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  2. September 2005

September 2005

Multicast Aligns Cable, Consumer Groups

In the early 1990s, consumer groups urged Congress to force cable systems to carry every TV station in the country. Despite a White House veto, "must-carry" became the law of land. Consumer lobbyist Gene Kimmelman worked hand in glove with the National Association of Broadcasters to pass the Cable Act of 1992. But in NAB's latest must-carry fight, Kimmelman is supporting cable, refusing to let nostalgia fog his quest for tactical advantage on Capitol Hill. Kimmelman, policy director for Consumers Union, thinks cable has the better side of the argument. Sharing his view are Jeff Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, and Mark Cooper, research director of the Consumer Federation of America. "It's baffling to us why Gene Kimmelman and Jeff Chester are siding with the giant cable cartels and against more local program choice for their constituents," NAB spokesman Dennis Wharton said. Far from being inconsistent, Kimmelman said he looks at each issue individually and decides what's best for consumers, forming alliances that can produce results instead of frustration. "I'm not out to stun the world. I follow what I hope is a very consistent logic that doesn't necessarily fit with the conventional wisdoms of where the consumer people automatically are. At least, I feel I'm being consistent," Kimmelman said in a recent interview. Congress is expected to intervene this fall in connection with legislation ending broadcasters' transition to DTV. Because key lawmakers are as divided as the NAB and the National Cable & Telecommunications Association on multicast must-carry, it wouldn't be a shock to learn that the buck had been passed to the Federal Communications Commission. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin supports multicast must-carry. The consumer groups oppose multicast must-carry because they see it driving up rates for basic cable, the tier all subscribers must buy and where local TV signals must reside. Must-buy and multicast must-carry are not a recipe for stable cable rates, the consumer groups argue. The NAB claims that without multicast must-carry, local stations won't experiment with new digital services because the 15% of TV households that do not subscribe to cable or satellite is too small of an economic base for financing new and innovative programming. Without multicast must-carry, all viewers would lose the opportunity to access more news, sports and weather reports in addition to community affairs and Spanish programming, according to NAB. The public-service programming that TV stations are promising with multicasting, Kimmelman said, should already be airing on their primary analog service today -- which, he said, explains why he could justify supporting must-carry in 1992 but not multicast must-carry in 2005.
(requires subscription)

Groups Respond to New Telecommunications Bill

A coalition of media reform, consumer and public interest groups -- representing millions of Americans across the country -- issued the following statement in response to a draft telecommunications bill circulated by the House on Thursday:
The introduction of a House discussion draft of a telecommunications reform bill should be the first step in an open and transparent legislative process that involves the public in meaningful ways.
Telecommunications policy affects every American family in ways that determine their access to information, how much they pay for it, and even the quality and diversity of that information.
The undersigned groups, representing millions of Americans throughout the country, believe that Congress must hold public hearings throughout the U.S. and seriously listen to the needs and priorities of citizens.
Telecommunications legislation has for too long been negotiated behind closed doors with key industry heavyweights and major media conglomerates, which spend hundreds of millions of dollars on campaign contributions and lobbying in Washington.
The last major telecommunications bill enacted in 1996 largely reflected their priorities, and did not respond to the needs of the public. Since then, cable rates surged by more than 50 percent, local phone rates went up by 20 percent, and scores of media companies merged, denying consumers choice and competition, and depriving our democracy of diverse viewpoints. These mistakes should not be repeated. (See the Common Cause report at http://www.commoncause.org/atf/cf/%7bFB3C17E2-CDD1-4DF6-92BE-BD442989366... )
As it begins consideration of telecommunications reform legislation, Congress should make telecommunications policy based on a number of core values:
Equal access, regardless of race, income, ethnicity or location, to affordable, advanced telecommunications technologies;
The importance of ensuring that franchising agreements protect consumers, extend the benefits of competition to underserved communities, provide adequate compensation to local governments for use of public resources, provide for public access media, and flexibly address community needs;
The right of local governments to use broadband technology to serve their residents, particularly those with low incomes or in rural areas;
Enforceable guarantees that network owners will not interfere with content transmitted over the network or discriminate against any device, application or program run on the network;
Enforceable guarantees that unaffiliated, independent video programmers will have access to video platforms;
Locally owned, independent media outlets that provide a diversity of viewpoints;
Expanded allocation of valuable public airwaves for shared, open use by local communities, commercial innovators and individual citizens.
In the coming days and weeks, we will be pressing Congress on all these and related issues. The public can no longer be ignored in this crucial policy debate.
Action Coalition for Media Education (ACME)
Alliance for Community Media
Benton Foundation
CCTV Center for Media and Democracy
Center for Creative Voices in Media
Center for Digital Democracy
Chicago Media Action
Citizens for Independent Public Broadcasting
Common Cause
Consumer Federation of America
Consumers Union
Free Press
Future of Music Coalition
Media Access Project
Media Alliance
Media Tank
National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors
National Hispanic Media Coalition
New America Foundation
Office of Communication of the United Church of Christ, Inc
Reclaim the Media
U.S. Public Interest Research Group

Telecom Reform Legislation

The House draft telecom reform bill's "broad scope" "suggests final passage before the 2006 elections remains an uphill battle," Stanford Washington Research Group said. Because it seems to have support on both sides of the aisle, the bill is a "credible framework for how the final legislation may look," Stanford said. However, complications exist: 1) Provisions on how IP voice, video and data services are regulated could trigger involvement by others in the House such as the Judiciary Committee; 2) Senate Commerce Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) hasn't said what he plans to do on telecom reform; and 3) "Katrina legislation and the budget reconciliation process will complicate movement of telecom bills in the near term." A coalition of consumer and public interest groups said Congress should hold hearings on telecom reform. "Telecommunications legislation has for too long been negotiated behind closed doors," said the 20-group coalition, which includes Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, Free Press, Media Access Project and Common Cause. Introduction of the draft bill "should be the first step in an open and transparent legislative process that involves the public in meaningful ways," they said. [see Groups Respond to New Telecommunications Bill]
(Not available online)

Access Alerts: Making Emergency Information Accessible to People with Disabilities

The WGBH National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM), a division of Boston's public broadcaster WGBH, is uniting emergency alert providers, local information resources, telecommunications industry and public broadcasting representatives, and consumers in a collaborative effort to research and disseminate approaches to make emergency warnings accessible. This three-year project is funded by the Department of Commerce's Technology Opportunities Program (TOP). This project is addressing a most urgent need - to develop and encourage adoption of standardized methods, systems and services to identify, filter and present content in ways that are meaningful to people with disabilities leading up to, during and after emergencies. People who are deaf or hard of hearing and who rely on captioned television news alerts are often left out when emergency broadcasts are not, in fact, captioned. And people who are blind or have low vision watch television to stay informed, but are at a loss when on-screen graphics or text crawls are used to convey information. The use of wireless systems-- the Web, cell phones and other personal devices-- promise greater freedom, independence and even safety when traditional electronic media fails or service is interrupted, but these technologies hit the market with access barriers which present new challenges as well. The Access Alerts project will identify the gaps that exist between alert systems that deliver information, and the unrealized potential of these systems to serve the entire population. Project activities, overseen by project director Marcia Brooks, include: 1) a needs and resource assessment, with diverse consumers and within the public warning community; 2) development of an information model that provides recommended accessibility extensions to emergency system protocols, technologies and services for wired, wireless , DTV- and IP-based delivery; and 3) end-user testing that will identify key usability factors that must be addressed to serve people with disabilities, including cross platform and cross-environment issues.

Hurricane Katrina Whips Up Spectrum Storm in D.C.

Hearst-Argyle Television senior vp for news Fred Young has a message for the rising chorus of officials telling TV broadcasters to move, and soon, off the spectrum they've used for decades: Look at the example of WDSU in New Orleans, and think about whether it's smart to take away TV signals that are a lifeline for many people. Beginning two days before Hurricane Katrina laid waste to the city, the Hearst-Argyle NBC affiliate preempted all normal programming with bulletins about the approaching storm and how to survive it. "There were no car races, there were no sitcoms, no movies, no golf-nothing associated with television in the traditional sense," Young told federal regulators on Sept. 15. Even after rising waters knocked WDSU off the air, staff fed a Web site that garnered 25 million page hits over several days. "The role that we play may not be fully understood by those who advocate premature return of the analog spectrum," Young said.

Benton's Communications-related Headlines For Monday September 19, 2005

The policy agenda heats up this week with 1) a Senate hearing on=20
Communications in a Disaster, 2) NATOA meeting in DC, 3) a discussion on=20
broadband reform and 4) the annual meeting on telecommunications policy=20
research. For these and other upcoming media policy events, see=20
http://www.benton.org/calendar.htm

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
More Horrible Than Truth: News Reports
Wiped Off the Map, and Belatedly Put Back on It
Hurricane Katrina Whips Up Spectrum Storm in D.C.
Access Alerts: Making Emergency Information Accessible to
People with Disabilities
One Station Stayed on the Air
'Radio Slidell' to Offer Recovery Information

LEGISLATION
Telecom Reform Legislation
Groups Respond to New Telecommunications Bill
Multicast Aligns Cable, Consumer Groups

BROADCASTING/CABLE
Right-of-Way and PEG Control
Cable Won't Pay Cash for Carriage, Despite Viacom Demands
Franchise Transfers Go Slowly
The Link Between Big Media and Indecency
Let the Sunshine In
Murdoch=92s Station Break
Empty Screens

TELECOM
Survey Slams Telecom Mega-Mergers
Canadian Telecom Rivals Seal Broadband Venture
FCC Grants west Forbearance Relief in Omaha

QUICKLY -- Internet Ads and Lobbying; NewsBreakers; CPB Board of Directors=
=20
Meeting; TV Networks Pursue the 'Super Fan'; Spammers Hack Away at PCs;=20
Actors Guild to Elect New Leader; Making Waves in China; Murdoch says China=
=20
=91paranoid=92 about foreign media; New Papers from CIMA

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS

MORE HORRIBLE THAN TRUTH: NEWS REPORTS
Disaster has a way of bringing out the best and the worst instincts in the=
=20
news media. It is a grand thing that during the most terrible days of=20
Hurricane Katrina, many reporters found their gag reflex and stopped=20
swallowing pat excuses from public officials. But the media's willingness=
=20
to report thinly attributed rumors may also have contributed to a kind of=
=20
cultural wreckage that will not clean up easily. First, anyone with any=20
knowledge of the events in New Orleans knows that terrible things with=20
non-natural causes occurred: there were assaults, shots fired at a rescue=
=20
helicopter and, given the state of the city's police department, many other=
=20
crimes that probably went unreported. But many instances in the lurid=20
libretto of widespread murder, carjacking, rape, and assaults that filled=
=20
the airwaves and newspapers have yet to be established or proved, as far as=
=20
anyone can determine. And many of the urban legends that sprang up - the=20
systematic rape of children, the slitting of a 7-year-old's throat - so far=
=20
seem to be just that. The fact that some of these rumors were repeated by=
=20
overwhelmed local officials does not completely get the news media off the=
=20
hook. A survey of news reports in the LexisNexis database shows that on=20
Sept. 1, the news media's narrative of the hurricane shifted, led by Fox=20
News anchor John Gibson, MSNBC's Tucker Carlson and Fox's Greta Van Sustere=
n.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: David Carr]
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/19/business/media/19carr.html?pagewanted=...
ll
(requires registration)

WIPED OFF THE MAP, AND BELATEDLY PUT BACK ON IT
"Katrina Pushes Issues of Race and Poverty at a Media Establishment That=20
Has Largely Ignored Them." Apparently, mass media outlets were unaware,=20
before Hurricane Katrina hit, that there were poor people living in New=20
Orleans. A database search of The Post for the past decade found one story=
=20
that prominently mentioned the poor of New Orleans: a 2002 piece on a=20
campaign to boost the minimum wage that cited the city's "40 percent=20
poverty level." Far more typical of the Mardi Gras media was a 1995 Post=20
story on how "the city's black neighborhoods come alive" with Sunday=20
parades in the fall. New York Times ombudsman Byron Calame found a similar=
=20
record at his newspaper, unearthing only two articles about New Orleans in=
=20
10 years that "contained a few paragraphs on poverty and race." The=20
mounting problems of the urban poor, from unemployment to high infant=20
mortality to family dysfunction, were long ago reduced to a blip on the=20
media radar screen. Politicians rarely talked about them. Newspapers and=20
magazines, meanwhile, have been chasing suburban readers who appeal to=20
upscale advertisers. The poor, whether in New Orleans or Newark, were,=20
well, very '60s. Covering the 37 million people who live below the poverty=
=20
line -- the percentage has increased for four straight years -- is not as=
=20
easy as, say, covering advocates who claim to speak on their behalf. Many=
=20
of the poor are wary of intrusive journalists, don't carry cell phones and=
=20
don't speak in snappy sound bites. The same goes for race: It is far easier=
=20
to write about the politics of race -- President Bush appointing the first=
=20
two black secretaries of state, or refusing to speak to the NAACP -- than=
=20
to probe the impact of federal policies on the lives of minorities. And the=
=20
problems of generations of low-income broken families who seem unable to=20
escape the cycle of poverty can be depressing fare.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Howard Kurtz]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/18/AR200509...
1265.html
(requires registration)
See also:
* =91Blair shocked=92 over BBC Katrina coverage
Tony Blair was shocked by the BBC's coverage of Hurricane Katrina's=20
devastation of New Orleans, describing it as =93full of hatred of America=
=94 in=20
a conversation made public by Rupert Murdoch Friday.
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Joshua Chaffin and Aline van Duyn]
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/933f0642-270a-11da-b6fe-00000e2511c8.html
(requires subscription)

HURRICANE KATRINA WHIPS UP SPECTRUM STORM IN DC
Hearst-Argyle Television senior vp for news Fred Young has a message for=20
the rising chorus of officials telling TV broadcasters to move, and soon,=
=20
off the spectrum they've used for decades: Look at the example of WDSU in=
=20
New Orleans, and think about whether it=92s smart to take away TV signals=
=20
that are a lifeline for many people. Beginning two days before Hurricane=20
Katrina laid waste to the city, the Hearst-Argyle NBC affiliate preempted=
=20
all normal programming with bulletins about the approaching storm and how=
=20
to survive it. =93There were no car races, there were no sitcoms, no movies=
,=20
no golf=97nothing associated with television in the traditional sense,=94 Y=
oung=20
told federal regulators on Sept. 15. Even after rising waters knocked WDSU=
=20
off the air, staff fed a Web site that garnered 25 million page hits over=
=20
several days. =93The role that we play may not be fully understood by those=
=20
who advocate premature return of the analog spectrum,=94 Young said.
[SOURCE: MediaWeek, AUTHOR: Todd Shields]
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=3D100...
8525

ACCESS ALERTS: MAKING EMERGENCY INFORMATION ACCESSIBLE TO PEOPLE WITH=20
DISABILITIES
The WGBH National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM), a division of=20
Boston's public broadcaster WGBH, is uniting emergency alert providers,=20
local information resources, telecommunications industry and public=20
broadcasting representatives, and consumers in a collaborative effort to=20
research and disseminate approaches to make emergency warnings accessible.=
=20
This three-year project is funded by the Department of Commerce's=20
Technology Opportunities Program (TOP). This project is addressing a most=
=20
urgent need=97 to develop and encourage adoption of standardized methods,=
=20
systems and services to identify, filter and present content in ways that=
=20
are meaningful to people with disabilities leading up to, during and after=
=20
emergencies. People who are deaf or hard of hearing and who rely on=20
captioned television news alerts are often left out when emergency=20
broadcasts are not, in fact, captioned. And people who are blind or have=
=20
low vision watch television to stay informed, but are at a loss when=20
on-screen graphics or text crawls are used to convey information. The use=
=20
of wireless systems-- the Web, cell phones and other personal devices--=20
promise greater freedom, independence and even safety when traditional=20
electronic media fails or service is interrupted, but these technologies=20
hit the market with access barriers which present new challenges as well.=
=20
The Access Alerts project will identify the gaps that exist between alert=
=20
systems that deliver information, and the unrealized potential of these=20
systems to serve the entire population. Project activities, overseen by=20
project director Marcia Brooks, include: 1) a needs and resource=20
assessment, with diverse consumers and within the public warning community;=
=20
2) development of an information model that provides recommended=20
accessibility extensions to emergency system protocols, technologies and=20
services for wired, wireless , DTV- and IP-based delivery; and 3) end-user=
=20
testing that will identify key usability factors that must be addressed to=
=20
serve people with disabilities, including cross platform and=20
cross-environment issues.
[SOURCE: Mary Watkins, Media Access Group at WGBH]
http://access.wgbh.org

ONE STATION STAYED ON THE AIR
How WWL New Orleans staffers kept broadcasting throughout Katrina. WWL's=20
ability to keep broadcasting was the result of preparations that began five=
=20
years ago with the construction of a multimillion-dollar transmitter=20
designed to withstand a major hurricane. The bunker-like base stands 15=20
feet above ground on concrete pilings, and the 1,020-foot tower is designed=
=20
to resist winds up to about 140 miles per hour. A small foyer can serve as=
=20
an emergency studio, powered by a massive generator drawing on 10,000=20
gallons of fuel. The facility has Internet access and even a shower.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Allison Romano]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6257813.html?display=3DNews&r...
rral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

'RADIO SLIDELL' TO OFFER RECOVERY INFORMATION
Radio Slidell -- a joint effort of the city, chamber and others -- hopes to=
=20
be broadcasting up-to-date information on Hurricane Katrina recovery=20
operations, rebuilding, business reopenings, loan and assistance aid, and=
=20
interviews with city and other officials. A Marine Corps sound engineer=20
temporarily stationed in Slidell during the storm aftermath and others will=
=20
help get the station broadcasting facilities ready for a Monday sign-on.
[SOURCE: New Orleans Times-Picayune, AUTHOR: Paul Bartels]
http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/...
hives/2005_09_19.html

LEGISLATION

TELECOM REFORM LEGISLATION
The House draft telecom reform bill=92s =93broad scope=94 (CD Sept 16 p1)=
=20
=93suggests final passage before the 2006 elections remains an uphill=20
battle,=94 Stanford Washington Research Group said. Because it seems to hav=
e=20
support on both sides of the aisle, the bill is a =93credible framework for=
=20
how the final legislation may look,=94 Stanford said. However, complication=
s=20
exist: 1) Provisions on how IP voice, video and data services are regulated=
=20
could trigger involvement by others in the House such as the Judiciary=20
Committee; 2) Senate Commerce Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) hasn't said=
=20
what he plans to do on telecom reform; and 3) =93Katrina legislation and th=
e=20
budget reconciliation process will complicate movement of telecom bills in=
=20
the near term.=94 A coalition of consumer and public interest groups said=
=20
Congress should hold hearings on telecom reform. =93Telecommunications=20
legislation has for too long been negotiated behind closed doors,=94 said t=
he=20
20-group coalition, which includes Consumer Federation of America,=20
Consumers Union, Free Press, Media Access Project and Common Cause.=20
Introduction of the draft bill =93should be the first step in an open and=
=20
transparent legislative process that involves the public in meaningful=20
ways,=94 they said. [see more below]
[SOURCE: Communications Daily]
(Not available online)

GROUPS RESPOND TO NEW TELECOMMUNICATIONS BILL
A coalition of media reform, consumer and public interest groups (including=
=20
the Benton Foundation -- representing millions of Americans across the=20
country -- issued the following statement in response to a draft=20
telecommunications bill circulated by the House on Thursday:
The introduction of a House discussion draft of a telecommunications reform=
=20
bill should be the first step in an open and transparent legislative=20
process that involves the public in meaningful ways. Telecommunications=20
policy affects every American family in ways that determine their access to=
=20
information, how much they pay for it, and even the quality and diversity=
=20
of that information. The undersigned groups, representing millions of=20
Americans throughout the country, believe that Congress must hold public=20
hearings throughout the U.S. and seriously listen to the needs and=20
priorities of citizens. Telecommunications legislation has for too long=20
been negotiated behind closed doors with key industry heavyweights and=20
major media conglomerates, which spend hundreds of millions of dollars on=
=20
campaign contributions and lobbying in Washington. The last major=20
telecommunications bill enacted in 1996 largely reflected their priorities,=
=20
and did not respond to the needs of the public. Since then, cable rates=20
surged by more than 50 percent, local phone rates went up by 20 percent,=20
and scores of media companies merged, denying consumers choice and=20
competition, and depriving our democracy of diverse viewpoints. These=20
mistakes should not be repeated.
[SOURCE: Free Press press release]
http://www.freepress.net/press/release.php?id=3D92

MULTICAST ALIGNS CABLE, CONSUMER GROUPS
In the early 1990s, consumer groups urged Congress to force cable systems=
=20
to carry every TV station in the country. Despite a White House veto,=20
=93must-carry=94 became the law of land. Consumer lobbyist Gene Kimmelman=
=20
worked hand in glove with the National Association of Broadcasters to pass=
=20
the Cable Act of 1992. But in NAB's latest must-carry fight, Kimmelman is=
=20
supporting cable, refusing to let nostalgia fog his quest for tactical=20
advantage on Capitol Hill. Kimmelman, policy director for Consumers Union,=
=20
thinks cable has the better side of the argument. Sharing his view are Jeff=
=20
Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, and Mark=
=20
Cooper, research director of the Consumer Federation of America. =93It's=20
baffling to us why Gene Kimmelman and Jeff Chester are siding with the=20
giant cable cartels and against more local program choice for their=20
constituents,=94 NAB spokesman Dennis Wharton said. Far from being=20
inconsistent, Kimmelman said he looks at each issue individually and=20
decides what's best for consumers, forming alliances that can produce=20
results instead of frustration. =93I'm not out to stun the world. I follow=
=20
what I hope is a very consistent logic that doesn't necessarily fit with=20
the conventional wisdoms of where the consumer people automatically are. At=
=20
least, I feel I'm being consistent,=94 Kimmelman said in a recent interview=
.=20
Congress is expected to intervene this fall in connection with legislation=
=20
ending broadcasters' transition to DTV. Because key lawmakers are as=20
divided as the NAB and the National Cable & Telecommunications Association=
=20
on multicast must-carry, it wouldn't be a shock to learn that the buck had=
=20
been passed to the Federal Communications Commission. FCC Chairman Kevin=20
Martin supports multicast must-carry. The consumer groups oppose multicast=
=20
must-carry because they see it driving up rates for basic cable, the tier=
=20
all subscribers must buy and where local TV signals must reside. Must-buy=
=20
and multicast must-carry are not a recipe for stable cable rates, the=20
consumer groups argue. The NAB claims that without multicast must-carry,=20
local stations won't experiment with new digital services because the 15%=
=20
of TV households that do not subscribe to cable or satellite is too small=
=20
of an economic base for financing new and innovative programming. Without=
=20
multicast must-carry, all viewers would lose the opportunity to access more=
=20
news, sports and weather reports in addition to community affairs and=20
Spanish programming, according to NAB. The public-service programming that=
=20
TV stations are promising with multicasting, Kimmelman said, should already=
=20
be airing on their primary analog service today -- which, he said, explains=
=20
why he could justify supporting must-carry in 1992 but not multicast=20
must-carry in 2005.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6257800.html?display=3DPolicy
(requires subscription)

BROADCASTING/CABLE

RIGHT-OF-WAY AND PEG CONTROL
Local telecom regulators converge in Washington this week for the annual=20
National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors conference=
=20
amid challenges to their power as the Bells push for national video=20
franchising. A number of bills before Congress this session would crop the=
=20
authority of local regulators, but NATOA leaders say such measures have=20
sprung up before. NATOA President Coralie Wilson said change in the=20
regulatory landscape is inevitable, but called it a =93cheap shot=94 to say=
=20
cities are the stumbling block to deployment of advanced services.=20
Concerning rights of way she reminded, =93One of the things that people=20
forget is the public rights of way are in my front yard. You can't have the=
=20
FCC or the state Public Utilities Commission managing it.=94 Congress shoul=
d=20
recognize that as new services roll out technical and consumer issues will=
=20
persist: =93Who do these folks call if they have a billing problem? Is the=
=20
FCC going to take these phone calls? I don't think so.=94 Local governments=
=20
want Congress to give such issues serious consideration before passing=20
laws, she said. Public, educational and government (PEG) access channels=20
have been a key tool for local governments, said Wilson, and they are under=
=20
threat. SBC and Verizon have been pushing at the state level to eliminate=
=20
not only local franchising but also support for PEG, she said. =93They appe=
ar=20
to be pursuing that goal at the federal level=94 as well, she said. =93I ho=
pe=20
that we will be able to impress upon leaders in Washington how important it=
=20
is to preserve PEG.=94
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Dinesh Kumar]
(Not available online)
For more info on the NATOA conference, see:
http://www.natoa.org/bottom_frameset.html?go=3Dconference

CABLE WON'T PAY CASH FOR CARRIAGE, DESPITE VIACOM DEMANDS
Les Moonves, be damned! So says cable execs in response to Viacom's call=20
for compensation for carrying CBS on cable systems. But cable sees little=
=20
incentive to pay broadcasters for programming. Ad-supported cable had a=20
54.6% household share during primetime hours in the 2004-2005 season, vs.=
=20
41.9% for broadcast networks, according to the Cable Ad Bureau. In the=20
1999-2000 season, those figures were almost reversed: Cable had a 40.8%=20
share vs. broadcast's 53.6%. Some operators are leaving the door open for=
=20
noncash compensation. "We're in negotiations now with multiple=20
broadcasters, and of course we're talking about other opportunities for=20
them," an Insight spokeswoman said. "But we have taken the position that we=
=20
must protect our customers, we are not going to pay, or ask them to pay,=20
for something that we get for free over the air." Comcast signed a=20
long-term carriage accord with Viacom at the end of 2003, and is still=20
covered under that deal. "We believe that we already adequately compensate=
=20
broadcasters for their signal in terms of preferred channel location,=20
advertising [and] other news channel deals," a Cox spokeswoman said.=20
"They're given that spectrum for free, so we feel that we are already=20
adequately compensating them for their signal."
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Jonathan Make]
(Not available online)

FRANCHISE TRANSFERS GO SLOWLY
Operators are experiencing delays in their attempts to transfer ownership=
=20
of Adelphia Communications Inc. systems to Time Warner Cable in California,=
=20
where regulators say they need more information before approving the=20
transactions. Local officials use the transfer process to resolve lingering=
=20
operating issues and Adelphia has a lot of baggage. For example: Fern=20
Taylor, chief of telecommunications franchising for Los Angeles County,=20
which has 13 sizable Adelphia franchises, said officials there want to=20
conclude negotiations over franchise-fee audits before approving a transfer=
=20
to another operator.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Linda Haugsted]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6257857.html?display=3DTop+Stories
(requires subscription)

THE LINK BETWEEN BIG MEDIA AND INDECENCY
[Commentary] Of all the indecency fines levied by the FCC in radio in the=
=20
years 2000-03, a full 96% were imposed against four of the nation=92s large=
st=20
radio-station ownership groups: Clear Channel, Viacom, Entercom and Emmis.=
=20
Yet those companies owned only 12% of the total radio stations, with a 48%=
=20
recent share of the national radio audience. In contrast, the 88% of the=20
nation=92s radio stations not owned by these four station groups, with a=20
combined national audience share of 51%, were responsible for just 4% of=20
FCC indecency violations. The data also show a repeated pattern: Following=
=20
the elimination of ownership limits in 1996, a local station would be sold=
=20
to a large station-ownership group, which then eliminated local content and=
=20
replaced it with an edgy/raunchy show that it produced in another market,=
=20
causing the station to receive an FCC indecency fine for the first time in=
=20
its history.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Jonathan Rintels, Center for Creative=
=20
Voices in Media]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6257848?display=3DOpinion&ref...
al=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

LET THE SUN SHINE IN
[Commentary] The Supreme Court will change radically in the coming year,=20
but in one important way, it may not. Unless Judge Roberts -- assuming he=
=20
is confirmed -- changes policy, citizens still will not know how this new=
=20
court deliberates on some of the most pivotal and impactful legal dilemmas=
=20
of the day. That=92s because the Supreme Court stubbornly refuses to open=
=20
itself to TV cameras. Yet the truly divisive issues in this nation --=20
religion, reproductive rights, gun laws, the rights of accused criminals --=
=20
all end up, in one way or another, affected by the high court. Maybe if=20
more Americans had access to the great arguments on all sides of those=20
issues, more of us would be tolerant of the viewpoints of others -- left,=
=20
right and center. Judge Roberts seems open to the idea of cameras in the=20
High Court and there's legislation pending in Congress that would allow=20
cameras in federal courts.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6257849?display=3DOpinion&ref...
al=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

MURDOCH'S STATION BREAK
News Corp. is considering the sale of all its smaller stations --=20
representing a quarter of its station portfolio -- for as much as $800=20
million. Such a deal would relieve News Corp. of assets that aren't crucial=
=20
to its high-margin, big-reach strategy, cut down on overhead, and simplify=
=20
its operations. The targets are all Fox O&Os outside the top 25 markets.=20
But =93small=94 by News Corp.=92s standards doesn't mean they=92re all smal=
l towns.=20
Included in the potential sale: Kansas City, Mo. (the 31st-largest TV=20
market), Milwaukee (No. 32) and Salt Lake City (36). A sale would shrink=20
Fox=92s station count from 35 to 27.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John M. Higgins]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6257847.html?display=3DNews&r...
rral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

EMPTY SCREENS
Video On Demand (VOD) -- long pursued as the killer application of cable=20
television -- is at a strange crossroads. Even as most TV executives agree=
=20
that a technology that frees viewers from the shackles of the schedule is a=
=20
sure-fire success, nobody can yet figure out how to make a dime off of it.=
=20
Even so, a fight has already broken out between content providers and=20
distributors, each fearful of setting bad financial precedents that they'll=
=20
suffer with for years. While programmers and cable operators bicker over=20
how the new service should be marketed, priced and sold, some worry that=20
the cable industry may be passing up a golden opportunity.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John M. Higgins]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6257810.html?display=3DCover+...
ry&referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

TELECOM

SURVEY SLAMS TELECOM MEGA-MERGERS
A recently released University of Connecticut survey says large corporate=
=20
enterprises believe the proposed $16 billion SBC Communications/AT&T and=20
the $8.5 billion Verizon Communications/MCI mergers will have a =93strong=
=20
negative impact=94 on pricing, innovation, quality of service and levels of=
=20
competition in the business telecom marketplace. UC=92s Center for Survey=
=20
Research and Analysis (CSRA) =AD commissioned by the Alliance for Competiti=
on=20
in Telecommunications (ACTel) that opposes the =93mega-mergers=94 =AD says =
it=20
interviewed 100 telecom managers random-sampled from Fortune 1000 companies=
=20
=93to candidly assess the attitudes of America's largest businesses on the=
=20
impact of the proposed mergers.=94 The CSRA survey, "Views of The Proposed=
=20
AT&T/SBC and MCI/Verizon Mergers: From the Perspective of Fortune 1000 AT&T=
=20
and MCI Customers," was conducted from July 21 to Aug. 22. Of the companies=
=20
interviewed, 79 percent were AT&T customers and 49 percent were MCI=20
customers. "The most damning aspect of the survey findings is that these=20
fears are expressed by AT&T's and MCI's own customers. This should be a=20
wakeup call for policymakers =AD the marketplace is not happy with these=20
mergers," says Heather Gold, senior vice president of government relations=
=20
at competitive carrier XO Communications (a leading member of ACTel).
[SOURCE:TeleComWeb]
http://www.telecomweb.com/news/1126725626.htm

CANADIAN TELECOM RIVALS SEAL BROADBAND VENTURE
Two arch-rivals in Canadian telecommunications -- Bell Canada, the=20
country's biggest phone company, and Rogers Communications, the number-one=
=20
cable operator -- have agreed to collaborate in setting up a national=20
wireless broadband network that aims to reach two-thirds of the country's=
=20
population within three years. the venture would use technology being=20
deployed in the US by Clearwire, a company set up last year by wireless=20
pioneer Craig McCaw. The two companies will continue to compete in=20
providing broadband wireless applications and services to end-users. They=
=20
will each have access to half of the network's transmission capacity.
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Bernard Simon]
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/d72c2a4c-2886-11da-97c7-00000e2511c8.html
(requires subscription)

FCC GRANTS QWEST FORBEARANCE RELIEF IN OMAHA
The Federal Communications Commission granted in part a petition for=20
forbearance filed by Qwest seeking relief from statutory and regulatory=20
obligations that apply to it as the incumbent telephone company in the=20
Omaha-Council Bluffs area. Because of the particular market=20
characteristics of the Omaha area, including the substantial infrastructure=
=20
investment made by Cox Communications in its competitive network, the=20
Commission has determined to relieve Qwest of certain legacy monopoly=20
regulations. Qwest no longer has to provide unbundled network elements to=
=20
competitors at government-set rates.
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
http://www.fcc.gov/QwestOmaha.doc

QUICKLY

FOR ACTIVIST CONSTITUENTS, CLICK HERE
Is Internet advertising the future of lobbying? Yes, because the gimmick=20
turns the greatest-ever tool of the masses -- the Internet -- into a gold=
=20
mine for factions that seek lots of people to contact members of Congress=
=20
on their behalf. When legislators hear from a bloc of constituents on a=20
subject, they tend to believe that support for it is widespread, even when=
=20
the communication is actually prompted (read: manufactured) by a=20
well-financed and narrowly focused lobby. The technique works this way: An=
=20
interest group that wants to gather home-grown advocates takes out a banner=
=20
advertisement on a widely used Web site. By clicking on the ad, people=20
acknowledge that they agree with the group's opinion and are then asked=20
what further steps they'd be willing to take to help the cause. These=20
include writing letters to the editor and calling, writing or meeting with=
=20
lawmakers in the capital or back in the district. The interactive ads, in=
=20
other words, create instant, ad hoc lobbying organizations that can be=20
mobilized on every front that modern influencers utilize. In several=20
respects, this is a significant advancement over older methods of=20
"grass-roots" lobbying. First, the would-be advocates are self-selected;=20
they are already eager to press the case. In the past, Washington-based=20
lobbyists had to hunt for grass-roots helpers by using expensive=20
telemarketing and postal mailings. They often had to persuade people to=20
adopt their arguments and train them how to talk to their elected=20
representatives. Second, the cost of collecting followers is much reduced:=
=20
only about $1.50 per advocate, compared $9 to $13 per advocate for=20
patch-through calls to the offices of members of Congress gathered via=20
telephone banks. Third, the grass-rooters found through the Web can be used=
=20
and reused as a lobbying base.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/18/AR200509...
1118.html
(requires registration)

NEWSBREAKERS
[Commentary] Whether a new chapter in media criticism or just classless,=20
low-rent, no-talent clowns, the NewsBreakers are serious about the need to=
=20
reform our broken media system. A self-described "nonpartisan, nonviolent=
=20
media watchdog group dedicated to the improvement of journalism,"=20
NewsBreakers comments on and critiques television news, mostly by relying=
=20
on parody and "non-traditional media interventions" to protest core=20
problems like "overzealous" FCC regulations and corporate ownership of=20
media outlets. Their hope is "to get people talking about the issue of TV=
=20
news quality."
[SOURCE: AlterNet, AUTHOR: Rory O'Connor, MediaChannel.org]
http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/21695/

CPB BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
The CPB Board of Directors will hold an open session on Monday, September=
=20
26, at 4:45 p.m. in the CPB board room for members of the public to share=
=20
their views on public broadcasting issues. In the past month, a number of=
=20
requests to address the Board have been received and accepted. Due to time=
=20
constraints, the CPB Board must regretfully decline additional requests for=
=20
this meeting.
http://www.cpb.org/pressroom/release.php?prn=3D485
* Learn about efforts to shine more light on the CPB board at:
http://www.freepress.net/press/release.php?id=3D91

TV NETWORKS PURSUE THE 'SUPER FAN'
As the 2005-06 television season officially kicks off today, the six major=
=20
networks have rolled out multipronged marketing campaigns to create the=20
buzz that drives viewership. But this year more than ever before, those=20
campaigns have been aimed at "super fans" -- a chatty, peer-influencing=20
group that networks believe can help them win the ratings wars.
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Meg James]
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-tvbuzz19sep19,1,75980...
story?coll=3Dla-headlines-pe-business
(requires registration)

HUGE NUMBERS OF SPAMMERS HACK AWAY AT PCs
Hackers and malicious-software writers unleashed huge numbers of low-grade=
=20
attacks as part of identity-theft, spamming, extortion and other schemes=20
during the first half of this year, according to a report on Internet=20
threat trends by security-software maker Symantec. The company's study,=20
which is scheduled for release today, suggests assailants are increasingly=
=20
betting that "the law of numbers" will get some programs past security=20
defenses and onto personal computers. Attackers are also targeting their=20
assaults more carefully and using less-familiar methods, such as lacing Web=
=20
sites with attacks, he said. Personal computers are in attackers' sights=20
because they are both the weak links in well-defended corporate networks=20
and the home to burgeoning amounts of valuable consumer data, such as=20
financial account numbers, passwords and identifying information.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Riva Richmond=20
riva.richmond( at )dowjones.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB112709853807444600,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
us_marketplace
(requires subscription)

ACTORS GUILD TO ELECT NEW LEADER
On Friday, television, film and commercial actors in the Screen Actors=20
Guild will choose a new president from veteran performers Morgan Fairchild,=
=20
Alan Rosenberg and Robert Conrad to succeed Melissa Gilbert, who after four=
=20
years declared the job "untenable" because of the union's chronic=20
infighting. More important, the balance of power on the guild's national=20
board is in play with 24 of the 69 seats up for grabs. Although the guild's=
=20
president is the public face of the union in negotiations with the major=20
studios, it is board members who hold the real power in representing nearly=
=20
120,000 actors in TV, film, commercials and music videos. Friday's results=
=20
will set the tone for negotiations, with contracts with advertisers and=20
studios expiring within three years.
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Richard Verrier]
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-sag19sep19,1,1623751....
ry?coll=3Dla-headlines-pe-business
(requires registration)

MAKING WAVES, CAREFULLY, ON THE AIR IN CHINA
Phoenix Satellite Television is the only private television network in=20
China allowed to broadcast news in Chinese, a privilege that reflects the=
=20
warm relationship Liu Changle has cultivated with party leaders. "We walk=
=20
on a tightrope," says Liu, 53. "If we do everything the government wants,=
=20
people will treat us with contempt. If we follow the people completely, the=
=20
government will wipe us out. . . . It can be very uncomfortable."=20
Frustrated by the party but loyal to it as well, Liu is emblematic of=20
China's new elite. These officials, businessmen and educated urban=20
professionals have benefited most from the party's decision to embrace=20
economic reform while maintaining restrictions on political freedom -- and=
=20
could determine the future of the country's authoritarian political system.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Philip P. Pan]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/18/AR200509...
1597.html
(requires registration)

MURDOCH SAYS CHINA 'PARANOID' ABOUT FOREIGN MEDIA
Rupert Murdoch has worked hard to avoid offending Chinese leaders ever=20
since he earned their ire with a 1993 declaration that satellite television=
=20
posed an =93unambiguous threat to totalitarian regimes everywhere.=94 But n=
ow=20
Mr Murdoch appears to be ready to take his diplomatic gloves off again. At=
=20
a conference in New York on Friday he admitted that News Corp had =93hit a=
=20
brick wall=94 in China and accused Chinese authorities of being paranoid=20
about foreign media. The comments were the most public and direct=20
expression of dissatisfaction yet by an international media mogul at=20
China's reluctance to open what is the world's largest untapped media=20
market. Beijing has this year largely halted its cautious opening of the TV=
=20
production business and the ruling Communist party's propaganda department=
=20
recently issued rules aimed at defending =93national cultural security=94 b=
y=20
tightening controls on foreign imports.
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Mure Dickie, Aline van Duyn and Joshua=20
Chaffin ]
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/3518500e-28b9-11da-97c7-00000e2511c8.html
(requires subscription)

NEW PAPERS FROM CIMA
* A Feminist Analysis of Media Conglomeration
Byerly writes about what women need from a democratic media system -- and=
=20
from the media reform movement.
http://www.mediaactioncenter.org/?q=3Dnode/369

* The Double Bottom Line (DBL) Media Industry: An Analysis of Investment=20
Opportunities
Strategies and recommendations for supporting, strengthening and sustaining=
=20
mission-driven media organizations.
http://www.mediaactioncenter.org/?q=3Dnode/382

* A Map of the Field of Media Policy Activism
A graphic map of the strategies and organizations that are driving=20
public-interest media activism.
http://www.mediaactioncenter.org/map
--------------------------------------------------------------
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.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Watchdogs Pitch DTV Obligations

In a letter to House and Senate Commerce Committee leaders Thursday, Common Cause, Media Access Project, the Campaign Legal Center, among others, pushed the legislators to require "meaningful public interest obligations" if they grant broadcasters multicasting must-carry. The groups recommend three hours per week--mirroring stations' educational kids TV requirements--of civic or electoral programing on "[their] most-watched channel. It also says that six weeks before any election, some minimum number of hours such programming airing "when most adult viewers were watching," which would translate to prime time. As the FCC has with educational/informational programming, the groups also want it to come up with a definition of what would qualify as civic and electoral programming.
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

Barton Bill Would Establish Federal Franchising for Video

The House now has a telecommunications reform bill to kick around. House Committee Chairman Joe Barton (R-TX), ranking member John Dingell (D-MI), Telecom Subcommittee Chairman Fred Upton, ranking Subcommittee member Ed Markey (D-Mass) and Rep. Pickering (R-Miss.) agreed on a "discussion draft" of a bill Wednesday and began distributing copies to members of the House Thursday. The bill would give federal regulators authority over video franchises for phone companies, require franchise fees of 5% of local revenue, discourage redlining services, and require E-911 for Internet telephony providers. The bill also creates the among "broadband Internet transmission service" (BITS) classification, which includes DSL, cable modem and other broadband services. BITS would be considered interstate services regulated by the federal government. But the bill preserves state and local authority to manage local rights-of-way in a nondiscriminatory way. The FCC would retain authority over spectrum licensing. BITS providers would be required to connect and exchange traffic with other telco carriers. A company that's a telecom carrier and a BITS provider would keep rights to access unbundled network elements and collocation under the Communications Act. Leaders vowed to move the bill to a vote on the floor of the House this year.
(Not available online)
Also see:
* Draft Bill Would Ease Franchising
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6257455.html?display=Breaking+News
(require subscription)
* Telecom Bill Would Streamline Franchises
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6257447?display=Breaking+News...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
* House Telecom Bill Features New Approach To Video Services
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-MKKR1126823799471.html
* Draft Legislation Aims To Aid Competition In Broadband Services
The House Energy and Commerce Committee draft is a victory for advocates of "net neutrality" -- the idea that Internet providers have to stand aside and allow customers to access any Web pages as long as the content is legal. The principle is considered crucial to preserving the open nature of the Internet and preventing big broadband providers from squeezing out smaller competitors that offer voice, video or other services.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/15/AR200509...
(requires registration)

Benton's Communications-related Headlines For Friday September 16, 2005

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

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION -- AND RECOVERY (1)
Companies Tell of Cooperation Among Competitors in Midst of Katrina
Martin Pushes Public Safety/Homeland Security Bureau at FCC
New Lines of Communication
Spectrum Issue Gets Prime Position
BellSouth Looks to Make A Quick Recovery From Katrina
CPB Emergency Grant Assistance Expanded

LEGISLATION
Barton Bill Would Establish Federal Franchising for Video
Watchdogs Pitch DTV Obligations
Key Congressional Aides

TELEVISION
Lost in Translation
Seinfeld Who? NBC Pursuing the Heartland

QUICKLY -- E-Rate Exemption Moves Forward; Roberts Defends Opposing FCC EEO=
=20
Rules; UN control of Internet?

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION -- AND RECOVERY (1)

COMPANIES TELL OF COOPERATION AMONG COMPETITORS IN MIDST OF KATRINA
On Thursday, the FCC held an open meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, hearing from=
=20
telecom industries affected by Hurricane Katrina. Devastation of the Gulf=
=20
Coast spurred unusual collaboration among competing communications firms,=
=20
and sometimes put the FCC in odd roles, such as helping to guard a=20
broadcast station=92s fuel deliveries. The most emotional testimony came fr=
om=20
Gulf Coast area broadcasters, who told of workers wading into=20
alligator-laden swamps to fix generators and of Clear Channel helping to=20
keep Entercom=92s all news WWL(AM) on the air. Diane Newman, operations dir=
.=20
of Entercom=92s WWL(AM) in New Orleans, said her station=92s joint operatio=
n=20
with Clear Channel to broadcast from Baton Rouge was an =93unprecedented=20
cooperation between broadcasters.=94 Speakers touched on familiar issues.=
=20
Hearst-Argyle TV News Vp Fred Young said the Gulf Coast situation made him=
=20
wonder how there could be push for early return of analog spectrum. During=
=20
a crisis like this, it=92s important that all viewers get information, he=
=20
said. Willis Carter, first vp of the Association of Public-Safety=20
Communications Officials, said more action is needed by government agencies=
=20
and Congress to protect public safety. Carter told of harrowing experiences=
=20
as he visited dispatch centers in affected areas. Employees often were=20
living in the centers, working with damaged towers, low fuel and an=20
inability to communicate. He said he saw =93devastation and despair=94 in a=
ll=20
of them. Speakers praised the FCC=92s speedy approval of waivers that=20
legitimized some cooperative efforts, also describing how FCC personnel=20
filled unusual roles, such as finding government security forces to protect=
=20
employees working in communications facilities. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin=
=20
used the forum of the meeting to reveal plans to help communications firms=
=20
and customers and better prepare for the future: 1) Creation of an FCC=20
Public Safety & Homeland Security Bureau; 2) Directing $211 million in=20
relief to affected areas through universal service support, working through=
=20
existing programs such as the high-cost program and E-Rate; and 3) Creation=
=20
of a panel of public safety and communications industry experts to study=20
Katrina=92s impact on the communications infrastructure and suggest ways fo=
r=20
the FCC to improve disaster preparedness, network reliability and first=20
responders communications.
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Edie Herman]
(Not available online)
See also:
* Bigger Was Better in Katrina, Suggest Media Execs
It was Big Media companies' interconnectedness, vast resources and creative=
=20
partnerships (the latter may have been called collusion in other=20
circumstances) that helped provide vital local information during Hurricane=
=20
Katrina's strike and aftermath, several broadcasters told the FCC Thursday.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6257351?display=3DBreaking+Ne...
referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

MARTIN PUSHES PUBLIC SAFETY/HOMELAND SECURITY BUREAU AT FCC
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin will propose a new Public Safety/Homeland=20
Security Bureau to =93coordinate public safety, national security and=20
disaster management activities within the FCC," he said at the FCC meeting=
=20
in Atlanta. =93The Bureau will develop policies and rules to promote=20
effective and reliable communications for public safety, national security=
=20
and disaster management,=94 he said. The new Bureau will have responsibilit=
y=20
for: (1) Public safety communications, including 911 centers and first=20
responders. (2) Priority emergency communications. (3) Alerts to U.S.=20
citizens. (4) Continuity of government operations. (5) Infrastructure=20
reporting and analysis during emergencies. (6) Disaster outreach. (7)=20
Communications infrastructure protection. (8) Network interoperability and=
=20
reliability. (9) Network security. The FCC also will provide $211 million=
=20
in universal service funding to the disaster area, Martin said. =93We will=
=20
work through 4 existing programs to provide this support,=94 Martin said: (=
1)=20
The Low Income Program will help those who have been cut of to reestablish=
=20
their communications lines. (2) Using FEMA disaster assistance, the FCC=20
will provide support for wireless handsets and packages of 300 free minutes=
=20
for hurricane survivors. Those eligible for FEMA disaster assistance also=
=20
will be eligible for FCC assistance to pay for reconnecting to networks as=
=20
the affected area is rebuilt. (3) Through the Rural Health Care program,=20
the FCC will support the region=92s emergency health care services, doublin=
g=20
discounts on telecom service from 25% to 50%. (4) Via the E-Rate program,=
=20
the FCC will help reconnect Gulf Coast region schools and libraries. =93We=
=20
will treat schools and libraries struck by the hurricane at the highest=20
level of priority (90%) for Funding Year 2005 and 2006,=94 Martin said: =93=
The=20
Commission can authorize $96 million in E-rate funds for the approximately=
=20
600 schools and libraries in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama hit by the=
=20
hurricane.=94
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Susan Polyakova]
(Not available online)
See FCC release:=20
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-261096A1.doc
* Martin Proposes New Public Safety Bureau
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6257329?display=3DBreaking+Ne...
referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
* FCC Eyes USF To Aid In Katrina Relief
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-TUCL1126826735143.html
* FCC Hopes to Learn From Effort to Rebuild
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Arshad Mohammed]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/15/AR200509...
2337.html
(requires registration)
* FCC Seeks Crisis-Response Changes
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Amy Schatz Amy.Schatz( at )wsj.com and=20
Christopher Rhoads christopher.rhoads( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB112682715676642336,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
us_page_one
(requires subscription)
* F.C.C. Chief Offers Plan to Get Phones to Hurricane Victims
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/16/business/16phone.html
(requires registration)
* FCC plans $211M to rebuild communications
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20050916/katrinafcc16.art.htm

NEW LINES OF COMMUNICATION
As crews rush to restore basic telephone and Internet services to areas=20
ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, some executives, academics and analysts are=
=20
urging a more ambitious approach: Make New Orleans and the surrounding=20
areas super-connected communities, with advanced services that surpass what=
=20
is available anywhere in the country, if not the world. With many poles and=
=20
wires reduced to sticks and spaghetti, cell towers down, miles of streets=
=20
still flooded, and parts of the region uninhabitable for the near future,=
=20
these experts see the perfect opportunity to deploy new systems that=20
otherwise might be too expensive or disruptive to build. The result, they=
=20
say, could be a bonanza of higher technology at lower prices for businesses=
=20
and consumers, more robust emergency-responder systems and an ability to=20
provide high-speed Internet access to poorer segments of the population=20
often left off of the information highway. "The area ought to be a beacon=
=20
for 21st-century communications in the United States," said Rey Ramsey,=20
chief executive of One Economy Corp., a nonprofit organization that helps=
=20
bring high-speed Internet service to inner-city communities. "We ought to=
=20
go state of the art, and state of the art with a purpose."
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Jonathan Krim]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/15/AR200509...
2342.html
(requires registration)

SPECTRUM ISSUE GETS PRIME POSITION
On an ABC special following President Bush's speech from New Orleans, Ted=
=20
Koppel interviewed two former members of the 9/11 Commission, led by Tom=20
Kean, about emergency preparedness. Kean took the opportunity to push=20
Congress to pass Senator John McCain's SAVE LIVES bill, which calls for the=
=20
return of broadcasters' analog spectrum by 2009, or 2007 if McCain has his=
=20
way, in part to turn over to first responders, Kean did not name the bill,=
=20
but said the lack of spectrum for emergency workers was one of the problems=
=20
identified by the commission after 9/11 that had not yet been rectified and=
=20
Congress had yet to act on a bill. Kean and nine other former commissioners=
=20
held a press conference earlier in the week pushing for return of analog=20
spectrum, and Kean told Koppel Thursday night he thought lives had been=20
lost because of the inability of emergency workers to talk to each other.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton ]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6257542?display=3DBreaking+Ne...
referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

BELLSOUTH LOOKS TO MAKE A QUICK RECOVERY FROM KATRINA
The long-term impact of Hurricane Katrina on most telecom companies is=20
expected to be minimal. Moreover, some companies are expected to benefit=20
from the storm. Equipment vendor Alcatel, for instance, saw its shares rise=
=20
more than $1 to the $12.75 range in the days following the disaster, partly=
=20
on investor sentiment that the company would be providing gear to the=20
affected phone companies. And even BellSouth may see some benefit down the=
=20
road from sales to the army of relief workers setting up camp in the Gulf=
=20
Coast region and from the high marks the company has received for the fast=
=20
pace of its recovery.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Peter Grant peter.grant( at )wsj.com and=
=20
Almar Latour almar.latour( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB112683086896242457,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
us_money_and_investing
(requires subscription)

CPB EMERGENCY GRANT ASSISTANCE EXPANDED
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced that it will=20
provide an additional $500,000 in immediate assistance to public television=
=20
and radio stations in the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. The=20
additional funds bring the total of CPB's emergency assistance to stations=
=20
in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama to more than $1,000,000. CPB has=20
already made 23 grants totaling $582,000 to public radio and television=20
stations throughout the area. This immediate infusion of money has helped=
=20
cover payroll at the New Orleans television and radio stations (which are=
=20
still off the air); funded distribution of DVDs and books to children in=20
shelters in Mississippi; and helped with the costs of emergency power=20
generation. Grants have also been used for expanded local news coverage of=
=20
the storm and to repair or replace damaged broadcast equipment, among other=
=20
things. The second series of grants will help stations continue to provide=
=20
services during what is likely to be an extended recovery period. Public=20
broadcasting stations around the country continue to pitch in to help their=
=20
colleagues with equipment, professional assistance, and fundraising=20
support. Stations are also providing information to evacuees and working=20
with relief agencies to inform the public about where to donate and how to=
=20
help. Additionally, CPB is seeking emergency supplemental funding from the=
=20
U.S. Office of Management and Budget and Congress to help stations meet=20
extraordinary needs with what are likely to be sharply reduced revenues.
[SOURCE: Corporation for Public Broadcasting press release]
http://www.cpb.org/pressroom/release.php?prn=3D484

LEGISLATION

BARTON BILL WOULD ESTABLISH FEDERAL FRANCHISING FOR VIDEO
The House now has a telecommunications reform bill to kick around. House=20
Committee Chairman Joe Barton (R-TX), ranking member John Dingell (D-MI),=
=20
Telecom Subcommittee Chairman Fred Upton, ranking Subcommittee member Ed=20
Markey (D-Mass) and Rep. Pickering (R-Miss.) agreed on a "discussion draft"=
=20
of a bill Wednesday and began distributing copies to members of the House=
=20
Thursday. The bill would give federal regulators authority over video=20
franchises for phone companies, require franchise fees of 5% of local=20
revenue, discourage redlining services, and require E-911 for Internet=20
telephony providers. The bill also creates the among =93broadband Internet=
=20
transmission services=94 (BITS) classification, which includes DSL, cable=
=20
modem and other broadband services. BITS would be considered interstate=20
services regulated by the federal government. But the bill preserves state=
=20
and local authority to manage local rights-of-way in a nondiscriminatory=20
way. The FCC would retain authority
over spectrum licensing. BITS providers would be required to connect and=20
exchange traffic with other telco carriers. A company that=92s a telecom=20
carrier and a BITS provider would keep rights to access unbundled network=
=20
elements and collocation under the Communications Act. Leaders vowed to=20
move the bill to a vote on the floor of the House this year.
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Anne Veigle]
(Not available online)
See House Commerce Committee release:
http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/News/09152005_1642.htm
See text of bill at: http://www.baller.com/pdfs/Draft_Barton-Dingell.pdf
* Draft Bill Would Ease Franchising
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6257455.html?display=3DBreaking+News
(require subscription)
* Telecom Bill Would Streamline Franchises
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6257447?display=3DBreaking+Ne...
referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
* House Telecom Bill Features New Approach To Video Services
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-MKKR1126823799471.html
* Draft Legislation Aims To Aid Competition In Broadband Services
The House Energy and Commerce Committee draft is a victory for advocates of=
=20
"net neutrality" -- the idea that Internet providers have to stand aside=20
and allow customers to access any Web pages as long as the content is=20
legal. The principle is considered crucial to preserving the open nature of=
=20
the Internet and preventing big broadband providers from squeezing out=20
smaller competitors that offer voice, video or other services.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Arshad Mohammed]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/15/AR200509...
2257.html
(requires registration)

WATCHDOGS PITCH DTV OBLIGATIONS
In a letter to House and Senate Commerce Committee leaders Thursday, Common=
=20
Cause, Media Access Project, the Campaign Legal Center, among others,=20
pushed the legislators to require "meaningful public interest obligations"=
=20
if they grant broadcasters multicasting must-carry. The groups recommend=20
three hours per week--mirroring stations' educational kids TV=20
requirements--of civic or electoral programing on "[their] most-watched=20
channel. It also says that six weeks before any election, some minimum=20
number of hours such programming airing "when most adult viewers were=20
watching," which would translate to prime time. As the FCC has with=20
educational/informational programming, the groups also want it to come up=
=20
with a definition of what would qualify as civic and electoral programming.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton ]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6257534?display=3DBreaking+Ne...
referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

KEY CONGRESSIONAL AIDES
Momentum behind a rewrite of the 1996 Telecommunications Act has been=20
building for several years. And while it is unclear whether a rewrite of=20
the Telecom Act will pass the 109th Congress, interested companies have=20
already spent millions of dollars on advocacy and lobbying in their drive=
=20
to change the law to benefit their industries -- while House and Senate=20
committees have put telecom reform on their agendas for this Congress. The=
=20
House Energy and Commerce Committee is moving the quickest. Committee=20
staffers say they have been working overtime on setting or revising rules=
=20
for how telephone calls, video, and data services are delivered, whether=20
over the Internet, through cable, or over phone lines. Predictably, the=20
Senate Commerce Committee is moving at a more deliberate pace, staffers=20
have been meeting with key industry officials to determine a policy=20
approach, with a hearing likely sometime this summer. At the URL below are=
=20
profiles of a half-dozen key aides on these two panels who will play=20
instrumental roles in the forthcoming debate.
[SOURCE: National Journal, AUTHOR: Bara Vaida]
http://njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-HVMC1114113613716.htmlhttp=
://njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-HVMC1114113613716.html

TELEVISION

LOST IN TRANSLATION
[Commentary] This Fall ABC will become the first English-language broadcast=
=20
network to make all its prime-time programming available in the language of=
=20
Cervantes. While the Spanish subtitles (or dubs) may mark a pop-culture=20
milestone, it's unclear they make for wise corporate strategy. Like other=
=20
large producers of popular culture, ABC is constantly adjusting its plans=
=20
in response to the nation's changing demographic profile. But ABC=20
executives shouldn't fool themselves into thinking they have cracked the=20
coveted "Hispanic market." Too many media professionals have fallen for the=
=20
simplistic but false notion that "Hispanic" is synonymous with "Spanish."=
=20
The truth is that Latino linguistic assimilation is not that different from=
=20
that of European newcomers a century ago: The first generation often speaks=
=20
only enough English to get by, the second is bilingual, and the third is=20
largely English-only. Spanish will continue to be important. But the=20
youngest viewers of "Lost," regardless of ethnicity, are increasingly=20
likely to watch it in English.
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-ed-spanish16sep16,1,...
4899.story?coll=3Dla-news-comment
(requires registration)

SEINFELD WHO? NBC PURSUING THE HEARTLAND
What's with NBC? For a network that dominated the prime-time ratings for a=
=20
decade with sophisticated urban comedies like "Cheers," "Seinfeld,"=20
"Frasier" and "Friends," only to tumble to fourth place last season without=
=20
them, this year's programming is a radical departure. "Three Wishes" is=20
aimed, in no small part, at a churchgoing rural and suburban audience. And=
=20
its marketing plan, evocative of a red-state presidential campaign, bears=
=20
scant resemblance to any NBC has crafted before. In advance of the new=20
prime-time television season, NBC sent more than 7,000 DVD's of the show's=
=20
first episode to ministers and other clergy members, along with a recorded=
=20
message to their congregants from Ms. Grant. ("At its core, 'Three Wishes'=
=20
is faith in action," she tells them.) The network has also booked Amy Grant=
=20
-- a pop singer who vaulted to fame singing Christian songs, crossed over=
=20
to mainstream radio and recently released an album of hymns titled "Rock of=
=20
Ages" -- for interviews on Christian radio and taken out advertising in=20
small-town newspapers. And, perhaps most seductively, NBC has been stuffing=
=20
cash registers at stores here like Goody's and others in or around=20
Nashville, Salt Lake City, Des Moines and Milwaukee with tens of thousands=
=20
of $1 bills used for groceries and other basics. The dollars are affixed=20
with yellow stickers (removable, consistent with Treasury Department=20
guidelines) that ask, "What's your wish?," and implore people to watch the=
=20
show. All told, the network expects to give away 150,000 of those dollar=20
bills in 15 cities and towns. Though NBC hopes the show will have broad=20
appeal - it also took its dollar bill campaign to New York and Los Angeles=
=20
-- Barbara Blangiardi, the network's vice president of marketing and=20
special projects, said that "absolutely the Christian community was a=20
target audience."
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Jacques Steinberg]
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/16/business/media/16nbc.html?hp&ex=3D1126...
600&en=3D027f446a88d472c8&ei=3D5094&partner=3Dhomepage
(requires registration)

QUICKLY

ERATE EXEMPTION EXTENSION MOVES FORWARD
The Senate unanimously adopted an amendment to the Commerce-State-Justice=
=20
appropriations bill that would exempt the Universal Service Fund E-Rate=20
program from Anti-Deficiency Act rules until Dec. 31, 2006.
[SOURCE: Communications Daily]
(Not available online)

ROBERTS DEFENDS OPPOSING FCC EEO RULES
I was only doing my job, Judge John Roberts said when asked about opposing=
=20
the FCC's affirmative action regime in 1990 when he was deputy solicitor=20
general. The specific FCC minority preference policies challenged in that=
=20
case were upheld in a close 5-4 decision in that case, but in a later case,=
=20
the conservative D.C. Circuit, on which Roberts would later serve, held=20
other aspects of its EEO program unconstitutional.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6257231?display=3DBreaking+Ne...
referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

UN CONTROL OF INTERNET? TRY AGAIN.
[Commentary] As revolutionary as the Internet has been, its largest effects=
=20
may be yet to come: as an inexhaustible library; as a superefficient=20
vehicle of commerce; as a way for machines and electronic devices anywhere=
=20
to talk with each other or people. A UN advisory group has produced a=20
report advocating some international control of the Internet. The document,=
=20
produced by the UN's Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG) this=20
summer, calls for shared roles by government, commercial interests, and=20
private citizens but doesn't spell out exactly how these roles would be=20
played. It also calls for "effective and meaningful participation of all=20
stakeholders, especially from developing countries" and more resources -=20
human, financial, and technical - for poorer countries. Yet it's far from=
=20
clear a body established by the UN is ready to become an able administrator=
=20
for the Internet. The free flow of ideas and commerce, so key to the=20
Internet's exponential growth, would not be well served if hobbled by=20
bureaucracy or chilled by governments interested in suppressing dissident=
=20
voices. If international demands for less US control boil over, other=20
countries could employ a "nuclear option" - setting up a rival to ICANN and=
=20
potentially creating chaos on the Internet with two divergent standards.=20
That need not happen. International governance of the Internet does have an=
=20
inescapable logic. Better that the US engage vigorously now in shaping that=
=20
institution, even as it realizes that handing off control to it is nowhere=
=20
in the immediate future.
[SOURCE: Christian Science Monitor, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0916/p08s02-comv.html
--------------------------------------------------------------
1) re=B7cov=B7er=B7y: * The act, process, duration, or an instance of recov=
ering.
* A return to a normal condition.
* Something gained or restored in recovering.
* The act of obtaining usable substances from unusable=20
sources.
--------------------------------------------------------------
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.
--------------------------------------------------------------

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