February 2006

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

GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
Do You Know What They Know?
Telecoms let NSA spy on calls
Internet Lions Turn Paper Tiger in China
What was Once Private is Now Under Google's Domain

FCC AGENDA
Bush Chooses Telecom Lawyer To Fill Republican FCC Vacancy
FCC Open Meeting Agenda
Full Disclosure: Adelstein on Ads

TELEVISION
Local Franchise Officials Praise Principles
Cable, Telephone Compromise on Franchise Rules
Cable, Broadcast Battles End
Goodmon: Stop the Slingbox!
Networks' iTunes gamble paying off

CONTENT
FTC Veteran to Review Ads for Kids
Television pits decency against ratings; stations worry about fines
Cracks in the Tier
ABC to Tape-Delay Super Bowl

INTERNET
Venture for Sharing Wi-Fi Draws Big-Name Backers
AOL, Yahoo to Let E-Mails Bypass Filters for a Fee

QUICKLY -- Those Cables Behind the Television May=20
Become Obsolete; Can DSL handle success?; Why They're Smiling at AT&T

GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS

DO YOU KNOW WHAT THEY KNOW?
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Don Herbert]
[Commentary] The attorney general, Alberto=20
Gonzales, is scheduled to testify about the=20
National Security Agency's illegal domestic=20
eavesdropping program today at a public hearing=20
of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Here are some=20
of the questions that need to be asked: Who is=20
being spied upon, and why? How many Americans=20
here in the United States =97 or others who were=20
lawfully in the country =97 have had their phone=20
conversations or e-mails intercepted without a=20
warrant? Who determines what calls or e-mails are=20
to be monitored in the U.S. without warrants, and=20
what are their guidelines? How many of those who=20
were spied upon were found to have been involved=20
in terror-related activities? How many were=20
referred to the F.B.I. or other agencies for=20
further investigation? Of those who were=20
referred, how many were cleared of=20
wrongdoing? What kind of information is being=20
collected about people who are spied upon without=20
warrants but are not referred to law enforcement=20
agencies? How is that data being used, and how is=20
it stored? Is the government collecting=20
information about the political views of the=20
people who are being spied upon? With whom is=20
that information being shared? What has been the=20
nature and the extent of the objections from=20
people inside the government to the warrantless spying?
http://select.nytimes.com/2006/02/06/opinion/06herbert.html
(requires subscription)

TELECOMS LET NSA SPY ON CALLS
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Leslie Cauley and John Diamond]
The National Security Agency has secured the=20
cooperation of large telecommunications=20
companies, including AT&T, MCI and Sprint, in its=20
efforts to eavesdrop without warrants on=20
international calls by suspected terrorists,=20
according to seven telecommunications executives.=20
The New York Times, which disclosed the=20
clandestine operation in December, previously=20
reported that telecommunications companies have=20
been cooperating with the government, but it did=20
not name the companies involved.
Decisions about monitoring calls are made in four=20
steps, according to two U.S. intelligence=20
officials familiar with the program who insisted=20
on anonymity because it remains classified: 1)=20
Information from U.S. or allied intelligence or=20
law enforcement points to a terrorism-related=20
target either based in the United States or=20
communicating with someone in the United States.=20
2) Using a 48-point checklist to identify=20
possible links to al-Qaeda, one of three NSA=20
officials authorized to approve a warrantless=20
intercept decides whether the surveillance is=20
justified. The checklist focuses on ensuring that=20
there is a =93reasonable basis=94 for believing there=20
is a terrorist link involved. 3) Technicians work=20
with phone company officials to intercept=20
communications pegged to a particular person or=20
phone number. Telecommunications executives say=20
MCI, AT&T and Sprint grant the access to their=20
systems without warrants or court orders.=20
Instead, they are cooperating on the basis of=20
oral requests from senior government officials.=20
4) If the surveillance yields information about a=20
terrorist plot, the NSA notifies the FBI or other=20
appropriate agencies but does not always disclose=20
the source of its information. Call-routing=20
information provided by the phone companies can=20
help intelligence officials eavesdrop on a=20
conversation. It also helps them physically=20
locate the parties, which is important if=20
cellphones are being used. If the U.S. end of a=20
communication has nothing to do with terrorism,=20
the identity of the party is suppressed and the=20
content of the communication destroyed.
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20060206/1a_lede06.art.htm
* Attorney General Will Blame Media for 'Wrong' Spy Program Reports
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_con...
t_id=3D1001957568
* White House spying defense rests on shaky legal ground
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20060206/edit06.art.htm

INTERNET LIONS TURN PAPER TIGER IN CHINA
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Tom Zeller Jr]
The issues on the ground in China are complex,=20
and there are plenty of people who believe that=20
Bill Gates is right when he says, as he did last=20
week when discussing the matter at a=20
Microsoft-sponsored conference in Lisbon, that=20
"the ability to really withhold information no=20
longer exists." That is to say, Microsoft or=20
Google may agree to censor this or filter that,=20
but in the end, censorship is no match for human=20
ingenuity and the endless ways for the Internet=20
to provide workarounds. "You may be able to take=20
a very visible Web site and say that something=20
shouldn't be there," Mr. Gates said, "but if=20
there is a desire by the population to know=20
something, it is going to get out." But even if=20
that's true, Western technology companies have=20
only themselves to blame if users in the free=20
world quickly ask when Shi Tao, the journalist=20
whose name Yahoo gave to Chinese authorities and=20
who subsequently was sentenced to a 10-year=20
prison term, will be released. Or that people use=20
what-ifs to ponder the moral limits of saying=20
that local law is local law. That's partly=20
because it is only recently that any of the=20
players have made any genuine efforts at=20
transparency in their dealings with China.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/06/technology/06link.html?pagewanted=3Dall
(requires registration)
* Google This
How far is the government willing to go in its=20
zeal to stop the free flow of information in China?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/05/AR200602...
0799.html
(requires registration)
* Activists Hound Google China Boss
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=3D/c/a/2006/02/05/BAGRNH345T...
TL&type=3Dtech
* Prying Eyes
A look at Google's dealings with governments in the US and China.
http://nationaljournal.com/about/congressdaily/columns/clark.htm

WHAT WAS ONCE PRIVATE IS NOW UNDER GOOGLE'S DOMAIN
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
[Commentary] Search engine companies and other=20
Internet firms are amassing unprecedented amounts=20
of very personal information about every one of=20
us. If the information were revealed -- whether=20
by government order, inadvertent exposure,=20
malicious hackers or deliberate misuse by the=20
companies that collected it -- we would be=20
digitally naked in the public eye. We should=20
demand from the government far better legal=20
protections for personal information that is held=20
by third parties. And we should demand four=20
things from the Internet firms that we do=20
business with: That they collect and store as=20
little personal information as possible, tell us=20
what information they collect, allow us to choose=20
not to have our search histories recorded and be=20
better guardians of the information we entrust in=20
them. The Internet affords us many freedoms. But=20
living in fear that anything we do online could=20
be exposed some day would be a bit like living=20
under the ever-watchful eye of Big Brother.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/opinion/13802957.htm

FCC AGENDA

BUSH CHOOSES TELECOM LAWYER TO FILL REPUBLICAN FCC VACANCY
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Arshad Mohammed]
Robert M. McDowell, a telecommunications lawyer=20
who works for CompTel, a trade group that=20
champions the interests of smaller telephone=20
companies against the regional phone giants, is=20
President Bush's choice for the third Republican=20
seat on the Federal Communications Commission. If=20
confirmed by the Senate, McDowell would give FCC=20
Chairman Kevin J. Martin a working Republican=20
majority and could allow him to tackle=20
controversial issues like media ownership.=20
McDowell, who has spent most of his career as a=20
telecom lawyer in Washington, has ties to the=20
White House, having led Bush advance teams during=20
the 2004 presidential campaign and served as=20
counsel to the Bush-Cheney Florida Recount Team=20
in 2000. Regulatory analysts said they thought=20
McDowell would easily win Senate confirmation,=20
noting that he has been publicly supported by=20
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens=20
(R.-Alaska). Mr. McDowell would fill the seat=20
vacated by Kathleen Q. Abernathy last year. The=20
term runs until June 2009. Some analysts said=20
that given his background, McDowell may be=20
inclined to take the side of smaller=20
communications companies as the FCC wades into=20
issues including overhauling the system by which=20
phone companies pay each other for handing off=20
phone traffic as well as the Universal Service=20
Fund that subsidizes service in poor and remote=20
regions. In addition to his telecom expertise,=20
McDowell, 42, has a long-standing interest in=20
politics, having served as chief of staff to a=20
member of the Virginia House of Delegates in 1986=20
and 1987. He ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the=20
Virginia state Senate in 1995 and for one in the=20
House of Delegates in 2003. He graduated from=20
Duke University in 1985 and from Marshall-Wythe=20
School of Law at the College of William and Mary=20
in 1990. He lives on the small farm where he grew up in Vienna.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/03/AR200602...
1991.html
(requires registration)
* Official announcement from White House:=20
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/02/20060203-9.html
* Nomination at FCC spurs look at media limits
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/a27a9ff6-9512-11da-9f39-0000779e2340.html
(requires subscription)
* Nominee to Give FCC Republican Majority
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/04/business/04fcc.html
* Bush to Nominate McDowell for FCC
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6304903.html?display=3DBreaking+News
* Statement from FCC Chairman Martin:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-263633A1.doc
* Statement from Commissioner Adelstein:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-263643A1.doc
* Statement from Commissioner Tate:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-263646A1.doc

FCC OPEN MEETING AGENDA
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
The FCC will meet on Friday, but not in=20
Washington, DC. For the convenience of those=20
appearing before the Commission, the Commission=20
will hold its meeting in Keller, Texas. The topic=20
will be the 12th Annual Report to Congress on the=20
status of competition in the market for the delivery of video programming.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-263645A1.doc
* FCC Plans Road Trip to Keller
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6304866.html?display=3DBreaking+News
(requires subscription)

FULL DISCLOSURE: ADELSTEIN ON ADS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
A Q&A with FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein=20
who has made the issue of payola -- and plug-ola=20
-- a priority in his second term. He tells B&C=20
that the Commission investigation into=20
music-industry payola continues. On the issue of=20
product placement, he says that some media=20
companies are voluntarily making their=20
disclosures longer and more prominent to avoid=20
running afoul of increased FCC scrutiny. But more=20
needs to be done, he says, including updating the=20
FCC's disclosure rules to reflect changes in ad technology.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6304942?display=3DNews&referral=
=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

TELEVISION

LOCAL FRANCHISE OFFICIALS PRAISE PRINCIPLES
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Local cable and telco franchise negotiators=20
Friday applauded the "statement of principles" on=20
franchise regulation issued the day before by=20
Senate Commerce Committee Co-chairman Daniel=20
Inouye (D-Hawaii) and Sen Conrad Burn (R-MT). "We=20
were pleased that the Senators have issued=20
principles reflecting a strong commitment to=20
localism and the needs of our citizens," said the=20
National Association of Telecommunications=20
Officers and Advisors, the government officials=20
who oversee telecommunications and multichannel=20
video franchising. "We are particularly grateful=20
to the Senators for recognizing the important=20
role that local government plays in facilitating=20
competitive delivery of services..."
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6304779?display=3DBreaking+Ne...
referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

CABLE, TELEPHONE COMPROMISE ON FRANCHISE RULES
[SOURCE: The Virginian-Pilot, AUTHOR: Carolyn Shapiro]
In order to bring peace to a troubled world --=20
and make a little money -- cable and telephone=20
companies have set aside their animosity and=20
agreed on new franchise rules for television=20
service in Virginia, easing the way for Verizon=20
Communications to launch its TV offerings in the=20
state. Identical bills on video franchising were=20
introduced into each chamber of the Virginia=20
legislature last week; Those involved in the=20
process think the matching bills are likely to=20
pass with little or no contest. Municipalities=20
and consumers, however, stand to lose some=20
benefits under the proposals, their advocates=20
said. The streamlined franchise process would=20
take some control away from local governments and=20
limit their ability to get the best services for their communities.
http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/print.cfm?story=3D98997&ran=3D180158

CABLE, BROADCAST BATTLES END
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John M. Higgins]
Two major TV-industry battles concluded on the=20
same day last week. EchoStar agreed to resume=20
delivering Lifetime Television to DBS=20
subscribers, and station group Nexstar=20
Broadcasting ended its bruising fight with cable=20
operators. But cable and broadcasting executives=20
will spend months examining fallout from the=20
disputes, calculating how they shift the balance=20
of power over one of the most divisive issues in=20
the TV business: retransmission consent. The=20
central question: Will major cable operators=20
start writing big checks in order to retransmit=20
the signals of local TV stations?
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6304947?display=3DNews&referral=
=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

GOODMON: STOP THE SLINGBOX!
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Joel Topcik]
Capitol Broadcasting President Jim Goodmon thinks=20
that Slingbox, the new gadget that allows one to=20
watch and control a home TV remotely via the=20
Internet, is illegal. Goodmon suspects the=20
Slingbox violates program copyright laws -- and=20
maybe retransmission-consent agreements -- by=20
enabling out-of-market viewing of network and=20
syndicated content. =93I have a deal with the cable=20
system,=94 he says, =93and they have retransmission=20
consent for the cable system in this market. They=20
don't have it for everyplace else. They can't do=20
that; there=92s no way that=92s legal.=94
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6304939.html?display=3DNews&r...
rral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

NETWORKS' iTUNES GAMBLE PAYING OFF
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Chris Marlowe]
Television networks took a leap into the unknown=20
when they started selling their shows on Apple's=20
iTunes online store, but even in these early=20
days, it's starting to look as if that faith in=20
digital downloads was well placed. Apple CEO=20
Steve Jobs welcomed Walt Disney and Pixar=20
Animation Studios content to the service in=20
October. Now there are 40 different series, each=20
episode of which costs a standardized $1.99 to=20
purchase, and more are on the way. Nobody will=20
disclose numbers for these television downloads.=20
It's easy, however, to keep an eye on the iTunes=20
download chart, which usually shows NBC's "The=20
Office" as the top full-length program, followed=20
by ABC's "Lost" and Comedy Central's "South Park."
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=3DinternetNews&storyID=
=3D2006-02-06T085545Z_01_N06373811_RTRUKOC_0_US-IPODS.xml

CONTENT

FTC VETERAN TO REVIEW ADS FOR KIDS
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Caroline E. Mayer]
The advertising industry has chosen Joan Z.=20
"Jodie" Bernstein, a former director of the=20
Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer=20
Protection, to help determine how companies=20
should promote their products, particularly food=20
and beverages, to children. She will head a=20
review of the industry's voluntary guidelines for=20
children's advertising. The review by the=20
Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU) -- the=20
industry's self-regulatory arm -- comes two=20
months after a national science panel called on=20
the industry to revise and expand its guidelines=20
for marketing of food and beverages to children.=20
Noting that most food products promoted to=20
children were high in calories, sugar, salt and=20
fat and low in nutrients, the Institute of=20
Medicine said there was strong evidence linking=20
television advertising to obesity.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/05/AR200602...
0822.html
(requires registration)

TELEVISION PITS DECENCY AGAINST RATINGS; STATIONS WORRY ABOUT FINES
[SOURCE: Salt Lake City Tribune, AUTHOR: Brandon Griggs]
Two years after Janet, broadcast television=20
networks are more careful about what kind of=20
content gets out during live shows. But prime=20
time programming is arguably coarser now than it=20
was before the Super Bowl in 2004. however, is=20
arguably coarser than it was before the 2004=20
Super Bowl. In remarks to a U.S. Senate forum=20
last November, Parents Television Council=20
President L. Brent Bozell cited prime-time TV=20
series with recent plotlines about bestiality and=20
a teen orgy. "In the wake of the Janet Jackson=20
incident, all of the broadcast networks trumpeted=20
new policies to prevent the airing of indecent=20
content," Bozell said. "However, it appears=20
little has really changed. Simply put, the=20
networks have no credibility when they talk about=20
their commitment toward keeping the airwaves safe=20
for families." Broadcasters say they take=20
seriously their role as stewards of the airwaves.=20
They claim they err on the side of caution when=20
making content decisions and note that most of=20
the nation's 1,500 TV stations have never been=20
cited by the FCC for airing indecent material.=20
Joining them on this issue are free-speech=20
advocates who equate government crackdowns on=20
entertainment programmers to censorship.
http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_3475078

CRACKS IN THE TIER
[SOURCE: Multichannel News 1/30, AUTHOR: R. Thomas Umstead & Linda Haugsted]
The Parents Television Council doesn't like=20
"Family Tiers" which introduced in the last month=20
under pressure from federal regulators, who=20
wanted to give parents a collection of channels=20
that would be a haven from sexual, excessively=20
violent and profane content. Why? These cable=20
tiers include the sometimes indecent programming=20
aired by broadcast TV stations. This could=20
sabotage cable=92s efforts to keep Congress or the=20
Federal Communications Commission from calling=20
for further regulation of content on=20
multichannel-video services, executives of major=20
cable-system operators say in private. The=20
biggest fear: That they'll mandate that each=20
channel a subscriber pays for be offered on an a=20
la carte basis -- a prospect that Oxygen Network=20
chief executive Geraldine Laybourne has said=20
would undo the economic model that has allowed=20
scores of new channels to flourish in cable over the past two decades
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6302824.html
(requires subscription)

ABC TO TAPE-DELAY SUPER BOWL
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Yesterday's Super Bowl pregame, post-game and=20
halftime shows were on 5 second tape delay to=20
allow ABC to edit out any indecency. According to=20
National Football League spokesman Brian=20
McCarthy, the decision to delay the Super Bowl=20
was entirely up to ABC, which delays other live=20
entertainment programming. The Parents Television=20
Council was quick to respond saying that ABC=20
"wisely decided to ensure that this year=92s Super=20
Bowl is not hijacked by raunchy performers as it was in 2004."
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6304641?display=3DBreaking+Ne...
referral=3DSUPP
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6304886?display=3DBreaking+Ne...
referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

INTERNET

VENTURE FOR SHARING WI-FI-DRAWS BIG-NAME BACKERS
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: John Markoff]
A telecommunications executive said on Sunday=20
that he had received $21.7 million for what he=20
called "a global network of shared Wi-Fi=20
connections" from backers, including Google, the=20
Internet phone service provider Skype, and the=20
venture capital firms Sequoia Capital and Index=20
Ventures. The network is being created by a=20
software venture called Fon, which was started by=20
Martin Varsavsky in Madrid three months ago. The=20
service permits subscribers to modify their own=20
routers so that users of Wi-Fi wireless=20
technology can connect to the Internet at many=20
physical locations, in contrast to the limited=20
range of access that is often available now. Mr.=20
Varsavsky said the company would receive revenue=20
from a multi-tiered subscription model, which=20
would permit users to share their Wi-Fi access=20
point with other Fon members freely or sell the=20
service. The network is operating in Europe, and=20
Mr. Varsavsky said that he planned to expand it=20
into the United States and other countries this year.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/06/technology/06mesh.html?pagewanted=3Dall
(requires registration)

AOL, YAHOO TO LET E-MAILS BYPASS FILTERS FOR A FEE
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Dan Goodin]
Two of the world's biggest e-mail account=20
providers, Yahoo and America Online, plan to=20
introduce a service that will charge senders a=20
fee to route their e-mail directly to a user's=20
mailbox without first passing through junk-mail=20
filters, representatives of both companies said.=20
The fees, which will range from a quarter of a=20
cent to 1 cent per e-mail, are the latest=20
attempts by the companies to weed out unsolicited=20
e-mails, or spam, and identity-theft scams. In=20
exchange for paying, e-mail senders will be=20
guaranteed that their messages will not be=20
filtered and will bear a seal alerting recipients=20
that they are legitimate. Both companies have=20
long filtered e-mail by searching for keywords=20
commonly contained in spam and fraudulent e-mail.=20
AOL also strips images and Web links from many=20
messages to prevent the display of pornographic=20
pictures and malicious Web addresses. Both=20
practices sometimes falsely identify legitimate=20
messages as junk mail, a problem for businesses=20
that rely on e-mail. The plan, while it is=20
optional and will apply to only a fraction of=20
e-mail senders, amounts to a reversal in the=20
economics of the Internet because it will charge=20
message senders rather than those receiving them.=20
The current model has led to the proliferation of=20
spam and "phishing" scams because the people=20
perpetuating them can turn a profit even when=20
only a minority of recipients respond, analysts have said.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/05/AR200602...
0813.html
(requires registration)
* Marketers bristle at certified e-mail
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20060206/1b_aol06.art.htm

QUICKLY

THOSE CABLES BEHIND THE TELEVISION MAY BECOME OBSOLETE
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: John Markoff]
A team of IBM researchers plans to report this=20
week that they have used standard chip-making=20
materials to develop a high-speed wireless=20
technology that could do away with the bulky=20
cables that now connect electronic devices in the=20
living room. On Tuesday, at an annual=20
semiconductor industry design meeting, the=20
researchers are expected to describe a design=20
that is capable of transmitting more than 10=20
times the data of today's Wi-Fi using lower-cost=20
silicon germanium material. The researchers said=20
the new technology would be ideal for moving HDTV=20
video signals around the home wirelessly in the=20
unlicensed 60-gigahertz portion of the radio=20
frequency spectrum. This is referred to as the=20
"millimeter wave band," and it has long held out=20
the promise of carrying far more data than other portions of the spectrum.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/06/technology/06chip.html?pagewanted=3Dall
(requires registration)

CAN DSL HANDLE SUCCESS?
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Marguerite Reardon]
Baby Bells Verizon and AT&T have enjoyed=20
significant success over the past year in using=20
price cuts to convince customers that it's time=20
to make the jump to broadband. But those same=20
promotions could backfire if the companies can't=20
accommodate the increased volume of speed-hungry customers.
http://news.com.com/Can+DSL+handle+success/2100-1034_3-6035271.html?tag=...
efd.lede

WHY THEY'RE SMILING AT AT&T
[SOURCE: BusinessWeek]
The combination of SBC and AT&T has created a $100 billion behemoth.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/feb2006/tc20060202_374269...
--------------------------------------------------------------
Best part of the Super Bowl? Let the countdown begin: 9 days, 3 hours!
--------------------------------------------------------------
Communications-related Headlines is a free online=20
news summary service provided by the Benton=20
Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted Monday=20
through Friday, this service provides updates on=20
important industry developments, policy issues,=20
and other related news events. While the=20
summaries are factually accurate, their often=20
informal tone does not always represent the tone=20
of the original articles. Headlines are compiled=20
by Kevin Taglang headlines( at )benton.org -- we welcome your comments.
--------------------------------------------------------------