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The article examines Fourth Amendment's application in modem-era Supreme Court cases and the accompanying issue of what constitutes a reasonable expectation of internet users' privacy. Topics discussed include government owned-and-operated, city-wide municipal broadband networks; common public-private partnership for developing networks such as LinkNYC, where a private Internet Service Provider (ISP) provides Internet access via Hotspot; and third-party doctrine.

This Article makes two related arguments: one descriptive and one normative. Descriptively, it contends that the use of computer networks in carrying out intelligence operations entails a blurring of the conceptual and legal distinction between intelligence collection and covert action. In light of this emerging reality, executive branch officials face an increasingly difficult choice of legal paradigms in conducting oversight of offensive intelligence operations, as well as in seeking to characterize and respond to cyber intrusions from a defensive standpoint. Normatively, the Article argues that, absent a legislative solution, the U.S. Government should adapt to this blurring of the legal lines by increasingly treating cyber intrusions as covert actions--even, in some cases, where the primary purpose of the operation is intelligence collection. This evolution in the practice and oversight of intelligence would serve as a check against the inherent uncertainty of consequences attendant to the use of cyberspace as a medium for clandestine intelligence operations. It would also account for the need to establish flexible and proactive deterrent options in a domain where traditional legal remedies are largely inadequate to manage the threats--and assets--of cyber exploitation and cyber attack. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the performance implications of the alliance networks of 49 firms that competed for two technology standards in the U.S. local area network industry from 1989 to 1996. During the race to define a dominant design, individual firms attract the suppliers of complements by building alliance networks to favor the firms' preferred technology standard. Controlling for the number of suppliers in each technology standard community and the extent of technical progress achieved by individual firms, the panel data analysis shows that central firms with high ego network density, coupled with a strategic intent to acquire and share knowledge broadly within the technological community, achieve better innovation performance. The size of the technological community and some random events in the early formation of the industry do not provide a sufficient explanation of how these firms gain the diverse support of suppliers or enhance their competitive advantage. By demonstrating the independent and contingent effects of alliance network properties, this study explains how network patterns might enhance or limit the benefits of alliance networks when focal firms embrace different innovation strategies. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - Using a brief history of the development of WLAN standards and products this paper seeks to explain how unlicensed spectrum regulations by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have affected the industry Design/methodology/approach - The paper's approach is one of personal experience. Findings - In general, the FCC'S initiative to create an `unlicensed commons" for various forms of wireless communication applications has been the key enabler of today's multi-billion dollar per year WLAN industry In particular certain regulatory decisions over the past 25 years regarding these bands have had profound, generally beneficial but sometimes unexpected influence on the WLAN industry. Originality/value - The paper attempts to document these inflection points and their impacts on WLANs as well as to provide some insight as to how future evolutions of the unlicensed spectrum regulations can best enable optimal usage of this valuable spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This paper aims to provide a description of the genesis and development of Wi-Fi, or how the industry exploited an opportunity provided by the regulators in allowing radio communications in the unlicensed bands originally allocated for industrial, medical and scientific applications. Design/methodology/approach - The longitudinal case describes the genesis and development of Wi-Fi, with a focus on the interplay between regulation, innovation, standardization, and running a successful business. Findings - The paper argues that the current day success of Wi-Fi is a combined result of: a change in the US communications policy in the 1980s; the industry leadership provided by NCR, its successors and collaborators, to create a global standard and to deliver compatible products under the Wi-Fi label; and the influence of the users that moved the application of Wireless-LANs from the enterprise to the home, from indoor to outdoor use, from a communications product to a service, and from operators to end-users as the provider of that service. Research limitations/implications - The exploration and analysis are based on contributions by experts from the field, having been involved "first hand" in the innovation journey of Wi-Fi. Practical implications - The case describes the first globally successful large-scale application of radio communication devices operating under a licence-exempt radio frequency regime. The case is a contemporary example of innovation and product development leading to an open standard. In concluding the paper reflects on the implications of this licence-exempt case for the governance of the radio spectrum. Originality/value - While many articles and books have appeared discussing the technical aspects of Wi-Fi, the case description documents the genesis and development of Wi-Fi from an entrepreneurial perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the significance of information technology (IT) in responding to natural disasters in the U.S. The study said that majority of hospitals in the U.S. use local area networks (LANs) in responding to tragedies. In addition, the researchers stated that information technology plays a big role in emergency services of hospitals and in saving lives.

This article discusses radiofrequency exposure from wireless local area networks (WLANs) using Wi-Fi technology in the U. S. , France, Germany, and Sweden. Measurements were taken at private residences, health care and educational institutions, commercial spaces, and other public spaces. They were conducted in public spaces close to the Wi-Fi access points. Additional measurements were conducted nearby to a laptop while it was uploading and downloading large files to the WLAN to give a representative measure of the exposure that a bystander might receive from the laptop. The measured Wi-Fi signal levels were very far below international exposure limits in all cases.

An analytical model to study the performance of wireless local area networks (WLANs) supporting asymmetric nonpersistent traffic using the IEEE 802.11 distributed coordination function mode for medium access control (MAC) is developed. Given the parameters of the MAC protocol and voice codecs, the voice capacity of an infrastructure-based WLAN, in terms of the maximum number of voice connections that can be supported with satisfactory user-perceived quality, is obtained. In addition, voice capacity analysis reveals how the overheads from different layers, codec rate, and voice packetization interval affect voice traffic performance in WLANs, which provides an important guideline for network planning and management. The analytical results can be used for effective call admission control to guarantee the quality of voice connections. Extensive simulations have been performed to validate the analytical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents updates on the projects and services introduced and products and technology released by several business enterprises in the information technology sector in the U.S. as of November 2004. To start with, Acer Co. has released Aspire T310, a computer with integrated audio and video. It also has an integrated 56k modem as well as an Ethernet connection-useful if one is using a local area network connection. Likewise, Canon has released the i350 Color Bubble Jet Printer that delivers high-quality photographs, crisp text and no-hassle printing from the Web. The i350 enables users to produce edge-to-edge true borderless photographs with the look and feel of traditional photographs. CAS, on the other hand, has expanded its Scientific Century project by making thousands of additional early 20th century articles from American Chemical Society journals and other available online. Furthermore, Cell Press, USA has announced that access to the online archive of Cell and other premier journals of the Cell Press collection will become freely available to the worldwide biomedical research community beginning in January 2005. The archive of the journals includes content that is 12 months old or older and dating back to content from 1995.

The banking and thrift industries are experiencing a technological metamorphosis. New technologies such as advanced computer operating systems, wide and local area networks (WAN, LAN), and the Internet, are becoming significant strategic areas for financial institutions. The impact, composition, and trends of information technology on the banking and thrift institutions within a seven-state region of the southeastern United States are examined. Bank characteristics such as asset size, number of employees, number of full service locations, areas of lending, and return on assets are evaluated in relation to the status, scope, and experience with computer network systems. Research indicates that a number of bank composition and operations variables behaved statistically independent between size variables (assets, number of employees, and number of branches) and WAN access. The survey data also indicate that return on assets and network system variables are independent Therefore, networks systems have not had a direct impact on the bottom line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wireless network access technology in the U.S. raises new concerns when it comes to security. Those who manage wireless networks must ensure that these networks don't introduce new vulnerabilities into the corporate network. The threat of unauthorized access in wireless LAN, for instance, is significant because of uncontrolled signal propagation. This means that potential intruders physically located outside a company could access the company's internal information and network services. It is the aim of this article to discuss many options network administrators can do in defending against unauthorized access in wired or wireless networks.

The article reviews three electronic hand-held prescribing systems used by primary care physicians in the U.S. PocketScript is unique because the user can select voice recognition, screen touch or the keyboard to quickly compose and send prescriptions. The ePhysician system uses a wireless wide area network rather than a wireless local area network in the physician's office. Prescriptions can be transmitted directly to the vendor's server through an OmniSky wireless modem. AllScripts differs from the other systems because after the selection of the patient name, users select their most frequently coded diseases listed by common name and International Classification of Diseases-ninth revision code.

Provides information on the status of wideband wireless local access (WWLA) technologies in the United States. Discussion on service scenarios and availability of the market and products for wireless local area network (WLAN) and asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) technologies; Evaluation on the standardization activities for WWLA.

Presents updates on management-related issues in the U.S. as of September 1984. Use of two-tier wage plans to help control wage plans; Guidelines for hiring a guard service; Competition among local area networks; Corporate smoking policies; Employment of older workers. INSET: Management Roundup.

This paper explores harriers to information sharing and how they might he overcome. Through a case study of the Texas General Land Office, computer-based information sharing is explored in the organizational setting. In particular, the State Real property Inventory information system is examined in terms of utilization of hardware, software, and local area networks. In addition, managerial and user attitudes toward computer use are explored. We find a number of technological and organisational factors that need to be addressed in order to improve computer-based information sharing. These technological and organizational barriers combine to create an inefficient environment for adopting and use. Finally, we suggest some improvement on how management and users can utilize information sharing technologies in more effective ways in the context of structural integration of information technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outsourcing Local Area Network (LAN) administration is rapidly gaining ground but, since many LANs are connected, virtually all users have at least limited access to information stored in different locations. Corporate staff therefore need to ensure that the applications are secure. Discusses three menu programs, LAN Select, WordPerfect Office and Direct Access; considers the pros and cons of single log-ons, and evaluates Microsoft's LAN Manager 2.2. Gives guidance on what to consider when buying a management platform and on creating and implementing a security system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]