Aug 26, 2009 (FCC to enforce Network Neutrality)

Senator Edward M. Kennedy 1932-2009
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/08/26/kennedy_dead_at_77/

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for WEDNESDAY AUGUST 26, 2009

FCC AGENDA
   FCC to enforce Network Neutrality
   Genachowski Concerned By Wireless Access
   FCC Will Reassess V-Chip, Ratings System
   Genachowski: "core justification for enforcing public interest obligations on TV stations is as strong as ever"

NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN
   Broadband Adoption Barriers
   Broadband Adoption: If We Build It, Will They Come?
   Broadband, Public Safety and Homeland Security
   The Smart Grid, Broadband and Climate Change

CLIMATE & ENERGY
How High-Speed Broadband Can Fight Climate Change
Smart Grid Standards: Road Map a Month Away; Vint Cerf Weighs in

MORE ON INTERNET/BROADBAND
   Microsoft, Harvard researchers propose 'WhiteFi' network for UHF white spaces
   Massachusetts wants $105 million to fix broadband
   Most People Don't Understand Broadband Or Bandwidth

TELEVISION
   Treasury to Get Nine-Figure Return On DTV Coupon Program
   FCC Grants Waivers on Four Set-Top Boxes
   Nielsen Decides Not To Control For PCs, Internet Access In National TV Ratings Sample

GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
   Journalists' recent work examined before embeds
   NY Gov Backs Away from Race/Media Remarks
   Cybersecurity Measure Undergoes Changes

JOURNALISM
One Year Ago: The Media Helped Elect Obama -- By Inspiring McCain to Pick Palin
Journalism: "What we need is radically imaginative experimentation"

ADVERTISING
User Empowerment, Not Regulation, Is The Answer to Privacy Concerns About Targeted Ads
YouTube to share ad money with more video makers

HEALTH & MEDIA
Don't forget children in rush to healthcare IT
Firms Racing to End Texting and Driving

MORE ONLINE ...
   Four Out Five Americans Online Visit Social Networks
   Who's Driving Twitter's Popularity?
   Landesman is 10th to head NEA
   Online school is a cheaper way to educate

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FCC AGENDA

FCC TO ENFORCE NETWORK NEUTRALITY
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Kevin Bogardus, Kim Hart]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski says the agency will support Network Neutrality and go after anyone who violates its tenets. The FCC's general counsel is working on the best legal strategy to defend its open Internet principles in a suit filed by cable giant Comcast. Telecom corporations have often chafed at net neutrality. They have lobbied against similar limits placed in the stimulus package, saying they represented unnecessary regulation that could impede private innovation.
http://benton.org/node/27394
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GENACHOWSKI CONCERNED BY WIRELESS ACCESS
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Andrew Noyes]
On Monday, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski expressed concerns about Americans' access to new wireless offerings ahead of a Thursday commission meeting that some believe will put telecommunications giants like AT&T and Verizon in the hot seat for engaging in business practices that could be viewed as harmful to competition and consumer choice. Chairman Genachowski said the "complete lack of access" is a critical issue for the FCC to explore. At Thursday's meeting, the FCC is expected to vote on whether to launch an expansive inquiry into the wireless industry, which he said stems from the need to "make sure we have a set of policies in place that create the greatest possible climate for investment and that protect and empower consumers. It's essential that we have vibrant competition that produces services, fair prices and clear information for consumers."
http://benton.org/node/27393
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FCC WILL REASSESS V-CHIP, RATINGS SYSTEM
[SOURCE: TheWrap, AUTHOR: Ira Teinowitz]
The Federal Communications Commission is about to open a second front in its reassessment of the V-chip and of family-friendly programming -- including whether it is possible to have a single-content ratings system that can apply to movies, videogames, TV and cellphones. The study may also look at ways to ensure that once a TV or movie is rated, data is readily available whether the program subsequently is viewed on TV, cable, a phone or a computer. An initial report, due later this week or early next week, concludes repeatedly that considerably more information is needed before any changes can be recommended, say individuals close to the FCC. And, according to the report, the FCC intends to shortly initiate a far broader and more detailed examination into how the current system works in a multi-platform world. The FCC is due to release the initial report by the end of the month.
http://benton.org/node/27392
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KIDS' VIEWING TOPS FCC CHAIRMAN'S AGENDA
[SOURCE: TVNewsCheck, AUTHOR: Harry Jessell]
A Q&A with Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski covering the viability of broadcast television, enforcing indecency, media ownership consolidation, localism, disclosure, children's television programming, and broadcast TV spectrum. Chairman Genachowski says the core justification for enforcing public interest obligations on TV stations is as strong as ever. "The door is open for ideas on the best ways to make sure that we have a broadcasting industry that's healthy, vibrant and serves the public interest. The public has always had a special contract with broadcasters. There are multiple parts to that contract and American consumers expect broadcasters to serve the public interest. There are still 10 to 15 million Americans who rely exclusively on over-the-air broadcasting. It's their only immediate source of news and emergency information. Even in homes that have other video services, broadcasting is very often the leading source of news and information, so it continues to play an important role. Obviously there are big changes going on in the video marketplace that are creating big challenges that need to be tackled."
http://benton.org/node/27391
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NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN

BROADBAND ADOPTION BARRIERS
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: John Horrigan]
The great thing about bringing people together to talk about broadband adoption data is that you always get new ideas for questions to pursue in the future. At the "Building the Fact" base workshop last week, this dynamic played out as expected. Susannah Fox, from the Pew Internet Project, reminded listeners of the growth in broadband adoption at home from just 3% of Americans in 2000 to 63% as of April 2009. Link Hoewing at Verizon noted the fast adoption pace of broadband relative to other communications technologies. But he, and others, pointed out how we have likely entered a maturing phase on the adoption curve, meaning that reaching the remaining 37% of non-adopters will be a challenge. Peter Stenberg from the Agriculture Department highlighted particular challenges for rural Americans. We were also reminded how strongly broadband can impact how people get information.
http://benton.org/node/27390
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BROADBAND ADOPTION: IF WE BUILD IT, WILL THEY COME?
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Brian David]
One of the challenges facing the Broadband Task Force is a question inspired by the 1989 classic film "Field of Dreams": if we build it, will they come? Two Federal Communications Commission workshops addressed this topic. The speakers during the panel on low adoption represented demographic groups who tend to have high numbers of non-adopters as well as the businesses and organizations working to bring those groups online. The FCC heard from speakers on the reasons why senior citizens, Native Americans, small business owners, Americans living in rural areas and African Americans tend to be underrepresented relative to the general population. While at first glance these are very different groups, what was striking was the common thread—people will adopt when they feel they have the skills, devices and applications they need to shape and control their broadband experience. And they will do so more readily when they have the "social infrastructure" of family, friends and neighbors that is already broadband-adopting. That infrastructure is critical both because it prompts them to adopt broadband, and because it trains and supports them as they figure out a new technology (and in many cases, figure out how to use a computer for the first time). A second panel picked up on this point by bringing together a group of folks representing the many programs designed to get people the skills, devices and applications they need. Again, a few common themes emerged. Successful programs tend to have high personal interaction in the initial stages (see 'social infrastructure" point above), content packaged in a way that is accessible to the user, and an end goal that sees broadband as a tool to enrich life. One other key takeaway from this group was the notion that an adoption program's success can and should be measured. Developing those metrics for evaluation will be one of the many areas where the FCC will be seeking additional input.
http://benton.org/node/27389
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BROADBAND, PUBLIC SAFETY AND HOMELAND SECURITY
[SOURCE: Benton Foundation, AUTHOR: Kevin Taglang]
On August 25, the Federal Communications Commission held a National Broadband Plan workshop covering public safety and homeland security. Split into two panels, the first part of the discussion examined how the National Broadband Plan should reflect the current and potential uses of broadband to improve public safety communications and operations, including the utilization of the Internet and web-based applications. On the FCC's agenda is how best to promote interoperable, wireless-based communications; the relationship between the broadband plan and the FCC's ongoing 700 MHz spectrum auction proceeding; what services are most needed; how to ensure physical diversity and redundancy, and improve hardening of network assets; and how can existing spectrum allocations(e.g.4.9 GHz) meet the needs of public safety. In addition, the FCC hopes to estimate costs for public safety to obtain broadband service, applications, or devices; what funding sources are available; which broadband networks are used for mission-critical communications; what models (e.g.statewide networks) have been successful and what are their limitations; what policies would best promote Next Gen 9-1-1, cybersecurity, pandemic preparedness; and how the FCC can coordinate with other federal agencies, state, local and tribal entities. The purpose of the workshop, in part, is to fill holes in the present record. The FCC believes comments filed earlier this summer are too focused on aspirational goals and not enough on ways of getting there.
http://www.benton.org/node/27363
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THE SMART GRID, BROADBAND AND CLIMATE CHANGE
[SOURCE: Benton Foundation, AUTHOR: Kevin Taglang]
On August 25, the Federal Communications Commission held a National Broadband Plan workshop focused on broadband and communications infrastructure potentially transformative role in meeting our national energy, environmental, and transportation goals, including energy independence, greenhouse gas emissions reductions and clean energy generation. Nick Sinai, the Energy and Environment Director for the FCC's National Broadband Taskforce, led the discussion. The first panel explored smart grid technology. A second panel addressed broadband and climate change.
http://www.benton.org/node/27364
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CLIMATE & ENERGY

HOW HIGH-SPEED BROADBAND CAN FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Katie Fehrenbacher]
There are a lot of reasons why we should build out high-speed broadband infrastructure, like how it can offer low-cost, easy access to education, communication and business services. But one of the most important reasons going forward will be the Internet's ability to replace physical goods with virtual ones and fight global warming. This month, we've seen a wave of research that shows how digital goods (like music and books downloads) are superior from an energy and CO2 perspective vs. their physical counterparts. As Bill St. Arnaud put it on his blog recently: "The next killer app for the Internet is dematerialization." In other words, the Internet will be one of the key tools to fighting climate change by replacing atoms with digital bits, reducing physical goods created, and cutting carbon emissions.
http://benton.org/node/27386
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SMART GRID STANDARDS: ROAD MAP A MONTH AWAY; CERF WEIGHS IN
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Katie Fehrenbacher]
The smart grid standards-making process has been one of the most condensed, complex standards work to date, given the rush to quickly deliver a road map before the billions of dollars are allocated from the stimulus package. And it looks like we have just about a month left to wait: The producers of the GridWeek conference, which will take place Sept. 21-24 in Washington, D.C., tell us that the smart grid standards road map will be announced at the show. That puts the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), which has been spearheading the standards efforts, on track to meet its goal to get the road map out in September. NIST has its eye on the ball — this weekend the group said it has awarded consulting and engineering firm EnerNex Corp. an $8.5 million, 2-year contract to help keep the accelerated pace of the smart grid standards going. EnerNex will be creating panels around key smart grid issues that will be identified in the September road map.
http://benton.org/node/27385
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MORE ON INTERNET/BROADBAND

MICROSOFT, HARVARD RESEARCHERS PROPOSE 'WHITEFI' NETWORK
[SOURCE: Broadcast Engineering, AUTHOR: ]
Researchers from Microsoft and Harvard University have presented a detailed design and implementation of a wireless data network for use in unused portions of the UHF spectrum, commonly referred to as white spaces. Laying out their proposal in a paper presented at the SIGCOMM 2009 Aug. 17-21 in Barcelona, Spain, the authors acknowledge the requirement the Federal Communications Commission placed upon wireless white space devices not to interfere with incumbent spectrum users, including TV stations and wireless mics, when authorizing their use in November 2008. In "White Space Networking with Wi-Fi like Connectivity," the authors say they have identified the challenges of building a UHF white space wireless network, dubbed a "WhiteFi" network, and have presented ways to surmount those challenges, including new techniques, algorithms and protocols "backed up by extensive evaluation over a prototype network" and simulations.
http://benton.org/node/27365
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MASSACHUSETTS WANTS $105M TO FIX BROADBAND
[SOURCE: Boston Globe, AUTHOR: Hiawatha Bray]
Massachusetts is seeking $105 million in federal economic stimulus funds to improve broadband access in the western part of the state, and to draw an accurate map of available broadband services statewide. The Massachusetts Broadband Institute filed its request for the funds on Aug. 14. The agency wants to spend $100 million to create a fiber-optic data network that would reach into 43 western Massachusetts communities that now have little or no broadband access. The network would be used by municipal governments and would sell access to private companies, which in turn could sell broadband services to households and businesses.
http://benton.org/node/27384
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MOST PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND BROADBAND
[SOURCE: App-Rising.com, AUTHOR: Geoff Daily]
Daily has a mother-in-law moment and realizes that, for most people, broadband's just a faster way to get onto the Internet than dialup. And because the public doesn't understand bandwidth and why they'd need/want more, it makes it that much more difficult to spark a nationwide movement demanding networks be built with greater capacity. So a key cornerstone of any effort to change America's broadband future, must be recognizing how much work needs to be done educating the public about broadband and committing ourselves to overcoming these challenges.
http://benton.org/node/27383
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TELEVISION

TREASURY TO GET NINE-FIGURE RETURN ON COUPON PROGRAM
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The US Treasury will get at least $139 million back when the National Telecommunications and Information Association has redeemed its final $40 DTV-to-analog converter box coupon, and likely more along the lines of a $200 million-plus return. While NTIA cannot calculate exactly how much money will be returned until the program ends at the end of October, the deadline for requests was July 31 and NTIA published a final active coupon request figure of 4,287,379. That is the number of coupons it had sent out but had not been redeemed. With $310,796,690 in coupon funds left as of Aug. 12 (the last update), if every one of those coupons had to be redeemed, it would cost $171,496,516, leaving the government with $139,300,174 left over. But at the current average redemption rate of about 55%, that would mean the refund to Treasury would be more on the order of $214 million.
http://benton.org/node/27380
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FCC GRANTS WAIVERS ON SET-TOP BOXES
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
In a victory for cable operators, the Federal Communications Commission has granted Motorola, Cisco, Pace and Thomson waivers on its set-top integration ban for what they pitched as one-way, low-cost limited-capability boxes. That means there are four more boxes that can be installed without the need to go to the FCC for an individual waiver. The FCC said Tuesday that it had vetted the specs for the quartet of waiver requests and found them to be "no more advanced" than the Evolution Broadband boxes it previously waived. It granted the waiver, saying Public Knowledge's assertion that software upgrades could conceivably alter those capabilities "does not have merit." But it did say that hardware modifications could alter them, so that any box that differed from the specs submitted would require a separate waiver. The FCC also recently extended a hardship waiver of the rule by overbuilder RCN and extended the waiver to low-cost HD boxes for the first time. The FCC instituted the ban on digital set-tops that integrate security and channel surfing functions in an effort to spur a retail market. But it said it would entertain waivers for low-cost boxes sans bells and whistles. Public Knowledge's Gigi Sohn said, "The larger issue is whether the Commission is doing what Congress required back in 1996, when the Telecom Act promised an open, competitive market for full-featured set-top boxes. That vision would have given consumers more choices and more features. It's that goal to which the Commission should aspire, rather than continually lowering the bar through the waiver process."
http://benton.org/node/27379
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NIELSEN DECIDES NOT TO CONTROL FOR PCs IN RATINGS
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: Joe Mandese]
TV ratings giant Nielsen has decided not to adjust its national TV ratings sample to ensure that it properly represents households equipped with personal computers or Internet access. The decision follows an annual review of the process Nielsen uses to determine what types of households and individuals to mathematically "weight" to ensure that they represent the population at large. Nielsen historically has used the weighting process to adjust for an under-representation of certain kinds of households, especially harder-to-recruit ones such as minorities, to ensure that their viewing habits are properly represented in its national TV ratings. But after conducting some testing, Nielsen executives concluded that adding weights for the presence of a personal computer or Internet access in under-represented households would provide "no significant change or enhancement" to its national TV ratings sample.
http://benton.org/node/27377
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GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS

JOURNALISTS' RECENT WORK EXAMINED BEFORE EMBEDS
[SOURCE: Stars and Stripes, AUTHOR: Charlie Reed]
As more journalists seek permission to accompany US forces engaged in escalating military operations in Afghanistan, many of them could be screened by a controversial Washington-based public relations firm contracted by the Pentagon to determine whether their past coverage has portrayed the U.S. military in a positive light. US public affairs officials in Afghanistan acknowledged to Stars and Stripes that any reporter seeking to embed with U.S. forces is subject to a background profile by The Rendon Group, which gained notoriety in the run-up to the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq for its work helping to create the Iraqi National Congress. That opposition group, reportedly funded by the CIA, furnished much of the false information about Iraq's supposed weapons of mass destruction used by the Bush administration to justify the invasion. Rendon examines individual reporters' recent work and determines whether the coverage was "positive," "negative" or "neutral" compared to mission objectives, according to Rendon officials. It conducts similar analysis of general reporting trends about the war for the military and has been contracted for such work since 2005.
http://benton.org/node/27374
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NY GOV BACKS OFF RACE/MEDIA REMARKS
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Jeremy Peters]
Gov David Paterson (D-NY) attempted to distance himself on Tuesday from comments he made last week suggesting that some in the news media who are critical of him and other black politicians are motivated by racial bias. If he intended to quell the furor his remarks caused, his comments on Tuesday appeared to only complicate the situation. While Gov Paterson said he regretted the distraction his comments had caused and hoped he could put the episode behind him, he denied having insinuated that race was a factor in criticism of his leadership. That denial — which is contradicted by what he said in two interviews — made for an odd exchange with reporters on Tuesday afternoon.
http://benton.org/node/27373
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CYBERSECURITY MEASURE UNDERGOES CHANGE
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Andrew Noyes]
Sweeping cybersecurity legislation introduced by Senate Commerce Chairman John (Jay) Rockefeller (D-WV) and Sen Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) in April has undergone major changes during the August recess and now features a more prominent focus on ensuring that the U.S. government and private sector have a properly trained workforce to thwart high-tech threats. A revised version of the bill sent to Commerce and Intelligence committee aides late last week "captures a lot of the input we've received since its introduction" but is still a draft and has not been approved at the member level.
http://benton.org/node/27382
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JOURNALISM

MEDIA HELPED ELECT OBAMA?
[SOURCE: Editor&Publisher, AUTHOR: Greg Mitchell]
[Commentary] It was exactly one year ago this week that there was a true turning point in the 2008 race for the White House. And it had little to do with Barack Obama. One might even say that it boiled down to the media helping to elect him -- but not by supporting him, in the way conservatives often charge. Instead, it involved coverage that very well could have hurt him, but that ended up rebounding in his favor, big time. It was the electronic media's overblown coverage of the allegedly widespread threat by female Hillary delegates, and other Clinton fans, to bolt Obama in favor of McCain. John McCain and his people bought it, hook, line and sinker. They saw an opening, which really wasn't there, and went completely overboard. Not only did a female VP suddenly look like a great idea, but she would have extra appeal to the particular type of Hillary primary voters so hyped by the media.
http://benton.org/node/27378
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DISSOCIATED PRESS
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: James Boyle]
[Commentary] The Associated Press can't make enough out of legal uses of its content under the business models it has in place. One nice side effect of introducing the new service is to shift discussion away from the fact that its business model is failing and towards proposed technical and -- I would predict -- legal changes to safeguard that model. These may or may not be good ideas. But whichever way one comes out on that issue, one shouldn't be fooled by the meme that the newspaper industry in general and the AP in particular is in trouble mainly because of uses of its content that are illicit under current law. Universities may make news gathering a larger part of their mission. Subscription services may spring up to support a particular journalist or coverage of a particular issue. Newspapers may indeed start charging more aggressively for their news. Rupert Murdoch certainly plans to. Maybe the AP's tracking beacons will even have a role, though I doubt it. What we need is radically imaginative experimentation; public and private. And that is something we are unlikely to get if we succumb to either digital complacency or tales of piratical alarm.
http://benton.org/node/27368
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ADVERTISING

USER EMPOWERMENT IS THE ANSWER TO PRIVACY CONCERNS
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: Omar Tawakol]
A Q&A conducted by BlueKai CEO Omar Tawakol. BlueKai Registry enables consumers to see what marketers know about them and edit their online preferences. Tawakol speaks with Brian Szoka from the Progress & Freedom Foundation about user empowerment and online privacy. Szoka says there's been no showing of real harm done by online data use and collection for advertising.
http://benton.org/node/27376
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YOUTUBE TO SHARE AD MONEY WITH MORE VIDEO MAKERS
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Yinka Adegoke]
YouTube, the world's most popular video sharing site, said on Tuesday it will start sharing advertising cash with users who upload the most popular clips of everything from skateboarding dogs to dancing babies. The video site, which is owned by Web search giant Google, said it will extend its YouTube partnership program to allow individuals to make money when their videos are deemed eligible based on the number of views and how widely they are shared with other users. YouTube has been criticized by some Google investors, who complain that the site has failed to capitalize financially on its immense popularity.
http://benton.org/node/27381
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HEALTH & MEDIA

DON'T FORGET KIDS IN RUSH TO HIT
[SOURCE: HealthITNews, AUTHOR: Bernie Monegain]
A study that focuses on healthcare information technology and its effect on children's health has found that children have unique needs that aren't taken into account as the pace of technology accelerates. "Children have many unique needs to be considered in developing technology-enabled innovations for improving their health," the report states. "Children have different health needs, are often served by different caregivers and in different care settings, and in some cases require HIT with different functionality than adults." "Technology-Enabled Innovations for Improving Children's Health" is a joint project of the Health Technology Center and The Children's Partnership, two California-based nonprofit research organizations. While there is broad recognition that information and communications technology (ICT) would help improve care and the pace of adoption is accelerating, there has been little focus on the use of ICT to improve healthcare for and the health of America's 73 million children, the authors of the report note. By ignoring the unique requirements of children, technologies that offer promise to improve children's health are being underused, according to the study, and underserved children who stand to gain the most from these new advances are least likely to receive their benefits.
http://benton.org/node/27375
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FIRMS RACING TO END TEXTING AND DRIVING
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Andrew LaVallee]
As US regulators step up scrutiny of the dangers of texting while driving, software makers are scrambling to develop cellphone applications that block texts or minimize the distraction of texting. Texting while driving is unsafe: Not only are a driver's eyes off the road, one or both hands are off the wheel. Texting has been implicated in the crash of a Los Angeles train in September, as well as a trolley collision in Boston in May. Seventeen states and the District of Columbia have banned texting while driving, with 10 passing laws this year, the Governors Highway Safety Association said. Safe Driving Systems Corp. is building a system that takes over a cellphone's display when its owner starts driving. Calls and text messages are received but can't be accessed, though users can place emergency calls. The system includes an electronic "key" that is installed in the car and emits a Bluetooth signal that disables the keypad while the car is running.
http://benton.org/node/27370
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