Aug 12, 2009 (FCC Broadband Deployment Workshop)
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for WEDNESDAY AUGUST 12, 2009
It is Broadband Deployment Day at the FCC -- we're talking wired, wireless and un/underserved. http://www.benton.org/node/26280
FCC REFORM
FCC Reform Official Eyes Unified Licensing, Public Info
FCC's Web Site Needs to Evolve Past Netscape
Researchers say Clyburn is FCC Wildcard
INTERNET/BROADBAND
FCC Workshops to take Close Look at Broadband Technology
Public Knowledge Criticizes FCC's Reliance on Incumbents in National Broadband Plan
Teletruth Requests the FCC Create a New Broadband Workshop on Current and Past Public Funding of Broadband
Consumer Organizations Request Improvements in FCC's Broadband Data Collection
NTIA Releases FAQ on Broadband Mapping Clarification
First Phase of Broadband Stimulus Money Might Miss the Mark
Broadband Stimulus Plan Has No Map for Success
We all share Internet, broadband
WildBlue Increases Satellite Broadband Capacity -- In Time for Stimulus Funding?
Worrying About Network Neutrality's Potential Impact on Private Investment
Stimulus billions fund rural broadband Internet
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
On Cookies
MEDIA OWNERSHIP
Judge Rules Union Workers Can See Details of Tribune's Bonuses
Sirius-XM Gets Extension on FCC Leasing Deadline
HEALTH & MEDIA
Governor Palin's Crazed Health Care Rant: Blame the Washington Post
White House Adapts to New Playbook in Health Care Debate
War Game Forecasts Future of Electronic Records
Mobile Phones Drive Health IT Innovation in Developing Countries
WIRELESS
Wireless Firms Dial Up Lobbyists
What Do Cellphone Users Want Most? Cheap Service
Mobile Phone Makers Key To Mobile Social Media
AT&T Bets on E-Books, Cameras as Second Act to IPhone
ACCESS
The Disabled Are On Google's Side In Books Settlement
Talking Back To Your Device Has Never Been Easier
MORE ONLINE...
MoMA modernizes its Web presence with bold strokes
TV companies benefiting from online
Bogus fees land on phone bills too easily
Studios win ruling on DVD copying software
Online textbooks offered free to California students
Judge allows objection to Google Book deal
Can digital health protect your privacy?
Public Radio Inks Webcasting Royalty Deal
Recent Comments on:
Bandwidth Caps for High-Speed Internet in the US and Japan
FCC REFORM
FCC REFORM OFFICIAL EYES LICENSING, PUBLIC INFO
[SOURCE: Dow Jones, AUTHOR: Fawn Johnson]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski has launched an "FCC Reform" initiative that will consolidate the agency's licensing system and put more telecom, lobbying and media information online. The review includes examining the FCC's rules dictating how lobbyists and consumers communicate with the agency. Critics say the "ex parte" process is cumbersome and doesn't reflect actual interactions between agency officials and the private sector. Chairman Genachowski wants as much information as possible to be publicly available, but he also said he believes the FCC has to respect the confidentiality of some company numbers. Chairman Genachowski has appointed an agency veteran, Mary Beth Richards, to lead the endeavor. Richards has spent more than 20 years at the FCC. Her tenure was interrupted in 2006 with a two-and-a-half-year stint at the Federal Trade Commission. She returned to the FCC in February.
http://benton.org/node/27073
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FCC'S WEB SITE NEEDS TO EVOLVE PAST NETSCAPE
[SOURCE: SaveTheInternet.com, AUTHOR: Adam Lynn]
[Commentary] Remember Netscape Navigator? If you used dial-up in the mid-90s and hated AOL's walled garden, chances are that you do. Of course, most of us abandoned Netscape years ago. But the Federal Communications Commission didn't get the memo that it's time to evolve with the digital age, and their outdated Web site has long been a disservice to the public. For starters, the Web site is confusing and difficult to search. Want to file a comment with the FCC? Good luck finding the link. And the agency's preferred browser for its public comment system? Netscape. I guess that makes sense when the most used portion of your site hasn't been updated since 2003.
http://benton.org/node/27072
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UNCERTAIN FUTURES: AN ANALYSIS OF FCC'S NEWEST COMMISSIONERS
[SOURCE: The Pelican Group, AUTHOR: Tim Hwang, Erikk Hokenson]
The Federal Communications Commission was just brought to full capacity after operating at just three commissioners for approximately six months. To fill the four vacant seats on the Commission, President Obama nominated Meredith Attwell Baker, Mignon Clyburn, and Julius Genachowski and re-nominated Commissioner Robert McDowell. As of July 24, 2009, all four had been confirmed by the Senate to serve on the Commission joining Commissioner Michael J. Copps. Based on the breakdown across the issues, Commissioner Clyburn appears to be the unknown, important deciding factor in the future of the FCC. Drawing from what we know of Commissioner Clyburn and her father's (House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC)) political connections, it appears that the principle of Network Neutrality may be at risk in the coming years. The most contentious issues among the commissioners will be Network Neutrality and media consolidation, issues that have created intense debate and were the focus of the Senate Committee hearings. The FCC will put an end to any further discussion of the Fairness Doctrine, which is opposed by all five of the commissioners and President Obama.
http://benton.org/node/27071
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
FCC WORKSHOPS TO TAKE CLOSE LOOK AT BROADBAND TECHNOLOGY
[SOURCE: Benton Foundation, AUTHOR: Kevin Taglang]
On August 13, the Federal Communications Commission will hold two workshops on the National Broadband Plan. 1) The first will examine fixed broadband. The goal of the workshop is twofold. First, to present a view on future broadband evolution: What are our future bandwidth needs? What type of services will need to be supported? What types of devices? What network capabilities will be needed to support this range of service needs? In addition to outlining some possible future requirements, some discussion of future network evolution will be included. Second, against this backdrop of possible future evolution, the current and future capabilities of the core technologies used to support fixed broadband applications will be discussed. What are the current performance characteristics of these core technologies (fiber, DSL, coax, satellite, terrestrial wireless)? What is the potential for future performance improvements? Who is best served by each technology and most importantly who is not well served? What specific policies would support further deployment of each technology? What barriers exist to connecting the largest number of peoples to broadband at the lowest cost? 2) The second workshop will explore how the wireless technologies will evolve to address the demands for broadband access. The workshop will address two distinct groups of users: mobile and rural.
http://benton.org/node/27081
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PK CRITICIZES FCC'S RELIANCE ON INCUMBENTS IN NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN
[SOURCE: Public Knowledge, AUTHOR: Harold Feld]
In response to the announcement by the Federal Communications Commission of the panelists for the workshops on deployment and technology for the National Broadband Plan, Harold Feld, Legal Director, Public Knowledge, issued the following statement: "It would appear that the FCC has chosen to begin by concentrating on the perspective of traditional industry infrastructure providers. There is no harm in that, provided that the deployment experiences of non-commercial providers, local governments, anchor institutions, and other non-traditional infrastructure and "last mile" providers -- as well as the perspective of public interest organizations and academics with appropriate expertise -- will likewise receive the same attention. We fully expect that the FCC will include these non-industry providers and these public interest perspectives on the critical questions of deployment and industry structure on future panels. It would create an extremely inaccurate picture of our national broadband infrastructure if the FCC relegated non-commercial providers and public interest experts to areas such as 'consumer protection' and excluded them from the discussion of deployment, investment, and ensuring robust competition."
http://benton.org/node/27069
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TELETRUTH REQUESTS THE FCC CREATE A NEW BROADBAND WORKSHOP ON CURRENT AND PAST PUBLIC FUNDING OF BROADBAND
[SOURCE: Teletruth, AUTHOR: Bruce Kushnick]
The Federal Communications Commission is supposed to be creating a national broadband strategy, and yet, in no previous document, report, order, or opinion has the FCC actually examined a primary fact - Ratepayers of local service have been and continue to be the primary funders of broadband in New York and throughout America. It is not the shareholders; it is the utility customers. And because the FCC redefined broadband as an 'interstate information service', it has not examined the state alternative regulations that are the primary source of broadband investment in the US.
http://benton.org/node/27082
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CONSUMER ORS REQUEST IMPROVEMENTS IN FCC'S BROADBAND DATA COLLECTION
[SOURCE: Public Knowledge, AUTHOR: Ben Scott, Mark Cooper, Sascha Meinrath, Andrew Schwartzman, Gigi Sohn, Joel Kelsey]
Free Press, the Consumer Federation of America, New America Foundation, the Media Access Project, Public Knowledge and Consumers Union have sent Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski a letter offering a set of proposals that reflect both the chairman's desire to run a "fact-based, data-driven agency" and their priorities for policies specific to open items related to broadband data. The groups ask the FCC to: 1) expand collection of broadband data from Internet service providers, 2) better coordinate broadband data collection with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and 3) upgrade the FCC's Automated Reporting Management Information System used to collect financial and operational data from the largest carriers.
http://benton.org/node/27070
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NTIA RELEASES FAQ ON BROADBAND MAPPING CLARIFICATION
[SOURCE: National Telecommunications and Information Administration]
On August 11, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration released a list of questions and answers about its clarification of rules concerning state broadband data program. On confidential information, NTIA writes, "In light of the clarification regarding reporting of availability data at a census block level rather than street address level, the definition of "Confidential Information" in section III of the NOFA, shall no longer include the identification of a service provider's specific Service Area. A service provider's "footprint" will likewise no longer be included in the definition of "Confidential Information." In practical terms, this means that while identification of a provider's name and its availability/speed at a particular address will still be considered confidential, identification of a provider's name and availability/speed at a census block or street segment level will not be considered confidential and will be displayed on the national broadband map."
http://benton.org/node/27068
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FIRST PHASE OF BROADBAND STIMULUS MONEY MIGHT MISS THE MARK
[SOURCE: Rural America Onshore Sourcing, AUTHOR: ]
As the August 14 deadline approaches for applications for the first of three phases of federal broadband stimulus funding, many telecom companies apparently are going for their share of money. But experts say that small businesses, organizations and communities should also aim for a share of that pie. In fact, some broadband advocates are saying that the best way to make use of the grant money would be to make it available to end-users who actually the face the problems of non-availability or inadequate availability of broadband. That's what Craig Settles, an municipal broadband strategy consultant says. "I am very much in favor of putting money in the hands of local communities because I feel they [the actual users] would have the best ideas of what their needs are and to decide how to roll broadband out." Craig is not the only one. Chris Derrington, the founder and CEO of Rural America Onshore Sourcing, the Wisconsin-based IT company that is using lower-cost rural-based professionals to provide outsourcing services to US-based companies. This way, they don't have to send projects offshore or use expensive urban vendors. He also feels that if the grant is grabbed up mostly by the larger, privately-owned telecom companies, most rural areas would be short-changed.
http://benton.org/node/27057
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BROADBAND STIMULUS PLAN HAS NO MAP FOR SUCCESS
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: Stacey Higginbotham]
[Commentary] The federal government is spending $7.2 billion over the next year to bring better broadband to the masses, a lofty goal by any measure. But the feds are making it loftier than it needs to be in that it has no idea where people without broadband live — which is like planning targeted radiation therapy for a cancer without knowing where the cancer is. There's an entire 100-plus-page document noting the rules around who can apply for grants and how those grant applications will be judged. The grant recipients will be judged primarily on whether or not they plan to provide broadband to people who don't have any. There's even $350 million set aside to help the government determine who those people are, but there's no way it will figure that out by Friday which is when the first round of broadband grant applications are due. Knowing that, the government has decided to back off from its demands for quality data about current broadband access and speeds from a third party and instead rely on the telecommunications industry's information. On Friday, the Department of Commerce, which is running the National Telecommunications Information Agency, declared that the broadband maps only needs to contain block-level data, not the address-level data for which consumers groups had hoped. And it said the maps don't need to contain information about the actual speeds offered because the large telcos view such information as competitive and wouldn't give it up.
http://benton.org/node/27056
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WE ALL SHARE INTERNET, BROADBAND
[SOURCE: Bangor Daily News, AUTHOR: Lynne Williams]
[Commentary] The August 4 Bangor Daily News reports that FairPoint Communications has hired a well-known public utility lobbying firm to oppose the University of Maine System's efforts to bring better broadband and Internet access to Maine. Just like First Wind's efforts to control wind generation sites, and Nestle's continuing attempts to privatize our water, FairPoint now seeks to privatize broadband and, in the height of arrogance, says it's unfair for a public university to compete against a private company for public funds. Like water, broadband is part of the commons, a set of assets that we all share. It is a community's responsibility to protect and preserve the commons, without regard to the return on capital, and it is therefore inherently counter to this shared responsibility to privatize any aspect of the commons. Ironically, it is the rural communities of our state — the poorest communities — that are most in need of increased access to the Internet.
http://benton.org/node/27055
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WILDBLUE INCREASES CAPACITY
[SOURCE: telecompetitor, AUTHOR: Bernie Arnason]
WildBlue announced availability of additional satellite broadband capacity, using a third satellite. WildBlue is leasing Ka band capacity from EchoStar's AMC-15 satellite. The new satellite capacity will serve customers in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia and Arkansas. The new capacity comes at an important time for WildBlue. They've had well documented challenges delivering promised bandwidth due to capacity constraints. Like everyone else in broadband, they're also sizing up the opportunity presented by the broadband stimulus program. It's somewhat debatable as to whether satellite broadband can deliver the type of performance needed by an emerging broadband 'app' culture. WildBlue recently launched a PR campaign to promote their next generation service, which they claim dramatically improves their broadband performance.
http://benton.org/node/27067
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WORRYING ABOUT NET NEUTRALITY'S POTENTIAL IMPACT ON PRIVATE INVESTMENT
[SOURCE: App-Rising.com, AUTHOR: Geoff Daily]
[Commentary] We haven't been addressing one of the core challenges of making Network Neutrality a reality -- how do we balance our desire to see more money invested in broadband capacity with private providers' need to turn a profit on that investment? First off, we must acknowledge that there's a finite amount of capacity in any broadband network. Secondly, there's a finite amount of money any private provider is able and willing to invest in upgrading their capacity, and to justify any investment they need to realize a return on those dollars. Third, broadband networks have two primary purposes: offering access to the public Internet, and supporting the delivery of private, managed services like TV and phone. Fourth, private, managed services can offer higher profits to operators than just offering bandwidth. Fifth, we want private providers to maximize their investment in the capacity of their networks. Sixth, we want to make sure that as much of that capacity is going towards open bandwidth that grants unfettered access to the public Internet as possible. While it looks like we're starting to get to the point where we've at least got the issues that matter on the table, it doesn't seem like we're doing enough to acknowledge and address the basic realities of how any profit-driven enterprise works.
http://benton.org/node/27066
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STIMULUS BILLIONS FUND RURAL BROADBAND INTERNET
[SOURCE: CNNMoney.com, AUTHOR: Sharon McLoone]
Fast Internet access is a luxury most businesses take for granted these days, but in remote areas of the country, the staticky crackle of a dial-up modem connection remains a familiar sound. A $7.2 billion stimulus initiative aims to expand broadband access and speed up the modem's extinction. Two federal agencies, the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA) and the Agriculture Department's Rural Utility Service, each landed billions from the Recovery Act to fund new broadband infrastructure projects. Applications are due this week for the first wave of grants and loans from those programs. For entrepreneurs in rural areas, a broadband connection can be an economic lifeline.
http://benton.org/node/27065
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GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
ON COOKIES
[SOURCE: The White House, AUTHOR: Vivek Kundra, Michael Fitzpatrick]
[Commentary] Our main goal in revisiting the ban on using persistent cookies on Federal websites is to bring the federal government into the 21st century. Consistent with this Administration's commitment to making government more open and participatory, we want federal agencies to be able to provide the same user- friendly, dynamic, and citizen-centric websites that people have grown accustomed to using when they shop or get news online or communicate through social media networks, while also protecting people's privacy. It is clear that protecting the privacy of citizens who visit government websites must be one of the top considerations in any new policy. This is why we've taken such a cautious approach going forward and why we felt it so important to get feedback and hear from people on this. While we wanted to get people's ideas for improving our policy, we also needed to hear any concerns so that we could understand better where potential pitfalls might lie. This privacy issue has recently received some attention in the media. We want to make it clear that the current policy on Federal agencies' use of cookies has not changed. Moreover, the policy won't change until we've read the public comments that have been submitted to ensure that we're considering all sides of the issue and are addressing privacy concerns appropriately. We would also like to take this opportunity to address a potential misperception. Some articles have hinted that the government is creating special exemptions for third-parties from existing privacy rules, with the result that there wouldn't be adequate protection of people's personal information. This is not true. The current policy in place on persistent cookies continues to apply to all Federal agencies and to those agencies' use of third-party applications, whenever personal information is collected on the agency's behalf.
http://benton.org/node/27064
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MEDIA OWNERSHIP
JUDGE RULES UNION WORKERS CAN SEE DETAILS OF TRIB'S BONUSES
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: ]
Federal Bankruptcy Judge Kevin Carey ruled Tuesday that the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild, which represents 225 workers at the Tribune-owned (Baltimore) Sun should be allowed to see details about the Tribune Co.'s proposal to give bonuses totaling up to $70 million to the company's top managers. The judge agreed to allow the Chicago-based company to keep under seal a compensation consultant's report underlying the bonus plan and said information to be shared by the Tribune will be restricted. "It's going only to the Guild," Judge Carey ruled, denying the Guild's request to share the information with other unions, including those that joined in its objection to the bonus plan. Only the Guild made a formal objection in the case; the others joined in the Guild's petition. Judge Carey said he would decide later who within the Guild should be allowed to see the information.
http://benton.org/node/27062
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SIRIUS-XM GETS EXTENSION ON FCC LEASING DEADLINE
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
The Federal Communications Commission's Media Bureau has granted Sirius-XM satellite radio an extension on a deadline to enter long-term leases of capacity to non-affiliated content providers. The company now has until October 27, 2009. On July 25, 2008, the FCC approved the transfer of control of licenses held by Sirius and XM, subject to their fulfillment of the leasing condition. In response to commenters' concerns about the mechanics of the channel lease administration and allocation, the FCC deferred a decision as to specific implementation details for the leasing condition. On February 27, 2009, the Media Bureau issued a Public Notice seeking comment on the implementation details of the leasing condition. In response to the Public Notice, commenters raised a number of additional concerns and proposed a range of models to implement condition. The Media Bureau anticipates FCC action on the implementation guidelines in the near future, and thus grants this brief extension.
http://benton.org/node/27061
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HEALTH & MEDIA
PALIN'S CRAZED HEALTH CARE RANT: BLAME THE WASHINGTON POST
[SOURCE: The Huffington Post, AUTHOR: Dean Baker]
[Commentary] As a basic rule, politicians will say anything they can get away with. If an effective politician thinks that he can call his opponent a drug-dealing, serial-murdering gangster, and have the charge taken seriously by the media, then he will do it, even if there is no reality whatsoever to the allegation. The reason that most politicians don't describe their opponents this way is because the media will denounce them as liars, who are unfit for responsible public office. This basic truth must be kept in mind in understanding the health care debate. The debate has trailed off into loon tune land, and it's the media's fault.
http://benton.org/node/27060
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WHITE HOUSE ADAPTS TO NEW PLAYBOOK IN HEALTH CARE DEBATE
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Jim Rutenberg, Jackie Calmes]
The White House on Monday started a new Web site to fight questionable but potentially damaging charges that President Obama's proposed overhaul of the nation's health care system would inevitably lead to "socialized medicine," "rationed care" and even forced euthanasia for the elderly. But in introducing the Web site, White House officials were tacitly acknowledging a difficult reality: they are suddenly at risk of losing control of the public debate over a signature issue for President Obama and are now playing defense in a way they have not since last year's campaign. New television commercials disputing the conservative attacks are in the works, Mr. Woodhouse said, and allied members of Congress have been sent home for the August break with a set of poll-tested talking points intended to shift the focus to the administration's advertised benefits of the plan from the scary situations opponents have laid out.
http://benton.org/node/27054
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WAR GAME FORECASTS FUTURE OF ELECTRONIC RECORDS
[SOURCE: iHealthBeat, AUTHOR: Leonard Fuld, Kim Slocum]
A war game, "The Battle for Healthcare Information," took place this spring, employing savvy health care-experienced business school students from Columbia, Kellogg, MIT and Wharton business schools. They formed teams, representing a variety of EHR players: Allscripts, Kaiser Permanente, McKesson and Microsoft. If this war game proves as prescient as past public simulations, then expect most of the following predictions to become reality: 1) electronic health record adoption will come more slowly than expected. Entrenched interests will continue to resist EHRs. Health care system change, engendered by EHRs, means that some interests will win dollars while other traditional players, such as hospitals, may lose -- and no one wants to lose. 2) A shortage of technical manpower will slow down implementation of EHRs, no matter how much money is thrown at it. 3) The "pure players," such as Allscripts (as well as Cerner, Eclypsis, Epic and a half-dozen others) likely will be acquired in the next few years. 4) Small medical practices will band together. The market that is driving efficiencies, such as EHRs and other scalable solutions, will act as a catalyst to force small medical practices to band together or merge in the next few years. 5) No more "walled gardens." Health plans will be forced to untether their records. Tethered patient health records (PHRs) will become historical artifacts.
http://benton.org/node/27059
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MOBILE PHONES DRIVE HEALTH IT INNOVATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
[SOURCE: iHealthBeat, AUTHOR: Paula Fortner]
Although the US health care system has dominated the media spotlight in recent months, innovative mobile technologies are helping to fundamentally transform health care in many developing countries. Last month, the Rockefeller Foundation announced a $100 million initiative to strengthen health systems in Africa and Asia by building capacity, supporting policy interventions and promoting health IT applications. As part of its health IT strategy, the foundation intends to leverage mobile phone-based technologies to improve health care access, quality and efficiency. Karl Brown, Rockefeller's associate director of applied technology, explained that the foundation sees mobile health technologies "as sort of the front lines of e-health." He said that although servers, databases and Web sites will be necessary to support the mobile phone applications, health workers can use the devices to extend their reach to regions that lack adequate health care infrastructure.
http://benton.org/node/27058
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WIRELESS
WIRELESS FIRMS DIAL UP LOBBYISTS
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Amy Schatz]
The wireless industry has begun bracing for a long four years. Regulators and lawmakers are examining a widening number of issues -- from exclusive handset deals to text-messaging rates -- that could impact the largest U.S. wireless carriers, companies such as Verizon Wireless and AT&T. Later this month, the Federal Communications Commission plans to begin a broad inquiry into competition in the wireless industry. It will also review rules designed to prevent carriers from tacking junk fees onto phone bills. Hoping to capitalize on dissatisfaction expressed by congressional Democrats about the competitiveness of the industry, some smaller carriers have stepped up lobbying Congress and the FCC for help. For example, small carriers, like Leap Wireless International Inc. and Cellular South, recently began meeting with FCC officials in hopes of convincing them to retool arcane rules designed to make sure consumers can use their BlackBerrys and other smart phones when they are traveling. "There is no right to data roaming. There's got to be. It's the next frontier," says Gigi Sohn, co-founder of Public Knowledge. "If a carrier doesn't have automatic data-roaming rights then they don't have a competitive service." Hoping to stave off regulatory or congressional action, wireless carriers are snapping up former staffers for Democratic lawmakers and beefing up their lobbying operations. In the first half of the year, Verizon spent $9.3 million on lobbying, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. AT&T spent $8.2 million during the same period. Both are on pace to spend slightly more on lobbying this year than they did in 2008.
http://benton.org/node/27080
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WHAT DO CELL PHONE USERS WANT MOST? CHEAP SERVICE
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Saul Hansell]
One grand debate in the cellphone world, to listen to Bits readers and other vocal technology fans, is whether the capabilities of Apple's iPhone make it worth giving up Verizon Wireless's superior network coverage for AT&T's spottier one. For most people, however, this discussion is about as relevant as an argument at the country club bar about the merits of a BMW versus a Lexus. On Main Street, the price of wireless service is far more important that the network or the phone. Not surprisingly, economic concerns are becoming even more important in the midst of the recession, according to a new report by Nielsen. Every month, the company surveys 25,000 wireless customers, asking why they chose their current carrier. Price has long been the top factor cited. In the third quarter of 2006, however, before the economy started turning sour, the second factor was network quality, followed by the reputation of the carrier. By the first quarter of this year, people had pushed aside quality in favor of saving money.
http://benton.org/node/27063
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MOBILE PHONE MAKERS KEY TO MOBILE SOCIAL MEDIA
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: Mark Walsh]
Mobile phones and online social networks are natural allies, but social sites must still work closely with handset makers to ensure a user-friendly consumer experience, according to a new Forrester report. That's because only the device manufacturers have the ability to tightly integrate mobile social features with a phone's core communication services including voice, SMS text messaging and an address book. The potential for social networks in partnering with phone makers is "enormous," according to Forrester. "Mobile phones' convenience, improving cameras and location awareness will make the mobile phone the dominant media creation device of the future," states the report titled "How Mobile Handsets Will Deliver 24x7 Social Computing." The study emphasizes that mobile is not simply a way for social networks to extend their Internet strategies, but offers unique features like GPS, touchscreens, video-recording and mexa-pixel cameras that don't factor in on the PC based-Web.
http://benton.org/node/27053
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AT&T BETS ON E-BOOKS, CAMERAS AS SECOND ACT TO IPHONE
[SOURCE: Bloomberg, AUTHOR: Amy Thomson]
AT&T says there will be life after the iPhone. As time ticks down on the biggest U.S. phone company's exclusive rights to carry the Apple Inc. device, it is looking beyond mobile phones for growth. The company's next bet may be a camera, electronic-book reader or dog-tracking collar. AT&T added about 840,000 iPhone customers last quarter, accounting for 60 percent of subscriber gains. That helped drive up its wireless sales 10 percent in a slumping economy. AT&T's exclusive iPhone deal may end as soon as 2011. Rivals such as Verizon Wireless gaining access to the phone could hurt AT&T's growth, forcing it to look at new devices to keep its advantage. There are as many as 2 million gadgets such as e-books, security devices and utility meters connected to wireless networks in the US, said Roger Entner, an analyst at Nielsen Co. The market, which generates less than $100 million in annual revenue today, will grow as much as 100 percent a year, he said.
http://benton.org/node/27049
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ACCESS
THE DISABLED ARE ON GOOGLE'S SIDE IN BOOKS SETTLEMENT
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: Wendy Davis]
Advocates for the disabled have asked a federal court to approve a controversial settlement of a lawsuit filed by book authors and publishers against Google. "The settlement's benefits for readers with disabilities are extraordinary," the American Association of People with Disabilities said in a letter filed last week with the court. "People for whom transportation to a library or bookstore is difficult, unavailable or expensive would have access to these books through their computer," the organization wrote in a letter to U.S. District Court Judge Denny Chin in Manhattan. "People with vision loss will be able to search for books through the Google Books interface and purchase, borrow, or read at a public library any of the books that are available to the general public in accessible formats."
http://benton.org/node/27051
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TALKING BACK TO YOUR DEVICE HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER
[SOURCE: National Public Radio, AUTHOR: Joshua Brockman]
If you're tired of having a one-way conversation with your computer screen, relief is in sight. It's been more than a decade since consumer versions of voice recognition software came on the scene, but there were many stumbling blocks — including limited vocabulary and the need to spend an excessive amount of time training. But the technology has advanced to a new level and is changing how we interact with computers, cell phones and cars. And the integration of voice features could have a dramatic impact on making technology more accessible and ergonomically sound by changing the way consumer electronics are designed. The ability to use one's voice to guide a device also makes it potentially more accessible for the blind or visually impaired, provided that the buttons and on-screen menus are also navigable. The blind community has a lot of concerns about the prevalence of touch screen interfaces for mobile phones and other consumer electronics and appliances because many devices effectively shut out those with impaired vision. "Voice recognition technology has really enhanced or increased awareness of accessibility," says Anne Taylor, director of access technology for the National Federation of the Blind. It also puts blind and sighted users on "a level playing field," she says, because there is little or no training needed to start using voice recognition features.
http://benton.org/node/27050
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