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The Transition to Digital Television: Is America Ready?

Description: This report discusses the background and potential effects of the DTV Delay Act, which directs that all over-the-air full-power television broadcasts will become digital only.
Date: January 21, 2009
Creator: Kruger, Lennard G.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Digital TV Transition: A Brief Overview

Description: This report briefly discusses key points about the digital TV transition process: background, the impact on broadcasting, spectrum policy, and recent legislative activity. The transition has two major policy components: (1) how best to move television broadcasters and their viewers to digital technology, and (2) radio frequency spectrum management and allocation. The public interest goals for these paths are not well aligned, presenting Congress with difficult choices for completing the transit… more
Date: February 15, 2006
Creator: Kruger, Lennard G. & Moore, Linda K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Digital TV Transition: A Brief Overview

Description: Congressional policymakers are seeking a way to accelerate the nation’s transition to digital television and to expedite the transfer of radio frequency channels from the broadcast industry to public safety and commercial users no later than 2009. Broadcasters are holding spectrum in the 700MHz band (channels 52-69) that they would be required to relinquish after the transition to digital television (DTV) is achieved. Without a hard deadline, the transition to digital television has been postpo… more
Date: August 12, 2005
Creator: Kruger, Lennard G. & Moore, Linda K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Internet: An Overview of Key Technology Policy Issues Affecting Its Use and Growth

Description: The continued growth of the Internet for personal, government, and business purposes may be affected by a number of technology policy issues being debated by Congress. Among them are access to and regulation of broadband (high-speed) Internet services, computer and Internet security, Internet privacy, the impact of “spam,” concerns about what children may encounter (such as pornography) when using the Internet, management of the Internet Domain Name System, and government information technology… more
Date: August 15, 2006
Creator: Kruger, Lennard G.; Moteff, John D.; Gilroy, Angele A.; Seifert, Jeffrey W.; Moloney Figliola, Patricia & Tehan, Rita
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Retroactive Immunity Provided by the FISA Amendments Act of 2008

Description: This report discusses the various retroactive immunity mechanisms that were proposed to be included in the FISA Amendments Act, one of which was ultimately adopted, and their likely effect on lawsuits facing telecommunications providers.
Date: July 25, 2008
Creator: Liu, Edward C.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Corporation for Public Broadcasting: Federal Funding Facts and Status

Description: The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, created in 1967, receives approximately 15% of its annual funding from federal appropriations. In turn, the CPB, acting as an umbrella agency, is required to spend 89 percent of the appropriations in grants to members of Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), National Public Radio (NPR), Public Radio International (PRI), and other affiliated public television and radio broadcasters.
Date: June 22, 2005
Creator: McLoughlin, Glenn J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Corporation for Public Broadcasting: Federal Funding Facts and Status

Description: Congressional policymakers are closely examining federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Overall, 15.6% of all public television and radio broadcasting funding comes from the federal appropriations that CPB distributes. The CPB’s appropriation is allocated through a distribution formula established in its authorizing legislation. It has historically received two-year advanced appropriations.
Date: July 25, 2005
Creator: McLoughlin, Glenn J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Federal Communications Commission: Current Structure and its Role in the Changing Telecommunications Landscape

Description: The report discusses the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)-Related Congressional Actions in the 112th Congress. The policymakers, including some in Congress, have long called for varying degrees and types of reform to the FCC. Most proposals fall into two categories: (1) procedural changes made within the FCC or through congressional action that would affect the agency's operations or (2) substantive policy changes requiring congressional action that would affect how the agency regulates … more
Date: April 11, 2008
Creator: Moloney Figliola, Patricia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Federal Communications Commission: Current Structure and its Role in the Changing Telecommunications Landscape

Description: The report discusses the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)-Related Congressional Actions in the 112th Congress. The policymakers, including some in Congress, have long called for varying degrees and types of reform to the FCC. Most proposals fall into two categories: (1) procedural changes made within the FCC or through congressional action that would affect the agency's operations or (2) substantive policy changes requiring congressional action that would affect how the agency regulates … more
Date: March 15, 2007
Creator: Moloney Figliola, Patricia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Federal Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program: Funding Issues and Activities

Description: This report discusses the federal government's role in the country's information technology (IT) research and development (R&D) activities. The government's support of IT R&D began because it had an important interest in creating computers that would be capable of addressing the problems and issues the government needed to solve and study.
Date: May 14, 2009
Creator: Moloney Figliola, Patricia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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"Spam": An Overview of Issues Concerning Commercial Electronic Mail

Description: This report discusses Spam, also called unsolicited commercial email (UCE) or "junk email." Not only can Spam be a nuisance, but its cost may be passed on to consumers through higher charges from Internet service providers who must upgrade their systems to handle the traffic. Proponents of UCE insist it is a legitimate marketing technique that is protected by the First Amendment. This report discusses this issue in detail, as well as related legislation.
Date: May 14, 2008
Creator: Moloney Figliola, Patricia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Text and Multimedia Messaging: Emerging Issues for Congress

Description: This report covers issues for Congress regarding text and multimedia messaging. The increasing use of text and multimedia messaging has raised several policy issue, such as distracted driving, SMS spam, the inability of consumers to disable text messaging, text messaging price fixing, carrier blocking of common short code messages, deceptive and misleading common short code programs, protecting children from inappropriate content on wireless devices.
Date: October 22, 2009
Creator: Moloney Figliola, Patricia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Text and Multimedia Messaging: Emerging Issues for Congress

Description: This report covers issues for Congress regarding text and multimedia messaging. The increasing use of text and multimedia messaging has raised several policy issue, such as distracted driving, SMS spam, the inability of consumers to disable text messaging, text messaging price fixing, carrier blocking of common short code messages, deceptive and misleading common short code programs, protecting children from inappropriate content on wireless devices.
Date: October 17, 2008
Creator: Moloney Figliola, Patricia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Text and Multimedia Messaging: Emerging Issues for Congress

Description: This report covers issues for Congress regarding text and multimedia messaging. The increasing use of text and multimedia messaging has raised several policy issue, such as distracted driving, SMS spam, the inability of consumers to disable text messaging, text messaging price fixing, carrier blocking of common short code messages, deceptive and misleading common short code programs, protecting children from inappropriate content on wireless devices.
Date: August 22, 2008
Creator: Moloney Figliola, Patricia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Text and Multimedia Messaging: Emerging Issues for Congress

Description: This report covers issues for Congress regarding text and multimedia messaging. The increasing use of text and multimedia messaging has raised several policy issue, such as distracted driving, SMS spam, the inability of consumers to disable text messaging, text messaging price fixing, carrier blocking of common short code messages, deceptive and misleading common short code programs, protecting children from inappropriate content on wireless devices.
Date: March 23, 2009
Creator: Moloney Figliola, Patricia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

V-Chip and TV Ratings: Monitoring Children's Access to TV Programming

Description: This report discusses the V-Chip, created to assist parents in supervising the television viewing habits of their children, its rating system, and relevant legislation in the 108th Congress.
Date: January 10, 2009
Creator: Moloney Figliola, Patricia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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911 Call Center Legislation: S. 1250 and H.R. 2898

Description: This article discusses the 2003 Congress bipartisan E911 (Enhanced 911) legislation introduced in both chambers. Moreover, the article describes the difference in parallel provisions each bill contains that have significant implications for emergency communication policy. The article defines Enhanced 911 as the capability of identifying the phone number and location of a call to a PSAP (Public Safety Answering Points). This report characterizes the cost to PSAPs of upgrading systems and support… more
Date: August 4, 2004
Creator: Moore, Linda K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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911 Call Center Legislation: S. 1250 and H.R. 2898

Description: This article discusses the 2003 Congress bipartisan E911 (Enhanced 911) legislation introduced in both chambers. Moreover, the article describes the difference in parallel provisions each bill contains that have significant implications for emergency communication policy. The article defines Enhanced 911 as the capability of identifying the phone number and location of a call to a PSAP (Public Safety Answering Points). This report characterizes the cost to PSAPs of upgrading systems and support… more
Date: January 16, 2004
Creator: Moore, Linda K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Amber Alert Program Technology

Description: This report discusses Amber Alerts (also referred to as AMBER plans) which use technology to disseminate information about child abductions in a timely manner. Technologies used for alerts include the Emergency Alert System (EAS), highway messages boards, telephone alert systems, the Internet, text messaging, and email.
Date: September 9, 2009
Creator: Moore, Linda K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Amber Alert Program Technology

Description: This report discusses provisions in the National Intelligence Reform Act of 2004 to test Amber Alert network technology for use in expanding the Emergency Alert System (EAS). The Amber Alert network utilizes a combination of technologies, such as highway messages boards, the Internet, and text messaging, to ensure the swift recovery of abducted children.
Date: May 18, 2005
Creator: Moore, Linda K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Emergency Alert System (EAS) and All-Hazard Warnings

Description: The Emergency Alert System (EAS) is built on a structure conceived in the 1950's when over-the-air broadcasting was the best-available technology for widely disseminating emergency alerts. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), working with the Association of Public Television Stations, is implementing a program that will disseminate national alert messages over digital broadcast airwaves, using satellite and public TV broadcast towers. This program is referred to as the Integrated Public A… more
Date: June 26, 2009
Creator: Moore, Linda K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Emergency Alert System (EAS) and All-Hazard Warnings

Description: This report gives an overview of issues and legislation relating to the Emergency Alert System (EAS). It includes a discussion of the EAS administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather radios, all-hazard warning technology, proposals and programs, the executive order regarding the public alert and warning system and legislation from the 109th and 110th Congresses.
Date: August 25, 2008
Creator: Moore, Linda K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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