Nov 19, 2008 (Eric Holder for Attorney General? Waxman or Dingell?)

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2008

The Internet Innovation Alliance convenes the National Broadband Strategy Symposium today (see http://benton.org/node/19057)

THE TRANSITION
   As Attorney General, Eric Holder could help war on piracy
   Will Obama's White House Be Open To The Media?
   What now for broadband and the telecoms?
   As Commerce Chair, Sen Rockefeller Will Be Passionate about Universal Broadband
   A Job for Henry Waxman
   Pressure Builds for Infrastructure Outlays
   Google Priorities '09: Technology, Economic Growth & Open Government
   Kevin Martin's Next Move? Mayor Of Wilmington?

BROADCASTING/CABLE
   Adelstein Asks Martin For Formal Inquiry Into Arbitron Ratings System
   TV Nightlight Bill Could Get Senate Vote
   Vermont Senator Wants Low-Cost Cable
   NTIA Grant to Help Seniors Transition to Digital TV
   Comcast DTV pricing response may bring fine: FCC
   Martin: Pryor Safe TV Bill Not Good Enough
   PSA Gets DTV Word Out to African-American, Hispanic Homes

INTERNET/BROADBAND
   The Unconnected Home
   The High Cost Of 'Free' Broadband
   Ten ways to boost learning with technology
   Google, P&G Swap Workers to Spur Innovation
   Competing for Internet Dominance
   Answers Trickle Out as Spammer Networks Remain Compromised

back to top

THE TRANSITION

AS ATTORNEY GENERAL, ERIC HOLDER COULD HELP WAR ON PIRACY
[SOURCE: Variety, AUTHOR: William Tiplett]
Apparently, President-elect Barack Obama has offered the job of Attorney General to Eric H. Holder Jr., a former US Attorney as well as top Justice Department official in the Clinton administration. Holder could be a strong ally in the entertainment industry's ongoing war on piracy. As deputy attorney general under Clinton, Holder oversaw federal efforts to combat what officials then referred to as "high-tech crime." In a January 2000 speech, Holder described high-tech crimes "and the challenges they pose as among the highest priorities for the Dept. of Justice and for me personally." Six months earlier, Holder had declared IP crime a priority and announced the launch of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Initiative, a joint operation between the Justice Dept., the FBI and U.S. Customs targeting various forms of piracy. The initiative's first bust was in Los Angeles, netting more than $13 million in bootlegged software and music. "Under a plea agreement, the defendant and his accomplice agreed to forfeit 387,000 counterfeit music and computer CDs and manufacturing equipment worth more than $1.5 million," Holder said in his speech. Shortly afterward, officials arrested 10 people in Manhattan and charged them with operating a counterfeit motion picture ring. Agents seized more than 300 video cassette recorders and tens of thousands of video cassettes, Holder said.
http://benton.org/node/19071
Comment on this Headline
back to top

WILL OBAMA'S WHITE HOUSE BE OPEN TO THE MEDIA?
[SOURCE: National Public Radio, AUTHOR: David Folkenflik]
President-elect Barack Obama is preparing to take office talking as though he'll throw the White House doors open and let the sunshine in. But some reporters who have been covering the Obama campaign are a little doubtful of what that means for journalists. Jennifer Psaki, a spokeswoman for the Obama transition team, says she feels the campaign made the senator "very accessible to the media." The trend, she says, will continue in an Obama White House. But her idea of openness and transparency differs dramatically from that of some reporters who covered the campaign.
http://benton.org/node/19070
Comment on this Headline
back to top

WHAT NOW FOR BROADBAND AND THE TELECOMS?
[SOURCE: Nieman Watchdog, AUTHOR: Bruce Kushnich]
[Commentary] Five questions for President-elect Barack Obama and the 111th Congress: 1) Will you set the goal of broadband access at 1 gigabit in every American home? 2) Why aren't telecom subsidies being directed to cover much-needed infrastructure improvements? 3) What steps should be taken to democratize the FCC's decision-making process? 4) Will you re-introduce and implement the parts of the 1996 Telecommunications Act that promote competition? 5) Is it time to break up AT&T again? And Verizon, as well? And five proposals: 1) Broadband access at 1 gigabit for households. 2) Recoup subsidies to pay for infrastructure upgrades. 3) Democratize the FCC decision-making process. 4) Return competition to the telecom industry. 5) Consider breaking up AT&T and Verizon.
http://benton.org/node/19069
Comment on this Headline
back to top

SEN ROCKEFELLER WILL BE ACTIVE OVERSEER IN NEW ROLE
[SOURCE: Dow Jones, AUTHOR: Fawn Johnson]
With Sen John Rockefeller (D-WV) all but assured the helm of the Senate Commerce Committee, big telephone and Internet companies can expect stepped-up oversight on a host of consumer-related issues, from phone and Internet prices to privacy. Industry insiders expect Sen Rockefeller to be more active in telecom than his predecessor, the mild-mannered Sen Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), who is vacating the Commerce post to chair the powerful Appropriations Committee. Sen Rockefeller is next in line on the Commerce Committee. "I don't think we'll have a hands-off chairman," when it comes to telecom, said one industry insider of Sen Rockefeller. Rockefeller is passionate about bringing high-speed Internet access to Americans who don't have it. In the 1990's, he co-authored the law subsidizing Internet access at schools and libraries. Internet buildout and other basic infrastructure development will be a general guiding principle for Rockefeller in creating jobs, supporters said. He has known an advocate of using monetary incentives to lure businesses into poorer areas. For example, he proposed legislation giving tax credits to companies that offer high-speed Internet in hard-to-serve regions. As chairman of the Commerce Committee, Rockefeller likely will push phone, cable, and Internet companies to improve their privacy policies and keep subscriber rates down, as he has in the past.
http://benton.org/node/19068
Comment on this Headline
back to top

A JOB FOR HENRY WAXMAN
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Harold Meyerson]
[Commentary] There are two reasons Rep Henry Waxman would be the better chairman of the House Commerce Committee. First, he is probably the House's most accomplished legislator in three issue areas that are high on the agendas of the nation and President-elect Barack Obama: universal health care, global warming and enhanced consumer protections. On environmental questions, Waxman offers a sharp contrast to Dingell, who has long been the primary opponent of stricter standards for auto emissions and fuel efficiency. Second, Waxman is a legislative genius. Most of his legislative accomplishments came before the 1994 Republican takeover of Congress, when he chaired the health and environment subcommittee of Commerce. Progressive legislating has been pretty much off the table since then, which is why he shifted focus to Congress's chief investigative committee. Those who have served in Congress for fewer than 14 years weren't around when Waxman greatly strengthened the Clean Air Act and authored the legislation that expanded Medicaid coverage to the poorest children. They didn't see Waxman steer to passage the bills that gave rise to the generic drug industry, required uniform nutrition labels on food, heightened standards of care at nursing homes, created screening programs for breast and cervical cancer, provided health care for people with HIV/AIDS, or expanded Medicaid coverage to the working poor.
http://benton.org/node/19078
Comment on this Headline
back to top

PRESSURE BUILDS FOR INFRASTRUCTURE OUTLAYS
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Christopher Conkey, Brody Mullins]
Business and labor groups are ramping up a lobbying campaign to persuade President-elect Barack Obama and the next Congress to back a huge boost in infrastructure spending in an effort to create jobs and kick-start economic growth. Telecommunications firms want tax breaks to expand broadband service. The lobbying push comes as a broad economic-stimulus bill with $13 billion of transportation spending appears headed for a defeat in Congress this week. Advocates of infrastructure spending are seizing on everything from rising unemployment to last year's bridge collapse in Minneapolis to argue for outlays for various projects.
http://benton.org/node/19077
Comment on this Headline
back to top

GOOGLE PRIORITIES '09: TECHNOLOGY, ECONOMIC GROWTH & OPEN GOVERNMENT
[SOURCE: Google, AUTHOR: Adam Kovacevich]
Google CEO Eric Schmidt spoke in Washington (DC) Tuesday identifying these priorities: 1) Broadband and infrastructure. We need to invest in a 21st century infrastructure, going beyond the usual litany of roads and bridges to new communications and information networks. Government should free up more spectrum for broadband, and we need a universal broadband strategy that includes targeted incentives to increase competition. 2) Research and development. Noting that his own graduate student research was partially funded by federal agencies, Schmidt called for increased federal funding for R&D in science and engineering and technical education; making the R&D tax credit permanent; and modernizing our legal framework by passing patent reform legislation. 3) Energy. Discussing Google's Clean Energy 2030 proposal, Schmidt recommended attempting to reduce demand through energy efficiency; increasing support for clean energy (wind, solar and enhanced geothermal); deploying smart electric grids; and putting millions of plug-in electric vehicles on the road. 4) Restoring public trust in government. The 2008 elections demonstrated how technology can increase political participation. Schmidt called for applying that power to making government more accountable, by making government information more accessible online, and using the Internet to increase citizen participation.
http://benton.org/node/19067
Comment on this Headline
back to top

KEVIN MARTIN'S NEXT MOVE? MAYOR OF WILMINGTON?
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Andrew Noyes]
What will Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin's next job be? He says he's thinking about: 1) Mailroom clerk at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration sending out digital television converter box coupons in anticipation of the Feb. 17, 2009 transition. 2) Wardrobe consultant for pop star Janet Jackson, whose infamous "wardrobe malfunction" during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show resulted in a court battle that the FCC lost. 3) Running for mayor in Wilmington, N.C., the first market in the United States to make the change to digital-only broadcasting, which has become a pet project of the Commission's. 4) Playing Harry Potter in a Broadway musical. Many have joked about Martin's boyish, bespectacled look.
http://benton.org/node/19072
Comment on this Headline
back to top

BROADCASTING/CABLE

ADELSTEIN ASKS MARTIN FOR FORMAL INQUIRY INTO ARBITRON RATINGS SYSTEM
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Federal Communications Commission member Jonathan Adelstein has asked FCC Chairman Kevin Martin to open a formal inquiry into whether Arbitron's Portable People Meter radio ratings system is "unfairly harming minority broadcasters." The FCC sought comment back in September about whether it should conduct an investigation into whether the meters undercounted minorities and thus undercut the viability of diverse media outlets. In a letter to Chairman Martin Tuesday, Commissioner Adelstein said that the upshot of those comments was that there was sufficient concern to warrant the investigation and that it needed to begin ASAP given that Arbitron was continuing to roll out the technology. Arbitron responded: "Arbitron does not believe that the FCC has jurisdiction over the Company or its operations and assets and consequently lacks the authority to commence a Section 403 investigation."
http://benton.org/node/19066
Comment on this Headline
back to top

TV NIGHTLIGHT BILL COULD GET SENATE VOTE
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
A bill that would allow broadcasters to keep their analog signals running for a couple weeks past the Feb. 17, 2009 date could get a vote in the Senate as early as Wednesday. Introduced by Sen Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), the bill would require broadcasters to transition their primary channel feeds to digital by Feb. 17, but would allow, though not require, them to continue to broadcast DTV-education information and emergency information in analog for 30 days past the Feb. 17, 2009 date. If it passes the Senate, it would then go to the House for a vote. If that is the case, it is likely to pass "in short order," particularly since congressional leadership is looking to actually get some things done rather than appear to simply be flapping its wings in the lame duck session.
http://benton.org/node/19065
Comment on this Headline
back to top

VERMONT SENATOR WANTS LOW-COST CABLE
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
Sen Bernard Sanders (I-VT) is about to introduce legislation that would require cable operators to provide local TV signals at a reduced cost indefinitely to people who lose over-the-air TV service as a result of the digital transition next February. The bill would establish the criteria for determining who had lost free TV signals and is thus eligible to buy a lifeline service that consisted solely of local TV signals. Money remaining from the federal government's $1.5 billion converter box coupon program might be used to cover a portion of equipment installation costs. The bill would attempt to keep the basic cable price at $10 a month or less, similar to Comcast's recently announced DTV transition promotion that expires after one year.
http://benton.org/node/19076
Comment on this Headline
back to top

NTIA GRANT TO HELP SENIORS TRANSITION TO DIGITAL TV
[SOURCE: National Telecommunications and Information Administration]
The Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced an award of $2.7 million to the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) to help seniors transition to digital television through the TV Converter Box Coupon Program. Full-power TV broadcasters switch from analog to 100 percent digital broadcasts after February 17, 2009. The association will assist seniors with completing a coupon application, obtaining a converter box and connecting the device to a television in the home now to the end of April. They are partnering with credible and effective organizations, together forming the Keeping Seniors Connected (KSC) Coalition. These include the Meals on Wheels Association of America, the National Association for Hispanic Elderly, the National Asian Pacific Center on Aging and the National Caucus and Center on Black Aged. The association recently served as the lead national organization on a $5 million contract, successfully coordinating assistance in promoting Medicare Part D enrollment.
http://benton.org/node/19064
Comment on this Headline
back to top

COMCAST DTV PRICING RESPONSE MAY BRING FINE: FCC
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Kim Dixon]
Comcast could be fined for its inadequate response to a Federal Communications Commission request for information on cable company policies as they switch to digital signals, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said on Tuesday. The FCC sent letters earlier this month to about a dozen businesses -- mostly cable companies -- after receiving complaints that some are ratcheting up prices for programing packages or requiring customers to buy digital set-top boxes for fewer channels ahead of the digital switch on February 17. Some of the companies have failed to respond completely and may face fines or other enforcement action, Chairman Martin said. He specifically noted Comcast's response. "They didn't even answer the questions directly. They had a narrative," Martin said.
http://benton.org/node/19063
Comment on this Headline
back to top

MARTIN: PRYOR SAFE TV BILL NOT GOOD ENOUGH
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
On Monday night, the Senate sent President Bush the Child Safe Viewing Act, sponsored by Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Arkansas). Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin on Tuesday mildly criticized the bill that would require his agency to study parents' access to technologies that are capable of shielding children from inappropriate content on television and the Internet. "In general, I would say I support it. I'm not sure that it goes far enough to actually empower parents the way that they need to be, to end up addressing all the concerns they might have," Chairman Martin told reporters. the legislation would have the FCC conduct and deliver the study to Congress within 270 and its analysis could not recommend technologies that "affect the packaging or pricing of a content provider's offering." That restriction probably explains Martin's problems with Pryor's bill. Martin has stated repeatedly that the best way for consumers to exclude violent and indecent programming is for pay-TV distributors to retail channels on an a la carte basis in lieu packages with dozens of channels.
http://benton.org/node/19062
Comment on this Headline
back to top

PSA GETS DTV WORD OUT TO AFRICAN-AMERICAN, HISPANIC HOMES
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Linda Haugsted]
In response to surveys which show that some ethnic groups are especially at risk for service disruption during the Feb. 17, 2009 digital television transition, the nation's top operators are promoting a series of public service announcements featuring African-American and Hispanic legislators to inform people in those demographics. The ads will feature 21 members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, Black Caucus and Hispanic Caucus.
http://benton.org/node/19061
Comment on this Headline
back to top

INTERNET/BROADBAND

THE UNCONNECTED HOME
[SOURCE: TelephonyOnline, AUTHOR: Rich Karpinski]
Like any economic good, the availability and consumption of broadband services is a balance of supply and demand. On the demand side, the major barrier to broadband adoption may not be price or availability but perceived need — 44% of those surveyed by Connected Nation simply said, "I don't need it." Broadband advocates contend that focusing on increasing consumers' understanding of broadband services — essentially boosting service demand — still is the better way to boost broadband penetration. For instance, the e-NC Authority in North Carolina works with service providers to improve infrastructure deployment in the state. At the same time, "we also have a very strong focus on helping every citizen learn how to use computers and the Internet," said Jane Patterson, executive director of e-NC. The group has helped to create a program — the first in the nation — that requires a mandatory junior-high-level exam covering the use of computer and information technologies, she said.
http://benton.org/node/19060
Comment on this Headline
back to top

THE HIGH COST OF 'FREE' BROADBAND
[SOURCE: Forbes, AUTHOR: John Kneuer]
[Commentary] The Federal Communications Commission should slow down and let the next Administration review the a) M2Z and b) D-Block public/700 MHz spectrum auction proposals. Although the M2Z promises free broadband, the service will be slow and ad supported. In the second version of the D-Block auction rules, public safety agencies will not only give up rights to their spectrum, but will pay $48.50 a month for service. Instead, the FCC should "listen to the market," preserve the real value of the spectrum, and prioritize public safety. Kneuer concludes, "Responsible policymaking dictates that these proposals be vetted fully rather than be subject to the artificial time line of transition at the FCC. A new commission should have the ability to shape its own policy, and the current FCC should send a message that thoughtful deliberation is more important than a rush to regulate." [John Kneuer was the assistant secretary of commerce for communications and information from February 2006 to November 2007.]
http://benton.org/node/19059
Comment on this Headline
back to top

TEN WAYS TO BOOST LEARNING WITH TECHNOLOGY
[SOURCE: eSchool News, AUTHOR: Meris Stansbury]
Urging policy makers and school leaders "to take bold steps ... to improve education for America's 21st-century leaders," the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) has issued new guidance for reforming the nation's schools with the help of technology. With input from more than 100 national policy makers and all 50 state educational technology offices, SETDA's action plan sets forth the following 10 recommendations for national, state, and local education leaders: 1) Ensure that technology tools and resources are used continuously and seamlessly for instruction, collaboration, and assessment. 2) Expose all students (pre-K through 12th grade) to STEM fields and careers. 3) Make ongoing, sustainable professional development available to all teachers. 4) Use virtual learning opportunities for teachers to further their professional development, such as through online communities and education portals. 5) Incorporate innovative, consistent, and timely assessments into daily instruction.
6) Strengthen the home-school connection by using technology to communicate with parents on student progress. 7) Provide the necessary resources so that every community has the infrastructure to support learning with technology, including assessments and virtual learning. 8) Obtain societal support for education that uses technology from all stakeholders--students, parents, teachers, state and district administrators, business leaders, legislators, and local community members. 9) Provide federal leadership to support states and districts regarding technology's role in school reform by passing the ATTAIN Act. 10) Increase available funding for the e-Rate so that schools can acquire telecommunication services, Internet access, internal connections, and maintenance of those connections.
http://benton.org/node/19058
Comment on this Headline
back to top

GOOGLE, P&G SWAP WORKERS TO SPUR INNOVATION
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Ellen Byron]
At Procter & Gamble Co., the corporate culture is so rigid, employees jokingly call themselves "Proctoids." In contrast, Google Inc. staffers are urged to wander the halls on company-provided scooters and brainstorm on public whiteboards. Now, this odd couple thinks they have something to gain from one another -- so they've started swapping employees. So far, about two-dozen staffers from the two companies have spent weeks dipping into each other's staff training programs and sitting in on meetings where business plans get hammered out. The initiative has drawn little notice. Previously, neither company had granted this kind of access to outsiders. Closer ties are crucial to both sides. P&G, the biggest advertising spender in the world, is waking up to the reality that the next generation of laundry-detergent, toilet-paper and skin-cream buyers now spends more time online than watching TV. Google craves a bigger slice of P&G's $8.7 billion annual ad pie as its own revenue growth slows. The struggle by these two heavyweights to formulate successful strategies highlights how tough it is for myriad other companies, from newspapers to auto makers, to profit from Americans' rush online.
http://benton.org/node/19075
Comment on this Headline
back to top

COMPETING FOR INTERNET DOMINANCE
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: ]
Google, Yahoo and Microsoft are vying for control of the fast-growing market for Web advertising. The departure of Yahoo chief executive Jerry Yang could clear the way for an acquisition of the Internet portal, perhaps by Microsoft, some analysts say.
http://benton.org/node/19074
Comment on this Headline
back to top

ANSWERS TRICKLE OUT AS SPAMMER NETWORKS REMAIN COMPROMISED
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Brian Krebs]
How could a massive concentration of spam activity be hosted for so long by servers at a single U.S.-based facility, in the belly of the security and tech community in Silicon Valley? The answer exemplifies how complex the battle against spam has become.
http://benton.org/node/19073
Comment on this Headline
back to top