October 2005

BROADCASTING/SPECTRUM
McCain Seeks Quicker DTV Transition
The Public Interest Demands a Dose of Reality on TV
Hold Broadcasters Accountable, Urges U.S. Bishop
Groups Urge Senate Commerce Committee to Expand the
Availability of Unlicensed Spectrum
Reclaiming the Vast Wasteland
Wireless Public Safety Data Networks Operating on Unlicensed Airwaves

AGENDA
Ensign Expects '06 Action On Revised Telcom Bill
Does Open-Source Software Make The FCC Irrelevant?
Meeting Date and Agenda of Consumer Advisory Committee

TELECOM
Congressional Report Slams E-Rate
Hello ... ? Glitch Kills Phones for Thousands

QUICKLY -- CPB May Be Spared 'Operation Offset'; How will public TV
stations use their digital capacity?; McKinnon renominated for BBG;
Senator: Keep U.N. away from the Internet; Can a Florida sheriff police
obscenity on the Internet?; How a new voice on the Internet found its voice
in Washington; Splogs; Utilities Cry Foul Over Verizon Dig; Sleuths Crack
Tracking Code Discovered in Color Printers; Patent dispute threatens
prepaid wireless service; Viacom Bumps Up Planned Split; Justice Shield Law
Opposition Continues

BROADCASTING/SPECTRUM

MCCAIN SEEKS QUICKER DTV TRANSITION
[SOURCE: Technology Daily, AUTHOR: Drew Clark]
In remarks at a New America Foundation event on digital television and
first responders, Sen John McCain (R-AZ) said he would offer an amendment,
during Thursday's Senate Commerce Committee hearing, to strike the
proposed 2009 date for ending analog TV broadcasts and replace it with
April 7, 2007. He said he is not sure whether he has enough votes on the
committee to secure passage. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens
(R-Alaska) on Friday proposed a cut-off date of April 7, 2009. The House
Commerce Committee has recommended Dec. 31, 2008. That is within range of
an emerging consensus, and one that broadcasters and telecommunications
industry officials say they can accept. When the transition is complete,
large swaths of analog spectrum will be available for other uses.
Public-safety officials have been promised 24 megahertz to create
communications systems that can work across jurisdictions, and many are
eager to get started as soon as possible. Public-safety officials have said
police and firefighters need two or more years to build interoperable
systems. Sen Stevens and House Commerce Chairman Joe Barton (R-TX) want to
earmark the other available 60 megahertz for auction by the FCC. The
Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the agency will raise $10
billion, although technology companies seeking to bid on the spectrum say
it is worth as much as $28 billion. A Stevens aide said Tuesday that the
committee will only vote on the spectrum-related aspects of digital TV on
Thursday. Non-budget items, such as whether cable operators "must carry"
multicasts of broadcasters, would be delayed until committee members can
review draft legislation to be released soon.
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-DVPZ1129666380480.html
* US Sen. McCain pushes for digital TV move sooner
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=technologyNews&story...
* McCain Plans 2007 (or 2006) Amendment
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6275429?display=Breaking+News...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
* McCain Pushes Earlier Analog Cutoff
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6275465.html?display=Breaking+News
(requires subscription)
* Politico wants to move up DTV deadline
http://news.com.com/Politico+wants+to+move+up+DTV+deadline/2100-1033_3-5...
* Multicast Carriage Measure Pulled From Senate Panel Vote
http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=8748
(requires free registration)

THE PUBLIC INTEREST DEMANDS A DOSE OF REALITY ON TV
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Gloria Tristani and Meredith McGehee]
[Commentary] The tragedy of Hurricane Katrina has taught us a number of
painful lessons -- including, unexpectedly, the vital role television
sometimes plays in our lives. As The Washington Post reported Sept. 1, the
people most in need of information about the storm were the least likely to
be able to see, hear or read about it. With electricity wiped out in the
affected areas, receiving local broadcast or cable-TV signals was nearly
impossible. This time, catastrophic infrastructure failure kept the public
in the dark. But when the next natural disaster strikes, the result could
be the same -- even if the lights stay on. Members of Congress are
considering legislation this month that could make permanent the media
blackout we witnessed in New Orleans. At stake in legislation concerning
the transition to digital television is whether or not television-station
owners continue to serve the "public interest, convenience and necessity,"
as federal law now requires. Public-interest obligations play a critical
role -- in fact, a life-saving role -- in the lives of Americans and the
safety of our nation. In part because these obligations require
broadcasters to serve local community needs, television today can provide
timely and effective emergency warnings that save lives, reduce property
losses and speed economic recovery during times of crisis. The FCC and
Congress need to address how the transition to digital television will
benefit citizens' local, civic and electoral needs. They should define
meaningful public-interest obligations. To achieve these goals, all of us
-- parents, voters, community leaders, activists, and concerned citizens --
need to pick up the television policy remote control and change the tune
coming from policymakers in Washington. Demand reality-based
public-interest obligations that help make a difference in countless lives,
before the next crisis strikes.
http://thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/Comment/OpEd/101905_oped2.html

HOLD BROADCASTERS ACCOUNTABLE, URGES US BISHOP
[SOURCE: ZENIT]
Broadcasters should be accountable to the public in exchange for their free
use of "tens of billions of dollars worth" of publicly owned airwaves, says
a U.S. bishop. Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson, Arizona, chairman of the
U.S. episcopal conference's Communications Committee, urged Congress to
include public interest obligations for broadcasters in legislation set for
debate this week. "Today, even as the broadcasting industry continues to
benefit from its subsidized use of the public airwaves, broadcasters'
observance of meaningful public interest obligations has declined," Bishop
Kicanas said in a statement. "We ask that, in exchange for the use of tens
of billions of dollars worth of new spectrum rights, broadcasters be
required to put forth a substantial effort to provide programming that
better serves the public," he said. Bishop Kicanas urged the codification
of public interest obligations for broadcasters in a letter to U.S. Senate
Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens. The Commerce Committee was set to
deliberate on several bills updating the nation's communications laws.
Broadcasters are licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to use
the airwaves, for free, in nominal exchange for serving the "public
interest, convenience and necessity," according to current law. Bishop
Kicanas noted that the U.S. bishops' conference has collected anecdotes
from a significant number of dioceses which have found it increasingly
difficult to place their programming on local stations.
http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=78495

GROUPS URGE SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE TO EXPAND THE AVAILABILITY OF
UNLICENSED SPECTRUM
[SOURCE: Common Cause press release]
More than 20 public interest, civil rights and media reform groups on
Tuesday delivered a letter to members of the Senate Commerce Committee
urging the Committee to make the availability of spectrum for unlicensed
use a major priority of any digital television (DTV) transition
legislation. The Committee is expected to vote on a DTV bill on Thursday.
Groups signing the letter include: Common Cause, Consumer Federation of
America, Consumers Union, Free Press, the Media Access Project, National
Hispanic Media Coalition, New America Foundation, and the U.S. Public
Interest Research Group. The letter states that while the groups may have
different priorities for the DTV transition overall, "on one crucial
element of the bill, we speak with one voice: DTV legislation must expand
availability of unlicensed spectrum to promote affordable broadband
access." The groups urge Congress to both "set aside portions of the
digital broadcast band for unlicensed use and direct the FCC to complete
its stalled rulemaking to open unassigned TV channels in each market (TV
band "white space") for unlicensed wireless broadband services." The letter
notes that expanding access to unlicensed spectrum would confer benefits on
consumers, small businesses and low-income families. It concludes by
noting that "the DTV transition represents an historic opportunity to
maximize efficient use of public resources to meet public needs."
http://www.commoncause.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=dkLNK1MQIwG&b=810...{3281DD38-957F-4F52-B4A1-9DA3E430C925}&notoc=1
* Read the full text of the letter:
http://www.commoncause.org/atf/cf/{FB3C17E2-CDD1-4DF6-92BE-BD4429893665}/DTVSPECTRUMCOALITIONLETTER_10-18-05.PDF

RECLAIMING THE VAST WASTELAND: WHY UNLICENSED USE OF WHITE SPACES IN THE TV
BANDS WILL NOT CAUSE INTERFERENCE TO DTV VIEWERS
[SOURCE: New America Foundation, AUTHORS: Michael J. Marcus, Paul Kolodzy
and Andrew Lippman]
On May 13, 2004, the Federal Communications Commission approved a Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) proposing to allow a new generation of wireless
devices to utilize vacant television channel frequencies in each market.
This so-called TV band "white space" consists of frequencies that are
allocated for television broadcasting but are not actually in use in a
given area. The FCC's proposed rulemaking is pending but currently
inactive. The proposed rules are intended to make way for technologies that
utilize unlicensed spectrum, such as Wi-Fi, to utilize the prime TV band
spectrum to offer wireless broadband services. Wi-Fi technology has become
very popular at higher frequencies, and has had a positive impact on the
growth of broadband services. However, the bands used for Wi-Fi do not have
appropriate radio propagation characteristics to serve low population
densities. Lower frequency spectrum, such as that used for TV broadcasting,
is capable of traveling longer distances at a given power level, and can
better penetrate obstacles such as buildings and trees. The FCC's proposal
would promote both spectrum efficiency and wireless broadband deployment.
The authors conclude: The FCC made a reasonable and important proposal in
May 2004 to give unlicensed access to under-utilized TV band frequencies to
devices that meet rigid technical specifications. The FCC has proposed
several alternative means to ensure there would be no harmful interference
to television reception or to public safety operations, as required by law.
The ability of "smart radio" technologies to avoid interference is
well-established, and technology industries have suggested additional
improvements. A comprehensive record has been established at the FCC.
Legislation that mandates an end to the DTV transition will have the side
effect of removing a major uncertainty affecting this proposal. The other
concerns about interference raised by the broadcast interests in this
proceeding can be easily resolved through normal rulemaking.
http://www.newamerica.net/Download_Docs/pdfs/Doc_File_2635_1.pdf

WIRELESS PUBLIC SAFETY DATA NETWORKS OPERATING ON UNLICENSED AIRWAVES
[SOURCE: New America Foundation policy backgrounder]
From the fire fighters who died on 9/11 to the rescue workers struggling
to help victims of Hurricane Katrina, recent crises have demonstrated that
the absence of reliable and interoperable voice and data communications
among public safety agencies is an urgent national dilemma. While the need
for voice interoperability among first responders is a fundamental and
long-standing public safety issue that must be resolved, many communities
across the nation have already begun to supplement their voice
communication networks with wireless broadband data networks operating over
unlicensed spectrum - most notably the 2.4 GHz "Wi-Fi" band. These
cutting-edge mobile high-speed data networks complement voice systems and
serve as a cost-effective means to deliver applications such as streaming
video for surveillance and disaster response, fast downloads of suspect mug
shots or building blueprints, and access to public safety databases. By
providing first responders with more resources in the field - and reducing
the time they need spend in the office - these wireless data networks act
as a "force multiplier," improving overall public safety. America's
upcoming transition to digital television (DTV) offers the potential both
to solve the voice interoperability problem once and for all, as well as to
foster the development of high-quality, high-speed wireless data networks,
by freeing up valuable and desperately needed airwaves.
http://www.newamerica.net/Download_Docs/pdfs/Doc_File_2633_1.pdf

AGENDA

ENSIGN EXPECTS '06 ACTION ON REVISED TELECOM BILL
[SOURCE: , AUTHOR: ]
Sen. John Ensign is optimistic that the telecommunications reform bill he
introduced in July will move next year as part of legislation to be
assembled by Senate Commerce Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska). But the
Nevada Republican acknowledged that his bill -- widely viewed as favoring
the Bell telecom firms -- will be modified. "It is not going to pass in
this form," he told attendees at a Tuesday morning breakfast sponsored by
the Federal Communications Bar Association. Sen Ensign said Hurricane
Katrina and White House efforts to fill a second Supreme Court vacancy are
among the factors bumping telecom action to 2006. Sen Ensign's bill would
let the Bells and others provide video services without obtaining local or
state franchises. But it would not require operators to expand their video
networks to entire communities, a key demand of the cable industry.
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-AXTW1129666939921.html
* Learn more about Sen Ensign's bill -- S. 1504 Broadband Investment and
Consumer Choice Act
http://www.benton.org/index.php?q=node/36

DOES OPEN-SOURCE SOFTWARE MAKE THE FCC IRRELEVANT?
[SOURCE: Forbes, AUTHOR: Daniel Fisher]
Columbia Law School Professor Eben Moglen wants to destroy the Federal
Communications Commission. Not as some kind of terrorist act, but because
technology is rapidly making it irrelevant. The agency might have made
sense in the 1920s, Moglen says, when it was formed to assign specific
frequencies to broadcasters so they wouldn't try to drown each other out by
cranking up the transmitter power. But a new generation of intelligent
radios, combined with equally clever computer networks, is making it
possible for anybody to use the airwaves without interfering with anybody
else. That raises the question of why Rupert Murdoch, say, needs exclusive
access to a slice of the radio spectrum for his Fox television network when
he could just as easily put his content out over the Internet for customers
to pick up using low-powered wi-fi receivers hooked into the Web. "My goal
is to do all of the work it takes to be explaining to the Supreme Court in
2025 why broadcasting is unconstitutional," says Moglen, who speaks in
perfect, rolling sentences. "We have a long march to do, we have a lot of
education to do, society has to catch up with our vision of the future, but
we are going someplace and the only question is timing and skill in
driving." (Godspeed, Eben!)
http://www.forbes.com/business/2005/10/18/open-source-software-FCC_cz_df...

MEETING DATE AND AGENDA OF CONSUMER ADVISORY COMMITTEE
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
The next meeting of the FCC's Consumer Advisory Committee (which includes
the Benton Foundation) will be Friday November 18, 2005 at FCC
headquarters. The Committee will 1) receive briefings by FCC staff
regarding Agency activities; 2) receive a report and recommendations from
its TRS Working Group regarding access to VRS networks, and 3) receive a
report and recommendations from its Media Working Group regarding public
interest obligations related to digital television. The full Committee may
take action on any or all of these agenda items. Want to participate? The
meeting site is fully accessible to people using wheelchairs or other
mobility aids. Meeting agendas and handouts will be provided in accessible
formats; sign language interpreters, open captioning, and assistive
listening devices will be provided on site. The meeting will be webcast
with open captioning at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/cac. For further
information contact: Scott Marshall, Consumer & Governmental Affairs
Bureau, Federal Communications Commission, 202-418-2809 (voice) or
202-418-0179 (TTY), scott.marshall( at )fcc.gov (e-mail).
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-05-2731A1.doc
* For additional info on the CAC, see:
http://www.benton.org/index.php?q=initiatives/proceedings

TELECOM

CONGRESSIONAL REPORT SLAMS E-RATE
[SOURCE: Technology Daily, AUTHOR: David Hatch]
A new report released Tuesday, approved by an 11-0 vote by the House Energy
and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, concludes that the
E-rate program is "extremely vulnerable" to waste and criminal activity and
is "poorly managed by the FCC." "The government mismanagement of the
E-rate program seems to know few bounds," House Commerce Committee Chairman
Joe Barton (R-TX) said. "Unscrupulous vendors fleeced the program while
underserved communities and telephone customers pay the price. The Federal
Communications Commission, these merchants and certain schools all must
share in the blame for its disgrace." In a statement, Bart Stupak (D-MI)
said the report underscores the need for E-rate reform. He said the subsidy
is hampered by "mismanagement, vendor greed [and] little or no basic
financial controls." He also complained of "gold plating" that "rewards
vendors with massive funds but benefits students little, if at all." The
report concludes that the FCC's oversight is insufficient. "Some school
districts have acquired goods and services through the E-rate program
without using a formal bidding process," the report said. The FCC also is
criticized for failing to develop "performance goals" to measure the
subsidy's effectiveness and make improvements. Technology planning is
identified as a "fundamental weakness." In some instances, school districts
received goods and services through the e-rate without adequate plans on
how to use them, according to the report. The subcommittee endorsed
recommendations for improving universal service previously made by the
Government Accountability Office. "They are reasonable and necessary steps
that the FCC must take to begin resolving the problems," the report said.
The ideas include conducting a detailed assessment of universal service,
establishing performance goals and creating a strategy for reducing the
E-rate's application backlog. Chairman Barton and Telecommunications and
the Internet Subcommittee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) announced they plan to
introduce reform legislation.
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-WLPO1129667265939.html
* Report Documents Millions Wasted by E-Rate, Offers Reform Recommendations
Barton, Upton to Pursue Fundamental Changes to the Program
[SOURCE: House Commerce Committee press release]
http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/News/10182005_1685.htm
* E-Rate poorly run, vulnerable to waste: report
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=internetNews&storyID...
* School E-Rate Net program blasted
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20051019/erate19.art.htm

HELLO... ? GLITCH KILLS PHONES FOR THOUSANDS
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Nancy Wride, James S. Granelli and Dan
Weikel]
At least 150,000 customers and probably many more over a large swath of
Southern California lost their phone and Internet service for up to 12
hours Tuesday because of a computer glitch at a Long Beach central
switching plant. The breakdown of telephone connections was the second time
in about a month that the failure of a small part of a complex network
caused households across large chunks of the region to lose a basic
service. In mid-September an electrical worker accidentally cut the wrong
cable at a power substation, shutting down power to much of Los Angeles for
hours. Both incidents underscore how basic utilities relied upon by
millions of people are vulnerable to relatively simple disruptions. The
state's fifth-largest city immediately had moved into what it declared
"communication failure protocol." At an emergency communication center near
Long Beach Airport from which Long Beach police and fire officials operated
Tuesday, a team of volunteer ham radio operators fanned out to 17 of the
largest nursing homes or assisted living centers to communicate with
medics, hospitals and first responders. The radio operator plan, city
officials said, was designed to prevent a repeat of the New Orleans
hurricane tragedy in which several bedridden patients were marooned and
died at a nursing home. The outage was so complete that Long Beach
officials had to drive to KJZZ-FM (88.1), the city's designated emergency
broadcast station, to let the radio station know what to tell listeners. To
cope with the failure of the 911 system, police departments in several
affected cities placed more patrol cars on the streets. Phone industry
experts were surprised by the scope of the outage but said it showed how
interrelated the telecommunications network is -- both landline phones and
cellphones.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-me-phones19oct19,1,356...
(requires registration)

QUICKLY

CPB MAY BE SPARED 'OPERATION OFFSET'
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting's budget will likely survive the
scare thrown into it by Operation Offset. That was the proposal by
Republican conservatives to pay for Hurricane Katrina through budget and
program cuts, including a suggesting that CPB's budget could be on the
block. Rep Mike Pence (R-IN), chairman of the Republican Study Committee
that came up with Operation Offset, didn't entirely rule it out, but said
Tuesday he didn't see zeroing out the CPB budget as part of the operation.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6275458?display=Breaking+News...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

HOW WILL PUBLIC TV STATIONS USE THEIR DIGITAL CAPACITY?
[SOURCE: Current]
Options include a just-announced Spanish-language channel
(www.current.org/dtv/dtv0519spanish.shtml) -- Viva TV, packaged by New
York's WNET -- along with three other national channels to be offered for
multicasting. More than half of licensees have signed to help pay for the
PBS high-definition channel (www.current.org/dtv/dtv0517hdtv.shtml) for at
least part of the day. Many hope to launch local or regional channels of
their own, such as the Minnesota Channel
(www.current.org/local/local0505mnchannel.shtml), now growing at Twin
Cities PTV.
http://www.current.org/

THERE'S ALWAYS A PLAN B
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Al Kamen] 3rd item
First came news Aug. 9 that veteran Bush media guru Mark McKinnon -- an
erstwhile Democrat -- was nominated to a seat on the Broadcasting Board of
Governors -- which oversees outlets such as the Voice of America, Radio
Free Europe and Radio Marti -- to replace Democrat Joaquin Blaya on the
nine-member board. Senate Democrats, particularly Minority Leader Harry
Reid (Nev) and ranking Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Joseph R.
Biden Jr. (Del) objected, saying someone who pulled in millions working for
Bush hardly qualified as a Democrat by their lights. The White House,
showing its "uniter, not divider" credentials, agreed. Next thing you know,
the White House on Monday pulled the nomination and renominated McKinnon to
replace Republican board member Fayza Veronique Boulad Rodman.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/18/AR200510...
(requires registration)

SENATOR: KEEP UN AWAY FROM INTERNET
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Declan McCullagh]
A new, nonbinding resolution introduced in the U.S. Senate by Sen. Norm
Coleman (R-MN) offers political backing to the Bush administration by
slamming a United Nations effort to exert more influence over the Internet.
http://news.com.com/Senator+Keep+U.N.+away+from+the+Internet/2100-1028_3...

CAN FLORIDA SHERIFF POLICE OBSCENITY ON THE INTERNET?
[SOURCE: Online Journalism Review, AUTHOR: Mark Glaser]
The website owner who offered soldiers free access to porn in exchange for
gory war photos was arrested on 300 obscenity-related charges in Florida.
http://www.ojr.org/ojr/stories/051018glaser/

HOW A NEW VOICE ON THE INTERNET FOUND VOICE IN WASHINGTON
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Jim Snyder]
A look at the lobbying efforts of Internet telephone service (VoIP)
provider Vonage.
http://thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/101905/spread.html

'SPLOGS' ROIL WEB, AND SOME BLAME GOOGLE
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: David Kesmodel david.kesmodel( at )wsj.com]
Just when you thought it was safe to surf the blogs, cue the Jaws theme
music. Beware the splog! Spam, long the scourge of email users, rapidly has
become the bane of bloggers too. Spammers have created millions of Web logs
to promote everything from gambling Web sites to pornography. The spam
blogs -- known as "splogs" -- often contain gibberish, and are full of
links to other Web sites spammers are trying to promote. Because search
engines like those of Google, Microsoft and Yahoo base their rankings of
Web sites, in part, on how many other Web sites link to them, the splogs
can help artificially inflate a site's popularity. Some of the phony blogs
also carry advertisements, which generate a few cents for the splog's owner
each time they are clicked on. The phony blogs are a particular problem for
Google, Microsoft and Yahoo because each offers not only a Web search
engine focused on providing the most relevant results for users but also a
service to let bloggers create blogs.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB112968552226872712.html?mod=todays_us_ma...
(requires subscription)

UTILITIES CRY FOUL OVER VERIZON DIG
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Yuki Noguchi]
DC-area cable companies say a Verizon Communications Inc. project to dig up
streets and lay a fiber-optic network has been poorly managed, leading to
rising damage costs and customer complaints as Verizon's crews cut through
other companies' lines. Verizon counters that the cable companies are
shifting blame for their own problems in the face of new competition in
providing television services. The battle is a microcosm of a larger fight
between the phone and cable industries, as the local companies take aim at
each other's customers in a race to grab Internet, phone and television
subscribers.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/18/AR200510...
(requires registration)

SLEUTHS CRACK TRACKING CODE DISCOVERED IN COLOR PRINTERS
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Mike Musgrove]
The pages coming out of your color printer may contain hidden information
that could be used to track you down if you ever cross the U.S. government.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/18/AR200510...
(requires registration)

PATENT DISPUTE THREATENS PREPAID WIRELESS SERVICE
[SOURCE: Reuters]
A patent dispute over prepaid cellular telephones threatens to disrupt
service to millions of prepaid wireless customers at several U.S. carriers,
including Cingular Wireless.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=technologyNews&story...

VIACOM BUMPS UP PLANNED SPLIT
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Joel Meyer]
Viacom will become two publicly traded companies earlier than expected. The
media giant plans to complete the move by the end of 2005.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6275468?display=Breaking+News...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
* Viacom Plans Split by End of '05
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=10013...

JUSTICES SHIELD LAW OPPOSITION CONTINUES
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Indiana Republican Rep. Mike Pence told a Washington audience Tuesday that
he expected the Justice Department would probably weigh in again against a
federal shield law bill at a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee
Wednesday. But he added that he thought Justice would also probably be open
to continuing discussions on the bill. The Justice Department did not make
an appearance at the first hearing on the bill back in July, though it
submitted written testimony opposing it. Rep Pence, a former broadcaster,
introduced a similar bill in the House and has been working with Senate
Sponsor Richard Luger on the effort to protect journalists' confidential
sources by setting national standards for government subpoenas.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6275453?display=Breaking+News...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
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Ummm, who moved my cheese? We're trying a new format after an unnamed media
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Communications-related Headlines is a free online news summary service
provided by the Benton Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted Monday through
Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments,
policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are
factually accurate, their often informal tone does not always represent the
tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang
(headlines( at )benton.org) -- we welcome your comments.
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