June 16, 2009 (Broadband Definition Must Come Before Action)
"Any country relying today on Internet access speeds of 14.4 Kb/s would be left in the slow lane."
-- Stephen Carter, UK communications minister http://www.benton.org/node/25965
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for TUESDAY JUNE 16, 2009
A busy day in telecomland: 1) the House discusses the cyberspace policy review, 2) a look at how technology is transforming education, 3) the Satellite Home Viewer Act, 4) FCC nominations are considered in the Senate, and 5) why do we pay so much to send text messages? For all these events see http://www.benton.org/calendar/2009-06-16
INTERNET/BROADBAND
National Broadband: Definition Must Come Before Action
Smart Infrastructure starts with planning
FCC NBS Comments: Why Not Follow Japan's Lead?
UK needs industrial policy for a digital age
AT&T: FCC Needs To Fix Universal Service Fund
Turning the Masses Onto Mobile Broadband
American Broadband Market Works, Economists Say
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
Iran Cracks Down on Western Media as Protest Spreads
Social Networks Spread Iranian Defiance Online
China Orders Patches to Planned Web Filter
WIRELESS
Senators ask FCC to review mobile handset deals
TELEVISION
FCC Pushing 'Double Re-scan'
FCC Lifts Conditions on News Corp.'s Purchase of Major Stake in DirecTV
HEALTH AND MEDIA
Panel To Unveil 'Meaningful Use' Report
POLICYMAKERS
How consumers' groups aim to shape telecom policy
MMTC Endorses Clyburn for FCC
MORE ON THE WEB
Knight Awards $15 Million in Grants for Investigative Reporting
Education Sec Duncan: Use tech to leverage change
Blame gets shared for dark side of reality TV fame
Digital technology and dollar signs
Family time eroding as Internet use soars
Recent Comments on:
Half of Americans Say Broadband Must be Available to All, Government Must Not Regulate
INTERNET/BROADBAND
NATIONAL BROADBAND: DEFINITION MUST COME BEFORE ACTION
[SOURCE: xchange, AUTHOR: Kelly Teal]
With the first round of comments filed on a national broadband strategy, the Federal Communications Commission can start hashing through myriad details, beginning at one very basic point: how to define broadband. The definition dilemma drew dozens of responses in the 540 total comments submitted. Numerous other issues also were raised, but the FCC cannot realistically weave a national broadband program until it knows what broadband means. Of the hundreds of filings, an estimated two-thirds came from the general public. Most of the communications industry made an appearance, too including the Bells, several Competitive Local Exchange Carriers (CLECs), WiMAX network operators, satellite and telecom service providers, equipment makers, Web 2.0 firms, cable companies, relevant associations and pundits with each party addressing the usual pet subjects. But before the FCC can change existing regulations, it must deal with some underlying matters namely, figuring out what exactly constitutes broadband. Right now the FCC considers 768kbps to qualify as basic broadband service. That speed generally is considered fast enough to accommodate e-mail and Web site access, as well as media streaming and downloading. But a lot of communications companies are calling on the FCC to define broadband first by the network that delivers it, and then the rate at which it is delivered.
http://benton.org/node/25968
Recommend this Headline
back to top
SMART INFRASTRUCTURE STARTS WITH PLANNING
[SOURCE: Great Falls (MT) Tribune, AUTHOR: Garn Anderson]
[Commentary] If you are wondering how economic stimulus funds can turn your community into the futuristic society depicted in "The Jetsons," it's easy to get lost in the complexities of what Smart Grids and Smart Infrastructure have to do with any of this. Instead of going to Hollywood to see what the future may hold, go to Cleveland. It's here you'll find an example of a community with five years of experience in creating a regional fiber-optic network that connects more than 1,000 organizations — hospitals, school districts, governments, museums, libraries and other public and nonprofit organizations. The success in and around Cleveland demonstrates not only the benefits of Smart Infrastructure, but also the reality that local communities are best equipped to implement today's fundamental need for infrastructure that empowers innovation. A Smart Infrastructure looks at the big-picture and end goals. If a road project is in progress, smart planning might mean going an extra mile to lay fiber optic cables while the road is open. Having the foresight to plan for civic improvements while empowering innovation is what smart infrastructure is all about.
http://benton.org/node/25967
Recommend this Headline
back to top
FCC NBS COMMENTS: WHY NOT FOLLOW JAPAN'S LEAD?
[SOURCE: App-Rising.com, AUTHOR: Geoff Daily]
[Commentary] The Japanese government submitted comments to the Federal Communications Commission on a US national broadband plan. Japan is at least five to ten years ahead of us in terms of getting themselves wired with next-gen networks and inspired about using these networks. Japan released its first in a succession of national strategies all the way back in 2001. The initial goals were to provide "high-speed Internet" to 30 million households and "ultra-high-speed Internet" to 10 million households within five years. Japan achieved this goal by 2003, only two years after the initial strategy was set in motion, which shows what can be accomplished when a government sets clear goals and puts in place specific plans to achieve them.
http://benton.org/node/25966
Recommend this Headline
back to top
UK NEEDS INDUSTRIAL POLICY FOR A DIGITAL AGE
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Stephen Carter]
[Commentary] The British government will on Tuesday attempt to rebut this with the publication of Digital Britain, a policy framework for the communications and technology and media sector that represents a shift towards "industrial activism." Good industrial activism has to reflect the reality of where the UK can exercise economic leadership, carving a path for others to follow, rather than gamely trying to sustain industries past their sell-by date. As our iconic media and communications companies show, the UK retains enormous power in the digital content industry, a market with strong prospects. Any country relying today on Internet access speeds of 14.4 Kb/s would be left in the slow lane. The UK government knows there is more change to come. That is why Digital Britain focuses on policies to ensure we are prepared for next-generation changes in fixed and mobile networks. (Lord Carter is the UK's communications minister.)
http://benton.org/node/25965
Recommend this Headline
back to top
AT&T: FCC NEEDS TO FIX UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
AT&T says that the Federal Communications Commission cannot get serious about a national broadband plan until it fixes the Universal Service Fund. The FCC announcement Monday the latest USF contribution percentage, which is now at 12.9%, up from 9.5% at the beginning of the year, a whopping 36% increase. The fund's base continues to shrink as more people drop landline for wireless and Internet phone service. "The universal service fund is in a death spiral, driven by growing demands on the fund, the decline of the wireline model and consumer migration to other platforms and services," said AT&T in a statement. "These factors cause the government to ask for more money from a shrinking base of phone customers to support the goals of universal service. This vicious cycle leads to higher and higher USF fees.... In order to begin a discussion on a National Broadband Plan, the Commission must address comprehensive universal service reform."
http://benton.org/node/25964
Recommend this Headline
back to top
TURNING THE MASSES ONTO MOBILE BROADBAND
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Kevin O'Brien]
After two years of rapid growth, mobile broadband, the wireless industry's most successful innovation of the past decade, is at a crossroads as operators struggle to maintain fast, omnipresent service in the face of exploding Internet traffic. Since mid-2007, when the first services came on the market, about 16 million people worldwide have signed up for mobile broadband, according to Screen Digest, an industry researcher. In 2008, the number of subscribers almost doubled. But the rapid deployment — and mounting Internet traffic from video streaming and file sharing — have caused many wireless broadband services to slow down or interrupt from data overload.
http://benton.org/node/25963
Recommend this Headline
back to top
AMERICAN BROADBAND MARKET WORKS, ECONOMISTS SAY
[SOURCE: BroadbandCensus.com, AUTHOR: Ryan Womack]
Reports of the death of American broadband have been greatly exaggerated, said a group of economists Friday at a panel on broadband market competition sponsored by the Progress and Freedom Foundation. Because American broadband was deregulated just five years ago, "competition is driving innovation," says Emperis managing partner Jeffrey Eisenach. But Information Technology and Innovative Foundation President Rob Atkinson said there is a difference between government "facilitation" of deregulation and actual deregulation on the broadband system. "I think we are behind, and I think it is a duopoly," he said. But Americans are "lucky to have two pipes" compared with many countries, he said. Introducing a municipal third pipe would be "overbuilding [and] a huge waste of money."
http://benton.org/node/25962
Recommend this Headline
back to top
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
IRAN CRACKS DOWN ON WESTERN MEDIA AS PROTEST SPREADS
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: ]
Iranian authorities criticized international media reports and took steps to control the flow of information from independent news sources as anti-government protests raged in the country for a second day Sunday. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad lashed out at the media shortly after he claimed victory in the election that critics contend was marked by widespread voter fraud. At a news conference Sunday, he accused international media of launching a "psychological war" against the country. Street protests broke out in Tehran and were fiercely battled by anti-riot police. A range of communications have been disrupted inside Iran since election day, including those which could be used to organize protests.
http://benton.org/node/25961
Recommend this Headline
back to top
SOCIAL NETWORKS SPREAD IRANIAN DEFIANCE ONLINE
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Brad Stone, Noam Cohen]
As the embattled government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appears to be trying to limit Internet access and communications in Iran, new kinds of social media are challenging those traditional levers of state media control and allowing Iranians to find novel ways around the restrictions. Iranians are blogging, posting to Facebook and, most visibly, coordinating their protests on Twitter, the messaging service. Their activity has increased, not decreased, since the presidential election on Friday and ensuing attempts by the government to restrict or censor their online communications.
http://benton.org/node/25960
Recommend this Headline
back to top
CHINA ORDERS PATCHES TO PLANNED WEB FILTER
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Edward Wong]
A designer of censorship software that the Chinese government requires to be preinstalled on computers sold in China has been ordered to fix potential security breaches in the software, the newspaper China Daily reported Monday. The report was an indication that the government still supports use of the software despite heated debate over it. The software, called Green Dam-Youth Escort, has come under attack by many computer users in China for both political and technical reasons. Critics say that although the Chinese government insists that the software will be used only to block access to pornography Web sites, the software's actual use will be to block any site with content deemed politically objectionable, like the Tibet issue or the 1989 Tiananmen killings. The government says all computers sold in China must have the software installed by July 1. Some computer experts who have studied the software said last week that it was so flawed that it could allow hackers to monitor a user's Internet activity, steal personal data or plant viruses.
http://benton.org/node/25959
Recommend this Headline
back to top
WIRELESS
SENATORS ASK FCC TO REVIEW MOBILE HANDSET DEALS
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: John Poirier]
Several Senators urged the Federal Communications Commission on Monday to review exclusive arrangements regarding mobile handset technology between wireless carriers and cell phone makers and how they affect competition and choice in the marketplace. In a letter to FCC Chairman Michael Copps, the senators said they were concerned about exclusivity. "We ask that you examine this issue carefully and act expeditiously should you find that exclusivity agreements unfairly restrict consumer choice or adversely impact competition in the commercial wireless marketplace," they wrote. Democrats John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet; Byron Dorgan of North Dakota; Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, signed the June 15 letter. Some exclusive agreements include the iPhone by Apple and AT&T and the deal between Verizon Wireless and LG Voyager. The FCC was asked in the letter if such agreements were becoming prevalent, limiting consumers' ability to take full advantage of handset technologies, manipulating the competitive marketplace between commercial wireless carriers, and playing a role in discouraging innovation.
http://benton.org/node/25958
Recommend this Headline
back to top
TELEVISION
FCC PUSHING 'DOUBLE RESCAN'
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Federal Communications Commission says some stations in Chicago and Philadelphia may have to apply for power boosts and are in discussions with stations there about their various technical issues, but that it is currently focused on consumer-based fixes for reception problems, including promoting what it is calling the "double-rescan." That is having consumers clear out their boxes' memories before re-scanning, a process the commission says is having success, particularly in Chicago. The FCC's call center volume continues to drop as viewers settle in to the DTV transition. According to an FCC spokeswoman, the DTV helpline took just under 63,000 calls on Sunday. That was after recording a one-day record of 317,000-plus on Friday, June 12, as stations were pulling the plug on analog. Saturday saw a drop-off to just north of 145,000 calls.
http://benton.org/node/25957
Recommend this Headline
back to top
FCC LIFTS CONDITIONS ON NEWS CORP'S PURCHASE OF MAJOR STAKE IN DIRECTV
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Federal Communications Commission has removed the last conditions on News Corp's purchase of a major stake in DirecTV from Hughes Corp. The remaining conditions required News Corp. to participate in arbitration disputes over carriage of regional sports nets and participate in arbitration over retransmission consent negotiations with multichannel video providers. Some public interest groups and competitors -- including Dish and the American Cable Association -- had opposed lifting the conditions on the company, but it seemed all but a foregone conclusion after News Corp. dealt off that 41% stake to Liberty in 2008, or what the FCC described as a "material change in circumstance."
http://benton.org/node/25956
Recommend this Headline
back to top
HEALTH AND MEDIA
PANEL TO UNVEIL 'MEANINGFUL USE' REPORT
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Andrew Noyes]
High-tech and healthcare stakeholders monitoring the implementation of economic stimulus package provisions intended to spur a nationwide network of electronic health records will have their first look Tuesday at what might constitute "meaningful use" of health IT products. A subgroup of the Health and Human Services Department's health IT policy committee will unveil a report on the topic and the full panel will deliberate. The paper will also be released for a formal public comment period and recommendations will ultimately be sent to David Blumenthal, the Obama administration's health IT coordinator. Final HHS guidance will let healthcare providers know how they can qualify for incentives included in the $19 billion section of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
http://benton.org/node/25955
Recommend this Headline
back to top
POLICYMAKERS
HOW CONSUMERS' GROUPS AIM TO SHAPE TELECOM POLICY
[SOURCE: TelephonyOnline, AUTHOR: Joan Engebretson]
In the first in a series series, TelephonyOnline explores several of the key telecom consumer groups -- their history, funding, previous successes and current areas of emphasis -- and takes a look at the role these groups may play moving forward. Consumer advocacy groups involved in telecom -- including the Consumer Federation of America, the Consumers Union, the Free Press and Public Knowledge -- could gain more clout under a Democratic administration. Most telecom issues pit certain groups within the industry against others. Handset exclusivity, for example, is largely a big-carrier-versus-small-carrier issue, while net neutrality pits virtually all communications service providers--including telcos and cable companies--against the information technology giants. By weighing in on one side or the other, consumer groups increasingly may help to tip the scales. This article focuses on Consumers Union, the non-profit publisher of Consumer Reports. Recent Consumers Union victories in the telecom area include helping to overturn FCC media ownership rules, leading to narrower rules aimed at boosting competition and diversity and leading the effort to convince Congress and the White House to delay the digital TV transition.
http://benton.org/node/25969
Recommend this Headline
back to top
MMTC ENDORSES CLYBURN FOR FCC
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Minority Media & Telecommunications Council has endorsed South Carolina utility regulator Mignon Clyburn for commissioner on the Federal Communications Commission. "Ms. Clyburn is one of the very few FCC nominees with years of experience in both mass media...MMTC warmly endorses this nomination." MMTC was just as warm in its praise for Clyburn when her name first came up. MMTC's David Honig at the time called her a "terrific choice."
http://benton.org/node/25954
Recommend this Headline
back to top