November 2006

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

POST-ELECTION AGENDA
What the Democrats' win Means for Tech
Hold Off On AT&T/BellSouth, Says Dingell
Democrat Advances Throw off Wireless Issues
Dems' Victory could be Good for Schools

INTERNET/BROADBAND
America's Internet Disconnect
MySpace founder takes on Rupert
New Disruptive Technology: Napster for TV Broadcasts
DirecTV: We're Not Stalling Wireless Broadband
Old Media and New Media: Friends, Not Foes
TV Stations' Web Election Results Smash Traffic Records

MEDIA OWNERSHIP
Two Billionaires Bid to Acquire Tribune
Philadelphia Inquirer Editor to Exit Job
Newspapers Know No End To Turmoil
NBC Asks NFL To Favor Owned Markets

TELEVISION
A Historic Event for Women, Still Largely Covered by Men
Religious broadcasting group defends FCC action on closed captioning rules
NAB Fighting EchoStar in Congress

QUICKLY -- Court grants AT&T, government appeal in spy case; 'A
Better Way'; PTC Asks FCC to Rescind Profanity Reversal; CEA to FCC:
Expedite Two-Way Products; FCC Staff Changes

POST-ELECTION AGENDA

WHAT THE DEMOCRATS' WIN MEANS FOR TECH
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Declan McCullagh and Anne Broache]
It was the narrowest of Republican margins in the U.S. Senate that
doomed a crucial vote on Net neutrality earlier this year. By an
11-11 tie, a GOP-dominated committee failed in June to approve rules
requiring that all Internet traffic be treated the same no matter
what its "source" or "destination" might be. A similar measure also
failed in the House of Representatives. But now that this week's
elections have switched control of the House back to the
Democrats--and they appear to have seized the Senate as well--the
outlook for technology-related legislation has changed dramatically
overnight. On a wealth of topics--Net neutrality, digital copyright,
merger approval, data retention, Internet censorship--a Capitol Hill
controlled by Democrats should yield a shift in priorities on
technology-related legislation.
http://news.com.com/What+the+Democrats+win+means+for+tech/2100-1028_3-61...

HOLD OFF ON AT&T/BELLSOUTH, SAYS DINGELL
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
At a press conference Wednesday, Rep John Dingell (D-MI) discussed
his role as soon-to-be chairman of the House Commerce Committee. He
asked that the FCC hold off on making any decisions on the
AT&T-BellSouth merger until the new Congress convenes in January and
said the Commerce Committee will have to take a hard look at any FCC
loosening of media ownership rules. Rep Dingell said that there were
questions about whether localism was being served under the current
media ownership rules, and that the Commerce Committee would have to
make certain the FCC was acting in the public's interest. Under court
order, the FCC is taking a second try at revising media ownership
rules. There will also be a new attempt to craft telecom reform
legislation -- this time with more emphasis on Network Neutrality and
freeing spectrum for first responders.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6389432.html
* Dingell: Hold AT&T-BellSouth for New Congress
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6389579.html?display=Breaking+News
* AT&T: It's Time To Approve BellSouth Merger
AT&T's response to Rep Dingell's request for a delay in the merger
with BellSouth: "Eighteen state commissions and the U.S. Department
of Justice have carefully and fully examined our merger and found
that it is the public interest. Additionally, we have put forth a set
of unprecedented conditions unrivaled by any other communications
provider in a merger proceeding, and they have been fully examined in
an open, public debate and have received glowing approval from a
broad range of individuals and groups. We look forward to expeditious
approval, so we can begin delivering the benefits of our merger to
consumers, to the economy and to the public interest."
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6389656.html?display=Breaking...
See also --
* Dingell Cautions Fellow Democrats Not to Seek Revenge on Republicans
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116304819882018367.html?mod=todays_us_pa...

DEMOCRAT ADVANCES THROW OFF WIRELESS ISSUES
[SOURCE: RCRWirelessNews, AUTHOR: Jeffrey Silva]
Democrat gains in the midterm elections effectively ends prospects
for passage of a telecom-reform bill with broader wireless federal
pre-emption this year and possibly even in 2007, as the altered
political landscape encourages political gridlock in a way that
shifts greater spotlight to the Federal Communications Commission and
the states. At the same time, the next Congress is expected to
subject the FCC to greater oversight. "The oversight, particularly of
the FCC, could complicate the Bell push for telecom/broadband
deregulation and broadcaster campaign for media ownership
liberalization," stated investment banking firm Stifel Nicolaus & Co.
Inc. in an investment note. "The congressional shift could also
create more antitrust/regulatory static surrounding industry merger
and acquisition activity in general at the Department of Justice or
Federal Trade Commission and the FCC. The two Democratic FCC
commissioners probably have a bit more leverage to demand additional
conditions for the pending AT&T Inc.-BellSouth Corp. deal, while
mindful that a third Republican could still be enlisted to break the
current 2-2 impasse."
http://www.rcrnews.com/news.cms?newsId=27723

DEM'S VICTORY COULD BE GOOD FOR SCHOOLS
[SOURCE: eSchool News]
Among the many issues that could be influenced by the election
results are college loan interest, workforce preparedness, funding
for educational technology, and the reauthorization of the federal No
Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Many education groups were encouraged
by the ascension of what they viewed as a more favorable climate for
education funding on Capitol Hill. Control of the House also means
chairmanships of the various committees will fall to Democrats.
Currently, the ranking Democrat on the influential House
Appropriations Committee is Rep. David Obey of Wisconsin, and the
ranking member of House Committee on Education and the Workforce is
Rep. George Miller of California. That could have a significant
impact on the legislative priorities of the House, influencing issues
down the road such as federal education funding, 21st century
workforce preparedness, and the impending reauthorization of NCLB,
which is expected to begin next year. Miller has been an outspoken
critic of several aspects of NCLB, including what he views as its
punitive approach to holding schools accountable. Federal funding for
ed tech and other education programs also could see a boost. In
recent years, the Republican-controlled House has passed an
appropriations bill that mirrored President Bush's budget request,
which in 2007 would cut education funding by more than $3 billion and
eliminate ed-tech funding altogether. House Democrats have favored
more education spending, however, which could bode well for schools.
If Democrats take control of the Senate, West Virginia Sen. Robert
Byrd is in line to assume chairmanship of the Senate Appropriations
Committee, and Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy would become
chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryts.cfm?ArticleID=6710

INTERNET/BROADBAND

AMERICA'S INTERNET DISCONNECT
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps]
[Commentary] America's record in expanding broadband communication is
so poor that it should be viewed as an outrage by every consumer and
businessperson in the country. Too few of us have broadband
connections, and those who do pay too much for service that is too
slow. It's hurting our economy, and things are only going to get
worse if we don't do something about it. There are concrete steps
government must take now to reverse our slide into communications
mediocrity. To begin with, the Federal Communications Commission must
face up to the problem, adopt a real world definition of broadband,
cease assuming that if one person in a Zip code area has access to
broadband then everyone does, and start collecting data on pricing.
The FCC needs to start working to lower prices and introduce
competition. We must start meeting our legislative mandate to get
advanced telecommunications out to all Americans at reasonable
prices; make new licensed and unlicensed spectrum available;
authorize "smart radios" that use spectrum more efficiently; and do a
better job of encouraging "third pipe" technologies such as wireless
and broadband over power lines. And we should recommend steps to
Congress to ensure the FCC's ability to implement long-term
solutions. We need a broadband strategy for America. The solution to
our broadband crisis must ultimately involve public-private
initiatives like those that built the railroad, highway and telephone
systems. Combined with an overhaul of our universal service system to
make sure it is focusing on the needs of broadband, this represents
our best chance at recapturing our leadership position. It seems
plain enough that our present policies aren't working. Inattention
and muddling through may be the path of least resistance, but they
should not and must not represent our national policy on this critical issue.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/07/AR200611...
(requires registration)
* Experts say U.S. must act on Internet
In the largest such survey ever conducted, 86 percent of a group of
more than 1,000 experts on the next-generation Internet say they
worry that the head start of other nations will hurt the United States.
http://money.cnn.com/2006/11/03/technology/fastforward_ipv6_networking.f...

MYSPACE FOUNDER TAKES ON RUPERT
[SOURCE: Sidney Morning Herald, AUTHOR: Asher Moses]
Brad Greenspan, the man who helped launch MySpace in 2003 but left to
start a new company, has launched a legal campaign against the site's
owner, News Corp, alleging "anti-competitive behavior". The suit was
filed last week with the Federal District Court in Los Angeles, and
alleges that MySpace has broken antitrust laws by censoring
competitor services. Greenspan's new company, LiveUniverse, owns a
number of Internet properties, including social networking site
Stickam.com and YouTube competitor Vidilife.com. He alleges that
MySpace blocks users from even mentioning Stickam.com and
Vidilife.com in their profiles. He says that "any attempts by users
to type the url of sites like 'stickam.com' or 'vidilife.com' into a
[MySpace] blog or profile [are replaced] with '......' ". He also
claims that MySpace has previously imposed the same "censorship" on
other video sharing sites such as YouTube and Revver, but stopped
this after a revolt from its users. However, the censoring of
Vidilife.com and Stickam.com remains.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/biztech/myspace-founder-takes-on-rupert/2006/...

TVU CHIEF GRAPPLES WITH COPYRIGHT QUESTIONS
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com 11/6, AUTHOR: Greg Sandoval]
Here's a disruptive technology: Paul Shen's TVUPlayer allows users to
stream live TV broadcasts to one another via the Internet. Think
Napster for TV broadcasts: a peer-to-peer streaming network without
licenses and without limits on the length of the video. Once users
download the TVUPlayer, they can upload and receive broadcasts over a
network. The blogging community has been giving this thing rave
reviews, apparently. One of the main ideas here is that broadcasting
costs suddenly become exponentially lower than those of today's
streaming technology. But is this legal? How does it plan to make
money? In an interview with CNET, Shen said the TVUPlayer is nothing
more than a way to demonstrate a technology he wants to sell to
broadcasters. He wants to bring all TV channels to the masses--and
for cheap--but he wants to work with the world's networks, not
against them, and naturally, sell ads. Shen acknowledges that the
content currently appearing on the TVUPlayer is ripped off, but he
denied being a video pirate, claiming that his users are responsible
for what they upload. However, given the Supreme Court's Grokster
ruling, file-sharing networks can be found complicit in the illegal
sharing of copyrights by empowering users to share content illegally.
While YouTube is frantically trying to secure legal copyright deals,
in comes TVU Networks allowing people to share their television
content with one another. Expect a DVR service to be forthcoming, as
well as a few cease and desist letters from media companies.
http://news.com.com/TVU+Networks+exec+grapples+with+copyright+questions/...

DIRECTV: WE'RE NOT STALLING WIRELESS BROADBAND
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Mike Farrell]
DirecTV Group continues to work on its own broadband strategy, with
management telling analysts Wednesday that while wireless-broadband
technology seems to be the way to go, delays in deploying the
technology have more to do with the slow development of wireless
products than foot-dragging by the direct-broadcast satellite giant.
"The reality is that there is a misperception that the Wi-Max
businesses are waiting for us to grow," DirecTV CEO Chase Carey said
on a conference call with analysts to discuss third-quarter results.
"Wi-Max today is more in a stage of technological development and
infrastructure development," he added. "Our real value to it is
distribution. We're not developing the Wi-Max -- it's the Intels and
the Qualcomms and the Motorolas and the Samsungs and the Ciscos.
Those are the guys that are advancing wireless broadband today."
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6389577.html?display=Breaking+News

OLD MEDIA AND NEW MEDIA: FRIENDS, NOT FOES
[SOURCE: BusinessWeek, AUTHOR: Scott Kessler]
Search and advertising services from Google and Yahoo! are helping
traditional media companies extend their content online and generate
revenue. Despite a growing population, TV and radio audiences have
been declining in the U.S. Movie ticket sales peaked in 2002, and
magazine and newspaper circulations have been trending lower for half
a decade, with revenue and earnings growth stagnating. Conversely,
from 2000 to 2005, the number of U.S. households with Internet access
rose 31%, and the number with broadband access increased more than
sevenfold, according to Forrester Research. Internet advertising
revenues jumped 55% during the same period, according to the
Interactive Advertising Bureau. From 2001 to 2005, spending on
Internet content nearly tripled, according to the Online Publishers Assn.
http://www.businessweek.com/investor/content/nov2006/pi20061108_232958.htm

TV STATIONS' WEB ELECTION RESULTS SMASH RECORDS
[SOURCE: MediaWeek, AUTHOR: Katy Bachman]
Local TV stations drew record traffic to their Web sites on election
day, according to Internet Broadcasting, which released traffic data
for its national network of 79 TV station Web sites. A record 3.5
million unique visitors, the highest number of visitors in history,
turned to local TV station sites to view election results. Stations
experienced 50 to 150 percent traffic spikes above typical page view
levels. Across the network, 24.8 million page views were recorded,
nearly 50 percent higher than the 2004 Presidential Election.
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=10033...

MEDIA OWNERSHIP

TWO BILLIONAIRES BID TO ACQUIRE TRIBUNE
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Gary Gentile]
Billionaire businessman Eli Broad and supermarket magnate Ron Burkle
have teamed up to submit a bid for the Tribune Company. Broad and
Burkle had been expected to bid for the Los Angeles Times, the
Tribune's largest property. The joint bid for the entire company came
as a surprise. Broad and Burkle have long said they would be
interested in returning the Times to local ownership. Tribune's
holdings include 11 daily newspapers, 25 TV stations, the Chicago
Cubs baseball team, Internet ventures and sizable stakes in the Food
Network and the online classified advertising venture CareerBuilder.
Along with the Times and the Chicago Tribune, the company owns
Newsday in New York, The Baltimore Sun, South Florida Sun-Sentinel,
Orlando Sentinel and The Hartford Courant. (And the Chicago Cubs!)
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/T/TRIBUNE_OFFER?SITE=KPUA&SECTION=H...
* Billionaires Fight to Buy The Los Angeles Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/09/business/media/09paper.html?ref=business
* Two Billionaires Offer to Acquire the Tribune Company
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/09/business/media/09tribune.html
* Unlikely pair of bidders
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-moguls9nov09,1,201480...

PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER EDITOR TO EXIT JOB
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Joann Loviglio]
The editor of Philadelphia's largest newspaper will step down at the
end of the year as the company's new owners seek contract
concessions, including deep newsroom cuts, in response to falling
circulation and advertising revenue. Philadelphia Inquirer editor
Amanda Bennett will be replaced by Bill Marimow, a former Baltimore
Sun editor and Inquirer city editor who is now ombudsman at National
Public Radio, the paper announced Wednesday. He recently resigned as
NPR's vice president for news and information.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PHILADELPHIA_INQUIRER_EDITOR?SITE...
* New Owner Changes Editor at Philadelphia Inquirer
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/09/business/media/09philly.html
(requires registration)

NEWSPAPERS KNOW NO END TO TURMOIL
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Frank Ahrens]
It's no exaggeration to say that bad news comes every day for the
embattled newspaper industry. Yesterday, the editor of the
Philadelphia Inquirer became the second top editor of a major
newspaper in two days to leave. Also yesterday, investors increased
pressure on the New York Times Co. to scrap its venerated
family-ownership structure, saying it has harmed the company's value
and is no longer accountable to public shareholders. Facing declining
circulation since 1987 and diminished revenue for the past few years,
major newspapers and their owners are trying to remake themselves for
the digital age. Most papers have moved aggressively into Internet --
and some, mobile -- delivery of their news and ad sales, as they
attempt to follow their readers from paper to the Web and beyond. But
the changeover has been costly, and even though online ad revenue has
been rising, it is not enough to offset the loss of classified and
display advertising in newspapers. Newspaper companies also are
feeling pressure from Wall Street investors, who see an industry that
shows little or no growth potential.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/08/AR200611...
(requires registration)

NBC ASKS NFL TO FAVOR OWNED MARKETS, MOVES BALL INTO PROFIT ZONES
[SOURCE: MediaDailyNews, AUTHOR: David Goetzl]
COULD NBC BE URGING THE NFL to give it "Sunday Night Football"
match-ups to provide an extra, trickle-down revenue boost? The
network said Tuesday that Denver and San Diego will face off in the
Nov. 19 "SNF" game--the second straight week in which a team from a
market where NBC owns and operates the local station is playing. When
a team from an O&O market--San Diego in this case--plays, NBC
Universal's revenues jump, since it owns both the national ad time
and all the local inventory, too. And that local inventory has
particular value, since ratings would be expected to soar as fans
tune in for the home team. Also, under the NFL's new flexible
scheduling plan, the late-season match-ups on NBC are announced about
12 days before broadcast. The local stations might be able to command
premium pricing with a rush of advertisers eager to appear on a game
with local interest. The favorable scheduling raises the question of
whether the NFL is looking to place the most compelling match-ups on
NBC or with an O&O link.
http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.san&s=50...

TELEVISION

A HISTORIC EVENT FOR WOMEN, STILL LARGELY COVERED BY MEN
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Alessandra Stanley]
On a night that crowned Rep Nancy Pelosi as the highest-ranking woman
in United States government and Hillary Rodham Clinton as the
Democratic front-runner for the 2008 presidential race, Tuesday
night's tableau of men talking to men all across prime time was oddly
atavistic, a stag party circa 1962. Rep Pelosi told Katie Couric of
CBS that by breaking the "marble ceiling" on Capitol Hill she was
sending a message to "all women." And that was perhaps a tacit
acknowledgment that on election night Ms. Couric stood out as the one
anchor not wearing a necktie. The gender gap on election nights
doesn't match the rest of television news, where female reporters
cover every field. It could be that men still dominate because
election night is like the NFL: it's always two guys in the booth
doing the play-by-play, while women cover the sidelines. Maybe it's
the women who avoid signing on to a lifetime of covering politics;
the campaign trail is fattening and requires far too much math. More
likely, the election night throwback to the days of Brylcreem and
cigarette smoke comes from a confluence of overconfidence and
insecurity. Women are now so well represented on television that
executives no longer feel the need to prove their commitment to
equality, particularly now that they feel pressure to disprove the
common assumption that other news sources are equal to the networks.
Viewers no longer turn to network election-night specials for instant
results and off-the-cuff analysis; all that can be found at any time,
more speedily, on cable and the Internet. Election night on the
networks is increasingly a performance piece: for the hour or so of
prime-time coverage, the networks project grandeur and authority,
seeking to show that they still count for more than counting up
precincts. To many, gravitas still comes in a necktie and cuff links.
CBS is showing that sometimes pearl earrings and lipstick can also do
the trick.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/09/us/politics/09watc.html?ref=politics
(requires registration)

RELIGIOUS BROADCASTING GROUP DEFENDS FCC ACTION ON CLOSED CAPTIONING RULES
[SOURCE: Lasar's Letter on the FCC, AUTHOR: Matthew Lasar]
After taking a firestorm of criticism for relaxing the agency's
closed captioning rules, the Federal Communications Commission has
finally gotten some support for its move. The backing comes from
National Religious Broadcasters (NRB), a Virginia based trade
association. The group has filed a statement urging the FCC not to
reverse a recent ruling that makes it easier for non-profit
broadcasters to receive waivers from the agency's closed-captioning
requirements. Seven leading disability rights groups, including the
National Association for the Deaf, submitted a request on October
12th asking the FCC to stay the decision pending a review for which
they applied on the same day. The NRB filing, submitted on October
30th, lauds closed captioning as consistent with the group's mission
"to reach the broadest possible audience with the good news of
eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ, including the
hearing-impaired community." "Nevertheless," the statement continues,
"we also recognize the financial realities of the non-profit
communications marketplace."
http://www.lasarletter.net/drupal/node/207

NAB FIGHTING ECHOSTAR IN CONGRESS
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
The National Association of Broadcasters will oppose legislation that
would allow EchoStar Communications to escape a federal injunction
cutting off distant network feeds to 850,000 satellite homes Dec. 1.
EchoStar is hoping that during next week's post-election lame-duck
session, Congress will pass a law that would largely void a permanent
injunction and allow the company to continue beaming ABC, CBS, NBC
and Fox stations from New York and Los Angeles to customers around
the country who can't obtain the same programming locally with
off-air antennas. Although NAB network affiliates settled with
EchoStar, U.S. Judge William P. Dimitrouleas said the law required
him to ignore the settlement and impose a nationwide injunction. NAB
members had successfully sued EchoStar, claiming that the company
sold distant signals to hundreds of thousands of ineligible
subscribers and hurt stations' local ad revenue in the process in
violation of federal copyright law.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6389696.html?display=Breaking+News

QUICKLY

COURT GRANTS AT&T, GOVERNMENT APPEAL IN SPY CASE
[SOURCE: Reuters]
The U.S. government and AT&T, fighting against a lawsuit accusing the
telephone operator of illegally allowing the government to monitor
telephones and e-mails, won the right to argue for dismissal of the
case before a U.S. Appeals Court on Tuesday. In January, the
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a privacy advocacy group, sued
AT&T, saying it collaborated with a National Security Agency spying
program it said involved eavesdropping on phone calls, reading
e-mails and gathering call records of millions of Americans, without
warrants. In July U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker rejected a
request from AT&T, the head of U.S. intelligence and other officials
to dismiss the EFF suit. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on
Tuesday agreed to hear an appeal by AT&T and the government of Judge
Walker's decision.
http://today.reuters.com/News/newsArticle.aspx?type=technologyNews&story...

PTC ASKS FCC TO RESCIND PROFANITY REVERSAL
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Parents Television Counsel has asked the FCC to rescind its
decision to overturn two profanity rulings. PTC says that the FCC
created an arbitrary news exemption "where none existed before," in
its decision that profanity on CBS' The Early Show was not indecent,
and that it "ignored" 96 indecency complaints against swearing on
NYPD Blue. The FCC rescinded its profanity finding against that show
citing procedural problems, specifically that the complaint against
the station was not from a market where it would have aired before
the 10 p.m. safe harbor for indecency.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6389676.html

'A BETTER WAY'
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
[Commentary] Politics is rough and tumble, and negative campaigning
has always had a place in American campaigns. But an ugly low was
established this year, partly because candidates could pretend they
had nothing to do with the more disgraceful practices financed
through independent expenditures by national parties and other
groups. The worst offenders this year were Republicans, but that
probably was because they were the ones on the defensive. Once the
votes are counted, memories fade -- until the next election cycle.
Rep. Harold Ford (D-TN) laid out a challenge to both the winners and
the losers to figure out "a better way." That's not a bad start for a
Democratic agenda.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/08/AR200611...
(requires registration)

CEA TO FCC: EXPEDITE TWO-WAY PRODUCTS
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Todd Spangler]
The Consumer Electronics Association, which represents more than
2,100 companies in the consumer-technology industry, filed a proposal
with the Federal Communications Commission Tuesday asking the agency
to allow consumer-electronics makers to build products compatible
"with all cable operator services" in order to "end the stalemate
over bringing full-line 'plug-and-play' competition to the market for
digital consumer devices that work on cable systems." The CEA, in a
press release, said its members want the ability to deliver products
"equivalent to those so called lower-end, operator-supplied
interactive set-top boxes and, equally important, offering a way
forward toward licensing and assuring support for competitive devices
that are fully interactive with all cable operator services." The
National Cable & Telecommunications Association issued a response
Wednesday in which general counsel Neal Goldberg said the CEA's new
proposal "should be discussed at the continuing inter-industry
discussions that have been underway since 2003."
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6389615.html?display=Breaking+News

FCC STAFF CHANGES
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
FCC Commissioner Michael Copps announced some staff changes
Wednesday. Senior Legal Advisor Jessica Rosenworcel is currently on
maternity leave and Bruce Gottlieb will now be handling media issues
in her stead. Mr Gottlieb had been handling spectrum and
international issues. John Branscome has been detailed to
Commissioner Copps' office to assist in handling spectrum and
international issues. Mr. Branscome currently serves as Chief of
the Spectrum and Competition Policy Division of the Wireless
Telecommunications Bureau. Prior to his appointment as Division
Chief, Mr. Branscome served as Legal Advisor to the Chief of the
Wireless Telecommunications Bureau.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-268402A1.doc
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