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Access to Broadband Networks: The Net Neutrality Debate

Description: This report discusses the current debate over "net neutrality." While there is no single accepted definition of "net neutrality," most agree that any such definition should include the general principles that owners of the networks that compose and provide access to the Internet should not control how consumers lawfully use that network, and they should not be able to discriminate against content provider access to that network.
Date: April 8, 2011
Creator: Gilroy, Angele A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Afghanistan Casualties: Military Forces and Civilians

Description: This report collects statistics from a variety of sources on casualties sustained during Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), which began on October 7, 2001, and is ongoing. OEF actions take place primarily in Afghanistan; however, OEF casualties also includes American casualties in Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Guantanamo Bay (Cuba), Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines, Seychelles, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Yemen.
Date: April 6, 2011
Creator: Chesser, Susan G.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy

Description: This report discusses the current political state of Afghanistan, focusing particularly on the influence of the Taliban and other militant groups and on the leadership of Afghan President Hamid Karzai. This report also discusses the U.S.-Afghanistan relationship, in both the short and long term, and U.S. efforts under the Obama Administration to provide military, reconstructive, and stabilization aid.
Date: April 15, 2011
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Algeria: Current Issues

Description: This report examines the current state of Algeria, including the country's associations with terrorism, despite steady decreases of domestic terrorism; the lessening in power of the Algerian military; and growing oil revenues.
Date: April 13, 2011
Creator: Arieff, Alexis
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Antipoverty Effects of Unemployment Insurance

Description: This report examines the antipoverty effects of unemployment insurance benefits over the past recession and through the beginning of economic recovery. The analysis highlights the impact of the additional and expanded unemployment insurance benefits available to unemployed workers through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Emergency Unemployemtn Compensation program.
Date: April 19, 2011
Creator: Gabe, Thomas & Whittaker, Julie M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia: Political Developments and Implications for U.S. Interests

Description: This report discusses the history and political background of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia since breaking away from the former Soviet Union at the end of 1991. It looks at key issues for the 112th Congress including economies, energy, regional politics, local crime, and terrorism.
Date: April 15, 2011
Creator: Nichol, Jim
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Army's Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) and Early Infantry Brigade Combat Team (E-IBCT) Programs: Background and Issues for Congress

Description: This report looks at budget requests for the Army's Future Combat System (FCS) program, Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) program, and brigade combat teams (BCTs). It ends with a discussion of potential issues for Congress.
Date: April 7, 2011
Creator: Feickert, Andrew
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Asian Carp and the Great Lakes Region

Description: Four species of non-indigenous Asian carp are expanding their range in U.S. waterways, resulting in a variety of concerns and problems. This report details the environmental and economic threats from this invasion, as well as ways to combat the spread of Asian carp in U.S. water.
Date: April 15, 2011
Creator: Buck, Eugene H.; Upton, Harold F.; Stern, Charles V. & Brown, Cynthia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Assistance to Firefighters Program: Distribution of Fire Grant Funding

Description: This report discusses the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program, also known as fire grants of the FIRE Act grant program, which was established by Title XVII of the FY2001 National Defense Authorization Act. The program provides federal grants directly to local fire departments and unaffiliated Emergency Medical Services (EMS) organizations to help address a variety of equipment, training, and other firefighter-related and EMS needs. This report also discusses the possible reauthorizat… more
Date: April 20, 2011
Creator: Kruger, Lennard G.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Asylum and “Credible Fear” Issues in U.S. Immigration Policy

Description: This report defines asylum seekers and looks at the background of asylum seekers in the U.S. since the 1980s. It discusses current issues, including inconsistent approval rates for asylum seekers across different regions and jurisdictions. It ends with a discussion of whether or not the policy (created during the Cold War) has adapted to the 21st century, and ways in directions that current law/new legislation could move to mitigate this issue.
Date: April 6, 2011
Creator: Wasem, Ruth Ellen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

ATPA Renewal: Background and Issues

Description: This report outlines the various aspects of the Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA), including significant dates and modifications. The ATPA extends special duty treatment to certain U.S. imports from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru that meet domestic content and other requirements. The purpose of ATPA is to promote economic growth in the Andean region and to encourage a shift away from dependence on illegal drugs by supporting legitimate economic activities.
Date: April 14, 2011
Creator: Villarreal, M. Angeles
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Background and Issues for Congressional Oversight of ARRA Broadband Awards

Description: This report examines federal funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for broadband projects across the nation. These projects are intended to expand broadband availability and adoption in unserved and underserved areas, which in turn is believed to contribute to increased future economic development in those areas.
Date: April 19, 2011
Creator: Kruger, Lennard G.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Bahrain: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy

Description: This report discusses the current state of Bahrain, which has undergone substantial political reforms since the late 1990s, but which still suffers from tension between the Shiite majority and the Sunni-led government. This report focuses particularly on Bahrain's relationship with the United States and with regional issues.
Date: April 20, 2011
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Biennial Budgeting: Options, Issues, and Previous Congressional Action

Description: Proponents of biennial budgeting have generally advanced three arguments-that a two-year budget cycle would (1) reduce congressional workload by eliminating the need for annual review of routine matters; (2) reserve the second session of each Congress for improved congressional oversight and program review; and (3) allow better long-term planning by the agencies that spend federal funds at the federal, state, or local level.
Date: April 12, 2011
Creator: Tollestrup, Jessica
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP): Status and Issues

Description: The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-246, 2008 farm bill) created the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP). This report discusses the two main purposes of BCAP, which are (1) to support the establishment and production of eligible crops for conversion to bioenergy in selected areas, and (2) to assist agricultural and forest land owners and operators with collection, harvest, storage, and transportation of eligible material for use in a biomass conversion facility.
Date: April 19, 2011
Creator: Stubbs, Megan
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Broadband Internet Access and the Digital Divide: Federal Assistance Programs

Description: The "digital divide" is a term used to describe a perceived gap between "information haves and have-nots," or in other words, between those Americans who use or have access to telecommunications and information technologies and those who do not. Whether or not individuals or communities fall into the "information haves" category depends on a number of factors, ranging from the presence of computers in the home, to training and education, to the availability of affordable Internet access.
Date: April 12, 2011
Creator: Kruger, Lennard G. & Gilroy, Angele A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Carcieri v. Salazar: The Secretary of the Interior May Not Acquire Trust Land for the Narragansett Indian Tribe Under 25 U.S.C. § 465 Because That Statute Applies to Tribes “Under Federal Jurisdiction” in 1934

Description: This report discusses the right of the Secretary of the Interior (SOI) to take Narragansett Indian Tribe land into trust. It looks at issues before the Supreme Court in the case of Carcieri v. Salazar (2009), and subsequent bills related to this case that have been introduced by Congress.
Date: April 15, 2011
Creator: Murphy, M. Maureen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides an overview of Arctic-related issues for Congress, and refers readers to more in-depth CRS reports on specific Arctic-related issues. Congressional readers with questions about an issue discussed in this report should contact the author or authors of the section discussing that issue. The authors are identified by footnote at the start of each section.
Date: April 7, 2011
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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