Sept 28, 2009 (AT&T turns Network Neutrality debate on Google)
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2009
Another busy week for telecom policy wonks http://bit.ly/RbuPi
INTERNET/BROADBAND
AT&T looks to flip Network Neutrality debate on Google
What Network Neutrality Is REALLY About
See also : benton.org/node/28224">Network Neutrality to the Fore; Wireless Carriers Resist Open-Internet Stance
Fair play over 'Network Neutrality'
The FCC's Heavy Hand
Don't let Network Neutrality foes stifle innovation
Comcast offers FCC Broadband Adoption Ideas
TPRC Panelists Agree on Need for Better Broadband Data
TPRC Panelists Discuss Backhaul Issues' Impact on Broadband Expansion
FCC Seeks Input on the Contribution of Federal, State, Tribal and Local Government to Broadband
The Challenges of Capital Formation in the Broadband Sector
Diverse Backers Launch Broadband Group
'Broadband For America': Same Lobbying Crap. New Name.
Michigan unveils strategy to garner stimulus IT funds
South Carolina Governor creates broadband advisory committee
WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
Wireless carriers beg FCC for spectrum, blame smartphones
TELEVISION/RADIO
Genachowski: Concerned About 'Perfect Storm' Quality of Traditional Media
NAB's Smith Needs To Rethink Indecency
New 'SNL' Actor Lets Expletive Slip
POLICYMAKERS/GOV & COMMUNICATIONS
President Obama to Nominate Espinel for Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator
Sen Collins says DHS should lead cybersecurity, not White House
NIH Wants Help Improving Public Input
Recovery.gov asks citizen developers for ways to improve site
Commerce Secretary Locke Announces New Commerce Initiatives to Foster Innovation and Entrepreneurship
JOURNALISM
More Americans Plugged Into Political News
To Get Coverage, a Team Hires Its Own Reporter
It All Comes Out in the Wash, Except The Leak
OWNERSHIP
Lawmakers Press On EU Antitrust Ruling
HEALTH
E-Records Get a Big Endorsement
HHS Holds Keys to Next Generation of Health Information Privacy
The Physician of the Future
Truckers Insist on Keeping Computers in the Cab
One in five U.S. drivers admits to texting
ENERGY
Stimulus Funds Speed Transformation Toward 'Smart Grid'
QUICKLY
How tech drives success in Title I schools
Dialing for Answers Where Web Can't Reach
INTERNET/BROADBAND
AT&T LOOKS TO FLIP NETWORK NEUTRALITY DEBATE ON GOOGLE
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: John Poirier, Sinead Carew]
In a letter sent to the Federal Communications Commission, AT&T, the largest phone company in the US, said any new Network Neutrality rules need to apply to Web companies like Google as much as to phone companies to ensure a level playing field. AT&T is arguing that Google would have an unfair advantage if its Voice service is not subject to the same rules proposed by the FCC on phone operators. "To the extent 'net neutrality' is animated by a concern about ostensible Internet 'gatekeepers,' that concern must necessarily apply to application, service, and content providers," Robert Quinn, AT&T's senior vice president for federal regulations, wrote to the FCC's Sharon Gillett. AT&T cited media reports that Google Voice was blocking some calls to phone numbers in certain rural areas in order to cut down on expenses. Phone companies are banned from blocking calls. USTelecom, a trade group representing service providers, sided with AT&T in a statement, accusing Google of "effectively assuming the power to decide who its customer can call and what content they can access." Derek Turner, research director of Free Press, said "AT&T's letter to the Federal Communications Commission is a red herring it appears to be a political stunt to distract attention from the important work the FCC has begun on Network Neutrality."
benton.org/node/28226 | Reuters | CongressDaily | B&C | Free Press | Public Knowledge | GigaOm
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WHAT NETWORK NEUTRALITY IS REALLY ABOUT
[SOURCE: DSLReports.com, AUTHOR: Karl Bode]
[Commentary] If you've paid attention, you know the modern "network neutrality" debate took off in 2005, when then AT&T CEO Ed Whitacre proudly, though dumbly, proclaimed that Google got a "free ride" on his network. According to Ed, this unfairness could only be rectified by charging companies who already pay for bandwidth money to ensure their traffic reaches AT&T consumers quickly. Such a bizarre statement obviously resulted in fear that phone companies planned to act as trolls under the metaphorical Internet bridge, grumpily extorting passers by. That created a desire by content companies and consumers for laws that would prevent this from happening. The entire concept of network neutrality is really very simple. It was born out of phone company executive greed, and remains driven by legitimate fear of market abuses by companies with a long history of them.
benton.org/node/28225 | dslreports.com
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FAIR PLAY OVER 'NET NEUTRALITY'
[SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle, AUTHOR: Editorial staff]
[Commentary] In just a few decades, the amazing invention known as the Internet has changed the way we work, communicate and live. One major reason those changes came about was because of the Internet's fabled "openness" - anyone, anywhere, could launch a business or blog, or send an e-mail and get the same access to millions of eyeballs as those of, say, a multinational company. This is why we've supported the principle of "net neutrality," which would have network providers treat all data the same - delivering it at the same speed, and not privileging any one kind of content at the expense of others. The future belongs to neutrality and freedom.
benton.org/node/28240 | San Francisco Chronicle
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THE FCC'S HEAVY HAND
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Editorial staff]
[Commentary] Last week, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski failed to convincingly answer the most important Network Neutrality question of all: Is this intervention necessary? Chairman Genachowski offered two proposals to combat alleged ISP misconduct. One should be embraced, the other shelved. Chairman Genachowski claims that the FCC "will do as much as we need to do, and no more, to ensure that the Internet remains an unfettered platform for competition, creativity and entrepreneurial activity." He will advance this goal by insisting on transparency; he will jeopardize it -- and stifle further investments by ISPs -- with attempts to micromanage what has been a vibrant and well-functioning marketplace.
benton.org/node/28239 | Washington Post
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DON'T LET NET NEUTRALITY FOES STIFLE INNOVATION
[SOURCE: Fierce, AUTHOR: Craig Settles]
[Commentary] The latest push for Network neutrality rules has stirred quite a heated debate. If you look at history, it's often been small, initially anonymous companies that drove technology innovation, creativity and competition. The biggest companies were often the slowest to innovate but the fastest to obstruct, if not outright kill innovation. Net neutrality favors and encourages the swift. If entities can blast as much as 30 Mbps or more through a wireless network, net neutrality rules aren't a burden because capacity isn't scarce, plus the rules remove barriers incumbents could put in the way. Federal Communications Commission chairman Julius Genachowski and net neutrality advocates should not back down from their position.
benton.org/node/28238 | Fierce
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COMCAST OFFERS FCC BROADBAND ADOPTION IDEAS
[SOURCE: Comcast, AUTHOR: Kathryn Zachem]
After meeting with Blair Levin, the Federal Communications Commission policymaker leading efforts to devise a National Broadband Plan, Comcast has sent the FCC a list of ideas on addressing barriers to broadband adoption. Some of the ideas, Comcast believes, could be accomplished by the Commission acting on its own or encouraging others to do so, while some would require coordination among several agencies, and some would require Congressional action. Ideas include: 1) Fund initiatives around the nation to encourage broadband usage and digital literacy. 2) Promote public-private partnerships that help provide low cost computers to children who do not have them. 3) Recommend new tax credits and federal funding mechanisms to support broadband adoption. 4) Permit agencies to direct funds towards broadband-based services and programs. 5) Fund a Department of Energy Study on "Standards for Monitoring, Measurement and Reporting of Carbon Footprint Mitigation Through the Use of De-Materialization Methods" (such as telework/telecommuting). 6) Provide tax incentives for telework. 7) Fund the development of home energy efficiency measuring systems. 8) Increase funding for a national education awareness campaign. There's lots more.
benton.org/node/28222 | Comcast | Comcast
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TPRC PANELISTS AGREE ON NEED FOR BETTER BROADBAND DATA
[SOURCE: BroadbandCensus.com, AUTHOR: Rahul Gaitonde]
In a panel about the socio-economic impacts of broadband, panelists all agreed that the overwhelming limiting factor in proving the benefits to broadband was the lack of solid broadband data. James McConnaughey, chief economist at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, said that "Having good data leads to good policy making," but currently that policy-makers currently lack the necessary data to allow for effective cost-benefit analysis or even general societal implication analysis. McConnaughey also said that broadband data collected must come from reliable and neutral sources. The Census Bureau has recently reinvigorated its efforts in this field, but it cannot be the only source. Robert Atkinson, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, called for a National Broadband Data Warehouse." Such a warehouse would house all the data on availability and usage which was collected by the government, and any organization which is getting federal funding to aid in broadband expansion or mapping.
benton.org/node/28221 | BroadbandCensus.com
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TPRC PANELISTS DISCUSS BACKHAUL ISSUES' IMPACT ON BROADBAND EXPANSION
[SOURCE: BroadbandCensus.com, AUTHOR: Rahul Gaitonde]
Mobile broadband is the fastest growing segment of the broadband market. According to Jonathan Banks, who directs policy development for the telecommunications industry association US Telecom, the number of wireless broadband users is expected to grow 130% between 2008 and 2012. These wireless networks rely on special access networks to connect cell towers to the network. This market also consists of financial institutions sending customer information from branches to main offices, as well as businesses processing credit card transactions. The majority of these networks are run by incumbent local exchange carriers, which are often the sole provider of "special access" services, and which allows them to charge high rates for a relative low level of speed. The average connection speed is around 1.5 Megabits per second (Mbps) with a monthly cost of $390. Panelists and participants in the event gravitated toward the position that the solution to this problem seems to be increased regulation by the Federal Communications Commission.
benton.org/node/28220 | BroadbandCensus.com
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FCC SEEKS INPUT ON THE CONTRIBUTION OF FEDERAL, STATE, TRIBAL, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT TO BROADBAND
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
The Federal Communications Commission seeks comment about how governments at all levels promote broadband deployment and adoption, and how digital technologies and broadband deployment can improve civic engagement, government at all levels, and the lives and welfare of residents and businesses. Topics the FCC wants addressed are: 1) E-government and Civic Engagement, 2) Government broadband initiatives, 3) Use of Government Assets and Policies to Support Broadband Deployment, and 4) Use of Government Programs and Policies to Support Broadband Adoption. Comments are due November 6.
benton.org/node/28219 | Federal Communications Commission
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THE CHALLENGES OF CAPITAL FORMATION IN THE BROADBAND SECTOR
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
As part of its effort to gather information for the development of a National Broadband Plan, the Federal Communications Commission will hold a hearing Oct. 1 on the challenges of capital formation in the broadband sector. An expert panel from the finance and investment community will explore the issues.
benton.org/node/28218 | Federal Communications Commission
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DIVERSE BACKERS LAUNCH BROADBAND GROUP
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Andrew Noyes]
Nearly 100 Internet service providers, backbone providers, content providers, consumer groups, commercial groups, and end-user organizations have joined forces to form the Broadband for America coalition with the goal of getting broadband access to every household and business in the nation. The major thrust of the effort will be to find ways for the private, non-profit, and government sectors to work as a coordinated team leading the development and implementation of a national broadband strategy.
benton.org/node/28217 | CongressDaily | Broadband for America
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'BROADBAND FOR AMERICA': SAME LOBBYING CRAP. NEW NAME
[SOURCE: DSLReports.com, AUTHOR: Karl Bode]
[Commentary] Because the nation's largest telecom companies clearly don't already exert enough political pressure on lawmakers crafting our national broadband plan, telecom vendors and broadband ISPs have created a new PR and lobbying operation called Broadband For America. The goal of the group, according to a group spokesman, is to be "a resource for policy-makers in an effort to ensure that the national broadband plan results in a faster, smarter and safer Internet." A brief introduction from the group's website: Broadband for America is dedicated to making broadband available to all Americans regardless of geographic location; economic position; or social level. This goal requires we have (1) an accurate map of where broadband exists and where it is lacking and (2) an agreed-upon definition of what broadband actually is. It's ironic, given the group's members have collectively spent billions of dollars preventing any of these goals from actually happening.
benton.org/node/28235 | dslreports.com
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SOUTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR CREATES BROADBAND ADVISORY COMMITTEE
[SOURCE: Palmetto Scoop, AUTHOR: Adam Fogle]
Even after losing his fierce battle against receiving federal budget stabilization funds, Gov Mark Sanford (R-SC) is still working to ensure that South Carolina's stimulus spending is done on his terms. On Wednesday, Gov Sanford announced the creation of a five member committee to oversee applications for federal broadband infrastructure stimulus funds. Under this year's federal stimulus act, public and private groups across the state can apply for broadband grants from a national $7.2 billion pool that are then forwarded to the governor's office for prioritization. "Going back to the Executive Budget of 2006, we've consistently advocated for expanding broadband access as a means of improving the economic environment and spurring on development in our state," Gov Sanford said. "This group of experts and statewide voices represents a small but important opportunity for us not only to work toward this larger notion of improving economic soil conditions, but indeed prioritize the way federal stimulus dollars get spent. "So while we continue to believe that the so-called stimulus was fundamentally flawed in spending money the federal government doesn't have, given that it's now a reality, we think it's vital that these dollars have the maximum impact possible and that's what this committee is all about."
benton.org/node/28215 | Palmetto Scoop
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WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
WIRELESS CARRIERS BEG FCC FOR SPECTRUM, BLAME SMARTPHONES
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Nate Anderson]
Mobile carriers in the US have been telling the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for months that they're in a bad way—450MHz of total spectrum just isn't enough to keep up with consumer demand for wireless services. As the companies explained in various FCC filings over the summer, the current strain on their networks is caused by a veritable data tsunami that has swept the country in the last few years, and they want the government to make more spectrum available to solve the problem. The big driver of mobile data use has been smartphones. Put an iPhone, Pre, BlackBerry, or Android handset in the hands of someone who previously made only voice calls and sent a few text messages, and data use skyrockets. According to T-Mobile, users of its G1 Android-powered phone use 50 times the data of average T-Mobile customers. The Wireless Communications Association International (WCAI) says that smartphone users consume 30 times the data of a "traditional" handheld device. And AT&T told the FCC that its wireless network has seen a "5,000 percent growth in data usage" over the last three years, thanks in large part to the iPhone. AT&T says it is rolling out 2,000 additional cell towers in 2009 to meet demand.
benton.org/node/28234 | Ars Technica
Also see: Sprint Banks on WiMax to Win Back Market Share
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TELEVISION/RADIO
GENACHOWSKI: CONCERNED ABOUT 'PERFECT STORM' QUALITY OF TRADITIONAL MEDIA
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Speaking at the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters conference, Federal communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski said he is very concerned about what he sees as the "perfect storm" quality to the current state of traditional media. "Broadcasters today are confronted with a difficult economy, a plummeting advertising market, and rapid technological change buffeting traditional business plans," he said. Minority owners face a fourth challenge, he said, access to capital. Chairman Genachowski announced that the FCC would bring the various sides together for a discussion of issues surrounding Arbitron's Portable People Meters (PPMs). he said that the FCC's authority is limited over "the core issue" of minority undercounts. The FCC NOI focused on the commission's use of Arbitron PPM data and how it might "might impact the integrity of agency analyses and trend reporting, and thus policymaking," he said.
benton.org/node/28214 | Broadcasting&Cable | Broadcasting&Cable -- PPMs | Chairman Genachowski
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NAB'S SMITH NEEDS TO RETHINK INDECENCY
[SOURCE: TVNewsCheck, AUTHOR: Harry Jessell]
[Commentary] While in the US Senate, new National Association of Broadcasters president Gordon Smith voted in favor of increasing by 10-fold the Federal Communications Commission's fine for broadcast indecency. Now at the NAB, Smith says, "My job now is to help broadcasters who do not favor indecency, who do not promote indecency, to deal with the legal ramification of local community standards. I will help [broadcasters] with that issue because they don't want to be tagged with promoting indecency. That's not what they are in business for. I will help them to get a message out that they respect those standards too." But Jessell doesn't think that many broadcasters "respect" the indecency standards, which reminds them they have fewer First Amendment protections than other media and that expose them to arbitrary fines, now so large they could destroy some stations thanks to Smith and his former Senate peers. Now it is true, for fear of being "tagged with promoting indecency," NAB has sometimes been reluctant to challenge indecency rules because of the political cost. But it was always understood that the NAB didn't like or respect the rules.
benton.org/node/28213 | TVNewsCheck
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NEW SNL ACTOR LETS EXPLETIVE SLIP
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Frazier Moore]
"Saturday Night Live" has started the season with a bang, or, more precisely, an F-bomb. Newcomer Jenny Slate let the dreaded word slip during a parody of a talk show. The sketch was laden with tough talk from its participants, but the most objectionable word was substituted, with rapid-fire comic frequency, with an inoffensive stand-in for that vulgarity. Then, midway through the sketch, Slate slipped and said the word she meant to avoid. The sketch aired live at about 12:40 a.m. Eastern, well after primetime, when use of expletives can be punished by the Federal Communications Commission.
benton.org/node/28230 | Associated Press
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POLICYMAKERS/GOV & COMMUNICATIONS
PRESIDENT OBAMA TO NOMINATE ESPINEL FOR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ENFORCEMENT COORDINATOR
[SOURCE: The White House]
President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate: 1) Victoria A. Espinel to be US Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator and 2) Adele Logan Alexander for the National Council on the Humanities. Victoria Espinel is the founder and President of Bridging the Innovation Divide, a not-for-profit foundation focused on addressing the "innovation divide" and empowering all Americans to obtain the full benefit of their creativity and ingenuity. From 2007-2009, Ms. Espinel was a Visiting Assistant Professor at the George Mason University School of Law. Her areas of teaching and research were intellectual property and international trade. She has acted as advisor on intellectual property issues to the staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senate Finance Committee, House Judiciary Committee and House Ways and Means Committee. Dr. Adele Logan Alexander is a professor of history at The George Washington University. She specializes in African American and family history, gender and social issues. Dr. Alexander has authored numerous articles and papers, as well as two notable books: Ambiguous Lives: Free Women of Color in Rural Georgia, 1789-1879, and Homelands and Waterways: The American Journey of the Bond Family, 1846-1926.
benton.org/node/28212 | White House, The | Multichannel News | PK press release
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SEN COLLINS SAYS DHS SHOULD LEAD CYBERSECURITY, NOT WHITE HOUSE
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Chris Strohm]
Sen Susan Collins (R-Maine), the ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, is preparing cybersecurity legislation that would give the Homeland Security Department -- and not what she calls a "White House czar" -- primary authority to protect federal civilian and private computer networks from attacks. "We need more rigorous and aggressive cybersecurity standards, both for the federal government and in helping the private sector improve cybersecurity practices," she said. Her measure will add to an increasingly jumbled landscape of cybersecurity legislation.
benton.org/node/28210 | CongressDaily
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NIH WANTS HELP IMPROVING PUBLIC INPUT
[SOURCE: HealthDataManagement, AUTHOR: ]
The National Institutes of Health has issued a request for information on ways to better receive input from consumers and improve communication with the public. The NIH request for information seeks input on: 1) the current state and range of health information-seeking behaviors and trends; 2) the range of health information of interest to the public; 3) how the public accesses and uses health information; and 4) barriers that might impede NIH's ability to communicate with health consumers.
benton.org/node/28209 | HealthDataManagement | National Institutes of Health
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RECOVERY.GOV ASKS CITIZEN DEVELOPERS FOR WAYS TO IMPROVE SITE
[SOURCE: nextgov, AUTHOR: Aliya Sternstein]
The contractors that are refurbishing Recovery.gov have reached out to citizen developers for advice on how to make raw data available on the site, which the Obama administration plans to relaunch on Sept. 28. The official stimulus-monitoring site is intended to show the public the results of the hundreds of billions of dollars in spending that Congress authorized in February to stimulate the economy, including the number of jobs created, the amount of money spent and timelines for projects down to the neighborhood level. But when the government published requirements for Recovery.gov this summer, some open government advocates voiced concerns that the spending data on the site would not be easily accessible to other sites. After the criticism, companies designing the site asked the public to exchange ideas for data feeds and downloads with them online.
benton.org/node/28208 | nextgov
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OFFICE OF INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
[SOURCE: Department of Commerce, AUTHOR: Press release]
Commerce Secretary Gary Locke announced his plans to create a new Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship within the Department of Commerce and launch a National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Both substantial new initiatives will help leverage the entire federal government on behalf of promoting entrepreneurship in America. The new office is expected to announce additional initiatives in the coming months. The new Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which will answer directly to the secretary, will be geared toward the first step in the business cycle: moving an idea from someone's imagination, or from a research lab, into a business plan. The National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship will advise the Commerce Department on policy relating to building small businesses and help to keep the department engaged in a regular dialogue with the entrepreneurship and small business communities. The council is expected to be comprised of successful entrepreneurs, innovators, investors, non-profit leaders and other experts.
benton.org/node/28203 | Department of Commerce | Sen Jay Rockefeller
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JOURNALISM
More Americans Plugged Into Political News
To Get Coverage, a Team Hires Its Own Reporter
It All Comes Out in the Wash, Except The Leak
MORE AMERICANS PLUGGED INTO POLITICAL NEWS
[SOURCE: Gallup, AUTHOR: Lydia Saad]
Americans are paying closer attention to political news today than in any year without a presidential election since Gallup began regularly tracking this measure in 2001. The 36% of Americans who today say they follow news about national politics "very closely" is down from the record-high 43% Gallup found in September 2008, but matches the level found in September 2004 -- two polls conducted during presidential election years. The previous high for a year without a presidential election was 31% in 2006 -- a midterm election year. The previous high for a year without a national election was 30%, in 2007. Apart from the quadrennial spike in news attention around presidential elections, Americans' focus on political news has gradually increased since 2001, when the percentage paying very close attention averaged 23%.
benton.org/node/28229 | Gallup
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TO GET COVERAGE, A TEAM HIRES ITS OWN REPORTER
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Richard Perez-Pena]
After years of trimming jobs, pages and travel budgets, many big-city papers no longer provide regular coverage of every local sports team, and sending reporters on road trips has become rare. So, if your business depends on free publicity from newspapers, what do you do when the papers can no longer afford to send reporters to cover you? In professional sports, the answer, increasingly, is hire your own. The Los Angeles Kings hockey team last week hired Rich Hammond, who had covered the Kings for The Los Angeles Daily News, to write about the team for its Web site. Michael Altieri, a Kings spokesman, said the team had given Mr. Hammond a multiyear commitment and complete autonomy to post reporting or commentary.
benton.org/node/28228 | New York Times
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IT ALL COMES OUT IN THE WASH, EXCEPT THE LEAK
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Howard Kurtz]
A look at three recent stories, all relying on unnamed sources and all raising questions about the motivation of those trying to manipulate media coverage to their advantage. From war to politics to scandal, each article was based on solid reporting. But none acknowledged the elephant-in-the-room question of whose agenda was being advanced through these leaks.
benton.org/node/28227 | Washington Post
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OWNERSHIP
LAWMAKERS PRESS ON EU ANTITRUST RULING
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Andrew Noyes]
More than 20 lawmakers are urging Justice Department antitrust chief Christine Varney and Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz to view recent European antitrust rulings with a critical eye and weigh the impact of those decisions on US high-tech firms such as Intel, Google, Microsoft, IBM and Qualcomm. Their effort comes on the heels of the European Commission's $1.45 billion judgment against Intel for excluding competitors from the market for chips known as x86 central processing units.
benton.org/node/28211 | CongressDaily
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HEALTH
E-RECORDS GET A BIG ENDORSEMENT
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Steve Lohr]
The nation's drive toward computerized medical records is getting a push from big hospitals, which hope not only to improve patient care but to gain an edge on competitors. And an effort to be announced on Monday by a big New York regional hospital group may be the most ambitious effort of this type yet — a sizable investment intended as a linchpin in the group's $400 million commitment to digitize patient records throughout its system, including 13 hospitals. North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System plans to offer its 7,000 affiliated doctors subsidies of up to $40,000 each over five years to adopt digital patient records. That would be in addition to federal support for computerizing patient records, which can total $44,000 per doctor over five years.
benton.org/node/28237 | New York Times
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HHS HOLDS KEY TO NEXT GENERATION OF HEALTH INFORMATION POLICY
[SOURCE: iHealthBeat, AUTHOR: Deven McGraw, Harley Geiger]
[Commentary] To realize the promise of health information technology (IT), we need a new generation of health privacy that can be accomplished best with proactive and consistent privacy leadership from the Department of Health and Human Services.. Specifically, HHS should: 1) Capitalize on opportunities provided in ARRA to strengthen and more effectively implement and enforce privacy and security protections for digital health information; 2) Ensure effective communication and coordination on privacy policy among its subagencies and offices, as well as with other federal agencies; and 3) Serve as an ongoing resource for stakeholders on the law and on effective privacy and security practices.
benton.org/node/28206 | iHealthBeat
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THE PHYSICIAN OF THE FUTURE
[SOURCE: HealthLeaders Media, AUTHOR: Elyas Bakhtiari]
[Commentary] Nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults have searched health information online and two-thirds do so on a regular basis. Ideally, these patients would be getting information from reputable sources and partnering with physicians to learn more about treatment options and even the science behind their conditions. Unfortunately, both the patient and the physician of the present are currently obstacles to that type of cooperation, in their own ways. Patients often frustrate physicians by obsessing over misleading information found online or ignoring advice about improving their own health. And physicians, accustomed to reverence for their expertise, don't always extend a hand to patients interested in their own care.
benton.org/node/28205 | HealthLeaders Media
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TRUCKERS INSIST ON KEEPING COMPUTERS IN THE CAB
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Matt Richtel]
Crisscrossing the country, hundreds of thousands of long-haul truckers use computers in their cabs to get directions and stay in close contact with dispatchers, saving precious minutes that might otherwise be spent at the side of the road. The trucking industry says these devices can be used safely, posing less of a distraction than BlackBerrys, iPhones and similar gadgets, and therefore should be exempted from legislation that would ban texting while driving. "We think that's overkill," Clayton Boyce, spokesman for the American Trucking Associations, said of a federal bill that would force states to ban texting while driving if they want to keep receiving federal highway money. The legislation will be discussed at a conference on distracted driving in Washington, starting Wednesday, organized by the Transportation Department. The issues raised by truckers show the challenges facing advocates for tougher distracted-driving laws, given that so many Americans have grown accustomed to talking and texting behind the wheel.
benton.org/node/28232 | New York Times
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ONE IN FIVE US DRIVERS ADMITS TO TEXTING
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: John Crawley]
Nearly one out of five US drivers surveyed has read or sent a text message while behind the wheel, even though nearly all of the respondents in an AAA survey released on Friday considered such action unacceptable. "The new technologies that help us multitask in our everyday lives and increasingly popular social media sites present a hard-to-resist challenge to the typically safe driver," AAA Chief Executive Robert Darbelnet said in a statement accompanying the survey commissioned by the AAA Foundation. "Enacting texting bans for drivers in all 50 states can halt the spread of this dangerous practice among motorists nationwide, and is a key legislative priority for AAA in state capitals," Darbelnet said.
benton.org/node/28204 | Reuters
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ENERGY
STIMULUS FUNDS SPEED TRANSFORMATION TOWARD 'SMART GRID'
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Rebecca Smith, Ben Worthen]
After struggling to sell cutting-edge products to utilities, technology companies are sensing better times ahead with the influx of $4.5 billion in federal stimulus funds for so-called smart-grid projects. The federal grants are expected to speed transformation of the power grid from a largely electromechanical system into a digital network that gives utilities more efficient ways to send electricity to customers. That could help cut pollution and electric bills. Smart meters, one component of a smart grid, allow utilities to monitor usage almost in real time, letting them charge variable prices based on demand, for example. Corporate and residential customers would acquire tools to manage their energy use. Residential customers could be given an in-home meter to see how much power they are using and what it is costing them. Utilities often take years to make technological change, in part because they must justify large expenditures to utility commissions to recoup costs through rates. Utilities also fear that new equipment could degrade transmission reliability if it doesn't perform flawlessly. But now, utilities are being encouraged by state utility regulators to seek the federal stimulus funds. California regulators this month voted to expedite their review of smart-grid proposals to fit the U.S. Department of Energy's timetable for smart-grid grants.
benton.org/node/28236 | Wall Street Journal | WSJ
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QUICKLY
HOW TECH DRIVES SUCCESS IN TITLE I SCHOOLS
[SOURCE: eSchool News, AUTHOR: Laura Devaney]
A new report examines how districts can make the most of education technology funds, and an accompanying guide identifies effective school technology tools. Together, these resources are intended to help school leaders personalize instruction and give teachers the tools they need to succeed with low-income (Title I) student populations. The report, "Leveraging Title I and Title IID: Maximizing the Impact of Technology in Education," and the guide, "A Resource Guide Identifying Technology Tools for Schools," were released Sept. 24 by the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) and the National Association for State Title I Directors (NASTID). The two resources, which appear online together, describe products, models, strategies, and research outlining successful technology integration efforts in Title I schools.
benton.org/node/28207 | eSchool News
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DIALING FOR ANSWERS WHERE WEB CAN'T REACH
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Ron Nixon]
A look at Question Box, a free, nonprofit telephone hot line that is meant to get information to people in remote areas who lack access to computers. The premise behind Question Box is that many barriers keep most of the developing world from taking advantage of the wealth of knowledge available through Web search engines, said Rose Shuman, the service's creator. That could be a drag on economic development. Instead of searching for information themselves, people in two rural agricultural communities in Uganda can turn to 40 Question Box workers who have cellphones. The workers dial into the call center and ask questions on behalf of the locals, or they put the call on speakerphone so the locals can ask for themselves. The operators then look up the requested information in a database and convey it to the workers, who pass it along to the villagers. The workers are compensated with cellphone airtime.
benton.org/node/28231 | New York Times
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