June 11, 2009 (DTV: This is not a test)
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for THURSDAY JUNE 11, 2009
Today low-power radio gets its day in Congress and the Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition introduces itself. See http://benton.org/calendar/2009-06-11
NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN
Broadband Deployment Plan Should Include Performance Goals and Measures
AT&T's Past Dominates Broadband's Future in FCC Comments
Groups urge FCC to treat broadband as telecom service
ACA: Charging Sub Fees For Internet Content Could 'Cripple' Broadband Rollout
Internet2, ACUTA and EDUCAUSE Submit National Broadband Plan Comments
MORE BROADBAND NEWS
Over Two-Thirds of US Households Subscribe to Broadband
One in five offline UK citizens want to get Internet this year
OECD: Broadband Stimulus Investments Must be Coupled with Network Neutrality
Online Multitasking Increases Bandwidth Demand
Broadband stimulus and vendor financing
Cisco, Alcatel Chafe at 'Buy American' Mandate in Stimulus Plan
Broadband Access Key to Rural Health Care
French Court Kills 'Three Strikes' Law
Leahy Urges Holistic Approach To Content Protection
Group Releases List of 10 Worst Bills for E-commerce
California Emerging Technology Fund aims to promote Internet access
The Social Life of Health Information
DIGITAL TV TRANSITION
Digital TV Ready to Rule the Tube, Leaving Some Viewers in the Dark
Nielsen: 2.8 Million DTV Homes Still Unready
White House Briefing on Digital TV Transition with Commerce Sec Locke
RADIO
Artists Say Radio Stations Retaliated
JOURNALISM
Times Co. seeks Boston Globe bids
Study measures Chicago's non-traditional online news sources
MORE ONLINE
Public Interest Groups Urge Quick FCC Action on Special Access
Ed-tech leaders brace for smaller budgets
Why Netbooks Are the Paring Knives of the Technology World
China Faces Criticism Over New Software Censor
Chávez Raising Pressure On Defiant TV Network
Google Acts Calm as Regulators Direct Spotlight
Sprint, Level 3 Weigh Long-Distance Deal
Report: kids' use of tech growing exponentially
NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN
BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT PLAN SHOULD INCLUDE PERFORMANCE GOALS AND MEASURES
[SOURCE: Government Accountability Office, AUTHOR: Mark Goldstein]
This congressionally requested report discusses 1) the federal broadband deployment policy, principal federal programs, and stakeholders' views of those programs; 2) how the policies of OECD nations with higher subscribership rates compare with US policy; and 3) actions the states have taken to encourage broadband deployment. To address these objectives, GAO analyzed the broadband policies of the United States and other OECD nations, reviewed federal program documentation and budgetary information, and interviewed federal and state officials and industry stakeholders. In developing the required broadband plan, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission should work with the Departments of Agriculture and Commerce to specify performance goals and measures for broadband deployment and to define the departments' roles and responsibilities in carrying out the plan.
http://benton.org/node/25873
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AT&T'S PAST DOMINATES BROADBAND'S FUTURE IN FCC COMMENTS
[SOURCE: Public Knowledge, AUTHOR: Art Brodsky]
[Commentary] Who says there is no cosmic irony in the bland world of telecom? On the day after thousands and thousands of pages were filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on a new national broadband plan, General Motors announced its new post-bankruptcy chairman Ed Whitacre, the former chairman of AT&T. It was Whitacre who set off the Great Net Neutrality Storm of 2005-2006, when he took control of the Internet on behalf of AT&T, putting forth the unique view of the world that Google, Yahoo and other Internet companies were using his company's telecommunications network "for free," and he wasn't going to allow that. The fact that those, and many other, companies were paying millions of dollars for telecommunications didn't seem to matter. The issue was one of control Whitacre had it, and he wasn't going to give it up without a fight. Internet service providers still want control over users and how users employ networks. Public Knowledge, Free Press, Consumer Federation of America/Consumers Union and others want to reverse course and turn back to the pre-2005 days, when thousands of Internet Service Providers flourished, when the Internet was developed, to make sure that the Internet remains free of discrimination and control (not management, control. There is a difference.) Is it regulation? Yes. Has it proven to support and give opportunities to entrepreneurs and developers? You bet. That's the better idea.
http://benton.org/node/25872
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GROUPS URGE FCC TO TREAT BROADBAND AS TELECOM SERVICE
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: David Hatch]
Consumer advocates are urging the Federal Communications Commission to reclassify high-speed Internet access as a telecommunications service, a major change that would have sweeping implications for cable and phone providers of broadband. Telecommunications offerings are more heavily regulated, which can mean price controls, allowing competitors access to infrastructure and tighter control of network architecture. Since telecom carriers must permit nondiscriminatory access to their infrastructure, they would likely have to meet the requirement through strict adherence to network neutrality restrictions, explained Mark Cooper, director of research for the Consumer Federation of America. The FCC's net neutrality guidelines were introduced as voluntary, though the agency insists it can enforce them.
http://benton.org/node/25871
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ACA: CHARGING SUB FEES FOR INTERNET CONTENT COULD 'CRIPPLE' BROADBAND ROLLOUT
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The American Cable Association is taking aim at Internet content suppliers, saying charging sub fees for Internet content could "cripple" the nation's plan to deliver broadband to every household. ACA, which represents smaller and mid-sized cable operators, says that companies like Disney are charging for Web-based content and "requiring" broadcasters to include those fees as part of basic Internet access for all subscribers. That, suggested ACA, is a recipe for depressing broadband adoption. "The FCC and parties involved in the network neutrality debate "should be concerned that Web-based content and service providers...will drive up the retail cost of broadband access and drive down new adoption rates," ACA president Matt Polka said.
http://benton.org/node/25870
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INTERNET2, ACUTA AND EDUCAUSE SUBMIT NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN COMMENTS
[SOURCE: Internet2, AUTHOR: ]
Internet2, ACUTA and EDUCAUSE have jointly submitted comments to the Federal Communications Commission on the development of a national broadband plan. These joint comments concentrate on five areas: 1) goals and benchmarks, 2) the middle mile and the last mile, 3) proposed solutions, 4) evaluation, and 5) other policy goals. [more at the URL below]
http://benton.org/node/25869
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MORE BROADBAND NEWS
OVER TWO-THIRDS OF US HOUSEHOLDS SUBSCRIBE TO BROADBAND
[SOURCE: Leichtman Research Group, AUTHOR: Press release]
Over two-thirds of US households now subscribe to a broadband high-speed Internet service. This is an increase from one-fifth of households five years ago. As has been true since the introduction of broadband services little more than a decade ago, higher-income households remain most likely to subscribe to a broadband service but online subscriptions in general, and computer ownership, also tend to increase with household income. 89% of all households with annual incomes over $75,000 subscribe to a broadband service compared to 70% of households with incomes of $30,000-$75,000, and 37% of households with incomes under $30,000. 38% of households with annual incomes under $30,000 do not have a computer at home, and only half of households in this income group subscribe to any type of Internet service at home. 29% of broadband subscribers are very interested in receiving faster Internet access at home while 37% are not interested. 3% of Internet subscribers say that broadband is not available in their area.
http://benton.org/node/25868
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ONE IN FIVE OFFLINE UK CITIZENS WANT TO GET INTERNET THIS YEAR
[SOURCE: Computing, AUTHOR: Dave Bailey]
One in five adults who are currently not online say they are likely to sign up for Internet access in the next six months, according research for communications regulator Ofcom. Some 70 per cent of the UK adult population is now online, but Ofcom wanted to know the reasons why the remaining 30 per cent are not, and to identify the barriers preventing them accessing the Internet using broadband. The survey conducted by research firm Ipsos MORI found those intending to get online in the next six months are more likely to be younger, use the Internet already outside of the home, are working and have children. The main reason for wanting to go online is for information (36 per cent), communicating with friends and family (26 per cent), keeping up with technology (25 per cent), and because friends and family recommended it (25 per cent). Ofcom's research also examined two categories excluded from getting online - the self-excluded (13 per cent), and the financially-excluded (nine per cent). Of those self-excluded, 42 per cent said their main reason for not going online was due to lack of interest or need. They tended to be older and retired, with 61 per cent never having used a computer. Of people financially excluded, 30 per cent of adults said their main reason to forego online access, was that it was too expensive or that they were not knowledgeable or skilled enough to use it. Half of those polled in this group (51 per cent) gave the main reason as expense, while 27 per cent said the cost of the computer was the main financial impediment.
http://benton.org/node/25867
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OECD: BROADBAND STIMULUS INVESTMENTS MUST BE COUPLED WITH NETWORK NEUTRALITY
[SOURCE: Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development, AUTHOR: ]
The current crisis could also have negative effects on the communication sector which has been investing in high speed broadband networks and next generation switching technology. Investment in high speed broadband communication networks that are part of economic stimulus packages must be accompanied by regulatory frameworks which support open access to networks and competition in the market. Such investment should also aim at stimulating the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to secure economic and social benefits. Linking ICT investment with other large physical infrastructure investment, such as buildings, roads, transportation systems, health and electricity grids, allows them to be "smart" and save energy, assist the aging, improve safety and adapt to new ideas. These infrastructures can also lower the barriers to entrepreneurial activities and provide means for the efficient and "green" delivery of energy, mobility and important social services training, job search and networking. Given the costs involved in fibre deployment it is fairly certain that outside the dense urban areas the market will not be able to support more than one fibre based network. The exception may be in markets which already have well developed and ubiquitous, cable TV infrastructures which may provide an alternative and competing platform. Governments, both central and municipal, can play an important role by facilitating investment, e.g. through public-private partnerships which stimulate development of nationwide high speed broadband networks. However, when the public pays for broadband investment they should expect to benefit from improved service and greater choice in the market place. One means to accomplish this is to ensure that networks built or augmented using any public funding are available via "open access" rules meaning network providers offer access or capacity to all market participants at cost-based, non-discriminatory terms.
http://benton.org/node/25866
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ONLINE MULTITASKING INCREASES BANDWIDTH DEMAND
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Steve Lohr]
Multitasking contributes to the ever-rising demand for bandwidth. The pace of that rise shows no sign of letting up, according to an update on Tuesday of Cisco Systems' yearly tracking and forecast of Internet traffic growth. Cisco's research, covering 2008 to 2013, projects a fivefold increase in Internet traffic over that span. "It's almost anticyclical to the economy," said Suraj Shetty, a marketing vice president at Cisco, the network router maker. The Cisco report looks at other Internet traffic research, like that done at the University of Minnesota. But it goes beyond monitoring recent history to also make longer-term projections, based on its own research of consumer and business trends in Internet use. A huge engine of traffic growth will be smartphones and other mobile devices. A more subtle driver of growth, though significant, is what Cisco calls "consumer hyperconnectivity." Increasingly, people are running one or several Internet-connected devices at once.
http://benton.org/node/25865
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BROADBAND STIMULUS AND VENDOR FINANCING
[SOURCE: TelephonyOnline, AUTHOR: Ed Gubbins]
Debt markets may be thawing for telecom service providers. (Just this week, for example, Equinix and Terremark raised $325 million and $400 million, respectively, in new debt). But for many rural broadband providers, the doors to the country's financial markets aren't yet open, which poses a quandary for those hoping to snag federal broadband stimulus funds: How do they raise the capital required to undertake the broadband projects they hope will win them stimulus awards? One way to do it — though not necessarily an easy way — is with the help of broadband equipment vendors, said Tim Nulty, chairman of ECFiberNet, the East Central Vermont Community Fiber Network. In a recent Webcast addressing broadband stimulus, Nulty — no stranger himself to the rigors of raising funds for rural broadband deployment — said his organization is currently trying a new model of vendor financing to get sufficient credit for a proposed broadband buildout.
http://benton.org/node/25864
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CISCO, ALCATEL CHAFE AT 'BUY AMERICAN' MANDATE IN STIMULUS PLAN
[SOURCE: Bloomberg.com, AUTHOR: Todd Shields, Mark Drajem]
Cisco Systems and Alcatel-Lucent want "Buy American" provisions waived for a $7.2 billion US program to expand high-speed Internet access, saying the rules are difficult to meet and undermine the economic stimulus program. Requiring US-made parts would be "grossly inefficient" and a "radical departure" from normal markets, said Cisco, the largest maker of networking equipment. "We're talking about technologies that are no longer made in the United States," said Alcatel-Lucent's John Marinho.
http://benton.org/node/25863
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BROADBAND ACCESS KEY TO RURAL HEALTH CARE
[SOURCE: iHealthBeat, AUTHOR: ]
At a National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services hearing on Tuesday, Jay Maxwell, CEO of Pixius Communications, said that remote home-based disease management tools and telemedicine can improve rural patients' access to quality care and reduce the country's health care burden. However, Maxwell, a telecommunications leader who specializes in broadband communication in rural areas, also said that "none of this is possible without access to a quality high-speed broadband Internet connection." Maxwell said, "While this access is common in urban and suburban areas, it is almost a luxury in rural America," adding, "Rural America is an area with a population that is aging and placing increased demands on scarce health care resources." Maxwell noted that it is largely unknown where high-speed broadband Internet service is provided. He said, "I urge HHS and all federal departments to work together to determine in greater detail who has service and who needs service. By doing this, you will pave the way toward a more effective means of delivering health care to rural America."
http://benton.org/node/25862
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FRENCH COURT KILLS 'THREE STRIKES' LAW
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Andrew Noyes]
France's Constitutional Court on Wednesday struck down a key portion of a recently enacted law that gave the government the ability to disconnect Internet users who illegally download music and movies. Under the so-called "three strikes" regime, which President Nicolas Sarkozy endorsed and lawmakers approved in May, users who download content without paying for it would get an e-mail from the government followed by a letter and a third warning before their Web connectivity is cut off for as long as one year. Concerns about a similar proposal permeated talks between the United States and a handful of trading partners as they work toward completion of an Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. The high court also found that access to the Internet is among citizens' fundamental freedoms that cannot be curtailed or interrupted without intervention from a judge.
http://benton.org/node/25861
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LEAHY URGES HOLISTIC APPROACH TO CONTENT PROTECTION
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Saying that the $1 trillion in online intellectual property theft the Obama Administration identified last year was "shocking" and "totally unacceptable," Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) told the World Copyright Summit Wednesday that the participants needed to get over their differences and work together on copyright protection. "If somebody went to a bank and stole $20 million, there would be headlines everywhere. We have to protect intellectual property," he said, "but we have to do it in a way to promote its growth." Chairman Leahy said that preventing that theft remained "a high priority" for him. At the same summit, Congressional Intellectual Property Promotion and Piracy Prevention Caucus Co-Chair Robert Wexler (D-FL) warned that the intellectual property policy push outside of Washington and Brussels has not gained enough steam.
http://benton.org/node/25860
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GROUP RELEASES LIST OF 10 WORST BILLS FOR E-COMMERCE
[SOURCE: IDG News Service, AUTHOR: Grant Gross]
A handful of bills in state legislatures across the U.S. are creating the biggest legal threat to e-commerce in several years, trade group NetChoice said. NetChoice released its first Internet Advocates' Watchlist for Ugly Laws (iAWFUL) Tuesday, with state legislation making up nine of the 12 bills on the list, and the remaining three bills in the Congress. The combination of a struggling economy and the move of more activities online has created a major push to regulate the Internet, said Steve DelBianco, executive director of NetChoice. Legislative efforts to regulate the Internet are "more dangerous" now than at any time since the mid-1990s, when there were efforts to restrict Internet content, he said.
http://benton.org/node/25859
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CALIFORNIA EMERGING TECHNOLOGY FUND AIMS TO PROMOTE INTERNET ACCESS
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Nathan Olivarez-Giles]
About half of California's low-income households have no Internet access, the California Emerging Technology Fund says, creating a gap that the nonprofit is hoping to close with its $1.5-million Get Connected campaign debuting today. The nonprofit is hoping to increase the number of broadband Internet users in communities such as South Los Angeles, East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights, where the first of several community fairs will be held Saturday. In its arsenal are Get Connected print, radio and TV ads, community fairs, a special website and outreach through neighborhood centers. Financial constraints and a misunderstanding of technology are the major factors causing this "digital divide," said Sunne Wright McPeak, the fund's chief executive.
http://benton.org/node/25876
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THE SOCIAL LIFE OF HEALTH INFORMATION
[SOURCE: Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, AUTHOR: Susannah Fox, Sydney Jones]
Americans' pursuit of health takes place within a widening network of both online and offline sources. Whereas someone may have in the past called a health professional, their Mom, or a good friend, they now are also reading blogs, listening to podcasts, updating their social network profile, and posting comments. And many people, once they find health information online, talk with someone about it offline. This Pew Internet/California HealthCare survey finds that technology is not an end, but a means to accelerate the pace of discovery, widen social networks, and sharpen the questions someone might ask when they do get to talk to a health professional. Technology can help to enable the human connection in health care and the Internet is turning up the information network's volume.
http://benton.org/node/25874
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DIGITAL TV TRANSITION
DIGITAL TV READY TO RULE THE TUBE, LEAVING SOME VIEWERS IN THE DARK
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Kim Hart]
By midnight tomorrow, all of the nation's full-powered TV stations will shut off their analog signals marking the biggest change in television viewing since the advent of Technicolor. In their place, broadcasters will air a new breed of digital broadcasts intended to bring crisper pictures and sound. At the end of this long-awaited and troubled transition, the government will have made $20 billion from the sale of the old analog airwaves, the telecommunications industry will be able to offer brand-new, high-speed wireless services, and public-safety officials will get access to airwaves for a new nationwide communications network. But people have been left to deal with some unsatisfactory results of the poorly managed, government-mandated transition. The education campaign was uncoordinated, a federal program to help people pay for converter boxes ran out of money, and many were not informed that they might need additional equipment to receive TV service.
http://benton.org/node/25880
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NIELSEN: 2.8 MILLION DTV HOMES STILL UNREADY
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Nielsen says there are approximately 2.8 million homes still unready for Friday's switch to digital-only television broadcasting. Minorities and lower-income families are the least ready, while seniors, one of the target populations of DTV education efforts, continues to defy predictions by being the most ready group. The good news is that unreadiness figure has been cut in half since February, when all full-power stations were initially mandated to shut off their analog signals.
http://benton.org/node/25858
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WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING ON DIGITAL TV TRANSITION WITH COMMERCE SEC LOCKE
[SOURCE: The White House]
On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs shared the podium with Commerce Secretary Gary Locke. Sec Locke said, "Here is what the American people need to know about the June 12th switchover: If you currently have cable, satellite, or some other paid-for television service, you have nothing to worry about. You are prepared; you don't need to do anything, and June 12th you'll see no change in your television reception or programming. But if you have a television set more than a year old and you're not on cable or satellite, and you're relying basically on free over-the-air service, you are not ready. And you will lose your television service this Friday if you don't act now."
http://benton.org/node/25857
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RADIO
ARTISTS SAY RADIO STATIONS RETALIATED
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: ]
Which top-selling artist purportedly had a new single yanked from some radio stations playlists in retaliation for supporting royalties for musicians? No one involved will name the recording artist, but the no-play treatment by several radio stations is alleged in a complaint filed with the Federal Communications Commission. The complaint claims recording artists are being threatened and intimidated. In the filing, the musicFIRST Coalition says the top-selling artist recently released a new album and, in April, spoke in support of an effort to require radio stations to pay musicians royalties similar to those paid to songwriters. Soon after, the filing said, "Several stations within a major radio broadcast group notified the artist's label that they would no longer play his single on the air."
http://benton.org/node/25879
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JOURNALISM
TIMES CO SEEKS BOSTON GLOBE BIDS
[SOURCE: Boston Globe, AUTHOR: Keith O'Brien]
The New York Times Co. has hired an investment bank to manage the possible sale of The Boston Globe, and the company plans to request bids for Boston's major daily in the next couple of weeks, according to two people who say they may make offers on the newspaper. The Times has hired Goldman Sachs, the same Wall Street investment bank the Times Co. has hired to sell its 17.5 percent stake in the Boston Red Sox. In recent weeks, Goldman Sachs representatives have told interested parties that the Times Co. would begin accepting bids for the Globe after June 8, no matter which way the Boston Newspaper Guild, the Globe's largest union, voted on $10 million in pay and benefit cuts demanded by the company.
http://benton.org/node/25856
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STUDY MEASURES CHICAGO'S NON-TRADITIONAL ONLINE NEWS SOURCES
[SOURCE: Chicago Tribune, AUTHOR: Phil Rosenthal]
A new report from Chicago's from the Community Media Workshop offers an inventory and assessment of area online news sites. The premise was that there has been and continues to be enough talk about the challenges of funding journalism going forward. The aim, therefore, is to stop talking about dollars and discuss values. What kind of news is wanted and necessary and where might it be found, apart from the big mainstream news? Focus groups made up of leaders of non-profit organizations from across the region hardly make a typical audience sample, but those gathered for this study said they wanted news that was accurate, honest and fair, presented in a way that prioritized importance and gave a sense of the big picture. The study -- through the use of keyword searches of only the print editions of the Tribune and Sun-Times from 1986 to the present, ignoring their online efforts -- cites a decline in local news coverage after an apparent peak in 1994. Exceptions included corruption and bribery.
http://benton.org/node/25853
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