Congress

The Federal Communications Commission unveiled three digital tools Thursday that will enable consumers, businesses, schools and other organizations to test the real-world performance of their fixed and mobile broadband connections and help identify gaps in the nation's broadband coverage. The tools include downloadable applications for mobile devices based on Google's Android platform and Apple's iPhone OS.

Paul Karpowicz has nothing against broadband. But he has no plans to take part in a government effort to bring it to more homes.

Karpowicz is president of Meredith Broadcasting, which owns 12 local TV stations from Portland, Ore., to New Haven, Conn. Meredith also holds unused TV airwaves covering some of those markets and Karpowicz intends to use them to stream programming to handheld devices.

A former executive with IBM and other tech companies has been named the new CEO of an organization in charge of coordinating the technical specifications behind the World Wide Web.

The Web's inventor, Tim Berners-Lee, is remaining the director of the World Wide Web Consortium, and Jeffrey Jaffe, 55, will work under him as its CEO. Jaffe replaces Steve Bratt, 53, who left the position in mid-2009 to run a Web foundation also started by Berners-Lee.

The wait is over. Cisco Systems on Tuesday finally took the lid off its hype machine to reveal ... a new router. Cisco is positioning its CRS-3 Carrier Routing System as the foundation of the next-generation Internet that will pave the way for rapid growth of video transmissions, mobile devices, and new online services.

The national broadband plan that the Federal Communications Commission submits to Congress later this month is now expected to cost up to $25 billion. But since the nation's lawmakers are looking for ways to reduce the national debt, the FCC is seeking ways to offset the cost through spectrum auctions and other measures.

Today, President Obama announced the details of the HOMESTAR program, otherwise known as "Cash for Caulkers."  The president said the home retrofit program would create construction jobs, reduce the nation's energy use equal to the output of three coal power plants, save participating households $200-$500 per year in energy costs and support energy efficiency innovation.

Robert M. Hathaway in The Wilson Quarterly:

The U.S. government must take a more active role in securing the Internet, industry experts told Congress on Tuesday, arguing that as businesses and governments rely more on cyberspace the prospect of a serious attack grows.

Comparing the digital age to the dawn of automobiles, analysts said more government regulations may be the only way to force the public and private sectors to counter cyber threats adequately. They compared the need for new oversight to regulations for seat belts and safety equipment that made U.S. highways safer.

The Federal Communications Commission said Wednesday that it is seeking ways to reassign additional wireless spectrum to foster mobile broadband adoption in the U.S. According to its study released Tuesday, 93 million Americans, representing one-third of the nation's population, do not have high-speed Internet connections in their homes.