November 2005

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

BROADCASTING
Watchdog Group Bites Stations
Deny the Petition
As Super Bowl Furor Recedes, Complaints of On-Air Indecency Dwindle
Web Takes Center Stage in Battle over Children's Ads
Spending Inquiry for Top Official on Broadcasting
FCC Initiates Rulemaking on Distributed Transmission Technology for
Digital TV Stations

OWNERSHIP
Many Suitors, and Many Pitfalls, as AOL Seeks a Partner
I Want My Ubiquitous Conglomerate
What makes a Stealth Show

INTERNET/BROADBAND/TELECOM
Latest House Telecom Draft Bill Tilts More Toward Bell Companies
Telcos Need 'Naked' DSL
Network Neutrality Broadband Challenge
Iowa Interest Groups Vie For Municipal-Net Votes
Telecom Damage Hobbles Gulf Rigs
Beware a 'Digital Munich'
Where Will the Money Be in Wireless?
Mobility Key to Converged Broadband World

QUICKLY -- Internet fathers get presidential medal; US "Riding the Wrong
Horse"; Sight of Alcohol Fuels Aggression; Movies inspire children to
smoke; Move the media elite outside its bubble; The Way of All Weeklies;
Eulogy For the Alt-Weekly; A Snowstorm! is Coming!; Call for
Submissions: "On Beyond Access"; Consumers sing copy-protection blues;
House OK'S $5M To Fight IP Pirates

BROADCASTING

WATCHDOG GROUP BITES STATIONS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Allison Romano aromano( at )reedbusiness.com]
The Media Access Project is petitioning the Federal Communications
Commission to deny license renewals to every English-language TV station in
Chicago and Milwaukee. The stations failed "to meet the needs of their
community of license," the petition states, by inadequately covering local
and state politics last fall. The public interest law firm charges that
less than 1% of the stations' newscasts was devoted to non-federal
elections in the four-week period leading up to Election Day 2004. Station
executives immediately fired back, saying the petitions considered a narrow
slice of time and did not give outlets credit for year-long political
coverage and non-news programs, such as town- hall meetings and debates.
"This mischaracterizes the extent of local political coverage in the
market," says Frank Biancuzzo, president/general manager for WISN
Milwaukee, a Hearst-Argyle ABC affiliate, who adds that WISN expanded
newscasts to cover additional political stories and aired live call-in
shows with candidates and a mayoral debate. Local broadcasters believe
they're meeting their obligations. "They have a right to file this
petition," says Biancuzzo, "but it is misleading, irresponsible and
unfair." It's unlikely the FCC will revoke the licenses. When the
Commission adopted its current renewal guidelines in 1984, it eliminated
programming requirements for local news and public affairs -- although it
did cite local broadcasters' "basic responsibility to contribute to the
overall discussion of issues confronting the community."
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6281463?display=News&referral...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

DENY THE PETITION
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
With all due respect to the Media Access Project, says B&C, "What
nonsense." The magazine argues that broadcasters take their obligation to
the public seriously, that television news directors use the same criteria
as other journalists do to determine what is newsworthy, that national
elections were more newsworthy that state and local issues in 2004 and that
the research used in MAP's license denials is faulty. MAP points out that,
in 1984, the FCC eliminated program guidelines for news and public affairs
but the Commission reminded stations they still have the "basic
responsibility to contribute to the overall discussion of issues
confronting the community." The editorial concludes: "By allegedly
ignoring local politics prior to the election, therefore, the stations
violated that trust. But that's a judgment that can't be made based on
scanning one month's worth of programs and using narrow criteria. We don't
believe the stations in Chicago or Milwaukee are negligent or deserve the
aggravation of responding to this challenge. We hope the FCC agrees."
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6281465?display=Opinion&refer...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

AS SUPER BOWL FUROR RECEDED, COMPLAINTS OF ON-AIR INDECENCY DWINDLE
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Jube Shiver Jr]
Less than two years ago, Janet Jackson inspired more than a million to
contact the FCC about indecency. But the flood of public complaints about
broadcast indecency has slowed considerably as 1) broadcasters have become
more cautious about the programming they air, 2) radio shock jocks have
toned down their material or moved on to satellite radio, 3) the Parents
Television Council has refocused on violent programming and 4) perhaps the
anti-indecency movement has just lost momentum. In 2004, the FCC
recommended a record $7.7 million in fines, including a $550,000 penalty
for the Super Bowl incident. In 2005 there have been no fines -- although
the agency is expected to act soon on pending complaints and could levy
some substantial penalties.
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-indecency7nov07,1,378...
(requires registration)
See also:
* Consumer Complaints
On Friday, the FCC released its report on the inquiries and complaints
processed by the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGB) during the
third quarter of calendar year 2005. The number of Radio and Television
Broadcasting complaints significantly increased from 6,429 in the 2nd
quarter to 26,368 in the 3rd quarter. The biggest increase occurred in the
Indecency/Obscenity category, from 6,161 to 26,185. Cable and Satellite
Services complaints also recorded an increase from 191 in the 2nd quarter
to 243 in the 3rd quarter. The Service Related category contributed to the
biggest increase, from 50 to 82. Wireless complaints increased from 6,783
in the 2nd quarter to 6,873 in the 3rd quarter.
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-262020A1.doc

WEB TAKES CENTER STAGE IN BATTLE OVER CHILDREN'S ADS
[SOURCE: AdAge, AUTHOR: Ira Teinowitz]
The Association of National Advertisers is calling the Federal
Communication Commission's attempt to curb advertising and promotions for
children's TV shows "intrusive" and an illegal attempt to reach out to the
Web, a medium the FCC doesn't control. The ANA's court filing this week in
the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit supports
Viacom's request to stay an FCC rule before it can take effect in Jan. 1.
The ANA contends the rule -- which, among other things, prohibits
displaying Web addresses in children's programming for Web pages that
feature cartoon characters selling products -- conflicts with the
traditional definition of advertising and "is contrary to official U.S.
government policy with respect to the Internet." Marketers and media
companies are concerned not only with the effects the rule could have on ad
pricing and availability, but also on marketers' ability to extend
promotional programs into various media. The rule makes three main changes
in marketing on shows aimed at those younger than 13: 1) it rewrites the
definition of what counts as an ad; 2) it limits the number of times
broadcast networks can preempt required children's shows, a move some
networks claim would make it more difficult to broadcast live sports
programming on the West coast; and 3) it imposes new rules on how media
companies can promote Web sites on programming by banning links to Web
pages featuring TV show characters selling products. Broadcasters and ad
groups are trying to overturn the rule.
http://adage.com/news.cms?newsId=46611

SPENDING INQUIRY FOR TOP OFFICIAL ON BROADCASTING
[SOURCE: New York Times 11/5/05, AUTHOR: Stephen Labaton]
Unsatisfied with attempts to manipulate public broadcasting in the US,
former Corporation for Public Broadcasting Chairman Kenneth Y. Tomlinson
has apparently been screwing with government-funded media abroad, too.
Tomlinson was ousted from the board of CPB on Thursday after its inspector
general concluded an investigation that was critical of him. That
examination looked at his efforts as chairman of the corporation to seek
more conservative programs on public radio and television. But Tomlinson
remains an important official as the chairman of the Broadcasting Board of
Governors. The board, whose members include the secretary of state, plays a
central role in public diplomacy. It supervises the government's foreign
broadcasting operations, including the Voice of America and Radio Free
Europe. Tomlinson is the subject of an inquiry into accusations of misuse
of federal money and the use of phantom or unqualified employees. The board
has been troubled lately over deep internal divisions and criticism of its
Middle East broadcasts. Members of the Arab news media have said its
broadcasts are American propaganda. People involved in the inquiry said
that investigators had already interviewed a significant number of
officials at the agency and that, if the accusations were substantiated,
they could involve criminal violations.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/05/politics/05broadcast.html
(requires registration)

FCC INITIATES RULEMAKING ON DISTRIBUTED TRANSMISSION TECHNOLOGY FOR DIGITAL
TV STATIONS
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
Distributed Transmission Systems (DTS) would allow television stations to
employ multiple synchronized transmitters spread around a station's service
area, rather than a single-transmitter, enabling broadcasters to fill gaps
in service coverage. Each transmitter would broadcast the station's
digital television signal on the same channel, similar to analog TV booster
stations but more efficiently. The major benefit offered by DTS is to
afford over-the-air service in areas previously blocked by terrain. On
Friday, the FCC clarified the Commission's existing guidelines for
stations' interim use of DTS and initiated a rulemaking regarding the
future use of Distributed DTS by digital television stations. The Notice
proposes rules to govern the use of DTS as an alternative to single
transmitter systems for digital television stations and seeks comment on
how DTV receivers and converter boxes will work where stations use
DTS. The proposed rules for DTS service would provide for stations to use
DTS to serve currently authorized areas. They would also allow stations to
apply to maximize their coverage using DTS once the current freeze on the
filing of most DTV applications is lifted, generally allowing DTS service
in an area that is comparable to the area they could cover with a single
transmitter.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-262082A1.doc

OWNERSHIP

MANY SUITORS, AND MANY PITFALLS, AS AOL SEEKS A PARTNER
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Richard Siklos]
Microsoft has emerged as the front-runner in the talks surrounding the
potential sale of a stake in America Online. Were Microsoft to prevail, it
would do so with an investment and partnership that includes folding its
MSN Internet service into a venture with AOL. But Google remains interested
in a deal that may also involve Comcast, while Yahoo and the News
Corporation are in the wings. While the AOL sweepstakes is predicated on
newfangled concepts like developing new models for advertising and melding
software applications with entertainment products, what is afoot is roughly
the cyberspace equivalent of two of the Big Four broadcast television
networks trying to merge to dominate prime time. According to comScore
Media Metrix, Time Warner's sites attracted 119 million users in September,
with most viewing AOL and related Web sites. That made Time Warner the
second-most-visited Internet destination in the United States, after Yahoo
sites with 123 million. MSN and other Microsoft sites attracted 114 million
unique users, while Google attracted 87.6 million. An AOL-MSN deal would
catapult the resulting venture into the No. 1 spot, and thus make it
especially attractive to advertisers seeking broad audiences.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/07/technology/07aol.html
(requires registration)
* Microsoft lead suitor for AOL
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=internetNews&storyID...

I WANT MY UBIQUITOUS CONGLOMERATE
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: avid Carr]
[Commentary] MTV Networks has 111 cable channels worldwide and in 2005
alone launched 19 new channels in Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa.
What's next? Make MTV as ubiquitous on cellphones, computer screens and
iPods as it is on cable. MTV's killer application is reinvention: many
other companies have announced themselves as "the next MTV" and quickly
found that MTV was the next MTV. Much in the fashion of the equally
successful HBO, the MTV enterprise is driven by the creative types within
the company. That means that long-running franchises like "The Real World,"
a show that prefigured the explosion of reality television, including the
on-screen hookup, continue to be just as fresh, vital and offensive as they
ever were.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/07/business/07carr.html
(requires registration)

WHAT MAKES A STEALTH SHOW
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Jim Benson and Ben Grossman]
Why do some bad (defined as shunned by Emmy voters, dismissed by critics
and ignored by assignment editors) shows stay on TV? Because they deliver a
consistent audience, longevity and the promise of a lucrative backend --
which can do wonders to help cushion the embarrassment they might cause a
network promoting itself as the home of quality programming. In other
words, stealth shows like Yes, Dear -- and ABC's America's Funniest Home
Videos, NBC's Crossing Jordan and a host of others -- somehow chug along
for years because networks dearly need them.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6281534.html?display=Feature&...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

INTERNET/BROADBAND/TELECOM

LATEST HOUSE TELECOM DRAFT BILL TILTS MORE TOWARD BELL COMPANIES
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: David Hatch]
House Commerce Committee staff is circulating a new draft of legislation
intended to reform the country's telecommunications laws. And, apparently,
the baby Bells love it. The legislation 1) waters down earlier language on
network neutrality to allow providers of broadband-based television
services to control the Internet content available to customers over such
platforms; 2) calculates video franchise fees in a way that is more
favorable to the Bells -- meaning less revenue in the coffers of
localities; 3) includes provisions requiring the FCC to review its
broadband video regulations every four years and eliminate any that are "no
longer necessary as the result of meaningful economic competition; and 4)
does NOT mandate that the Bells make their television services available to
all citizens in communities where they offer it. An earlier draft of the
bill was a collaboration by both Republican and Democratic leaders on the
committee; the new draft is the work of staffers for Chairman Joe Barton
(R-TX) and Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee Chairman Fred
Upton (R-MI).
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-VYMA1131128169410.html
Find the bill at:
http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/news/11032005_Broadband.pdf

TELCOS NEED "NAKED" DSL
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
Within one year, SBC and Verizon must offer customers high-speed Internet
access without requiring them to also buy phone service (an offering called
"naked DSL"). The companies must offer the service for two years. But the
FCC, which made the offering a condition of recent merger approvals for the
two companies, has no plans to regulate the a la carte price of DSL.
Without price caps, SBC and Verizon are free to price naked DSL so high
that customers would overwhelmingly purchase a less expensive voice-data
bundle by default. Consumer advocates were disappointed about the lack of
price controls on naked DSL. "Clearly, we would have wanted stronger
pricing provisions," said Mark Cooper, research director of the Consumer
Federation of America. The FCC plans to examine the effect of the naked DSL
condition in an annual report. "I hope we will have the good sense to find
it anti-competitive if the price for standalone DSL is not significantly
less than the price for bundled voice and DSL," FCC Commissioner Copps said.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6281547.html?display=Policy
(requires subscription)

NETWORK NEUTRALITY BROADBAND CHALLENGE
[SOURCE: NYCWireless]
In light of SBC CEO Edward Whitacre's comments about charging websites a
fee for providing services to SBC broadband customers (see
http://www.benton.org/index.php?q=node/587), NYCwireless is launching the
NYCwireless Network Neutrality Broadband Challenge. NYCwireless is
challenging every company that provides broadband services in NYC to make a
public statement supporting the 4 Network Neutrality principles outlined
below. We will keep a scorecard on the NYCwireless website showing which
companies have shown a commitment to free trade and open access by
embracing these principles.
Broadband Challenge:
http://www.nycwireless.net/tiki-index.php?page=BroadbandChallange
Broadband Challenge Scorecard:
http://www.nycwireless.net/tiki-index.php?page=BroadbandChallengeScoreCard

IOWA INTEREST GROUPS VIE FOR MUNICIPAL-NET VOTES
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Linda Haugsted]
On November 8, 30 communities in Iowa will vote on the creation of
municipal broadband utilities. Backing "yes" votes is OpportunityIowa, a
non-profit group closely allied with Fiberutilities of Iowa, a company that
wants to build city telecommunications utilities. It estimates that cities
mulling the issue represent 10% of the state's population. The referenda
would only approve the concept of a local utility. Actually building a city
system to deliver video, Internet access and other services would require a
second public vote to issue general-obligation bonds to pay for the system,
supporters said. General-obligation bonds, according to state law, require
a super-majority approval vote of 60% of voters. OpportunityIowa claims
support from officials including Gov. Terry Branstad and former attorney
general Bonnie Campbell. The "nays" are led by Project Taxpayer Protection,
backed by dominant local cable provider Mediacom. They argue that local
taxes should be spent on public safety and business development -- not be
spent on risky projects such as telecommunications businesses.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6281546.html?display=Policy
(requires subscription)

TELECOM DAMAGE HOBBLES GULF RIGS
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: John M. Biers john.biers( at )dowjones.com]
Six weeks after Hurricane Rita slammed ashore, key communications
infrastructure in the Gulf of Mexico remains offline. Half of the Gulf's
microwave network remains down due to storm damage effecting cellular-phone
service and high-end broadband connections. The telecom recovery since
Katrina has been slowed by subsequent storms, first Hurricane Rita in late
September, then Hurricane Wilma late last month. In the immediate aftermath
of Rita, 85% of the microwave network was down. The eastern half of the
Gulf is mostly restored, while most of the western half is down. The
network is expected to return to full capacity by year's end. The telecom
problems have been severe enough to prompt debate on how to upgrade the
system. Telecommunications companies emphasize the need for greater
diversity of systems and backup capacity.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113131915844189550.html?mod=todays_us_pa...
(requires subscription)

BEWARE A "DIGITAL MUNICH"
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Sen Norm Coleman (R-MN)]
[Commentary] The Internet faces a grave threat. We must defend it. We need
to preserve this unprecedented communications and informational medium,
which fosters freedom and enterprise. We can not allow the U.N. to control
the Internet. The threat is posed by the U.N.-sponsored World Summit on the
Information Society taking place later this month in Tunisia. At the WSIS
preparatory meeting weeks ago, it became apparent that the agenda had been
transformed. Instead of discussing how to place $100 laptops in the hands
of the world's children, the delegates schemed to transfer Internet control
into the hands of bureaucracies. There is no rational justification for
politicizing Internet governance within a U.N. framework. The chairman of
the WSIS Internet Governance Subcommittee himself recently affirmed that
existing Internet governance arrangements "have worked effectively to make
the Internet the highly robust, dynamic and geographically diverse medium
it is today, with the private sector taking the lead in day-to-day
operations, and with innovation and value creation at the edges." The U.S.
must do more to advance the values of an open Internet in our broader trade
and diplomatic conversations. We cannot expect U.S. high-tech companies
seeking business opportunities in growing markets to defy official policy;
yet we cannot stand idly by as some governments seek to make the Internet
an instrument of censorship and political suppression. To those nations
that seek to wall off their populations from information and dialogue we
must say, as Ronald Reagan said in Berlin, "Tear down this wall."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113133007519089738.html?mod=todays_us_op...
(requires subscription)

WHERE WILL THE MONEY BE IN WIRELESS?
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Mike Farrell]
"Third screen," "fourth play"... what's this deal between Sprint Nextel and
cable companies all about? Here's more on how the deal is structured: 1)
The four cable companies contribute $100 million and Sprint Nextel matches
that, to fund development of new communications and video services; 2)
Cable companies retain all revenue from sale of TV, Internet and home phone
services; Sprint retains all revenue from wireless services; 3) Each
partner gets commission for selling the other's services; 4) Cable
operators get a fee for handling billing and customer service for Sprint;
and 5) Initial services in first half of 2006. One potential application:
Programming digital recorders from cell phones.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6281581.html
(requires subscription)

MOBILITY KEY TO CONVERGED BROADBAND WORLD
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Frank Sixt, Hutchison Whampoa ]
[Commentary] The convergence of communications, media and the Internet can
no longer be ignored. In the global media and communications sector,
technology has brought us again to one of those extraordinary inflection
points where entirely new mass consumer product categories are created. If
that sounds like hype, just pause for a second and try to remember the
world before the Internet, before the mobile phone, before the Walkman,
before multi-channel television. That was about 20 years ago. I believe
that the distribution structure for Internet, media and communications
products has already changed, and has changed for good. All the trends from
the music industry, pay-per-view television and Internet search indicate
that "mobile" is what users want. Mobiles are at the center of the
converged world of communications, the Internet and media. We now find
ourselves at a similar point to where television was in the late 1940s. In
1949, just 2 per cent of American households had a television set. Five
years later, more than half of all Americans were glued to the box. Today,
television is ubiquitous globally. But the winners of this new world order
will not be all the "usual suspects". A mobile operator that does not
understand its consumers' media needs will fail, as will a media operator
that does not anticipate what customers want in mobility. An Internet
operator that does not understand its customers' needs in mobility will be
off-line for much of the time that his customers are online. This will lead
to important new alignments between the mobile, Internet and media worlds.
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/6dc768ac-4ef9-11da-9947-0000779e2340.html
(requires subscription)

QUICKLY

INTERNET FATHERS GET PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Marguerite Reardon]
Robert Kahn and Vint Cerf, who developed the TCP/IP protocols used to
transmit traffic across the Internet, will receive the Presidential Medal
of Freedom, the nation's highest civil award, on Wednesday November 9.
http://news.com.com/Internet+fathers+get+presidential+medal/2100-1034_3-...

US "RIDING THE WRONG HORSE"
[SOURCE: ePrairie.com, AUTHOR: Michael Snyder]
Every generation needs a hero. The 70s gave us Kahn and Cerf (see story
above). In the 80s, there was Michael Bolton. Today, meet Michael Powell,
champion of municipal Wi-Fi and WiMAX. Speaking before a collection of
Hoosiers, the former FCC Chairman said the US is a slave to its own success
and in great need of bigger broadband pipes.
http://www.eprairie.com/news/viewnews.asp?newsletterID=12909

STUDY: SIGHT OF ALCOHOL FUELS AGGRESSION
[SOURCE: AdAge, AUTHOR: James B. Arndorfer]
A study slated to appear in the January issue of Psychological Science
suggests the mere presence of alcohol-related images -- including those in
advertising -- encourages aggression even if people aren't drinking.
http://adage.com/news.cms?newsId=46629

MOVIES INSPIRE CHILDREN TO SMOKE
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Liz Szabo]
Smoking depicted in the movies is a primary reason children ages 10 to 14
try cigarettes, a study reports today in Pediatrics. The study, the first
national one of its kind, finds that 38% of young smokers took up the habit
because of tobacco use on the big screen. Experts agree that parents should
shield their children from movies that feature smoking. Films that depict
smoking only by "bad guys" are just as damaging as those whose heroes
smoke, because many kids identify with rebellious characters. Films also
teach insecure and shy children to use cigarettes to start conversations
and ease awkward social situations.
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/life/20051107/bl_sidestrip07.art.htm

MOVE THE MEDIA ELITE OUTSIDE ITS BUBBLE
[SOURCE: The Christian Science Monitor, AUTHOR: Matthew Towery,
InsiderAdvantage.com]
[Commentary] By looking through an elite pair of myopically focused
glasses, media movers deceive themselves that everything revolves around
their own business and social circles in New York City and Washington, D.C.
America's pillars of power - be they political, financial, or other
influential players - have become so insular with intellectual inbreeding
and self-promotion as to leave us wondering if fiction works "Alice's
Adventures In Wonderland," "1984," and "All The King's Men" have all leaped
from the written page and fused into a new and twisted reality. It's a plot
that features thought control, falsehood represented as truth, and the
elite's belief that "even when we lie, it's really for America's own good."
A solution? Moving some of the major national news broadcasts to new
locations outside New York. How about the evening news from Topeka, Kan.;
Dallas; or Jacksonville, Fla.? According to Goldberg, that would force
talking-head superstars to interact with mainstream Americans. (See how
ahead of the curve Headlines is? Coming to you from the Land of Lincoln
since 2004!)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1107/p09s02-coop.html

THE WAY OF ALL WEEKLIES
[SOURCE: AlterNet, AUTHOR: Donnell Alexander, LA CityBeat]
[Commentary] Depending whom you talk to, the New Times-Village Voice merger
is either the end of alternative journalism, or the beginning of an
old-fashioned newspaper war.
http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/27786/

EULOGY FOR THE ALT-WEEKLY
[SOURCE: AlterNet, AUTHOR: Jeff Chang]
[Commentary] What happens when the 'alternative' newspaper is no longer
alternative?
http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/27789/

A SNOWSTORM! IS COMING!
[SOURCE: Alliance for Community Media press release]
On November 7th a Snowstorm! will blanket the entire United States, from
Florida to Alaska, from Hawai'i to Maine as Public, Educational and
Governmental (PEG) channels on cable systems simultaneously show one minute
of video snow. Snowstorm! is an action to organize grassroots support among
PEG producers and viewers.
This Snowstorm! will remind communities what could be lost if new cable
legislation before Congress is not fixed to protect the wonderful community
channels we have come to know and depend upon. It is not a coincidence that
the Snowstorm! will hit nation-wide on the eve of state and local
elections. We believe that the future of our democracy is dependent upon
the availability of Public Greenspace in our communications system. We
believe that there is no democracy without a place for community
dialogue. We believe that the local Public, Educational and Government
channels are that space. "This nation has come to a critical juncture in
the legislative battle to protect local franchising- especially Public,
Educational, Government and Institutional Network resources for our
communities," warns Anthony Riddle, Executive Director of the Alliance for
Community Media. "These bills, as written, give a few powerful corporations
complete control over the information passing into and out of every home in
America," Riddle continued. "No people can be free who do not have freedom
to share any information they feel they need to make decisions. The
greenspace provided by Public, Educational and Governmental access channels
is a real protection against corporate domination of our
communities. Corporations should have the freedom to compete and
innovate. Do our children deserve less? We believe in profits, but not at
the expense of our Democracy."
www.alliancecm.org

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: "ON BEYOND ACCESS"
In the Winter 2005 issue of the Community Media Review, editors hypothesize
that community media centers are the cusp of significant evolution as a
result of fundamental changes in technology. With the advent of broadband,
and the shift to a digital platform, change is happening on every front.
There are sweeping changes afoot in legislation, policy, regulation and
funding. The changes in technology are also affecting how we produce,
distribute and consume media. And these changes will most certainly affect
our community media operations.
To read more and submit articles, go to:
http://communitymediareview.org/call.html

CONSUMERS SING COPY-PROTECTION BLUES
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Todd Martens and Brian Garrity]
Complaints continue to mount regarding a controversial CD copy-protection
initiative by Sony BMG Music Entertainment. Artists and consumers' initial
concern was that the digital rights management technology does not work
with iPods. Now a growing number of music fans charge that the security
software behaves like spyware and may create security vulnerabilities in
users' computers.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=internetNews&storyID...

HOUSE OKs $5 MILLION TO FIGHT IP PIRATES
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The House Friday agreed to earmark $5 million to help the State Department
combat piracy of intellectual property in countries outside the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6281472?display=Breaking+News...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
--------------------------------------------------------------
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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