Sept 2, 2009 (US Economy Gets Lift From Stimulus)
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 2, 2009
THE STIMULUS
US Economy Gets Lift From Stimulus
DEFINING BROADBAND/NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN
FCC Seeks Comments on National Broadband Plan Workshops
CDT: Define Broadband to Ensure Full Benefits of Basic Unrestricted Internet Access
CTIA: Adopt a Specific Definition of Mobile Broadband
Free Press: FCC Should Set Bar High for Broadband Definition
Go for gigabit speeds: America should expect nothing less
Internet providers seek low broadband bar
NATOA: A New, Adequate, Aspirational Definition for Broadband is Imperative
NASUCA: Consumer Experience Should Drive Definition of Broadband
NCTA: FCC Should Stick To Existing Broadband Definition
New America: Definition of broadband will shape the trajectory of telecommunications innovation
OPASTCO: Same Definition of Broadband for Rural and Urban Areas
Attention broadband providers: bundles matter
High-Capacity Services: Abundant, Affordable, and Evolving
MORE ON BROADBAND/INTERNET
Job seekers flocking to libraries
Can "flexible broadband pricing" fix the digital divide?
The Internet and Civic Engagement
Broaden access for broadband
Social networking sites grab big slice of Web ads
Does less evening Internet mean Europeans lead better lives?
PRIVACY
Consumer Groups Petition Congress for Online Privacy Regulations
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
Los Angeles television stations defend their coverage of the fire
FCC To Help California Stations
Safety group says social media can help families connect during disasters
WIRELESS
AT&T's iPhone deal under scrutiny
Wireless Group Wants Repeal of Cell Phone Tax Law
CHILDREN & MEDIA
Why A Government Ratings System Would Be Less Than Grade AA
PTC Pans FCC Report
MORE ONLINE
eBay Sells Stake in Skype
Disney's Marvel Acquisition May Not Portend More Media Deals
Ad Spending in First Half of Year Drops $10.3 Billion
$1.2 Million Grant for Nationwide Health Information Exchange Adoption and Development
EC agrees to French TV subsidy
The Race to Be an Early Adopter of Technologies Goes Mainstream
Flu Trackers Encourage Patients to Blog About It
Harvard Backs Off Media Policy
Radio Firms Beg Lenders for Mercy
Scrap Google book settlement and start fresh
THE STIMULUS
US ECONOMY GETS LIFT FROM STIMULUS
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Deborah Solomon]
Government efforts to funnel hundreds of billions of dollars into the US economy appear to be helping the US climb out of the worst recession in decades. Much of the stimulus spending is just beginning to trickle through the economy, with spending expected to peak sometime later this year or in early 2010. The government has funneled about $60 billion of the $288 billion in promised tax cuts to US households, while about $84 billion of the $499 billion in spending has been paid. About $200 billion has been promised to certain projects, such as infrastructure and energy projects. Economists say the money out the door -- combined with the expectation of additional funds flowing soon -- is fueling growth above where it would have been without any government action. Many forecasters say stimulus spending is adding two to three percentage points to economic growth in the second and third quarters, when measured at an annual rate. The impact in the second quarter, calculated by analyzing how the extra funds flowing into the economy boost consumption, investment and spending, helped slow the rate of decline and will lay the groundwork for positive growth in the third quarter -- something that seemed almost implausible just a few months ago. Some economists say the 1% contraction in the second quarter would have been far worse, possibly as much as 3.2%, if not for the stimulus.
http://benton.org/node/27565
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DEFINING BROADBAND/NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN
FCC SEEKS COMMENTS ON NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN WORKSHOPS
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
The Federal Communications Commission is seeking public reaction to the National Broadband Plan workshops. 1) Responses to workshops held from August 6 to August 20 should be filed with the Commission by September 15. The include: E-Gov/Civic Engagement (8/6); Deployment Wired - General (8/12); Deployment Wireless - General (8/12); Deployment Unserved/Underserved (8/12); Technology/Fixed Broadband (8/13); Technology/Wireless (8/13); International Lessons (8/18); Opportunities for Small and Disadvantaged Businesses (8/18); Adoption/Utilization - Building the Fact Base: The State of Broadband Adoption and Utilization (8/19); Adoption/Utilization - Low Adoption and Utilization - Importance of Broadband and Applications (8/19); Adoption/Utilization - Programmatic Efforts to Increase Broadband Adoption and Usage - What Works and What Doesn't? (8/19); Broadband Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities (8/20); and Education (8/20). 2) Responses to workshops held from August 25 to September 15 should be filed with the Commission by October 2. These include: Public Safety and Homeland Security (8/25); Smart Grid, Broadband and Climate Change (8/25); Economic Growth, Job Creation, and Private Investment (8/26); Job Training (8/26); Technology/Applications and Devices (8/27); State and Local Governments: Toolkits and Best Practices (9/1); Benchmarks (9/2); Best Practices/Big Ideas (9/3); Broadband Consumer Context (9/9); and Health Care (9/15). 3) Responses to workshops held from September 16 to October 20 should be filed with the Commission by October 30. These include: The Role of Content in the Broadband Ecosystem (9/17); Spectrum (9/17); Cyber Security (9/30); Diversity and Civil Rights Issues in Broadband Policy (10/2); Economic Issues in Broadband Competition (10/9); and Broadband Accessibility for People with Disabilities II: Barriers, Opportunities and Policy Recommendations (10/20).
http://benton.org/node/27555
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CDT: DEFINE BROADBAND TO ENSURE FULL BENEFITS OF INTERNET
[SOURCE: Center for Democracy & Technology, AUTHOR: Leslie Harris, David Sohn, John B. Morris Jr, Andrew McDiarmid]
Broadband must be defined and promoted in such a way as to ensure that its deployment will offer the full benefits of basic unrestricted Internet access, and not just narrower, purpose-built services which, although they may fulfill some specific public purposes, lack the robust access to diverse content and capacity for innovation that is the hallmark of the Internet. Failing to build networks that encompass the full features of the Internet would be counterproductive to the myriad benefits Congress articulated in enacting the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The definition should also be flexible enough to allow and encourage not only improvements in transmission capacity and data throughput, but also the unimagined innovative services that a robust national general-purpose Internet infrastructure will foster.
http://benton.org/node/27539
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CTIA: ADOPT A SPECIFIC DEFINITION OF MOBILE BROADBAND
[SOURCE: CTIA, AUTHOR: Michael Altschul, Christopher Guttman-McCabe, David Redl]
CTIA, the wireless industry lobbying organization, filed comments in the Federal Communications Commission's proceeding on defining broadband. CTIA says the Commission's effort to define broadband must recognize the value of mobile wireless broadband to consumers and must account for the constraints that mobile wireless broadband providers face as they deliver broadband over limited allocations of radio spectrum. As a result, CTIA says, the Commission should adopt a specific definition of broadband for the mobile wireless context.
http://benton.org/node/27538
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FREE PRESS: FCC SHOULD SET BAR HIGH FOR BROADBAND DEFINITION
[SOURCE: Free Press, AUTHOR: Derek Turner]
Free Press filed comments Monday with the Federal Communications Commission about how the term "broadband" should be defined in future policymaking at the agency. Free Press offered the following recommendations: 1) The FCC should aim for a world-class, "future-proof" network. The FCC should establish an evolving "target" goal to position America as a global leader in online communications. Speeds as high as 1 gigabit per-second are being deployed in other countries, and the agency must take into account America's long-term success and global competitiveness. 2) Connections should enable high-quality two-way video communications. At a minimum, "broadband" should be defined at speeds of 5 megabits per-second symmetrical, to allow one user to access and share high-quality video content. The agency should also take into consideration that multi-user and multi-tasking homes require much higher speeds. 3) The definition must be rooted in actual delivered speeds. The agency should rely on real speeds -- not advertised speeds -- to determine what the user can really do with the connection. 4) The agency must consider all factors that impact users' experience. Artificial limits imposed by providers cripple the utility of the connection and should not be tolerated. Connections must be offered in a manner consistent with the FCC's open Internet principles and must include access to the full Internet. 5) Broadband should be viewed as critical infrastructure. Smart grids, distance learning and telehealth have transformed broadband from a consumer service to an essential infrastructure, and the FCC should focus on developing infrastructure for the long haul. 6) Mobile broadband should not be defined separately from fixed services. Whether mobile or fixed, the broadband connection should still be able to deliver the same applications and services for users.
http://benton.org/node/27540
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GO FOR GIGABIT SPEEDS
[SOURCE: Knight Center of Digital Excellence, AUTHOR: Mark Ansboury]
[Commentary] Wayne Gretzky is credited for saying, "Go to where the puck's going, not where it is." As the Federal Communications Commission is charged with establishing our nation's first broadband policy, we should focus not only where we fall short today, but also where we will entirely miss opportunities - and the puck. We need to know where our broadband strategy is going and what happens to our nation's future without a bold one. We need to follow the lead of other countries and start aiming (including investing and incentivizing) for gigabit Internet speeds for all. Gigabit-speed networks would provide Americans with hundreds of times the Internet speeds broadband households currently have. Today's spending choices and public policy decisions amount to an incentive and investment into the business plan for America's future. Good planning requires that we learn from the past while keeping our eye on a greater future. Our American tradition is one of reaching for the highest goals, whether, in our past, via the Oregon Trail or an Apollo mission to the moon. Today, in the 21st century, why wouldn't we go for gigabit speeds?
http://benton.org/node/27533
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INTERNET PROVIDERS SEEK LOW BROADBAND BAR
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: John Poirier]
The biggest US Internet service providers urged regulators to adopt a conservative definition of "broadband," arguing for minimum speeds that were substantially below many other nations. The submissions were filed with the Federal Communications Commission which had sought comments by August 31 on how the agency should define broadband for a report to be submitted to Congress early next year Some of the submissions from service providers argued for a definition that even undercut an international ranking of U.S. Internet speed. "The definition must include those services that Americans actually need and want -- and can afford -- to participate in the Internet-driven economy," AT&T said in its comment letter to the FCC. AT&T said regulators should keep in mind that not all applications like voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) or streaming video, that require faster speeds, are necessarily needed by unserved Americans. Verizon Communications Inc and Verizon Wireless urged the FCC to maintain speeds of at least 0.768 mbps downstream and 0.200 mbps upstream. Comcast, the biggest cable provider, said that "simpler is better" and that the actual online experience of any particular consumer at any particular moment in time involves a wide range of factors. "Many of which are outside the control of the Internet service provider," Comcast said in its letter, which argued for defining "basic" broadband as having a downstream and upstream speed of 0.256 mbps.
http://benton.org/node/27557
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NATOA: A NEW, ADEQUATE, ASPIRATIONAL DEFINITION OF BROADBAND IS IMPERATIVE
[SOURCE: National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors, AUTHOR: Lani Williams]
The National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors told the FCC that broadband service should: 1) Aspire toward and be scalable to the international standard for data communications: 100 Mbps to 1Gbps symmetrical, with scalability in the next decade to 10 Gbps, also an emerging international standard. 2) Offer consistent, high speeds capable of supporting integrated voice, video and data applications. 3) Be measured by speeds actually experienced by the end users during peak times -- not the theoretical "up to" speeds advertised by most providers. 4) Have symmetrical connections or at least robust upstream speeds to facilitate interactivity. Every person is not only a receiver of information but potentially a producer. If Americans are to be developers and creators as well as consumers, robust upstream service is imperative. 5) Ensure high reliability and low latency. 6) Enable innovation and transformative breakthrough interactive applications such as full
motion HD video conferencing, real video-on demand, "virtual" education and healthcare.
http://benton.org/node/27536
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NASUCA: CONSUMER EXPERIENCE SHOULD DRIVE DEFINITION OF BROADBAND
[SOURCE: National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates, AUTHOR: David Bergmann]
The National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission saying it is not necessary to define broadband now. NASUCA said that the FCC should adopt definitions, and see how they work. Then (and only then) should the FCC decide when to update those definitions. The consumer's use of broadband services should drive evaluations of broadband, and thus should drive the definition used.
http://benton.org/node/27537
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NCTA: FCC SHOULD STICK TO EXISTING BROADBAND DEFINITION
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
National Cable & Telecommunications Association has told the Federal Communications Commission that a single definition of broadband is needed for policy and data-collection purposes, particularly if the FCC decides to expand the Universal Service Fund to include supporting broadband deployment. In comments filed today, NCTA argues that the FCC should not use defining broadband as a vehicle for new substantive speed, price, or openness conditions, or tied to characteristics like latency, symmetry or mobility. Instead, said NCTA, the commission should define it more broadly as "the opportunity to purchase services and equipment that enable them to access the Internet at any time and use the types of applications that are most commonly used today, such as e-mail and web browsing," and use the current speed definition if it has a need for speed as part of the definition. The FCC last year changed its definition of broadband to "services with download speeds of more than 768 kbps and upload speeds of more than 200 kbs."
http://benton.org/node/27532
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NEW AMERICA: DEFINITION OF BROADBAND WILL SHAPE TELECOM INNOVATION
[SOURCE: New America Foundation, AUTHOR: Benjamin Lennett, Chiehyu Li, James Losey, Robb Topolski]
The New America Foundation filed comments at the Federal Communications Commission saying that determining an appropriate definition of broadband is a critical part of the Commission's development of a National Broadband Plan. An appropriate definition is essential not only for establishing "what is broadband" and "where is it available," but also for shaping the future trajectory of telecommunications innovation in the United States. NAF recommends: 1) Given the Commission's aim to ensure "access to broadband capability" for the entire nation, a broadband definition in terms of a baseline for determining universal service or access seems most appropriate, i.e. what minimal speeds and characteristics will be currently required for individuals to access the economic, educational, and societal benefits made possible by the Internet and high-speed access. 2) The baseline or minimum thresholds should reflect actual throughput or performance with some standards for reliability, rather than relying solely on the advertised speeds of providers. 3) Beyond transmission speeds or performance capabilities, the Commission should include a requirement that broadband provides high-speed access to the public Internet. 4) Although defining broadband in the near-term is important, it is also essential that Commission set high goals and reevaluate the definition and performance indicators to ensure the U.S. continues to be a leading innovator and remains competitive with other nations.
http://benton.org/node/27535
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OPASTCO: SAME DEFINITION OF BROADBAND FOR RURAL AND URBAN AREAS
[SOURCE: Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies, AUTHOR: John Rose, Stephen Pastorkovich]
Customers served by rural incumbent local exchange carriers should have the same definition of broadband as urban areas, based upon the Federal Communications Commission's forward-looking speed tier system. The definition of broadband, and subsequent reviews and updates, should emphasize available speeds, which are critical to global economic competitiveness. Therefore, the definition should be set at a speed level that will enable the United States to achieve and maintain a world leadership position in broadband. Speed also determines the applications and content consumers can access, which in turn determines the value of broadband for consumers. The definition of broadband and subsequent reviews should emphasize the need for scalable networks, and the lower long-term cost of deploying greater capacity (specifically through the use of fiber), as opposed to managing the traffic on lower-capacity networks. Mobile technologies can provide complimentary services, but lack the scalability needed to keep pace with the demands of consumers. The broadband definition and review process should also account for the data speeds necessary to accommodate the video component of a growing number of non-entertainment applications and services.
http://benton.org/node/27534
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ATTENTION BROADBAND PROVIDERS
[SOURCE: Fierce, AUTHOR: Sean Buckley]
[Commentary] The need for telcos to offer greater speeds via deep fiber FTTN or Fiber to the Premises-based deployments is being driven by obvious cable competition. There's been no shortage of major MSOs such as Cox, Comcast, and even Rogers launching DOCSIS 3.0 with speeds of up to 50 Mbps over their existing Hybrid Fiber Coax networks. Even though speed is important, the real value for broadband providers and their customers is what they can bundle with that connection. While the FCC and industry pundits will continue to debate the merits of broadband speeds and those who don't have it, without some value going into the house, it won't be nothing more than a dumb pipe.
http://benton.org/node/27541
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HIGH-CAPACITY SERVICES: ABUNDANT, AFFORDABLE, EVOLVING
[SOURCE: USTelecom, AUTHOR: Patrick Brogan, Evan Leo]
Recognizing the significant policy interest in ubiquitous broadband deployment, some parties have sought to tie to the broadband policy engine their demands for government mandated price reductions in special access, a type of dedicated high-capacity service used by enterprises and communications providers. Given the importance of getting broadband policies right, policy makers evaluating action concerning highcapacity services and potential implications for broadband deployment should have an up-to-date factual record concerning competition, investment, and innovation in high-capacity services. The report claims that high-capacity services are characterized by growing demand, expanding competition, declining prices, continued investment, and ongoing innovation.
http://benton.org/node/27542
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MORE ON BROADBAND/INTERNET
JOB SEEKERS FLOCKING TO LIBRARIES
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Ron Barnett]
Libraries across the USA are filling up with people waiting to get online to fill out applications, write résumés or look for job openings, a national study by the American Library Association shows. "Libraries are really the first responder in this economic crisis, and particularly for job seekers," says Larra Clark, who managed the study due for release Sept. 15. Eight out of 10 libraries nationally have someone on a computer waiting list at some point during the day, Clark says. At the beginning of 2007, before the economy took a nosedive, 44% of libraries nationally said assisting job seekers was a "critical use" of their library, she says. Now, it's 67%. The increased demand comes in a year when 22 states have cut funding for libraries, Clark says. "There's a lot of people to serve and in some cases fewer hours to serve them," she says. More than seven out of 10 libraries say they're the only place that offers public access to the Internet in their community, Clark says. Nationally, 38% of households had no Internet connection in 2007, according to U.S. Census figures released in June.
http://benton.org/node/27564
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CAN "FLEXIBLE BROADBAND PRICING" FIX THE DIGITAL DIVIDE?
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Matthew Lasar]
For Clinton administration economic advisor Robert Shapiro and former Federal Reserve economist Kevin Hassett at the Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy argue that charging Internet users more when they consume more bandwidth is the solution to the digital divide. "If costs are shifted more heavily to those who use the most bandwidth and, therefore, are most responsible for driving up the cost of expanding network capabilities, the digital divergence among the races and among income groups can be eliminated much sooner," they write. In fact, their new study projects that if the biggest bandwidth consumers pay more of the bill for network expansion, almost all Americans will adopt some kind of broadband service by the second half of the next decade. But without embracing that policy, the study warns, 13 percent will not subscribe, even among consumers who earn $75,000 or more.
http://benton.org/node/27563
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THE INTERNET AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
[SOURCE: Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, AUTHOR: Aaron Smith, Kay Lehman Schlozman, Sidney Verba, Henry Brady]
Contrary to the hopes of some advocates, the Internet is not changing the socio-economic character of civic engagement in America. Just as in offline civic life, the well-to-do and well-educated are more likely than those less well off to participate in online political activities such as emailing a government official, signing an online petition or making a political contribution. In part, these disparities result from differences in Internet access—those who are lower on the socio-economic ladder are less likely to go online or to have broadband access at home, making it impossible for them to engage in online political activity. Yet even within the online population there is a strong positive relationship between socio-economic status and most of the measures of Internet-based political engagement we reviewed.
http://benton.org/node/27545
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SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES GRAB BIG SLICE OF WEB ADS
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Alexei Oreskovic]
About one of every five Internet display ads in the United States is viewed on a social networking Web site like MySpace and Facebook, according to a new report. [more at the URL below]
http://benton.org/node/27550
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DOES LESS EVENING INTERNET MEAN EUROPEANS LEAD BETTER LIVES?
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Nate Anderson]
What don't Europeans do all night? Surf the Internet, apparently. [more at the URL below]
http://benton.org/node/27549
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PRIVACY
CONSUMER GROUPS PETITION CONGRESS FOR PRIVACY REGULATIONS
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: Stacey Higginbotham]
A group of 10 consumer groups asked the House Commerce Committee, which is drafting an online privacy bill, to consider stringent regulations aimed at curbing behavioral advertising and the use of sensitive consumer information. The groups -- the Center for Digital Democracy, Consumers Union, Electronic Frontier Foundation, U.S. Public Interest Research Group and The World Privacy Forum -- also called for web sites to be more transparent about the types of data they collect and to give consumers a way to manage it. The principles include an opt-in clause whereby a web site must get the consumer's permission to share his data if the site wants to use it beyond a 24-hour period. They also require that consumer information is purged after 90 days, and include a Do Not Track List, by which consumers could opt out of data collection entirely.
http://benton.org/node/27556
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EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
LOS ANGELES TELEVISION STATIONS DEFEND THEIR COVERAGE OF FIRE
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Greg Braxton]
Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich and some viewers are complaining that local television stations did not adequately inform residents of the Station fire over the weekend, despite evacuations and threats to homes. Supervisor Antonovich on Monday accused television news stations of being negligent in failing to provide comprehensive fire coverage. "There were a large number of evacuations taking place, people and animals were in danger, and people had no information of where to go," Antonovich said in an interview. "I'm upset. The media let people down during a horrendous fire, one of the worst in the county's history." But local news officials countered Monday that they gave appropriate coverage to what was then principally a brush fire. They noted that the fire had already been burning for a couple of days before the weekend and had not at that time posed a serious threat to a large number of residences.
http://benton.org/node/27531
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FCC TO HELP CALIFORNIA STATIONS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Federal Communications Commission's Media Bureau has outlined procedures it has put in place to help TV and radio stations continue to reach over-the-air viewers if their towers are "compromised" by the California wildfires. In a public notice issued late Monday, the bureau provided staff contacts for affected broadcasters and explained what avenues were available for expedited applications, waivers of standard commission policy and other help. Those include cutting red tape for applications for special temporary authority to operate the station at variance with its FCC-authorized operation, allowing radio and TV stations to erect emergency antennas without first clearing it with the commission, allowing AM radio stations to remain at full power throughout the night based on the "good faith" assurance that it is necessary to protect life and property, and, if necessary, waivers of the usual notification timelines for stations that have to discontinue operations.
http://benton.org/node/27554
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SAFETY GROUP SAYS SOCIAL MEDIA CAN HELP FAMILIES CONNECT DURING DISASTERS
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Natasha Meltzer]
Text messaging, Twitter and social networking Web sites could help families stay in touch in the wake of a disaster, a national safety group said. The Safe America Foundation announced a campaign to train families about alternate ways of staying in touch if traditional communication methods are not working. The Atlanta-based group is working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency on this "Drill Down for Safety" program to make people more aware of communication options during an emergency.
http://benton.org/node/27551
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WIRELESS
AT&T IPHONE DEAL UNDER SCRUTINY
[SOURCE: Dow Jones, AUTHOR: Jeffry Bartash]
As a stronger regulatory breeze gusts through the nation's capital, wireless phone companies are feeling the heat to change some of their business practices. Front and center is AT&T Inc. and its cozy two-year relationship with Apple Inc. and the popular iPhone. AT&T is the only U.S. carrier allowed to sell the device in a practice known as handset exclusivity. If consumer groups and some policy makers have their way, handset exclusivity would be banned and the iPhone would become available on any compatible wireless network. Ditto for the BlackBerry Storm, currently sold only through Verizon Communications Inc., and the Palm Pre, sold exclusively via Sprint Nextel Corp. Critics say exclusive handset deals limit consumer choice and they argue that innovation would occur just as rapidly even if the practice were eliminated. Both sides will get a chance to state their case after the Federal Communications Commission voted late last week to conduct a fresh review of the wireless industry. The outcome is far from certain, however, and it's not even clear if the FCC has the authority to ban handset exclusivity.
http://benton.org/node/27552
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WIRELESS GROUP WANTS REPEAL OF CELL PHONE TAX LAW
[SOURCE: Dow Jones, AUTHOR: Fawn Johnson, Martin Vaughan]
In comments filed at the Internal Revenue Service, CTIA, the wireless industry lobbying organization, is throwing its full support behind legislation to do away with a 20-year-old law that taxes personal use of employer-provided cell phones. While waiting for Congress to act, CTIA said the IRS should "consider suspending all audit activity on the taxation of the personal use of employer-provided cell phones." "The alternatives [to legislation] proposed by the IRS are either incomplete or inadequate solutions that would continue to subject employees and employers to onerous call log requirements," CTIA President Steve Largent said. The Internal Revenue Service is collecting comments on the cell phone tax law. In June, IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman asked Congress to repeal it, calling it "obsolete."
http://benton.org/node/27544
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CHILDREN & MEDIA
WHY A GOVERNMENT RATINGS SYSTEM WOULD BE LESS THAN GRADE AA
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: Shankar Gupta]
[Commentary] Every once in a while, the specter of universal ratings for multiple content forms -- TV, video games, mobile content, and the like -- rears up in Washington and needs to be put down. Late last week, it appeared once again, with the Federal Communications Commission starting its inquiry after delivering a report to Congress about media blocking technologies. The main objection being raised to this universal ratings system and its enforcement by law is that it would violate media companies' First Amendment rights. But this objection -- while an important one -- leaves aside another key question about universal ratings for multiple content types. Is it even possible to rate video games on the same scale as an iBeer iPhone app and a T-Pain ringtone? It also isn't clear at all what problem these universal ratings are supposed to be addressing. The Entertainment Software Association's SVP for communications and industry affairs described universal ratings as "a solution in search of a problem," and said that they would only confuse consumers.
http://benton.org/node/27548
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PTC PANS FCC REPORT
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Parents Television Council was unimpressed with the Federal Communications Commission's report to Congress on content management tools. Reacting to the report, which was essentially a survey of existing and proposed mechanisms and a pledge to collect more information, PTC President Tim Winter said in a statement that simply "reciting questions and problems" does not cut it. "While there are indeed many unknowns, especially with regards to the Internet and new media, there are clearly documented failures surrounding the existing TV content ratings system and the V-chip, and this report fails to address them."
http://benton.org/node/27547
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