Headlines

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

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.

Digital Natives May Force Rethinking on Copyright, Privacy and Broadband

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

Digital natives are not a generation, like the baby boomers; they're a population. This is because when you were born (after 1980) is only a piece of the equation that qualifies you to be a digital native.

Britain Considers Database for Telephone and E-Mail Traffic

Submitted: October 16, 2008 - 8:47am
Last updated: October 16, 2008 - 8:47am

Recommendation:

The British government is considering setting up a database of all phone and e-mail traffic in the country as part of a high-tech strategy to fight terrorism and crime, its senior law enforcement official said Wednesday.

New Data Privacy Laws Set For Firms

Submitted: October 16, 2008 - 8:46am
Last updated: October 16, 2008 - 8:46am

Recommendation:

A Nevada law that took effect this month requires all businesses there to encrypt personally-identifiable customer data, including names and credit-card numbers, that are transmitted electronically. Nevada is the first of several states adopting new laws that will force businesses -- from hair stylists to hospitals -- to revamp the way they protect customer data.