New York - A number of powerful telecom firms and technology trade groups have come to the aid of Cablevision, filing a brief in support of the company's appeal of a federal court ruling that prohibited it from launching a network-based digital video recorder (DVR).

Washington - The Digital Media Association (DiMA), a trade group of webcasters whose members include AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo and Apple's iTunes Store, has filed a "friend of the court" brief opposing a claim by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) that digital music downloads should be considered "public performances," and therefore subject to an additional performance license and royalty.

Washington - The CTIA, a wireless industry association, said on Monday that former presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton will both speak at its CTIA Wireless 2007 event in Orlando. The former presidents will appear for one hour in a joint keynote session on March 29, which will include individual remarks and a question-and-answer session. Bush and Clinton co-founded of the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund, which has raised and distributed more than $100 million for victims of hurricane disasters.