November 2006

** Please remember to vote. And if you've already=20
voted, remember to do so again on the way home. **

MEDIA & ELECTIONS
If Democrats control Congress, then what? Don't ask the media.
Repeat Calls Spur a Debate Over Tactics
Broadcasters Boost Democrat Dollars

OWNERSHIP
AT&T and BellSouth: Why You Should Care
Rep. Waters Opposes Tribune=92s Request=20
for Permanent Cross-Ownership Waiver
MAP Asks Court To Overturn News Corp. Waivers
Comcast Is Said to Agree to Carry Fox=92s Planned Business News Ch=
annel

INTERNET/BROADBAND
FTC chief Warns against 'Unnecessary' Net Rules
Internet Rights Charter
Gannett To Change Its Papers' Approach

INDECENCY REGULATION
Split Decision On FCC Profanity Review

MEDIA & ELECTIONS

IF DEMOCRATS CONTROL CONGRESS, THEN WHAT? DON'T ASK THE MEDIA
[SOURCE: The Christian Science Monitor, AUTHOR:=20
Dante Chinni, Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism]
[Commentary] If you have been anywhere near a TV=20
or newspaper in the past month or so you know two=20
things about Tuesday: 1) Democrats may win enough=20
seats to take control of the House and Senate and=20
2) the reason is the war in Iraq. The problem=20
with the media coverage in 2006 has been the lack=20
of context concerning what those changes -- if=20
they actually happen -- would really mean.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1107/p09s01-codc.html

REPEAT CALLS SPUR A DEBATE OVER TACTICS
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Christopher Dew & Carl Hulse]
Telephone calls are part of a telephone blitz=20
that the Republican Party has unleashed in=20
several dozen races that are likely to determine=20
control of the House in Tuesday=92s elections. And=20
these repeat, automated calls to the same homes=20
have set off a new furor over campaign tactics,=20
with the Democrats claiming the calls violate=20
federal communications rules and are tantamount=20
to harassment. Democrats say they have been=20
flooded with complaints from irritated voters who=20
think that the calls are coming from the=20
candidates themselves. Many of the voters had=20
hung up before the message was over, and never=20
heard that it was produced by the Republican=20
Party. Democratic leaders contend that the=20
messages violate federal rules that require=20
groups making automated calls to identify=20
themselves at the outset. And the National=20
Republican Congressional Committee, which has=20
financed the calls, agreed on Sunday to quit=20
making some of them in New Hampshire, where a=20
state law limits who can receive computerized phone messages.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/07/us/politics/07robo.html
(requires registration)

BROADCASTERS BOOST DEMOCRAT DOLLARS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The National Association of Broadcasters has=20
moved a greater percentage of its political=20
action committee (PAC) money from Republican to=20
Democratic candidates in the run-up to an=20
election where the Democrats are expected to make=20
major gains. The 2006 election cycle split is 55%=20
Republican to 45% Democrat compared to a 64% to=20
36% split in 2004 and 2002. The divide was even=20
greater -- 69% to 31% -- in 2000. That does not=20
include individual earmarked contributions by NAB=20
members to particular candidates, which NAB does=20
not control. NAB President David Rehr suggested=20
the money was being spent not to push a party,=20
but to "aid members who are close to local=20
broadcasters and state associations executives,=20
or those who have advanced the interests of broadcasters."
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6388812.html?display=3DBreaki...
News

OWNERSHIP

AT&T AND BELLSOUTH: WHY YOU SHOULD CARE
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Marguerite Reardon]
Watchdog groups believe the outcome of a quiet=20
political battle over which restrictions to=20
impose on the AT&T and BellSouth merger will=20
affect consumers for years to come. When the AT&T=20
monopoly was broken up in 1984 by antitrust=20
regulators, it was divided into seven Bell=20
operating companies. After this merger, there=20
will be three companies. The new AT&T will become=20
the nation's dominant phone company, controlling=20
more than half the telephone and Internet access=20
lines in the U.S. In many ways, the new AT&T will=20
be even stronger than the old Ma Bell because=20
today's company competes in many more markets,=20
including business and consumer data services and=20
paid television. And therein lies the problem. A=20
supersize AT&T, some worry, could have the=20
ability to jack up wholesale line-leasing rates=20
it charges to smaller carriers--a cost that would=20
ultimately be passed on to consumers. "When you=20
create an entity that is this large, it makes=20
future competition impossible," said Mark Cooper,=20
research director for the Consumer Federation of America.
http://news.com.com/ATT+and+BellSouth+Why+you+should+care/2100-1036_3-61...
58.html?tag=3Dnefd.lede

REP MAXINE WATERS OPPOSES TRIBUNE'S REQUEST FOR=20
PERMANENT CROSS-OWNERSHIP WAIVER
[SOURCE: U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters press release]
U.S. Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA) filed a=20
petition November 1 asking the Federal=20
Communications Commission to deny the Tribune=20
Company=92s request for a waiver of the=20
cross-ownership rule and its request to renew the=20
broadcast license for KTLA-TV (Channel 5). The=20
cross-ownership rule was put in place, in part,=20
to prevent the domination of local media markets=20
by major corporations. In the Los Angeles=20
Designated Media Area (DMA), which is second only=20
to New York City, the Tribune Company owns both=20
KTLA-TV and the Los Angeles Times. By its own=20
calculations, the Tribune Company has the ability=20
to influence the news and information received by=20
52 percent of the 12.8 million people that=20
officially comprise the Los Angeles DMA. =93The=20
Tribune Company is clearly in violation of rules=20
that were established to increase diversity and=20
to prevent the creation of an over-concentrated=20
media market,=94 said Rep. Waters. =93The FCC has an=20
obligation to deny Tribune=92s request for a waiver=20
because it would allow the company to continue to=20
operate in violation of the law =96 and establish a=20
very bad precedent.=94 In her petition, Rep.=20
Waters points to the fact that The Los Angeles=20
Times=92 daily circulation is larger than the next=20
five largest local newspapers combined and that=20
its Sunday circulation eclipses the next 10=20
largest local papers combined. According to its=20
own website, =93The Los Angeles Times is the only=20
newspaper in the West with the resources and=20
commitment to cover important stories wherever=20
they happen. Its network of 23 foreign, 10=20
national, four state and eight regional bureaus=20
is one of the most formidable news-gathering=20
operations in the world =97 and the largest in California.=94
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ca35_waters/PR061102_fccpetition.html
* Read the petition at=20
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/ca35_waters/CS061101_fcc.htmlhttp:=
//www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/ca35_waters/CS061101_fcc.html

MAP ASKS COURT TO OVERTURN NEWS CORP WAIVERS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Media Access Project (MAP) has appealed the=20
FCC's decision to allow News Corp. to continue to=20
own WNYW(TV) New York and The New York Post. On=20
October 6th, the Commission gave News Corp. a=20
permanent waiver of its newspaper/broadcast=20
cross-ownership rule for the station in the=20
nation's top market. They also gave a temporary=20
waiver of 24 months to continue to own WWOR-TV=20
Secaucus, N.J., and The Post. MAP argues that the=20
Commission 1) "erroneously represented" that the=20
Fox waiver was unopposed; 2) "failed to provide=20
public notice of Fox's request for a waiver...or=20
seek public comment; and 3) failed to explain its=20
change of position since a 2001 decision=20
rejecting a similar waiver request and requiring=20
Fox to come into compliance with the newspaper/broadcast crossownership ban.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6388796.html?display=3DBreaki...
News

COMCAST IS SAID TO AGREE TO CARRY FOX'S PLANNED BUSINESS NEWS CHANNEL
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Richard Siklos]
A business news cable channel planned by Rupert=20
Murdoch=92s News Corporation has moved a step=20
closer to reality, reaching a deal to be carried=20
by Comcast, the nation=92s largest operator of=20
cable television systems. While Comcast has=20
agreed to carry the channel for its digital=20
subscribers, a final decision on whether to start=20
the channel has still not been made, two=20
executives briefed on the arrangement said. The=20
new network would be spun off from the Fox News=20
Channel. Comcast=92s roughly 12 million digital=20
subscribers would get the channel as part of=20
their service. Those subscribers, combined with=20
the 15.5 million subscribers to DirecTV, the=20
satellite service controlled by the News=20
Corporation, give the channel a substantial=20
platform of as many as 27.5 million subscribers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/07/business/media/07fox.html
(requires registration)

INTERNET/BROADBAND

FTC CHIEF WARNS AGAINST 'UNNECESSARY' NET RULES
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Anne Broache]
On Monday, Federal Trade Commission Chairman=20
Deborah Platt Majoras voiced reluctance toward=20
adopting consumer protection laws that target=20
technological concerns du jour, saying the=20
"collective voice" of consumers often prompts=20
change. She prefers relying on a combination of=20
existing laws, vigorous competition and user=20
pressure to address complaints about new products=20
or potentially worrisome uses of technology. "On=20
the Internet, consumers appear to reign supreme,=20
and they can be very powerful and tough=20
customers," Chairman Majoras told an audience of=20
about 300 people in a speech that kicked off a=20
series of public hearings hosted by the FTC.=20
Dubbed "Protecting Consumers in the Next=20
Tech-ade," the three-day event is billed by the=20
agency as a counterpart to global=20
consumer-protection hearings held in 1995. This=20
week's lineup is scheduled to include panelists=20
predicting how topics like communication, social=20
networking, advertising, computing power and=20
security will change over the next 10 years.=20
Despite the vast differences in technology use=20
between 1995 and today, existing laws that cover=20
"unfair and deceptive practices" have proven=20
elastic enough in many cases for Internet Age=20
adaptations, Chairman Majoras said.
http://news.com.com/FTC+chief+warns+against+unnecessary+Net+regulations/...
0-1028_3-6132772.html?tag=3Dhtml.alert
* See the Tech-ade agenda at=20
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/techade/agenda.html

INTERNET RIGHTS CHARTER
[SOURCE: Association for Progressive Communications]
The Association for Progressive Communications=20
has revised its Internet Rights Charter along=20
seven themes: Internet access for all; Freedom of=20
expression and association; Access to knowledge;=20
Shared learning and creation - free and open=20
source software and technology development;=20
Privacy, surveillance and encryption; Governance=20
of the Internet; Awareness, protection and realization of rights
http://rights.apc.org/charter.shtml

GANNETT TO CHANGE ITS PAPERS' APPROACH
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Frank Ahrens]
Gannett, the nation's largest newspaper chain, is=20
radically changing the way its papers gather and=20
present news by incorporating elements of=20
reader-created "citizen journalism," mining=20
online community discussions for stories and=20
creating Internet databases of calendar listings=20
and other non-news utilities. The company has 90=20
newspapers, including USA Today, the nation's=20
largest. Like all major newspaper firms, Gannett=20
has watched circulation and advertising revenue=20
slide over the past decade, as readers turn to=20
television and the Internet for news and=20
information. Gannett is attempting to grab some=20
of the Internet mojo of blogs, community e-mail=20
groups and other ground-up news sources to bring=20
back readers and fundamentally change the idea of=20
what newspapers have been for more than a=20
century. The attempt to involve readers in=20
news-gathering is part of a larger plan that also=20
calls for Gannett to merge its newspaper and=20
online operations into single units to speed=20
delivery of news and improve its offerings to advertisers.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/06/AR200611...
1142.html
(requires registration)
* Gannett Editors React to Corporate Convergence Directive
Gannett's plan to shift all of its newspapers to=20
24-hour converged newsrooms has prompted=20
predictions of everything from smaller print=20
papers to more Pulitzer Prize notice among=20
editors at some of the 89 dailies the company=20
owns. Editors of the chain's papers welcomed the=20
approach, saying it was time for every newspaper to use the Web more.
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_con...
t_id=3D1003352808

INDECENCY REGULATION

SPLIT DECISION ON FCC PROFANITY REVIEW
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The FCC has upheld profanity findings against Fox=20
for two Billboard Music Award broadcasts, while=20
dismissing ones against CBS' Early Show on the=20
grounds its fleeting expletive was not profane or=20
indecent, and against ABC's NYPD Blue on=20
procedural grounds. After considering comments=20
from broadcasters and others, the FCC concluded=20
late Monday that "comments made by Nicole Richie=20
during the 2003 Billboard Music Awards and by=20
Cher during the 2002 Billboard Music Awards are=20
indecent and profane as broadcast but that the=20
complained-of material aired on The Early Show is=20
neither indecent nor profane. In addition, we=20
dismiss on procedural grounds the complaints=20
involving NYPD Blue as inadequate to trigger=20
enforcement." But the FCC also reasserted its=20
presumption that the words "f*ck" and "sh*t" are=20
profane and indecent unless context mitigates. It=20
also defended its ability generally to regulate=20
indecent broadcast content, saying the=20
availability of blocking mechanisms or the=20
presence of alternate media without similar=20
restrictions--cable, the Internet--did not=20
persuade it that its current enforcement regime=20
was unconstitutionally vague or de facto=20
ineffective in protecting children from indecent=20
content. Broadcasters and the Commission will now=20
fight it out over those remaining findings in court.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6388805.html
* FCC News Release: http://www.fcc.gov/omnibus_remand/FCC-06-166-nr.pdf
* FCC Order: http://www.fcc.gov/omnibus_remand/FCC-06-166.pdf
* Commissioner Adelstein:
http://www.fcc.gov/omnibus_remand/jsa_statement.pdf
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Communications-related Headlines is a free online=20
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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
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