Long after this week's surveillance firestorm erupted, the White House has finally seen fit to grace the public with some justifications for their wholesale secret spying on pretty much everyone, everywhere, all the time. In a speech (full video here), Obama effectively stated that spying on such a ridiculous scale is a "critical" tool in the country's arsenal, and that both of the programs exposed in more detail this week were approved by Congress, and therefore perfectly ok.

...no more illegal wiretapping of American citizens. No more national security letters to spy on citizens who are not suspected of a crime. No more tracking citizens who do nothing more than protest a misguided war. No more ignoring the law when it is inconvenient. That is not who we are. -Barack Obama, 2007

"These are programs that have been authorized by broad bipartisan majorities repeatedly since 2006," said the President, adding that "your duly elected representatives have been consistently informed on exactly what we're doing."

Except said duly elected representatives should have voted down the program if they had an ounce of respect for liberty, privacy, and the will of their non-corporate constituents. There's a reason Congress has such a dismal approval rating and the vast majority of the country considers them a bunch of blithering, bickering, incompetent dolts.

Users in our Canadian broadband forums claim to have stumbled into what appears to be an identity theft and scam outfit posing as bogus ISPs in order to swindle users out of installation deposits and personal information. The alleged scam first came to light when users noticed a Canadian ISP by the name of "Cable Gator" offering users 200 Mbps service in regions that can't get those speeds.

Back in April we noted that AT&T was imposing a new $0.61 "Mobility Administrative Fee" on all postpaid wireless subscriber bills. According to AT&T's website, the sneaky fee "helps defray certain expenses AT&T incurs," though like AT&T's equally nonsensical "regulatory recovery fee," those expenses should be included in the cost of doing business, and not buried beneath the line.

As I've been discussing a lot lately (because it's the most important issue facing the broadband sector right now), both AT&T and Verizon are in the process of gutting regulations that require they continue offering copper landlines -- and by proxy DSL -- to tens of millions of Americans. Both companies insist that they're simply interested in "modernizing regulations" and ushering us into an "all IP age." In reality, both companies simply want to exit the fixed-line market in areas they're unwilling to upgrade.

CISPA, which critics insist erodes consumer privacy under the pretense of "cybersecurity," has passed the House with a vote of 288 to 127. CISPA isn't seeing the kind of corporate opposition SOPA did (read: Google) because in many instances it protect companies from being fast and loose with personal data, which is why it has the support of companies like AT&T and Verizon.

Back in January, former FCC boss turned cable's top lobbyist Michael Powell finally acknowledged that caps on fixed-line broadband networks weren't actually about congestion -- after the cable industry spent much of the last decade arguing caps were all about congestion. Powell did continue perpetuating the myth that caps and overages were about fairness, when most people at this point realize it's simply about driving up the price of data a. because a lack of competition allows it and b. to offset inevitable TV revenue losses to Internet video.

I've noted that while a lot of the talk of the UN "taking over the Internet" is American business interest hyperbole, international telcos have been using the upcoming talks about Internet governance to push the international telco dream of forcing content companies to subsidize network builds. It's a cash grab by government-pampered monopolists, plain and simple.

The New Republic notes that one of the cornerstones of the GOP's technology agenda being firmed up at the convention this week (aside from censoring porn, opposing net neutrality and further eliminating consumer protections) is "spectrum reform." The New Republic argues that spectrum reform in GOP parlance is really just code for taking any and all spectrum you can find and selling it to AT&T and Verizon, so they can squat on it and prevent additional competitors from entering the marketplace (aka protectionism).

In addition to just throwing money at the GOP, the incumbents and the GOP sell the idea of further protecting the nation's duopoly from competition by insisting they're just super concerned about bringing broadband to rural users.

Dish is already in hot water with the FTC for ignoring the Do Not Call Registry, and now the satellite carrier's mailers are causing some additional annoyance for consumers. The Consumerist points out how the company is also sending consumers a mailer with the words "INSTALLATION NOTICE," along with a specific "Appointment No." listed on the front. The additional message of "welcome to the DISH family" on the back tricks customers into thinking they've already been signed up for service, prompting them to call in to Dish. As some Consumerist commenters note such ads are all too common, with so many mail spam these days dressed up as official correspondence designed to catch the eye. However, letting customers know you're dishonest right off the bat doesn't seem like a winning brand strategy.

• Will Apple or Google Buy Sprint to Break Into the Wireless Network Biz? [ecommercetimes.com]
• Canadian banks issue landmark NFC payments guidelines that focus on open mobile wallets and consumer data protection [nfcworld.com]
• Nationwide wireless emergency text alert system launching this month [ubergizmo.com]
• Why is UK ISP TalkTalk’s year-old porn filter suddenly big news? [pcpro.co.uk]
• New Report Lists Top 10 Legitimate Sites Blocked by UK Adult Content Filters [ispreview.co.uk]
• Amped Wireless Unveils the Industry's Most Powerful, Long Range, Indoor Wi-Fi Solution [yahoo.com]
• LightSquared’s bankruptcy is Washington’s failure too [gigaom.com]
• Bell Mobility hit with $100-million class-action lawsuit alleging that expiry dates on its pre-paid wireless services are illegal [cbc.ca]
• Clearwire: Our LTE Advanced network will be able to hit 168 Mbps [fiercewireless.com]
• FBI Sounds Alarm on Hotel WiFi Caper [technewsworld.com]
• Why Anonymous ‘might well be the most powerful organization on Earth’ [nationalpost.com]

• Apple investigates iPad Wi-Fi issues and replaces affected units [slashgear.com]
• How the Aussie government "invented WiFi" and sued its way to $430 million [arstechnica.com]
• Looks like Apple paid off victim of warrantless 'priceless' iPhone prototype search [networkworld.com]
• Federal court throws out 2010 Colorado law meant to spur online retailers like Amazon to collect state sales tax [denverpost.com]
• South Korea tops in home WiFi, followed by UK; US way down on list [reghardware.com]
• The trouble with wi-fi on airline flights [ottawacitizen.com]
• China's 1 Billion: Just a Stat [lightreading.com]
• Tribune, DirecTV Hammer Out A Deal [multichannel.com]
• Flashback trojan reportedly controls half a million Macs and counting [arstechnica.com]
• Neil Young Trademarks New HD Audio Format [rollingstone.com]
• Court Says Sony Is Free To Change Its Terms Of Service Because Accessing PSN Is A Choice [techdirt.com]

• Austin, TX tops San Francisco in download speed study; Fort Worth & El Paso TX at bottom of list [smeet.org]
• The Solution To The Wireless Spectrum Shortage: More Wires [forbes.com]
• Public Knowledge asks FCC to investigate data-capped broadband plans; Urges FCC to ask why caps are necessary and how consumers are affected by them [broadcastingcable.com]
• Why 2012 Is LTE’s ‘Breakout’ Year [cable360.net]
• Wi-Fi is more important than ever, but standards are lacking [fiercewireless.com]
• Clearwire CFO Lays Out Trump Card: Capacity [wirelessweek.com]
• 2012: The year of the App-ocalypse? [cnet.com]
• Sprint needs - and can handle - next iPhone, analyst says [Kansas City Business Journal]
• Report: Operators cut handset subsidies to safeguard data revenue gains [fiercewireless.com]
• ValCom sues Megaupload for up to $900 million in damages [thenextweb.com]
• Massive Conflict Of Interests In ICANN Called Out By CEO, Start To Get Some Attention [techdirt.com]
• US broadcasters put the squeeze on small-town cable TV [theregister.co.uk]
• Facebook says it may launch legal action against employers who ask for user passwords [thenextweb.com]

Since around 2004 we've talked about the significant amount of fraud involved in the government's IP Relay service, which is intended to help the hearing impaired communicate with phone users via the Internet with the help of paid transcription workers. Unfortunately, for the better part of a decade the service has been abused by scammers and other assorted technoscumbags, with carriers doing nothing about it because they're paid by the FCC (aka you) about $1.50 per minute to carry this traffic.

• Comcast blaming Wells Fargo Bank for accidentally double billing Xfinity subscribers, then charging customers $25 to correct the mistake [fiercecable.com]
• Defiant LightSquared says FCC action would violate its rights- FCC needs to let it launch LTE or offer compensation [networkworld.com]
• Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, Apple, Foursquare and 13 other social media firms hit with lawsuit accusing them of supplying mobile apps that invade users' privacy [theregister.co.uk]
• Epic Fail: The newly-found Microsoft RDP flaw attack code appears to have been leaked by Microsoft itself (or one of its partners) [theregister.co.uk]
• Indian Court Orders SOPA-style Blackout of 100+ Music Sites [torrentfreak.com]
• Why does team Obama want to kill LightSquared? [foxnews.com]
• Competitive service providers launch Broadband Coalition advocacy group [fierecetelecom.com]
• NCTA: U.S. Shouldn't Regulate Cable Set-Top Power Usage [multichannel.com]
• Rumor: Google Is Getting Ready To Release A $150 Answer To The Kindle Fire [businessinsider.com]
• Loose-lipped iPhones top the list of smartphones exploited by hacker [arstechnica.com]
• Will Pinterest fall into Napster's legal trap? [theweek.com]
• New iPad jailbroken on day of release [theverge.com]
• Microsoft Said to Plan Debut of New Xbox in 2013 at Earliest [bloomberg.com]

• ISP threatens, via its T&C, to sue anyone who tranfers a file downloaded on their Nlackberry to another device [mybroadband.co.za]
• CentuyLink: Colorado bill will cost huge amounts of jobs, kill service to hundreds of thousands, risks Colorado's share of Connect America funds [MSN Money]
• Comcast sends malware warnings by snail mail: "Fix it or law enforcement will shut down your machines! If you don't know how, buy our service for $80 plus $20/month!" [heraldextra.com]
• Welsh broadband provider warns farmers that they could be fined for not using online services, despite not having access to broadband [broadbandchoice.co.uk]
• US Government Admits It Has Seized Hundreds Of Domains Registered Outside The US [techdirt.com]
• How Frictionless Sharing Could Undermine Your Legal Right to Privacy [theatlantic.com]
• No 4G in China for 2 - 3 years [pcworld.com]
• Cox raises basic cable fees 18% to cover retrans fee hikes [fiercecable.com]
• New law gives Canadian telecoms regulator the power to shut down VoIP providers who don't comply with 911 rules [globeandmail.com]
• Are smartphones killing digital cameras, and photojournalism? [techi.com]
• Would you prefer an Apple monopoly or an Amazon monopoly? [forbes.com]
• New system wirelessly recharges electronic devices from up to several feet away [nytimes.com]
• Court Confirms Police Don't Need A Warrant To Do A Limited Search Of A Mobile Phone [bna.com]

• Thinktank reveals the Internet of the future: "The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot access the internet" [express.co.uk]
• With New Standard,Wi-Fi Could Become As Widespread As Cellular [Popular Science]
• New Rules To Block 'Distracted Driving' Will Likely Make Things Worse, Not Better [techdirt.com]
• Mobile Web and App Usage Now at Parity [gigaom.com]
• $13.9 Billion Gone, and the Wireless Disruption Has Just Begun [forbes.com]
• T-Mobile USA to spend $4 billion on LTE buildout [totaltele.com]
• 2020: The Rise or Demise of Wireless Carriers? [mashable.com]
• How New Internet Spying Laws Will Actually Enable Stalkers, Spammers, Phishers And, Yes, Pedophiles & Terrorists [techdirt.com]
• European MVNOs get crunched on price and turn to data [foercewireless.com]
• Google Music not living up to expectations [cnet.com]
• Google Allows ‘Do-Not-Track’ Button in Browser to Protect Consumer Data [bloomberg.com]

As we've been discussing lately, there's many people who like to insist we're always facing an unavoidable "capacity crisis" that never arrives. If you find someone engaging in capacity scare mongering, they're usually selling hardware (Cisco, Sandvine), bad anti-competitive policy and high price justifications (carrier lobbyists), or eager to make a buck off of spectrum auctions (FCC).

Back in October Mobile WiMax operator Open Range Communications filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. At the time, Open Range still owed $73.5 million of a $267 million loan from the U.S.

• Hackers Figuring Out How To Set Up Satellites To Route Around Internet Censorship [bbc.co.uk]
• New law in Malaysia's largest city requires thay all restaurant's must provide WiFi [thenextweb.com]
• LTE, VoLTE and HSPA+42 will highlight 2012 [fiercewireless.com]
• Will 2012 be the 'Year of Convergence'? [computerweekly.com]
• People want more wireless broadband, US needs to take care of that pesky digital divide [huffingtonpost.com]
• Wilson Electronics announces first LTE signal booster [wirelessweek.com]
• China adds 42 cities to integrated communications network trial [totaltele.com]
• Carriers talking about building new trans-pacific network to handle data increases [lightreading.com]
• EU politicians calling for lower Internet roaming charges (again) [guardian.co.uk]
• Android, iOS app downloads top 1 Billion during Xmas week [networkworld.com]
• Belarus digitizes its iron curtain, citizens banned from foreign websites [theregister.co.uk]
• Secret Motorola XOOM project may be Androd 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) update [bgr.com]
• RIM cuts all PlayBooks to $300, gets ad hoc Android Market [electronista.com]

• Is the FBI really using Carrier IQ data for law enforcement purposes? [thenextweb.com]
• Google chairman says SOPA would criminalize the Internet [thehill.com]
• European Commission proposes forcing all the continent’s public bodies to open up their data for re-use; wants to give “internet survival packs” to hacktivists challenging repressive regimes [paidcontent.org]
• Copyright and remix culture: The new Prohibition? [gigaom.com]
• Kazaa, Morpheus founders say they invented cloud technology; sue Google, Amazon, everyone else [theregister.co.uk]
• Mobile devices need constant security now [fiercewireless.com]
• Rogers expands LTE in Canada [newswire.ca]
• Megaupload to sue Universal for wrongful YouTube takedown [torrentfreak.com]
• Free WiFi tops list of most valued hotel amenities [fm-world.co.uk]
• Broadcom promotes new 802.11ac standard, hopes it will replace 802.11n by 2012 [eetimes.com]
• AT&T to decide T-Mobile deal by Jan. 12 [wirelessweek.com]
• Romanian hackers arrested in huge Internet-connected store register hack; stole 80000+ credit card numbers from 150 Subway stores alone, hacked 50 more retailers registers [MSNBC.com]
• Are we suffering from global gadget fatigue? [nytimes.com]
• AOL will combine dial-up, web services [bloomberg.com]