US network operator Verizon and internet giant Google have published a proposal to deal with issues of "network neutrality" and an "open" internet.

They want to see internet service providers prohibited from any prioritisation or blocking of information or services on the internet (as long as that information/service is legally available).

This year the number of mobile video viewers in the USA will jump by almost 30% to 23.9 million people, according to a report from eMarketer.com. That's 9.7% of all mobile phone owners and 7.7% of the total population. By 2013, those figures will double to 15% of the population (and 18.5% of mobile owners).

ABI Research says that data usage in Western Europe and North America from 2009 until 2015 is expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 42% and 55% respectively.

However, this increase in data traffic is not being matched by a rise in data revenues for network operators. Mobile data revenue is expected to grow at a CAGR of only 18% in North America, restricted in part by the popularity of 'unlimited' or 'fixed price' tariffs.

The US Library of Congress, which reviews copyright law every three years, has confirmed that smartphone owners can 'jailbreak' their handsets and install software that hasn't been approved by the manufacturer.

For example, iPhone owners can unlock their phones and install software that's not been obtained from the Apple App Store.

CTIA The Wireless Association – one of the wireless communication industry's international trade bodies – has filed a lawsuit against the city of San Francisco. It's unhappy with the new so-called "Cell Phone Right-to-Know" ruling, which insists that retailers publish Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) figures for the mobile phones they sell.