Sept 9, 2009 (Connected Nation One Link To Derail New Broadband Policy)
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2009
Today's National Broadband Plan workshop focuses on consumers of all people. See http://www.benton.org/node/26666
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
Report: Obama administration improves openness
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
FCC Reports on Public Emergency Preparedness Review
NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN AND THE STIMULUS
Connected Nation One Link To Derail New Broadband Policy -- Connect The Dots
Globally, 445M Broadband Subscribers
Debunking Myths about Government-Run Broadband
Why All Schools Need Fiber
Fast, Universal Broadband: Dirty Secret about the Roadblock
Metrics Workshop: Measuring Current Network Versus Internet Users' Needs
One Aspect of US Lagging Broadband Speeds May Be Device-Network Compatibility, Say Panelists
Broadband Now Essential to Online Jobs Searching, Say FCC Panelists
10 Mbps Broadband Necessary for State Economic Development, Says NARUC Official
Canada jumps on broadband stimulus bandwagon
PRIVACY
Congress Weighs Change In Web Privacy
Obama warns U.S. teens of perils of Facebook
TELEVISION/RADIO
Free Press Calls on Obama Administration to Resist Extremism in the Media
Music Group Urges FCC Action On Ad War
DTV Adoption Now Above 99% in US
Cable Operators Say Exclusive-Contract Ban Should Go, Too
The PC is becoming the new TV
Sacramento radio water-death trial to begin
TELECOM/WIRELESS
NTSB tells workers to hang up cells
Cellphone radiation levels vary widely
Driver Texting Now an Issue in Back Seat
What's in Google's Secret iPhone App Letter to Feds?
The Network is the Phone
NH advocate to PUC: Get tough on FairPoint
JOURNALISM
TV health reform coverage, in depth
The Pentagon's New Watchdog
Pentagon Keeps Wary Watch as Troops Blog
Health Care, Economy, LA Fire, Afghanistan Dominate News
MORE ONLINE
Genachowski brings a new savvy to the FCC
Feds Give OK for Tribune's Cubs Sale
Telemedicine targets better care at lower cost
In government tent, public safety becomes long pole
FCC Reports on Complaints Regarding Access to Telecommunications for People with Disabilities
FCC Report on Inquiries and Complaints
Recent Comments on:
Why We Need Fiber For All
http://www.benton.org/node/27505#comment-360
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
REPORT: OBAMA ADMINISTRATION IMPROVES OPENNESS
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Pete Yost]
President Barack Obama's policies on secrecy get higher grades for openness than those of President George W. Bush, yet there's still room for improvement, says a coalition of public interest groups. In a report issued Tuesday, the coalition says the new administration has made major strides toward more disclosure, including the recent release of Justice Department memos on Bush administration interrogation policies and Obama's embrace of greater openness under the Freedom of Information Act. The report noted, however, that the government has resisted release of photos from Army interrogation investigations; has not backed away from occasional use of the state secrets privilege; and has argued in court for secrecy regarding the role of former Vice President Dick Cheney in the Valerie Plame affair.
http://benton.org/node/27720
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EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
FCC REPORTS ON PUBLIC EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS REVIEW
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski released a comprehensive report on the Commission's ability to respond to natural disasters, terrorist attacks, public health emergencies, and other large-scale events. The report, prepared by the Commission's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, is in response to the 30-day, top-to-bottom state-of-readiness review launched by Chairman Genachowski as one of his first actions at the agency. During emergencies, the FCC's primary mission is to ensure that essential communications networks and services are operable, reliable, and quickly restored when necessary so that the American public can communicate and receive emergency information. Equally important is the FCC's responsibility to ensure that America's public safety officials and first responders have the tools they need to protect lives, property, and strategic infrastructure. The report concludes that the Commission is prepared to respond to communications emergencies and perform its mission. The report also identifies a number of areas in which the FCC can improve its emergency planning and response: education and training, outreach and collaboration, emergency operations and alerts, and network analysis. The initiatives highlighted below have been completed, are underway, or will be launched in the near future. Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Chief Jamie Barnett said the FCC could seek expanded authority from Congress to obtain network outage information from cable companies and other Internet service providers during emergencies. The FCC currently has the authority to monitor the resiliency of landline and cellular Internet networks, but the FCC has less flexibility to regulate Internet services offered by "information services" such as cable.
http://benton.org/node/27718
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NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN AND THE STIMULUS
CONNECTED NATION ONE LINK TO DERAIL NEW BROADBAND POLICY -- CONNECT THE DOTS
[SOURCE: Public Knowledge, AUTHOR: Art Brodsky]
The House Commerce Committee will be holding oversight hearings regarding both the broadband stimulus grant programs and Federal Communications Commission's efforts on devising a National Broadband Plan. It would be a shame if the stimulus mapping/grant program and the broadband plan were considered in isolation, because they are, together, pieces of the same puzzle. Certainly the telephone and cable industries are considering them together, and using the leverage on one to influence the other to reach the inevitable conclusion that no new broadband policies are needed and that everything will be just fine if we leave the companies in control. Ignore our slumping world rankings for broadband. Ignore the lack of choice. Let's try to connect the dots into a long silver thread.
http://benton.org/node/27717
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GLOBALLY, 445M BROADBAND SUBSCRIBERS
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: Om Malik]
If there was any lingering doubt that broadband was the new platform for technology innovation, new data out from trade group The Broadband Forum should put it to rest for good. The number of broadband subscribers around the world grew to 445 million in the second quarter, led by China, with 93.6 million, followed by the U.S., with 86.2 million. Many of them are using DSL connections to log onto the Internet, the report found. The data also shows that over the past 12 months, Latin America and Eastern Europe were the fastest-growing broadband regions. Meanwhile Europe has emerged as the hub of IPTV activity, with some 13.6 million IPTV users as of the end of June. France remains the "champion" IPTV country, with more than 7 million subscribers.
http://benton.org/node/27716
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DEBUNKING MYTHS ABOUT GOVERNMENT-RUN BROADBAND
[SOURCE: 4GWirelessEvolution, AUTHOR: Craig Settles]
[Commentary] Last week, as we discovered quite a few of the 2,200 NOFA applications were from local governments and public utilities, forces from the dark side started belittling these proposals. We're well past the time for the feds to embrace and encourage seriously the role of local government and their constituents in not only the stimulus process, but also in the national broadband strategy itself. We've let the lie that governments can't run effective networks fester and poison the broadband discussion. It's time for an antidote. Myth 1. Government shouldn't be in the business of running broadband networks. Myth 2. Government isn't capable of running an effective and/or profitable network. Myth 3. Incumbents need protection from unfair competition because local governments have tax and tax levying advantages.
http://benton.org/node/27715
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WHY ALL SCHOOLS NEED FIBER
[SOURCE: App-Rising.com, AUTHOR: Geoff Daily]
[Commentary] While there's little consensus as to whether every home and business will someday require a fiber pipe, there should be no debate that every school in America needs fiber. The reasoning is simple: only fiber can support the demands for simultaneous capacity that the classrooms of today and tomorrow require.
Anything less than fiber means teachers will be handcuffed in terms of how much they can incorporate online experiences into their lesson plans. Schools won't be able to realize all the efficiencies and opportunities of their counterparts in other countries that have made a commitment to fiber. And ultimately our students will suffer from having limited access to a truly 21st century education. With all this in mind, our national broadband plan must acknowledge this basic reality of America's broadband demands. The plan can't afford to allow the debate over residential broadband's future and the sacred cow of maintaining strict technological neutrality to obfuscate what our schools truly need. And the simple truth is that our schools need fiber. But that's just one component of the national fiber plan that should be at the core of any national broadband plan. Many more details on what that national fiber plan should include and how we can go about accomplishing these goals to come in future posts. For now, though, let's push everything else aside, and come to agreement on the straightforward, justifiable, and achievable goal that every school in America needs and deserves fiber. The future of 21st century education in America depends on it.
http://benton.org/node/27714
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FAST, UNIVERSAL BROADBAND: DIRTY SECRET ABOUT THE ROADBLOCK
[SOURCE: NetworkWorld, AUTHOR: Paul Suarez]
Where's the fastest broadband service? The Federal Communications Commission's effort to expand availability of high-speed Internet access throughout the US offers a clue as to where -- and why -- the best services exist. Last month the FCC asked companies, organizations and individuals to comment on the state of broadband in the US as part of its now-annual "706 Inquiry." The FCC will use the information to help with the National Broadband Plan, which aims to make high-speed Internet access available to every US resident. As responses start to come in, many service providers (including Verizon and Comcast) have made it clear that the FCC's current standard of 768 kbps down and 200 kbps up is an adequate speed definition for broadband Internet access. Naturally, their stance has drawn criticism and accusations that it is setting a low bar for the definition of broadband, especially for certain public usage.
http://benton.org/node/27713
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CANADA JUMPS ON BROADBAND STIMULUS BANDWAGON
[SOURCE: Fierce, AUTHOR: Lynnette Luna]
In July, Canada set aside $225 million for the development and implementation of a strategy to extend and improve broadband coverage. While the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) reported that broadband had penetrated 94 percent of Canadian households, 22 percent of rural households are still without broadband access. Industry Canada said it will favor applications that place an emphasis on bringing broadband services to "unserved" customers--those subscribers that have dial-up or no Internet access at all. Applications are due to Industry Canada by Oct. 23, and winners will be announced either late this year or early next year, with projects set to begin in 2010.
http://benton.org/node/27708
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PRIVACY
CONGRESS WEIGHS CHANGE IN WEB PRIVACY
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Joelle Tessler]
The Web sites we visit, the online links we click, the search queries we conduct, the products we put in virtual shopping carts, the personal details we reveal on social networking pages — all of this can give companies insight into what Internet ads we might be interested in seeing. But privacy watchdogs warn that too many people have no idea that Internet marketers are tracking their online habits and then mining that data to serve up targeted pitches - a practice known as behavioral advertising. So Congress could be stepping in. Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA) -- chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet -- is drafting a bill that would impose broad new rules on Web sites and advertisers. His goal: to ensure that consumers know what information is being collected about them on the Web and how it is being used, and to give them control over that information. While Congress has waded into Internet privacy issues before, this measure could break new ground, as the first major attempt to regulate a nascent but fast-growing industry that represents the future of advertising. Chairman Boucher insists his bill will benefit consumers and preserve the underlying economics of the Internet, which relies on advertising to keep so much online content free.
http://benton.org/node/27725
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OBAMA WARNS US TEENS OF PERILS OF FACEBOOK
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: ]
President Barack Obama warned American teenagers on Tuesday of the dangers of putting too much personal information on Internet social networking sites, saying it could come back to haunt them in later life. "Well, let me give you some very practical tips. First of all, I want everybody here to be careful about what you post on Facebook, because in the YouTube age, whatever you do, it will be pulled up again later somewhere in your life," the President said. "And when you're young, you make mistakes and you do some stupid stuff. And I've been hearing a lot about young people who -- you know, they're posting stuff on Facebook, and then suddenly they go apply for a job and somebody has done a search." President Obama referred several times to "mistakes" he had made when he was at school but offered no specifics.
http://benton.org/node/27719
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TELEVISION/RADIO
RESIST EXTREMISM IN THE MEDIA
[SOURCE: Free Press, AUTHOR: Press release]
Van Jones, an adviser to the Obama administration and a former Free Press board member, resigned from his White House post after being ruthlessly attacked for weeks in a smear campaign started by Fox News pundit Glenn Beck. Beck, who has also called President Obama a "racist," targeted Jones for his background in environmental and civil rights activism. Josh Silver, executive director of Free Press, issued the following statement: "Most Americans want affordable health care, good schools and clean air. But if you watch Glenn Beck's show, you would think the opposite is true: that the only proponents of these ideas are socialist, anti-American radicals operating out of the White House basement. At Free Press, our focus is on structural media policy, not on media content. But we take this extraordinary step because what's happening is so poisonous to American political discourse. That Fox News Channel lets Beck use its media megaphone to stir up hatred and fear of others is repulsive, divisive and beyond all common sense or decency. By giving Beck a nightly platform for such McCarthy-esque witch hunts and smear campaigns, the national news network undermines our democracy. But Fox News is not alone. Unfortunately, this kind of rant is endemic to a media system that cares about ratings far more than about the truth. Beck has a First Amendment right to stoke prejudice, and we do not and will not support efforts to silence him. This is not about censorship; it's about sanity. Our leaders have a responsibility to condemn fear mongering in all its forms, defend those who are unfairly attacked, and support a more diverse media system that provides alternative voices to the likes of Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and other extremists. The lesson from the shameful McCarthy era that culminated in 1954 is that we must confront the politics of personal attack with decency, reason and a commitment to more political speech, not less. It's time for our elected officials -- from the White House to local town halls -- to join people across the country in a stand against agents of fear and misinformation."
http://benton.org/node/27707
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MUSIC GROUP URGES FCC ACTION ON AD WAR
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Andrew Noyes]
The Music Managers Forum, a member of a coalition backed by the Recording Industry Association of America, royalty collector SoundExchange and other music interests, filed comments with the FCC on Tuesday in support of a petition urging the agency to probe radio stations' refusal to air advertisements backing legislation that would require AM and FM stations to pay fees to performers. National Association of Broadcasters officials have repeatedly noted their members are under no obligation to accept any and all advertising, including spots from the MusicFirst Coalition. The MMF filing contains a copy of a strongly worded e-mail from college radio station WICB in Ithaca (NY) to musician Aimee Mann: "Since you support MusicFirst, WICB hereby drops Aimee Mann... from our playlist like a bad habit. The very medium that made you a 'star' should now pay for the privilege of promoting your product? MusicFirst is out to kill radio. For you, no airplay = no sales, and no concert tix."
http://benton.org/node/27706
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DTV ADOPTION NOW ABOVE 99% IN US
[SOURCE: Nielsen, AUTHOR: ]
As of August 30, 2009, 99.4 percent of US homes are able to receive digital television signals. This is a gain of more than 572,000 homes in the last month and 1.8 million homes since the week of the June 12 digital television transition. As of August 30, only 710,000 homes were unable to receive digital signals. Among the 56 local markets that Nielsen measures with electronic meters, four markets Providence-New Bedford, New York, Nashville and Louisville - are completely ready, and 44 markets have less than 1% of TV households completely unready. Las Vegas has overtaken Albuquerque-Santa Fe as the market with the highest percentage of homes (2.2%) that cannot receive digital signals from high-powered U.S. television stations. The markets with the most unready households tend to be in the Western United States, where cable penetration is lower. Also, some viewers in border states continue to receive signals from Mexico and Canada, while other stations in large geographic markets or areas with mountainous topography can continue using analog "translators."
http://benton.org/node/27705
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CABLE OPERATORS SAY EXCLUSIVE-CONTRACT BAN SHOULD GO, TOO
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
In a joint filing with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, Comcast and Cablevision are challenging the Federal Communications Commission's ban on exclusive programming contracts. The FCC has continued to renew the ban, which, like the 30% subscriber cap, was part of the 1992 Cable Act. The ban had a 10-year sunset, but the FCC has kept it in place, arguing that it continued to be necessary to require cable operator-owned networks to be made available to satellite operators on similar terms and conditions. Cable operator attorneys point out that in the 30% cap decision, which the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued two weeks ago, the court said cable operators no longer have the bottleneck power over programming that concerned Congress back when the law was passed in 1992.
http://benton.org/node/27704
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THE PC IS BECOMING THE NEW TV
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: David Colker]
A survey by the nonprofit Conference Board released Tuesday showed that nearly a quarter of households in the U.S. now view television programs online. That's up from 20% last year. The quarterly Consumer Internet Barometer survey found that news shows were watched by 43% of online viewers, followed by sitcoms, comedies and dramas, watched by 35%. Slightly less than 20% viewed reality shows online, and 18% took in sports.
http://benton.org/node/27723
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SACRAMENTO RADIO WATER-DEATH TRIAL TO BEGIN
[SOURCE: Sacramento Bee, AUTHOR: Andy Furillo]
The radio station made up the contest rules "on the spot," the plaintiffs' attorneys said, in pursuit of "sheer entertainment value" and top ratings in the Sacramento market. The result: a young mom who died trying to win a popular video game for her family. But if the outcome was tragic, defense lawyers argued, still far from predictable was that anybody could die in a water-drinking contest. And if anybody was negligent, they said some of the responsibility has to be placed on the victim herself. More than 2 1/2 years after 31-year-old Jennifer Strange succumbed from the contest put on by the country's eighth-largest broadcasting company, jury selection in the wrongful death trial is scheduled to begin in Sacramento Superior Court. It's a case that will determine if Philadelphia-based Entercom Communications Corp. and the general manager of its six-station Sacramento subsidiary are responsible for the contest death that left three children motherless and a husband a widower, and if so, how much the company should pay.
http://benton.org/node/27695
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TELECOM/WIRELESS
NTSB TELLS WORKERS TO HANG UP CELLS
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Alan Levin]
The people who investigate the nation's most high-profile transportation accidents must now practice what they preach: They will no longer be allowed to use cellphones while driving. Debbie Hersman, the new chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), said Tuesday that employees of the agency are barred from using any wireless device behind the wheel while on duty. The restriction applies whether the device is hands-free or not. The action appears to make the NTSB the first federal agency to adopt an outright ban of wireless devices while driving, according to the agency and highway safety experts. It also puts stricter rules on NTSB employees than the citizens of all 50 states.
http://benton.org/node/27728
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CELLPHONE RADIATION LEVELS VARY WIDELY
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Leslie Cauley]
Some cellphones emit several times more radiation than others, the Environmental Working Group found in one of the most exhaustive studies of its kind. The government watchdog group today releases a list ranking cellphones in terms of radiation. The free listing of more than 1,000 devices can be viewed online. Concerns about radiation and cellphones have swirled for years. Scientific evidence to date has not been able to make a hard link between cancer and cellphones. But recent studies "are showing increased risk for brain and mouth tumors for people who have used cellphones for at least 10 years," says Jane Houlihan, senior vice president of research at the Washington-based group. CTIA, the wireless industry lobbying association, disagrees. In a statement it noted that "scientific evidence has overwhelmingly indicated that wireless devices do not pose" a health hazard. That's why the American Cancer Society, World Health Organization and Food and Drug Administration, among others, "all have concurred that wireless devices are not a public health risk," the CTIA statement says. Houlihan acknowledges that "the verdict is still out" on whether cellphones can be linked directly to cancer. "But there's enough concern that the governments of six countries" — including France, Germany and Israel — "have issued limits of usage of cellphones, particularly for children."
http://benton.org/node/27727
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DRIVER TEXTING NOW AN ISSUE IN BACK SEAT
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Matt Richtel]
For all the conversations about distracted driving playing out in statehouses and on talk shows, the most heated discussions, and the ones with the most lasting impact, may be happening between family members and friends. Such disputes are an extension of a longstanding source of tension — sometimes light, other times more antagonistic — between drivers and their self-appointed watchdogs. It's just that now, the back-seat driver is going after the BlackBerry. These critics say such devices not only put lives at risk, but also steal attention from passengers hoping for some quality catch-up time. The multitaskers counter with the view that they must, and like, to tend to social and work demands.
http://benton.org/node/27726
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WHAT'S IN GOOGLE'S SECRET IPHONE APP LETTER TO FEDS?
[SOURCE: Wired, AUTHOR: Ryan Singel]
When the Federal Communications Commission smelled anti-competitive behavior on Apple's breath in July after the computer maker rejected an iPhone app for Google's Voice calling service, the FCC asked Apple, its telecom partner AT&T and Google to explain what happened. When the three tech giants replied three weeks later, one decided to file part of its answer in secret. Oddly, that was Google — the ostensible victim in the incident and a company that prides itself on its openness and transparency. Google's decision causes a big blind spot in the story of the highest-profile mobile app store rejection yet — a story that is likely to change how app stores are run, how people expect apps stores to be curated, and whether the feds decide to regulate them. That's why Wired is asking the FCC, via an official government sunshine request, to publish the answer in full.
http://benton.org/node/27697
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THE NETWORK IS THE PHONE
[SOURCE: TelephonyOnline, AUTHOR: Joe McGarvey]
It's time for operators to dust off one of the more insightful aphorisms of the 1990s and apply it with a bit of a twist -- to the coming expansion out of the mobile data network. "The Network is the Phone." At the heart of Scot McNealy's original "The Network is the Computer" declaration was the assertion that infrastructure, rather than endpoints, should be the repository for the intelligence and control of communications systems. Though McNealy was addressing the development of high-speed fixed connections to the Internet and private networks at the time, the emergence of the Apple iPhone and other intelligent end devices attached to mobile networks should induce operators to breathe new life into the old slogan. While Apple's iPhone and accompanying App Store are unquestioned successes for both Apple and the operators working with Apple, carriers would be better off in the long run to apply the App Store model to their own networks instead of relying on partnerships with handset providers. And that's where "The Network is the Phone" mantra comes in.
http://benton.org/node/27701
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NH ADVOCATE TO PUC: GET TOUGH ON FAIRPOINT
[SOURCE: New Hampshire Union Leader , AUTHOR: ]
New Hampshire's consumer advocate called on the Public Utilities Commission to get tough with FairPoint Communications over service quality issues. "It is time to stop asking questions and start really coming down on FairPoint and get them to change," Consumer Advocate Meredith A. Hatfield said in a telephone interview yesterday afternoon. In a written report filed with the commission late yesterday, Hatfield's office said, "It is clear that over two years of relying on FairPoint to develop its new operations systems and to address problems that prevent it from providing basic levels of service to customers has failed." The report was signed by Rorie Hollenberg , staff attorney with the state Consumer Advocate's Office.
http://benton.org/node/27698
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JOURNALISM
TV HEALTH REFORM COVERAGE, IN DEPTH
[SOURCE: NewsLab, AUTHOR: Deborah Potter]
The ongoing debate over health care reform is a tough story for local television news to cover well. Angry protesters and emotional testimony at town hall meetings make for good video but add little to public understanding of the issues. Recognizing that, stations across the country are reforming their coverage of health reform.
http://benton.org/node/27694
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THE PENTAGON'S NEW WATCHDOG
[SOURCE: Forbes.com, AUTHOR: Dirk Smillie]
A Q&A with Stars and Stripes senior managing editor Howard Witt. Witt was a civil rights reporter in Houston and a foreign correspondent in Russia and South Africa. He was a Pulitzer finalist last year for reporting on racial tensions in Deep South towns, known as the "Jena 6" story. Stars and Stripes' first edition appeared during the Civil War. Peaking at 1 million circulation in World War II, it now hovers at 100,000. Five editions are published daily. That includes some 52,000 copies produced in Iraq, where local contractors have been killed trying to deliver the paper. Chartered by Congress, Stars and Stripes receives one-third of its $50 million operating budget from federal funding through the Department of Defense. Witt says, "We deeply honor the audience that we're serving. It's a sacred mission because, in many cases, we're their only source of news. But you don't do that by feeding the troops pablum and feel-good stories. Reporters at Stars and Stripes are now blossoming and doing amazing stories they never did before. It's all about making this newspaper aggressive. We won't be ignored anymore."
http://benton.org/node/27696
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PENTAGON KEEPS WARY WATCH AS TROOPS BLOG
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: James Dao]
There are two sides to the military's foray into the freewheeling world of the interactive Web. At the highest echelons of the Pentagon, civilian officials and four-star generals are newly hailing the power of social networking to make members of the American military more empathetic, entice recruits and shape public opinion on the war. The Web, however, is a big place. And the many thousands of troops who use blogs, Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites to communicate with the outside world are not always in tune with the Pentagon's official voice. Policing their daily flood of posts, videos and photographs is virtually impossible — but that has not stopped some in the military from trying. The Department of Defense, citing growing concerns about cybersecurity, plans to issue a new policy in the coming weeks that is widely expected to set departmentwide restrictions on access to social networking sites from military computers. People involved with the department's review say the new policy may limit access to social media sites to those who can demonstrate a clear work need, like public information officers or family counselors.
http://benton.org/node/27722
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HEALTH CARE, ECONOMY, LA FIRE, AFGHANISTAN DOMINATE NEWS
[SOURCE: Project for Excellence in Journalism, AUTHOR: Mark Jurkowitz]
In a week when no one story dominated the media landscape, two big domestic issues, an emerging overseas challenge, a natural disaster and an unnatural crime led the roster of top stories. Indeed, the leading story last week varied depending on which media sector one visited. The No. 1 story, for the sixth time in seven weeks, was the health care debate, which filled 14% of the newshole from August 31-September 6, according to the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. While coverage was up from the previous week (11%), that still represents a significant drop in attention from the peak weeks earlier in the summer, when political wrangling and angry town hall meetings fueled the narrative. But the event that actually drove the coverage has not even occurred yet—Barack Obama's September 9 speech to a joint session of Congress, widely viewed as a pivotal moment for his health care initiative. With that as a backdrop, it is a good bet that coverage of the subject will spike significantly this week.
http://benton.org/node/27721
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