March 10, 2009 (Broadband Stimulus Meeting Today)
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for TUESDAY MARCH 10, 2009
Broadband geeks from around the country are tuning in to today's first Public Meeting on ARRA Broadband Initiatives (see http://www.benton.org/node/22667). And, as we go to press, see what to expect today -- "NTIA Releases Notice of Rule-Making; Announces New Public Meetings on March 16-19, 23 and 24" http://tiny.cc/kPbqD
BROADBAND STIMULUS
Senators Urge FCC, Commerce To Consider Neediest On Broadband
Grant Program Must Balance Competing Interests and Remain Transparent, Experts Say
Broadband Could Be Deploying To Rural America TODAY
Broadband Growth Slowing
The Broadband Gap: Why Is Theirs Faster?
Trying to speed up Internet for all
Stimulus Dollars Energize Efforts To Smarten Up the Electric Power Grid
The bumpy road to electronic health records
THE TRANSITION
Don't Rely on Bush's Signing Statements, Obama Orders
Obama Stresses Scientific Integrity
A Struggle Over U.S. Cybersecurity
10 IT agenda items for the first U.S. CIO
BROADCASTING/CABLE
FCC Takes Comments on Request that Public, Educational, and Government Cable Channels Get "Equal Footing"
FCC Denies AT&T Program Access Complaint
Floyd Abrams Knocks Fairness Doctrine's Fair-Weather Friends
Stations in the Balance
CONTENT
YouTube blocks music videos to UK users
Music, Broadcasting Reps Trade Blows
JOURNALISM
Where Were The Media As Wall Street Imploded?
January Sets Record for Newspaper Web Site Unique Users
Stocks and Limbaugh Fuel the News narrative
Tribune consultant on Wrigley Field sale linked to Blagojevich
WIRELESS
PSST and Cyren Call End Advisory Relationship
Talk isn't cheap? For cellphone users, not talking is costly too
QUICKLY -- FTC Urged To Name Consumer Protection Chief; "The Telecom World Is Not Flat...Yet"; Behind the Incredibly Shrinking Media; Social Networking Overtakes E-mail in Popularity; What the Heck Is Twitter?; Georgetown Dean to Lead Philanthropic MacArthur Foundation; A chat with Padmasree Warrior, Cisco's chief technology officer; Cisco using the Internet to help turn cities green; The Demographics of Social Media Sites
BROADBAND STIMULUS
SENATORS URGE FCC, COMMERCE TO CONSIDER NEEDIEST ON BROADBAND
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Sen Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and a bipartisan group of 10 senators asked the Federal Communications Commission, the Commerce Department, and the Agricultural Department Monday to put serving unserved communities at the top of the list when doling out billions in economic stimulus grant money. In a letter to FCC Chairman Michael Copps and the other commissioners, Shaheen and company urged them to "prioritize" getting broadband to unserved areas. The charter also includes serving "underserved" areas, though defining that will be one of the challenges of administration. The letter squares with the cable industry's preference for spending stimulus money on the 8% or so of households that don't get broadband, rather than funding competition to already established providers. Also signing on to the letter were Senators Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Sam Brownback (R-Kansas), Russ Feingold (D-WI), Kay Hagan (D-NC), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Pat Roberts (R-Kansas), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
http://benton.org/node/23097
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GRANT PROGRAMS MUST BALANCE COMPETING INTERESTS AND REMAIN TRANSPARENT, EXPERTS SAY
[SOURCE: BroadbandCensus.com, AUTHOR: Andrew Feinberg]
Free Press, the Open Internet Coalition and former-Rep Chip Pickering (R-MS) had a press conference in advance of Tuesday's joint meeting of the federal agencies that will oversee the stimulus law's broadband provisions. The three seemed to agree that data soon to be available from the Federal Communications Commission will help balance the competing interests of getting stimulus dollars flowing quickly and identifying the areas that need the funds the most. The FCC will join the National telecommunications and Information Administration and the Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service on Tuesday in a public meeting to present plans for the new programs. Tuesday's meeting is the beginning of "an extraordinary period, in which the government is investing in broadband infrastructure," said Ben Scott of Free Press. Scott compared the broadband stimulus program to previous public investments in highways and electrification. But Scott was clear to emphasize money alone won't solve the nation's broadband infrastructure problems. "It all hinges on getting the policy right," he said. [more at the URL below]
http://benton.org/node/23079
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BROADBAND COULD BE DEPLOYED TO RURAL AMERICA TODAY
[SOURCE: App-Rising.com, AUTHOR: Geoff Daily]
Lost amidst all this talk about broadband stimulus dollars is the fact that there are a number of rural broadband projects that are ready to move today. But now that the government trough's been slopped full of money, every community's trying to figure out how they can get in on the act, even those that may have not been thinking about broadband at all and likely still need many months to pull together the pieces necessary to get to the point where they can start deploying. In order to get a grant, the ECFiber project's going to have to cut through all this noise of other communities that may be more politically well-connected as well as the various industry competitors trying to claim that the money should go to support their broadband technologies of choice despite the fact that everyone agrees fiber is the best. With all these competing interests potentially submitting applications that must be reviewed, vetted, and compared against each other, I can't help but worry that while these dollars are supposed to be about stimulating the economy and spurring deployment that instead we're going to get caught up in policy discussions that will slow down action from being taken, especially debates like what "underserved" actually means. Because the thing to remember is that there are viable, shovel-ready projects that could be deploying to rural America today if they had the capital. So the sooner we can get them support, the sooner we can be stimulating the economy and getting communities connected to the digital economy.
http://benton.org/node/23096
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BROADBAND GROWTH SLOWING
[SOURCE: Leichtman Research Group, AUTHOR: Press release]
According to the Leichtman Research Group, total net broadband additions in 2008 were 63% of the total in 2007: 5.4 million new subscribers in 2008 compared to 8.5 million in 2007 and 10.4 million in 2006. The largest cable and telephone providers in the US -- representing about 94% of the market.
http://benton.org/node/23078
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THE BROADBAND GAP: WHY IS THEIRS FASTER?
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Saul Hansell]
President Obama campaigned on a promise of fast broadband service for all. The US is not doing well on the basic speed of broadband service. If you take out the countries that have made significant investment in fiber optic networks — Japan, Korea and Sweden — the United States is in the middle of the pack when it comes to network speed. The large European countries have average download speeds ranging from 3.2 Mbps in Italy to 6.4 Mbps in Germany, according to a study by the Saïd Business School at Oxford. The United States has an average speed of 5.2 Mbps. The study looked at speeds in May 2008, as measured by consumers checking their connections on a Web site called Speedtest.net. Japan was the standout, with an average speed of 16.7 Mbps. Sweden was 8.8 Mbps. And Korea averaged 7.2 Mbps. Urban density explains much of that disparity. In most of the world, by far the most common way to deliver broadband is DSL technology that sends data over copper phone lines. The shorter the length of the wire from the phone company office to your home, the faster the service can be delivered. The first generation of DSL could offer speeds of up to 7 megabits per second. The very latest generation offers up to 100 Mbps for very short distances. The reason you see offers of DSL service in many European countries of 10 or 20 Mbps, sometimes more, is that in densely populated urban areas, the telephone companies have been able to wire homes using shorter connections and thus faster speeds.
http://benton.org/node/23095
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TRYING TO SPEED UP INTERNET FOR ALL
[SOURCE: News & Observer, AUTHOR: Matt Ehlers]
InternetforEveryone.org, a national group that hopes to remove barriers to high-speed Internet use, held a town hall meeting Saturday in Durham to discuss access and other issues surrounding broadband service. According to Free Press, the nonprofit group that organizes InternetforEveryone.org, 14.3 million rural American homes are not connected to high-speed Internet. Even those who have high-speed Internet lag behind the leaders of the world. The U.S. is ranked 14th in the world when it comes to average broadband speed. Japan's high-speed Internet is more than 10 times as quick. About 150 people from across the state attended Saturday's meeting. It was the second town hall get-together for InternetforEveryone.org, which held a meeting in Los Angeles in December.
http://benton.org/node/23066
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STIMULUS DOLLARS ENERGIZE EFFORTS TO SMARTEN UP THE ELECTRIC POWER GRID
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Peter Slevin, Steven Mufson]
Smart grid is an essential component of President Obama's plan to change the nation's energy habits and reduce U.S. dependence on fossil fuels, especially foreign oil. It would energize his hopes for more jobs and fewer pollutants while remaking a network still moored to the 1950s. The computer-based upgrade will become all the more important if Obama succeeds in creating a cap-and-trade system that would charge companies for excessive carbon emissions. That policy would put a premium on conservation and the delivery of solar and wind energy. Smart grid refers to an array of switches, sensors and computer chips that will be installed at various stages in the energy-delivery process -- in power stations, in electricity meters, in clothes dryers -- in the next two decades, if the vision holds and the technology works.
http://benton.org/node/23094
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THE BUMPY ROAD TO ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Hadley Leggett]
For decades, health care has lagged behind other industries in embracing information technology. Now, the Obama administration has earmarked $19 billion for health IT in the economic stimulus package, and is calling for widespread adoption of electronic health records by 2014. Supporters say electronic records will reduce overhead, improve communication and cut down on medical mistakes. Implementing electronic systems could also create thousands of jobs in software engineering, hardware sales and IT support. But while some medical experts are encouraged by the stimulus money, they're also cautious: Creating effective, efficient electronic systems will require a coordinated effort in a fragmented health care industry.
http://benton.org/node/23093
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THE TRANSITION
DON'T RELY ON BUSH'S SIGNING STATEMENTS, OBAMA ORDERS
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Charlie Savage]
Calling into question the legitimacy of all the signing statements that former President George W. Bush used to challenge new laws, President Obama on Monday ordered executive officials to consult with Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. before relying on any of them to bypass a statute. But President Obama also signaled that he intends to use signing statements himself if Congress sends him legislation that has provisions he decides are unconstitutional. He pledged to use a modest approach when doing so, but said there was a role for the practice if used appropriately. "In exercising my responsibility to determine whether a provision of an enrolled bill is unconstitutional, I will act with caution and restraint, based only on interpretations of the Constitution that are well-founded," President Obama wrote in a memorandum to the heads of all departments and agencies in the executive branch. "Particularly since omnibus bills have become prevalent, signing statements have often been used to ensure that concerns about the constitutionality of discrete statutory provisions do not require a veto of the entire legislation."
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/10/us/politics/10signing.html
Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies on Presidential Signing Statements (White House)
http://benton.org/node/23082
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MEMORANDUM FOR THE HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES ON SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY
[SOURCE: The White House]
President Barack Obama has assigned the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy the responsibility for ensuring the highest level of integrity in all aspects of the executive branch's involvement with scientific and technological processes. The Director shall confer, as appropriate, with the heads of executive departments and agencies, including the Office of Management and Budget and offices and agencies within the Executive Office of the President, and recommend a plan to achieve that goal throughout the executive branch. Within 120 days from the date of this memorandum, the Director shall develop recommendations for Presidential action designed to guarantee scientific integrity throughout the executive branch, based six following principles. [see more at the URL below]
http://benton.org/node/23081
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A STRUGGLE OVER US CYBERSECURITY
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Brian Krebs]
The resignation of the federal government's cybersecurity coordinator highlights a power struggle underway over how best to defend the government's civilian computer networks against digital attacks. Rod A. Beckstrom resigned the post Friday after less than a year on the job, citing a lack of funding and the National Security Agency's tightening grip on government cybersecurity matters. Beckstrom is director of the National Cyber Security Center -- an organization created last March to help coordinate such security efforts across the intelligence community. But recently, Beckstrom said, efforts have been underway to fold his group into a facility at the NSA. Beckstrom said in an interview over the weekend that his group was formed to coordinate the various agencies' efforts but not to be controlled by the NSA. Beckstrom said he decided to leave roughly 10 days ago, after learning that orders were canceled for computers, network equipment, furniture and office space in Arlington slated for his group. While he officially reports to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Beckstrom said he has not yet had a meeting with her. "Once you lose your space, have no money and no chance to meet with your boss, and decisions are being made about your future with no consultation, it's time to go," Beckstrom said. The Obama administration is in the midst of a 60-day review of the government's cybersecurity initiative, with recommendations on next steps expected sometime next month.
http://benton.org/node/23092
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10 IT AGENDA ITEMS FOR THE FIRST US CIO
[SOURCE: InfoWorld, AUTHOR: Paul Venezia]
Top 10 agenda items for newly-named Federal Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra: 1) Mandatory restitution for customer data leaks, 2) mandate Network neutrality, 3) Place restrictions on end-user license agreements, 4) Mandate the rollout of DNSSEC and BGPSEC; 5) Clean up the spam mess; 6) Tax breaks for rural broadband last-mile carriers; 7) Codify national standards for electronic medical records; 8) Mandate a single electronic voting standard; 9) Lighten the FCC's load -- crate a new commission focused on the health and security of the Internet; 10) Upgrade ancient communications infrastructure within the halls of government itself.
http://benton.org/node/23080
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BROADCASTING/CABLE
FCC TAKES COMMENTS ON REQUEST THAT PEG CHANNELS GET EQUAL FOOTING
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Over 200 commenters have contributed to a Federal Communications Commission proceeding investigating whether public, educational and government cable channels should be on an equal footing" with basic commercial channels. In January, community media groups joined with a nationwide coalition of municipalities and regional organizations asked the FCC to launch the proceeding, charging that telecom giant AT&T discriminates against local public channels with its U-verse cable TV system. In states from California to Connecticut, wherever AT&T is providing video programming, its U-Verse system removes local PEG channels from the standard lineup, dumping dozens of channels into a generic "Channel 99" stripping away individual channel identities and depriving those channels of basic functions viewers have come to expect.
http://benton.org/node/23077
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FCC DENIES AT&T PROGRAM ACCESS COMPLAINT
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Federal Communications Commission denied a program access complaint by AT&T against a Cox terrestrially delivered news and sports network. AT&T had complained that Cox was withholding sports programming. which the FCC considers must-have programming, from AT&T in the San Diego market. The FCC denied the complaint, saying that the rulemaking process, not adjudication, is the right place to correct the so-called "terrestrial loophole."
http://benton.org/node/23076
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FLOYD ABRAMS KNOCKS FAIRNESS DOCTRINE'S FAIR-WEATHER FRIENDS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Noted First Amendment attorney Floyd Abrams takes liberals and conservatives alike to task for what he considers their fair weather friendship of speech protections, including conservatives who he says have done an about-face on the so-called fairness doctrine. In an opinion paper for think tank The Media Institute and the Thomas Jefferson Center to be published Tuesday, Abrams, a partner in Cahill, Gordon & Reindel, cited both sides of the political spectrum for supporting speech protections when it serves their interests or depending on whose ox was being gored.
http://benton.org/node/23087
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STATIONS IN THE BALANCE
[SOURCE: TVWeek, AUTHOR: Jon Lafayette, Andrew Krukowski]
With the local advertising market in the tank, everyone knows times are tough for television stations. The problem is that business conditions aren't likely to get better any time soon, and that has industry executives talking about more station owners declaring bankruptcy, getting taken over by their banks or, in some cases, shutting down operations. Beyond over-leveraged operations, those in small markets without major network affiliations are at greatest risk
http://benton.org/node/23074
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CONTENT
YOUTUBE BLOCKS MUSIC VIDEOS TO UK USERS
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Chris Nuttall, Tim Bradshaw]
YouTube has begun blocking music videos to UK users following a failure to reach agreement with PRS for Music on a new royalties deal. YouTube said it was being asked to pay an amount to the collecting agency for writers, composers and publishers that was "many, many more times higher than under the previous agreement". YouTube has begun blocking music videos to UK users following a failure to reach agreement with PRS for Music on a new royalties deal. YouTube said it was being asked to pay an amount to the collecting agency for writers, composers and publishers that was "many, many more times higher than under the previous agreement".
http://benton.org/node/23088
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MUSIC, BROADCASTING REPS TRADE BLOWS
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Andrew Noyes]
On the eve of a House Judiciary Committee hearing to examine legislation that would terminate a longstanding royalty exemption afforded to AM and FM radio, the National Association of Broadcasters slammed the music industry-led effort as being "founded on an incomplete and therefore misleading comparison of US and international copyright law." Proponents of the bill have argued that in every other democratic free market country, radio stations compensate musicians when they play their music. The countries, however, do not compensate artists and musicians within the United States because the United States does not provide a performance right for their artists.
http://benton.org/node/23086
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JOURNALISM
WHERE WAS THE MEDIA AS WALL STREET IMPLODED?
[SOURCE: National Public Radio, AUTHOR: David Folkenflik]
There are plenty of people to share the blame for the collapse of the nation's financial system. Greedy speculators, mortgage executives and banking chiefs; pliant credit rating agencies; and absentee government regulators come to mind. But what about the self-described watchdogs in the media? As a consistent consumer of newspapers and TV news, and a frequent reader of magazines, I didn't have much sense that the nation's financial system could implode until it was starting to do so. "I get this from friends, family, you know, 'How come you guys didn't see this coming?' " said Peter Coy, economics editor for BusinessWeek magazine. "How come all the journalists missed this big story?" His answer: They didn't. "Maybe you don't remember what we wrote," Coy said. "Maybe you didn't read what we wrote. But we were out there covering this stuff."
http://benton.org/node/23068
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JANUARY SETS RECORD FOR NEWSPAPER WEB SITE UNIQUE USERS
[SOURCE: Editor&Publisher, AUTHOR: Jennifer Saba]
The number of people visiting newspaper Web sites in January spiked to a new high, according to the Newspaper Association of America. During the month, 74.8 million unique visitors went to newspaper Web sites, an increase of 11% year-over-year. The month also generated a record number of page views -- 3.7 billion. The average time spent per person in January was almost 46 minutes.
http://benton.org/node/23071
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STOCKS AND LIMBAUGH FUEL THE NEWS NARRATIVE
[SOURCE: Project for Excellence in Journalism, AUTHOR: Mark Jurkowitz]
Led by falling stock prices, the financial meltdown accounted for 43% of the newshole from March 2-8 as measured by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. That is up modestly from the previous week when the story registered at 38% of the newshole. In the six full weeks since President Obama's inaugural—January 26-March 8—the economic crisis has accounted for 43% of the newshole. (And that does not include related stories, such as the U.S. auto industry or Obama's February 24 speech to Congress.) That is roughly six times more than the next biggest story—the logistics and evaluations of the new administration—which registered at 7%. These numbers for the floundering economy in 2009 conjure up comparisons to the Presidential election in 2008. It is an ongoing saga that shows no signs of abating (at least the campaign had an ending date) and is consuming the overwhelming share of media attention. In the same period in 2008—one that included Super Tuesday and other key primaries—the election filled 46% of the newshole, and the economy was the second-biggest story at 6%. The numbers are remarkably similar.
http://benton.org/node/23085
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TRIBUNE CONSULTANT ON WRIGLEY FIELD SALE LINKED TO BLAGOJEVICH
[SOURCE: Chicago Tribune, AUTHOR:]
Marc Ganis, a sports business consultant hired by Tribune Co. to help with a possible sale of Wrigley Field to the state of Illinois commiserated over declining newspaper quality with a top aide to former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and sought a spot on Chicago's 2016 Olympic panel to help the since-ousted governor. Ganis was retained by Tribune Co. and dealt with the Blagojevich administration over possible attempts by the state to help the company structure a sale of Wrigley Field. Tribune Co. officials have refused to publicly disclose details about their contacts with the Blagojevich administration, even though those contacts are part of the federal corruption investigation.
http://benton.org/node/23089
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WIRELESS
PSST AND CYREN CALL END ADVISORY RELATIONSHIP
[SOURCE: Cyren Call, AUTHOR: Press release]
Cyren Call Communications Corporation
announced that it has informed the Public Safety Spectrum Trust Corporation (PSST) that Cyren Call will no longer serve as the advisor to the PSST and the related contract between the parties is being terminated. Various factors the lack of an adequate source of funding to support substantial ongoing activities on behalf of the PSST, the indefinite hiatus in the regulatory processes toward creation of a nationwide network for public safety, the recalibration affecting both personnel and policy that naturally follows the change in administration and the continuing turmoil in the financial markets - led the parties to conclude their formal relationship.
http://benton.org/node/23067
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TALK ISN'T CHEAP? FOR CELLPHONE USERS, NOT TALKING IS COSTLY TOO
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: David Lazarus]
Most telecom customers are buying more product than they use. San Diego consumer advocacy group Utility Consumers Action network finds that the average cellphone customer actually pays more than $3 per minute. That $3-per-minute figure is skewed by the relatively small percentage of people who pay for a lot of minutes but barely use any. But even when those folk are taken out of the mix, most wireless customers still pay between 50 cents and $1 per minute, the study found. Additional findings: 1) Only about 8% of land line customers pay less than 10 cents per minute for long-distance calls. The majority pay well over 10 cents per minute, with 20% of people paying more than 50 cents per minute and 10% paying more than $1. 2) The cost of additional phone services has soared. In AT&T's case, the cost of call waiting has risen 86% since 2004, the cost of an unlisted number is up 346% and the cost of directory assistance has skyrocketed 1,630%. 3) The average cellphone customer uses only about a third of "any time minutes" allowed by most wireless plans. The rest are paid for but wasted.
http://benton.org/node/23075
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QUICKLY
FTC URGED TO NAME CONSUMER PROTECTION CHIEF
http://benton.org/node/23072
"THE TELECOM WORLD IS NOT FLAT... YET"
http://benton.org/node/23069
BEHIND THE INCREDIBLY SHRINKING MEDIA
http://benton.org/node/23084
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SOCIAL NETWORKING OVERTAKES E-MAIL IN POPULARITY
http://benton.org/node/23065
WHAT THE HECK IS TWITTER?
http://benton.org/node/23070
GEORGETOWN DEAN TO LEAD PHILANTHROPIC MACARTHUR FOUNDATION
http://benton.org/node/23091
A CHAT WITH PADMASREE WARRIOR, CISCO'S CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER
http://benton.org/node/23090
CISCO USING THE INTERNET TO HELP TURN CITIES GREEN
http://benton.org/node/23073
THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF SOCIAL MEDIA SITES
http://brainz.org/completely-unscientific-yet-accurate-look-social-sites/