The Federal Communications Commission's National Broadband Plan has caught the attention of every telecommunications, digital media and technology firm.

As the business world waits for the plan to be released next month, many are speculating about what it will include and how they should react.

IBM surveyed 8,000 consumers and 60 telecom company executives to get a sense of Internet-related trends over the next decade, showing that broadband will continue to evolve and expand while traditional communications infrastructure--those copper lines we've used to make phone calls for decades--will rapidly disappear.

IBM predicts that the use of land lines will decrease by 95 percent in the next five to 10 years. Conversely, usage of mobile and wireless broadband will increase by 98 percent during the same period.

The company also found that consumers will demand open platforms, where they can access content on all types of devices. In fact, 70 percent of those surveyed said they want to access content on any device-- a computer, TV, phone or netbook--from any provider.

Interestingly, IBM found that 65 percent of consumers expect their telecom provider to maintain their role as simply providing Internet and wireless services. Only one in five consumers expect telecom providers to have a role in the retail and delivery of online content services. (Hmmm...we wonder what that says about the proposed Comcast-NBC merger?)

Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) is trying to gin up support for his revised version of a bill aiming to promote Internet freedom.

The new Global Online Freedom Act would prevent Internet companies from filtering or blocking basic political or religious terms unless they disclose those terms to the State Department.

The bill would also ban Internet companies from storing any personally identifiable information about users within the borders of restrictive countries.

In a "dear colleague" letter asking for co-sponsors, Smith said the bill "asserts a government responsibility to protect free speech and restore public confidence in U.S. business--responsibilities Congress can never delegate to the private sector."

Internet freedom became a hot topic when Google said its infrastructure had been the target of what appeared to be China-sponsored cyber attacks. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton vowed to make Internet freedom a priority and the White House said it supported Google's potential exit from China.

The Senate will also raise the Internet freedom question again on Tuesday. The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law will hear testimony from representatives from Google, the State Department, the Commerce Department, and McAfee.

The Obama administration has rejected a plea from Sen. Harry Reid to extend a deadline for broadband stimulus applications.

Google aggressively fired back at European regulators' charges of anti-competitive behavior on Thursday.

IBM wants to use traffic data to give commuters personalized travel routes to avoid highway gridlock.

The company announced today that it is developing technology that will be able to predict the outcomes of varying transportation routes to provide a personalized recommendation "that get commuters where they need to go in the fastest time."

IBM will use predictive analytics technologies to weigh factors such as traffic accidents, current and planned road construction, most traveled days of the week, expected work start times, local events that may impact traffic, parking availability and weather.

Working with state and local transportation agencies, the company will launch a few pilot projects to gauge commuters' reactions. Participants will receive the recommended routes via the web or mobile devices.

"The data exists to give commuters and transportation agencies a better way to manage traffic by today it's not connected," said Gerry Mooney, IBM General Manager for the Public Sector.

IBM held a forum on Capitol Hill today to promote alternate forms of eco-friendly transit.

Several different models have been tried abroad. In the Netherlands, for example, the rail system uses a smart card to track and evaluate the different transportation time tables and routes to improve the system.

In Sweden, officials charge commuters fees to enter and exit Stockholm in an effort to reduce travel time and encourage commuters to get off the road.

Rep. Earl Blumenaur (D-Ore.) has introduced legislation to extend his state's transit project to every other state  "so that people all across the country can have a chance to experiment themselves…It has an opportunity for us to use slightly different technological approaches.”

Portland, Ore., currently utilizes streetcars and a light-rail, which is often cited as a model of public transportation.

The IBM project wouldn’t necessarily alter any forms of transportation, but allow for commuters to utilize the current transportation in a more effective way.

At least three out of four public school teachers have little to no recent training on Internet safety, according to a new study.

A New York man pleaded guilty today to criminal copyright infringement for selling more than $250,000 worth of pirated copies of popular software programs, the FBI said.

Robert Cimino, 59, of Syracuse, used online forums to sell discounted software programs, operating under the name "SoftwareSuite." Cimino would often receive payments via PayPal and then send pirated versions of Autodesk, Intuit and Quark programs to customers.

The case comes as the Obama administration tries to develop an intellectual property enforcement strategy for the country. White House IP enforcement coordinator Victoria Espinel is seeking public input about how to best eliminate piracy and counterfeiting.

Business groups, including the Chamber of Commerce and technology industry associations, are pushing the White House to submit a comprehensive plan to Congress by the summer.

Cimino, who is scheduled to be sentenced in a U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va., on May 28, faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.

The case was investigated by the FBI's Washington Field Office.

GAO officials noted software programs that assist Census officials in the field are still experiencing "significant performance difficulties."

Lawmakers are worried the merger of Comcast and NBC Universal will kill jobs in their districts. Read more...