A Minnesota man has pleaded guilty to selling pirated copies of movies on eBay, in the first such criminal copyright case brought by federal prosecutors. According to the Department of Justice, 20-year-old Andre Pnewski testified that he downloaded the films from the eDonkey file-trading service and sold them on CDs through eBay. He was sentenced to six months of home detention with electronic bracelet monitoring and must pay $7,170 in damages to the Motion Picture Association of America.

VeriSign plans to unveil a digital identity program for school-age children, which it says will bolster online safety for the growing number of young Web surfers. The Net infrastructure and security company and partner i-Safe America, a group that educates children about online safety, will demonstrate the use of digital IDs at a Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee luncheon and technology fair in Washington, D.C. VeriSign and i-Safe are working together to bring digital ID tokens to children between 12 and 17 years old. Currently, more than 48 million American children aged 5 to 17 regularly use the Internet, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. That figure is expected to swell to more than 77 million by next year. Under a pilot program scheduled for introduction during the summer, parents can sign up their children for digital credentials when enrolling them in school. VeriSign will issue the ID hardware and the schools will act as the registration authority. There will be no cost to the students or to the schools. The token, which plugs into a computer's USB port, will allow children to encrypt e-mail, to access kid-safe sites and to purchase items that require a digital signature.

WebMD recently reported that U.S. securities regulators have joined a Justice Department probe into the health information provider's accounting practices but the organization does not believe the SEC investigation constitutes an expansion of the initial probe, which began in September.

RealNetworks acknowledged recently that three flaws affecting different versions of its media player could allow attackers to create corrupt music or video files that, when played, take control of a victim's PC. The flaws can affect RealNetworks' RealOne Player, RealOne Player version 2, RealPlayer 8, RealPlayer 10 Beta, and the company's RealOne Enterprise products. To exploit them, an attacker crafts the data in a media file in a certain way. When people play or stream the corrupted file in a vulnerable version of RealPlayer, the attacker's code will run, compromising the PC. Security vulnerabilities that can be exploited through playing a media file have been rare and RealNetworks has posted instructions on its Web site for people to update their RealPlayer software.

Is the wireless industry only for the young? The youth market in the United States --with some 25 million to 35 million potential customers--is set to be a lucrative one for the wireless industry, researcher In-Stat/MDR recently reported. Wireless carriers stand to benefit most from the opportunities, but gains should also accrue to handset manufacturers and to those developing applications like games for wireless devices.

The Federal Trade Commission approved a consent decree requiring America Online to change its practices involving its subscriber cancellation policies and late rebates. The consent decree finalizes a settlement reached between the FTC and AOL in September 2003 which prohibits AOL from charging people after they cancel the service and requires the company to pay rebates within the time period advertised in the offer.

The Washington Post Co. neglected to pay the $19 annual registration fee for its corporate domain name, an oversight that caused the company's internal e-mail system to crash for part of the day. According to a company representative, the newspaper arm of The Washington Post Co. is responsible for updating the record for Washpost.com with domain-name registrar Network Solutions. That record lapsed this week, interrupting delivery of corporate e-mail and that of newspaper staff members. The registration was updated Thursday, according to Network Solution's online records, and e-mail is flowing again, the representative said.

PROCUREMENT AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

The following is a listing of recently published technology procurement or Federally funded opportunities with various governmental entities. We hope our readers take the opportunity to investigate these postings and increase their business :

The following procurements were posted on www.eps.gov :

HHS - National Institutes of Health
National Library of Medicine
R -- DVD Production Services
Synopsis
http://www.eps.gov/spg/HHS/NIH/OAM/04%2D071/listing.html

DISA - Acquisition Directorate
DITCO-Scott
D--INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES, INCLUDING COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES Synopsis
http://www.eps.gov/spg/DISA/D4AD/DITCO/VARIOUS%2D11%2DFeb%2D2004/listing.html

USA - U. S. Army Materiel Command
TACOM - Picatinny, Center for Contracting and Commerce R--Synopsis for 17-20 February 2004 Modular Intermodal Platform(MIP) QFD meeting Modification 01
http://www.eps.gov/spg/USA/USAMC/DAAE30/W15QKN%2D04%2DX% 2D0219/listing.html

TREAS - Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP)
Office of Procurement
R -- R-Professional, administrative, and management support services Synopsis
http://www.eps.gov/spg/TREAS/BEP/OPDC20220/RFQ%2D04%2D0320/listing.html

USAF - Air Force Materiel Command
AFRL, Space Vehicles Directorate, Kirtland AFB
A -- Staring Technology for Enhanced Visible Image Exploitation (STEVIE) Solicitation 01, Synopsis
http://www.eps.gov/spg/USAF/AFMC/AFRLPLSVD/Reference%2DNumber%2DVS
%2D04%2D03/listing.html

DON - Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command
SPAWAR Systems Center San Diego
R -- Engineering and Technical Support Services for Integration, Design, and Analysis of Emerging Navigation and Air C4ISR Technologies Synopsis http://www.eps.gov/spg/DON/SPAWAR/SPAWARSYSCEN%5FSan%5FDiego/
N66001%2D04%2DR%2D5014/listing.html

USA - U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command
U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Deputy Commander R--Professional, Scientific, Technical and Management Support to the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense (JPEO-CBD) Synopsis http://www.eps.gov/spg/USA/SMDC/DASG60/W9113M%2D04%2DB%2D0002/
listing.html

The following was reported by SSTI Weekly Digest
A Publication of the State Science and Technology Institute
SSTI, 5015 Pine Creek Drive, Westerville, Ohio  43081
Phone: (614) 901-1690     Fax: (614) 901-1696
http://www.ssti.org

Department of Labor
The Department of Labor's budget request for FY 2005 is 4.5 percent less than the FY 2004 appropriation. The agency's payroll, however, would increase by 73 full-time equivalent positions, according to the budget overview. The budget decrease is due largely to an anticipated decline in spending for mandatory programs such as unemployment benefits as the economy improves.

Receiving most of the attention in the press is the Administration's plans for the Community College Initiative , a new $250 million employer-focused state grant program for training conducted through community and technical colleges. The budget request states, the grants would be "awarded to states that can certify that the training will be focused on industries with demonstrated labor shortages, such as health care and high-tech manufacturing. The request is expected to result in training and subsequent employment or an opportunity for enhanced employment for up to 100,000 individuals."

A total of $3.28 billion is requested for employment and training programs for adults , an increase of $149.3 million above 2004. The net increase is largely the result of several new program proposals offered in conjunction with a new Consolidated Adult and Dislocated Worker State Grant, to be authorized by an amended Workforce Investment Act.

Department of Labor
The Department of Labor's budget request for FY 2005 is 4.5 percent less than the FY 2004 appropriation. The agency's payroll, however, would increase by 73 full-time equivalent positions, according to the budget overview. The budget decrease is due largely to an anticipated decline in spending for mandatory programs such as unemployment benefits as the economy improves.

Receiving most of the attention in the press is the Administration's plans for the Community College Initiative , a new $250 million employer-focused state grant program for training conducted through community and technical colleges. The budget request states, the grants would be "awarded to states that can certify that the training will be focused on industries with demonstrated labor shortages, such as health care and high-tech manufacturing. The request is expected to result in training and subsequent employment or an opportunity for enhanced employment for up to 100,000 individuals."

A total of $3.28 billion is requested for employment and training programs for adults , an increase of $149.3 million above 2004. The net increase is largely the result of several new program proposals offered in conjunction with a new Consolidated Adult and Dislocated Worker State Grant, to be authorized by an amended Workforce Investment Act.

Department of Transportation
The Administration's FY 2005 budget request of $58.7 billion for the Department of Transportation (DOT) is 0.2 percent higher than the FY 2004 appropriation. DOT's request would be distributed across the department's five key strategic objectives as follows:

• Improve safety (24.4 percent);
• Increase mobility for all Americans (64.9 percent);
• Increase global transportation connectivity in support of the Nation's economy (0.5 percent);
• Protect the environment (7.9 percent); and,
• Support national security (0.8 percent).

The 1.4 percent balance would go toward "organizational excellence," according to the DOT Budget in Brief.

SSTI also highlights the research and development (R&D) portion of the DOT budget request:

In FY05, the Research, Engineering, and Development line item at the Federal Aviation Administration (FHA) would be $117 million, a decrease of $2.4 million from FY04 appropriations. The majority of the funds, $93 million, will be used for aviation safety research; the balance for issues concerning mobility ($7.7 million) and the environment ($16.7 million).

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) requests $428 million for Research and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). FHWA will continue to work on identifying ways to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities on the nation's roadways by demonstrating the application of innovative technologies in highway safety, deploying and evaluating safety technologies and innovations at the state and local levels, and assuring the deployment of best practices in training, management, design and planning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requests $94.4 million for research and analysis into reducing highway fatalities and injuries by providing leadership in crash causation and crash prevention research. This includes crashworthiness research for occupant protection and biomechanics; driver distraction testing; crash causation research; and national crash data systems. A new $5 million crash avoidance initiative will analyze real-world data and assess methods to test new motor vehicle technologies and improve driver performance. A new $1 million initiative is also included to develop an innovative crash data system to provide real-time fatality data.

The FY05 budget request for the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) reflects program streamlining and consolidation proposed in pending surface transportation reauthorization legislation. As a result, comparisons to previous year budget allocations are difficult. FTA requests $50.6 million for National Research, while the R&D category received $131 million in FY04, including the University Transportation Centers . The FY05 research request is to be distributed across four programs as follows

• $32.1 million for the National Research Program;
• $8.4 million for the Transit Cooperative Research Program ;
• $4.1 million for the National Transit Institute training programs; and,
• $6 million for the University Transportation Research Program.

At $36 million, the R&D budget for the Federal Railway Administration (FRA) would increase 5.9 percent over FY04 appropriations. The FRA research agenda supports efforts in the areas of rail systems safety, track structures, train occupant protection, human factors in train operations, rolling stock and components, track and train interaction, track control, grade crossings, and hazardous materials. The $2 million increase would provide funding for a High-Speed and Freight Locomotive simulator (partnering with the Army), as well as research in the areas of driver behavior and accident causation. The increase also would continue the installation of the Nationwide Differential Global Positioning System, which will provide precise positioning and navigation information to ensure the safety and security of lives and property throughout the United States .

The request for the Next Generation High Speed Rail initiative is $10 million in FY05.

Poised to receive a nine percent increase in FY05 funds, the Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA) serves to protect people and the environment from risks of hazardous materials transportation; foster transportation innovations through research, technology, education and training; and prepare the nation's transportation system to aid people and property harmed by natural or terrorist disasters.

The FY05 budget request for RSPA's research and special programs line item is $53 million, 15.2 percent higher than FY04. The research programs element, however, remains $3 million. Funds will be used to improve DOT's overall R&D program and to promote the safe transport of hydrogen fuels and fuel systems so that alternative-fuel vehicles can be developed as a safe alternative to petroleum-fueled vehicles. RSPA will be working with the Department of Energy to obtain $1 million in reimbursable funding for this purpose.

The Minority Business Resource Center (MBRC) program, through the DOT Offfice of the Secretary requests $3.9 million in FY05. $0.9 million in federal subsidy and administrative expenses will support an $18 million short-term loan guarantee program to assist small, disadvantaged and women-owned transportation-related businesses; and $3 million will fund the Minority Business Outreach program, which includes a clearinghouse for national dissemination of information on transportation-related projects and grants to minority educational institutions.

Environmental Protection Agency
The Administration's FY 2005 budget request for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is $7.76 billion, a $133 million increase over the FY 2004 request level. However, the agency's science and technology programs would receive $689 million, a $42 million decrease from FY04, and research programs would receive $512.7 million, or $28.7 million less than they did a year ago. Research in 15 program areas, four of which are detailed further below, would be affected by the cut.

Funding for three areas closely tied to homeland security that would experience increases or decreases, by percent, are:

• Communication and Information — $4.3 million (13.1 percent increase).
• Critical Infrastructure Program — $11.9 million (63.4 percent decrease).
• Preparedness, Response and Recovery — $56.4 million (9.6 percent decrease).

Other EPA programs of interest include:

• Pollution Prevention Grant Program — $7 million to help state programs assist businesses and industries in identifying environmental strategies for complying with federal and state environmental regulations.
• Regional Science and Technology — $3.6 million (0.5 percent increase).
• Research — $589 million (5.3 percent decrease).
• Environmental Technology Verification — $3 million (25.3 percent decrease) for this voluntary, market-based verification program for commercial-ready technologies.
• Human Health and Ecosystems — $177.4 million (7 percent decrease) to enhance current risk assessment and management strategies and guidance to better consider risk determination needs for children.
• Pollution Prevention — $34.1 million ($12.7 percent decrease).

Fellowships — $8.3 million (29 percent increase) to support the Science To Achieve Results (STAR) Fellowship Program