WASHINGTON, Oct 5 (Reuters) – A proposed update of the U.S. online privacy rule for children sparked debate at a congressional hearing on Wednesday over whether such protections should extend to teenagers.

The Federal Trade Commission plans to update its Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule that gives parents a say over what information websites and other online providers can collect about children under the age of 13.

Some lawmakers and privacy advocates had hoped to see the FTC address online privacy protections for children aged 13 to 17, but the agency’s proposal left the age threshold intact.

Mary Bono Mack, who chairs the House of Representatives commerce subcommittee, said she believed the FTC’s proposed revisions “hit the sweet spot.”

While kids are becoming more tech savvy at younger ages, their judgment and awareness of the dark side of the Internet is not growing at the same pace, said Bono Mack, a Republican from California.

The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) of 1998 requires websites and online service operators to obtain verifiable consent from parents before collecting, using or disclosing personal information of children.

The FTC’s new proposal makes clear that privacy protections apply when a child is on a cell phone, playing interactive games online or participating in a virtual world. It further clarifies that the law requires parental consent before behaviorally profiling a child.

WASHINGTON, Oct 4 (Reuters) – The United States should move aggressively to use social media such as Twitter and Facebook to promote its agenda in Latin America and help newly wired citizens cement political gains, said a new U.S. report obtained by Reuters.

Senator Richard Lugar said countries such as Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua still sought to curb economic and political freedoms, while other Latin American countries needed help buttressing emerging civil society groups.

Social media tools on the Internet, which played a central role in the “Arab Spring” uprisings across North Africa and the Middle East, may be even more influential in Latin America, said Lugar, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

“Latin America does have the advantage of more mobile phone subscriptions, Internet users, broadband access, and secure Internet servers than the Middle East,” Lugar said in the preface to the report, which his office is expected to release on Wednesday.

The State Department should do more to help Latin American countries address shortfalls in infrastructure and know-how, particularly as economic competitors such as China compete with the United States for influence in the region, it said.

“At a time when U.S. political influence is waning in the region, it is clear that U.S. driven technological trends could redefine relationships with many countries in Latin America,” the report said.

The report by Carl Meacham, Lugar’s senior staffer for Latin America and the Caribbean, recommends the United States support training programs in advanced software engineering as well as basic computer and online literacy programs in Latin America.

WASHINGTON, Sept 28 (Reuters) – Public interest group Free Press mounted the first challenge to new U.S. Internet traffic rules since they were published last week, seeking to strengthen protections for wireless users.

The petition filed in the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston on Wednesday, challenges provisions in the Federal Communications Commission’s Open Internet order that give wireless broadband providers more discretion in managing their networks.

“When the FCC first proposed the Open Internet rules, they came with the understanding that there is only one Internet, no matter how people choose to reach it,” said Matt Wood, policy director for Free Press.

The rules, adopted last December by the FCC in a 3-2 vote, forbid broadband providers from blocking legal content while leaving flexibility for providers to manage their networks.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski supported giving wireless Internet providers even greater freedom to manage traffic, in recognition of wireless’ status as a younger technology.

Supporters of the wireless portion of the plan said it recognized the limited bandwidth available to support everything from telephone calls to movie downloads.

Public interest groups have criticized the rules as too weak, saying the FCC was swayed by big industry players including AT&T Inc (T.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Comcast Corp (CMCSA.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz).

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will be ousted “sooner or later” by his own people as the time of dictatorial rule fades around the world, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said.

Erdogan, in an interview on CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS” to be aired on Sunday, maintained his stern tone towards Israel and warned relations may “never become normal again” but he had warm words for U.S. President Barack Obama as Turkey rises as a diplomatic power in the Middle East.

“You can never remain in power through cruelty. You can never stand before the will of the people,” Erdogan said in a transcript released by CNN on Saturday.

“This process might be extended a little bit more but sooner or later in Syria, if people take a different decision, that decision is going to be catered to. Such as in Egypt, such as in Tunisia, such as in Libya. People want to be free.”

Democracy is overtaking autocracy, he said, and “dictatorial systems are burning down to the ground.”

Turkey, a NATO member and aspirant to join the European Union, is viewed as a bridge between the Western and Islamic worlds. Erdogan has had unprecedented access to Obama, holding nine phone calls with the U.S. president this year.

“Personally, Barack Obama is someone I really like. And vis-a-vis his policies and his implementations, I want him to be much more successful,” Erdogan said, wishing him luck in the November 2012 elections.

WASHINGTON, Sept 24 (Reuters) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will be ousted “sooner or later” by his own people as the time of dictatorial rule fades around the world, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said.

Erdogan, in an interview on CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS” to be aired on Sunday, maintained his stern tone towards Israel and warned relations may “never become normal again” but he had warm words for U.S. President Barack Obama as Turkey rises as a diplomatic power in the Middle East.

“You can never remain in power through cruelty. You can never stand before the will of the people,” Erdogan said in a transcript released by CNN on Saturday.

“This process might be extended a little bit more but sooner or later in Syria, if people take a different decision, that decision is going to be catered to. Such as in Egypt, such as in Tunisia, such as in Libya. People want to be free.”

Democracy is overtaking autocracy, he said, and “dictatorial systems are burning down to the ground.”

Turkey, a NATO member and aspirant to join the European Union, is viewed as a bridge between the Western and Islamic worlds. Erdogan has had unprecedented access to Obama, holding nine phone calls with the U.S. president this year.

“Personally, Barack Obama is someone I really like. And vis-a-vis his policies and his implementations, I want him to be much more successful,” Erdogan said, wishing him luck in the November 2012 elections.

Sept 23 (Reuters) – Long-delayed U.S. Internet rules that tackle the controversial issue of balancing consumer and content provider interests against those who sell access to the Web will take effect Nov. 20.

The Federal Communications Commission’s “open Internet” order was published in the Federal Register on Friday, and immediately drew threats of court and congressional challenges.

The rules were adopted by the FCC late last year after a lengthy debate, but only recently cleared a review by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget.

Criticized by opponents as a legally shaky government intrusion into regulating the Internet, the new rules forbid broadband providers from blocking legal content but leave flexibility for providers to manage their networks.

Broadband provider Verizon Communications Inc (VZ.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) has been a vociferous opponent, and renewed its pledge to take the FCC to court as soon as the rules are published.

“We have said all along that once we see the publication … we intend to file another notice of appeal,” Verizon spokesman Ed McFadden said.

For the past 10 years, the possibility of regulations to mandate the neutrality of the Internet — in terms of restrictions on content, sites, platforms and types of equipment that may be attached — has been the subject of fierce debate.

By Jasmin Melvin

(Reuters) – Long-awaited U.S. rules addressing the hot-button issue of balancing consumer and content providers’ interests against those of Internet service providers will take effect on November 20.

The regulations covering so-called Net neutrality, published in the Federal Register on Friday, are sure to trigger legal and congressional challenges. They were adopted by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission late last year after a lengthy debate.

Criticized by opponents as a legally shaky government intrusion into regulating the Internet, the new rules forbid broadband providers from blocking legal content but leave flexibility for providers to manage their networks.

Verizon Communications Inc has been a vociferous opponent, and renewed its pledge to take the FCC to court as soon as the rules are published.

“We have said all along that once we see the publication … we intend to file another notice of appeal,” Verizon spokesman Ed McFadden said.

For the past 10 years, the possibility of regulations to mandate the neutrality of the Internet — in terms of restrictions on content, sites, platforms and types of equipment that may be attached — has been the subject of fierce debate.

Sept 23 (Reuters) – Long-awaited U.S. rules addressing the hot-button issue of balancing consumer and content providers’ interests against those of Internet service providers will take effect on Nov. 20.

The regulations covering so-called Net neutrality, published in the Federal Register on Friday, are sure to trigger legal and congressional challenges. They were adopted by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission late last year after a lengthy debate.

Criticized by opponents as a legally shaky government intrusion into regulating the Internet, the new rules forbid broadband providers from blocking legal content but leave flexibility for providers to manage their networks.

Verizon Communications Inc (VZ.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) has been a vociferous opponent, and renewed its pledge to take the FCC to court as soon as the rules are published.

“We have said all along that once we see the publication … we intend to file another notice of appeal,” Verizon spokesman Ed McFadden said.

For the past 10 years, the possibility of regulations to mandate the neutrality of the Internet — in terms of restrictions on content, sites, platforms and types of equipment that may be attached — has been the subject of fierce debate.

The fight pits content providers who seek protection against the blocking or degrading of their services against Internet service providers that want to “control the pipeline.”

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Two Republican lawmakers urged the top U.S. communications regulator to resist political pressure for allowing broadband start-up LightSquared to deploy a network that could interfere with the global positioning system.

Representative Thomas Petri and Senator Charles Grassley sent a letter on Thursday to the Federal Communications Commission saying a single company should not be allowed to threaten such critical national infrastructure.

“It is odd that the FCC has pegged the hopes of expanding broadband access on such a controversial proposal by a single applicant,” said the letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski.

Hedge fund manager Philip Falcone’s start-up came under fire after months of testing found its original plan for a high-speed wireless network would interfere with GPS devices that are used by the military, and in aviation, agriculture, construction and other civilian applications.

Deployment of the network depends on regulatory approval from the FCC, which is conducting additional testing on LightSquared’s proposal to ensure GPS operations would not be affected.

“We urge you to resist political pressures to grant LightSquared an authorization that could jeopardize the nation’s unique spectrum resource — GPS,” the lawmakers said.

Seven House of Representatives Republicans earlier in the week sent a letter to the White House, asking for records of its communications with LightSquared and about reports that senior administration officials were pressured to change their congressional testimony to look more favorably on LightSquared.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Communications regulators urged adoption of new technologies that would allow people needing emergency help to send text, photos and video messages to police and rescue dispatchers.

While sending multimedia messages over mobile devices is commonplace with the smartphone boom, the country’s 9-1-1 emergency system only supports voice calls.

“In an emergency, consumers should be able to reach out for help with whatever means of communications they are accustomed to using,” Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski said at an FCC meeting on Thursday where commissioners agreed to issue the proposal.

Allowing first responders to assess emergencies through photos and videos of an incident before they even arrive could be a huge leap forward.

“A few years ago this technology may have sounded like science fiction, but today it’s increasingly available for commercial purposes,” Genachowski said.

But it is not clear how soon the technology could be deployed given tight budgets at every level of government. Most 9-1-1 call centers are funded by a combination of state and local subsidies.

The FCC estimated it would cost $2.68 billion over 10 years just to establish a suitable national network. By consolidating call centers and sharing more infrastructure, that could be shaved to $1.44 billion.