September 2005

For upcoming media policy events, see http://www.benton.org

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
Misinformation Slowed Federal Response to Katrina
New Orleans Still in the Dark about Internet, Phones
Schools' Tech Plans put on the Back Burner
Congress Promises DTV Action for Emergency Communications
Satellite Said Under-Utilized in Disaster Recovery
Sprint Nextel seeks More Time to Find 911 Callers

BROADCASTING
House Panel Planning Vote On DTV Bill In Mid-October
TV Brouhaha in Iowa
Gingrich-izing Public Broadcasting
Subway Buys Role on 'Will & Grace'

INTERNET/BROADBAND
U.S. Refuses to Relinquish Control of Net
Some States Push To Collect Sales Tax From Internet Stores
Airlines, Wireless Industry Fight Airports Over Wi-Fi
Change is in the air

QUICKLY -- More Spectrum for Advanced Wireless; Emmis Agrees to Sell 4 TV=
=20
Stations; Right-Wing Media Gets Desperate; Canada Copyright Lobbying Drive;=
=20
Canadian Regulators Move on BPL; In Bogota, Vox Pop in a Box; Viacom=20
acquires 70% of Chinese ad group; Computer games help train kids to pay=20
attention

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS

MISINFORMATION SLOWED FEDERAL RESPONSE TO KATRINA
One of the mysteries of the fumbling federal response to Hurricane Katrina=
=20
has been why the military, which was standing by, and federal disaster=20
agencies, which had pre-positioned supplies in the area, didn't move in=20
more quickly and with greater force. Senior government officials now say=20
that one major reason for the delay was that they believed they had to plan=
=20
for a far more complicated military operation, rather than a straight-ahead=
=20
relief effort. Accounts from local officials of widespread looting and=20
unspeakable violence -- which now appear to have been significantly=20
overstated -- raised the specter at the time that soldiers might be forced=
=20
to confront or even kill American citizens. The prospect of such a scenario=
=20
added political and tactical complications to the job of filling the city=
=20
with troops and set back relief efforts by days. The misinformation raises=
=20
the question of why the federal government had so much trouble gathering=20
its own intelligence that could have provided a more accurate picture. "The=
=20
devastation was so complete, so comprehensive ... that we couldn't figure=
=20
out how bad it was," said Adm. Timothy Keating, chief of the U.S.=20
military's Northern Command, which oversaw the Pentagon's Katrina effort.=
=20
"On Tim Keating's list of things we need to work and to analyze very=20
carefully, communications is at the top of that list," the admiral told=20
reporters yesterday.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Christopher Cooper=20
christopher.cooper( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB112804420733656428,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
us_page_one
(requires subscription)

NEW ORLEANS STILL IN DARK ABOUT INTERNET, PHONES
As New Orleanians begin to re-enter their neighborhoods, telephone and=20
Internet service remains spotty at best, and the major service providers=20
say they don't know when connections will be restored. Neither BellSouth=20
Corp., the local telephone giant that also offers high-speed Internet=20
service, nor Cox Communications, the region's biggest cable television=20
service, have been willing to say how many of their New Orleans area=20
customers have high-speed Internet service or how many are still waiting=20
for it to be restored. Their behavior contrasts with Entergy, which has=20
provided daily updates on power restoration since the storm. Resolving the=
=20
problem could take a while. Even as BellSouth and Cox repair local=20
fiber-optic cables, overhead wires and network routers, their high-speed=20
digital pipelines have continued to break because of the swarms of storm=20
repair crews digging underground and moving equipment under overhead lines.
[SOURCE: New Orleans Times-Picayune, AUTHOR: Keith Darc=E9 kdarce( at )yahoo.com]
http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/...
hives/2005_09_30.html#083858

SCHOOLS' TECH PLANS PUT ON BACK BURNER
This was to be the year teachers at Gulfport High School went completely=20
digital, which meant some older teachers would have to give up their grade=
=20
books and transfer that information onto district computers. But Hurricane=
=20
Katrina put those plans on hold. The storm crippled the city school=20
district's computer network. Katrina's tidal floods and heavy rains have=20
played havoc with millions of dollars of computer technology. And as=20
schools reopen on the Gulf Coast, many are doing so without the benefit of=
=20
much technology. Across the Coast, Katrina is blamed for $40 million in=20
damage to computers and computer networks in the public schools.
[SOURCE: The Clarion-Ledger, AUTHOR: Chris Joyner=20
chris.joyner( at )jackson.gannett.com]
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=3D/20050929/NEWS0...
/509290393/1260

CONGRESS PROMISES DTV ACTION FOR EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
Emergency communications would get a major boost if Congress passes digital=
=20
television transition legislation freeing spectrum for public safety uses,=
=20
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) said at a hearing=
=20
examining needs of first responders. If the bill doesn't pass, Sen Stevens=
=20
said, future funding for interoperable communications would be difficult to=
=20
get through Congress in coming years. He promising a DTV bill markup Oct.=
=20
19 in preparation for delivery to the Senate Budget Committee Oct. 26. The=
=20
House DTV bill is likely to be marked up the same week as the Senate=92s,=
=20
after an Oct. 10-14 break, industry sources said. Meanwhile, the=20
Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a report Wednesday that=20
first responders are challenged by a lack of interoperable emergency=20
communications. Its recommendations to the Department of Homeland Security=
=20
and other federal agencies: 1) Complete a database on communication=20
frequencies; 2) Determine the status of wireless public safety=20
communications nationwide; 3) Tie grant funding to statewide=20
interoperability plans; and 4) Review the interoperability functions of=20
Safety Interoperable Communications Program (SAFECOM). =93DHS has agreed to=
=20
take some, but not all, of the corrective actions we recommended,=94=94 the=
=20
report said.
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Anne Veigle]
(Not available online)
SEE MORE ON DTV LEGISLATION BELOW
See also:
* Link to House Commerce Committee Hearing
http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/Hearings/09292005hearing1648/hearing...
* FCC Chairman Kevin Martin at House Commerce Committee Hearing
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-261417A1.pdf
* Link to Senate Commerce Committee Hearing
http://commerce.senate.gov/hearings/witnesslist.cfm?id=3D1622
* FCC's Kenneth P. Moran Director at Senate Commerce Committee
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-261418A1.pdf

SATELLITE SAID UNDER-UTILIZED IN DISASTER RECOVERY
Amid 2005's storms, lawmakers, U.S. agencies, and state and municipal=20
governments are seeing the need for backup tools for when terrestrial=20
systems fail and local wireless networks are down or overwhelmed. To=20
address such needs, satellite communication services [satcom] firms say=20
they=92re adjusting their business strategies. Even so, they said, the syst=
em=20
needs a makeover. Satellite service integrators accustomed to focusing on=
=20
military operations abroad said they're eager to help at home, but lack of=
=20
coordination on the ground and ad hoc federal procurement leave satellite=
=20
services underutilized.
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Adrianne Kroepsch]
(Not available online)

SPRINT NEXTEL SEEKS MORE TIME TO FIND 911 CALLERS
Sprint Nextel on Thursday asked the FCC for more time to meet a December 31=
=20
deadline that 95 percent of its customers' wireless phones be capable of=20
identifying the location of a user making a 911 emergency call. The No. 3=
=20
U.S. wireless carrier will only reach 80 percent by the end of this year=20
and will need until the end of 2007 to reach the 95 percent goal. FCC=20
Commissioner Michael Copps, a Democrat, had urged that the approval of=20
Sprint's acquisition of Nextel be conditioned on the companies complying=20
with the deadline or coming up with a plan to do so. But no such condition=
=20
was attached.
[SOURCE: Reuters]
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=3DtechnologyNews&sto...
D=3D2005-09-29T214846Z_01_KRA978491_RTRUKOC_0_US-TELECOMS-SPRINTNEXTEL-911.=
xml&archived=3DFalse

BROADCASTING

HOUSE PANEL PLANNING VOTE ON DTV BILL IN MID-OCTOBER
A senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee said that the=20
committee would vote on digital television legislation during the week of=
=20
Oct. 17 =96 when Congress is scheduled to return from a Columbus Day recess=
.=20
Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), who chairs the Energy and Commerce panel=92s=20
Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee, also said that he and=20
Energy and Commerce Chairman Joe Barton (R-TX) would stick with a subsidy=
=20
of less than $1 billion for set-top converter boxes -- which are necessary=
=20
to allow viewers with analog televisions to receive digital signals over=20
the air. By comparison, committee Democrats have pushed for a more generous=
=20
subsidy plan in the range of $2.5 billion or above. Up until now, the=20
Republicans have tended to favor limiting the subsidy by imposing an income=
=20
test -- while Democrats have been skeptical of a means-testing approach.=20
But Rep Upton said that committee members were now gravitating toward a=20
subsidy scheme that does not include requirements that set-top box=20
subsidies be based on an individual=92s income -- or dependent on whether a=
=20
viewer is a subscriber to a cable or satellite system. Once the transition=
=20
to digital broadcasts takes place, cable or satellite subscribers would=20
still be able to receive programming on an analog set =96 even without a=20
converter box. Upton said the committee would likely favor a policy that=20
allows two "vouchers" per household for the purchase of a set-top box. In=
=20
an interview after a subcommittee hearing on communications issues related=
=20
to Hurricane Katrina, Upton also said that a requirement that cable=20
operators carry broadcasters' multiple digital channel streams -- so-called=
=20
multicasting -- "is not going to be part of the base [DTV] bill, and the=20
prospects for adding it as an amendment in the House are probably pretty di=
m."
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Drew Clark]
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-DASS1128031668669.html
* Stevens Sticking With 2009 Date
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6261512?display=3DBreaking+Ne...
referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

TV BROUHAHA IN IOWA
Every few weeks, 15 or so Cedar Rapids, Iowa, residents huddle at the=20
library to plot another attack on one of the country's biggest TV- station=
=20
owners. Iowans for Better Local TV is taking aim at the Sinclair Broadcast=
=20
Group, which operates 60 stations nationwide, including local CBS affiliate=
=20
KGAN. Frustrated by what the group says is inadequate local-news and=20
community involvement, they are noisily pressuring Sinclair. =93We want to=
=20
put Iowa values back into the product,=94 says Arron Wings, one of the=20
group's founders. =93We want [the] local aspect back in their news and more=
=20
connection to the local community.=94 Iowans for Better Local TV (ILBTV) is=
=20
circulating petitions and explaining their position to the media, and even=
=20
considering filing a petition with the FCC to deny KGAN's license renewal.=
=20
And when FCC commissioners Michael J. Copps and Jonathan Adelstein visit=20
Iowa City for a town-hall meeting on the future of media on Oct. 5, IBLTV=
=20
members plan to further vent their frustrations.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Allison Romano ]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=3Darticle&articleid=3D...
260447&display=3DNews&referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

GINGRICH-IZING PUBLIC BROADCASTING
On September 26, the board of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting=20
elected its new chairperson and vice-chairperson, and the eight-member=20
board--which contains only two Democrats--selected two conservative=20
Republican funders for these posts. Cheryl Halpern will succeed the=20
embattled liberal-hunter Kenneth Tomlinson as chair. Gay Hart Gaines will=
=20
be vice-chair. The board chose Gaines over an independent. As press=20
accounts have noted, Gaines, who was first appointed by George W. Bush to=
=20
the CPB board in 2003, is an interior decorator by training. But she and=20
her husband have contributed at least half a million dollars to GOP causes=
=20
since 1998. Notably, Gaines was a charter member and chairman of GOPAC, a=
=20
political action committee headed in the 1980s and 1990s by Newt Gingrich.=
=20
During that period, GOPAC attracted much attention for dodgy practices=20
(which drew a Federal Elections Commission investigation) and for its harsh=
=20
partisan practices. So now it's an appropriate time to revisit one of=20
GOPAC's most notorious actions.
[SOURCE: The Nation, AUTHOR: David of the Corn]
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/capitalgames?bid=3D3&pid=3D24751

SUBWAY BUYS ROLE ON 'WILL & GRACE'
In the latest sign that product placement is finding its way into some of=
=20
TV's most valuable shows, Subway Restaurants, owned by Doctor's Associates,=
=20
launched a new sandwich last night by having it written into the story line=
=20
of NBC's "Will & Grace." In the episode, Karen's maid, Rosario, talks about=
=20
Subway's chicken parmigiana sandwich. Subway says it worked with its=20
media-buying firm, WPP Group's MediaCom, and General Electric's NBC on an=
=20
ad package that involved both the product placement and a 30-second=20
commercial to run during the episode. "Product placement helps us connect=
=20
with our consumer and it puts our products in a more tangible scenario.=20
That can't often be done in commercials," says Ted Wirth, creative-services=
=20
manager for Subway.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: ]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB112804515856256466,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
us_marketplace
(requires subscription)

INTERNET/BROADBAND

US REFUSES TO RELINQUISH CONTROL OF NET
The United States will not cede control of the computers that direct=20
traffic on the Internet to the United Nations, the State Department's=20
coordinator for international communications and information policy told=20
diplomats in Geneva on Thursday. Ambassador David Gross said the issue of=
=20
who controls the Internet has become contentious because some countries say=
=20
that no single nation should be the ultimate authority over such a vital=20
part of the global economy. The United States has been the principal=20
overseer of the Internet since it was invented as a Defense Department=20
project. Some countries have been discussing a proposal that would take=20
control of domain names from the U.S.-based Internet Corporation for=20
Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, and place it with an=20
intergovernmental group, possibly under the United Nations. Gross said the=
=20
United States is =93deeply disappointed=94 with a European Union proposal=
=20
advocating a =93new cooperation model=94 that would involve governments in=
=20
restructuring the Internet. =93There are certain things we can agree to and=
=20
certain things we can't agree to,=94 he said. =93It's not a negotiating iss=
ue.=20
This is a matter of national policy.=94
[SOURCE: USAToday]
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20050930/a_capcol30.art.htm

SOME STATES PUSH TO COLLECT SALES TAX FROM INTERNET STORES
For years, states and online retailers have bickered over whether the=20
retailers should -- and, if so, could -- collect local and state sales=20
taxes on purchases made over the Internet. The states have said they should=
=20
and could. The retailers have argued that the complexity of different tax=
=20
rates and categories among states and localities made it very difficult to=
=20
do so. Hoping to put an end to that argument, 18 states tomorrow will=20
implement a long-planned move to remove obstacles that the retailers have=
=20
cited. Architects of the Streamlined Sales Tax Project are devising a=20
computer program that tracks the tax rates of the 18 states and their=20
localities and automatically adds that rate to the bill of every online=20
purchase. The states will also entice online retailers to collect state and=
=20
local sales taxes by offering amnesty on taxes the retailers haven't=20
collected in the years since the Internet retail boom began. The states=20
that have signed on are Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan,=20
Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma,=20
South Dakota and West Virginia. Five more -- Arkansas, Ohio, Tennessee,=20
Utah and Wyoming -- are in the process of finalizing the requirements=20
needed to join, while Washington, Texas and Nevada are in earlier stages.=
=20
Consumers won't immediately feel the impact of the Streamlined Sales Tax=20
Project. Retailers have a year to sign up for the amnesty and agree to=20
begin collecting state and local taxes.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Robert Guy Matthews=20
robertguy.matthews( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB112804300283656392,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
us_marketplace
(requires subscription)

AIRLINES, WIRELESS INDUSTRY FIGHT AIRPORTS OVER WI-FI
There's a growing fight between airport authorities and the wireless and=20
airline industries. The FCC is considering comments concerning the=20
Massachusetts Port Authority=92s (Massport) demand for an airline antenna=
=92s=20
removal from an airport. Continental Airline is challenging the move and=20
asking the FCC to declare the it illegal. Continental last year installed a=
=20
fixed wireless antenna to provide free Wi-Fi service to customers and=20
employees in its Presidents Club frequent flyer lounge at Boston-Logan=20
International Airport. But Massport demanded that the airline remove the=20
antenna, saying its installation was prohibited by Continental=92s lease wi=
th=20
the agency. Continental contends any lease restrictions are preempted by=20
the Over-the-Air Reception Devices ("OTARD" to you and me) rules, but=20
Massport claims its actions fall within the rules=92 central antenna and=20
safety exceptions. If Continental wants to provide Wi-Fi service to its=20
Club members, Massport said, it must use a central antenna installed by=20
Massport and maintained by a 3rd-party vendor. Unlike Continental=92s,=20
Massport=92s Wi-Fi service is offered for a fee. Continental=92s supporters=
=20
urged the FCC to use its exclusive authority over radio frequency emissions=
=20
under the Communications Act to declare that federal law preempts airport=
=20
authorities from restricting airlines from installing wireless antennas for=
=20
fixed wireless service provision. They said Massport=92s actions would stal=
l=20
rapid deployment of innovative wireless technologies and eliminate consumer=
=20
choice of telecom providers. Denying Continental petition would thwart=20
competition among service providers, supporters said. Massport urged the=20
FCC to deny the Continental petition, because: 1) =93Massport=92s installat=
ion=20
of a central Wi-Fi antenna and its restriction on individual ones =93does n=
ot=20
constitute an impairment under the OTARD rules;=94 2) Massport has=20
=93legitimate safety reasons for not allowing Continental to operate an=20
individual Wi-Fi antenna;=94 and 3) The OTARD rules don't apply to=20
Continental=92s antenna.
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Susan Polyakova]
(Not available online)

CHANGES IN THE AIR
[Commentary] Finally, the network really is the computer. The real game=20
changer is broadband. More than any development since the late 1990s, the=
=20
proliferation of inexpensive high-speed Internet connections represents a=
=20
profound structural shift in the computer business. Among other things, it=
=20
promises to usher in an era in which network access becomes the equivalent=
=20
of a global utility. Truth be told, the broadband rollout in this country=
=20
has proceeded at a snail's pace. While nations like South Korea and Japan=
=20
surged ahead, the U.S. dithered. The good news is that America's high-tech=
=20
industry has hurdled most of the bureaucratic obstacles put in its way by a=
=20
distracted federal government. When this build-out reaches a tipping point,=
=20
what happens then? That remains an open debate, but one point already is=20
beyond contestation: Most of the important software development work being=
=20
done these days is almost exclusively focused around the network and=20
network services.
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Charles Cooper]
http://beta.news.com.com/Change+is+in+the+air/2010-1071_3-5885975.html?tag=
=3Dnefd.lede

QUICKLY

FCC ALLOCATES MORE SPECTRUM FOR AWS
The FCC said it reallocated the 2155-2160 MHz band for fixed and mobile=20
services and designated the 2155-2175 MHz band for advanced wireless=20
service (AWS) use. The new AWS spectrum comes in addition to the=20
frequencies already allocated at 1710-1755 MHz/2110-2155 MHz and 2020-2025=
=20
MHz/2175-2180 MHz. The FCC also launched a rulemaking on BRS channels 1 and=
=20
2 relocation.
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Susan Polyakova]
(Not available online)

EMMIS AGREES TO SELL 4 TV STATIONS
Emmis agreed to sell four television stations for $259 million to=20
affiliates of private-equity firm Blackstone Group and SJL Broadcast Group,=
=20
a Montecito, Calif., owner and operator of television stations. The sales=
=20
are part of the Indianapolis media company's plan to sell some or all of=20
its 16 television stations to pay down debt and possibly buy radio=20
stations. Last month, Emmis agreed to sell nine television stations for=20
$681 million. In the latest transaction, the company agreed to sell=20
stations in Honolulu, Portland, Ore., Wichita, Kan., and Topeka, Kan.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB112803943042256274,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
us_marketplace
(requires subscription)

RIGHT-WING MEDIA GETS DESPERATE
[Commentary] Business is booming at Air America; so Limbaugh and O' Reilly=
=20
have started spreading lies about the network's looming bellyflop.
[SOURCE: AlterNet, AUTHOR: Danny Goldberg, HuffingtonPost.com]
http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/26178/

MUSIC FIRMS LAUNCH CANADA COPYRIGHT LOBBYING DRIVE
Canadian record companies plan intense lobbying ahead of parliamentary=20
hearings this fall into new Copyright Act legislation, which they argue=20
should prevent file-swapping on the Internet.
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Susan Taylor]
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=3DinternetNews&storyID=
=3D2005-09-29T184228Z_01_EIC967299_RTRUKOC_0_US-MEDIA-CANADA-COPYRIGHT.xml

CANADIAN REGULATORS MOVE ON BROADBAND OVER POWER LINE
Broadband over power line (BPL) proceedings just begun by Industry Canada=
=20
likely will produce technical standards on par with the FCC=92s, giving the=
=20
utility industry a much-needed spur to embrace BPL, utility executives=20
said. But, since Canada=92s broadband penetration is 3 times that in the=20
U.S., some officials and analysts voice doubt about BPL=92s potential to=20
become the 3rd broadband platform or even the one serving rural areas.
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Dinesh Kumar]
(Not available online)

IN BOGOTA, VOX POP IN A BOX
Anyone can step up to a kiosk in Colombia's capital and record a message on=
=20
any subject to be aired on TV. The weekly show, "Citycapsula," is a big=20
hit. The show's inspiration came from a sister channel in Toronto, home to=
=20
"Speakers Corner," a program named after the famous spot in London's Hyde=
=20
Park where people station themselves and declaim on any subject under the s=
un.
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Henry Chu]
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-fg-citytv30sep30,1,723...
2.story?coll=3Dla-headlines-frontpage
(requires registration)

VIACOM ACQUIRES 70% OF CHINESE AD GROUP
Viacom has taken a 70 per cent stake in Magic Media, an outdoor advertising=
=20
company in Beijing, as it seeks to tap into the fast-growing Chinese=20
advertising market. The deal, which includes an option to acquire the=20
remaining 30 per cent of Magic after five years, was struck by Viacom=92s=
=20
outdoor advertising division.
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR:Joshua Chaffin]
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/3bf90c4c-312e-11da-ac1b-00000e2511c8.html
(requires subscription)

COMPUTER GAMES HELP TRAIN KIDS TO PAY ATTENTION
In what is believed to be the first real evidence to support what is=20
becoming a growing field of inquiry, the use of special computer games to=
=20
"train" their brains improved the ability of healthy children to pay=20
attention during scientific trials, researchers reported this week. Their=
=20
research has important implications for schools, which are charged with=20
educating an increasing number of students with attention disorders. It's=
=20
not clear just how much the games helped, other specialists cautioned. But=
=20
with booming interest in developing therapies for attention problems, the=
=20
research sheds light on how a normal youngster's brain pays attention in=20
the first place.
[SOURCE: eSchool News]
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryts.cfm?ArticleID=3D5895
--------------------------------------------------------------
Communications-related Headlines is a free online news summary service=20
provided by the Benton Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted Monday through=
=20
Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments,=
=20
policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are=20
factually accurate, their often informal tone does not always represent the=
=20
tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang=20
(headlines( at )benton.org) -- we welcome your comments.
--------------------------------------------------------------