Summary. Section 1 of the bill contains its title. Section 2 of the bill would provide for restitution to identity theft victims. Section 3 of the bill would add to the predicate offenses for aggravated identity theft. Section 4 of the bill would delete from Subsection 1030(a)(2)(C) the 
"interstate or foreign communication" requirement. That is, if this bill is enacted, the statute would provide that "(a) Whoever ... (2) 
intentionally accesses a computer without authorization or exceeds authorized access, and 
thereby obtains ...(C) information from any protected computer ... shall be punished". Spyware, Hacking and Keyloggers. Section 5 of the bill is titled "Malicious 
spyware, hacking and keyloggers". Although, the terms "spyware" and 
"keyloggers" appear in neither Section 1030 as currently written, nor as it would 
read after revision by this bill. Currently, subsection 1030(a)(5)(A) lists three types of acts, while 
subsection 1030(a)(5)(B) enumerates various types of injuries that might be 
caused by these acts. Currently, there is a criminal violation of subsection 
1030(a)(5) only if there is both an act under subsection (A) and an injury 
listed in subsection (B) that was caused by the act. This bill would eliminate subsection (B). However, the bill would add similar language 
to the sentencing section of the statute, so that the injury caused by the act would be 
relevant to the sentence, and hence the offense's classification as either 
felony or misdemeanor, but would not be an element of the offense. The three prohibited acts under subsection (a)(5) currently are "knowingly causes the 
transmission of a program, information, code, or command, and as a result of such conduct, 
intentionally causes damage without authorization, to a protected computer", "intentionally 
accesses a protected computer without authorization, and as a result of such conduct, 
recklessly causes damage" and "intentionally accesses a protected computer without 
authorization, and as a result of such conduct, causes damage". The bill would, 
in the third item, replace "damage" with "damage and loss". The effects of Section 5 of the bill would be to make it easier for prosecutors to bring 
criminal actions for variety have hacking activities, including use of malicious spyware and 
keyloggers. It would also make it easier for civil litigants to obtain judicial relief for 
the same sort of conduct. It would also sweep within the scope of the statute certain non-malicious conduct that 
individuals may not understand to be prohibited, for example, in the context of employees 
accessing the computers of their employers. Cyber Extortion. Section 6 of the bill would rewrite the cyber extortion subsection. 
Currently, subsection 1030(a)(7) provides that "(a) Whoever ... (7) with intent to 
extort from any person any money or other thing of value, transmits in interstate or foreign 
commerce any communication containing any threat to cause damage to a protected computer ... 
shall be punished". The bill would maintain the clause "threat to cause damage to a protected 
computer", and add two acts that would also constitute extortion under this 
subsection. First, it would add this: "threat to obtain information from a protected computer 
without authorization or in excess of authorization or to impair the confidentiality of 
information obtained from a protected computer without authorization or by exceeding 
authorized access". Second, it would add this: "demand or request for money or other thing of value in 
relation to damage to a protected computer, where such damage was caused to facilitate the 
extortion". Thus, if a person were to access a computer without authorization, damage the 
computer, and then demand payment to fix it, that too would be cyber extortion. Conspiracy. Currently, subsection 1030(b) provides that "Whoever attempts 
to commit an offense under subsection (a) ... shall be punished ...". Section 7 of this bill would add to this whoever "conspires to commit" an offense 
under subsection (a). Interstate Commerce and Communications. Section 8 of the bill would amend the 
definition of "protected computer". Currently, a "protected computer" is 
one used by the federal government, a financial institution, or any other computer 
"which is used in interstate or foreign commerce or communication". This bill would change this final clause to "which is used or affecting". See, also Section 4 of the bill. These two sections would deprive defendants of the 
defense that since both the defendant and the accessed computer were located in the same 
state, their actions cannot constitute a violation of Section 1030. Forfeiture of Property Used in Section 1030 Violations.
Section 9 of the bill would add a new subsection to Section 1030 providing 
for forfeiture of property used in Section 1030 criminal violations.  Finally, Section 10 of the bill gives directives to the 
U.S. Sentencing Commission. The bill is cosponsored by Rep. Chabot, Rep. Rahm 
Emanuel (D-IL), and Rep. Chris Murphy (D-CT). 
It was referred to the House Judiciary Committee 
(HJC). Rep. Schiff and Rep. Chabot are members. |  |  
          |  |  
          | 
              
                | Microsoft and Yahoo Continue 
                Talks |  
                | 5/18. Microsoft announced in a
release 
that "In light of developments since the withdrawal of the Microsoft proposal to acquire 
Yahoo! Inc., Microsoft announced that it is continuing to explore and pursue its alternatives 
to improve and expand its online services and advertising business." Last week Carl Icahn announced that he is leading a proxy fight to replace the current 
Yahoo board of directors with one that would negotiate with Microsoft. See, story titled 
"Icahn Announces Proxy Fight to Elect Yahoo Board that will Negotiate with Microsoft" 
in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 1,768, May 16, 2008. Microsoft's release continues that it "is considering and has raised with Yahoo! an 
alternative that would involve a transaction with Yahoo! but not an acquisition of all of 
Yahoo! Microsoft is not proposing to make a new bid to acquire all of Yahoo! at this time, 
but reserves the right to reconsider that alternative depending on future developments and 
discussions that may take place with Yahoo! or discussions with shareholders of Yahoo! or 
Microsoft or with other third parties." Yahoo responded in its own
release that "Yahoo! has confirmed with Microsoft that it is not interested in 
pursuing an acquisition of all of Yahoo! at this time. Yahoo! and its Board of Directors 
continue to consider a number of value maximizing strategic alternatives for Yahoo!, and we 
remain open to pursuing any transaction which is in the best interest of our stockholders. 
Yahoo!'s Board of Directors will evaluate each of our alternatives, including any Microsoft 
proposal, consistent with its fiduciary duties, with a focus on maximizing stockholder 
value." See also, same
statement filed with the Securities and Exchange 
Commission (SEC). |  |  |  | 
        
          | 
              
                | Correction |  
                | The first sentence of the first paragraph of the story titled "En Banc Panel 
of 9th Circuit to Hear Sprint v. San Diego" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 1,768, 
May 16, 2008, contained an incorrect hyperlink for the May 14, 2008,
order [2 pages in PDF] of the U.S. Court Appeals 
(9thCir). The incorrect hyperlink directed readers to an earlier order of the Court. |  |  
          |  |  
          | 
              
                | Washington Tech Calendar New items are highlighted in red.
 |  |  
          |  |  
          | 
              
                | Monday, May 19 |  
                | The House will meet at 10:30 AM for morning 
  hour debate, and at 12:00 NOON for legislative business. Rep. Hoyer's
  
  schedule for the week of May 19 states that "no votes are expected in the House. 
  The agenda for the week already includes 55 items, the majority of which are resolutions, 
  to be considered under suspension of the rules. The agenda for the week includes HR 752 
  [LOC | 
  WW], 
  the "Federal Electronic Equipment Donation Act of 2007" and S 2168 
  [LOC |
  WW], 
  the "Identity Theft Enforcement and Restitution Act of 2007". The Senate will meet at 2:00 PM. 9:00 AM - 12:45 PM. The Federal 
  Communications Commission's (FCC) Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau will host 
  an event titled "Promoting an Effective   Emergency Alert System on the Road to a 
  Next Generation EAS". The FCC will webcast the event. Location: FCC, Commission 
  Meeting Room, TW-C305, 445 12th St., SW. Extended deadline to submit reply comments to the 
  Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in response to 
  it Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding the Recommended Decision of the Federal 
  State Joint Board on Universal Service, released on November 20, 2007, regarding 
  comprehensive reform of high cost universal service taxes and subsidies. The FCC 
  adopted this NPRM on January 15, 2008, and released the text on January 29, 2008. It is 
  FCC 08-02 in WC Docket No. 05-337 and CC Docket No. 96-45. See, original
  
  notice in the Federal Register, March 4, 2008, Vol. 73, No. 43, at Pages 11587-11591. 
  See also, 
  notice [PDF] of extension (DA 08-674). Extended deadline to submit reply comments to the 
  Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in response to 
  it Notice of   Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding the use of reverse auctions to 
  determine the amount of high cost universal service subsidies provided to eligible 
  telecommunications carriers serving rural, insular, and high cost areas. The FCC adopted 
  this NPRM on January 9, 2008, and released the text on January 29, 2008. It is FCC 08-05 
  in WC Docket No. 05-337 and CC Docket No. 96-45. See, original
  
  notice in the Federal Register, March 4, 2008, Vol. 73, No. 43, at Pages 11591-11602. 
  See also, 
  notice [PDF] of extension (DA 08-674). Extended deadline to submit reply comments to the 
  Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in response to its 
  Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding the FCC's rules governing the amount of high 
  cost universal service subsidies provided to competitive eligible telecommunications 
  carriers (ETCs). This NPRM also tentatively concludes that the FCC should eliminate the 
  existing identical support rule, which is also known as the equal support rule. The FCC 
  adopted this NPRM on January 9, 2008, and released the text on January 29, 2008. It is FCC 
  08-04 in WC Docket No. 05-337 and CC Docket No. 96-45. See, original
  
  notice in the Federal Register, March 4, 2008, Vol. 73, No. 43, at Pages 11580-11587. 
  See also, 
  notice [PDF] of extension (DA 08-674). |  |  
          |  |  
          | 
              
                | Tuesday, May 20 |  
                | The House will meet at 9:00 AM for morning hour 
  debate, and at 10:00 AM for legislative business. See, Rep. Hoyer's
  
  schedule for the week of May 19. 10:00 AM. The Senate Judiciary 
  Committee's (SJC) Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law will hold a hearing titled 
  "Global Internet Freedom: Corporate Responsibility and the Rule of Law". 
  The witnesses will Nicole Wong (Deputy General Counsel of Google), Michael Samway (Deputy 
  General Counsel of Yahoo), Mark Chandler (General Counsel of Cisco Systems), Arvind Ganesan 
  (Human Rights Watch), and Shiyu Zhou 
  (Global Internet Freedom Consortium). 
  Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) will preside. See, 
  notice. 
  Location: Room 226, Dirksen Building. 10:00 AM - 4:15 PM. The U.S.-China 
  Economic and Security Review Commission will hold a hearing titled "China's 
  Proliferation Practices and the Development of its Cyber and Space Warfare 
  Capabilities". See, 
  notice in the Federal Register, April 28, 2008, Vol. 73, No. 82, at Pages 23005-23006. 
  Location: Room 562, Dirksen Building, Capitol Hill. 12:15 - 1:30 PM. The Federal 
  Communications Bar Association's (FCBA) Wireline and International Practice Committees 
  will host a brown bag lunch titled "Functional Separation proposals under the 
  European Commission review of the European Union’s Framework Directive". The 
  speakers may include Sheba Chacko (BT), Wolfgang Jakubek (Deutsche Telecom), 
  Scott Harris (Harris Wiltshire 
  & Grannis), and Don Stockdale (FCC). For more information, contact Nick Alexander at
  Nicholas dot Alexander at fcc dot gov. Location: Akin 
  Gump, 1333 New Hampshire Ave, NW. |  |  
          |  |  
          | 
              
                | Wednesday, May 21 |  
                | The House will meet at 10:00 AM for legislative 
  business. See, Rep. Hoyer's
  
  schedule for the week of May 19. 10:00 AM. The 
  House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing titled "The 
  National Mathematics Advisory Panel Report: Foundations for Success". 
  Location: Room 2175, Rayburn Building. 10:00 AM. The Securities and Exchange 
  Commission (SEC) will meet. The
  agenda states that 
  the SEC "will consider whether to propose amendments to provide for mutual fund 
  risk/return summary information to be filed with the Commission in interactive data 
  format". Location: SEC, Room L-002, 100 F St., NE. 11:00 AM. The 
  Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a 
  business meeting to consider the nomination of Paul Schneider to be 
  Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). See,
  
  notice. Location: Room S-216, Capitol Building. 12:30 PM. The Federal 
  Communications Bar Association's (FCBA) Young Lawyers Committee will hold a brown bag 
  lunch to elect officers and plan. E-mail nominations to Chris Fedeli at chrisfedeli at dwt 
  dot com and Tarah Grant at tsgrant at hhlaw dot com by Friday, May 9, 2008. See, 
  
  notice online registration page. Location: Hogan & 
  Hartson, 1st floor litigation center, 555 13th St., NW. 1:30 PM. The 
  House Judiciary Committee's (HJC) Subcommittee on Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and 
  Homeland Security will hold a hearing titled "The FBI Whistleblowers: Exposing 
  Corruption and Retaliation Inside the Bureau - FBI Counterterrorism Agent". This 
  hearing will be webcast by the HJC. See,
  notice. Location: Room 2141, 
  Rayburn Building. ? 3:00 PM. The
  House Judiciary Committee (HJC) may hold a closed 
  meeting regarding HR 5889 
  [LOC | 
  WW], the 
  "Orphan Works Act of 2008". Location: Room 2226, Rayburn 
  Building. Day one of a two day closed meeting of the Department of Defense's 
  (DOD) Defense Science Board regarding undisclosed topics. See, 
  notice in the Federal Register, 
  April 23, 2008, Vol. 73, No. 79, at Pages 21919-21920. Location: Pentagon, 
  Arlington, VA. |  |  
          |  |  
          | 
              
                | Thursday, May 22 |  
                | The House will meet at 10:00 AM for legislative 
  business. See, Rep. Hoyer's
  
  schedule for the week of May 19. 9:00 - 10:30 AM. The New 
  America Foundation (NAF) will host an event titled "Google Unwired: Expanding 
  Broadband Access and Allocating Spectrum More Efficiently". The speakers will be Larry 
  Page (Google) and Michael Calabrese (NAF). See, 
  notice and registration 
  page. Breakfast will be provided. Location: Ronald Reagan Building, Atrium Ballroom, 
  1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW. 10:00 AM. The 
  Senate Judiciary Committee (SJC) may hold an 
  executive business meeting. The agenda includes consideration of the nomination of 
  Elisebeth Cook (to be Assistant Attorney General in charge of the 
  Office of Legal Policy), William Lawrence (U.S. 
  District Court for the Southern District of Indiana), and Murray Snow (U.S.D.C., District 
  of Arizona). See, 
  notice. The SJC rarely follows its published agendas. Location: Room 226, Dirksen 
  Building. 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM. The House 
  Science Committee's (HSC) Subcommittee on Investigation and Oversight will hold a 
  hearing titled "American Decline or Renewal? -- Globalizing Jobs and 
  Technology". The witnesses will be Ralph Gomory (NYU Stern School of Business), 
  Margaret Blair (Vanderbilt University Law School), Bruce Scott (Harvard Business School), 
  James Copland (Copland Fabrics), Joseph Fehsenfeld (Midwest Printed Circuit Service), and 
  Wes Jurey (Arlington Chamber of Commerce, Arlington, Texas). Location: Room 2318, Rayburn 
  Building. 10:00 AM. The 
  Senate Finance Committee (SFC) will hold a hearing on S 1919  
  [LOC |
  WW], the 
  "Trade Enforcement Act of 2007", a bill to amend the Trade Act of 1974. It would 
  require the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to report to the Congress on trade 
  enforcement priorities and actions. It would also create a "WTO Dispute Settlement 
  Review Commission". It also contains provisions specific to the People's Republic of 
  China. See, notice. Location: Room 215, Dirksen Building. 12:15 - 1:30 PM. The Federal 
  Communications Commission (FCC) will hold an event titled "FCC Wireless Legal 
  Advisors Discuss Recent and Upcoming Matters". The speakers may include Aaron 
  Goldberger (FCC Chairman Kevin Martin 
  assistant), Bruce Gottlieb (FCC Commissioner 
  Michael Copps assistant), Renée 
  Crittendon (FCC Commissioner Jonathan 
  Adelstein assistant), Wayne Leighton (FCC Commissioner 
  Deborah Tate assistant), and Angela 
  Giancarlo (FCC Commissioner Robert 
  McDowell assistant). Lunch will be served. The price to attend is $15. See,
  notice and registration page. The Federal 
  Communications Bar Association's (FCBA) web site states that this is an event of the 
  FCBA's Wireless Practice Committee. Location: Sidley 
  Austin, 6th floor, 1501 K St., NW. Day two of a two day closed meeting of the Department of Defense's (DOD) 
  Defense Science Board regarding undisclosed topics. See,
  notice in the Federal Register, 
  April 23, 2008, Vol. 73, No. 79, at Pages 21919-21920. Location: Pentagon, 
  Arlington, VA. Deadline to submit initial comments to the Federal Communications 
  Commission's (FCC) Consumer & Governmental Affairs 
  Bureau in response to its Public Notice regarding the request for clarification filed 
  by Hawk Relay that internet protocol speech to speech (IPSTS) is a form of Telecommunications 
  Relay Service (TRS). This item is DA 08-292 in CG Docket No. 08-15. See, 
  notice in the Federal Register, 
  April 7, 2008, Vol. 73, No. 67, at Page 18796. Deadline to submit initial comments to the Federal Communications 
  Commission (FCC) in response to the Media Bureau's public notice (DA 08-752) regarding 
  changes to its annual reporting forms that request certain employee data from multichannel 
  video programming distributors (FCC Form 395-A) and broadcasters (FCC Form 395-B). See,
  notice in the 
  Federal Register, April 21, 2008, Vol. 73, No. 77, at Pages 21346-21347. Extended deadline for voting equipment manufacturers to submit requests 
  and executed letters of understanding to the National 
  Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). See, 
  notice in the Federal Register, 
  April 22, 2008, Vol. 73, No. 78, at Pages 21590-21591. |  |  
          |  |  
          | 
              
                | Friday, May 23 |  
                | Rep. Hoyer's
  
  schedule for the week of May 19 states that "no votes are expected in the 
  House". Deadline to submit reply comments to the 
  Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Consumer and 
  Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGAB) regarding the National 
  Exchange Carriers Association's (NECA) proposed compensation rates for interstate 
  traditional TRS, interstate speech-to-speech (STS), interstate captioned telephone service 
  (CTS) and interstate and intrastate internet protocol captioned telephone service (IP CTS), 
  interstate and intrastate IP relay; and interstate and intrastate video relay service (VRS). 
  See, notice in the 
  Federal Register, May 12, 2008, Vol. 73, No. 92, at Page 26992-26993. This 
  proceeding is CG Docket No. 03-123. |  |  
          |  |  
          |  |  
          |  |  
          | 
              
                | Monday, May 26 |  
                | Memorial Day. See, Office of Personnel Management's (OPM)
  list of 2008 federal holidays. Day one of the House Memorial Day recess. See, Rep. Hoyer's
  2008 calendar 
  [4.25 MB PDF]. The Senate will begin its Memorial Day recess. See, Senate
  
  2008 calendar. |  |  
          |  |  
          | 
              
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