WiMax backers remain upbeat

Even after Monday's stock market drop in the US and a general tightening in the financial sector, WiMax equipment makers and wireless operators at WiMax World remain optimistic, reports Computerworld.

Several industry executives said the biggest impact of any sustained financial downturn will be on WiMax roll-outs in developed countries such as the US. But in developing nations, the need for widespread Internet access is so great that investments are likely to continue.

"You can't think of a time in history where there is so much pent up demand for [WiMax]," said Ben Wolff, CEO of Clearwire, which is setting up a joint venture with Sprint Nextel to run a nationwide WiMax network.

A group of Canadian human-rights activists and computer security researchers has discovered a huge surveillance system in China that monitors and archives certain Internet text conversations that include politically charged words, says The New York Times.

The system tracks text messages sent by customers of Tom-Skype, a joint venture between a Chinese wireless operator and eBay, the Web auctioneer that owns Skype, an online phone and text messaging service.

The discovery draws more attention to the Chinese government's Internet monitoring and filtering efforts, which created controversy during the Beijing Olympics.

The Senate has passed the Webcaster Settlement Act, earlier passed unanimously by the House, and the Bill is now on its way to president George Bush, who is expected to sign it into law, says Radio Ink.

The Bill extends until February 2009 a period for Webcasters to negotiate a royalty deal with SoundExchange, which collects Webcast royalties on behalf of artists and labels.

Any negotiated settlement would replace the per-performance fees set by the Copyright Royalty Board last year - rates that many Webcasters say are so high that they could be driven out of business.

A contentious battle between Apple and part of the music industry is set be decided today, when a panel of judges appointed by Congress is expected to rule whether Apple and other online music distributors should pay higher royalty fees to music publishers, reports BusinessWeek.

The ruling by the Copyright Royalty Board also affects Amazon.com, EMusic, RealNetworks' Rhapsody and Best Buy's Napster.

Music publishers, who represent creators of song lyrics and sheet music, want an increase in royalty payments while Apple and the other companies are pushing for a reduction.