April 20, 2009 (Obama names CTO)
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for MONDAY APRIL 20, 2009
For this week's media policy events, see http://www.benton.org/calendar/2009-04-19--P1W
THE TRANSITION
President Obama Names Chief Technology Officer and Chief Performance Officer
US cybersecurity review done, heads to Obama soon
THE STIMULUS
Stimulus Confusion Frustrates Business
What if the information superhighways aren't built of...
INTERNET/BROADBAND
As Costs Fall, Companies Push to Raise Internet Price
RUS Broadband Grant Applications Due June 19
Carriers Aim to Keep Rural Broadband Under Their Thumb
Usage management pays in mobile broadband
CDT Urges FCC to Avoid Filtering and Other Mandates
JOURNALISM
Cable Wars Are Killing Objectivity
Hello, Steve Brill, Get Me Rewrite
Same-Sex Marriage Dominates Conversation in the Blogosphere
BROADCASTING
US TV Stations Attract More Viewers With News Than 'Seinfeld'
How Can TV Survive the Recession? Local Public Service
NTIA's Low-Power Television and Translator Upgrade Program Put on Hold
Top 25 TV Station Groups
Actors, Hollywood studios reach deal, avert strike
TV Still Occupies Two Thirds of Adult Screen Time
Shifting tastes imperil TV sales
Commercial Radio Stations Beg for Cash
TELECOM
Verizon Eyes Global Assets
Tennessee: AT&T effort aided by lobbyists, campaign contributions
Tate: Good laws spur technology, investment
Proposal to deregulate could hike Florida phone bills
SPECTRUM
Verizon urges scrapping D-Block auction process
ADVERTISING/MARKETING
TiVo to sell data on what people watch
Studios struggle to rein in movie marketing costs
Ignore Twitter? Major brands learn they'd better respond -- and quick
AGENDA
Obama to Order Cabinet to Quickly Cut $100 Million From Department Budgets
Senate Committee Postpones Hearing on FCC Reform
Movie Studios Press Washington Agenda
QUICKLY -- Study Finds Some Youths 'Addicted' to Video Games; Older generations adopting new technologies faster than young
THE TRANSITION
PRESIDENT OBAMA NAMES CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER AND CHIEF PERFORMANCE OFFICER
[SOURCE: The White House]
In his weekly address, President Barack Obama announced that Aneesh Chopra, Virginia's Secretary of Technology, will serve as the Chief Technology Officer and that Jeffrey Zients, a CEO, management consultant and entrepreneur, will join the administration as the Chief Performance Officer and Deputy Director for Management of the Office of Management and Budget. He will work to streamline processes, cut costs, and find the best practices throughout the government. As Chief Technology Officer, Chopra will promote technological innovation to help the country meet its goals from job creation, to reducing health care costs, to protecting the homeland. Together with Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra, Chopra and Zients will help give all Americans a government that is effective, efficient, and transparent. Chopra leads Virginia's strategy to effectively leverage technology in government reform, to promote Virginia's innovation agenda, and to foster technology-related economic development. Previously, he worked as Managing Director with the Advisory Board Company, leading the firm's Financial Leadership Council and the Working Council for Health Plan Executives. Chopra will be an assistant to the President and his formal title will be associate director for technology under the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy office.
http://benton.org/node/24428
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US CYBERSECURITY REVIEW DONE, HEADS TO OBAMA SOON
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Diane Bartz]
President Barack Obama will soon receive the results of a 60-day review of cybersecurity that should weigh in on whether he should name a cybersecurity czar, the White House said on Friday. The review could also make recommendations on how much should be budgeted to prevent potential hacker attacks on critical infrastructure and fight widespread Internet fraud. "Today, the interagency group undertaking the review concluded its work and is now in the process of submitting its findings and recommendations for the President's review," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said. "After the President has had an opportunity to carefully review the group's report, we will begin discussing the results," he added.
http://benton.org/node/24427
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THE STIMULUS
STIMULUS CONFUSION FRUSTRATES BUSINESS
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Elizabeth Williamson]
Uncertainty about the pace of spending from the government's $787 billion stimulus package, and about new regulations, could contribute to a broader slowdown in business spending and hinder a recovery, some executives and lobbyists say. Confusion over how to go after money allocated to various stimulus programs appears to be clouding corporate efforts to plan ahead, which were already complicated by the economic slump. The Obama administration's rules restricting contacts with officials running various elements of the stimulus effort are adding to the frustration for some businesses, and some business advocates are considering challenging the antilobbying rules. Ivan Seidenberg, chairman and chief executive of telecommunications provider Verizon Communications Inc., said in a recent interview that the Obama administration is moving slowly to dispense stimulus funds because there are too many policy makers in Congress, the White House and various agencies with influence over the process. "They have too many Indian chiefs trying to micromanage how the money is spent," he said. The stimulus package included about $19 billion to encourage the use of electronic medical records -- a potential boon for information-technology companies. But an administration spokeswoman says the health-care-technology portion of the stimulus is moving more slowly because of its newness and complexity.
http://benton.org/node/24458
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WHAT IF THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAYS AREN'T BUILT OF ...
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: James Boyle]
[Commentary] The stimulus package contains 7 billion dollars of subsidies for broadband connections. Some of those dollars, particularly those devoted to neglected rural areas, may indeed produce economic and social benefit beyond the digging of holes and the filling them in with fibre optic cable, though the industry overbuilt so absurdly during the dot- boom that Boyle is skeptical of the larger plan. But this initiative also represents another triumph for reification in social policy. We see the economic advantages of a network -- the lowering of barriers to entry, dramatic improvements in information flow, lower transaction costs -- and we associate those advantages with the thing along which the network's bits flow. But here's the problem. The information superhighways of the mind are not just wires. (Though we surely need the wires.) The container is not the thing contained. What we ought to be doing is trying to understand where the architecture of information in our society has been a success, where government investment has yielded remarkable social and economic benefit. We can study the reasons for the absolutely stunning success of the Internet, and try extend that success, that model of network design, into places that it currently doesn't reach. Yet those "places" are as likely to be fields of thought as fields in West Virginia. Some scholars have been arguing that the architecture of the Internet, its embrace of openness as a design principle, might revolutionize science if we could apply the same principles there -- if we could break down the legal and technical barriers that prevent the efficient networking of state funded research and data. Imagine a scientific research process that worked as efficiently as the web does for buying shoes. Then imagine what economic growth a faster, leaner, and more open scientific research environment might generate.
http://benton.org/node/24457
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
AS COSTS FALL, COMPANIES PUSH TO RAISE INTERNET PRICE
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Saul Hansell]
Internet service providers want to end the all-you-can-eat plans and get their customers paying à la carte. But they are having a hard time closing the buffet line. Faced with rising consumer protest and calls from members of Congress for new regulations, Time Warner Cable backed down last week from a plan to impose new fees on heavy users of its Road Runner Internet service. The debate over the price of Internet use is far from over. Critics say cable and phone companies are already charging far more than Internet providers in other countries. Some also wonder whether the new price plans are meant to prevent online video sites from cutting into the lucrative revenue from cable TV service. Cable executives say the issue is not competition but cost. People who watch or download a lot of movies and TV shows use hundreds of times more Internet capacity than those who simply read e-mail and browse the Web. It is only fair, they argue, that heavy users should pay more. Still, critics say the image of Internet providers as restaurants about to go broke serving an endless line of gluttons simply does not match the financial or technological realities of the industry. They point out that providers' profit margins are stable, and that investment in network equipment is generally falling.
http://benton.org/node/24459
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RUS BROADBAND GRANT APPLICATIONS DUE JUNE 19
[SOURCE: Rural Utilities Service]
The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Utilities Service (RUS) announced that applications for its Community Connect Grant Program for Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 are due June 19, 2009. The purpose of the Community Connect Grant Program is to provide financial assistance in the form of grants to eligible applicants that will provide currently unserved areas, on a "community-oriented connectivity" basis, with broadband transmission service that fosters economic growth and delivers enhanced educational, health care, and public safety services. Rural Utilities Service will give priority to rural areas that it believes have the greatest need for broadband. In addition, RUS announces the minimum and maximum amounts for Community Connect grants applicable for the fiscal year. Just over $13.4 million is available for grants. RUS has established a minimum grant amount of $50,000 and a maximum grant amount of $1,000,000 for FY 2009.
http://benton.org/node/24426
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CARRIERS AIM TO KEEP RURAL BROADBAND UNDER THEIR THUMB
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: Stacey Higginbotham]
[Commentary] As the Federal Communications Commission tries to formulate a National Broadband plan, wireless carriers are seeking to classify their networks as an acceptable alternative to wired broadband, especially in rural areas. At the same time, those wireless carriers are also trying to convince the FCC that they don't need to abide by principals of network neutrality. If they succeed, rural areas will be limited to wireless broadband, where carriers control what a subscriber can access on the Internet. That means bandwidth-sucking applications such as peer-to-peer file transfers and even HD video downloads may be blocked or limited on wireless networks. As carriers roll out faster, fourth-generation Long Term Evolution Networks with speeds that can range between 5 Mbps and 20 Mbps, wireless may be a viable option for rural broadband (provided those areas actually get LTE). However, if operators succeed in ditching network neutrality for their wireless networks, we would be left with a two-tiered system of broadband access, with a wireless tier that's devoid of net neutrality. And if the FCC decides to let wireless broadband subscriptions substitute for wired broadband access in some areas of the country, those areas will still face a digital divide. But this time the divide won't be distinguished by a lack of access or slow speeds, but by the limitations on applications and services running over the network.
http://benton.org/node/24425
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USAGE MANAGEMENT PAYS IN MOBILE BROADBAND
[SOURCE: CED, AUTHOR: Brian Santo]
Using policy management techniques to control bandwidth consumption can reduce operating costs by up to 20 percent in mobile broadband applications, according to research sponsored by policy control specialist Camiant. Omnitele, an international telecommunications consultancy, found that controlling the bandwidth consumption of certain users solely during peak hours allows maximum usage of the network by all subscribers when capacity is available, while constraining the need for additional network capacity. Omnitele gauged the cost savings of Camiant's Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF)-based approach. The results indicated a reduction in core and radio-access network capacity-related capital and operating expenses that Omnitele deemed "substantial." "Mobile broadband is the single most promising growth engine in the entire telecommunications industry," said Randy Fuller, vice president of business development for Camiant. "However, it is critical for mobile operators to intelligently manage bandwidth consumption since the cost per bit to deliver traffic is so high relative to fixed broadband networks. The cost model shines a strong light on this fact, and Camiant is working with the mobile industry to pave a successful way forward."
http://benton.org/node/24416
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CDT URGES FCC TO AVOID FILTERING AND OTHER MANDATES
[SOURCE: Center for Democracy and Technology, AUTHOR: ]
The Center for Democracy and Technology filed two set of comments with the Federal Communications Commission in response to the Child Safe Viewing Act, in which Congress asked the FCC to assess tools to help parents guide their children's television and content viewing. In joint comments filed on behalf of a coalition of industry and public interest groups, as well as in individual comments for CDT, we argued that the FCC must avoid technical and other mandates that harm innovation and violate constitutional free speech principles. The goal, CDT urged the FCC, is to allow parents to make decisions for their families, and not have the government or a network operator deciding what is "good" or "bad" content.
http://benton.org/node/24409
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JOURNALISM
CABLE WARS ARE KILLING OBJECTIVITY
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: David Carr]
Apparently there is an ingredient in tea that causes hysteria when given to cable news anchors. How else to explain the coverage of the tax day tea parties on Wednesday, which was the day when we procrastinators finally mailed the check to the feds? The movement — if that's what it is — was spawned by a rant on Feb. 19 from the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange during a live report by the CNBC reporter — if that's what he is — Rick Santelli, suggesting that it was time to organize a "tea party" to protest government spending on failed mortgages. The cable news networks took it from there. Fox News, after running more than 100 promos about its coverage of the event, which did a pretty effective job of marketing them at the same time, had wall-to-wall coverage on the anointed day and dispatched four of its leading hosts around the country to perform a kind of hybrid task, covering events that they also seemed to be leading. And in the increasingly politicized environment between the covered and coverers, Susan Roesgen of CNN, covering a tax protest in Chicago, could not have been more contemptuous of the people she was interviewing, shaking her finger at them and shouting them down.
http://benton.org/node/24456
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HELLO, STEVE BRILL, GET ME REWRITE
[SOURCE: Slate, AUTHOR: Jack Shafer]
If giving content away helped cast publishers out of the garden of profit, the man who has a plan to return the publishing industry to grace is Steve Brill. Brill, founder of the American Lawyer and Court TV, announced this week with partners Gordon Crovitz and Leo Hindery Jr. a plan to build efficient pay walls around publishers' content with their new company, Journalism Online. Brill's strategy appears to be micropayments for individual articles and all-day passes for a flat fee—as well as monthly and annual passes for publications that sign up with Journalism Online. But even if Brill recruits 95 percent of the top newspapers and magazines in the country, welds digital-rights-management security bracelets onto all content, and assassinates hackers who redistribute copy without authorization, the idea can't work. What's to prevent such Web enterprises from purchasing the most expensive all-tiers pass from Journalism Online and rewriting or otherwise encapsulating the best and most noteworthy walled-in articles in real time—and then selling ads against it? While you can copyright a news story, you can't copyright the news itself. In fact, under the fair-use provisions of the Copyright Act, reproducing portions of copyrighted work for the purposes of criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research are all considered "fair use."
http://benton.org/node/24407
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SAME-SEX MARRIAGE DOMINATES CONVERSATION IN THE BLOGOSPHERE
[SOURCE: Project for Excellence in Journalism, AUTHOR: Mark Jurkowitz]
In a week that saw landmark same-sex marriage votes in Vermont and Washington, D.C., bloggers devoted far more attention to that story than any other-with most applauding the legislative gains for gay couples. More than a quarter of the links (26%) by blogs and social media sites from April 6-10 focused on the gay-marriage issue, according to the New Media Index from the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. That differed dramatically from the traditional press, which devoted only 1% of last week's newshole to gay marriage, making it the No. 15 story in the mainstream media agenda.
http://benton.org/node/24411
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BROADCASTING/CABLE
US TV STATIONS ATTRACT MORE VIEWERS WITH NEWS THAN 'SEINFELD'
[SOURCE: Bloomberg, AUTHOR: Andy Fixmer]
TV stations around the country are drawing bigger audiences with local newscasts than by showing syndicated reruns and talk shows. Facing a record drop in advertising, station owners are pushing their news crews to fill expanded schedules, allowing programmers to eliminate more costly syndicated programs such as "Dr. Phil." In Los Angeles and San Francisco, stations are adding as much as 12 hours of news a week to schedules. "News has held up better than some of our syndicated programming," Jack Abernethy, chief executive officer of Fox stations, said. "Local news is less expensive and has better revenue potential than many syndicated programs." With crews already in place, stations can produce local news for as little as half the cost of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and other syndicated programs, Bill Carroll, director of programming at Katz Television Group in New York, said in an interview. "In almost every situation, the incremental cost to expand news, if you already have the resources in place, will be less than the license fee that you'd otherwise have to pay," said Carroll, whose company advises stations on purchasing and scheduling programs.
http://benton.org/node/24424
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HOW CAN TV SURVIVE THE RECESSION? LOCAL PUBLIC SERVICE
[SOURCE: Benton Foundation, AUTHOR: Charles Benton]
[Commentary] For years, Benton has been trying convince television broadcasters that their legal requirement to serve the public interest, convenience and necessity is also in their own financial interest. This year's economic downturn has broadcasters -- like other businesses -- worried about their survival. The recession is costing stations some of their biggest advertisers, such as car dealers and retailers. Advertising sales at TV stations may fall 23 percent in 2009 after a 9 percent dip to $13.1 billion last year. On April 16, Bloomberg news published a story titled "U.S. TV Stations Attract More Viewers With News Than 'Seinfeld'" that shows that now, more than ever, broadcasters must serve local community needs if they are to survive.
http://www.benton.org/node/24406
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LOW-POWER TELEVISION AND TRANSLATOR UPGRADE PROGRAM
[SOURCE: National Telecommunications and Information Administration]
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is withdrawing the Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking soliciting comments on the implementation of the Low-Power Television and Translator Upgrade Program (Upgrade Program). After reviewing and considering the comments received following two public meetings, the agency has decided not to proceed with regulations to implement the Upgrade Program. NTIA will establish and implement the Upgrade Program through a Notice of Availability of Funds (NOFA) to be published shortly. The Upgrade Program is intended to provide reimbursement to eligible low-power television broadcast stations, Class A television stations, television translator stations, or television booster stations for equipment to upgrade from analog to digital in eligible rural communities.
http://benton.org/node/24415
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TOP 25 TV STATION GROUPS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Paige Albiniak]
The tough economy has brought station sales to a screeching halt, say analysts, and that has kept movement among B&C's annual Top 25 station groups to a minimum. Here's the current Top 10 by percentage of US population reached: 1) CBS Corp. (35.48%) 2) Ion Media Networks (32.42%), 3) Fox Television Stations (31.20%), 4) NBC Universal GE (30.33%), 5) Tribune Co. (27.55%), 6) ABC TV Stations Group (23.14%), 7) Univision (22.21%), 8) Trinity Broadcasting Network (19.63%), 9) Gannett Broadcasting (17%), and 10) Hearst-Argyle Television (14.95%). [more at the URL below]
http://benton.org/node/24414
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ACTORS, HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS REACH DEAL, AVERT STRIKE
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Alex Dobuzinskis]
The Screen Actors Guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers reached a tentative deal on Friday on a new film and television contract that ends a bitter deadlock and would avert a strike the industry fears in a recession. Sources said the Internet pay aspects of the tentative deal were similar to what SAG's sister union, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, accepted in July last year, which included concessions SAG hard-liners had opposed. That deal called for a doubling of the rate of reuse fees, or "residuals," paid for TV shows downloaded on the Web. That rate went to about 2.1 percent of a distributor's gross revenues from roughly 1 percent, but the higher rate only kicks in after the first 100,000 downloads. The AFTRA deal also required the studios to hire union talent when producing for the Web, depending on a production's budget.
http://benton.org/node/24422
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TV STILL OCCUPIES TWO THIRDS OF ADULT SCREEN TIME
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: Jack Loechner]
The new Video Consumer Mapping (VCM) study for the Council for Research Excellence (CRE) by Ball State University's Center for Media Design (CMD) finds that younger baby boomers (age 45-54) consume the most video media, and confirms that traditional live television remains the "800-pound gorilla" in the video media arena. In addition to the revelation that consumers in the 45-54 age group average the most daily screen time (just over 9 1/2 hours), the VCM study found the average for all other age groups to be strikingly similar at roughly 8 1/2 hours, although the composition and duration of devices used by the respective groups throughout the day varied.
http://benton.org/node/24410
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SHIFTING TASTES IMPERIL TV SALES
[SOURCE: Variety, AUTHOR: John Hopewell]
Hollywood's oasis in these troubled times has been its overseas TV programming business, but there are ominous signs the US companies won't be able to depend on the annual $7 billion in revenue from international markets. Europe's broadcasters are being battered by a meltdown in ad sales, and they also have doubts about the future viability of importing American shows. There's been a dearth of scripted hits as the US networks move toward reality shows and, in the case of NBC, five nights of Jay Leno in primetime. Also, there's a growing appetite among European audiences for local fare.
http://benton.org/node/24408
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COMMERCIAL RADIO STATIONS BEG FOR CASH
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Sarah McBride]
With radio-advertising revenue down 9% last year and on track for a dismal 2009, some commercial stations are borrowing a tactic from public radio: asking listeners for donations. Until lately, the practice has been limited to quirky local stations with low profiles and eccentric owners. Now, however, Air America Radio is considering putting out the begging bowl. The for-profit liberal-talk radio network, whose financial problems included a 2006 bankruptcy filing, may soon launch a membership program, with top donors getting access to Air America talent and tickets to special events. The phenomenon is part of a much broader blurring of the line between the private and public sectors, as banks, car makers and other corporations accept federal bailout money and the associated government oversight. Meanwhile National Public Radio stations have been stepping up recruitment of ad-sales professionals to drum up corporate sponsorships. NPR isn't pleased about the new competition.
http://benton.org/node/24455
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TELECOM
VERIZON EYES GLOBAL ASSETS
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Roger Cheng]
Verizon continues to eye potential takeover targets to expand its enterprise business, although the company likely is done with major phone deals, Chief Executive Ivan Seidenberg said Thursday. The New York-based telecommunications giant has been aggressive with acquisitions, having wrapped up the $28 billion takeover of Alltel Corp. early this year. Verizon is among those likely interested in Qwest's long-haul network, and the company may scoop up a few smaller wireless carriers. Verizon's interest is focused primarily on building its enterprise business. The deals will look more like its purchase of security company Cybertrust rather than a traditional phone company. One deal unlikely to be made is Verizon's acquisition of the remaining 45% stake in Verizon Wireless owned by Vodafone GroupPLC. While it is a subject of constant queries, Seidenberg said there was no change or signals of interest by Vodafone. He stressed that the joint ownership hasn't impeded how business is conducted.
http://benton.org/node/24412
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TENNESSEE: AT&T EFFORT AIDED BY LOBBYISTS, CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS
[SOURCE: Chattanooga Times Free Press, AUTHOR: Andy Sher]
(April 15) In Tennessee, as AT&T continues its thus-far-successful legislative drive to deregulate its basic telephone service, the telecommunications giant's efforts are being aided by a small army of 20 lobbyists, records show. And, according to state Registry of Election Finance filings, AT&T also has spread considerable good will among lawmakers over the past two years. The company's political action committee has contributed nearly $180,000 to lawmakers, their PACs or party organizations, records show. Dick Williams, chairman of Common Cause Tennessee, a campaign finance and ethics watchdog group, said Tuesday that given all that, he isn't surprised by the progress of the AT&T bill. It passed the Senate overwhelmingly Monday night and whipped through the House Commerce Committee Tuesday on a voice vote with no debate.
http://benton.org/node/24419
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TATE: GOOD LAWS SPUR TECHNOLOGY, INVESTMENT
[SOURCE: The Tennessean, AUTHOR: Deborah Taylor Tate]
[Commentary] Former Tennessee Regulatory Authority Chairman and Federal communications Commission member Tate writes that consumers benefit greatly from efforts to free the telecommunications sector from outdated rules and regulations that stifle competition. Policymakers and regulators must do everything possible to encourage, foster and allow investment and innovation to occur, to continue this dynamic and explosive growth for individual consumers, for our nation's competitiveness and most of all to help support and stabilize all sectors of our national economy.
http://benton.org/node/24418
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PROPOSAL TO DEREGULATE COULD HIKE PHONE BILLS
[SOURCE: Orlando Sentinel, AUTHOR: Josh Hafenbrack]
Florida phone rates could be on the rise in the not-too-distant future. In a potential victory for telecommunications giants, state legislators are moving to deregulate landline phone service in Florida, allowing carriers to raise rates 10 percent a year with no state oversight. As usual with telecom issues, it's a big battle between industry heavyweights, with platoons of lobbyists prowling the Capitol and hefty campaign contributions at stake. AT&T alone has 72 registered lobbyists. On Tuesday, the Senate revived the stalled phone-rate bill and passed it through the Commerce Committee on a narrow, 6-4 vote. A nearly identical bill is sailing through the House, where the phone-rate bill was approved in its final committee Tuesday and is ready for a floor vote. Consumer advocates say the bill would mean higher home phone rates and less responsive customer service.
http://benton.org/node/24417
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SPECTRUM
VERIZON URGES SCRAPPING D-BLOCK AUCTION PROCESS
[SOURCE: FierceWireless, AUTHOR: Phil Goldstein]
Verizon Wireless is proposing Congress and the FCC scrap a plan to re-auction the 700 MHz D-Block and instead focus on a new plan to create a nationwide, interoperable, 4G broadband network for first responders. Steve Zipperstein, Verizon's vice president for legal and external affairs and the carrier's general counsel, said the government should not rehash a process that has already failed (D-Block bids during last year's 700 MHz auction did not pass the required $1.3 billion reserve). Thus, Zipperstein argued for a new approach--one far different than the FCC's proposed D-Block re-auction. He called for allocating the D-Block spectrum directly to public safety organizations on a state, local and regional basis, which he said would give public safety more control over the spectrum. Zipperstein said that "bold action" was necessary to "overcome the inertia" of creating an interoperable network for public safety. Zipperstein also said this new plan would require "a national technical framework" to ensure nationwide interoperability, using IP-based solutions. Finally, Zipperstein said "public safety should be free to select the commercial partner or partners of their choice, using an RFP process or similar competitive approach to best meet their individual needs."
http://benton.org/node/24413
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ADVERTISING/MARKETING
TIVO TO SELL DATA ON WHAT PEOPLE WATCH
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: David Lieberman]
The company that's made it so easy for television viewers to avoid watching ads will unveil today a plan to help stations sell them. TiVo will challenge Nielsen, whose audience ratings provide the basis for most ad sales, with Stop/Watch Local Markets. It will supplement TiVo's measurements of national TV audiences with data from all but the smallest of the nation's 210 markets. TiVo will offer stations, advertisers and program producers year-round, second-by-second information about the shows and commercials watched by people who have one of the company's DVRs. The anonymous data will come directly from the boxes. Advertisers likely will be the most interested in the data. Nielsen just measures local program viewing four months a year in all but the 21 largest communities.
http://benton.org/node/24453
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STUDIOS STRUGGLE TO REIN IN MOVIE MARKETING COSTS
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Claudia Eller]
Along with hosting fewer lavish premiere parties, curtailing newspaper advertisements and restricting the number of agencies that produce trailers, the Hollywood studios are struggling to get a grip on the movie industry's equivalent of the pork barrel earmark: marketing budgets. And like an entitlement program that can't be axed, Hollywood isn't having much success. Despite a sharp decline in consumer spending and DVD sales that have long been the underpinning of the movie business, the studios are about to embark upon the costliest summer for movie marketing campaigns they have ever pursued. A dozen big-budget pictures are set to crowd into theaters over the short 16-week popcorn movie season, many with worldwide marketing budgets that will top $100 million each. Studio executives contend that if they want to get out the word to the public about their movies, they have to pony up.
http://benton.org/node/24452
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IGNORE TWITTER? MAJOR BRANDS LEARN THEY'S BETTER RESPOND -- AND QUICK
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: David Sarno, Alana Semuels]
When three major brands engaged with their Web-savvy fans and critics in separate incidents last week, their responses demonstrated how corporations are still learning how to control their messages -- and reputations -- in a fast-twitch online world. The mixed track record so far shows that fluency in the evolving language of digital public relations comes easier to some companies than others. To stay safe in the social media minefield brands need to make sure to secure their own domain names in the various online environments -- before any squatters do -- and then start to build a community there. Then when a crisis happens, online or off, brands can then use that community to their advantage.
http://benton.org/node/24451
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AGENDA
OBAMA TO ORDER CABINET TO QUICKLY CUT $100 MILLION FROM DEPARTMENT BUDGET
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Michael Fletcher]
President Obama plans to convene his Cabinet for the first time Monday, where he's expected to order members to identify a combined $100 million in budget cuts over the next 90 days. The budget cuts, while they would account to a minuscule portion of federal spending, are intended to signal the president's determination to cut spending and reform government. Obama's order comes as he is under increasing pressure to show momentum toward his goal of eventually reducing the federal deficit, even as he goes about increasing spending in the short run to prop up the economy and support his priorities.
http://benton.org/node/24460
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HEARING POSTPONED: REFORM OF THE FCC
[SOURCE: US Senate Commerce Committee]
Without any details, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation has postponed the hearing scheduled for Wednesday April, 22, 2009 on the Reform of the Federal Communications Commission. Additional information will be made available once the hearing is rescheduled.
http://benton.org/node/24421
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MOVIE STUDIOS PRESS WASHINGTON AGENDA
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Andrew Noyes]
When movie-studio executives meet in Washington this week, their message to the Obama administration and Congress will be straightforward: Hollywood contributes heavily to the U.S. economy, and policies friendly to movie and television production and distribution can help the country rebound.
http://benton.org/node/24420
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QUICKLY
STUDY FINDS SOME YOUTHS 'ADDICTED' TO VIDEO GAMES
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Donna St. George]
A new study concludes that children can become addicted to playing video games, with some skimping on homework, lying about how much they play and struggling, without success, when they try to cut back. In what is described as the first nationally representative study in the United States on the subject, researcher Douglas Gentile of Iowa State University found that 8.5 percent of American youths ages 8 to 18 who play video games show multiple signs of behavioral addiction. "For some kids, they play in such a way that it becomes out of balance. And they're damaging other areas of their lives, and it isn't just one area, it's many areas," said Gentile, a psychologist and assistant professor whose study was posted online today by the journal Psychological Science.
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OLDER GENERATIONS ADOPTING NEW TECHNOLOGIES FASTER THAN YOUNG
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Chris O'Brien]
[Commentary] When it comes to listening to music on iPods, blogging, downloading podcasts, joining Facebook, and using Twitter, the over-35 crowd is adopting everything from social media to consumer electronics at a faster rate than their Generation Y (ages 18 to 24) counterparts. These figures challenge some deeply held stereotypes about technology and age. Kumu Puri, Accenture's lead executive for the Consumer Technology industry group, says are behind this generational shift: 1) many boomers are expecting to have to work later in their lives, and so want to make sure their digital skills remain relevant, 2) some are simply turning to some of these gadgets and services as a way to stay in touch with their younger generation of kids and grandkids, and 3) boomers have more disposable income to pony up for the latest gadget.
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