September 16, 2010 (Berners-Lee Details 4 Concerns About Future of Mobile Web)

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2010

Today's agenda includes Competition in the Evolving Digital Marketplace and Universal Service reform http://bit.ly/bFEnJH

INTERNET/BROADBAND
   Internet Founder Tim Berners-Lee Details 4 Concerns About Future of Mobile Web
   FCC Seeks Input on Business Broadband Marketplace
   AT&T: Premptive Strike On Paid Prioritization Could Hurt Broadband Plans
   Which is the Primary Driver of Telecom Investment: Strategic Opportunities or Deregulation?
   NTIA Seeks Input on BTOP Reporting Requirements

SPECTRUM/WIRELESS
   The Right Call on Spectrum Auctions
   T-Mobile to Implement a Twitter Tax on Texts?
   Sprint Cell-Tower Giveaway May Put Pressure on AT&T, Verizon
   Intel guru: future phones will sense your mood

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
   Debate Rages Over Public Safety Network
   FCC Request Input on Public Safety Waiver Requests
   Why Cops Don't Just Use Cell Phones
   To text or not to text during emergencies
   Will the FCC require all 700 MHz LTE equipment to interoperate?

MEDIA AND ELECTIONS
   Disclosure of 'issue ad' funding is on the wane
   Is Winning Newspaper Endorsements Worth a Candidate's Effort?
   Journalists, Media Professionals Donating Frequently to Federal Political Candidates this Election Cycle
   Whitman becomes biggest-spending candidate on a single campaign in U.S. history

JOURNALISM
Digital Transitions

TELEVISION
   Comcast Intensifies Blueprint For NBC, Cable Unity
   The news is, that pitch was paid for
   The Changing Economics Of TV Reruns
   Charter Communications: Why Not Show ALL The Network Fees A Cable System Pays?

ADVERTISING
Craigslist: adult services dead; good luck with other guys
Online sex ads market to reach $63 million this year, report says

ED TECH
Kids' computer use test scores, and behavior
Publishing giant makes $400M commitment to ed tech

DIVERSITY
TV Industry Needs To Produce More Quality Multicultural Programming
NFL Reminds Clubs Of Media Policy

PRIVACY
Google hit with new privacy problem, fires engineer

MORE ONLINE
   Digital music, video cyberthreats growing
   CMS funds four more states' Medicaid EHR plans
   Skyhook Sues Google Over Business Deals
   Santa Cruz County supervisors vote to support moratorium on SmartMeters

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INTERNET/BROADBAND

BERNERS-LEE CALLS FOR NETWORK NEUTRALITY
[SOURCE: ReadWriteWeb, AUTHOR: Sarah Perez]
Sir Tim Berners-Lee, widely known as the inventor of the Web, addressed the Nokia World 2010 in London speaking about the future of mobile technology, including both the positive impacts it brings as well as the areas of concern. After encouraging developers to build for the Web, so as to deliver applications that work on all types of devices, even the ones that haven't been invented yet, he then proceeded to detail areas which need addressing, specifically privacy, accountability, network neutrality and the 80% of the world that doesn't have access to the World Wide Web.
Privacy: The challenge of privacy is one many companies, both mobile and otherwise, have been dealing with in recent months. However, on mobile phones, the problem that has not been worked out yet is how to allow a user to share their location while still making it easy for them to understand when they're sharing critical information, how much control they have over that information and who can access that data. The challenge here is how to do all this without getting in the way of the user's experience. The solution, says Berners-Lee, is that we may need to re-adjust our ideas about privacy. "I think that we'll end up having to think about privacy from a different point of view," he said.
Accountability: Along the same lines of user privacy, is the idea that companies that want access to our critical information have a responsibility to build systems that respect that data. "Responsible" companies that are accountable for how they use our data are key. Clearly, this is a struggle many companies are dealing with now, and no one has a winning formula yet.
network Neutrality: A perennial favorite topic for Berners-Lee is the idea of network neutrality, referring to regulations that forbid prioritizing the speed or access with which one company's data is available over another's. Companies that want you to use their services have an incentive to end neutrality for their own benefits - for example, those that provide voice services may want to slow down access to VoIP services. Here Berners-Lee was the most passionate, saying point-blank that "the moment you let neutrality go, you lose the Web as it is -- you lose the idea that you can click a link and go anywhere."
Bringing Web Access to the Rest of the World: The last point also involved a project in which Berners-Lee is involved: providing Web access to the 80% of the world that doesn't go online. He works on this issue through the foundation at webfoundation.org, which examines the challenges in this area. Surprisingly, lack of signal with which to log onto the Web is not the main thing holding back the spread of the Web. 80% of the world has access to the Web, but, for some reason, chooses not to use it. The cost of data is partially to blame in many cases for this, and for those who cannot afford data plans through their carriers, they're limited to SMS for sharing information. But SMS is very constraining, says Berners-Lee.
benton.org/node/41960 | ReadWriteWeb
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FCC'S SMALL BUSINESS BROADBAND AGENDA
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: ]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski announced that the FCC will issue a Public Notice to help improve the FCC's understanding of business broadband needs, a key recommendation in the National Broadband Plan. The Public Notice is part of the FCC's broader small business broadband agenda, which includes connecting communities to broadband through the Universal Service Fund, promoting mobile connectivity by unleashing more spectrum, and, in partnership with the Small Business Administration, training small businesses to use digital tools to reach wider markets and improve their operations. The FCC seeks input on:
What transmission services, technologies, or types of facilities are used in the business broadband marketplace, including those discussed in this Notice and any others that are relevant to a full understanding of the marketplace? What is the overall size of the business broadband marketplace today, in terms of revenues, demand, or other criteria?
Of the various possible combinations of services, technologies, and facilities, how prevalent are particular combinations in this marketplace today, in terms of revenues, demand, or other criteria? What explains this variation? For example, do variations arise from differences among customer types; differences in service features, bandwidth, or other technical characteristics; differences in price; or other factors?
What are the trends in the business broadband marketplace with respect to each of the categories or criteria identified in response to the prior questions?
Which combinations of services, technologies, and facilities are increasing or declining in prevalence or importance, and why? For example, are certain combinations more appropriate, available, or affordable for certain types of providers (e.g., mobile)?
What are the trends in pricing and technical characteristics for particular services, technologies, and facilities?
What is the likely impact of non-traditional marketplace participants and technologies, such as cable companies and wireless platforms?
What is the effect of the growth of new non-carrier wholesale customers, e.g., consumer electronics companies seeking to embed broadband in devices such as ebooks or tablets, energy companies seeking to offer retail smart grid products, and so forth? Are the needs of these customers being adequately met?
Finally, the FCC seeks comment on any other facts or issues that would aid in our understanding of the
business broadband marketplace.
Comments are due Oct 15; reply comments are due Nov 4.
benton.org/node/42009 | Federal Communications Commission | read the Public Notice | Chairman Genachowski | FCC blog | B&C
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AT&T ON PAID PRIORITIZATION
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
AT&T continues to make its case for paid prioritization of Internet traffic, saying there is growing consensus on the issue, and has made an appeal to some critics of its position for direct talks. Prioritization is one of the issues that put a crimp in the Federal Communication Commission's efforts to midwife compromise legislative language among stakeholders, including AT&T, on clarifying the FCC's authority over Internet access service. In a letter to the FCC Sept 15, AT&T outlined areas where it said there was agreement between it and net neutrality regulation backers Open Technology Initiative (OTI) and the Center For Democracy and Technology (CDT) based on letters from OTI and CDT to the commission. There appeared to be lots of them, from AT&T's perspective. But the big difference remains that those groups want a ban on paid prioritization for third-party content on an end user's last-mile connection, while AT&T is strongly opposed to a preemptive ban, invoking national purposes like remote healthcare it says could be thwarted by a preemptive ban.
benton.org/node/41971 | Broadcasting&Cable
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OPPORTUNITIES OR DEREGULATION
[SOURCE: Public Knowledge, AUTHOR: Rob Frieden]
[Commentary] Incumbent carriers have spent millions on a campaign aiming to convince legislators and regulators that regulation all but eliminates incentives to invest in plant -- particularly next generation networks. The campaign also tries to make deregulation appear as the single greatest "incentivizer" for such investments. Forget about strategic opportunities, the broader business cycle, the cost of capital, technological change and declining market share in core industry sectors. What really matters is coming up with a way to dislodge the Federal Communications Commission and other government agencies from regulating. Then and only then can the market drive investment decisions. So let's look at recent instances where incumbent carriers want to make investments. Using the simplistic premise these ventures have spent millions to pitch, money should flow more freely into sectors recently subject to less regulation. If deregulation is the primary driver—or apparently the only one—then investment should take the route where regulation offers the least degree of resistance and "disincentivization."
benton.org/node/41964 | Public Knowledge
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BTOP REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
[SOURCE: National Telecommunications and Information Administration]
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration requires performance reports from Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) awardees and is now asking for public comment on a) Whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden (including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Written comments must be submitted on or before November 15, 2010.
The quarterly performance reports, submitted at the end of each quarter of the year, ask a series of questions that broadly address project progress and monitoring needs of program personnel by getting baseline (planned) and actual information on quarterly and cumulative project and milestone progress, and potential project barriers, if any.
The annual performance reports, submitted at the end of each Federal fiscal year, ask a series of questions that broadly address BTOP programmatic objectives and outcomes, NOFA requirements, and the information needs of external audiences, such as OMB.
This includes information on:
Broadband Infrastructure and CCI -- Subscribers passed and served, improved vs. new access for subscribers, pricing plans and broadband speeds available to subscribers, and community anchor institutions served.
PCC -- Hours of operation, speed of broadband service, average number of users per week, training provided, equipment deployed, workstations available.
SBA -- Awareness campaigns, training provided, equipment deployed, broadband subscription rates.
benton.org/node/41970 | National Telecommunications and Information Administration
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SPECTRUM/WIRELESS

THE RIGHT CALL ON SPECTRUM AUCTIONS
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Editorial staff]
[Commentary] The Federal Communications Commission has pulled the plug on a plan to use a rigged auction to award spectrum to a telecom start-up backed by billionaire venture capitalist and Democratic campaign donor John Doerr. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has been coy about his reasons for nixing the proposal, but it was the right call in any case. The company, M2Z Networks, was urging the government to auction off coveted spectrum with certain conditions tailored to M2Z's business model. The winning bidder would have been required, among other things, to provide free broadband service and operate under net neutrality principles. Mr. Doerr knew that such restrictions on the spectrum's use would reduce interest from established carriers like Verizon or T-Mobile who could bid up the price. What M2Z was seeking amounted to a taxpayer subsidy. The decision makes both political and policy sense. Giving away valuable spectrum at below-market rates to a wealthy venture capitalist would have drawn the wrong kind of attention to the Obama Administration, especially with the country running a trillion-dollar deficit.
benton.org/node/42024 | Wall Street Journal
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CHARGING FOR TEXTS?
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: Colin Gibbs]
In a move that could impact text messaging offerings like tweets, bank alerts and sports scores, T-Mobile USA is planning to charge an additional toll to businesses that send texts over its network. Beginning Oct. 1, the carrier reportedly will charge a toll of one-quarter of one cent to businesses for every SMS delivered to its customers. That's right, the Twitters of the world could soon have to pay to send your texts. The move mirrors a similar -- but much more costly -- effort from Verizon Wireless two years ago. In 2008, Verizon told its business partners it would begin charging three cents per text alert, but abandoned the plan after tremendous backlash from text companies.
Harold Feld, legal director of Public Knowledge, said, "These charges represent a 'market-power' tax on every business that uses text messaging. We expect that other carriers will soon follow suit. There is no indication that the cost that any carrier charges aggregators and mobile service providers to send messages reflects the actual costs of transmission. Similarly, there is no indication that a cost increase reflects any increase of the cost to transmit the message. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) should recognize that the text message is as much a part of the cellphone service as the voice service. Nearly three years ago, we asked the FCC to extend the protection consumers have for voice service to text messaging. Until the FCC makes it clear that it is willing to prevent carriers from exploiting their positions in the marketplace, carriers will continue to nickel and dime consumers, aggregators, and mobile service providers alike."
benton.org/node/42012 | GigaOm | Public Knowledge
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SPRINT CELL TOWER GIVEAWAY
[SOURCE: Bloomberg, AUTHOR: Greg Bensinger]
Sprint Nextel said it plans to give some mobile-phone customers $100 pint-sized cell towers to improve coverage, a move that may put pressure on other competitors to follow suit. "In certain situations, where you have really bad coverage in your home, we will give it to you as a retention tool," Paget Alves, Sprint business markets group president, said in an interview. AT&T Inc. said it has given away the towers, known as femtocells, to some customers to test pricing models and Verizon Wireless said it doesn't offer them for free. A femtocell, about the size of a computer modem, acts like a mobile-phone tower, carrying a wireless signal inside a building for improved reception. Carriers may benefit from femtocells because the devices route calls through home Internet connections, relieving congestion on the companies' networks. "It's a really effective way to offload traffic from the network," said Craig Moffett, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. in New York. "One of the real puzzles is why carriers haven't subsidized femtocells in larger quantities."
benton.org/node/42016 | Bloomberg
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EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS

PUBLIC SAFETY NETWORK
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: David Hatch]
As the nation approaches the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, debate continues to rage over the design of a cutting-edge communications network for first responders that's urgently needed before the next tragedy. That fateful day exposed dangerous lapses in the ability of first responders to communicate across agencies and jurisdictions in a crisis -- glitches that have not been fully corrected nearly a decade later. "The inability to communicate was a critical element at the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Somerset County, Pennsylvania crash sites, where multiple agencies and multiple jurisdictions responded," the 9/11 Commission warned in its report -- six years ago. "Nine years after the terror attacks of 9/11, the safety of our first responders continues to be jeopardized by a fragmented allocation of communications spectrum," House Homeland Security ranking member Peter King (R-NY) emphasized. Rep King has introduced legislation with 68 co-sponsors that would set aside an additional 10 megahertz of spectrum known as the "D-block" for the planned network, doubling its capacity.
benton.org/node/41969 | CongressDaily
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PETITIONS FOR WAIVER TO DEPLOY 700 MHZ PUBLIC SAFETY BROADBAND NETWORKS
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: ]
The Federal Communications Commission's the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (Bureau) seeks public comment on twenty-three petitions for waiver filed by various entities (Petitioners) seeking authority to deploy public safety broadband systems on a local or regional basis in the 10 megahertz of 700 MHz public safety broadband spectrum currently licensed to the Public Safety Spectrum Trust (PSST) (763-768/793-798 MHz). The FCC seeks comment on specific aspects of the requested waivers that will enhance our ability to determine if grant of waiver relief is appropriate. In particular, the FCC seeks comment on four issues: 1) eligibility under Section 337; 2) addressing overlapping requests; 3) issues related to the timing of Bureau action and the volume of waivers received in relation to the Commission's overall interoperability goals; and 4) any impact such additional waivers may have on the budget of the Public Safety Spectrum Trust (PSST). Comments are due on Oct 18.
benton.org/node/42007 | Federal Communications Commission
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PUBLIC SAFETY AND CELL PHONES
[SOURCE: Government Technology, AUTHOR: Bill Schrier]
[Commentary] Police officers and firefighters carry $5,000 radios. Local and state governments spend hundreds of millions of dollars to build public safety radio networks. Yet today, cell phone networks seem to be everywhere, most people carry a mobile phone and many of us think paying $199 for an iPhone is expensive. Why can't cops, firefighters and emergency medical technicians (EMT) use cell phones like everyone else? Washington state legislator Reuven Carlyle from Seattle publicly argued recently for this approach in his blog. And at first, this appears to be a simple way for governments to save a lot of taxpayer dollars.
But here are a few reasons public safety officers need their own dedicated networks:
1) Cellular networks don't prioritize their users or traffic. 2) Public safety networks are more reliable than commercial cell phone networks. 3) Even small disasters cause cell phone networks to collapse. 4) A key feature of most government-operated networks is something called talk-around or simplex or "walkie-talkie" mode. In this mode, individual radios talk directly to each other, without using a radio or cell tower. This is very important at incident scenes. 5) No standard cell phone can survive the rigorous work of firefighting or policing.
benton.org/node/41968 | Government Technology
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TEXTING DURING EMERGENCIES
[SOURCE: nextgov, AUTHOR: Brian Kalish]
As part of National Preparedness Month, a group that promotes health and safety programs has launched an initiative to tell the public to use text messaging to communicate with friends and families immediately after an emergency or disaster before calling on the phone. But some telecommunications experts warn that might not be the best advice. Safe America Foundation, a nonprofit advocacy group based in Marietta, Ga., kicked off its Text First, Talk Second campaign, saying texting is more efficient and during an emergency not everybody can use voice lines. "We need to become more reliant on texting," said Len Pagano, president and chief executive of the foundation. A person who texts has an 800-to-1 better chance of sending a message to someone in an emergency than using voice communications because a short message such as "imok," for I'm OK, requires 4 bytes using standard text messaging protocols, according to data from Robert Duncan, vice chancellor for research at the University of Missouri and a member of the foundation's volunteer advisory task force. But other telecommunication's experts said texting is not reliable during emergency situations and voice communication should be the first option, especially when calling 911.
benton.org/node/41965 | nextgov
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INTEROPERABILITY MANDATE?
[SOURCE: Fierce, AUTHOR: Mike Dano]
An open proceeding before the FCC has split the industry between the haves and the have-nots, and touches on a range of contentious issues, including data roaming, a wireless network for first responders and standards for mobile networks. It's also an issue that, ultimately, will gauge how willing the FCC is to tinker with a market that, in general, has ferociously argued against virtually any kind of government oversight. The FCC's rulemaking 11592 was filed a year ago by a group of Tier 2 and Tier 3 wireless carriers working under the "700 MHz Block A Good Faith Purchasers Alliance" banner. The alliance is a joint venture among Cellular South, Cavalier Wireless, Continuum 700 and U.S. Cellular, and has been endorsed by the likes of MetroPCS and Cox Communications. In the group's initial filing, it claims that smaller carriers are unable to purchase suitable network equipment for the 700 MHz spectrum they won via the FCC's 700 MHz spectrum auction in 2008. Specifically, the group alleges that the two biggest winners of 700 MHz airwaves--Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility -- are actively working to block out smaller competitors by issuing requests for LTE equipment that can only work on the 700 MHz band classes they acquired at auction, and not the band classes held by smaller wireless players. The issue dives into the somewhat complex and technical details of radio wave propagation and interference.
benton.org/node/41962 | Fierce
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MEDIA AND ELECTIONS

ISSUE AD DISCLOSURE
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: T.W. Farnam]
A Supreme Court decision this year dramatically altered the regulation of money in politics, and a recent vote by the Federal Election Commission could change one area of the law that the court left intact: rules governing disclosure of the sources of campaign money. A key provision of the 2002 McCain-Feingold campaign finance law curbed so-called issue ads, which avoid spending restrictions by focusing on a candidate's position instead of the election - an often subtle distinction. The Supreme Court has whittled away at the statute, saying it infringes on free speech. But eight of the nine justices have expressed their support for the part of the law that requires disclosing sources of money for issue ads. Despite the court's enthusiasm, there has been less and less disclosure of donors in recent years. In the 2004 election, when the law went into effect, 71 percent of the disclosure forms for issue ads listed the sources of money. So far this year, only 15 percent of the disclosures have listed a source. The drop is partly due to a change in the regulations in 2007 following the Supreme Court's decision in Wisconsin Right to Life v. FEC, which allowed corporate and union funding for issue ads. In writing its regulations after the court opinion, the commission said that only the donations made "for the purpose of furthering electioneering communications" must be disclosed.
benton.org/node/42022 | Washington Post
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CANDIDATES AND NEWSPAPERS
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Peter Brown]
[Commentary] Bad-mouthing the news media has been a tried-and-true tactic for political candidates since printing began, but ignoring them altogether is a potentially new step in the evolution of American politics. The operative question is whether such a strategy makes sense in these days of 24/7 news cycles, cable television and the Internet, when voters get their information from a variety of sources and to a much lesser degree from the traditional news media, especially newspapers. Will other candidates decide, too, that meeting with the folks who decide newspaper endorsements isn't worth their time or trouble? The answer is complicated and depends to a degree on whether the candidate is a Democrat or Republican, a political outsider or a member of the establishment. But in an era when trust of the news media is close to all-time lows and readership has fallen like a rock, most of the newspapers that have survived are shells of their former selves when it comes to clout in their communities and their financial health. The papers' economics matter because newspapers that are worried about their existence are more likely to be wary of alienating any potential readers.
benton.org/node/41975 | Wall Street Journal
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JOURNALISTS' CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS
[SOURCE: OpenSecrets.org, AUTHOR: Megan Wilson]
Center for Responsive Politics analysis indicates that 235 people who identified themselves on government documents as journalists, or as working for news organizations, together have donated more than $469,900 to federal political candidates, committees and parties during the 2010 election cycle. People identifying themselves as working for hard news outlets such as the Washington Post, the New York Times, the New York Post, News Corp., Vanity Fair and Reuters are among the listed donors. Also listed are employees from outlets offering lighter fare -- ESPN, Vogue -- or community news. Some have donated thousands of dollars. The average contribution per person identified is eight times Hayes' amount, and because of some big-spending media professionals, that number is slightly skewed upwards -- with the median amount donated coming in at $500. Sixty-five percent of all identified donations went to Democrats, the Center's research indicates. Despite the potential for controversy, some journalists who've made political contributions reject the notion that their interests are conflicting, saying their action as private citizens and as journalists are not mutually exclusive.
benton.org/node/41961 | OpenSecrets.org
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JOURNALISM

DIGITAL TRANSITIONS
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: FCC Commissioner Meredith Baker]
Speaking at the Capitol Hill Media Summit, Federal Communications Commissioner Meredith Baker addressed calls for government help for journalism and media. She said the US should not abandon nor tweak its traditional independent press merely due to changing circumstances. "Without true independence from government," she said, "the press could not serve its proud role as a check on governmental authority."
benton.org/node/42008 | Federal Communications Commission
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TELEVISION

COMCAST-NBC UNITY
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: David Goetzl]
Comcast has been strategizing "pretty feverishly" with NBC Universal on how the General Electric-controlled NBCU will become part of a Comcast-operated entity. While part of the focus is linking Comcast programming, such as the Golf Channel, with NBCU's sports assets, much involves lower-profile "nuts and bolts," according to Comcast CFO Michael Angelakis. The goal is to "unplug from General Electric and plug into Comcast," Angelakis said of a process that includes human resources, back-office systems and other "complex" integration issues. "We are on track, well under budget and our teams are executing very well there," Angelakis added. On the programming front, Comcast and NBCU are developing a "road map" for how the new NBCU will absorb the Golf Channel, regional sports networks, E! and other cable programming properties owned by Comcast. A third area includes exploring ways for NBCU to capitalize on a link with the Comcast cable systems, which can include cross-promotion and ad-selling opportunities -- and in turn, how Comcast cable might benefit from new content to send through its pipes.
benton.org/node/42021 | MediaPost
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THE PITCH WAS PAID FOR
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: James Rainey]
Local television news has become a hotbed for pay-to-play promotions. For example, with summer ending, local television news stations recently rolled out their back-to-school features. In 10 big cities, that meant an appearance by a young mother and "toy expert" named Elizabeth Werner. She whipped through pitches for seven toys in just a few minutes. Perky and positive-plus, Werner seemed to wow morning news people in towns like Detroit, Atlanta and Phoenix. They oohed and aahed as they smelled Play-Doh, poked at mechanical bugs and strummed an electronic guitar she brought to the studio. Though parents might have welcomed the advice, and even bought some of the toys, they probably would have liked to know that Werner serves as a spokeswoman for hire, not an independent consumer advocate. She touted only products from companies that forked over $11,000 (the initial asking price, anyway) to be part of her back-to-school television "tour." The trend promises to continue and grow. TV news producers must fill an expanding news hole, particularly in the mornings, where many news programs have been extended from three to four, five and even six hours. And advertisers, fearful of being blocked by viewers with video recorders and mute buttons, don't mind paying for promotional appearances that make them more visible and credible. The practice goes way beyond Los Angeles and a product or two. Be warned if you are watching a self-proclaimed consumer advocate on local TV news pitching cars, electronics, travel and much more. There's a good chance that your friendly small-screen expert has taken cash to sell, sell, sell. Simply to uphold their own standards for truth and transparency, you would hope that TV news outlets would tell viewers about such payments. Federal law requires disclosure, too, "when a broadcast station transmits any matter for which money, service or other valuable consideration is either directly or indirectly paid." That would include noting that advocates giving an opinion about a product have been paid to do so. Station operators must "exercise reasonable diligence" in trying to discern whether promotional payments have been made, FCC regulations say. Stations that fail to disclose, with either a spoken or on-screen disclaimer, can be fined up to $37,500 per violation. But you don't hear about a flood of penalties coming out of Washington, do you?
benton.org/node/41972 | Los Angeles Times
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ECONOMICS OF RERUNS
[SOURCE: National Public Radio, AUTHOR: Jesse Baker]
Until recently, Americans have pretty much proven themselves not only willing to watch just about anything on television, but eager to watch it again and again. "It's a truism at this point that people can watch eight hours of Law & Order in a row, including episodes that they have already seen," says Emily Nussbaum, the television critic for New York magazine. "They aren't watching it because it's high quality. They are watching it because it's soothing and comforting." But broadcast TV shows that once would have commanded a premium from basic cable channels as reruns — thus making more millions for the studios that created them — are now being squeezed aside. Cable channels are building identities on such original shows as USA's Royal Pains and AMC's Mad Men. The reruns they do pick have to go through a rigorous selection service. "Cable networks have tried to become brands," says former Turner Entertainment Networks president Brad Siegel, who co-founded and runs the Gospel Music Channel. "And in that brand...they have created certain filters on the kinds of shows that when you put them all together, they sort of define a network."
benton.org/node/42020 | National Public Radio
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DISCLOSURE ON CABLE BILL
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: Wayne Friedman]
[Commentary] Charter Communications thinks it's going to curry favor with its customers by telling them, in their bills, what is paid in retransmission fees to run broadcast networks. I have a better idea: Why not tell customers all the fees Charter pays for every network that goes into consumers' homes -- broadcast, cable, whatever? Consumer don't care about industry-speak "retransmission" fees. If they care at all, they care about all the money their cable company -- and, in turn -- what they, the consumers -- pay for cable programming fees. Virtually all TV consumers are TV platform-agnostic these days. They really don't care about the different business categories of networks. Pinning most problems on broadcast stations will only raise issues cable TV executives would rather not think about -- like a la carte programming. That will create even bigger headaches.
benton.org/node/41966 | MediaPost
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ADVERTISING

CRAIGSLIST ENDS ADULT SERVICES
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Jacqui Cheng]
Craigslist did not provide an explanation for its sudden decision to pull its "adult services" category during its testimony in front of the House Judiciary Committee Sept 15, but did emphasize that the section was permanently closed with no plans to reopen. Craigslist said that it will continue to work with law enforcement as much as it can, but said that without the strict oversight that existed in the adult services section, those working on behalf of exploited children may get even less help. Craigslist director of law enforcement relations William Clinton Powell, as well as Craigslist attorney Elizabeth McDougall, testified during a hearing on domestic minor sex trafficking. Powell listed out the numerous ways Craigslist has worked with state attorneys general, law enforcement, and child protection groups over the years to ensure that child trafficking on the site remains at a minimum.
benton.org/node/42015 | Ars Technica | The Hill | The Hill - Courtney's House | cnet
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ED TECH

COMPUTERS, TEST SCORES AND BEHAVIOR
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Donna St. George]
A University of Maryland researcher has a message for parents who fret about how much time their preteen children spend on computers: Worry not. In what researchers describe as one of the first long-term looks at the effects of media use during childhood, a study released Wednesday linked hours at the computer with achievement test scores and behavior and found little sign of harm for children ages 6 to 12 as they increased their screen time over a six-year period. Moreover, the study found benefits for girls and black boys. "Generally, adolescent achievement and adjustment showed benefits from the use of the computer, and it didn't have to be studying. It could be playing games," said Sandra L. Hofferth, a family science professor and director of the Maryland Population Research Center. Hofferth's results, published in the journal Child Development, showed that African American boys' reading scores improved by four points, considered significant, as they increasingly logged more time on the computer. Girls' achievement test scores for reading and math notched upward by a point. Socially, there was another positive effect: White girls were less likely to be withdrawn as they played more on the computer.
benton.org/node/41974 | Washington Post
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$400 MILLION FOR ED TECH
[SOURCE: eSchool News, AUTHOR: ]
Educational publishing giant Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) is making a $400 million investment to back up the company's increasing emphasis on putting more technology into classrooms. The reason, HMH says, is because it no longer accepts the status quo in public education. "We are living in challenging times—but the challenge of fixing public education is one challenge we simply have to meet," said company CEO Barry O'Callaghan in an interview with eSchool News. "We need to bear down on what works in the classroom and provide schools and teachers with the tools and resources they need to be effective. Then we need to assess progress, measure results, and do what works best for each child." The investment, announced Sept. 13, includes $100 million in incubator money for education technology that supports student achievement. Through this new Innovation Fund, HMH will provide capital and product expertise to budding educational entrepreneurs.
benton.org/node/42013 | eSchool News
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PRIVACY

GOOGLE'S NEW PRIVACY PROBLEM
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Diane Bartz]
Google fired an engineer in July for violating users' privacy. The breach comes at a time when Google is being scrutinized by various government agencies for its collection of unsecured personal data on Wi-Fi networks. The data was collected by Google's "Street View" cars, which take panoramic pictures. It also comes as federal regulators and lawmakers are considering moves to tighten privacy rules -- something Google and other Internet companies oppose in favor of self-regulation.
benton.org/node/42017 | Reuters
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