WCIT
U.S. fails to win early limit on Net controls at global gathering. A U.S. and Canadian proposal to protect the Internet from new international regulation has failed to win prompt backing from other countries, setting up potentially tough negotiations to rewrite a telecom treaty. (Reuters)
Berners-Lee warns of net threat. Web inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee says the agenda of some delegates at a UN conference could pose a "disruptive threat" to the internet. (BBC)
Fiscal Cliff
Tax Deduction Limits May Trim Deficits, but Not Easily. Republican leaders say they can raise $800 billion in revenue in the first decade by limiting tax breaks, a proposal that analysts say is possible but bound to face political hurdles. (NYT)
Obama to stress need to raise debt limit "without drama." President Barack Obama will renew his case for tax hikes on wealthy Americans to avert a year-end fiscal crunch and call for a smooth increase in the nation's borrowing limit in a speech to a business group on Wednesday, a White House official said. (Reuters)
Centrist Dems lying low on deficit negotiations to avoid 2014 backlash. Senate Democratic centrists are lying low and keeping quiet about competing proposals from President Obama and House GOP leaders. (The Hill)
Cybersecurity and Privacy
Huawei denies US 'threat' claims. Chinese telecoms firm Huawei hits back at report by American politicians which claims it is a security threat. (BBC)
Making Permanent Digital Records Not So Permanent. The Internet is forever — and so are texts, tweets and Facebook updates — but a startup has big ambitions to bring privacy and impermanence to online communication. The company, called Wickr, lets users decide how long a message lives. The people behind Wickr found inspiration in 1960s-era TV and messages that self-destructed. "I think everybody who's watched Mission Impossible has always wanted self-destructing messages," says co-founder Nico Sell. (NPR)
European banking cyber attack claims €36m. Hackers have stolen more than €36m from 30 banks across Europe using a new two-stage Trojan virus that spreads from a victim’s PC to their mobile phone. More than 30,000 online banking customers in Germany, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands were affected by the attack, which security companies have called Eurograbber. (FT)
International Trade
Senate To Consider Russia MFN Bill Midday; Expects Same-Day Passage. The Senate leadership plans to consider legislation that would effectively grant permanent most favored nation status to Russia and Moldova at 2 p.m. on Dec. 5, according to a schedule posted on the Senate Democrats' website. (Inside US Trade)
India May Ease Restrictions On Foreign Retailers. Attempts by the Indian government to allow big foreign companies like Wal-Mart to operate in India faced a new hurdle on Tuesday, as parliament began a debate on the subject. The opposition launched a fiery attack on the plan, but government ministers seem convinced they have the votes to push the measure through. (NPR)
Twenty-Four Senators Press Obama On TPP Goals In Union-Backed Letter. Twenty-four senators have urged President Obama to pursue six specific negotiating objectives in a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal, including enforceable labor rights provisions and disciplines to guard against currency manipulation, in a letter organized by Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) with the support of key U.S. unions. (Inside US Trade)
Economy
The Big Easy Hopes Technology Will Solve Hard Recovery Issues. New Orleans is centralizing municipal data and building apps to give officials tools to aid in the recovery from Hurricane Katrina and improve city services, while allowing residents to hold government more accountable. (WSJ)
Telecom and Mobility
Court Upholds F.C.C. Rule on Use of Data Networks. The Federal Communications Commission can require cellphone companies to let customers of other carriers use their signals when outside their home territories. (NYT)
Regulation
Senate Dems grill FTC nominee. Joshua Wright faced some tough questioning from Democrats during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee. (Politico Pro)
Accessibility
European Commission: Public sector sites must become disability-friendly. The European Commission (EC) says that by 2015, disabled users of public sector websites should be able to access particular content and services. (ZDNet)