Headlines

Benton Foundation provides free, daily summaries of articles concerning the quickly-changing telecommunications policy landscape.

Ex-Customers Sue Qwest Over Cancellation Fees

Submitted: October 19, 2008 - 7:52pm
Last updated: October 20, 2008 - 8:09pm

Recommendation:

Two former customers of Qwest Communications International Inc. have filed a lawsuit against the telecommunications provider, seeking to end early-termination fees for Internet subscribers. The suit, filed in the US District Court in Seattle, is one of the first challenges to the practice of early-termination fees as it applies to broadband services.

Liquidation unlikely for struggling newspaper companies

Submitted: October 19, 2008 - 7:51pm
Last updated: October 20, 2008 - 8:05pm

Recommendation:

Newspaper companies have been skipping loan payments, missing financial targets in debt agreements and accepting higher interest rates in exchange for more flexibility — and they're not even directly feeling the impact of the credit crisis yet.

McCain, Obama on Unleashing Innovation

Submitted: October 17, 2008 - 8:10am
Last updated: October 17, 2008 - 8:25am

Recommendation:

Both presidential candidates, in their careers and in their campaigns, have made detailed arguments for how the nation should deal with technology rivals, sharpen its competitive edge and improve what experts call its "ecology of innovation." Yet their visions are strikingly different.

China media freedoms in limbo as Olympic rules end

Submitted: October 17, 2008 - 8:10am
Last updated: October 17, 2008 - 8:10am

Recommendation:

China was silent on media freedom on Friday, the expiry date of special Olympic regulations that had officially allowed foreign journalists to report freely in most of the country for nearly two years.

Nielsen: Obama-McCain Round Three Scores 38.3 HH Rating

Submitted: October 16, 2008 - 9:22pm
Last updated: October 17, 2008 - 8:07am

Recommendation:

The third and final presidential debate between contenders Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Barack Obama (D-IL) had an overall household rating of 38.3 in Nielsen's 56 local meter markets. The audience for the Oct 15 debate was lower than the second debate (at 42.1) but higher than the first (at 34.7) on a Friday night in September.

Political Ads Lead Voters to Internet

Submitted: October 16, 2008 - 9:21pm
Last updated: October 16, 2008 - 9:22pm

Recommendation:

A survey conducted last month by the Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau (CAB) found that while 80% of voters said they first learned about political candidates on television, most used the ads only as a starting point for launching their own candidate assessment online.

Lobbyist Vicki Iseman Responds to NYTimes Story about McCain

Submitted: October 16, 2008 - 9:20pm
Last updated: October 17, 2008 - 11:33am

Recommendation:

Back in February, the New York Times published an article about the relationship between Sen John McCain (R-AZ) and telecommunications lobbyist Vicki Iseman. Now, after more than seven months of silence, Iseman has decided to speak out and aggressively defend herself, saying she "never acted unethically in my dealings with the senator."

FCC to Sponsor NASCAR Car #38

Submitted: October 16, 2008 - 9:20pm
Last updated: October 16, 2008 - 9:20pm

Recommendation:

The Federal Communications Commission will sponsor the NASCAR No. 38 entry with driver David Gilliland for a total of three races in the remaining NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as part of its digital television outreach.

FCC Spending $1 Million On DTV Ads With AARP

Submitted: October 16, 2008 - 9:19pm
Last updated: October 16, 2008 - 9:20pm

Recommendation:

The Federal Communications Commission will purchase $1 million in advertisements in AARP publications. According to FCC sources, that $1 million gets the government a full-page in AARP's November and December bulletins, as well as a full page in its Winter magazine, Spanish and English-language editions, which come out in January.

Bay Area Stations Conducting Soft Analog Shut Off Test

Submitted: October 16, 2008 - 9:18pm
Last updated: October 16, 2008 - 9:19pm

Recommendation:

Bay Area (CA) television broadcasters will conduct a soft analog shut-off test Oct 21, involving 18 stations from Santa Rosa to Monterey. The test will consist of signal tones followed by a graphic that will say "ready" for viewers who can receive a digital signal--digital TVs, converter boxes or cable--and a "not ready" for viewers of an analog over-the-air signal.

Hillary Clinton Backs NPRM On Low-Power Must Carry

Submitted: October 16, 2008 - 9:18pm
Last updated: October 16, 2008 - 9:18pm

Sen Hillary Clinton (D-NY) has sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin supporting a proposal to grant some low-power stations must-carry status on cable. She urged all the Commissioners to give "due consideration" to the item, which actually wound up being pulled from the agenda after the other four Commissioners wanted carriage to be part of an inquiry rather than a proposed rule.

White space backers see new devices in a year

Submitted: October 16, 2008 - 9:17pm
Last updated: October 16, 2008 - 9:17pm

Recommendation:

Opening unused US television channels to wireless devices, an idea endorsed by the Federal Communications Commission this week, could spark development of faster devices with features such as high-definition video within a year.

NAB Claims Discrepancies in FCC Report

Submitted: October 16, 2008 - 9:16pm
Last updated: October 16, 2008 - 9:17pm

Recommendation:

The National Association of Broadcasters is questioning whether support for "white space" devices is contradicted by key findings in a report from the FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology (OET).

Will The FCC Create An ICANN for White Spaces?

Submitted: October 16, 2008 - 9:15pm
Last updated: October 16, 2008 - 9:16pm

Recommendation:

Feld is generally pleased with the announcement by FCC Chair Kevin Martin that the exhaustive study of possible white spaces devices by the Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) proves that the FCC can go to the next step and authorize both fixed and mobile unlicensed devices. But he's wondering who will control the database that will work to supplement sensing as a way to protect over-the-air broadcasting and operation of wireless microphones.

AT&T to push wireless beyond mobile phones

Submitted: October 16, 2008 - 9:15pm
Last updated: October 16, 2008 - 9:15pm

AT&T is working on introducing wireless links in devices other than mobile phones. The biggest US mobile service will promote the inclusion of cellular links in everything from computers and digital cameras to car-navigation and entertainment systems.

NFL Network Looking To Avoid Punt To FCC ALJ

Submitted: October 16, 2008 - 9:14pm
Last updated: October 16, 2008 - 9:14pm

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says he is hopeful that the league can restart negotiations with Comcast over carriage of the NFL Network before its carriage complaint goes before an FCC administrative law judge.

FCC Slaps Time Warner Cable, Cox On Switched Video

Submitted: October 16, 2008 - 9:14pm
Last updated: October 16, 2008 - 9:14pm

The Federal Communications Commission proposed to fine Time Warner Cable and Cox Communications for moving some channels from their broadcast lineups to switched digital video groups—rendering that programming inaccessible to non-operator-supplied devices like TiVo recorders.

Could Recession Help Big Media?

Submitted: October 16, 2008 - 9:13pm
Last updated: October 16, 2008 - 9:13pm

Recommendation:

Today's ugly media truth: Online advertising rates are falling. But so far it's hard to say how a recession will impact digital media. On one hand, the rate of online display ad spending has been slowing down.

7 Reasons Why Broadcast Nets Need New Biz Models

Submitted: October 16, 2008 - 9:12pm
Last updated: October 16, 2008 - 9:12pm

Recommendation:

There are seven categorical reasons why the broadcast television networks, and eventually their cable counterparts, will not survive with traditional business models. Formidable trends that are vexing industry executives and nipping at their revenues and earnings could collectively have an explosive impact in 2009.

Bandwidth jumps on college campuses

Submitted: October 16, 2008 - 9:11pm
Last updated: October 16, 2008 - 9:12pm

Bandwidth and Internet connection speeds on most US college campuses increased significantly from 2006 to 2007, but the largest universities still have huge advantages in accessing high-performance networks. The Core Data Service Fiscal Year 2007 Report, conducted by the higher-education IT advocacy group EDUCAUSE, shows bandwidth gains at community colleges, four-year colleges, and universities with master's and doctoral programs.