Morning Media Summary

Tech:

Fujitsu plans 1Gbps fiber optic network for rural Britain:
“Economies of scale mean that densely populated cities have generally been the ones to benefit from the roll out of superfast broadband networks, while those in rural areas have missed out. Following Google’s recent announcement that it will build and test 1Gbps fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) networks in selected cities with between 50,000 to 500,000 residents in the U.S. starting with Kansas City, Kansas, Fujitsu has unveiled plans to create a similar superfast FTTH broadband network for five million homes and businesses in rural Britain to bridge the digital divide between city and country.”

Google to sentence YouTube violators to ‘copyright school’:
“Google released a set of tougher copyright policies for YouTube online video users on Thursday, requiring violators to watch a copyright tutorial and pass a test before allowing them to continue using the service.”

Global Warming / Environment / Energy:

Big Break for Big Oil, Larger Burden for Taxpayers (No I don’t agree with this article):
“The main idea behind saving energy in the high-tech world has been to buy newer, more energy efficient devices, but researchers say maybe that’s the wrong way to look at the issue, since as much as 70% of the energy a typical laptop will consume during its life span is used in manufacturing the computer.”

Insurance / Gambling:

UK Betting Firms Taking A Gamble On US:
“The District of Columbia is becoming the first U.S. jurisdiction to allow Internet gambling, trying to raise millions of dollars from the habits of online poker buffs and acting ahead of traditional gambling meccas like New Jersey and Nevada.”

Health / Safety:

Italian Butcher Arrested for Selling Decade-Old Meat:
“Italian police arrested a Naples butcher after discovering worm-infested meat for sale in his store that was 10 years past its expiry date, the ANSA news agency reported Friday.”

Economics:

House passes budget deal easily, 260-167; Update: GOP sought help from Hoyer on vote:
“I thought the vote would be epically close. Instead it was a snooze — with one caveat: 59 Republicans voted no, which would have been enough to kill it had Democrats united against it in order to make life hard for Boehner. Instead, thanks in part to Steny Hoyer, 81 of them voted yes (versus 108 who voted no, including Pelosi). I’m mighty curious to know what their calculus was. Were they afraid Obama would look bad if they torpedoed a deal he signed off on? Or are there still enough Democrats left in purplish districts that they wanted to bank some budget-cutting cred ahead of next year’s elections?”

Legal:

White House draft bill expands DHS cyber responsibilities:
“Under a White House plan, the Homeland Security Department will have far-reaching oversight over all civilian agency computer networks.”

Labor:

SEIU, CCAG Hammer Away At Bank of America; Bank Defends Itself, Saying Groups Have No Right to Own Facts:
“A coalition of groups, including SEIU and the Connecticut Citizen Action Group, came to the state Capitol complex Thursday to unveil a white paper that outlines Bank of America’s “predatory practices” in lending.”

Transportation/ Land Use:

Budget deal cuts high speed rail funds:
“The budget deal sailing through Congress on Thursday chopped $400 million in U.S. spending for high-speed rail this fiscal year and could clip Connecticut’s chances for a piece of the remaining $2 billion.”