March 2006

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

CONVERGENCE
AT&T Chief, FCC Chair Clarify on Net Neutrality
FCC eyes program access for new video entrants
Telco/Cable War Heating Up
Whitacre: Cable Price Hikes Over
Verizon exemption could make businesses pay
AT&T next to seek business broadband deregulation
No Bundle of Joy
McSlarrow: Big Telecom Bill Unlikely
=C0 la Carte: Good Slogan, Bad Policy
Michigan Broadcasters Back Statewide Franchise

GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
No Breach Seen in Work in Iraq on Propaganda
Regulating like it's 1969
Santorum Staffer Praises, Prods Cable

MEDIA OWNERSHIP
Vivendi Holder May Urge Unwinding of Media Titan
MediaNews Likely Bidder for Former Knight Ridder Papers
As Market Shifts, Newspapers Try to Lure New, Young Readers
EchoStar Pursues a Strategy Shift

QUICKLY -- Keep computers out of the classroom;=20
Broadcasters Beef Up Disaster Recovery Plans;=20
Creative Commons license upheld by court; Supreme=20
Court won't intervene in Net obscenity case; EU=20
Wants to Regulate Cellphone Roaming Rates;=20
Japan's mobile operators see kids as new market;=20
Ashcroft firm lobbies for tech titans

CONVERGENCE

AT&T CHIEF, FCC CHAIR CLARIFY ON NET NEUTRALITY
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Marguerite Reardon]
Edward Whitacre, whose comments initially ignited=20
the debate over whether new laws were needed to=20
preserve network neutrality, said here on Tuesday=20
that fears his company and other big network=20
providers would block traffic on their networks=20
are overblown. "Any provider that blocks access=20
to content is inviting customers to find another=20
provider," he said. "And that's just bad=20
business." "AT&T will not block or degrade=20
traffic, period," he said. "And we won't change=20
(our position) no matter what sky-is-falling=20
rhetoric you hear. Markets work best when=20
consumers have choices." FCC Chairman Kevin=20
Martin said that he believes the FCC's existing=20
principles are sufficient to address problems=20
that may arise should network operators block=20
traffic. "I think the FCC has authority to act,"=20
he said. "And it has done so in the past."=20
Chairman Martin also said he supports the right=20
for network operators to differentiate their=20
networks and prioritize traffic on their=20
networks. "We need to make sure we have a=20
regulatory environment (in which network=20
operators) can invest in the network and can recoup their costs," he said.
http://news.com.com/AT38T+chief,+FCC+chair+clarify+on+Net+neutrality/210...
034_3-6052239.html?tag=3Dhtml.alert
* FCC Chair Says Commission Has Authority To Enforce Net Neutrality
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=3D18370...
5&cid=3DRSSfeed_IWK_All
* Disney's Iger: No Net Neutrality Laws Needed
http://www.governmententerprise.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleId=3D1...
01300

FCC EYES PROGRAM ACCESS FOR NEW ENTRANTS
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Jeremy Pelofsky]
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said Tuesday that the=20
Commission should encourage competition for TV=20
viewers by ensuring that telephone companies=20
entering the business can buy access to=20
programming. Verizon on Tuesday asked the FCC for=20
help in securing popular sports programming from=20
Cablevision Systems subsidiary Rainbow Media=20
Holdings. Rainbow Media controls the Madison=20
Square Garden Network, Fox Sports New York and=20
Fox Sports New England. Chairman Martin declined=20
to comment on Verizon's complaint that Rainbow=20
was refusing to negotiate access terms, but did=20
say access to programming was vital to=20
competition. "Certainly having access to content=20
is another very important part of being able to=20
have another competitor in video space," Martin=20
said at a conference of telecommunications=20
providers. "I think trying to make sure that=20
we're doing all we can to increase competition=20
for the people trying to deliver consumers=20
television services is critical," he said. "The=20
commission will continue to work on that." The=20
FCC chairman also said on Tuesday he hoped the=20
FCC would act this year to review whether cities=20
and towns are unnecessarily delaying or blocking=20
new video providers from obtaining the necessary=20
licenses to offer service, known as franchises.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=3DtechnologyNews&sto...
D=3D2006-03-21T232608Z_01_N21351310_RTRUKOC_0_US-MEDIA-FCC-PROGRAMMING.xml&=
archived=3DFalse

TELCO/CABLE WAR HEATING UP
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
At the Cable Television Public Affairs=20
Association Forum in Washington, National Cable &=20
Telecommunications Association President Kyle=20
McSlarrow, referring to some of the negative TV=20
ads that he said the telcos were spending $2=20
million a week on, said, "There's an easy way and=20
a hard way. If they want to do knife fights, I=20
can do knife fights," said McSlarrow, adding that=20
he would "much prefer" to work it out in a more=20
positive way (he said later he "probably should=20
not have used" the "knife" phrase). That said, he=20
also added that "you'll see some negative ads"=20
from the cable side as well. The current=20
battleground is Congress' rewrite of the 1996=20
Telecommunications Act, which is expected to=20
include video franchise reform that will ease=20
telcos' entry into video service as a way also to=20
speed the rollout of broadband (high-speed=20
Internet service) nationwide, and to provide=20
additional price and service competition to=20
cable. McSlarrow says NCTA favors franchise=20
reform as well, so long as it applies to both=20
cable and telcos equitably. He would give no=20
specifics, by McSlarrow said he saw some progress=20
with House Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton=20
(R-Tex.) in leavening some of the more=20
problematic issues in a proposed video=20
franchising bill, which McSlarrow does not feel=20
is equitable, and has in fact called "a "huge=20
step backwards in the wrong direction."
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6317527?display=3DBreaking+News
* Verizon Files FCC Complaint Against Cablevision
Verizon has filed a program access complaint with=20
the FCC to try and force Cablevision to negotiate=20
a carriage agreement so that Verizon's FiOS TV=20
multichannel video service can carry what it says=20
are various Cablevision-controlled sports channels in New York and New Engl=
and.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6317390?display=3DBreaking+News

WHITACRE: CABLE PRICE HIKES OVER
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Tom Steinert-Threlkeld]
AT&T said it expects that cable-television=20
companies =93almost certainly=94 will not be able to=20
raise prices once it enters the market with its=20
infinite-channel television service. That service=20
-- which relies on Internet communication=20
protocols and is scheduled to reach 18 million=20
households over the next two years -- =93will=20
change the game for consumers,=94 chairman and CEO=20
Ed Whitacre said Tuesday at the TelecomNEXT=20
conference. =93For one thing, it will offer a=20
better video service than today=92s cable -- more=20
features, more functionality, more capability,=94=20
Whitacre said. =93For another, it will almost=20
certainly result in lower prices by cable=20
television. And that is an experience few people=20
have enjoyed.=94 Since 2000, the average price of=20
telephone services in this country has dropped=20
22%, Whitacre said, adding that by contrast,=20
cable rates increased 32%. =93That=92s about to change,=94 he said.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6317613.html?display=3DBreaking+News

VERIZON EXEMPTION COULD MAKE BUSINESS PAY
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Marguerite Reardon]
Earlier this week, the Federal Communications=20
Commission acknowledged that Verizon=20
Communications had been exempted from regulation=20
on its business-broadband service. The exemption=20
essentially gives Verizon the power to charge its=20
business customers and competitive carriers, who=20
use Verizon's local access network to connect to=20
businesses, any price it likes for using the=20
network. It also frees the phone company from=20
making contributions to the Universal Service=20
Fund. For Verizon and possibly other local phone=20
companies like AT&T, which also plans to file a=20
petition, the inaction of the FCC and the=20
eventual granting of the exemption is great news.=20
Verizon has effectively succeeded in freeing=20
itself from regulation that required it to share=20
its network with competitive carriers and=20
dictated prices it could charge customers. But=20
for business customers, which buy services=20
directly from Verizon, and competitive carriers,=20
such as Level 3, Sprint Nextel and Qwest=20
communications, which use Verizon's local network=20
to sell services to business customers, prices=20
for the use of this network could rise=20
significantly, say critics. "The chairman's=20
action represents the height of irresponsibility=20
by a federal official," Earl Comstock, president=20
and CEO of Comptel, an association representing=20
Verizon's competitors, said in a statement.=20
"Competition and consumers are now at the mercy=20
of Verizon's financial self-interest. If history=20
is any guide, there will be predictable adverse results."
http://news.com.com/Verizon+exemption+could+make+businesses+pay/2100-103...
-6052407.html?tag=3Dnefd.lede

AT&T NEXT TO SEEK BUSINESS BROADBAND DEREGULATION
[SOURCE: Reuters]
AT&T said on Tuesday it will swiftly follow the=20
lead of rival Verizon Communications and ask the=20
Federal Communications Commission to lift=20
regulations on its broadband data services for=20
business clients. "I think it will be pretty=20
close to what Verizon did," AT&T CEO Ed Whitacre=20
said, referring to his plans to file a petition=20
like the one by Verizon that sought deregulation.=20
"I'm sure if Verizon has it, we'll get it too."=20
Whitacre appeared to get quick support from FCC=20
Chairman Kevin Martin who told reporters he=20
wanted to offer regulatory relief to further=20
investment and deployment of broadband networks.=20
"I'd be supportive of others who want to have the=20
same kinds of opportunities to invest in their=20
networks," Chairman Martin said. Industry=20
analysts said Verizon's competitors are likely to=20
mount a legal challenge to the FCC's deregulation=20
of high-capacity networks like Ethernet and=20
Internet-based virtual private networks. However,=20
the FCC action could pave the way for other=20
dominant local telephone companies like BellSouth=20
to seek similar deregulation. In asking the FCC=20
to lift the regulations, Verizon offered to=20
continue contributing to the Universal Service=20
Fund, which subsidizes communications services=20
for schools, libraries, rural areas and poor=20
households. Whitacre said AT&T would be willing=20
to do the same. "I'm sure we would, sure," he said.
http://news.com.com/AT38T+next+to+seek+business+broadband+deregulation/2...
-1034_3-6052174.html?tag=3Dhtml.alert

NO BUNDLE OF JOY
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Yuki Noguchi]
Big telecom and cable TV companies say such=20
"bundles" of service are the way of the future,=20
and the concept is driving huge corporate mergers=20
that are remaking the consumer marketplace. But=20
customers have been slow to pick up on the=20
notion, and those who have, such as Mabry,=20
sometimes find that the reality has yet to match=20
the vision. "The assumption that everybody wants=20
a bundle is flawed," said Maribel Lopez, an=20
analyst with Forrester Research. Surveys show=20
that only 5 percent of subscribers buy bundled=20
services, and only about quarter of consumers are=20
interested in buying all their services from a=20
single provider, she said. Some buyers remember=20
the days of being in the driver's seat as they=20
played long-distance providers off one another=20
for better deals, and they are reluctant to put=20
all their subscriptions in the hands of a single=20
company in an industry whose customer service is=20
notoriously inconsistent. The more services added=20
to the bundle, the fewer people it appeals to,=20
Lopez said. Customers who buy bundles usually buy=20
only two or three services at once, primarily to=20
get a discount on the total bill. Over time,=20
cable and telephone operators say the bigger=20
selling point will come from tying the services=20
together in innovative ways -- making it=20
possible, for example, to record and view=20
television programming on a cellphone. From the=20
companies' standpoint, the more customers buy in=20
bundles, the less likely they are to switch=20
providers. That's why phone companies such as=20
Verizon Communications Inc. are spending billions=20
of dollars on fiber-optic lines to deliver=20
Internet and television services -- so they can=20
lure subscribers from cable providers and wrap=20
them up with full-service packages. The pending=20
merger of AT&T Inc. and BellSouth Corp. is also=20
partly about trying to speed the rollout of=20
Internet-based TV. And consumers are beginning to=20
cross boundaries in search of better deals. Five=20
million households get phone service from their=20
cable provider, and 1.5 million customers get=20
satellite television on the same bill as Internet=20
and phone, according to Bruce Leichtman, head of Leichtman Research Group.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/21/AR200603...
1734.html
(requires registration)

MCSLARROW: BIG TELECOM BILL UNLIKELY
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
Congress is unlikely to pass a major=20
telecommunications bill in 2006 due to the=20
absence of popular support and the need for=20
lawmakers to focus on other legislative=20
priorities in a work-shortened election year,=20
National Cable & Telecommunications Association=20
President Kyle McSlarrow said Tuesday. =93I think=20
it is a truism that the citizenry are not rushing=20
Capitol Hill with pitchforks demanding telecom=20
[reform] now. This is not a burning electoral=20
issue,=94 McSlarrow said at the Cable Television=20
Public Affairs Association=92s Forum 2006. If=20
Congress adjourns in early October, lawmakers=20
have fewer than 60 legislative days remaining. If=20
House and Senate passage has not occurred by the=20
end of May, work on other legislative priorities=20
and annual spending bills would crowd out the=20
telecom bill, McSlarrow said. =93If you don't see=20
things move by June, it=92s hard to imagine that=20
the closer you get to the election, the more=20
likely it=92s going to be,=94 said McSlarrow, who did=20
not rule out "pieces" of a large bill making it to the White House.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6317648.html?display=3DBreaking+News

A LA CARTE: GOOD SLOGAN, BAD POLICY
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
"=C0 La Carte is a great bumper sticker because=20
people say, 'Why should you pay for channels you=20
don't watch?" National Cable & Telecommunications=20
Association President Kyle McSlarrow told a crowd=20
of cable marketers Tuesday, but "the business=20
model is one that the channels you don't watch=20
pay for the ones you do watch. =C0 La carte means=20
you pay more for less," he said, adding, "Even in=20
Washington, I don't think that is viewed as an ideal public-policy outcome."
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6317535?display=3DBreaking+News

MICHIGAN BROADCASTERS BACK STATEWIDE FRANCHISE
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Michigan Association of Broadcasters (MAB)=20
has come out in support of bills in the Michigan=20
House and Senate that would create a=20
telco-friendly statewide video franchise. A=20
couple of broadcaster-friendly provisions in one=20
bill include a requirement that a statewide=20
franchise holder not "degrade" the broadcast=20
signal it carries and one that says both TV and=20
radio stations can request carriage (must carry),=20
or try to negotiate retransmission-consent=20
agreements that compensate them for carriage.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6317642?display=3DBreaking+News

GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS

NO BREACH SEEN IN WORK IN IRAQ ON PROPAGANDA
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Thom Shanker]
An inquiry has found that an American public=20
relations firm did not violate military policy by=20
paying Iraqi news outlets to print positive=20
articles, military officials said Tuesday. The=20
finding leaves to the Defense Department the=20
decision on whether new rules are needed to=20
govern such activities. The inquiry, which has=20
not yet been made public, was ordered by Gen.=20
George W. Casey Jr., the senior American=20
commander in Iraq, after it was disclosed in=20
November that the military had used the Lincoln=20
Group, a Washington-based public relations=20
company, to plant articles written by American=20
troops in Iraqi newspapers while hiding the=20
source of the articles. The final report was=20
described by officials in Washington and Iraq who=20
have read or been briefed on it and were granted=20
anonymity because they were not authorized to=20
speak publicly about it. Pentagon officials said=20
Tuesday that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld=20
was considering new policies for regional=20
commanders to clarify existing doctrine and rules=20
on military communications and information=20
operations. Officials at the Pentagon and in Iraq=20
said the Lincoln Group's contract remained fully=20
in effect. The group's work, under a contract=20
estimated at several million dollars, has=20
included paying friendly Iraqi journalists stipends for favorable treatment.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/22/politics/22lincoln.html?hp&ex=3D114309...
0&en=3D30f92914d9603f95&ei=3D5094&partner=3Dhomepage
(requires registration)

REGULATING LIKE IT'S 1969
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
Networks and their distribution partners in cable=20
and satellite, prodded by the Internet and=20
devices such as TiVo and Slingbox, are slowly=20
ceding control to viewers and making it possible=20
for them to watch shows when and where they want.=20
Nevertheless, the Federal Communications=20
Commission, in regulating indecent content, acts=20
as if over-the-air broadcasting reigns supreme.=20
Granted, television has become increasingly=20
coarse, graphic and titillating. As FCC Chairman=20
Kevin J. Martin notes, complaints about=20
unsuitable programs have risen dramatically --=20
thanks in no small measure to organized e-mail=20
campaigns by groups such as the Parents=20
Television Council. But the FCC is ill-suited to=20
the parental task of protecting impressionable=20
minds from corrupting images. For starters, the=20
commission's ever-shifting membership leads to a=20
lack of clarity about what is and isn't=20
permissible. It also levies fines capriciously.=20
As programs move to new venues and time slots,=20
much of it at viewers' control, it's irrational=20
to think that the feds can shield children by=20
cracking down on what local broadcasters show.=20
The commission should stop trying to censor=20
broadcast programming and focus instead on=20
helping parents understand and use the tools=20
available to police their television sets.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-ed-fcc22mar22,1,2590...
.story?coll=3Dla-news-comment
(requires registration)

SANTORUM STAFFER PRAISES, PRODS CABLE
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Mark Rogers, staff director for Senate Republican=20
Conference Chairman Rick Santorum (R-PA) told a=20
luncheon crowd of cable marketers that their=20
industry needs to do three things to keep=20
Congress off their backs: 1) Keep providing=20
parental control tools, 2) make them as simple as=20
possible, and 3) "restrict the bad," which he=20
defined as "content that we all acknowledge is=20
not appropriate for children." The three-point=20
plan, Rogers suggested, is an alternative to=20
government-policing content. He said his boss=20
favored self regulation but suggested that has to=20
be a team effort between the industry and=20
parents. Rogers said he did not entirely trust=20
cable to be the sole gatekeeper, but said instead=20
that it needs to help parents by supplying the=20
simplest, most effective content controls, plus=20
tightening its ad-placement policy. Another=20
concern, Rogers told the Cable Television Public=20
Affairs Association Forum attendees in=20
Washington, was unrated versions of PG-13 movies=20
getting into the distribution pipeline.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6317617?display=3DBreaking+News

MEDIA OWNERSHIP

VIVENDI HOLDER MAY URGE UNWINDING OF MEDIA TITAN
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: ]
Sebastian Holdings Inc. has bought 2.5% of=20
Vivendi Universal ($1.1 billion) and intends to=20
push management to unwind the strategy that=20
created the European media giant. Sebastian=20
Holdings, which recently helped shareholders push=20
in management changes at French advertising=20
company Havas SA, intends to argue that Vivendi=20
needs a clearer strategy and should either=20
concentrate on creating media content or on=20
distributing information. That position is at=20
odds with the vision that turned Vivendi into a=20
media conglomerate. Vivendi's former chief=20
executive, Jean-Marie Messier, built up and=20
joined together an entertainment business,=20
including television shows, movies and music, and=20
the means to deliver it to customers, including=20
pay-TV and cellphone operations. One option being=20
considered by Sebastian Holdings is to push for=20
the sale of Vivendi's stakes in French phone=20
company SFR and Morocco's Maroc Telecom. Another=20
option is to press for the sale of the company's=20
20% stake in NBC Universal, the parent of the NBC=20
television network. General Electric Co. owns the=20
rest of the U.S. media giant.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114296284628904235.html?mod=3Dtodays_us_...
ey_and_investing
(requires subscription)

MEDIANEWS LIKELY BIDDER FOR FORMER KNIGHT RIDDER PAPERS
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Joseph Menn]
MediaNews sells about 900,000 papers a day in=20
California -- more than any other company. The=20
company emerged as a likely bidder for at least=20
some of the 12 papers that McClatchy Co. of=20
Sacramento plans to sell as part of its=20
acquisition of Knight Ridder. The dozen include=20
the San Jose Mercury News, the Monterey County=20
Herald and the Contra Costa Times, which have a=20
combined daily circulation of about 480,000.=20
Critics say MediaNews bleeds newspapers of money=20
and talent, all but stealing their souls to pump up profit.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-fi-singleton22mar22,1,...
8254.story?coll=3Dla-headlines-frontpage
(requires registration)
* McClatchy: 12 'Orphans' Likely to Go to Different Parents
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_con...
t_id=3D1002200421

AS MARKET SHIFTS, NEWSPAPERS TRY TO LURE NEW, YOUNG READERS
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Julia=20
Angwin julia.angwin( at )wsj.com & Joe Hagan joe.hagan( at )wsj.com]
Looking for ways to shore up their readership and=20
broaden appeal to advertisers, many U.S.=20
newspapers are adopting a new tactic: targeting=20
narrower and younger audiences. Newspapers are=20
launching youth-oriented publications designed to=20
attract smaller advertisers that can't afford=20
mainstream papers. They're building search=20
engines to compete with Google and Yahoo on a=20
local level. And they are offering "self-serve"=20
classified-ad Web sites, where consumers can=20
create their own ads. In many cases, profits are=20
small, but papers are willing to take the hit in=20
order to break into new markets. "In the past=20
what newspapers did well was reach broad=20
audiences, but that is not where the growth is=20
occurring," says Scott Flanders, chief executive=20
of Freedom Communications Inc., the closely held=20
parent of the Orange County Register in=20
California and other publications. "If we're=20
going to get growth, it will come from capturing=20
new readers, being able to segment them and being=20
able to let advertisers target audiences."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114299723393804903.html?mod=3Dtodays_us_...
e_one
(requires subscription)

ECHOSTAR PURSUES A STRATEGY SHIFT
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Andy Pasztor andy.pasztor( at )wsj.com]
EchoStar has decided to ratchet up spending in=20
the face of mounting competition. Rival cable and=20
satellite-television services, for example, are=20
investing in facilities to provide=20
high-definition video programming. The company=20
will invest more than $1.6 billion to=20
dramatically increase its satellite fleet over=20
the next few years, with plans to potentially=20
lease some of the extra capacity to other=20
companies. So far, EchoStar has primarily built=20
satellites to serve its more than 12 million=20
subscribers, and it previously signed up to use=20
additional capacity on other satellites operated=20
by SES Global's U.S. unit. But with its new=20
strategy calling for a total of at least another=20
nine wholly owned or leased satellites supporting=20
its expansion program into the next decade,=20
EchoStar would have greater flexibility to move=20
outside the company's core satellite-to-home=20
broadcast niche. Some of the new satellites are=20
intended as replacement and supplemental capacity=20
"to allow EchoStar to leapfrog cable-television=20
providers" in beaming down high-definition=20
programs to households, according to Vijay=20
Jayant, an analyst with Lehman Brothers. But if=20
the appetite for such content fails to take off,=20
Mr. Jayant said, EchoStar "has looked at the=20
cost-benefit analysis" and decided "it also can=20
become a satellite player" in the wholesale arena.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114299142403304784.html?mod=3Dtodays_us_...
ketplace
(requires subscription)

QUICKLY

WHY THE EDUTAINERS' MERIT A FAILING GRADE
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Michael=20
Schrage, Massachusetts Institute of Technology]
[Commentary] The shrewdest policy to improve=20
public education while saving billions demands=20
abstinence. Keep computers out of the classroom.=20
Is it possible that parental involvement=20
technologies may have a greater impact on=20
educational quality than the most =93edutaining=94=20
classroom software? These are the sort of=20
questions that the =93edutopians=94 rarely ask, let=20
alone seriously answer. They are too busy trying=20
to bring The Next Great Technology to your school. Do not let them.
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/bbe47dec-b90a-11da-b57d-0000779e2340.html
(requires subscription)

BROADCASTERS BEEF UP DISASTER RECOVERY PLANS
[SOURCE: National Association of Broadcasters press release]
NAB announced Monday that radio and television=20
stations are significantly more prepared to=20
respond to disasters than was the case three=20
years ago. An internal survey conducted between=20
February 21 and March 3, 2006 assessed the=20
current state of emergency preparedness of local=20
radio and television stations.
http://www.nab.org/newsroom/pressrel/Releases/032006_Disaster_Recover_pl...
htm
* Broadcasters Boost Disaster Preparedness
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6317353?display=3DBreaking+News

CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE UPHELD IN COURT
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Ingrid Marson]
This is one of the first times that the=20
license--which offers more flexibility than=20
traditional copyright licenses--has been tested=20
in a court of law. Former MTV VJ Adam Curry sued=20
Weekend, a Dutch gossip magazine, for copyright=20
infringement after the magazine published photos=20
of Curry's daughter without his authorization.=20
The photos, which Curry had posted on the Flickr=20
photo-sharing site, were covered by the Creative=20
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0=20
license, which states that while the licensed=20
content can be used freely for noncommercial=20
purposes as long as the source is made clear, the=20
content cannot be used for commercial purposes=20
unless the creator of the content agrees to waive=20
the conditions. The court ruled that Weekend must=20
not use Curry's pictures again or it would face=20
fines of 1,000 euros (about $1,200) for each photo used without permission.
http://news.com.com/Creative+Commons+license+upheld+by+court/2100-1030_3...
52292.html?tag=3Dhtml.alert

SUPREME COURT WON'T INTERVENE IN NET OBSCENITY CASE
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Anne Broache]
The U.S. Supreme Court has effectively=20
sidestepped new standards for online obscenity,=20
ruling without comment Monday to affirm a=20
decision issued last July in New York. That=20
special three-judge panel had declined to=20
overturn disputed portions of the Communications=20
Decency Act, a 1996 federal law that makes it a=20
crime to send obscene materials knowingly to minors via the Internet.
http://news.com.com/Supreme+Court+wont+intervene+in+Net+obscenity+case/2...
-1028_3-6052070.html?tag=3Dhtml.alert

EU WANTS TO REGULATE CELLPHONE ROAMING RATES
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: William=20
Echikson william.echikson( at )dowjones.com]
The European Commission next week will propose=20
regulating mobile-phone roaming charges to try to=20
force rate cuts as deep as 40%, saying there is=20
little reason why rates for phone users traveling=20
around Europe should cost an average of five=20
times as much as in their home countries.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114298685932604639.html?mod=3Dtodays_us_...
ketplace
(requires subscription)

JAPAN MOBILE OPERATORS SEE KIDS AS NEW MARKET
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Yukari Iwatani Kane]
Mobile operators in Japan have created a new=20
category of phones for grade-school children,=20
equipped with a range of anti-crime safety=20
features, educational content and censored mobile=20
Internet access. Faced with shrinking revenues=20
and profits as a result of increasing=20
competition, mobile operators are hoping young=20
users will help drive future growth even as=20
Japan's overall mobile phone market reaches=20
saturation. Nearly 70 percent of Japanese already own mobile phones.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=3DtechnologyNews&sto...
D=3D2006-03-22T101839Z_01_T15654_RTRUKOC_0_US-TELECOMS-JAPAN-KIDSPHONE.xml

ASHCROFT FIRM LOBBIES FOR TECH TITANS
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Dawn Kawamoto]
As eBay heads to the U.S. Supreme Court next week=20
for its closely watched patent case, the Internet=20
giant is receiving help from a lobbying firm run=20
by former Attorney General John Ashcroft. eBay is=20
not the only tech titan to call on the lobbying=20
firm run by the nation's former top cop. Oracle,=20
for example, paid the Ashcroft Group LLC $220,000=20
last year for help on antitrust issues. The=20
relationship between tech companies and=20
politicians is getting increasingly tighter, as the industry matures.
http://news.com.com/Ashcroft+firm+lobbies+for+tech+titans/2100-1028_3-60...
26.html?tag=3Dhtml.alert
--------------------------------------------------------------
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.
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