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March 28, 2012 (House votes to limit FCC; NTIA Spectrum Report)
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2012
Today’s events http://benton.org/calendar/2012-03-28/
FCC REFORM
House votes to limit FCC on regulations, merger authority
Backlog Update Reveals Over 10,000 Items Still Pending at FCC - press release
Reforming FCC to unleash innovation - op-ed
WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
NTIA Issues Report Setting Path to Make Prime Spectrum Available - press release
Wireless industry wants airwaves auctioned, not shared [links to web]
NTIA Spectrum Plan Could Force Second ENG Exodus
FCC Announces Auction Experts to Advise on Incentive Auction Design and Implementation - press release
T-Mobile to FCC: Public not served by Verizon obtaining more spectrum [links to web]
T-Mobile battles the subsidy beast (by raising prices)
Why you can't sue your wireless carrier in a class action
Sprint says Dish spectrum deal may be possible [links to web]
Clearwire-Fueled Freebie Services Threaten AT&T, Verizon [links to web]
Why does Apple care so much about SIM cards anyway? - analysis [links to web]
To Keep Customers, Brick-And-Mortar Stores Look To Smartphones [links to web]
Free Wi-Fi is Gone Forever - analysis [links to web]
4G or Not 4G: A Guide to Cut Through All the 'Fast' Talk - analysis [links to web]
INTERNET/BROADBAND
The technical and legal realities of Comcast’s Xbox cap spat - analysis
Meanwhile, Back At The D.C. Circuit... The Open Internet Litigation Plods Along. - analysis
While Some States Debate 21st Century Internet, Others Consider Returning to 19th Century
It's time to strike down the 'Amazon exemption' - op-ed
Broadband projects take a bumpy ride in Minnesota
Pando Networks Releases 2011 American Broadband Study - press release
Satellite broadband providers expand into rural areas [links to web]
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
House committee okays latest version of GOFA
Lawmakers push resolution opposing UN regulation of the Internet [links to web]
Information Will Be Free: Media, Groups Get Around Supreme Court's Rules [links to web]
One-third of We the People petitions are Six Months Old [links to web]
Justice accused of hindering multi-agency FOIA website [links to web]
JOURNALISM
News Organizations That Lobby Against Their Own Reporters’ Interests - analysis
No Experience Necessary?
Digital journalists look for lessons in work of NPR’s one-man newsroom [links to web]
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting Awards Grant to NPR for Foreign News Coverage - press release [links to web]
MEDIA & ELECTIONS
4As: New Research Tracks Viewer Voting Patterns [links to web]
Beware of the super-PAC: More lawmakers are fearing an ad ambush [links to web]
Sen McCain predicts "huge" U.S. campaign finance scandals [links to web]
News Organizations That Lobby Against Their Own Reporters’ Interests - analysis
CYBERSECURITY
Committee Finds Efforts to Secure Nation’s Information Technology Systems Inadequate - press release [links to web]
Reps Bono Mack, Blackburn Introduce Industry-Friendly Cyber Bill [links to web]
Sen McCain: Don't give Homeland Security lead in defending against cyberattacks [links to web]
Deals increase with need for more network security [links to web]
PRIVACY
FTC Charges That Security Flaws in RockYou Game Site Exposed 32 Million Email Addresses and Passwords - press release [links to web]
Anatomy of a leak: how iPhones spill the ID of networks they access [links to web]
ADVERTISING
CBS Heads to Upfront With Packaged-Goods-Specific Show Ratings [links to web]
Sex May Sell, But Age/Sex Cells Do Not: CBS, General Mills Call For The End Of Demos [links to web]
NPR Pushes Digital Sponsorships [links to web]
CONTENT
Most of world interconnected through email, social media [links to web]
RIAA: Consumers are shelling out for subscription music [links to web]
What book publishers should learn from Harry Potter - analysis [links to web]
Even Old Media Institutions Are Acting Like New Media - analysis [links to web]
Why Your Inbox May Seem a Little Less Crowded These Days [links to web]
Facebook knows your heart -- and it's complicated [links to web]
COMPANY NEWS
3 Ways That Google Is Searching To Secure Its Future [links to web]
Google working on advanced Web engineering [links to web]
STORIES FROM ABROAD
The trouble with China's Huawei
See also: Symantec Dissolves a Chinese Alliance [links to web]
In Europe the internet is free — except when it’s not [links to web]
Google under fire in UK MPs report into privacy [links to web]
MORE ONLINE
Why PEG and Community Access Television is a Media Justice Fight - editorial [links to web]
Revolution @State: The Spread of Ediplomacy - research [links to web]
Public Input Shaped the Guiding Principles for Stage 2 Meaningful Use NPRM - press release [links to web]
A Surge in Learning the Language of the Internet [links to web]
FCC REFORM
FCC REFORM BILL
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Pete Kasperowicz]
The House passed a bill that would require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to do more study and require more public input before releasing regulations, and weaken the FCC's ability to dictate the terms of mergers between communications mergers. The House voted 247-174 in favor of H.R. 3309, the Federal Communications Commission Process Reform Act. It was passed over the objection of all Democrats save 12 — Democrats spent much of the day arguing that the bill was a GOP attempt to shut down the agency. "This bill would not reform the FCC, it would disable it," House Energy & Commerce Committee Ranking Member Henry Waxman (D-CA) said. "The bill erects procedural hurdles that make it more difficult for the FCC to protect consumers. It strips the FCC of its power to ensure that mergers between telecommunication companies are in the public interest. If this bill is enacted, it would stymie the ability of the agency to do much of anything, except produce reports for Congress."
Just before the final vote, the House accepted two Democratic amendments to the bill. One would clarify that the bill will not impede the FCC's ability to provide communications to alert people of dangerous weather, and the other would say nothing in the bill will interfere with the FCC's rule in providing communications to state and local first responders. Another amendment, from Rep Greg Walden (R-OR), would make the FCC's handling of Freedom of Information Act requests more transparent. But like so many bills that have passed the House, the FCC bill has no chance of being considered in the Democratic Senate. On top of that, the Obama administration said it would veto the bill if it somehow made it through the Congress.
benton.org/node/118182 | Hill, The | see the vote tally | The Hill - Amendments | The Hill - Amendments
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BACKLOG AT FCC
[SOURCE: House of Representatives Commerce Committee, AUTHOR: Press release]
This week, the House will vote on the Federal Communications Commission Process Reform Act, H.R. 3309, which will bring greater transparency and predictability to the FCC’s operations. Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Cliff Stearns (R-FL) underscored the need for these reforms, highlighting the number of items still awaiting a decision by the FCC. Last year, the committee released an initial report on the Workload of the FCC, which outlined the number of pending items at the Commission based on July data.
“Last November’s staff report confirmed that [FCC] Chairman [Julius] Genachowski has made good progress on FCC process, but there is much work left to be done,” said Chairman Walden. “The Commission’s recent response has shown continued improvements in many areas at the Commission, but significant backlogs still remain, with 4,984 petitions, 3,950 applications, and more than 1,083 consumer complaints still pending at the Commission. These workload issues highlight the need for good process, and that’s why it’s important we move forward with process reform legislation now, so that the agency locks in the gains it has already made and so that the public will see it continue to improve into the future.”
benton.org/node/118151 | House of Representatives Commerce Committee
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REFORMING THE FCC
[SOURCE: Politico, AUTHOR: Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR)]
[Commentary] “If it ain’t broke, don’t break it.” That’s how the late Jim Quello, a commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission, described his approach to regulation. It’s a view the FCC would be well-served to follow today. Despite a lackluster economy, landline, wireless and cable providers invested $66 billion in broadband infrastructure in 2010, $3 billion more than in 2009 — totaling more than a half-trillion dollars over the past 8 years. The U.S. is leading in cutting-edge wireless technologies. The result is innovation that was unthinkable a decade ago. Before the FCC interferes in that marketplace with regulation, it should find compelling evidence that something is broken and that its remedy will likely improve the situation. Much work remains before the FCC can fully meet the expectations of the American people. A former White House adviser, Philip Weiser, has said that the agency “is in dire need of institutional reform.” While one chairman may make the FCC’s process better, another may let it slip again. Taxpayers and the communications sector deserve what only Congress can give them — reforms that will last from one commission to the next, regardless of which party controls the legislature or the FCC.
benton.org/node/118150 | Politico
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WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
NTIA SPECTRUM REPORT
[SOURCE: National Telecommunications and Information Administration, AUTHOR: Press release]
The Department of Commerce, through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), announced its finding that 95 megahertz (MHz) of prime spectrum could be repurposed for wireless broadband use. Reallocation of this spectrum would represent significant progress towards achieving President Obama’s goal to nearly double the amount of commercial spectrum available this decade. The President’s initiative will spur investment, economic growth, and job creation while supporting the growing demand by consumers and businesses for wireless broadband services. NTIA, working with federal agencies, evaluated the potential of the 1755–1850 MHz band to accommodate commercial wireless broadband service. This spectrum band is of great interest to the wireless industry. However, over 20 federal agencies currently hold more than 3,100 individual frequency assignments in this band to perform a host of mission-critical functions, including law enforcement surveillance, military tactical communications, air combat training, and precision-guided munitions. While NTIA’s analysis shows it is possible to repurpose all 95 MHz of spectrum for commercial wireless broadband, there are several challenges that need to be met before making a formal recommendation to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
NTIA proposes a new path forward for spectrum repurposing that relies on a combination of relocating federal users and sharing spectrum between federal agencies and commercial users. Spectrum sharing will be a vital component to satisfying the growing demand for spectrum, and federal and non-federal users will need to adopt innovative spectrum-sharing techniques to accommodate this demand. NTIA proposes convening discussions between industry and the relevant federal agencies under the auspices of the Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee, with the goal of finding ways to work together through sharing or other means to reduce the time and expense of repurposing the 1755-1850 MHz band, while maintaining essential Federal capabilities and maximizing commercial utilization.
benton.org/node/118154 | National Telecommunications and Information Administration
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IMPACT ON ELECTRONIC NEWS GATHERING
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The National Telecommunications & Information Administration has said its just-released report finding that 95 MHz more federal spectrum could be freed up for wireless broadband faces some challenges. One of those is that it will have to move some federal agencies to other spectrum, and one proposal by the Department of Defense would mean broadcast and cable electronic news gatherers (ENG) using the Broadcast Auxiliary Service band would be forced to make a second exodus over the next 5-10 years. ENG spectrum was reclaimed and users repacked/moved from the 2 GHZ band to a new home between 2025 and 2110 as part of the DTV transition and to make room for wireless broadband. Now, what the National Association of Broadcasters has called a second, even more complicated, transition of spectrum reclamation and re-auction for wireless broadband by the FCC and NTIA might mean a second move of those ENG users. In order to free up spectrum in the 1755-1850 MHZ band, DOD says it will need to move to the 2025-2110 band, where electronic newsgathering equipment -- all those trucks and dishes sending live news back to stations and networks -- currently operate, as well as for studio/transmitter links.
benton.org/node/118152 | Broadcasting&Cable
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MILGROM AND OTHER LEADING AUCTION EXPERTS
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Press release]
The Federal Communications Commission announced the retention of leading experts in auction theory and implementation, one of its first significant steps to implement new incentive auction authority passed by Congress in late February. The advice of prize-winning auction and IT experts from Auctionomics, Power Auctions and MicroTech will serve as valuable input to the Commission as it moves forward to design and implement incentive auctions.
The experts have earned top prizes in their fields of economics. The team of auction experts is led by Auctionomics Chairman Paul Milgrom, the Ely Professor of Humanities and Sciences in the Department Economics at Stanford University, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Milgrom is the recipient of Nemmers Prize in Economics for contributions dramatically expanding the understanding of the role of information and incentives in a variety of settings, including auctions, the theory of the firm, and oligopolistic markets. He is widely regarded as one of the foremost thinkers in auction theory and design, and he helped create the first FCC spectrum auction design, which has served as a blueprint for similar auctions worldwide.
Also with Auctionomics are Professors Jonathan Levin and Ilya Segal of Stanford University. Professor Levin is the Chair of the Department of Economics at Stanford, and a recipient of the John Bates Clark Medal as the economist under the age of forty who has made the most significant contribution to economic thought and knowledge. Ilya Segal is the Anderson Professor in the Humanities and Sciences at Stanford, and is a recipient of the Compass-Lexecon prize for the most significant contribution to the understanding and implementation of competition policy.
Power Auctions LLC is led by Lawrence Ausubel, a Professor of Economics at the University of Maryland. Professor Ausubel is a widely published author on auctions, industrial organization, and financial markets, and is a leading expert on efficient auction design. Power Auctions, based in Washington DC, has extensive experience in the design and implementation of high-profile auctions around the globe and currently provides spectrum auction design and software services to the Governments of Canada and Australia.
MicroTech, a leading technology and systems integrator for critical infrastructure and information technology solutions, will provide state-of-the-art security, systems development and implementation support directly tied to their cloud computing solutions.
benton.org/node/118173 | Federal Communications Commission
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T-MOBILE AND SUBSIDIES
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: Kevin Fitchard]
T-Mobile plans to raise prices by $5 on two of its most popular mobile data bundles, but only on new customers who take a discount device from the carrier. Its value bundles, which allow a customer to pay the unsubsidized price of a phone up front or in installments (also known as bring your own device), will remain the same price and are already substantially cheaper than “Classic” subsidized plans. The bottom line is that new customers who fall for the lure of a cheap smartphone could wind up paying as much as $20 more a month for a voice and data plan than a customer who opts to fork over the device’s true cost. Subsidized phones are truly never free. Operators just factor in the cost of the device into the contract. We wind up paying higher prices per megabyte and per voice minute because of it. The problem is once those contracts expire and operators have made back their customer acquisition costs, they don’t charge lower rates. T-Mobile is removing the shadowy accounting veil from those policies, showing – quite aggressively – that a good deal of the cost of our rate plans is really just a mortgage payment against our phones. Do the math yourself: $20 times 24 months equals $480 in savings over the life of a contract. Meanwhile you can buy T-Mobile’s newest smartphone, the Nokia Lumia 710, for an unsubsidized price of $350. Suddenly that ‘free’ subsidy doesn’t seem like such a great deal anymore.
benton.org/node/118166 | GigaOm
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WHY YOU CAN’T SUE YOUR CARRIER
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Marguerite Reardon]
Matt Spaccarelli sued AT&T because, as he argued, AT&T had stopped offering him an unlimited data service. Instead, he said the company was slowing down his service when he used 1.5 GB to 2GB of data in a given month. Spaccarelli's service was "throttled" as a result of a new AT&T policy designed to curb heavy data usage by its unlimited subscribers. But thanks to a Supreme Court decision in 2011, which upheld a company's right to include a clause in contracts prohibiting subscribers from suing the company as part of a class action, Spaccarelli had only two options when fighting AT&T's new policy: He could enter into an AT&T-funded arbitration program or file his suit in small claims court. Spaccarelli opted for small claims court. What this meant for AT&T was that instead of facing a multimillion dollar lawsuit, which represented thousands of disgruntled subscribers, the company only had to deal with a single subscriber and damages of $850. Even though AT&T lost its case and paid Spaccarelli the court-awarded damages, the company was not forced to change its throttling policy. And in fact, it still slows down service on what it considers its heaviest data customers, even though AT&T still calls the plan "unlimited."
benton.org/node/118149 | C-Net|News.com
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
COMCAST AND XBOX
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: Stacey Higginbotham]
Comcast said that the content streamed over Microsoft’s Xbox won’t count against user’s 250 gigabyte monthly usage cap prompting outrage among cap-hating websites and consumer groups. But the reality of the situation is that Comcast is within its rights. While we can lament the Federal Communications Commission’s failure to implement network neutrality rules that didn’t give Comcast a legal loophole, the regulations don’t ban such behavior directly. Comcast says streaming its video on demand service via the Xbox won’t count against its monthly caps because the traffic doesn’t go over the public Internet. And that’s true. Because Microsoft has ceded a lot of control to Comcast in order to get the authentication and other technical pieces it needed to make the Comcast Xfinity service available through its console, the traffic routed through the Xbox is fully managed by Comcast. It comes directly from Comcast’s private IP network to the authentication hardware inside the console and then is played on the TV. Unlike content coming in from a service like HBO Go or Netflix, which does go over the top using the public Internet, this travels from Comcast’s servers over its network, to hardware authenticated by Comcast to your TV. If you used your password to connect to Xfinity via an iPad in your home or on someone else’s home network you leave the Comcast network confines and those packets will count against your cap. Technically it’s an argument that holds water, but should it?
benton.org/node/118190 | GigaOm
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OPEN INTERNET LITIGATION PLODS ALONG
[SOURCE: Public Knowledge, AUTHOR: Harold Feld]
[Commentary] On March 1, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order resolving a couple of things concerning the Federal Communications Commission’s network neutrality rules. First, the motions panel denied the motion to hold in abeyance and referred the cases to a merits panel for briefing and oral argument. The motions panel declined to resolve the question about whether this constituted a rulemaking or license modification, so they deferred that question to the merits panel. On March 23, the merits panel got the ball rolling, sort of. As an initial step, the merits panel issued an order requiring all the parties (Petitioners, intervenors for both sides, FCC) to submit a proposed briefing plan (i.e., who gets to file what when). Responses to that order are due within 30 days of the order (i.e., April 23, as April 22 is a Sunday). This is typical for a case like this, but it does mean that an actual briefing schedule is unlikely until early May. Since none of the Petitioners requested an expedited proceeding, we should expect things to proceed at a normal pace for a case of this size and complexity. I would expect that Petitioners briefs will come due in the summer or early fall and we should wrap up briefing entirely by November. That means oral argument isn't likely until early 2013, with a decision probably 2 or 3 months after oral argument.
benton.org/node/118143 | Public Knowledge
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STATES CONSIDER TELECOM
[SOURCE: Progressive States Network, AUTHOR: Cheryl Leanza]
A rash of backward thinking appears to be taking hold in a number of states that might be better spending their time considering how to create modern technology jobs and skills at home. Some states are considering how best to deploy modern high-speed Internet to ensure their local economies and residents are ready to compete in the global marketplace. But in other states, legislators are debating whether telephone service should be offered at all - leaving many observers wondering whether they would prefer to live in the 19th century, before Alexander Graham Bell's invention became ubiquitous. Arguments that alternate technologies can replace traditional telephone service leave rural advocates shaking their heads. Edyael Casaperalta of the Center for Rural Strategies, and coordinator of the Rural Broadband Policy Group, wonders, "How are these companies going to provide wireless Internet to a customer in a remote area when it requires a landline? Let's not forget many areas do not have access to wireless or other, newer technologies. This is why communities not only need access to traditional phone service, but need the chance to create their own high speed broadband networks where the private sector will not deploy it."
benton.org/node/118141 | Progressive States Network
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AMAZON EXEMPTION
[SOURCE: Fortune, AUTHOR: Becky Quick]
[Commentary] If I want to buy the hot new videogame Mass Effect 3 and have it delivered to my home in New Jersey, I have a few choices. I can go to Amazon.com and pay $59.99. Or I can go to BestBuy.com and pay $59.99, plus New Jersey sales tax of 7%, for a grand total of $64.19. Almost no one would choose to shell out the extra $4.20 that Best Buy (BBY) is charging, and therein lies the problem for traditional retailers. It's the dirty not-so-little secret of online and catalogue shopping: Buy from a retailer that doesn't have a physical presence in your home state, and you avoid state and local taxes on your goods at the time of purchase. Technically, if I buy Mass Effect from Amazon (AMZN), I'm required to send my $4.20 to New Jersey's coffers on my own. Yeah, right. Plenty of people don't even realize they're supposed to be sending that money in -- I didn't before I wrote this column. (Amazon collects taxes in only five of the 50 states.) Ask any tax expert or economist what percentage of these taxes is ever collected from consumers, and he will tell you it's virtually zero. It's a great bargain for shoppers but a huge, unfair advantage for the online retailers, which have been beating up their brick-and-mortar counterparts for years. And it's a double whammy for state tax coffers: Not only do the online retailers not collect sales taxes on what they sell, but they are helping put chains like Borders and Circuit City out of business, shutting off what was once a spigot for state and local revenue.
benton.org/node/118140 | Fortune
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MINNESOTA BROADBAND PROJECTS
[SOURCE: Minnesota Public Radio, AUTHOR: Jennifer Vogel]
Almost two years after more than $200 million in federal dollars were awarded to 18 broadband projects in Minnesota, some have encountered difficulties, including a dearth of fiber. A cable drought has been caused by high demand from a crush of stimulus-induced broadband projects nationwide coupled with a Japanese earthquake a year ago that destroyed a major fiber manufacturing plant. There is a drive in Minnesota to bring high-speed Internet to the far reaches of the state, from Cook County in the Arrowhead to Freeborn County in the south, so rural areas can reap benefits related to economic development, education, high-tech medical services and more. Ideally, they would be completed as soon as possible, both for the sake of consumers and because broadband stimulus dollars come with deadlines. Eighteen local construction projects won federal grants and loans as part of the Recovery Act of 2009 totaling almost $229 million. They come in all shapes and sizes. Some will be owned by the public, while others will be built and run by small phone companies and electric coops. And they are at various stages of completion. The federal government's Recovery.gov website lists 14 as less than 50 percent completed, two as more than 50 percent completed and two as not yet started.
benton.org/node/118139 | Minnesota Public Radio
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AMERICAN BROADBAND STUDY
[SOURCE: Pando Networks, AUTHOR: Press release]
Pando Networks released their study of American broadband performance in 2011, revealing that Americans are delivered a wide range of speeds depending on their location and Internet Service Providers (ISP). By recording the speeds for millions of downloads delivered by their software, Pando built an accurate picture of the speeds experienced by the end user. Amongst America’s largest cities(those with populations greater than 500k),the fastest speeds were recorded in areas generally considered hotspots for the technology industry, regardless of their regional location. Topping the average speed charts is Austin at 841KBps followed by San Francisco at 828KBps, Boston at 827KBps, Seattle at 805KBps and New York at 787KBps. El Paso, Texas recorded the slowest speed amongst big cities at 483KBps, delivering barely half the speed of its hi-tech Texan neighbor, Austin. Behind El Paso were Fort Worth at 517KBps, Oklahoma City at 518Kbps, Albuquerque at 537KBps and Denver at 550KBps. By state, the fastest download speeds were found in the population dense states of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic while the slowest speeds were concentrated in more rural areas. The state with the overall fastest average download speed was Rhode Island with a whopping 963KBps, definitively topping Delaware at 923KBps and New Jersey at 897KBps. Idaho recorded the slowest average speeds in the country, averaging a mere 387KBps, followed closely by Oklahoma at 443KBps and Montana at 452KBps. A surprising outlier was extremely rural South Dakota, outstripping more urban states such as Florida and Illinois with an average speed of 712KBps. The study also reported a wide range of average download speeds for the major American ISPs with Comcast coming out on top at 941KBps followed by Optimum Online at 874KBps and Charter Communications at 868KBps. Other notables include Cox at 800KBps, Verizon at 799KBps and Time Warner’s Road Runner at 737KBps.
benton.org/node/118159 | Pando Networks
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GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
GLOBAL ONLINE FREEDOM ACT
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Andrew Feinberg]
The House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health and Human Rights approved by voice vote the latest iteration of the Global Online Freedom Act. The bill, which now moves to consideration by the full Foreign Affairs Committee, was actually a substitute amendment offered by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), who is the bill's main sponsor. The amended bill adds a safe-harbor provision exempting companies that participate in the Global Network Initiative from the bill's requirement to report interactions with foreign governments to the Securities and Exchange Commission. A Smith staffer told The Hill that there was hope that the safe-harbor provision would encourage companies to join the GNI. Another change established an exemption in the export control rules for government-owned telecommunications companies. The GOFA has a much better chance of passing the House this year because it's a "very different bill" from those introduced in past years under the same name. This bill is a "dramatic step forward," said a senior Smith staffer, because it removes the "more onerous" requirements to report to the Justice department or face criminal penalties -- provisions that had been the centerpiece of previous editions. Instead, this year's bill errs on the side of transparency and corporate social responsibility. The criminal provisions were the source of much of the criticism previous versions of the bill received, and were a likely reason the bill hadn't advanced far in recent years.
benton.org/node/118180 | Hill, The
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JOURNALISM
NEWS ORGS LOBBY AGAINST REPORTERS’ INTERESTS
[SOURCE: Columbia Journalism Review, AUTHOR: Steven Waldman]
[Commentary] The battle playing out over a new government transparency proposal has taken a turn that should concern journalists. Many of the nation’s major news organizations are now aggressively opposing a proposal to disclose more information about political advertising—acting directly against the interests of their own reporters and calling into question the companies’ commitment to journalistic values. Amazingly, the same news organizations that routinely demand transparency from government—and rely on the prompt disclosure of public information for their stories—are opposing the rule.
benton.org/node/118162 | Columbia Journalism Review
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NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY?
[SOURCE: American Journalism Review, AUTHOR: Alexa Kravitz]
Should journalism experience be a requirement for hosting a political talk show? MSNBC President Phil Griffin certainly doesn't think so. His hires on the liberal-leaning network include non-journalists Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, the Rev. Al Sharpton and Melissa Harris-Perry. His rival Fox features such non-journalist mainstays as Sean Hannity and Greta Van Susteren. Griffin isn't shy about vocalizing his strong opinions on the issue. "I'm sorry, I don't care about journalists," he said in an interview with Tampa Bay Times media writer Eric Deggans. "I want fair minded, smart people who understand the world, who can interpret it and if they're journalists, great. This notion that somehow you have to have done something to earn so-called journalist credentials? Stop." But critics fear that the proliferation of hosts with no grounding in journalistic ethics and traditions comes with a steep price.
benton.org/node/118136 | American Journalism Review
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STORIES FROM ABROAD
THE TOUBLE WITH HUAWEI
[SOURCE: CNNMoney, AUTHOR: David Goldman]
More bad news for Chinese telecom giant Huawei this week is raising questions about the company's ability to do business with the West.
Huawei, which is second only to Sweden's Ericsson in telecom equipment sales, was blocked from bidding on a $36 billion Australian national broadband contract. Getting barred from foreign contracts is becoming a frequent problem for the Shenzhen, China-based company. The setbacks for Huawei are just more links in a long chain of defeats in Western countries -- particularly in the United States. Huawei has no problems getting contracts in many places around the globe. The company does business in 140 countries and serves 500 operators, including 45 of the 50 largest global telecom companies. Huawei faces three key obstacles, all of them geo-political in nature.
First, Huawei's CEO is Ren Zhengfei, once a civil engineer for the People's Liberation Army. The most advanced, persistent cyberattacks emanate from China, and the U.S. government believes many are sponsored by the Chinese government.
Second, Huawei -- like all companies based in the Communist country -- has ties with the Chinese government.
Finally, the company has historically been willing to supply Iran with networking equipment, which Iran reportedly used to track its citizens. Huawei has since said it would scale back its relationship with Iran.
benton.org/node/118132 | CNNMoney
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