June 9, 2009 (National Broadband Plan Comments)
"There is a long and unbroken line of authority for government to create a robust platform for civic participation."
-- Andrew Jay Schwartzman, Media Access Project http://benton.org/node/25794
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for TUESDAY JUNE 9, 2009
NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN
Levin's Engagement Raises Stake for National Broadband Policy
MAP: Net Rules Need 1st Amendment Priority
National Broadband Plan Must Promote Competition, Openness and Access
Benton: FCC Must Begin At the End
Benton: Reforming Universal Service Critical to National Broadband Plan
COAT Makes Recommendations to FCC on National Broadband Plan
MMTC Proposes FCC Broadband Hearings to Help Develop Policy
CDD: FCC Should Protect Online Privacy
CWA: National Broadband Plan Must Include Public Hearings, Benchmarks for Progress
Google submits initial comments supporting a National Broadband Plan
NCTA Tells FCC To Focus On Unserved, Adoption
Verizon Submits Recommendations for National Broadband Plan
AT&T Backs 100 Percent Broadband by 2014
INTERNET/BROADBAND
Broadband Adoption Efforts Must Eliminate "Access Barrier"
Minority groups coalesce to focus on broadband
Connected Nation's rebuttal
'Smart grid' -- buzz of the electric power industry
Most firms unaware of Web domain changes
New Survey Shows Content Concerns Trump Broadband Accessibility
BROADCASTING
Viewer anger likely with Friday TV signal switch
WIRELESS
At the Apple iPhone 3G S unveiling, AT&T gets lousy reception
Broadcasters compete to put TV on cellphones
MORE ONLINE
White House: Stimulus spending not 'bogged down'
If the Journalism Business Fails, Who Pays for Journalism?
Qwest no longer selling long-distance network
FCC Still Considering Crossownership Deadline Request
CAC Chair Re-appointed
Clear Channel Readies New Digital Apps
GOP Blocks Census Nominee
Court Ties Campaign Largess to Judicial Bias
Pay Cuts Loom For Boston Globe As Deal Rejected
Cairo Speech Drives News Narrative
NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN
LEVIN'S ENGAGEMENT RAISES STAKE FOR NATIONAL BROADBAND POLICY
[SOURCE: BroadbandCensus.com, AUTHOR: Drew Clark]
Blair Levin's return to the Federal Communications Commission to help coordinate its development of a national broadband plan is a significant development for a number of reasons. Levin, the respected managing director of the investment advisory firm Stifel Nicolaus, was widely seen as a potential FCC chairman himself. His willingness to serve again at the FCC appears to herald an era of close and collegial cooperation among the executive branch agencies responsible for communications policy, and with the FCC.
http://benton.org/node/25806
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MAP: NET RULES NEED 1ST AMENDMENT PRIORITY
[SOURCE: tvnewsday, AUTHOR: ]
Media Access Project (MAP) called upon the Federal Communications Commission to give priority to First Amendment values as it establishes its plan for nationwide broadband development. MAP asked the Commission to "take an expansive view about the role of government to promote and enhance the marketplace of ideas through policies including, but not limited to, non-discrimination in network management and interconnection." MAP's comments to the commission noted longstanding Supreme Court precedent emphasizing that the government can and should consider diversity and free expression in its policymaking decisions. "There is a long and unbroken line of authority for government to create a robust platform for civic participation," said MAP President Andrew Jay Schwartzman.
http://benton.org/node/25794
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NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN MUST PROMOTE COMPETITION, OPENNESS AND ACCESS
[SOURCE: Free Press, AUTHOR: Press release]
Free Press filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission as part of the agency's "national broadband plan" to bring high-speed Internet to all Americans. Free Press recommendations: 1) Conduct a thorough review of the current state of the broadband market and the impact of past policies. Over the last decade, the FCC has not evaluated the broadband market to assess the real impact of its decisions on consumers. The FCC should produce an honest assessment of broadband deployment, develop a data-driven standard to identify local areas where providers are abusing their market power, and evaluate the impact of all past policies. 2) Encourage broadband adoption through policies that increase competition. The FCC must move beyond availability. One of the main underlying barriers to broadband adoption is value -- the speeds are too slow and the prices are too high. The national broadband plan should focus on the policies that spur the deployment of high-capacity networks and drive down consumer costs. 3) Treat broadband as infrastructure. President Barack Obama recently said that America's digital infrastructure is "the backbone that underpins a prosperous economy and a strong military and an open and efficient government." The FCC should prioritize policies that promote next-generation networks, ensuring that commercial market failures do not result in weakening the nation's economic foundation. 4) Protect the open Internet through strong Net Neutrality rules. The economic and social value of broadband is derived from the content and services it delivers. The FCC should expand and codify the "Internet Policy Statement" into permanent Net Neutrality rules. The FCC should also reverse the decision to classify broadband Internet access service as a pure information service, which would allow the agency to reinstate open access rules where appropriate.
http://benton.org/node/25793
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BENTON: FCC MUST BEGIN AT THE END
[SOURCE: Benton Foundation, AUTHOR: Charles Benton]
The Benton Foundation, the Center for Creative Voices in Media, and Prof Heather E. Hudson filed comments in the Federal Communications Commission's proceeding on a National Broadband Plan. They argue the Commission should begin at the end. To secure our economic future, ensure the public's safety, advance education and health care delivery, improve energy efficiency and to reinvigorate government and participatory democracy, the Commission should begin this endeavor to write a national broadband plan by envisioning a communications future that fulfills the promise of our historic commitment to universal, affordable wireline and wireless service. The plan should include an articulation of where we as a nation want to go and the intermediate steps for getting there. The plan should include a vision of a not-too-distant future, a future in which: Universal, affordable broadband facilitates job creation and economic growth; Broadband is a critical tool ensuring public safety and homeland security; Broadband delivers improved educational opportunity; Broadband improves health care while reducing costs; Broadband improves energy independence and efficiency while protecting the environment; Digital inclusion reinvigorates democracy and government; Broadband improves the lives of people with disabilities; Broadband unlocks cost-savings for consumers; Smart broadband policy creates a 'Virtuous Circle;' Affordable, high-speed fiber and mobile wireless reach everywhere; The Internet is open and free; and Consumer protection is ensured in the Digital Age.
http://www.benton.org/sites/benton.org/files/benton09_51-FINAL.pdf
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BENTON: REFORMING UNIVERSAL SERVICE CRITICAL TO NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN
[SOURCE: Benton Foundation, AUTHOR: Harold Feld]
The Benton Foundation (Benton), The Center for Rural Strategies (CRS), The Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI), and the Telecommunications and Information Policy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin (TIPI) recommend modification of existing USF programs, guided by the principles set forth below, to provide funds for building and maintaining a national broadband system that provides meaningful access to all Americans, particularly rural populations where provision of broadband would otherwise prove too expensive and where residents otherwise have few opportunities to received the necessary equipment and training to provide meaningful broadband access.
http://benton.org/sites/benton.org/files/Benton%20NBP%20USF%20Draft%20HF%20Mod_FINAL.pdf
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COAT MAKES RECOMMENDATIONS TO FCC ON NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN
[SOURCE: Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology, AUTHOR: Press release]
On June 8, COAT sent recommendations to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on the national broadband plan they must submit to the US Congress by February 17, 2010. COAT asked the FCC to ensure that the plan fosters access for people with disabilities to help eliminate the broadband divide facing our community. We asked the FCC to define broadband so that technologies used by people with disabilities are supported and we recommended data collection methods to capture the reasons for low broadband subscribership. COAT reiterated the request to modify the federal Lifeline and Linkup programs to allow low income people with disabilities to use these subsidies to reduce the cost of broadband service and equipment. We also asked the FCC to adopt rules and policies promoting universally designed broadband products.
http://benton.org/node/25791
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MMTC PROPOSES FCC BROADBAND HEARINGS TO HELP DEVELOP POLICY
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Minority Media & Telecommunications Council (MMTC) has proposed a series of Federal Communications Commission broadband field hearings to help develop broadband policy and coordinate it with the National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) and Department of Agriculture. MMTC said the Commission should hold 15 such hearings in 2009, with all of the commissioners in attendance. MMTC suggests there be eight hearings in urban areas, seven in rural areas, three of them near Native American lands, one in Puerto Rico, and several near towns and cities with minority mayors. MMTC also suggests that the hearings be divided up into two panels, the first on deployment, competition and affordability, the second on adoption, utilization and literacy.
http://benton.org/node/25790
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CDD: FCC SHOULD PROTECT ONLINE PRIVACY
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Center for Digital Democracy (CDD) and other privacy rights groups are asking the Federal Communications Commission to keep privacy rights top of mind as it writes a National broadband Plan. In comments to the FCC, CDD et al said that should include concentrating on data security, minimizing data collection and study how online data is being used. Monday was the deadline for comments on the national broadband rollout plan Congress has asked it to come up with by next February. Specifically, the groups want the FCC to regulate deep-packet inspection (DPI) and targeted behavioral advertising, saying industry self-regulation has "failed," and to better investigate the privacy implications of so-called "cloud" computing.
http://benton.org/node/25787
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CWA: NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN MUST INCLUDE PUBLIC HEARINGS, BENCHMARKS FOR PROGRESS
[SOURCE: Communications Workers of America, AUTHOR: Press release]
The Communications Workers of America filed comments on the development of a national broadband plan recommending: 1) A series of public hearings in communities across the country that will help provide guidance for the national plan from a broad group of citizens, businesses and communities; 2) Benchmarks that are ambitious, but achievable, with an initial goal of 10 megabits per second downstream and 1 megabit per second upstream. CWA is calling for specific benchmarks to increase broadband speeds to the home over a six-year period; 3) Establishing tax incentives that encourage private businesses to build out and upgrade universal, advanced networks. Encouraging and accelerating the deployment of these advanced networks is an extremely cost-effective policy; and 4) Safeguarding consumers and create quality jobs by requiring public reporting for deployment, actual speed, price and quality of service, and insisting that employers adhere to all labor laws and standards, including workers' rights to bargaining collectively and form a union.
http://benton.org/node/25786
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GOOGLE SUBMITS INITIAL COMMENTS SUPPORTING A NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN
[SOURCE: Google, AUTHOR: Richard Whitt]
Open, ubiquitous broadband connectivity holds the promise to catapult America to the next level of competitiveness, productivity, education, health, and security -- but how do we get there from here? 1) Install broadband fiber as part of every federally-funded infrastructure project. 2) Deploy broadband fiber to every library, school, community health care center, and public housing facility in the United States. Low-income Americans are increasingly left out of the digital revolution. 3) Create incentives for providers to install multiple lines of fiber as new networks are rolled out. The Commission should offer incentives to providers wishing to build new network infrastructure to lay cable containing multiple fibers. 4) Encourage greater wireless broadband and reduce barriers to deployment. [more at the URL below]
http://benton.org/node/25785
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NCTA TELLS FCC TO FOCUS ON UNSERVED, ADOPTION
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Broadband deployment and adoption have been successful "by all reasonable measures," the National Cable & Telecommunications Association told the Federal Communications Commission in response to its request for comment on a national broadband plan. That is in large part due to the $145 billion cable operators have invested since 1996 in facilities and equipment for communities large and small, said the cable trade association. NCTA said there was room for improvement in terms of broadband deployment and adoption, however, it is committed to working with the FCC to make those improvements. NCTA says the FCC's two priorities should be reaching unserved areas then boosting adoption by those served, but not taking advantage of the service.
http://benton.org/node/25784
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VERIZON SUBMITS RECOMMENDATIONS FOR NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN
[SOURCE: Verizon, AUTHOR: Press release]
Verizon submitted its suggestions for the national broadband plan called for by Congress and President Obama. The suggestions are contained in a detailed, 10-point proposal filed with the Federal Communications Commission. 1) A focused effort to encourage broadband demand. 2) A consumer-choice framework. 3) Encouraging continued innovation to improve cybersecurity for consumers and the nation. 4) Pursuing a consumer-focused approach to privacy. 5) Facilitating wireless broadband. 6) Pursuing a pro-growth regulatory approach. 7) Reforming the universal service fund to encourage broadband. 8) Encouraging broadband by encouraging IP-based services. 9) Effective implementation of stimulus programs. 10) Encouraging broadband adoption and deployment through tax reform.
http://benton.org/node/25783
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AT&T BACKS 100 PERCENT BROADBAND BY 2014
[SOURCE: AT&T, AUTHOR: Press release]
In comments filed at the federal Communications Commission, AT&T set an ambitious target and timeline of 100 percent broadband by 2014. AT&T's 7-point plan: 1) Embrace the Diversity of Broadband. 2) Engage All Broadband Stakeholders. 3) Promote Broadband Innovation, Investment, and Deployment and Jobs. 4) Provide Targeted Government Support for Broadband Deployment Where Needed. 5) Remove Impediments to Broadband Adoption. 6) Encourage Maximum Utilization. 7) Enhance Cybersecurity and Online Safety. [more at the URL below]
http://benton.org/node/25805
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
BROADBAND ADOPTION EFFORTS MUST ELIMINATE "ACCESS BARRIER"
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The National Urban League, National Council of La Raza, the Asian American Justice Center, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, and the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council released a joint study which finds that broadband adoption efforts need more money and more data. The report argues that the $250 million set aside for adoption in the economic stimulus package should be a floor not a ceiling. Among the barriers, the report says, are a lack of understanding of the benefits of broadband, lack of technical knowledge and training ("digital literacy"), dearth of relevant content, language barriers, privacy concerns and other "culturally-specific" factors. To overcome that, the report says, the government, industry and groups like their own need to "paint a vision" of broadband not as a luxury, but as a necessity for participation in society.
http://benton.org/node/25789
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MINORITY GROUPS COALESCE TO FOCUS ON BROADBAND
[SOURCE: TelephonyOnline, AUTHOR: Carol Wilson]
A coalition of national civil rights organizations announced a plan to promote broadband adoption and literacy among minority and other disadvantaged communities and to include a joint application for broadband stimulus funding, issuing a report focused on promoting innovation in using broadband to solve education, health care and energy savings challenges. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) had encouraged groups to come together to accomplish joint goals in applying for stimulus funding. The new Broadband Opportunity Coalition is also working with two other groups, One Economy Corp. and the Joint Center for Political & Economic Studies, to both promote broadband adoption among people of color within the US and to measure progress and determine the best means of meeting challenges, said Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League.
http://benton.org/node/25788
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CONNECTED NATION'S REBUTTAL
[SOURCE: Connected Nation, AUTHOR: ]
[Commentary] Connected Nation has worked since its inception to continually improve its ability to achieve measurable results, learning from its experiences and using that experience to develop best practices. These results, and the countless testimonies from Americans that have been directly impacted by our partnership efforts, speak for themselves. In order to provide even more assurance of our maps' accuracy, Connected Nation will soon be announcing a process for third party validation of our mapping efforts. In the meantime, we have the benefit of a thorough analysis of Connected Nation's programming in Kentucky from academic community.
http://benton.org/node/25782
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'SMART GRID' -- BUZZ OF THE ELECTRIC POWER INDUSTRY
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: H. Josef Hebert]
More than a century after Edison invented a reliable light bulb, the nation's electricity distribution system, an aging spider web of power lines, is poised to move into the digital age. The "smart grid" has become the buzz of the electric power industry, at the White House and among members of Congress. President Barack Obama says it's essential to boost development of wind and solar power, get people to use less energy and to tackle climate change. What smart grid visionaries see coming are home thermostats and appliances that adjust automatically depending on the cost of power; where a water heater may get juice from a neighbor's rooftop solar panel; and where on a scorching hot day a plug-in hybrid electric car charges one minute and the next sends electricity back to the grid to help head off a brownout.
http://benton.org/node/25781
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MOST FIRMS UNAWARE OF WEB DOMAIN CHANGES
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Paul Sandle]
Two thirds of businesses are unaware they will be able to use their own name in place of domain extensions such as .com, .org, or .net when Internet domains are liberalized next year, according to a survey. The change would let the likes of Nike or Microsoft control their own domain and better exploit their brands, and also counter cyber-squatters who use variations of brands on the 280 or so existing domain extensions.
http://benton.org/node/25780
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NEW SURVEY SHOWS CONTENT CONCERNS TRUMP BROADBAND ACCESSIBILITY
[SOURCE: BroadbandCensus.com, AUTHOR: Alex Tcherkassky, Andrew Feinberg]
Despite the Internet's growing importance to the American economy, a new poll released Monday shows more Americans are concerned with content regulation than the ramifications of ignoring the digital divide. The poll was conducted by Zogby463, a new partnership between polling firm Zogby International and 463 Communications, a public relations company representing high-tech companies. Nearly six in 10 respondents believe Internet video sites like YouTube required some form of regulation, but the group split almost evenly on whether that system should be more like the Federal Communications Commission's regulation of broadcast television, or the self-imposed rating system devised by the Motion Picture Association of America. Just over 30 percent said they believed any regulation of Internet video would be unconstitutional.
http://benton.org/node/25802
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BROADCASTING
VIEWER ANGER LIKELY WITH FRIDAY TV SIGNAL SWITCH
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Leslie Cauley]
The government is bracing for "significant problems" when the US switches to digital TV on Friday, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Copps says. Consumers fiddling with antennas and converter boxes, which must be rescanned post-switch, will account for most problems. "There're going to be some angry consumers," Chairman Copps says. The switch to digital TV, or DTV, will start at 12:01 a.m. ET Friday. At that time, 974 full-power stations that cover major markets such as New York and Los Angeles will start shutting down analog signals. The transition is expected to be done by midnight. More than 780 stations in smaller markets have already made the switch. Antennas and scanning have been consistent trouble spots. About 3 million over-the-air homes won't be ready, Nielsen predicts. Digital, satellite and cable TV customers won't be affected. About 20 million households receive TV signals exclusively over the air, the National Association of Broadcasters says. The number of affected homes would have been much higher — at least 6 million, Chairman Copps guesses — if Congress hadn't pushed back the switch by four months. "The delay gave us the opportunity to roll up our sleeves" and tackle a host of issues, he says.
http://benton.org/node/25804
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WIRELESS
AT THE APPLE IPHONE 3G S UNVEILING, AT&T GETS LOUSY RECEPTION
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Dan Fost]
In the secrecy that often surrounds Apple Inc.'s every move, industry cryptologists had plenty to study in Monday's otherwise widely hailed unveiling of the company's newest iPhone, the 3G S. The focus was on AT&T Inc., the only U.S. provider of the iPhone. That's because Apple left its partner in an uncomfortable position. Some of the new features that iPhone users have clamored for, including the ability to use photos and video in text messages and to tether the phone's Internet connection to a laptop, won't be immediately available on AT&T's network. But they will be available in many countries around the world. Apple is pressuring AT&T to end its exclusive agreement now or face the possibility that Apple won't extend its ties to the carrier beyond the contract's expiration in 2010.
http://benton.org/node/25803
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BROADCASTERS COMPETE TO PUT TV ON CELLPHONES
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Alana Semuels]
The digital switch is the end of one TV era, but broadcasters and device companies hope it's opening up another. Their vision for the future: a world in which we access live television not just on big screens in our living rooms, but also on cellphones and computers and in cars. On Thursday, when stations will be required to broadcast through digital rather than analog signals, some companies will use the broadcast spectrum freed by the switch to transmit live television to cellphones and other portable devices. Shows and live video clips are already available on some phones, but this heats up competition as broadcasters and cellphone companies vie to turn the feature into a must-have.
http://benton.org/node/25799
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