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Rep. Green: Failure to pass net neutrality bill doesn't justify reclassification

Rep. Gene Green (D-Texas) said Tuesday that a failure by lawmakers to cobble together a net neutrality bill before Congress breaks at the end of this month would not justify the FCC moving forward with its plan to classify broadband as a telecom service. Green previously organized a letter signed by over 70 Democrats who oppose the FCC's "Third Way". Other lawmakers such as Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) have said they hope the FCC moves ahead with its plan if Congress fails to pass a bill, which seems increasingly likely. http://bit.ly/90TaHM

Biden boasts "Science is back in the White House"

Vice President Joe Biden used a meeting with university presidents on Tuesday to tout the Recovery Act's investment of over $18 billion in university research. Biden said the Obama administration is committed to expanding investments in science and promised Washington would keep providing institutions with the seed money they need to advance their research. Biden said critics of the stimulus grants don't grasp the need to stay ahead of countries such as India and China that make substantial investments in research. http://bit.ly/b0R6yr

Genachowski announces plans to keep students connected. FCC chairman Julius Genachowski announced a new program Tuesday aimed at keeping students connected to the Web after they leave school grounds. The Learning-On-The-Go program would enable students' iPads, digital textbooks and other wireless devices to connect to the web free of charge. The FCC is also considering letting schools tap into unused "dark fiber" to boost their broadband connections and allowing local residents to use schools' Internet connections once the students have left for the day. http://bit.ly/aT4l8n

Can't-miss news.

Collusion in Silicon Valley? TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington reports on a secret gathering of angel investors in San Francisco that includes many of the investors responsible for financing almost all Silicon Valley startups. Arrington accused the firms of price fixing and collusion but declined to name any of the investors at the meeting. http://tcrn.ch/9Vuxz2

RIM preparing to unveil tablet computer. BlackBerry maker Research In Motion is planning to unveil a new tablet computer as soon as next week, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. The device is expected to featuer a seven-inch screen and one or two built0in cameras. RIM would be entering an increasingly crowded tablet market dominated by Apple's iPad and Amazon's Kindle e-Reader. http://bit.ly/c4Uw7v

If stakeholders and members of Congress fail to cobble together net-neutrality legislation before the House adjourns, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)  does not gain a stronger argument for moving forward with reclassification, according to one member of Congress.

Rep. Gene Green (D-Texas) thinks that if House lawmakers fail to produce a consensus bill before they leave Washington, the FCC nevertheless does not gain grounds for independently increasing its authority over broadband providers.

The clock is ticking for the House to produce legislation, mark it up, and bring it to the floor before the break. Time pressure makes the prospect of passing a consensus bill more improbable everyday, according to House aides. 

The government's official Web portal added real-time alerts Tuesday, enabling the public to receive instant updates via e-mail or text message on a wide range of government information.

Notifications.USA.gov allows the public to get instant updates on everything from product recalls to natural disasters. There are more than 7,000 updates available covering 6,200 topics across 144 federal agencies and officers. Alerts can be delivered via e-mail, text or RSS feed.

“Whether it be food-safety recalls, weather warnings, or the latest information on government initiatives, the public’s need for information from their government continues to grow,” said David McClure, associate administrator of the General Services Administration's Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies.

“By putting real-time notifications at citizens’ fingertips or in the palm of their hand, we have created a way for agencies to provide critical information that citizens want in ways that they want it.”

GSA conducted an unpublicized beta test of the service beginning in mid-August that generated 12,000 subscriptions across 74 of the participating agencies. The highest levels of public interest were in the areas of health, the economy, energy, education and agriculture. The announcement is a continuation of this summer's overhaul of the entire USA.gov platform.

Google has launched a new website to track the 2010 midterm elections that makes use of data from several leading forecasters including Charlie Cook and the Rothenberg Political report.

Google's election ratings website combines ratings from several pollsters and media organizations to form an interactive map. Users can click any state or Congressional district and find out which party is projected to win November elections for the House, Senate and governor. The map uses shading to indicate a party's likelihood of winning the state or district.

"Along with other initiatives, including the Election Center with our Public Sector team and You Choose at YouTube, this map gadget is an important way that we’re working to improve communication, discourse and understanding of the political process," wrote Jesse Friedman, product marketing manager at Google Maps in a blog post published Tuesday.

The data underlying the map will be refreshed every day, and users can also embed it into their own websites.

Vice President Joe Biden used a roundtable discussion with university presidents about stimulus research grants on Tuesday to promote the administration's renewed commitment to investing in scientific research.

“Science is back in the White House,” Biden said while promising Washington will continue to provide the "seed money" to help American universities "change the world."

The purpose of the gathering was to draw attention to the more than $18 billion included in the Recovery Act for university research. Biden said the research funds were among the most critical parts of the stimulus and key to the nation's economic competitiveness.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski announced new programs on Tuesday aimed at keeping students connected to the Web both inside and outside the classroom.

Speaking at a public forum on education technology at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif., Genachowski announced a pilot program that will give students wireless access to the Internet after they leave school grounds. The Learning-On-the-Go program will enable digital textbooks, iPads and other wireless devices to connect to the Web outside of school at no cost to the students.

"Digital textbooks and other innovative wireless devices allow students to learn in a real-world context, inside the classroom and beyond. Because of their low cost and accessibility, these mobile devices can also help advance digital equity, particularly for children from economically disadvantaged communities," said the FCC in a statement.

Genachowski also said schools and libraries participating in the E-Rate program will be allowed to take advantage of unused fiber optic lines in their areas in an effort to boost the connection speeds available to students and members of the public.

The Internal Revenue Service needs to improve how it uses third-party data collected from employers, federal agencies and financial institutions to reduce the number of tax funds issued by mistake, according to a new report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

In a heavily redacted report, the IG found the IRS could do more to identify and prevent more than $1 billion in potentially erroneous refunds by making better use of the information provided by third parties. Currently the IRS doesn't have a centralized location to control the data as it is received and lacks a standard procedure to verify the data once it arrives.

In particular the IG said the additional data could be helpful in validating taxpayers' eligibility for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and other tax credits.

"These problems allow a substantial number of erroneous refunds and credits to be granted that are not allowable by law," said J. Russell George, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. "For example, I am troubled that we found a lack of adequate corrective action by the IRS to address improper claims in the EITC Program, which is particularly vulnerable to fraud."

The nonprofit Project on Government Oversight (POGO) announced the hiring of two new investigators on Tuesday.

Nick Schwellenbach has rejoined POGO for a second stint as director of investigations, where he will oversee probes into government corruption and waste. He was previously a staff writer at the Center of Public Integrity, covering congressional ethics and defense spending.

From 2004 to 2008 Schwellenbach was an investigator at POGO. He earned a B.A. in history from University of Texas-Austin and a master's in journalism and public affairs from American University.

Paul Thacker joins POGO as an investigator after spending three years working for the Senate Finance Committee under Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), where he focused on healthcare oversight. He also spent several years as an investigative journalist, and earned a B.S. in biology from University of California-Davis.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs was one of many Twitter users whose accounts were infected Tuesday with a virus.