Microsoft On The Issues

National Broadband Plan: An Effort for the Ages

2010-03-16T18:02:35Z

Posted by Fred Humphries Managing Director, U.S. Government Affairs There has been a strong push by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission over the past nine months to understand the nation’s broadband needs and to develop recommendations that facilitate global innovation. Today’s release of the National Broadband Plan is not the end of the discussion, but in many ways just the beginning. Technology advancements continue to drive the need for greater bandwidth. Storage capabilities...(read more)

Open Data for the Open Web

2010-03-16T17:30:05Z

Posted by Douglas Purdy Software Architect Today at MIX10 , Microsoft’s conference for Web developers and designers in Las Vegas, I stood on stage to outline the importance of Web APIs and our commitment to open data for the open Web . We recently announced The Open Data Protocol (OData ) – a set of conventions over the existing Atom Publishing Protocol (AtomPub) standard. OData provides a way to unlock and share your data, freeing it from silos that exist in some software...(read more)

What we know (and learned) from the takedown of the Waledac botnet

2010-03-16T16:28:13Z

Posted by Tim Cranton Associate General Counsel Recently I blogged about the successful takedown of the Waledac botnet by the Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit in an action dubbed “Operation b49.” Our intention was to disrupt the Waledac botnet for the long term, as well as mark a new phase in our efforts to combat botnets. Today, we’ve released some of the early findings that we and other researchers have made on the impact of Operation b49. Highlights include greatly reduced communications...(read more)

Valuable Support for IP from the White House

2010-03-14T00:04:59Z

Posted by Steve Ballmer Chief Executive Officer President Obama on Thursday expanded on his National Export Initiative, calling attention to the importance of robust protection for intellectual property rights in assuring our nation’s prosperity. We applaud the President’s commitment to safeguarding American innovation and creativity and his recognition of the important role American technology and IP-based products play in fostering a healthy balance of trade and economic growth....(read more)

Successful Legal Action Helps Protect Microsoft Customers from ‘Spim’

2010-03-11T02:26:00Z

Posted by Tim Cranton Associate General Counsel As you may recall, Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit last July filed a lawsuit alleging that Hong Kong-based Funmobile Ltd. had improperly sent instant messaging spam – or “spim” – to thousands of Windows Live Messenger customers since March 2009. I’m happy to report that this week, Microsoft has reached a settlement with Funmobile. Under the terms of the agreement, Funmobile will refrain from “spimming” customers or contacts of Windows Live Messenger...(read more)

Delivering Broadband Accessibility for People with Disabilities

2010-03-10T17:31:40Z

Posted by Laura Ruby Director, Accessibility Policy & Standards for Trustworthy Computing How can the United States ensure that people with disabilities share fully in the benefits of broadband technologies and services? This was the focus of a conference today in Washington, DC, involving government officials, consumer advocates, industry leaders and academics. Speakers included Federal Communication Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski and Kareem Dale, Special Assistant to the President...(read more)

Important Progress for the 520 Bridge

2010-03-10T15:59:57Z

Posted by Brad Smith Senior Vice President and General Counsel We recently reached out to the people of the Puget Sound area to help advance a critical local and state issue: the timely replacement and expansion of the SR-520 bridge across Lake Washington. Many responded. I want to thank everyone who took the time to contact their elected officials and voice their support for the prompt completion of this critical project. Your efforts clearly helped legislators and local officials from both...(read more)

Telecentre.Org Launches to Bring Internet Access to the Next Billion

2010-03-08T23:02:21Z

Posted by Akhtar Badshah Senior Director, Global Community Affairs Akhtar Badshah, Senior Director, Global Community Affairs A milestone event took place last week in Manila, where Telecentre.org Foundation was officially launched as an independent organization. Celebrating with our hosts in the Philippines and colleagues from around the world, I reflected on this culmination of nearly six years of effort to help bring the benefits of technology to people in underserved communities around the world...(read more)

Elevating America one veteran at a time

2010-03-08T17:00:00Z

Posted by Pamela Passman Corporate Vice President, Global Corporate Affairs Pamela Passman, Corporate Vice President, Global Corporate Affairs Earlier today while speaking to the annual conference of the National Association of Workforce Boards in Washington, D.C., I announced that Microsoft is forming a coalition of public, private and non-profit organizations to help our country’s veterans and their spouses get the additional skills they need to succeed in today’s economy. The...(read more)

Steve Ballmer’s Thoughts on Cloud Computing

2010-03-04T16:00:00Z

Posted by David Bowermaster
Administrator, Microsoft on the Issues

In late January, Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith delivered a speech at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. on the burgeoning field of cloud computing. Brad outlined specific industry and legislative actions that Microsoft believes should be acted upon promptly to advance the potential of cloud computing, while protecting users’ privacy and enhancing the security of their data.

...(read more)