"For people whose names have been requested but not turned over, this is a reprieve," said Stewart Baker, a lawyer who represents Internet service providers.

"It's possible there are other reasons for doing this," Stewart Baker, a Washington lawyer who was formerly a lawyer for the National Security Agency, said.

"The United States export controls are at risk from Japanese competition," said Stewart Baker, a Washington lawyer who is the former general counsel for the National Security Agency.

Stewart Baker - Assistant Secretary for Policy, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (2005-2009)

However, Stewart Baker of the Department of Homeland Security publicly admonished Sony, stating, "it's your intellectual property-it's not your computer".

At the March conference on computers and privacy, Stewart Baker responded to this sort of criticism.

Stewart Baker, former general counsel for the National Security Agency, said, "The N.S.A. had a lot of clout, but it didn't have political action committees."

"This has turned into a divisive issue within the Administration," said Stewart Baker, a Washington lawyer who is a former official of the National Security Administration.

"This is probably a mixed result for the U.S.," said Stewart Baker, a Washington lawyer who represents several high-technology companies.

"We've come to an impasse and only the F.C.C. can resolve it," said Stewart Baker, an Washington lawyer representing the industry.