At&T and Verizon Wireless try to prevent mandatory resale of airwaves

The Seattle Times reports that “AT&T and Verizon Wireless, the two biggest U.S. mobile-phone companies, urged U.S. regulators to reject Google’s proposal for the mandatory resale of some airwaves the government plans to auction by January.  Google’s plan would disrupt the auction and diminish the airwaves’ value, AT&T and Verizon said in separate comments filed Wednesday with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).”

Internetnews.com writes that “[t]he U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday endorsed its second anti-spyware bill in less than a month. Both bills target unauthorized downloads but take significantly different approaches.  Approved on a 368-48 vote, the Securely Protect Yourself Against Cyber Trespass Act (SPY Act) requires an opt-in, notice and consent regime for legal software — often known as adware or spyware — that collects personally identifiable information from consumers.”

According to eWeek.com, “[t]he United Nations Industrial Development Organization and Microsoft have announced a partnership to set up PC refurbishment centers in Africa. These centers are designed to help address the hardware, software and training needs of entrepreneurs with small and midsize businesses, with the ultimate goal of producing a refurbishment model that can be used as a best practice across Africa.”

The New Yorker has an interview with President Bush’s chief political adviser Karl Rove in which Rove claims that “the power of the computer chip” is “driving us in an increasingly center-right posture.”  The reason for this, according to Rove, is that the proliferation of technology puts increasing numbers of people in charge of how they make a living.  This, he says, has “given people a greater chance to run their own business, become a sole proprietor or an entrepreneur. As a result, it has made us more market-oriented, and that equals making you more center-right in your politics."

BBC News reports that “[a] federal agency has banned US imports of new mobile phones made with Qualcomm semiconductors due to a patent row.”