Feb 4, 2010 (Comcast Day)

"Content is not just king. It is the emperor of all things electronic. We are on the cusp of a digital dynasty in which our company and our shareholders will profit greatly."
-- Rupert Murdoch, News Corp. http://bit.ly/dibQbN

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2010

It is Comcast Day on the Hill -- see previews below http://bit.ly/denbN7

Headlines is happy to begin a new collaboration with the New America Foundation to bring you more stories from around the world.

GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
Few News Conferences, but Still Taking Questions
Lessons From the Right: Obama Tries to Regain the Message

CYBERSECURITY
   Director of National Intelligence Warns of "cyber-Pearl Harbor"
   Senate calls for review of Chinese cyber attacks
   House bill to bolster cyber security up for vote
   Google to enlist NSA to help it ward off cyberattacks

MEDIA OWNERSHIP
   Comcast, GE shower contributions to key lawmakers ahead of merger hearing
   Comcast profit up on Internet, phone subscribers
   Sports could be battleground for Comcast/NBC deal | Comcast-NBC 'Negative' If It Pares Access to Programs
   WoW! Says Whoah: Pitches Strong Comcast/NBCU Conditions | Progress and Freedom Foundation On Comcast/NBCU: The Sky Isn't Falling
   A fight over freedom at Apple's core | Microsoft's Creative Destruction
   Time Warner joins rebound from crisis
   News Corporation on 'cusp of digital dynasty': Murdoch | FOX: Retrans Could 'Fix' Broadcast Model
   FCC Promotes Native American Radio

SPECTRUM/WIRELESS
   Is there new life for the public safety D block of spectrum?
   AT&T's iPhone Mess
   Will iPad Actually Chill Development of Mobile Web Pages?

INTERNET/BROADBAND
   Rep Matsui Pushes for New Broadband Funding
   Digital Innovation Outpaces E-Rate Policies
   Cisco to FCC: 5 Suggestions for the Smart Grid
   Qwest ready to seek broadband stimulus dollars
   Broadband Internet Keeps The American Dream Alive & Accessible

BUDGET/INNOVATION AGENDA
   Grand Challenges of the 21st Century
   Concern Over Ed Tech Changes
   Budget freeze could lead agencies to focus on IT projects that reduce costs

JOURNALISM
News Right Now Drives Newspaper Readers to Web

NEWS FROM ABROAD
'Super-fast broadband' in UK homes by 2017 - Tories | Belgian regulator proposes 50% reduction in mobile termination rates | Japanese Regulator Examines KDDI's Planned Deal for Jupiter | Malaysian Prime Minister wooing voters online

MORE ONLINE
FCC OKs Waivers For Set-Top boxes | Should the FCC Share Outage Info with the States? | Rockefeller Raises Concerns about Verizon-Frontier Deal | Genachowski Answers PEG Concerns | FCC Advisor Advocates Universal Service Fund Reform | University finds free online classes don't hurt enrollment | Consumer Reports Gives Seal of Approval to "Connected TVs" | Public Libraries Take Information Literacy to the Next Stage | People Continue To Object To Facebook Beacon Settlement | TV Providers Want More Info About Viewers -- But Will They Pay The Price? | Google Goes to Washington -- Again | Fergie, Mary J. Blige fight for radio compensation | Social Media and Young Adults

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GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS

FEW NEWS CONFERENCES, BUT STILL TAKING QUESTIONS
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Peter Baker]
Over the last two weeks, President Obama has taken questions from unemployed workers in Ohio, students in Florida and a cancer survivor in New Hampshire. He took questions from YouTube users, Senate Democrats and even House Republicans. Almost everyone, it seems, but the White House press corps. After a year in office, President Obama has managed to do what every modern president may have wanted to do but never did: effectively shut out the reporters who work just a few feet from the Oval Office. He has not had a full-scale White House news conference in seven months, the longest such stretch by any president in a decade. And he has made a practice of not taking reporters' questions at day-to-day events, as other presidents did. None of that means that President Obama has shielded himself from public scrutiny. But he has fundamentally altered the way a president deals with the news media. Instead of open-ended sessions with multiple reporters, he prefers one-on-one interviews, particularly with television anchors. He gives far more interviews than his two most recent predecessors did, reflecting the conclusion that the format is a more effective means for getting his message through.
benton.org/node/31919 | New York Times
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OBAMA TRIES TO REGAIN THE MESSAGE
[SOURCE: The Huffington Post, AUTHOR: Sue Wilson]
[Commentary] Last Friday, many Americans witnessed a rare bit of political theater when President Obama addressed the GOP Retreat in Baltimore. By insisting that live TV cameras be allowed into the exchange, the President took a rare opportunity to take control of his message in full view of the public, calling out the GOP on their lies and dirty tricks, and challenging them to tone down their rhetoric so Washington could focus on issues rather than the next election. Headlines burst from news pages: "Extraordinary!" "Remarkable!" "Historic!" The GOP instantly regretted their decision to allow cameras. It was a big moment for Obama to get his message out; but how many more will he get? There is new evidence that the Obama administration does understand that talk radio is the road to the message. On his Organizing for America Web site, the President is asking people across the nation to research talk radio: to focus on three pre-identified radio shows, determine whether they are political, what language they are in, and whether they take callers. What exactly will Obama do with that information? Restore aspects of the Fairness Doctrine? Rewrite the 1996 Telecommunications Act? This much is certain: he has broken through the right wing messaging juggernaut once; it is a safe bet he's on the road to do it again.
benton.org/node/31890 | Huffington Post, The
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CYBERSECURITY

A "CYBER-PEARL HARBOR"
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Mark Mazzetti]
Dennis Blair, the director of national intelligence, warned the Senate Intelligence Committee that "Malicious cyberactivity is occurring on an unprecedented scale with extraordinary sophistication." His emphasis on the threat points up the growing concerns among American intelligence officials about the potentially devastating results of a coordinated attack on the nation's technology apparatus, sometimes called a "cyber-Pearl Harbor." He said that the surge in cyberattacks, including the penetration of Google's servers from inside China, was a "wake-up call" for those who dismissed the threat of computer warfare. "Sensitive information is stolen daily from both government and private-sector networks, undermining confidence in our information systems, and in the very information these systems were intended to convey," Blair said.
benton.org/node/31904 | New York Times | The Hill | Government Computer News
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SENATE CALLS FOR REVIEW OF CYBER ATTACKS
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Kim Hart]
On Feb 2, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution condemning the recent cyber attacks against Google in China. The resolution calls on the Chinese government to conduct a thorough review of the cyber attacks and to share the results. The resolution also voices support for the initiative announced by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to promote Internet freedom by backing technologies that help users circumvent electronic censorship. The resolution was introduced by Senators Ted Kaufman (D-Delaware), Sam Brownback (R-Kansas), Bob Casey (D-PA), Jon Kyl (R-AZ), Russ Feingold (D-WI), Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), Jim Webb (D-VA), Arlen Specter (D-PA) and John McCain (R-AZ).
benton.org/node/31903 | Hill, The | TechDailyDose
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HOUSE CYBER SECURITY VOTE
[SOURCE: ComputerWorld, AUTHOR: Jaikumar Vijayan]
The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote Wednesday on a proposed bill that is designed to bolster federal cyber security research and development activities, and stimulate the growth of a cyber security workforce in the country. The bill is called the cyber security Enhancement Act of 2009 (HR 4061) and was introduced by Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D-IL) last year. It was passed by the House Science and Technology Committee last November. The bill is the first major cyber security legislation to come up for consideration before the 111th Congress. If passed, the bill would reauthorize several cyber security grant program the National Science Foundation (NSF). The NSF will get up to $396 million over the next four years to fund research and development programs that are focused on cyber security. The bill also sets aside another $94 million in scholarships over the same period for students who pursue cyber security studies, so long as they commit to the public sector after graduating. In addition, about another $120 million will be available to the NSF for funding activities related to improving cyber security, including constructing research facilities and offering training programs in colleges and universities. The bill would require the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to work with other standards bodies to develop internationally accepted cyber security standards. It also charges NIST with creating and promoting public awareness of IT security, and best practices campaigns in conjunction with relevant federal agencies, industry and educational institutions. It calls on NIST to work on developing standards for better interoperability between identity management and user authentication systems.
benton.org/node/31902 | ComputerWorld | CongressDaily
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GOOGLE TO ENLIST NSA TO HELP WITH CYBERATTACKS
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Ellen Nakashima]
The world's largest Internet search company and the world's most powerful electronic surveillance organization are teaming up in the name of cybersecurity. Under an agreement that is still being finalized, the National Security Agency would help Google analyze a major corporate espionage attack that the firm said originated in China and targeted its computer networks, according to cybersecurity experts familiar with the matter. The objective is to better defend Google -- and its users -- from future attack. Google and the NSA declined to comment on the partnership. But sources with knowledge of the arrangement, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the alliance is being designed to allow the two organizations to share critical information without violating Google's policies or laws that protect the privacy of Americans' online communications. The sources said the deal does not mean the NSA will be viewing users' searches or e-mail accounts or that Google will be sharing proprietary data. The partnership strikes at the core of one of the most sensitive issues for the government and private industry in the evolving world of cybersecurity: how to balance privacy and national security interests.
benton.org/node/31918 | Washington Post
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MEDIA OWNERSHIP

COMCAST, GE SHOWER CONTRIBUTIONS ON LAWMAKERS
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Kim Hart]
Comcast and NBC Universal's parent company have showered campaign contributions on members of two panels holding hearings Thursday on the cable giant's proposed purchase of the television network. Comcast and General Electric have already spent $474,000 on contributions to members of the panels, about 70 percent of what they spent over the entire political cycle of 2008, according to The Hill's analysis of data on OpenSecrets.org. Comcast in particular has ramped up its donations to key members of both committees. It didn't give a dime in the last cycle to Rep Rick Boucher (D-VA), but has donated $5,000 in this cycle to the chairman of the House Commerce Subcommittee on Technology, Communications and the Internet, which will hold the first hearing on the merger on Thursday. After not donating to Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) in the last cycle, Comcast has given $15,500 to Schumer's political committee and his leadership political action committee this cycle. Schumer is a key member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, which will also hold a hearing Thursday on the merger.
benton.org/node/31912 | Hill, The
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COMCAST PROFIT UP
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Yinka Adegoke]
Comcast posted a higher-than-expected quarterly profit as it added Internet and phone subscribers, but its margins were hit by marketing costs as the No. 1 U.S. cable operator fends off competition from phone and satellite companies. The Philadelphia-based cable company added a net 247,000 high-speed Internet customers and 243,000 digital phone subscribers in the fourth quarter. Comcast lost more than 199,000 basic video subscribers during the quarter. The company changed its strategic focus midway through 2009 to "proactively pursue market share." "That translates to lower price increases for customers and greater promotional spending," said Collins Stewart analyst Thomas Eagan. "That's why the fourth-quarter customer numbers were better than people expected but some of the financials were worse." Comcast's fourth-quarter net profit rose to $955 million, or 33 cents a share, from $412 million, or 14 cents a share, a year earlier. After adjusting for a tax benefit, profit was 29 cents a share. Revenue rose 2.9 percent to $9.07 billion. Stacey Higginbotham says the telling points in Comcast's report are the three big forward-looking strategic initiatives the cable operator plans to focus on this year: 1) expanding its mobile broadband offering through Clearwire, 2) deploying some type of interactive advertising and 3) signing up carrier customers for mobile backahul. It will also complete the rollout of its DOCSIS 3.0 broadband, which can deliver speeds of up to 50 Mbps; expand its TV everywhere product, Xfinity; and attempt to close the joint venture with GE over NBC Universal.
benton.org/node/31911 | Reuters | GigaOm | MediaPost
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SPORTS PROGRAMMING COULD BE KEY TO COMCAST REVIEW
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Diane Bartz]
Sports programing, a must-have for US cable operators, could end up being the center of a battle between Comcast, NBC Universal and the companies' critics as regulators assess the joint venture's impact on consumers. Smaller cable companies fear that the top US cable operator will jack up the fees for its sports channels, said Matthew Polka, president of the American Cable Association. "Sports is certainly a major part of this merger," said Polka, whose group does not oppose the deal but is asking for hard and fast conditions to protect its members, which include small cable companies operating in small and rural markets. In particular, Polka wants his members to be charged the same carriage fees for Comcast-owned channels as Comcast does. With sports programing among the most expensive to produce, largely because of payments to the leagues, Polka worried aloud that costs could go up if professional and college sports sought to play Comcast's Versus off against ESPN in negotiations. "I can tell you that the leagues are going to charge even more," he said.
benton.org/node/31910 | Reuters
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COMCAST-NBC 'NEGATIVE' IF IT PARES ACCESS TO PROGRAMS
[SOURCE: Bloomberg, AUTHOR: Todd Shields, Lorraine Woellert]
Comcast's proposed takeover of NBC Universal would be a "negative thing" if it reduces access to programs for viewers and competitors, said Rep Rick Boucher (D-VA), Chairman of the House Communications, Technology, and the Internet Subcommittee. "It's very important that there not be any diminution of availability of that content for those who are current users of it," Chairman Boucher said in an interview. He will chair a hearing on the merger Thursday (Feb 4). A "particular concern" is the continued availability of programs delivered over the Internet, Chairman Boucher said. "It would be a negative thing if it became less available than it is today." The subcommittee's Ranking Member, Cliff Stearns (R-FL), said the deal "deserves scrutiny. "However, I do not see any reason not to allow this merger." Andrew Jay Schwartzman, among witnesses for the hearings said the merger "will diminish the vibrancy of the marketplace of ideas, denying the public choice. That's why we oppose it."
benton.org/node/31909 | Bloomberg | Broadcasting&Cable
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SMALL CABLE OPS CAUTIOUS ABOUT COMCAST-NBC
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Colleen Abdoulah, president of cable/ISP WOW!, plans to tell the House Communications & Internet Subcommittee that the Federal Communications Commission and the Justice Department will likely need to put serious conditions on the Comcast/NBCU merger to prevent it from "beating the system" and engaging in anticompetitive conduct. Speaking for the American Cable Association as well as her own company, Abdoulah argues that the current program access rules are essentially a "right without a remedy," and that the government must consider structural relief--like forced divestitures--in addition to as various "behavioral" remedies. She says that rather than being a primarily vertical deal, as the companies argue, it "greatly increases" horizontal concentration by combining "key content and distribution assets" of the two.
benton.org/node/31908 | Broadcasting&Cable
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PROGRESS AND FREEDOM ON COMCAST-NBC
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Progress and Freedom Foundation President Adam Thierer says the "sky is falling" approach by some activist groups to the Comcast/NBCU merger is overstated. According to a copy of his testimony for a Feb. 4 House Communications & Internet Subcommittee hearing on the proposed merger, he takes aim at what he sees as a chorus of Peacock Littles, as it were, arguing that rather than consumers or competing content providers, the only people in any danger of getting hit by a piece of sky are the two companies themselves. He argues that consolidation may be a necessary response to the digital threat to traditional economic models.
benton.org/node/31907 | Broadcasting&Cable
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A FIGHT OVER FREEDOM AT APPLE'S CORE
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Jonathan Zittrain]
[Commentary] In 1977, a 21-year-old Steve Jobs unveiled something the world had never seen before: a ready-to-program personal computer. After powering the machine up, proud Apple II owners were confronted with a cryptic blinking cursor, awaiting instructions. Thirty years later Apple gave us the iPhone. It was easy to use, elegant and cool - and had lots of applications right out of the box. But the company quietly dropped a fundamental feature, one signalled by the dropping of "Computer" from Apple Computer's name: the iPhone could not be programmed by outsiders. The openness on which Apple had built its original empire had been completely reversed - but the spirit was still there among users. A year after the iPhone's introduction, it launched the App Store. Now outsiders could write software for the iPhone. But the App Store has a catch: app developers and their software must be approved by Apple. Despite outsiders being invited to write software, the iPhone thus remains tightly tethered to its vendor - the way that the Kindle is controlled by Amazon. If Apple is the gatekeeper to a device's uses, the governments of the world need knock on the door of only one office in Cupertino, California - Apple's headquarters - to demand changes to code or content . Users no longer own or control the apps they run - they merely rent them minute by minute. Hope lies in more balanced combinations of open and closed systems, such as that embodied by the traditional Apple Mac - or phones based on the Android operating system from the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of hardware, software and telecoms companies. Android Market is the approved counterpart to Apple's App Store but, in this case, users are also free to go off-roading, installing any code they like. Android is a canary in the digital coal mine: will its more open model survive should people load suspect apps and find they cannot make calls any more?
benton.org/node/31917 | Financial Times
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MICROSOFT'S CREATIVE DESTRUCTION
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Dick Brass]
[Commentary] Why doesn't Microsoft, America's most famous and prosperous technology company, bring us the future any longer, whether it's tablet computers like the iPad, e-books like Amazon's Kindle, smartphones like the BlackBerry and iPhone, search engines like Google, digital music systems like iPod and iTunes or popular Web services like Facebook and Twitter? Microsoft has become a clumsy, uncompetitive innovator. Its products are lampooned, often unfairly but sometimes with good reason. Its image has never recovered from the antitrust prosecution of the 1990s. Its marketing has been inept for years; remember the 2008 ad in which Bill Gates was somehow persuaded to literally wiggle his behind at the camera? While Apple continues to gain market share in many products, Microsoft has lost share in Web browsers, high-end laptops and smartphones. Despite billions in investment, its Xbox line is still at best an equal contender in the game console business. It first ignored and then stumbled in personal music players until that business was locked up by Apple. Microsoft's huge profits — $6.7 billion for the past quarter — come almost entirely from Windows and Office programs first developed decades ago. What happened? Unlike other companies, Microsoft never developed a true system for innovation. Some of my former colleagues argue that it actually developed a system to thwart innovation. Despite having one of the largest and best corporate laboratories in the world, and the luxury of not one but three chief technology officers, the company routinely manages to frustrate the efforts of its visionary thinkers.
benton.org/node/31914 | New York Times
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TIME WARNER JOINS REBOUND FROM CRISIS
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Kenneth Li, Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson]
Some of the biggest US media companies are rebounding from a crisis that many expected to finish them off with a spate of dividend increases, forecast upgrades and promises to boost shareholder returns. Having whispered of "cautious optimism" since September, executives at News Corp, Time Warner and Comcast supplied evidence this week of confidence that a recovery from the worst economic period since the Great Depression would last. In a surprise to investors who have grown weary amid years of moguls ploughing profits into risky mergers and acquisitions, media chiefs vowed to increase returns to shareholders in the form of larger stock repurchases and dividends. Time Warner, unshackled from the loss-making AOL, which analysts had called the "long national nightmare", reported a return to profits from a period a year ago when it was saddled with writedowns on its publishing, Internet and cable divisions. It also expected 2010 profit per share to rise in the mid-teens range.
benton.org/node/31915 | Financial Times
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NEWS CORP ON 'CUSP OF DIGITAL DYNASTY'
[SOURCE: The Australian, AUTHOR: James Chessell]
Rupert Murdoch has predicted a sustained period of earnings growth at News Corporation and declared the media and entertainment group is "on the cusp of a digital dynasty" after it posted better-than-expected second-quarter results boosted by a strong contribution from its US film and cable news businesses. News's chairman and chief executive used yesterday's second-quarter results briefing to talk up growth opportunities brought about by the digital revolution and argue that the company behind 20th Century Fox and the Fox News channel had emerged from the global advertising downturn "with renewed vigor and strength." "Excuse the immodesty but News Corporation's pre-eminence as a content creator comes as the debate over the primacy of content is over," he said, referring to his campaign to get consumers to pay for online news and entertainment. "Content is not just king. It is the emperor of all things electronic. We are on the cusp of a digital dynasty in which our company and our shareholders will profit greatly."
benton.org/node/31881 | Australian, The
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FOX: RETRANS COULD FIX BROADCASTING
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Mike Farrell]
News Corp. chief operating officer Chase Carey said that the media giant is on the cusp of a retransmission-consent revenue windfall that could ultimately fix the broken broadcasting model. "It [retrans] puts us on a course where we can generate the profits we should if we run a good network," Carey said. "Simplistically you could say it fixes it. It certainly puts it in a competitive place where it has a dual revenue stream like successful cable networks do and those that it increasingly competes with." He said that News Corp's owned- and-operated stations have completed retransmission-consent deals with two of the top 10 distributors. Carey estimated that about half of News Corp.'s station deals will expire in the next two years, not including similar deals that will run out for its affiliate stations. News Corp. has expressed a desire to get involved in those negotiations too.
benton.org/node/31893 | Multichannel News
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FCC PROMOTES NATIVE AMERICAN RADIO
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: ]
The Federal Communications Commission adopted a First Report and Order that gives tribes a priority to obtain broadcast radio licenses in tribal communities. The Order provides an opportunity for tribes to establish new service specifically designed to offer programming that meets the needs of tribal citizens. The Order also fosters localism and diversity, key media policy goals of the Commission and the Congress. Although well over a million Native Americans and Alaska Natives live on over 55 million acres of tribal lands across the United States, only 41 radio stations are currently licensed to native tribes. To address this imbalance, the First Report and Order establishes the Tribal Priority under processing rules. The Tribal Priority gives precedence to federally recognized Native American Tribes and Alaska Native Villages, or companies controlled by tribes that want to establish new radio stations designed to serve communities located on tribal lands.
benton.org/node/31901 | Federal Communications Commission | Read the order | Commissioner Copps | Commissioner McDowell | Commissioner Clyburn
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SPECTRUM/WIRELESS

NEW LIFE FOR D BLOCK SPECTRUM?
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Matthew Lasar]
Remember all that planning and strategizing at the Federal Communications Commission about how to set up a national broadband powered public safety network—something that police, fire, and medical first responders could use across the country? Well, the first signs of new life for that long-delayed scheme surfaced a few days ago when the FCC's Homeland Security Bureau chief announced that a new proposal would be included in the Commission's National Broadband Plan to Congress, now due on March 17. But the news disclosed by the FCC's James Barnett is a bit of a downer to the big public safety agencies, who want the government to scratch the extant plan to auction off the spectrum needed for the service, and just give 20MHz of it to them instead. "It would be great to have 20 MHz," Barnett told attendees at the APCO Winter Technology Summit in Orlando, Florida. "The problem that we have right now as we pursue this is that the D Block is dedicated to commercial use—we're actually under a mandate to auction it." A Congressional mandate, that is. The 'D Block,' as Ars spectrum auction watchers doubtless recall, was the only part of the massive 700 MHz spectrum auction in 2008 that failed to sell. The rest was auctioned off handily to the tune of $19.6 billion. Why that one glitch? Here's a quick refresher course on the D Block Blues.
benton.org/node/31897 | Ars Technica
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AT&T'S IPHONE MESS
[SOURCE: BusinessWeek, AUTHOR: Roben Farzad]
AT&T has stumbled into a quagmire. When it secured exclusive rights to support Apple's iPhone on its wireless network in June 2007, investors hailed the deal as a masterstroke. Here was stodgy, safe AT&T positioning itself to gulp profits from a cutting-edge technology. But AT&T and Apple vastly underestimated the iPhone's appeal. AT&T, which markets the iPhone in the U.S., simply can't handle the traffic. The rise of iPhone Nation—with its media-savvy and data-greedy citizenry—has left AT&T with a tough set of options. It could significantly upgrade its network to handle all the new demand, but that would cripple profits. It could charge more for network access or limit what customers can do on their phones, but that would enrage the all-you-can-eat subscriber base as well as Net Neutrality types who seek to prevent telecom companies from dictating customers' options. It could permanently halt iPhone sales in overcrowded markets, but that would bring more mockery, not to mention place AT&T in the unusual position of denying consumers access to a product it doesn't even make. To keep its uneasy equilibrium, AT&T is trying a little of everything: It's marginally increasing capacity while trying to squeeze network hogs and subtly reshape the definition of Network Neutrality.
benton.org/node/31916 | BusinessWeek
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WILL IPAD CHILL MOBILE WEB PAGES?
[SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle, AUTHOR: Tom Kaneshige]
[Commentary] The iPhone is the face that launched a thousand mobile websites-actually, more like 326,600, according to a recent study by Taptu, a mobile search engine. That number is growing by leaps and bounds in various areas of the web, such as shopping and services, the survey concludes. There seems to be no stopping the trend, or is there? With its 10-inch screen, the iPad has the potential of slowing the development of mobile websites and bring back traditional desktop ones. The reason: Traditional websites look great on the iPad. Website browsing is the reason the iPad was developed in the first place. "iPad offers the best Web browsing experience there is-way better than laptops," said Apple CEO Steve Jobs.
benton.org/node/31878 | San Francisco Chronicle
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INTERNET/BROADBAND

LAWMAKER PUSHES FOR NEW BROADBAND FUNDING
[SOURCE: IDG News Service, AUTHOR: Grant Gross]
The US government should spend more on broadband adoption by redirecting money from a fund that subsidizes traditional telephone service to high-speed Internet service, Rep Doris Matsui (D-CA) said Tuesday. She suggests the Federal Communications Commission should set up a program under the Universal Service Fund (USF) to subsidize broadband subscriptions. "It is clear that millions of Americans simply can't afford to pay up to [US] $60 a month for broadband services," Matsui said. "I've heard from a woman who is living off a fixed income, and is counting her pennies each month to make ends meet. If her Internet service goes up 'by one cent,' she says she will have to drop it." Matsui's Broadband Affordability Act, introduced in September, would require the FCC to establish a broadband assistance program for low-income people by expanding the USF's Lifeline Assistance program. The Lifeline Assistance program, which now provides discounts of up to $10 a month for telephone service, has a budget of about $800 million a year. Matsui's proposal would add an additional $100 million. Sen Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) introduced a similar bill in December. Rockefeller's bill would direct the FCC to establish a pilot program for broadband in the USF Lifeline program.
benton.org/node/31906 | IDG News Service
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DIGITAL INNOVATION OUTPACES E-RATE
[SOURCE: Education Week, AUTHOR: Kathleen Kennedy Manzo]
In its role helping the nation's schools connect to the Internet and other telecommunications services, the E-rate has been among the most consistent of federal programs. But perhaps too consistent, educators and experts say. Funding for the "education rate" program has held at about $2.25 billion a year since it was created under the Telecommunications Act of 1996, and it covers few of the technology services available to schools beyond simple Internet and phone connectivity. But now, with a critical mass of schools connected to the Web, experts say inadequate funding and the program's onerous and often confusing rules and procedures can complicate schools' efforts to pursue more innovative tech-based approaches to teaching and learning. Carol Mattey, a senior policy advisor to the FCC's task force for the National Broadband Plan, says, "As part of the broadband plan, we're using this as a moment to take stock of where we are and how can we modernize the program and go forward to better serve the community." The FCC has already proposed some changes to the E-rate program as part of that plan. The Children's Internet Protection Act, which requires schools and libraries participating in the E-rate program to certify that they have Internet-safety policies in place and block pornography and other content that could be harmful to children, would be revised as well. The revised plan would also require that "a school's Internet-safety policy must include educating minors about appropriate online behavior, including interacting with other individuals on social-networking Web sites and in chat rooms and cyberbullying awareness and response," according to the FCC's notice of proposed rule-making. Schools would also be required to enforce the provisions, and to allow materials to be unblocked for adult use for research and other lawful purposes.
benton.org/node/31882 | Education Week
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BUDGET/INNOVATION AGENDA

GRAND CHALLENGES OF THE 21ST CENTURY
[SOURCE: The White House, AUTHOR: Tom Kalil]
In September, President Obama released his Strategy for American Innovation, designed to foster sustainable growth and help create high-quality jobs. One of the goals of the President's strategy is to harness science and technology to address the "grand challenges" of the 21st century in areas such as health, clean energy, national security, and education and life-long learning. Examples of specific goals that have been previously articulated by the President and others include early detection of dozens of diseases from a saliva sample, solar cells as cheap as paint, and educational software that is as compelling as the best video game and effective as a personal tutor. Today, the Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Economic Council are releasing a "request for information" that is designed to collect input from the public regarding: 1) The grand challenges that were identified in the President's innovation strategy; 2) Other grand challenges that the Administration should consider, such as those identified by the National Academy of Engineering; 3) Partners (e.g. companies, investors, foundations, social enterprises, non-profit organizations, philanthropists, research universities, consortia, etc.) that are interested in collaborating with each other and the Administration to achieve one or more of these goals; and 4) Models for creating an "architecture of participation" that allows many individuals and organizations to contribute to the process of finding solutions to these grand challenges. Responses to this RFI are due April 15th.
benton.org/node/31883 | White House, The | Federal Register notice | Innovation press release
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CONCERN OVER ED TECH CHANGES
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Juliana Gruenwald]
Groups representing school technology officials voiced concern Wednesday with the Obama administration's proposal to consolidate some education technology programs as part of its fiscal year 2011 budget plan, which was released Monday. The Consortium for School Networking, the International Society for Technology in Education, and the State Educational Technology Directors Association argued that the proposal to "infuse" technology throughout other programs and zero out funding for the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program may hamper technology education innovations. The program, created under the No Child Left Behind elementary and secondary education law during the Bush administration, provided education funds to states for technology hardware, software and professional development. "Congress and the president included EETT as a core provision of the current ESEA law in recognition of the importance of driving the next generation of innovations in teaching and learning, assessment and continuous improvement, and cost-efficiency in coordination with other federal, state and local school improvement strategies," the groups said in a statement. "We fear that years of investments through EETT and the E-Rate, coupled with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act investment, may be devalued or lost entirely without adequately funding EETT or a successor program."
benton.org/node/31892 | CongressDaily | Consortium for School Networking
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SUPER-FAST BROADBAND' IN UK HOMES BY 2017 - TORIES
[SOURCE: BBC News, AUTHOR: ]
The Conservatives in the UK have unveiled plans to deliver a "nationwide super-fast broadband," part of which could be funded from the BBC license fee. Shadow chancellor George Osborne said a Tory government plan would deliver speeds of 100 megabits per second (Mbps) to the "majority" of homes by 2017. He said cabling in rural areas could be paid for by private investors, with the licence fee making up any shortfalls. The Labour party accused the Tories of playing "catch-up" on broadband improvements. The government has set a target that homes should have access to speeds of 2Mbps by 2012.
benton.org/node/31875 | BBC News
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BELGIAN PROPOSES 50% REDUCTION IN MOBILE TERMINATION RATES
[SOURCE: TeleGeography, AUTHOR: ]
The Belgian Institute for Post and Telecommunications (BIPT), the country's telecommunications regulator, has revealed that it wants to see mobile network operators halve mobile termination rates (MTRs) with a view to increasing competition in the wireless sector and reducing the cost of calls to consumers. The watchdog has recommended a 50% cut in MTRs, far steeper than the 20% reduction that had been expected by the Belgian cellcos, and it is now widely expected that all three Proximus (Belgacom Mobile), Mobistar and BASE will appeal the decision.
benton.org/node/31876 | TeleGeography | BIPT
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JAPANESE REGULATOR EXAMINES KDDI'S PLANNED DEAL FOR JUPITER
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Hiroyuki Kachi and Atsuko Fukase]
Japan's Financial Service Agency is examining whether KDDI Corp.'s planned $4 billion purchase of a major stake in Jupiter Telecommunications Co. from Liberty Global Inc. violates share transaction law, according to a person familiar with the matter. If the FSA's examination of the deal expands to a formal investigation, it could pose a potential hurdle to Liberty's exit from the Japanese market as the company looks to shift resources toward the European cable-TV industry. KDDI, Japan's No.2 cable-television company by subscribers, said the FSA made inquiries regarding the Jupiter transaction, but the agency has not conducted a search of KDDI's office, usually one of the steps in a full-scale investigation. KDDI said it believes the arrangement related to the Jupiter share purchase is in line with the rules.
benton.org/node/31874 | Wall Street Journal
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MALAYSIAN PM WOOING VOTERS ONLINE
[SOURCE: BBC News, AUTHOR: ]
There's seismic shift in Malaysian political culture: the Prime Minister, Najib Abdul Razak, is on Twitter. And Facebook. And even YouTube. Until recently, the ruling government had always communicated their policies via traditional media outlets, and when much of the mainstream press is either directly or in-directly linked with the government, there was little room for public debate. But when 2008's elections saw the ruling coalition lose key seats to the opposition, then-Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi admitted his government had underestimated the power of the Internet. So now, members of parliament from all over the country are using Twitter and Facebook to communicate with their voters.
benton.org/node/31873 | BBC News
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