September 2005

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

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
Panel OKs First Responder Funds
Martin Says Responders Need Spectrum
Emergency Response Gets Full-Court Press
Louisiana, Texas Cable Preps for Rita With Supplies, Prayer

BROADCASTING/CABLE
Net Age Has No Place for Archaic TV Regulation
FCCer Warns Against Cable TV Indecency Regulation
Stevens Says DTV Bill Markup By Oct. 25
Tomlinson Defends Pursuing PBS 'Balance'
CPB Accelerates Station Conversions to HD Radio Broadcasting

JOURNALISM
Media Watchdog tells Bloggers how to Avoid Censors
Politicos want to Shield Net from Election Laws
The Occasional Media Ritual of Lamenting the Habitual
Stations Stayed Tuned to Jet's Saga
In-Flight Live TV Is Tricky Issue

QUICKLY -- Web Giants Face Issues in Content; Competitive Carriers Seek FCC=
=20
Relief On Conditions Of Telecom Mergers; New Community Internet Resources;=
=20
Gender and Information & Communication Technology (GICT) Awards

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS

PANEL OKs FIRST RESPONDER FUNDS
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved a=
=20
measure that would authorize the Homeland Security Department to dole out=
=20
$3.3 billion over the next five years to enable first responders to=20
communicate better during an emergency. The bill, S. 1725, would authorize=
=20
$400 million in state grants to strengthen emergency communications systems=
=20
next year and increase the amount annually to $1 billion by 2010. It also=
=20
would establish an office of emergency communications, interoperability and=
=20
compatibility within the Homeland Security Department. The office would=20
replace the department's interoperability and compatibility unit proposed=
=20
earlier this year by the Bush administration. Lawmakers want the new office=
=20
to create a comprehensive research and development initiative to solve=20
technology and policy problems that have hindered the government's progress=
=20
on the issue.
[SOURCE: Technology Daily, AUTHOR: Greta Wodele]
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-BMBJ1127425402912.html
For more info on the bill, see:
http://hsgac.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=3DPressReleases.Detail&Affi...
tion=3DR&PressRelease_id=3D1098&Month=3D9&Year=3D2005

MARTIN SAYS RESPONDERS NEED SPECTRUM
No, you're not too late, there's still room on the bandwagon. FCC Chairman=
=20
Kevin Martin told Senate commerce Committee members Thursday that first=20
responders need to be assured sufficient spectrum for a mobile,=20
interoperable, communications system. He proposed a new integrated=20
emergency alert system that includes national, state, and local=20
participation and incorporates various media, including the Internet and=20
satellite. Chairman Martin also pushed for so-called "smart radios" that=20
actively seek out available spectrum.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6259226?display=3DBreaking+Ne...
referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
* Crisis Communications Network Criticized
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/22/AR200509...
2160.html
(requires registration)
* Martin Stands Firm On E-911 Rules
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin told the Senate Commerce Committee that his=20
agency could benefit from additional authority to require emergency=20
communications capabilities on the part of telecommunications companies,=20
and held firm on imposing emergency 911 service obligations on Internet=20
telephone companies.
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-OYTD1127420171260.html
* See full text of Chairman Martin's address at:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-261219A1.txt
* See links to additional testimony at:=20
http://commerce.senate.gov/hearings/witnesslist.cfm?id=3D1618

EMERGENCY RESPONSE GETS FULL-COURT PRESS
Earlier this month, Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) introduction The=20
Communications Security Act of 2005 (S. 1703) which would require the=20
Department of Homeland Security and the FCC to work together to develop=20
back-up communications systems that would employ satellites, wireless and=
=20
terrestrial services. On Thursday, a bipartisan group of Senate Commerce=20
Committee members introduced the Warning, Alerts, and Response Network=20
(WARN), a bill that would allocate a quarter billion dollars to develop a=
=20
system of geographically targeted alerts across TV, radio, cable,=20
satellite, Blackberries, cell phones, and non-traditional media.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6259494?display=3DBreaking+Ne...
referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
* For more on S.1703 see http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:s.017=
03:
* Stevens To Draft Measure On Disaster Communications
Senate Commerce Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, said he plans to draft=20
legislation to strengthen communications during disasters. But he did not=
=20
outline the details of such a measure or specify a timetable for moving it.
[SOURCE: Technology Daily, AUTHOR: David Hatch]
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-PUUZ1127420558721.html
* Katrina spurs federal action on VoIP
http://news.com.com/Katrina+spurs+federal+action+on+VoIP/2100-7352_3-587...
2.html?tag=3Dnefd.top

LOUISIANA, TEXAS CABLE PREPARES FOR RITA WITH SUPPLIES, PRAYER
Texas cable operators are bracing for Hurricane Rita by preparing for the=
=20
worst and hoping for the best as forecasters predict the Category 4 storm=
=20
will hit the Gulf Coast area Sat. Time Warner, Cable One and Cox are=20
evacuating employees from area likely to bear the brunt and readying=20
supplies and crews in safer locations. Firms with cable systems in the=20
storm=92s path already are reeling from Katrina. Washington Post Co.=92s Ca=
ble=20
One, the No. 1 Mississippi cable provider, said a third of customers in=20
towns including Biloxi and Long Beach have lost their homes -- as have a=20
similar portion of Cable One employees. Cox has some 250,000 subscribers in=
=20
Louisiana and Texas systems perhaps in Rita=92s path. During Katrina, Cox=
=20
lost service in New Orleans, where some employees are without homes. Cable=
=20
operators=92 experience with Katrina may help them deal with Rita. Time=20
Warner Cable has already set a plan for employees to check with the company=
=20
after the storm to report their basic needs.
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Jonathan Make]
(Not available online)

BROADCASTING/CABLE

NET AGE HAS NO PLACE FOR ARCHAIC TV REGULATION
[Commentary] Culture that lasts, culture that lives, is culture that is=20
close to a spirit of enterprise. In broadcasting, free enterprise has led=
=20
to more choice and given people access to cultural experiences of every=20
sort. Regulators, like television industry incumbents [in Britan], must=20
learn to accept the new world of choice. At the Edinburgh TV festival=20
Robert Pepper, formerly of the FCC, outlined the regulatory challenges in a=
=20
world where traditional boundaries between television and the Internet have=
=20
gone and where data storage and high-speed transmission eliminate=20
=ADscarcity. In this world, he asked: =93What, if anything, gets regulated?=
And=20
what does localism, diversity or pluralism mean?=94 As broadband Internet=
=20
becomes more able to deliver high-quality video to the home, should we=20
continue to have different regulatory regimes for TV and for other=20
audio-visual content? The European Commission thinks so. Its proposals seek=
=20
to preserve a more stringent regulatory regime for traditional broadcasting=
=20
than for on-demand content. This approach is doomed. For a consumer,=20
whether the image on their screen has come through a TV tuner or a=20
broadband connection may soon be irrelevant. Differential regulation is=20
pointless and arbitrary. What is the point of having complete freedom=20
within the law on audio-visual content received through the Internet and=20
strict codes, format controls or production quotas on content received=20
through digital TV? The question then becomes, should Internet audio-visual=
=20
content be regulated in the same way as television currently, or should TV=
=20
increasingly be deregulated in the same way as the Internet? The new world=
=20
also means that the demon of powerful media companies imposing their views=
=20
on the world belongs to an old James Bond movie. It always was a bit of a=
=20
myth, but now it is laughable. Nobody can seriously say there is a problem=
=20
with plurality when there are hundreds of TV news channels, millions of=20
news websites and weblogs, and the ability for citizens to access=20
information in an unmediated way. Technology and the market are delivering=
=20
the ultimate pluralism.
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: James Murdoch, British Sky Broadcasting]
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/647c5284-2ace-11da-817a-00000e2511c8.html
(requires subscription)

FCCer WARNS AGAINST CABLE TV INDECENCY REGULATION
FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein believes courts likely would strike=20
down efforts by the Federal Communications Commission to regulate indecency=
=20
on cable TV, but Congress might succeed. Speaking to a gathering of radio=
=20
broadcasters, Commissioner Adelstein said that regulators must "get out of=
=20
the way" when there are easier ways for parents to protect children. Cable=
=20
companies seeking to head off content regulation have publicized ways for=
=20
customers to block channels they find offensive. Critics say the technology=
=20
is not available to many cable customers, who in any event are forced to=20
pay for channels they find objectionable. Congress is considering a bill to=
=20
increase fines for broadcast indecency, and may modify the legislation to=
=20
include regulation of cable programming.
[SOURCE: MediaWeek, AUTHOR: Todd Shields]
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=3D100...
8988

STEVENS SAYS DTV BILL MARKUP BY OCT 25
Could it be? A hard date for a mark-up for legislation aimed at setting a=
=20
hard date for ending the transition to digital television? During the=20
Senate Commerce Committee hearing on Communications during Disasters,=20
Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) said that a DTV transition bill will be=20
ready for mark-up by the budget committee Oct. 25. The Commerce Committee=
=20
will mark-up the bill Oct 19. Actually, there will be two bills, one=20
dealing strictly with spectrum-reclamation -- per rules governing money=20
bills -- and another with other DTV-related issues. Sen Stevens also=20
assured his committee that 24 mHz of that reclaimed analog spectrum will go=
=20
to first responders.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6259222?display=3DBreaking+Ne...
referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

TOMLINSON DEFENDS PURSUING PBS 'BALANCE'
Speaking to a Media Institute audience in Washington, CPB Board Chairman=20
Kenneth Tomlinson said he had "no regrets" about trying to balance public=
=20
broadcasting by adding conservative viewpoints. Tomlinson said he would not=
=20
comment until after the report was released -- now scheduled for sometime=
=20
in late October. However, he vowed that the series of circumstances that=20
turned him into a lightning rod "will one day be understood." Tomlinson=20
said he did not want to be remembered as someone who had damaged public=20
broadcasting. Yet he added, "If I threatened the cozy atmosphere of public=
=20
broadcasting over the failure to balance the liberal advocacy journalism of=
=20
Bill Moyers, so be it," he said.Tomlinson said that he thought that the=20
noncom service had been "damaged a lot by that two-year Moyers period=20
because it came to symbolize a total deficit in public broadcasting." He=20
pointed out that he never advocated for liberal shows to be removed from=20
the network, just adding conservative shows to balance them. CPB will elect=
=20
a new chairman Monday, Sept. 26. Tomlinson says he will remain on the CPB=
=20
board.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6259417?display=3DBreaking+Ne...
referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
* Departing Chairman of Public TV Defends Acts
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/23/politics/23broadcast.html?pagewanted=3...

CPB ACCELERATES STATION CONVERSIONS TO HD RADIO BROADCASTING
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and iBiquity Digital=20
Corporation, announced an agreement that will accelerate the conversion of=
=20
over 800 AM and FM CPB-funded stations to iBiquity's digital HD Radio=20
broadcasting. Under the agreement, CPB will purchase a group license that=
=20
will allow more than 400 CPB-funded public radio stations to acquire=20
iBiquity's digital HD Radio technology. This group license will also cover=
=20
costs associated with the technology's advanced services such as=20
multicasting and datacasting. Previously, CPB provided funding to=20
approximately 400 local public radio stations for their digital conversions.
[SOURCE: Corporation for Public Broadcasting press release]
http://www.cpb.org/pressroom/release.php?prn=3D489

JOURNALISM

MEDIA WATCHDOG TELLS BLOGGERS HOW TO AVOID CENSORS
Reporters Without Boarders, a Paris-based media watchdog, released a=20
handbook on Thursday to help cyber-dissidents and bloggers avoid political=
=20
censorship in countries as far apart as China, Iran, Vietnam and Cuba. The=
=20
book identifies bloggers as the "new heralds of free expression" and offers=
=20
advice on how to set up a blog and run it anonymously.
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Timothy Heritage]
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=3DinternetNews&storyID=
=3D2005-09-22T212113Z_01_EIC273301_RTRIDST_0_NET-MEDIA-BLOGGING-DC.XML
For more info see: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=3D15083
Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber-Dissidents:
http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=3D542

POLITICOS WANT TO SHIELD NET FROM ELECTION LAWS
A controversial plan by the Federal Election Commission to regulate=20
political blogging may be short-lived after all. Members of Congress said=
=20
Thursday that the freewheeling world of Internet politicking should=20
continue to be immune from campaign finance laws, and indicated they may=20
rewrite the law to halt the FEC's proposal. The handful of politicians=20
present at a hearing convened by the U.S. House of Representatives=20
Administration Committee hailed the Internet's power in democratizing=20
politics and breeding grassroots action. They touted the Net's low cost of=
=20
entry, as compared with media such as television, and threw their support=
=20
behind a brief amendment to campaign finance law, offered in March in both=
=20
houses of Congress, that would "exclude communications over the Internet=20
from the definition of public communication." Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a=20
California Democrat whose district covers Silicon Valley, indicated that=20
the proposal enjoyed wide support and could be passed easily.
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Anne Broache]
http://news.com.com/Politicos+want+to+shield+Net+from+election+laws/2100...
28_3-5876871.html?tag=3Dnefd.top

THE OCCASIONAL MEDIA RITUAL OF LAMENTING THE HABITUAL
[Comentary] Dan Rather caused some ripples the other day when he lamented=
=20
the state of U.S. news media. The former CBS anchor said "there is a=20
climate of fear running through newsrooms stronger than he has ever seen in=
=20
his more than four-decade career," according to the Hollywood Reporter.=20
Speaking at a law school in New York on Sept. 19, he warned that=20
politicians have been putting effective pressure on the corporate owners of=
=20
major broadcast outlets. Over the course of his career, Rather occasionally=
=20
voiced alarm that news outlets were being intimidated by government=20
authorities and other powerful interests. But he didn't noticeably=20
challenge such constraints in his on-air work. The pattern that we've seen=
=20
from prominent TV news correspondents. In a wartime frenzy, they blend in=
=20
with the prevailing media scenery. Later, a few briefly utter words of=20
regret. But next time around they revert to the habit of behaving like war=
=20
cheerleaders instead of independent journalists.
[SOURCE: Alternet, AUTHOR: Norman Solomon]
http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/25859/

STATIONS STAYED TUNED TO JET'S SAGA
The city so known for televising painstakingly long police chases, and=20
taking heat for airing their sometimes gruesome outcomes, took it to the=20
skies Wednesday with moment-by-moment coverage of the JetBlue airliner that=
=20
circled over the ocean for three hours. In the end, the New York-bound=20
flight landed perfectly at Los Angeles International Airport with its front=
=20
wheels at a 90-degree angle. And the decision to break programming, whether=
=20
it was a regular newscast or children's shows, was a no-brainer, said=20
several local news executives who relied on the predictions of experts that=
=20
the plane would land without major incident.
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Maria Elena Fernandez]
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-et-news23sep23,1,46...
43.story?coll=3Dla-news-a_section
(requires registration)

IN-FLIGHT TV IS TRICKY ISSUE
For years, airlines controlled what passengers saw on their cabin screens,=
=20
editing out scenes of graphic violence or sex, and banning movies=20
altogether if they showed airline crashes. But now, with three U.S.=20
airlines offering live television feeds and on-board Internet access=20
expected to be available within a year, passengers can see anything they=20
want -- even news coverage of an event in which they might be taking part.=
=20
After the drama aboard JetBlue Flight 292 unfolded live on television=20
Wednesday, executives of Denver-based Frontier Airlines, which like JetBlue=
=20
shows DirectTV on its flights, began to rethink their policy of keeping on=
=20
the feed until the pilot decides to shut it down. As a result, the company=
=20
probably would implement a new policy that calls for turning off the=20
service during in-flight emergencies, Frontier spokesman Joe Hodas said.=20
But a spokeswoman for JetBlue, whose passengers even watched the planes=20
crashing into New York's World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, said the=20
company would not change its policy of allowing pilots to decide whether to=
=20
turn off the TV. Company officials have long chosen not to censor=20
television feeds and believe that, on balance, it's better to have=20
information available to passengers, spokeswoman Fiona Morrison said.
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Sharon Bernstein]
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-me-tv23sep23,1,3695...
.story?coll=3Dla-news-a_section
(requires registration)

QUICKLY

WEB GIANTS FACE ISSUES IN CONTENT
A flood of digital media content is headed toward the consumer, Internet=20
companies are anything but sure how the consumer will respond or just how=
=20
the consumer wants to receive this content. Gone are the days when viewers=
=20
watched a TV show only when the networks chose to play it -- or heard a=20
song only when the radio station played it. People get their information=20
and entertainment when and where they want. Most online content is free,=20
aside from dial-up and broadband charges. Media companies, though, are=20
searching to find a format in which consumers must pay for content. But why=
=20
would consumers pay for content they can get for free?
[SOURCE: Investor's Business Daily, AUTHOR: Brian Deagon]
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=3Dstory&u=3D/ibd/20050921/bs_ibd_ibd/200...
1tech01

COMPETITIVE CARRIERS SEEK FCC RELIEF ON CONDITIONS OF TELECOM MERGERS
A group of competitive local exchange carriers asked the FCC to grant=20
market remedies before it blesses the mergers of AT&T with SBC=20
Communications and MCI with Verizon Communications. Broadview, BridgeCom,=
=20
Conversent, Eschelon Telecom, NuVox, TDS Metrocom, Xspedius and XO=20
Communications asked the agency to condition the mergers in a number of=20
ways, including requiring SBC and Verizon to lower and freeze wholesale=20
access rates, grant current customers the chance to cancel contracts and=20
drop limits on the use of certain local lines. The group of CLECs has=20
consistently asked regulators to deny the mergers outright, but the FCC=20
appears to be moving quickly to approve them. All of the companies are=20
dependent, to varying extents, on renting local high-speed lines to reach=
=20
their customers. They fear those rates will skyrocket after the mergers.
[SOURCE: Technology Daily, AUTHOR: Randy Barrett]
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-IYSF1127420750358.html

GROUPS UNVEIL NEW COMMUNITY INTERNET RESOURCES
Consumers Union and Free Press unveiled extensive new online resources=20
designed to educate the public and foster development of "Community=20
Internet" projects around the country. In recent years, dozens of local=20
communities have started providing high-speed broadband service to their=20
citizens through a variety of wired and wireless technologies. Hundreds=20
more cities and towns have municipal broadband systems on the drawing=20
board. Despite aggressive lobbying efforts by big telephone and cable=20
companies to derail these projects, Community Internet is thriving. Efforts=
=20
to restore communications in the wake of Hurricane Katrina have brought=20
greater attention to these systems from public officials. Wireless networks=
=20
were the only means available for communications among New Orleans city=20
officials after their satellite phones failed. In addition, wireless=20
networks were quickly established at shelters after the storm and are being=
=20
used to help evacuees locate and communicate with loved ones at distant=20
locations. Consumers Union's "Connected" project =97 available at=20
www.HearUsNow.org/connected =97 showcases several of the country's most=20
successful Community Internet projects. Covering a range of projects from=
=20
free, wireless Internet access set up by local community groups in some=20
Chicago neighborhoods to a 14-town broadband network in Utah, "Connected"=
=20
discusses the hurdles that were overcome to build these systems and seeks=
=20
to provide other communities with examples of ways to build similar network=
s.
[SOURCE: Free Press press release]
http://www.freepress.net/press/release.php?id=3D93

GENDER AND INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY AWARDS
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) play a growing role in=20
the world's societies, and have the potential to help disadvantaged groups=
=20
increase their participation in the civic, social, political, and economic=
=20
processes critical to achieving change.However, women =96 particularly wome=
n=20
in developing countries =96 don't benefit from these new technologies, a=20
reflection of the existing unequal power relations in societies as a whole.=
=20
ICTs can be used to either exacerbate or transform unequal power relations.=
=20
ICTs cannot create gender equality, or end poverty, but they can be tools=
=20
for social action and positive social change. In 2005, the Gender and ICT=
=20
Awards focus is on empowerment, specifically ICT initiatives that promote=
=20
women=92s economic empowerment as it relates to development.
http://www.genderawards.net/
--------------------------------------------------------------
Give Rita hell, Texas!
--------------------------------------------------------------
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.
--------------------------------------------------------------