February 2007

To view Benton's Headlines feed in your RSS=20
Aggregator, paste=20
http://www.benton.org/index.php?q=3Dtaxonomy/term/6/all/feed into your read=
er.
For upcoming media policy events, see http://www.benton.org

UNIVERSAL SERVICE
Verizon calls for new broadband incentives
A 21st Century American Right: Universal Broadband
AT&T Should Boost Fiber, Says Market Researcher
Feb 20 Meeting for Universal Service Board

DIGITAL DIVIDE
Developing nations to test new $150 laptops

TELECOM
New Frontiers For Cellphone Service
Venezuela Agrees to Buy Verizon's Stake in CANTV
Consumers finally get a grip on VoIP

INTERNET
Bill Would Make ISPs Keep Data On Users
Belgian court rules against Google over copyright
Have you been 'digging' the news lately?
Internet safety group broadens mission

TELEVISION/RADIO
House Subcommittee Asked to Demand Answers from FCC at Oversight Hearing
Public TV Presses DBS Multicast Case
Tonight at 11, News by Neighbors
Building a Conversation, One Radio Show at a Time

MEDIA & POLITICS
Media, government duel in 'perfect storm'
Why Washington doesn't 'get' IT, and how to fix that
Into the political Web

QUICKLY -- FCC Continues EEO Audits; Time Warner=20
Sells Braves to Liberty Media; Martin's Funny Valentine

UNIVERSAL SERVICE

VERIZON CALLS FOR NEW BROADBAND INCENTIVES
[SOURCE: InfoWorld, AUTHOR: Grant Gross]
The U.S. government should launch a new program=20
that provides grants and loans for broadband=20
providers to extend service to rural areas, said=20
Tom Tauke, Verizon's executive vice president for=20
public affairs, policy, and communications. He=20
pointed to ConnectKentucky as a model state=20
program; it has provided 94% of Kentucky=20
residents with broadband options. The rest of the=20
nation likely won't reach U.S. President George=20
Bush's goal of universal broadband access by the=20
end of 2007, Tauke said. The U.S. needs to look=20
at broadband incentive programs "sooner rather=20
than later," he said. The new program proposed by=20
Verizon could use some existing funding,=20
including redirecting some funds from the U.S.=20
Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities=20
Service (RUS), which had a 2006 budget of $6.1=20
billion, he said. The RUS now subsidizes several=20
types of utilities, including broadband,=20
electricity, distance learning, and=20
telemedicine. New funds may also be needed,=20
Tauke said, although he didn't provide specific=20
numbers at a press briefing. Part of the problem=20
is there's no good measure of how many U.S.=20
residents have access to broadband, Tauke said.=20
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission=20
released a report Jan. 31 saying 99 percent of=20
all U.S. postal codes had at least one broadband=20
provider, but critics have noted that the FCC=20
would count a postal code if a provider offered=20
service to just a handful of residents. Tauke=20
called for a comprehensive study of what=20
broadband gaps exist. "We just don't know today=20
who has broadband and who doesn't," he said.
http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/02/12/HNverizonbroadbandincentives_1...
ml?source=3Drss&url=3Dhttp://www.infoworld.com/article/07/02/12/HNverizonbr=
oadbandincentives_1.html

A 21ST CENTURY AMERICAN RIGHT: UNIVERSAL BROADBAND
[SOURCE: Benton Foundation, AUTHOR: Charles Benton]
On Friday, On February 09, 2007 Benton Foundation=20
Chairman and CEO Charles Benton received the=20
Susan G. Hadden Pioneer Award from the Alliance=20
for Public Technology. The award recognizes=20
=93pioneering efforts in telecommunications and=20
consumer access.=94 In his remarks while accepting=20
the award, Benton identified four steps to=20
restore the country=92s Internet competitiveness:=20
1) Better data. Benton noted, =93As management=20
gurus always say, you can't accomplish something=20
if you can't measure it =AD and the tools we are=20
using today to measure our progress on broadband=20
are about as sharp and refined as Fred=20
Flinstone=92s hammer.=94 2) A strategy. =93Despite=20
President Bush's announcing the goal in 2004 of=20
achieving Universal Affordable Broadband Access=20
by 2007, we still have a long way to go in=20
developing the plan, let alone implementing it.=20
We are likely the only industrialized nation=20
without a comprehensive and coordinated national=20
broadband strategy,=94 Benton said. 3) Restoring=20
funding for the Department of Commerce=92s=20
Technology Opportunities Program which from 1994=20
to 2004, played an important role in realizing=20
the vision of an information society by=20
demonstrating practical applications of new=20
telecommunications and information technologies=20
in the public and non-profit sector. 4) Universal=20
Service Reform. Benton said, =93As we celebrate the=20
10th anniversary of the E-rate later this month,=20
we need to remember the critical role that the=20
universal service program can play in advancing=20
universal broadband =AD while also fostering=20
competition, keeping rates affordable, and=20
advancing speeds that enable digital voice,=20
digital video and the vision Susan Hadden had where anyone can be a produce=
r.=94
http://www.benton.org/index.php?q=3Dnode/4790
* Read Mr. Benton=92s remarks at: http://www.benton.org/index.php?q=3Dnode/=
4772

AT&T SHOULD BOOST FIBER, SAYS MARKET RESEARCHER
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
BNA market research company Pike & Fischer=20
suggests that AT&T's buildout of fiber to the=20
node and using existing copper lines to connect=20
to homes will not be successful in the long-term.=20
"AT&T is attempting to position its TV service as=20
superior to cable, but there's nothing to prevent=20
those competitors from matching the U-verse=20
features over time," says report author Tim=20
McElgunn, chief analyst for Pike & Fischer's=20
Broadband Advisory Services. The firm concludes=20
that AT&T will have to buildout fiber directly to customers' premises.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6415927.html?display=3DBreaki...
News

FEB 20 MEETING OF UNIVERSAL SERVICE BOARD
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
The Federal-State Joint Board on Universal=20
Service will hold an en banc hearing on Tuesday,=20
February 20, 2007, in Washington, DC. The Joint=20
Board will discuss high cost universal service=20
support in rural areas, including the use of=20
reverse auctions (competitive bidding) and=20
geographic information systems (GIS) to determine=20
support for eligible telecommunications=20
carriers. Panelists representing a broad range=20
of interests will discuss their positions and=20
respond to questions from the Joint Board=20
members. A list of panelists is available at the=20
URL below and includes reps from CTIA, Verizon=20
and the NTCA. The hearing will be held from 2:00=20
to 5:00 p.m. at the Renaissance Washington Hotel,=20
999 9th St, N.W., Washington, DC 20001. The=20
hearing is open to the public and seating will be=20
available on a first-come, first-served=20
basis. For further information, contact Vickie=20
Robinson, Telecommunications Access Policy=20
Division, Wireline Competition Bureau at (202)=20
418-7400, TTY (202) 418-0484, or Jennifer=20
Richardson, Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission at 317-232-2785.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-07-630A1.doc
* The Senate Commerce Committee will hold a=20
hearing on Universal Service on March 1
http://www.benton.org/index.php?q=3Dnode/4813

DIGITAL DIVIDE

DEVELOPING NATIONS TO TEST NEW $150 LAPTOPS
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Jason Szep]
From Brazil to Pakistan, some of the world's=20
poorest children will peer across the digital=20
divide this month -- reading electronic books,=20
shooting digital video, creating music and=20
chatting with classmates online. Founded by=20
Massachusetts Institute of Technology academics,=20
the non-profit "One Laptop per Child" project=20
will roll out nearly 2,500 of its $150-laptops to=20
eight nations in February. The experiment is a=20
prelude to mass production of the kid-friendly,=20
lime-green-and-white laptops scheduled to begin=20
in July, when five million will be built. Its=20
technological triumphs include a hand crank to=20
charge its battery, a keyboard that switches=20
between languages, a digital video camera,=20
wireless connectivity and Linux open-source=20
operating software tailored for remote regions.=20
The project's operators say the price should fall=20
to $100 apiece next year, when they hope to=20
produce 50 million of the so-called "XO"=20
machines, before dipping below $100 by 2010 when=20
they aim to reach 150 million of the world's poorest children.
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN0517553520070212

TELECOM

NEW FRONTIERS FOR CELLPHONE SERVICE
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Cassell=20
Bryan-Low cassell.bryan-low( at )wsj.com]
For years, developed nations provided the=20
cellphone industry with most of its growth and=20
fat profits. Now, that growth has slowed, it is=20
the emerging markets that are rising fast. As a=20
result, cellphone-service providers are reaching=20
into the world's remotest regions. Developing=20
regions such as Africa, China and India together=20
account for roughly 1.6 billion cellphone=20
subscribers, about 59% of the global market,=20
according to Wireless Intelligence, a joint=20
venture between the GSM Association and Ovum=20
Holdings Ltd. that tracks cellphone-industry=20
data. Analysts expect these newer cellphone=20
markets to contribute the vast majority of growth=20
in mobile subscribers in the coming years. Only=20
about a third of people in developing markets=20
currently have mobile phones. In India, less than=20
15% of the population has a cellphone, but the=20
market is increasing by more than six million new=20
subscribers a month. By contrast, roughly 70% of=20
the U.S. population own a cellphone and some=20
Western European markets have reached saturation=20
point. The industry is racing to adapt. Companies=20
from Vodafone Group PLC, the world's largest=20
wireless-service provider by revenue, to regional=20
providers like Kuwait's Mobile Telecommunications=20
Co., are looking at everything from lower-cost=20
handsets to services tailored to clientele living=20
on very low incomes and often far from urban centers.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117131445160206294.html?mod=3Dtodays_us_...
ketplace
(requires subscription)
* Cell phones mobilized to fight AIDS in Africa
The "Phones-for-Health" project will use software=20
loaded on to a standard Motorola handset to allow=20
care workers in the field to enter critical=20
health information into a central database in real time.
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSL1269690620070213

VENEZUELA AGREES TO BUY VERIZON'S STAKE IN CANTV
[SOURCE: Washington Post]
Venezuela's government signed a preliminary=20
agreement to buy Verizon Communications' 28.5=20
percent stake in Compania Anonima Nacional=20
Telefonos de Venezuela, or CANTV, for $572=20
million, Telecommunications Minister Jesse Chacon=20
said after signing the memorandum of=20
understanding with John Diercksen, Verizon's=20
executive vice president of strategy, development=20
and planning. Chacon said that with the deal, the=20
government "begins the process of nationalization=20
of one of the most strategic companies for the country's development."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/12/AR200702...
1467.html
(requires registration)
* Venezuela and Verizon reach deal
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-verizon13feb13,1,1622...
.story?coll=3Dla-headlines-pe-business

CONSUMERS FINALLY GET A GRIP ON VOIP
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Leslie Cauley]
A distant, much-morphed cousin of Alexander=20
Graham Bell's landmark invention has finally=20
arrived: Internet telephony. Known as "VoIP" in=20
phone circles -- short for Voice over Internet=20
Protocol -- it is the latest iteration of the=20
communications revolution that began with Bell's=20
telephone in 1876. Now VoIP, a 20-year-old=20
technology, seems poised to become a fixture in=20
the lives of millions of Americans. "VoIP is at=20
an inflection point where it's about to go=20
mainstream," says Phil Asmundson, vice chairman=20
and a U.S. managing partner, technology for=20
Deloitte & Touche. VoIP and traditional phone=20
service both offer voice calls, but that's where=20
the similarity stops: Owing to its Internet-based=20
format, VoIP allows a circus of other features,=20
including Internet access and e-mail. Once=20
consumers understand, and get comfortable with,=20
those differences, VoIP will take off, Asmundson=20
predicts. "In consumers' minds, it must be=20
distinguished from traditional phone. If VoIP is=20
just a replacement item (for traditional phone=20
service) that sits on your counter, it's not that compelling."
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20070213/internetphone_cover....
.htm

INTERNET

BILL WOULD MAKE ISPs KEEP DATA ON USERS
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Ellen Nakashima]
Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) is pushing a measure that=20
echoes a long-sought Bush administration goal: to=20
require all Internet service providers to keep=20
records on their subscribers. The measure would=20
give the attorney general broad discretion to=20
write the rules on what information companies=20
have to retain and for how long. The provision=20
would require Internet service companies to=20
provide at a minimum the Internet subscriber's=20
name and address, which can be linked to an=20
Internet protocol address -- an identification=20
number associated with a particular computer at a=20
given time. Law enforcement officials would have=20
to obtain a subpoena to have access to the=20
records and could not use the tool to track=20
law-abiding citizens on the Internet. It is aimed=20
at protecting children from predators, but=20
privacy advocates say its privacy and=20
civil-liberties implications are huge, and=20
industry is concerned about the costs of=20
compliance. News of the measure has spread around=20
the blogosphere, as critics seek to mobilize opposition to the SAFETY Act.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/12/AR200702...
1337.html
(requires registration)

BELGIAN COURT RULES AGAINST GOOGLE OVER COPYRIGHT
[SOURCE: Reuters]
Things just got very quiet at the ol'online news=20
summary shoppe.... A Belgian court ruled on=20
Tuesday that Google may not reproduce extracts=20
from a variety of Belgian newspapers, imperiling=20
one of the web search leader=92s most popular=20
services if other courts follow suit. The case=20
was brought by Copiepresse, which manages=20
copyrights for Belgium=92s French- and=20
German-language newspapers and has also demanded=20
that the French division of Internet portal Yahoo=20
stop displaying Belgian press reports.=20
Copiepresse argues that versions of news articles=20
stored on Google can be seen on its service even=20
after the articles are no longer freely=20
accessible on a newspaper=92s web site. Google has=20
faced a similar complaint in the United States=20
from Agence France Presse. The French news agency=20
filed a suit in 2005. The Belgian court on=20
Tuesday upheld an existing injunction, although=20
reduced the penalty that Google would face if it=20
chose to publish material from a variety of=20
Belgian French- and German-language newspapers.
http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSL1312726620070213

HAVE YOU BEEN 'DIGGING' THE NEWS LATELY?
[SOURCE: The Christian Science Monitor, AUTHOR:=20
Dante Chinni, Project for Excellence in Journalism]
[Commentary] Have you used Digg.com yet? It is=20
part of a relatively new phenomenon on the Web:=20
social-networking news sites (others include=20
reddit.com and newsvine.com). And Digg is a=20
strangely engaging place. Digg.com is part news=20
source, part blog, and part "American Idol."=20
Users find pages they think are interesting while=20
surfing the Web. They then submit them to Digg.=20
There, other users comment on the pages and vote=20
for or against them, pushing some up to Digg's=20
front page and others into Web oblivion. Those=20
who dislike mainstream media (MSM) see hope in=20
Digg's model. Social networking news sites such=20
as Digg are fun to visit, but it is easy to=20
imagine how they could quickly lead to a view of=20
the world just as insular as that of the MSM, and=20
maybe more so =96 either stuck within the=20
preferences of the Digg crowd or the preferences=20
of a select few Digg members whose list of=20
"diggs" one regularly checks. It's not that=20
there's anything wrong with that, but if your=20
concern is being trapped by the worldview of the=20
MSM editors, how is the worldview of the crowd on one website really better?
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0213/p09s01-codc.html

INTERNET SAFETY GROUP BROADENS MISSION
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Dibya Sarkar]
The explosion of social networking sites such as=20
MySpace.com and Second Life, along with free=20
video sharing sites like YouTube.com, is making=20
it increasingly difficult to protect children=20
surfing the Internet, says Stephen Balkam, who=20
founded a voluntary Web site rating system seven=20
years ago. To deal with this new Web terrain,=20
Balkam relaunched his group Tuesday as the Family=20
Online Safety Institute with a broader mission of=20
improving online child safety and protecting free=20
speech through public policy, education and=20
events. The institute, originally called the=20
Internet Content Rating Association, or ICRA, was=20
originally formed to promote voluntary=20
self-labeling through a rating system. Industry=20
is becoming more involved in this effort, Balkam=20
said. He expects the institute's budget to double=20
to $1 million in one year. It has 15 full and=20
supporting members, including AOL Europe, AT&T=20
Inc., Cisco Systems Inc. and Microsoft Corp.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/technology/16685459.htm

TELEVISION/RADIO

HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE ASKED TO DEMAND ANSWERS FROM FCC AT OVERSIGHT HEARING
[SOURCE: Campaign Legal Center & Benton Foundation]
Members of the House Subcommittee on=20
Telecommunications and the Internet are being=20
urged to demand answers from the Federal=20
Communications Commission (FCC) regarding the=20
lack of digital public interest obligations more=20
than a decade after the process began. The=20
request from the Campaign Legal Center and the=20
Benton Foundation was hand delivered to=20
Subcommittee Chairman Edward Markey (D-MA) as he=20
received the 2007 Susan G. Hadden Pioneer Award=20
for his pioneering efforts on behalf of consumer=20
access. The full Subcommittee received similar=20
letters that included a timeline of the FCC's=20
foot-dragging on digital public interest=20
obligations dating back to 1995. All five FCC=20
Commissioners are slated to appear before the=20
Subcommittee in an oversight hearing scheduled=20
for Thursday, February 15 at 10 a.m. in room 2123=20
of the Rayburn House Office Building. Full text of letter at the URL below.
http://www.campaignlegalcenter.org/press-2436.html
See also --
* Public Interest Obligations of Digital=20
Television Broadcasters Timeline of Inaction 1995-2007
http://www.benton.org/index.php?q=3Dnode/4754
* Citizen's Guide to the Public Interest Obligations of Digital TV Broadcas=
ters
http://www.benton.org/pioguide/index.html

PUBLIC TV PRESSES DBS MULTICAST CASE
[SOURCE: Multichannel News]
Public television stations want Congress to=20
require carriage of all local public channels=92=20
digital signals. The Association of Public=20
Television Stations said its members will=20
personally lobby on Capitol Hill to amend Section=20
338 of the Communication Act so that =93must-carry=94=20
obligations extend to all high-definition and=20
other digital programming broadcast by public TV=20
stations. APTS has a multicast carriage agreement=20
with the National Cable & Telecommunications=20
Association and said it expects a similar=20
agreement to be concluded soon with the American=20
Cable Association, representing smaller=20
operators. APTS also has a multicast carriage=20
agreement with Verizon Communications for the=20
FiOS TV service but has been unable to reach a=20
deal with AT&T. EchoStar and DirecTV aren't=20
carrying any public television digital signals,=20
except for a few public TV stations broadcasting solely in digital.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6415780.html?display=3DBreaking+News

TONIGHT AT 11, NEWS BY NEIGHBORS
[SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle 2/11, AUTHOR: Joe Garofoli]
Clear Channel's KFTY-TV in Santa Rosa (CA) has=20
fired most of its news-gathering staff and, over=20
the next few months, will be asking people in the=20
community -- its independent filmmakers, its=20
college students and professors, its civic=20
leaders and others -- to provide programming for=20
the station. Will they be paid? That's being=20
worked out. Who will cover the harder-edged=20
stories? Some will be culled from local newspaper=20
and TV online sites and "other sources" that are=20
still being discussed. "There will be a loss in=20
local coverage, I'm not going to lie to you,"=20
says a Clear Channel executive. "But there are a=20
lot of other places to get most of that information."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=3D/c/a/2007/02/11/MNGDEO2QOA...
TL&hw=3DKFTY+TV

BUILDING A CONVERSATION, ONE RADIO SHOW AT A TIME
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Felicia Lee]
For the past 13 years, Tom Joyner has been the=20
host of =93The Tom Joyner Morning Show,=94 which is=20
dedicated to offering what he thinks blacks need:=20
an unfiltered conversation about black life and=20
black issues from a black perspective. Far less=20
known outside African-American communities than=20
other radio talk-show hosts like Rush Limbaugh or=20
Howard Stern, Mr. Joyner has an estimated eight=20
million listeners in a given week in the roughly=20
120 markets where his show is syndicated, making=20
it the nation=92s largest black-oriented radio=20
show. Representative Jesse L. Jackson Jr.,=20
Democrat of Illinois, said that black radio was=20
=93probably the most central vehicle for=20
communicating with the masses of=20
African-Americans.=94 And within that niche, he=20
continued, Mr. Joyner=92s show is =93the pre-eminent vehicle.=94
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/13/arts/13joyn.html
(requires registration)

MEDIA & POLITICS

MEDIA, GOVERNMENT IN 'PERFECT STORM'
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Peter Johnson]
In 1971, when The New York Times won a major=20
victory for press freedom in the Pentagon Papers=20
case, mainstream media such as newspapers and the=20
Big Three broadcast networks were "fantastically=20
profitable, strong institutions," reporter Lowell=20
Bergman says. But today, Bergman says, "network=20
news is in decline, and newspapers are seriously=20
threatened" at a time when both are locked in a=20
battle with the Bush administration about=20
controlling the national agenda and what=20
government secrets should -- or should not be --=20
reported. "We seem to be at this critical=20
juncture, a perfect storm," says Bergman, whose=20
four-part PBS Frontline special, News War, kicks=20
off tonight. Bergman traces American journalism=20
from the Nixon administration's attacks to the=20
post-Watergate popularity of the media to recent=20
obstacles presented by the war on terror, and to=20
the changing economics of the media business and challenges posed by the We=
b.
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/life/20070213/d_mediamix13.art.htm
* New PBS Doc Misses the Media/War Story
http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/47951/

WHY WASHINGTON DOESN'T 'GET' IT, AND HOW TO FIX THAT
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Phil=20
Bond, Information Technology Association of America]
[Commentary] As global competition intensifies,=20
America needs continuous innovation. And IT will=20
drive it. So far so good. But when public policy=20
leaders look for guidance from the information=20
technology industry, they are just as likely to=20
hear confusion as they are counsel. For our=20
leaders to get the message, our industry should=20
speak in a unified, powerful voice. Instead,=20
there are more than 16 organizations clamoring=20
for attention from the same decision makers.=20
Sometimes we're saying the same things. Sometimes=20
we're not. The bottom line: Our industry's=20
lobbying, our brand, and our political support=20
are all splintered. We do not have our act=20
together. So what is the answer? To effectively=20
represent our industry in domestic and=20
international politics, we need the best of breed=20
in the following areas under the same roof: The=20
best grass-roots network (including innovative=20
smaller companies); the best congressional=20
affairs shop; the best state and federal IT=20
procurement policy operation; the best political=20
fundraising organization; and the best global=20
network. In short, a grass-roots-to-global political and policy operation.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/opinion/16680096.htm

INTO THE POLITICAL WEB
[SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
[Commentary] Bloggers, hired or not, are creeping=20
ever closer to the center of the political ring.=20
They bring huge followings, unfiltered views and=20
plenty of swagger. Watch out, candidates.=20
Bloggers don't submit their work to campaign=20
central. They do their own homework and write it=20
up their way. They're fun, fascinating and=20
completely untamable. The blogosphere confers a=20
definite hip factor, but needs a buyer-beware=20
label, too. It may be the first cyber-dust-up of=20
the 2008 campaign. But given the growing role of=20
the Internet in fundraising, direct messages and=20
hired blog commentators, candidates and voters=20
may be in for different campaign season.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/chronicle/archive/2007...
/12/EDGC7N72JT1.DTL

QUICKLY

FCC CONTINUES EEO AUDITS
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
On February 8, 2007, the Federal Communications=20
Commission (FCC) mailed the first of its Equal=20
Employment Opportunity (EEO) audit letters for=20
2007 to randomly selected radio and television=20
stations. The FCC is auditing the EEO programs=20
of randomly selected broadcast licensees and=20
multi-channel video programming distributors=20
(MVPDs). Each year, approximately five percent=20
of all stations and MVPDs are selected for random=20
EEO audits. A list of the radio and television=20
stations to which audit letters were sent is available at the URL below.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-07-399A1.doc

TIME WARNER SELLS BRAVES TO LIBERTY MEDIA
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Ronald Blum]
Time Warner Inc. finalized an agreement Monday=20
after more than a year to sell the Atlanta Braves=20
to John Malone's Liberty Media Corp. The deal,=20
which values the team at $450 million, was=20
submitted to Major League Baseball for its=20
approval process. The parties hope baseball will=20
approve the sale in time for the team to be=20
transferred by opening day. (Pitchers and=20
catchers report later today.) Liberty currently=20
has about 170 million shares of Time Warner,=20
which is equivalent to a stake of about 4 percent=20
of the media company, whose holdings include Time=20
Warner Cable, HBO, AOL, CNN, Warner Bros. and=20
Time Inc. The deal would reduce the size of=20
Liberty's stake in Time Warner to about 2.6=20
percent. Time Warner acquired the Braves when it=20
bought Atlanta-based Turner Broadcasting Systems=20
from Ted Turner in the mid-1990s.
http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2007/02/13/daily.1/

FREE PRESS PREPS VALENTINES TO FCC's MARTIN
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The public interest community's love for FCC=20
Chairman Kevin Martin knows no bounds, so Free=20
Press has decided to "hug it out" with a massive=20
online Valentine. The tongue-in cheek card with a=20
serious message calls Martin a "weapon of mass=20
seduction" and includes a photo from a magazine=20
article about Washington power players that=20
included a photo shoot of Martin in a hotel room=20
with lobbyists. Saying he had been "caught in bed=20
with corporate lobbyists," Free Press encourages=20
e-mailers to "woo him back to the people he's really supposed to serve."
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6415822.html?display=3DBreaki...
News
* See more at http://www.freepress.net/valentine/
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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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