April 17, 2009 (Time Warner Cable shelves broadband usage billing)

Today's headlines dedicated to our newest subscriber, Benjamin Isett, born April 16th 2009 at 4:03 ET

"It is clear from the public response over the last two weeks that there is a great deal of misunderstanding about our plans."
-- Glenn Britt, Time Warner Cable

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for FRIDAY APRIL 17, 2009

Full agenda next week (Congress comes back) including: 1) Copyright, Content and Class Action Lawsuits: A Debate on the Google Book Search Settlement, 2) a confirmation hearing, 3) a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on FCC reform and 4) don't forget those wacky state legislators are a-comin' to town. For the week's events, see http://benton.org/calendar/2009-04-19--P1W

GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
   Control of Cybersecurity Becomes Divisive Issue
   Role of Bush NSA Plan Under Review

NETWORK MANAGEMENT
   Time Warner Cable shelves broadband usage billing
   Free Press Debates the Cable Lobby on Internet Penalties

THE STIMULUS
   To Create Demand We Need More Local Content Like PEG
   CTIA urges Network Neutrality rules be dropped for wireless networks
   Funding for Smart Grid Initiatives

HEALTH AND MEDIA
   Kids Group Wants To Add Ratings For 'Inappropriate' Commercials
   FTC Publishes Proposed Breach Notification Rule for Electronic Health Information
   Sebelius sees IT as key to health reform
   FCC Update on Rural Health Care Pilot Program Initiative

JOURNALISM
   Newsroom Employment Drops to Lowest Level Since 1978 -- But Online Jobs Up
   As newspapers decline, journalism schools thrive
   The Real Consequences of Media Consolidation
   Tax Day 2009: The day the mainstream media died?
   Where we get our information

TELEVISION
   3.6 Million TV Households Still Completely Unready for DTV
   Study: Average Cable TV Bill Is $71 Per Month
   DIRECTV, Comcast to Pay Total of $3.21 Million for Do Not Call Violations

DIGITAL CONTENT
   The Gold Mine Facebook Refuses To Explore
   Deal Brings TV Shows and Movies to YouTube
   How Web Sparked Obama Win
   Online Radio Gaining in Popularity

QUICKLY -- Microsoft agrees to some lengthened US oversight; This Old Phone? Good Enough for Me; Plugged-in hotels ring in more guests

Recent Comments on:
USAC's 2008 Annual Report
South Carolina's plan to reprogram huge spectrum asset

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GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS

CONTROL OF CYBERSECURITY BECOMES DIVISIVE ISSUE
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: James Risen, Eric Lichtblau]
The National Security Agency has been campaigning to lead the government's rapidly growing cybersecurity programs, raising privacy and civil liberties concerns among some officials who fear that the move could give the spy agency too much control over government computer networks. The Obama administration is expected to complete an internal cybersecurity review on Friday and may publicly announce its new computer-security strategy as early as next week. That plan will determine the scope of cybersecurity efforts throughout the federal government as well as which agencies will take leading roles in protecting the government's computer systems. The security agency's interest in taking over the dominant role has met resistance, including the resignation of the Homeland Security Department official who was until last month in charge of coordinating cybersecurity efforts throughout the government.
http://benton.org/node/24399
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ROLE OF BUSH NSA PLAN UNDER REVIEW
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Ellen Nakashima]
The Bush administration planned last year to direct the National Security Agency, which specializes in spying electronically on foreign adversaries, to take the techniques it has employed to defend military computer networks and use them to protect US government civilian networks. When the effort did not proceed as quickly as hoped, NSA employees on loan to the Department of Homeland Security sought to test sophisticated software that would send sensor technologies into the Internet to detect malicious code entering civilian government networks, the officials said. The goal: "Stop it before it gets there," one former official said. He and other sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because the methods are classified.
http://benton.org/node/24398
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NETWORK MANAGEMENT

TIME WARNER CABLE SHELVES BROADBAND USAGE BILLING
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Yinka Adegoke]
Time Warner Cable said on Thursday it would shelve plans to test a system that bills customers for the amount of broadband bandwidth they use instead of at a flat fee to access the Internet from home after an uproar from consumer groups and politicians. Time Warner Cable Chief Executive Glenn Britt said the company would not go ahead with its plans for additional tests of the billing system until it has consulted more with customers and other parties. Time Warner Cable said it was working to make measurement tools available "as quickly as possible" to help customers understand how much bandwidth they use. Sen Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced his own opposition to the plan, then spoke with Britt about the "overwhelming opposition" to the caps. Citizens of Rochester (NY) were furious about the caps about to be imposed on them, with Schumer's office describing the reaction as "outrage." Frontier Communications, whose DSL broadband service competes with Time Warner Cable's modems in Rochester, shelved its own plans to introduce metered billing. Timothy Karr, campaign director of Free Press, said, "We're glad to see Time Warner Cable's price-gouging scheme collapse in the face of consumer opposition. Let this be a lesson to other Internet service providers looking to head down a similar path. Consumers are not going to stand idly by as companies try to squeeze their use of the Internet. This is a major victory, but the fight for a fast, open and affordable Internet is far from over."
http://benton.org/node/24392
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FREE PRESS DEBATES THE CABLE LOBBY ON INTERNET PENALTIES
[SOURCE: Free Press, AUTHOR: Ben Scott]
[Commentary] Time Warner Cable's announcement that its small trial of metered Internet pricing schemes was growing was serious. These kinds of industry practices have a tendency to roll out under the radar, establish themselves in the market, and then they are very difficult to undo. So it was not premature to call for an inquiry. Congress is the first port of call for citizens who want to see a major corporation's behaviors scrutinized. We need only look at the banking sector to note that erring on the side of caution when it comes to congressional oversight is not a bad idea. Furthermore, a member of Congress has already called for legislation to address the practice -- so clearly the issue had not escaped the notice of legislators. Asking Congress for an inquiry is simply raising some red flags about a plan that had many troubling questions surrounding it. First on the list is the question of whether cable has an interest in using strict caps and high metered prices to dissuade consumers from watching online video, a potential competitor to cable's television offerings.
http://benton.org/node/24391
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THE STIMULUS

TO CREATE DEMAND WE NEED MORE LOCAL CONTENT LIKE PEG
[SOURCE: App-Rising.com, AUTHOR: Geoff Daily]
[Commentary] The aspect of the broadband stimulus that's getting almost no attention is the up to $250 million set aside to spur demand for broadband. People don't seem to be talking much about it despite the fact that increasing the market for broadband may have the most profound effect on spurring deployment by creating more customers. If you want people to go online you need to give them a reason to do so. If we want to reach the 50% or so of households without broadband access we can't get there by talking bitrate and bandwidth. We need compelling local content that they either can't get anywhere else or that it's at least more convenient to watch online. That content could be anything, from local sports to local government meetings to local music to local healthcare information and beyond. The idea is having content that's relevant to someone living in a particular geographic area, and then making that content available online on-demand. Because of this, it's Daily's belief that NTIA should seriously consider any proposals from PEG stations to use BTOP demand funds to facilitate the creation of more local content.
http://benton.org/node/24390
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CTIA URGES NETWORK NEUTRALITY RULES DROPPED FOR WIRELESS NETWORKS
[SOURCE: FierceWireless, AUTHOR: Phil Goldstein]
Wireless trade group CTIA urged the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) not to push for Network Neutrality regulations for wireless networks affected by the broadband stimulus beyond rules the FCC already enforces. The statement from the wireless industry's chief lobbying group came amid a torrent of comments sent to the Department of Commerce and the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) of the Department of Agriculture on Monday, the deadline for comments on how broadband grants should be structured. When Congress passed the $787 billion economic stimulus in February, it mandated that the NTIA and the FCC put in place certain net neutrality regulations. CTIA is arguing that those regulations should not apply to wireless networks. The net neutrality rules "should be applied to broadband stimulus grantees within the context of its existing parameters, and not more broadly," CTIA said. "Wireless networks are inherently different than the networks for which the [net neutrality] policy statement was developed. The underlying network infrastructure, including spectrum, as well as the integration of the customer equipment, make wireless significantly different than other broadband networks."
http://benton.org/node/24389
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FUNDING FOR SMART GRID INITIATIVES
[SOURCE: The White House]
Vice President Joe Biden detailed plans by the Department of Energy to develop a smart, strong and secure electrical grid, which will create new jobs and help deliver reliable power more effectively with less impact on the environment to customers across the nation. As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Vice President outlined plans to distribute more than $3.3 billion in smart grid technology development grants and an additional $615 million for smart grid storage, monitoring and technology viability. As part of Vice President Biden's announcement, the Department of Energy released a Notice of Intent (NOI) for the DOE Smart Grid Investment Grant Program, as well as a draft Funding Opportunity Announcement from the Department for a smart grid regional demonstration initiative. Together these efforts will help implement technologies aimed at transforming how electricity providers operate their systems, offer options for increased energy storage and accelerate the integration of renewable energy sources like wind and solar power with the electrical grid. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke announced plans for a Smart Grid meeting in Washington (DC) that he will chair with Energy Secretary Steven Chu. The event, which will take place in early May, will bring together leaders from key stakeholders' organizations, largely from private industry, to begin a critical discussion about developing industry-wide standards that will enable the Smart Grid to become a reality. Additionally, industry leaders at the meeting will be expected to pledge to harmonize industry standards critical to developing the smart grid, commit to a timetable to reach a standards agreement and abide by the standards devised. The meeting will provide a forum for industry leaders to move toward an industry standards agreement critical to developing the Smart Grid. Additional meetings of industry staff on May 19-20 are planned to make further progress on a standards agreement.
http://benton.org/node/24388
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HEALTH AND MEDIA

KIDS GROUP WANTS TO ADD RATINGS FOR 'INAPPROPRIATE' COMMERCIALS
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Children's Media Policy Council, whose members include Children Now, The PTA, the American Psychological Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, wants the Federal Communications Commission to fix the V-chip/ratings system, including adding ratings for "inappropriate TV commercials" and embedded advertising in broadcast and cable shows so parents can potentially block those, too. Positioned on the other side of the argument is the Association of National Advertisers, which has asked the commission to "disavow" any effort to add commercials to the content ratings menu, saying that Congress' instruction to the FCC to conduct a study was not be treated as an "invitation to regulate." The positions were on display in filings made the commission Thursday, the deadline for comments to a report Congress required the FCC to prepare on the current state of content-blocking technologies across a range of media, including cable, satellite and the Internet as well as broadcasting.
http://benton.org/node/24385
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FTC PUBLISHES PROPOSED BREACH NOTIFICATION RULE FOR ELECTRONIC HEALTH INFORMATION
[SOURCE: Federal Trade Commission, AUTHOR: Press release]
The Federal Trade Commission announced that it is seeking public comment on a proposed rule that would require entities to notify consumers when the security of their electronic health information is breached. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the Recovery Act) includes provisions to advance the use of health information technology and, at the same time, strengthen privacy and security protections for health information. Among other things, the Recovery Act recognizes that there are new types of Web-based entities that collect or handle consumers' sensitive health information. Some of these entities offer personal health records, which consumers can use as an electronic, individually controlled repository for their medical information. Others provide online applications through which consumers can track and manage different kinds of information in their personal health records. For example, consumers can connect a device such as a pedometer to their computers and upload miles traveled, heart rate, and other data into their personal health records. These innovations have the potential to provide numerous benefits for consumers, which can only be realized if they have confidence that the security and confidentiality of their health information will be maintained. To address these issues, the Recovery Act requires the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct a study and report, in consultation with the FTC, on potential privacy, security, and breach notification requirements for vendors of personal health records and related entities. This study and report must be completed by February 2010. In the interim, the Act requires the Commission to issue a temporary rule requiring these entities to notify consumers if the security of their health information is breached. The proposed rule the Commission is announcing is the first step in implementing this requirement.
http://benton.org/node/24387
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SEBELIUS SEES IT AS KEY TO HEALTH REFORM
[SOURCE: GovernmentHealthIT, AUTHOR: Paul McCloskey]
Gov Kathleen Sebelius (D-Kansas), who is awaiting confirmation as the next secretary of Health and Human Services, has made it clear that she views the widespread use of health information technology as essential to reforming the health care system. In 137 pages of written answers to questions from members of the Senate Finance Committee after an April 2 confirmation hearing, Sebelius repeatedly cited health IT as a way to lower costs, raise the quality of care and achieve comprehensive health care reform. "A nationwide interoperable health IT infrastructure is a fundamental building block for broader health reform," she wrote, adding that the federal government must step in to ensure that "systems are interoperable and that patient privacy is assured." In 10 instances, Sebelius also referenced transparency as a tonic for the health care industry's ills.
http://benton.org/node/24386
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FCC UPDATE ON RURAL HEALTHCARE PILOT PROGRAM INITIATIVE
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
The Federal Communications Commission today announced the approval of funding under its Rural Health Care Pilot Program (RHCPP) for the build-out of five broadband telehealth networks that will link hundreds of hospitals regionally in Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. In addition, funding has been approved for the design of a telehealth project in Alaska. Collectively, these projects are eligible to receive $46 million in reimbursement for the engineering and construction of their regional telehealth networks. Funding commitments for these projects were issued by the Universal Service Administrative Company, or USAC, which administers the RHCPP for the FCC.
http://benton.org/node/24383
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JOURNALISM

NEWSROOM EMPLOYMENT DROPS TO LOWEST LEVEL SINCE 1978 -- BUT ONLINE JOBS UP
[SOURCE: Editor&Publisher, AUTHOR: Jennifer Saba]
Newsroom employment has plunged 11.3% in 2008, with the industry losing some 5,900 jobs, according to the American Society of News Editors (ASNE). It's the biggest drop the organization has recorded since it first started conducing its newsroom employment survey in 1978. The number of jobs losses more than doubled in 2008 compared with 2007 when the industry shed 2,400 jobs. The number of newsroom jobs is now at a level last seen during the early 1980s. However, other findings from the survey include a 21% rise year-over-year in online-only journalists to 2,300, of which 19.6% were minorities.
http://benton.org/node/24382
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AS NEWSPAPERS DECLINE, JOURNALISM SCHOOLS THRIVE
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: James Rainey]
Young people are flocking to graduate school programs, driven by the thrill of deadlines, the lure of a good story and a belief that they'll play a role in shaping the evolution of journalism.
http://benton.org/node/24395
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THE REAL CONSEQUENCES OF MEDIA CONSOLIDATION
[SOURCE: StopBigMedia.com, AUTHOR: Jordan Berg]
[Commentary] There are profound and immediate consequences of the current crisis of media ownership, in which only a few companies control nearly everything we read, watch and hear. As corporations have increased their media holdings, news has become a commodity, and a profit-driven bottom line has replaced a dedication to real journalism. We are reminded daily of this breach of contract with our democracy when the corporate media routinely falters in providing the public with hard-hitting, quality journalism. More profound is the way media consolidation is endangering our citizens directly, whether it is the media's failure to ask tough questions about the Iraq war, report on the harmful effects of sentencing laws, or provide non-sensationalistic coverage of natural disasters that gives the public pertinent public safety information.
http://benton.org/node/24373
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TAX DAY 2009: THE DAY THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA DIED?
[SOURCE: The Christian Science Monitor, AUTHOR: Patrik Jonsson]
Thousands of Americans participated in "tea parties" on April 15 and yet only a whisper in the mainstream press, they complain. To tea partyers, the disconnect points up the wide divide between elite media and the population at large. To others, any downplaying of the protests is just a symptom of the broader reordering of the media world. In contrast, HuffingtonPost sent 1,800 "citizen journalists," toting iPhones and laptops, to cover the tea parties. "Today is one of those days that may lead to more awareness that [alternative journalism] is a great tool and a great way to connect with people," says Jen Reeves, a new media specialist at the Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia. "It's fabulous that more media outlets are looking in and peering in." "Who's actually reporting on this?" says Michael Patrick Leahy, a Nashville-based blogger and tea-party organizer who will appear today on PJTV, a Web-based, right-leaning news channel. If there is slight media coverage of the tea parties, he says, "we may well look back historically and determine that April 15th, 2009, is the day the mainstream media died."
http://benton.org/node/24396
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WHERE WE GET OUR INFORMATION
[SOURCE: Daily Kos, AUTHOR: Markos Moulitsas Zúniga]
[Commentary] Whenever we debate the future of newspapers, inevitably someone asks, "if they go out of business, where will blogs get their stories?" That's a companion argument to "who will conduct investigative journalism"? Well, just as a wide range of journalistic enterprises are conducting investigative reporting (including online news outlets, television stations, and advocacy groups), so too will we get our news from a variety of different sources. In fact, we already do.
http://benton.org/node/24381
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TELEVISION

3.6 MILLION TV HOUSEHOLDS STILL COMPLETELY UNREADY FOR DTV
[SOURCE: Nielsen, AUTHOR: Press release]
3.6 million or 3.2% of U.S. TV households remain completely unready for the transition to all digital broadcast that will take place on June 12, 2009. That is an improvement more than 200,000 households in two weeks with just nine weeks until the transition. Among the 56 metered markets, which represent approximately 70% of all U.S TV households, Albuquerque-Santa Fe remains the least ready market with 9.1% completely unprepared; Dallas-Ft. Worth is next with 6.3% of TV households not yet ready, unchanged since the last update. On the other end of the spectrum, Providence-New Bedford is now completely ready. Less than 1% of TV households in Hartford & New Haven are completely unready. A total of 21 local markets have less than 2% of TV households completely unready.
http://benton.org/node/24377
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STUDY: AVERAGE CABLE BILL IS $71 PER MONTH
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Todd Spangler]
Cable TV service bills increased 7.5% in the second half of 2008, with the average U.S. cable bill at $71 -- an increase of $5 from the year prior, according to a study from research firm Centris. The time period in the Centris report reflected an average month from July through December 2008. The report is based on an ongoing survey program of approximately 1,000 weekly interviews with consumers. According to Centris, last year's increase in the average cable TV bill was in contrast to the year earlier when it found no significant change between 2006 and 2007. Among other findings in the Centris report, the research firm estimated that nearly 46 million households have an HDTV set while only 74% of them -- about 34 million -- subscribe to HDTV service. About 55% of households reported having a large-screen TV set (32 inches or more), up from 49% in the second half of 2007. All told, 50 million U.S. households have a digital TV, according to Centris.
http://benton.org/node/24384
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DIRECTV, COMCAST TO PAY TOTAL OF $3.21 MILLION FOR ENTITY-SPECIFIC DO NOT CALL VIOLATIONS
[SOURCE: Federal Trade Commission, AUTHOR: Press release]
DIRECTV and Comcast have agreed to pay a total of $3.21 million to settle separate Federal Trade Commission charges that they violated the Do Not Call provisions of the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR), including charges that they or their telemarketers called consumers who specifically had told the companies not to call them again. In addition, a DIRECTV telemarketer and its principals have agreed to pay a $115,000 penalty for making prerecorded sales calls to consumers who had asked not to be called. Under the proposed settlements, DIRECTV has agreed to pay $2.31 million to settle the FTC's charges that it violated the TSR's Do Not Call provisions and, as a result, violated a 2005 court order barring it from such conduct. Comcast has agreed to pay $900,000 to settle the FTC's claims that it violated the entity-specific Do Not Call provisions of the TSR. All the defendants also would be prohibited from future violations of the TSR and the Do Not Call Rule. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed the actions on behalf of the FTC.
http://benton.org/node/24375
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DIGITAL CONTENT

THE GOLD MINE FACEBOOK REFUSES TO EXPLORE
[SOURCE: alleyinsider.com, AUTHOR: Nicholas Carlson]
Ad agencies would pay Facebook a lot of money to know what members are saying about their clients. Already Facebook has a free service called Lexicon, which, according to the company, "aggregates and analyzes millions of Facebook Wall posts every day to provide a searchable database of trends over time." But ad agencies would want "Lexicon on Steroids" with the: 1) ability for a researcher to type in any brand name and see the amount of conversation going on about it, 2) ability to do the same thing on a comparative basis, 3) ability to narrow that research by zip code, IP address, demographics or interest. And the service would have to show what kind of words brands names are clustered with.
http://benton.org/node/24374
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DEAL BRINGS TV SHOWS AND MOVIES TO YOUTUBE
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Brian Stelter, Miguel Helft]
In another step in its transformation from an online jumble of amateur videos to a destination for mainstream TV programs and movies, YouTube said Thursday that it had signed deals with Hollywood studios to showcase thousands of TV episodes and hundreds of movies on its Web site. And Google, which owns YouTube, said it might eventually bring another innovation to the site: payment for some premium content. The agreements with the studios, which include Sony, Lions Gate, MGM and others, are significant because YouTube dominates online video. Nearly two-thirds of all video views in the United States occur on YouTube, according to the measurement firm Nielsen. Last month the site had more than 90 million visitors, 10 times as many as the next biggest site, comScore said. But while YouTube, along with other new media properties like MySpace, Facebook and Twitter, is seen as leading the challenge against traditional media companies, the company itself is struggling to profit from its digital popularity.
http://benton.org/node/24397
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HOW WEB SPARKED OBAMA WIN
[SOURCE: Editor&Publisher, AUTHOR: Greg Mitchell]
The 2008 race for the White House was the first national campaign profoundly shaped -- even, at times, dominated -- by the new media, from viral videos and blog rumors that went "mainstream" to startling online fundraising techniques. Simply put: The rules of the game have been changed forever -- by technology. It was more than the "YouTube Election," as some dubbed it, or "The Facebook Election," or "hyper-politics." James Rainey, the longtime media reporter for the Los Angeles Times, declared that there is a "new-media revolution that is remaking presidential campaigns.
http://benton.org/node/24380
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ONLINE RADIO GAINING POPULARITY
[SOURCE: MediaWeek, AUTHOR: Paul Heine]
Online radio is gaining in popularity. The number of Americans that tune in weekly to online radio grew to 42 million, up from 33 million in 2008. Stuck in the 11 percent to 13 percent range for the past three years, weekly online listening now reaches 17 percent of the population, according to Arbitron and Edison Research.The number of monthly online listeners is 69 million or 27 percent of the population. And nearly half of the population, or 49 percent, an astounding 125 million, have ever listened to online radio.
http://benton.org/node/24376
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QUICKLY

MICROSOFT AGREES TO SOME LENGTHENED US OVERSIGHT
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Diane Bartz]
Microsoft and the Justice Department agreed to extend some portions of federal antitrust oversight by 18 months, to May 2011, according to court papers filed on Thursday. Microsoft settled U.S. antitrust charges in 2002 that it abused its dominance of the market for personal computer operating systems. Court oversight had been scheduled to end on November 12. The Justice Department and states involved in the antitrust suit said in the filing that the November deadline would not give them enough time to assess whether Microsoft had removed all the errors from the technical information it is required to give potential licensees who write programs for Microsoft's Windows.
http://benton.org/node/24378
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THIS OLD PHONE? GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Matt Richtel]
In-Stat, a marketing research firm, estimates in its latest report, released Tuesday, that worldwide shipments of mobile phones will drop 20.5 percent in 2009 from 2008. The report predicts that the number of new cellphone subscribers worldwide will grow 8.9 percent this year, and 6.3 percent in 2010. That's a sharp dropoff from the 19.3 percent growth in 2008. With regard to handsets, the report says that robust growth — projected at 9.6 percent — will return in 2011.
http://benton.org/node/24379
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PLUGGED-IN HOTELS RING IN MORE GUESTS
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Miral Fahmy]
Plugged-in hotels are likely to get the most guests checking in, with a global survey showing websites, and hi-tech facilities, are the top criteria travelers look for when picking a place to stay. With 70 percent of travelers saying they would stay at a cheaper hotel due to the global economic slowdown, a Reuters Synovate survey of 6,300 people across 10 countries looked at how people choose their hotels and what features are important. Nearly a third of guests said the number-one way they assess a hotel is via its website, followed by asking friends or colleagues, an approach particularly popular in Southeast Asia. Overall, 47 percent of travelers make sure a hotel caters to their technology needs before they book it, the survey showed.
http://benton.org/node/24372
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