May 2007

For upcoming media policy events, see=20
http://www.benton.org/index.php?q=3Devent/2007/05/24/week/all/all/1

INTERNET/BROADBAND
Markey Holds Hearing on Broadband Access
At least 25 nations found to block some Web sites
Pentagon defends move to block YouTube, MySpace

OWNERSHIP
With Big Buy, Microsoft Joins Online-Ad Flurry
Top indie film makers ask FCC to limit network produced prime time
TPG, Goldman Arm Land Alltel
Sound and Fury Over Private Equity
Tribune enters into $8.03 billion credit agreement

BROADCASTING/CABLE
Broadcast Goes Cable
FCC Initiates Third Review of DTV Transition
FCC Gives Stations More Time To Convert To Digital
Some Advertisers Angered by Opie & Anthony Suspension
A long way from 'Wayne's World'

MEDIA CRITICISM
The Groaning of Al Gore
Pope condemns sex, violence in media
Has Product Placement Made Our Television Viewing Experience Worse?

CONTENT
Food-Marketing Debate Heats Up
Should the FCC Curb TV Violence?
Artists and labels seek royalties from radio
Interviews, Going the Way of the Linotype?

MEDIA & ELECTIONS
Online, GOP Is Playing Catch-Up

DIGITAL DIVIDE
Rural America Is Being Left off the Information Superhighway
'One Laptop Per Child' project now reality in 1 South American classroom
In Suburbs, Locked Into a High-Tech Lure

QUICKLY -- iPhone Certification Raises Eyebrows;=20
FCC Clarifies Standards for Determining Costs in=20
800 MHz Rebanding process; Positioning phones to=20
create new social networks; eSchools Work!

INTERNET/BROADBAND

MARKEY HOLDS HEARING ON BROADBAND ACCESS
[SOURCE: Congressman Ed Markey]
Representative Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Chairman=20
of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on=20
Telecommunications and the Internet, chaired a=20
hearing this morning to discuss draft legislation=20
regarding broadband mapping and data collection.=20
The legislation seeks to address the lack of=20
accurate information about the nature and extent=20
of broadband service across America in order to=20
pave the way for the development and=20
implementation of a comprehensive national=20
broadband strategy. In his remarks he said: "I=20
believe at this point there is growing consensus=20
=AD if not unanimity -- around the fact that=20
current data collection methods used by the=20
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) are=20
inadequate and highly flawed. Currently, the FCC=20
counts a single broadband subscriber in a 5-digit=20
zip code as indicating the entire zip code has=20
broadband availability, even if the sole=20
subscriber is a business and not a residential=20
consumer. This can lead to highly inaccurate and=20
overly generous notions of actual broadband=20
availability and use, particularly in rural areas=20
where zip codes are quite large. In addition, the=20
Telecommunications Act compels the FCC to assess=20
the nationwide availability of =93advanced=20
telecommunications capability,=94 which Congress=20
defined as having =93high-speed=94 capability. The=20
FCC implemented this provision and defined =93high=20
speed=94 in 1999 as meaning 200 kilobits per=20
second. The problem is that the FCC has not kept=20
pace with the times or technology. Simply put, in=20
2007 terms, 200 kilobits per second is not high=20
speed. The bill proposes increasing this ten-fold to 2 Megabits per second."
http://markey.house.gov/index.php?option=3Dcom_content&task=3Dview&id=3D...
5&Itemid=3D141
* FCC Out of Touch with Broadband Reality
Free Press Policy Director Ben Scott told=20
Congress that the Federal Communications=20
Commission has failed to uphold its obligation to=20
effectively collect data on broadband deployment=20
across the United States. "We cannot evaluate=20
problems that we don't measure or study -- much=20
less can we solve them," Scott said. "The bill=20
under discussion would represent a leap forward=20
in our knowledge about broadband markets and=20
inevitably improve broadband policy." The hearing=20
coincides with the filing deadline for an FCC=20
Notice of Inquiry (NOI) seeking input on whether=20
high-speed broadband is being made available to=20
all Americans. Free Press, Consumers Union and=20
Consumer Federation of America filed comments=20
outlining the FCC's failure to address the=20
current deficiencies of the broadband market, and=20
urging the Commission to develop and implement a=20
comprehensive broadband policy.
http://www.freepress.net/press/release.php?id=3D236
* Scott testimony: http://www.freepress.net/docs/scott_testimony_5-17.pdf
* FCC filing:=20
http://www.freepress.net/docs/cu_cfa_free_press_706_noi_comment.pdf
* McSlarrow Advises Caution On Legislating 'High-Speed' Definition
National Cable & Telecommunications Association=20
President Kyle McSlarrow told legislators=20
Thursday that while he supports a draft bill=20
requiring better data collection on the rollout=20
of broadband, he doesn't buy the "sky is falling"=20
scenario driving some backing the bill. McSlarrow=20
said that speeds are increasing, prices falling,=20
and that the industry is developing a new cable=20
modem service with speeds exceeding 100 megabits=20
per second. McSlarrow agreed that the FCC's=20
definition of high-speed access, which includes=20
200 kilobits as high speed, has been outstripped=20
by technology, but added the cautionary note that=20
the government should be careful of legislating=20
another definition of high-speed for the same=20
reason given the pace of change, saying that=20
"what makes sense today may look strange a couple of years from now."
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6443784.html?rssid=3D193
* Broadband mapping is trojan horse for Big Govt. net regulation
[Commentary] Calls by House Telecom Chairman Ed=20
Markey and other Big Government proponents for=20
better "broadband mapping" is simply a "trojan=20
horse" for regulating the Internet. and more=20
government intervention in the marketplace.
http://www.precursorblog.com/node/399

AT LEAST 25 NATIONS FOUND TO BLOCK SOME WEB SITES
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Anick Jesdanun]
At least 25 countries around the world block Web=20
sites for political, social or other reasons as=20
governments seek to assert authority over a=20
network meant to be borderless. The actual number=20
might be higher, but the OpenNet Initiative had=20
the time and capabilities to study only 40=20
countries and the Palestinian territories. Even=20
so, researchers said they found more censorship=20
than they had initially expected, a sign that the=20
Internet has matured to the point that=20
governments are taking notice. China, Iran,=20
Myanmar, Syria, Tunisia and Vietnam had the most=20
extensive filters for political sites. Iran,=20
Oman, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, the United=20
Arab Emirates and Yemen had the strictest=20
social-filtering practices, blocking pornography,=20
gambling and gay and lesbian sites. In some=20
countries, censorship was narrow. South Korea,=20
for instance, tends to block only information=20
about its neighboring rival, North Korea.=20
Researchers found no filtering at all in Russia,=20
Israel or the Palestinian territories despite=20
political conflicts there. Governments generally=20
had no mechanism for citizens to complain about=20
any erroneous blocking, with Saudi Arabia, Oman=20
and the United Arab Emirates being among the exceptions.
http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/72985.html

PENTAGON DEFENDS MOVE TO BLOCK YOUTUBE, MYSPACE
[SOURCE: Reuters 5/18]
The Pentagon has defended a decision to block=20
popular websites including YouTube and MySpace on=20
US military computers, saying it needed to keep=20
its network clear for operations. Military=20
officials said they had restricted access to more=20
than a dozen recreational sites because they had=20
registered high levels of use on US Department of=20
Defence computers. Rear Adm Elizabeth Hight,=20
deputy head of the Defence Information Systems=20
Agency, said the Pentagon needed to ensure=20
bandwidth on its network of more than 5 million=20
computers was not clogged by the use of those=20
sites. In a letter to Defense Secretary Robert=20
Gates earlier this week, Rep Ed Markey (D-MA)=20
said troops overseas had used many of the blocked=20
sites to communicate with family and friends and=20
that those contacts were critical for morale. But=20
the Pentagon said many of the sites had already=20
been blocked on military computers in Iraq and=20
Afghanistan for more than two years and troops=20
had many other ways of keeping in touch with=20
loved ones. The Pentagon agency responsible for=20
morale provided commercial Internet services free=20
of charge at bases across Iraq and Afghanistan=20
and those would be unaffected by the decision, Rear Adm Hight said.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4064182a28.html
* Pentagon Continues to Censor Troops' Web Access
http://markey.house.gov/index.php?option=3Dcom_content&task=3Dview&id=3D...
2&Itemid=3D141

OWNERSHIP

WITH BIG BUY, MICROSOFT JOINS ONLINE AD FLURRY
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal 5/19, AUTHOR: Robert=20
A. Guth rob.guth( at )wsj.com, Kevin J. Delaney, Suzanne Vranica, Emily Steel]
Microsoft's $6 billion deal to buy an online-ad=20
specialist called aQuantive Inc. puts into high=20
gear a race between Madison Avenue and a new=20
guard of technology businesses that are trying to=20
dominate the unbridled market in brokering=20
Internet advertisements. The deal -- the largest=20
in Microsoft's history -- follows recent=20
acquisitions of Web-ad companies by Google Inc.,=20
Yahoo Inc. and traditional advertising agencies.=20
The emerging consensus: The online-ad market is=20
maturing around an oligopoly of huge companies=20
that sell and place the ads users see online.=20
Placing those ads is increasingly seen as the=20
business model that will fund almost everything=20
on the Internet -- from search portals, news=20
sites and video downloads to Web-based software=20
services such as word processing. The deals also=20
highlight the deepening conviction that the=20
automated-advertising approach championed by=20
Google will draw more ad dollars from traditional=20
media and play a larger role in how TV, radio and=20
print ads are sold. Hundreds of thousands of=20
advertisers buy online ads using the Web sites of=20
Google and its competitors, providing some=20
details about what they're willing to pay and=20
where they want their ads shown. The automated=20
systems act as brokers by finding places for the ads on Web sites.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117948955764907440.html?mod=3DdjemTECH
(requires subscription)
* Making sense of Redmond's $6 billion buy
http://news.com.com/Making+sense+of+Redmonds+6+million+buy/2008-1014_3-6...
849.html?tag=3Dhtml.alert.hed
* Microsoft gets serious about online ads
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20070521/microsoft21.art.htm

TOP INDIE FILM MAKERS ASK FCC TO LIMIT NETWORK PRODUCED PRIME TIME
[SOURCE: Lasar's Letter on the FCC 5/18, AUTHOR: Matthew Lasar]
A trade group representing independent film=20
producers, including the makers of the "Lord of=20
the Rings" trilogy, has asked the Federal=20
Communications Commission to enact reforms that=20
would effectively reserve 25 percent of prime=20
time TV for independent companies. The consortium=20
says that without help from the Commission they=20
will be shut out of prime time television. "As a=20
result of the unfettered development of massive=20
media conglomerates, there are clear barriers=20
today that prevent a fair, level, robust and=20
truly diverse marketplace for television and=20
cable/satellite programming," the Independent=20
Film & Television Alliance (IFTA) wrote to the=20
FCC in a statement filed on May 9th. "Independent=20
programmers have no leverage against the immense=20
market power they face from the networks, and=20
cable and satellite system operators." IFTA=20
includes production outfits such as Lakeshore=20
International, LIONSGATE, and The Weinstein=20
Company. The groups' member companies have=20
released hits like "Million Dollar Baby,"=20
"Wedding Crashers," and "Bend It Like Beckham."=20
The Alliance has asked the FCC to bar the four=20
major TV networks from scheduling more than 75%=20
of their prime time lineups with shows produced=20
by the networks themselves, or by affiliated=20
companies, or by entities affiliated with the top=20
ten national cable companies, or by direct broadcast satellite operators.
http://www.lasarletter.net/drupal/node/399

TPG, GOLDMAN ARM LAND ALLTEL
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Dennis K.=20
Berman dennis.berman( at )wsj.com and Amol Sharma amol.sharma( at )wsj.com]
TPG Capital LLP and the private-equity arm of=20
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. last night agreed to=20
purchase wireless operator Alltel Corp. for about=20
$27.5 billion, in the largest foray yet of=20
private-equity money into the wireless business.=20
The deal could signal still more ambitious=20
gambits by buyout shops, which have shown=20
increasing interest in telecom and wireless=20
assets. The buyers will pay about $71.50 per=20
share for the Little Rock, Ark., wireless=20
company, which is the nation's fifth largest.=20
That represents a price of about 10% higher than=20
where the shares traded on Friday, and about 23%=20
higher than where its shares traded in late=20
December, when The Wall Street Journal identified it as a buyout target.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117971040955309127.html?mod=3Ddjemalert
(requires subscription)
* Alltel Agrees to Buyout Offer
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/20/AR200705...
1806.html

SOUND AND FURY OVER PRIVATE EQUITY
[SOURCE: New York Times 5/20, AUTHOR: Andrew Ross Sorkin]
Despite all the recent hand-wringing over the=20
perils of the boom in private equity, a House=20
hearing on the subject last week demonstrated=20
just how little lawmakers understand the buyout=20
business. One issue went glaringly unaddressed:=20
the issue of taxing carried interest =97 the huge=20
fees that private equity firms take on the profit=20
of investments. The tax issue was perhaps the=20
biggest elephant in the room. Perhaps that is=20
because the House is going to let the Senate=20
handle that issue. Senators Max Baucus and=20
Charles Grassley, the chairman and ranking=20
minority member of the Senate Finance Committee,=20
seem to be getting deeper into the topic, holding=20
informal meetings with industry representatives=20
and academics. And that is where the real debate=20
over private equity is taking place: backstage,=20
not in the center ring of the political circus.=20
What the debate comes down to is not jobs or=20
inequality, but taxes. At issue is whether=20
private equity should pony up more in taxes, at a=20
rate approaching 35 percent rather than the=20
current 15 percent. In the end, squeezing the=20
wallets of private equity firms -- and not=20
dithering about jobs and the like -- may prove to=20
be the most taxing issue the industry faces. To=20
be sure, however, if a tax hike occurs, expect=20
buyout honchos to start heading to balmier,=20
sandier climes. Jon S. Corzine, the governor of=20
New Jersey and former chief executive of Goldman=20
Sachs, recently provided the most bluntly=20
insightful (and apolitical) view of industry=20
realities when he spoke on =93Today=94 on NBC: =93Many=20
of them will go offshore and avoid the U.S. taxation.=94
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/20/business/yourmoney/20deal.html
(requires registration)

TRIBUNE ENTERS INTO $8.03 BILLION CREDIT AGREEMENT
[SOURCE: Chicago Tribune 5/17, AUTHOR: James P. Miller]
Tribune Co. said Thursday that it has entered=20
into an $8.03 billion credit agreement with a=20
group of lenders. The Chicago-based media holding=20
company is expected to use the funds as it=20
proceeds with an $8.2 billion plan under which=20
financier Sam Zell is planning to take the=20
company private in conjunction with an employee stock ownership plan.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-070517tribune,0,5414125.story

BROADCASTING/CABLE

BROADCAST GOES CABLE
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Ben Grossman]
In broadcast TV, a network's collective stable of=20
shows defines its current brand, whereas in the=20
cable world, networks are narrowly defined by=20
their genre or audience profile. But more so this=20
year than ever, the broadcast networks are=20
beginning to take on personalities=97fitting nicely=20
into niches. It is the inadvertent result of=20
executives' chasing development similar to their=20
current hits. Not only do producers start to=20
pitch more like-minded shows to those networks=20
hoping to capitalize on their current successes,=20
but the networks themselves often want similar=20
fare as companion pieces to anything that works.=20
But networks have to tread carefully, as economic=20
models demand that they command the mass=20
audiences on which advertisers still want to bet=20
$9 billion during the upfront spending season.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6444874.html

FCC INITIATES THIRD REVIEW OF DTV TRANSITION
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
On April 25, the FCC adopted its third periodic=20
review of the conversion of the nation's=20
broadcast television system from analog to=20
digital television ("DTV"). The Notice of=20
Proposed Rulemaking, released May 18, proposes=20
the following actions, among others, to=20
facilitate the transition for full-power=20
television stations: 1) Restrict the grant of=20
future extensions of time to construct digital=20
facilities; 2) Offer expedited processing to=20
stations applying for a construction permit for=20
their post-transition channel based on the new=20
DTV Table of Allotments; 3) Examine the=20
circumstances in which stations may reduce or=20
terminate analog service to facilitate=20
construction of post-transition facilities; 4)=20
Permit stations that have different=20
pre-transition and post-transition channels to=20
devote their resources to building their=20
post-transition channel; 5) Require stations by=20
December 1st, 2007 to file a form with the=20
Commission detailing the current status of the=20
station's digital transition, the additional=20
steps the station must take before the transition=20
deadline, and a plan for how the station intends=20
to meet the deadline; and 6) Establish February=20
17, 2009 as the construction deadline for=20
stations with new channel allotments in the=20
upcoming new DTV Table of Allotments.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-272655A1.doc
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-07-70A1.doc

FCC GIVES STATIONS MORE TIME TO CONVERT TO DIGITAL
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Federal Communications Commission says there=20
are currently 1,702 stations licensed to=20
broadcast in digital television, with 1,603 on=20
the air with a signal. Some of the 145 stations=20
seeking extensions are on the air, but do not=20
meet the minimum build-out requirements for=20
mandated power levels or coverage areas). But=20
with a February 2009 deadline for completing the=20
transition to digital looming, some stations are=20
asking the Commission for more time to construct=20
their DTV facilities and getting their digital=20
signal on the air. Last week, the FCC extended=20
the deadline for the 145 TV stations who have yet=20
to finish construction of their digital=20
facilities to complete their transition. Two of=20
the stations -- WABC and WNBC in New York -- had transitions affected by 9/=
11.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6444605.html?rssid=3D193
* NYC TVs Get DTV Reprieve
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6444877.html
* DTV Buildout Order (May 18)
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-07-91A1.doc
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-07-90A1.doc

SOME ADVERTISERS ANGERED BY OPIE & ANTHONY SUSPENSION
[SOURCE: MediaWeek, AUTHOR: Kevin Carter and Mike Boyle]
Pro-Opie & Anthony support is coming from a very=20
unusual place: their advertisers. A couple of=20
clients are actually dropping their advertising=20
on XM Satellite Radio because XM Satellite Radio=20
suspended the duo. "It is apparent that XM Radio=20
is beholden to crybaby special interest groups=20
who cannot separate humor from reality," wrote=20
Lou Galli, general manager for Nashville Coffee,=20
on the company=92s Web site. Not only is the=20
company pulling its ads, but it also contacted=20
other sponsors and encouraged them to do the same.
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=3D100...
7607
See also --
* Rapping up those words (SF Examiner)
[Editoirial] Don Imus isn't the only one who has=20
been catching heat for using derogatory language=20
about African-American women. The uproar over=20
Imus' foul mouth has opened the door to much-belated criticism of the music.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/chronicle/archive/2007...
/20/EDGHQP1IO31.DTL

A LONG WAY FROM 'WAYNE'S WORLD'
[SOURCE: Chicago Tribune 5/18, AUTHOR: Suzanne McBride]
A look at Naperville Community Television=20
(Channel 17) -- and what a good cable public=20
access channel can do for a community.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/west/chi-0705170998may18,1,7211...
.story?coll=3Dchi-newslocalwest-hed&ctrack=3D1&cset=3Dtrue

MEDIA CRITICISM

THE GROANING OF AL GORE
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
[Commentary] In his new book, Al Gore shares some=20
of the blame for the Iraq war with TV journalism.=20
Instead of paying attention to important matters,=20
the public has been titillated with =93serial=20
obsessions=94 ranging from the O.J car chase to=20
Paris and Nicole. Thanks to big, bad TV, we were=20
all gazing at Britney's navel, and meanwhile the=20
country was marching to war. B&C admits that TV=20
news mishandled the run-up to the war, but says=20
there's plenty of blame to share with print=20
journalism as well. Gore decries media ownership=20
consolidation and lays into =93media Machievellis=94=20
who are =93hollowing out our Democracy=94 to make=20
room for their =93propagandistic electronic=20
messaging.=94 But B&C ain't buying "The Assault on=20
Reason." Television didn't create this situation.=20
It is there to be watched, or not. It can be=20
tuned to Spike or PBS. Al Gore concludes that the=20
=93well-informed citizenry=94 is in danger of=20
becoming the =93well-amused audience.=94 There are=20
some =93inconvenient truths=94 in Gore's media=20
screed. There's also a load of hyperbole. This=20
sounds like a book you could pass on in favor of=20
sitting down with a good TV show.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6444880.html

POPE CONDEMNS SEX, VIOLENCE IN MEDIA
[SOURCE: Reuters]
Pope Benedict on Sunday criticized media that=20
transmitted anti-social and violent programs as=20
well as images that "vulgarize human sexuality."=20
The Pope made his comments in a message for the=20
Roman Catholic Church's World Day of=20
Communications, whose theme this year is=20
"Children and the Media: A Challenge for=20
Education." The Pontiff further called on the=20
heads of the media industry to "promote human=20
dignity, marriage and the family." The Pope's=20
comments followed a written message for the World=20
Day of Communications released earlier this year=20
which criticized animated films and video games,=20
among other products, that exalt violence and trivialize sexuality.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=3DentertainmentNews&...
ryID=3D2007-05-20T174023Z_01_L20308883_RTRUKOC_0_US-POPE-MEDIA-SEX.xml&arch=
ived=3DFalse
* Vatican official: Media nonsense on religion often reflects ignorance
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0702831.htm

HAS PRODUCT PLACEMENT MADE OUR TELEVISION VIEWING EXPERIENCE WORSE?
[SOURCE: AlterNet, AUTHOR: Alicia Rebensdorf]
[Commentary] In a world of Tivo and Youtube, the=20
traditional commercial is passe. In its place we=20
have product integration, which may feed a=20
culture of consumption, compromise artistic=20
freedom and erode consumer choice. A call against=20
advertising creep is often marginalized as=20
extreme or anti-American. But the opposite of=20
product integration is not communism, it's=20
consent. And if we can't always have the freedom=20
of such choice, it's important that as media=20
consumers, we at least force the conversation.
http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/52069/

CONTENT

FOOD MARKETING DEBATE HEATS UP
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The issue of marketing =93junk food=94 to kids is=20
getting hot. Fueling the debate is the dramatic=20
increase in childhood obesity, which government=20
and industry agree is a growing national health=20
problem. In the next few weeks, the Federal Trade=20
Commission will issue subpoenas to 44 companies,=20
including food manufacturers and marketers. The=20
subpoenas are intended to gather information for=20
a forthcoming FTC report to Congress on how=20
companies market so-called junk foods to kids=97an=20
industry estimated at $10 billion to $15 billion.=20
Meanwhile, a government/industry task force on=20
childhood obesity and food marketing is=20
feverishly trying to come up with recommendations=20
on best practices by early summer. FCC Chairman=20
Kevin Martin, who serves on the task force, says=20
that, if the group fails to establish suitable=20
guidelines for industry self-regulation, the FCC=20
may have to weigh in. Congress may be eyeing the=20
issue hungrily, too. According to a top staffer=20
on the House Telecommunications & Internet=20
Subcommittee, Chairman Ed Markey (D-MA) plans to=20
hold hearings on the media=92s marketing of junk=20
food to children. Whether the subcommittee will=20
hold hearings before or after the task force=20
makes its recommendations to Congress is still unclear.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6444887.html?rssid=3D193

SHOULD THE FCC CURB TV VIOLENCE?
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal]
Former FCC Commissioner (and Benton Foundation=20
President) Gloria Tristani and Rene Balcer, the=20
executive producer of "Law & Order" and=20
co-creator of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent,"=20
debate whether the government should regulate=20
violence on TV. Tristani says most Americans=20
agree that we need to take steps to protect=20
children from excessive violence on television --=20
and that there is a role for government. Balcer=20
thinks the government should make sure parents=20
have the tools and information necessary to=20
regulate what their kids watch on TV.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117924182457803432.html?mod=3Dtff_main_t...
top
(requires subscription)

ARTISTS AND LABELS SEEK ROYALTIES FROM RADIO
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Jim Puzzanghera]
With CD sales tumbling, record companies and=20
musicians are looking at a new potential pot of=20
money: royalties from broadcast radio stations.=20
For years, stations have paid royalties to=20
composers and publishers when they played their=20
songs. But they enjoy a federal exemption when=20
paying the performers and record labels because,=20
they argue, the airplay sells music. Now, the=20
Recording Industry Assn. of America and several=20
artists' groups are getting ready to push=20
Congress to repeal the exemption, a move that=20
could generate hundreds of millions of dollars=20
annually in new royalties. Mary Wilson, who with=20
Diana Ross and Florence Ballard formed the=20
original Supremes, said the exemption was unfair=20
and forced older musicians to continue touring to pay their bills.
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-radio21may21,1,774853...
tory?coll=3Dla-headlines-pe-business
(requires registration)

INTERVIEWS, GOING THE WAY OF THE LINOTYPE?
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Howard Kurtz]
The humble interview, the linchpin of journalism=20
for centuries, is under assault. It is a=20
transaction that clearly favors the person asking=20
the questions. A print reporter writes down=20
someone's answers, then picks and chooses how=20
much, if any, to use, how to frame the quotes and=20
where to put any contrary information. Television=20
correspondents slice and dice taped interviews in=20
similar fashion. But in the digital age, some=20
executives and commentators are saying they will=20
respond only by e-mail, which allows them to post=20
the entire exchange if they feel they have been=20
misrepresented, truncated or otherwise=20
disrespected. And some go further, saying, You=20
want to know what I think? Read my blog. "The=20
balance of power has shifted," says Jay Rosen,=20
who teaches journalism at New York University.=20
"Everyone used to be landlocked, and the media=20
was the outlet to the sea of public discussion.=20
But now there are many routes. . . . Readers have=20
more power because they have more sources, and=20
sources have more power because they can go direct to readers."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/20/AR200705...
1549.html
(requires registration)

MEDIA & ELECTIONS

ONLINE, GOP IS PLAYING CATCH-UP
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Jose Antonio Vargas]
There is a widening gap between Democrats and=20
Republicans on the Internet. The most recent=20
figures from Nielsen/NetRatings provide one=20
measure of the gap. Looking at the Web sites of=20
presidential candidates from the two parties, it=20
found that former senator John Edwards's site had=20
about 690,000 unique visitors in March, when the=20
Democrat's wife, Elizabeth, announced that she=20
had a recurrence of cancer. That was more than=20
the combined number of visitors to the sites of=20
the three leading GOP contenders, Rudolph W.=20
Giuliani (297,000), Sen. John McCain (258,000)=20
and Mitt Romney (76,000). There are other=20
measures as well. No Republican comes close to=20
matching the popularity of another Democratic=20
candidate, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, on=20
YouTube, MySpace and Facebook, the=20
social-networking triumvirate. The Democrats are=20
ahead in the online money race. The top three=20
Democrats, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Obama and=20
Edwards, amassed more than $14 million over the=20
Internet in the first three months of 2007; in=20
contrast, the top three Republicans, Giuliani,=20
McCain and Romney, collected less than half of=20
that, $6 million. Furthermore, ABC PAC, the=20
conservative fundraising site, has raised $385 so=20
far for Republican presidential hopefuls; Act=20
Blue, its liberal counterpart, has collected=20
about $3 million for Edwards alone. One reason=20
for the disparity between the parties, political=20
insiders say, is that the top Republican=20
candidates are not exciting voters the way the=20
Democratic front-runners are. Another is that it=20
takes a certain level of technical skill and=20
understanding to be an online strategist, and=20
Republicans admit that "the pool of talent in the=20
Democrats' side is much bigger than ours." But an=20
underlying cause may be the nature of the=20
Republican Party and its traditional discipline=20
-- the antithesis of the often chaotic,=20
bottom-up, user-generated atmosphere of the Internet.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/20/AR200705...
1408.html
(requires registration)

DIGITAL DIVIDE

RURAL AMERICA IS BEING LEFT OFF THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY
[SOURCE: AlterNet, AUTHOR: Steve early, The Nation]
[Commentary] Verizon's proposed plan of a $2.7=20
billion transfer of local access lines to=20
FairPoint Communications -- a small, largely=20
nonunion North Carolina firm -- is part of a=20
nationwide trend toward rural telecom redlining.=20
"FairPoint, a highly leveraged company, will have=20
great difficulty meeting the big dividend and=20
debt commitments it has made as part of this=20
purchase, while simultaneously investing enough=20
to maintain current facilities, improve service=20
quality and expand broadband availability,"=20
argues Kenneth Peres, research economist for the=20
Communications Workers of America (CWA). As Peres=20
points out in the union's April 27 petition to=20
the Federal Communications Commission opposing=20
the sale, "FairPoint plans to expend less capital=20
on network infrastructure than was previously spent by Verizon."
http://www.alternet.org/story/51946/

'ONE LAPTOP PER CHILD' PROJECT NOW A REALITY IN 1 SOUTH AMERICAN CLASSROOM
[SOURCE: Associated Press]
A Uruguay classroom is one of the first=20
beneficiary of the "One Laptop Per Child"=20
project, which hopes to put low-cost portable PCs=20
in the hands of children in developing countries.=20
Still in a pilot phase, the group has also placed=20
machines at one school in Nigeria and another in=20
Thailand. At the only public elementary school in=20
this community of 1,300 people, children who=20
never used computers are now being exposed to the=20
digital age. "There are 1 billion school-age=20
children in the developing world and most don't=20
have an opportunity to learn," said Walter=20
Bender, president of software for the One Laptop=20
project. "We're trying to go where there's an=20
education gap, as technology happens to be a=20
vehicle to bridge that gap." The laptops=20
currently cost about $175, though the project=20
believes the price will drop to $100 price once=20
the machines are mass-manufactured. Bender said=20
he even hopes the price might be driven down=20
"some day" to $50 each. And while the first=20
computers to Uruguay were donated, the rest are=20
to be bought by the government, which has budgeted $15 million for the prog=
ram.
http://www.siliconvalley.com/latestheadlines/ci_5929128

IN SUBURBS, LOCKED INTO A HIGH-TECH LURE
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Kim Hart]
On a quiet cul-de-sac in Southernwalk, an upscale=20
Loudoun County (VA) neighborhood, the fiber-optic=20
cables beneath the manicured lawns were once a=20
source of technological pride. Now they're a=20
source of headaches. Seven years ago, the=20
neighborhood's homeowners association, set up by=20
the developer Van Metre Homes, inked an exclusive=20
deal with OpenBand, a small Dulles firm, to=20
provide Internet, cable and phone service to all=20
1,100 homes. Residents say they are now locked=20
into an expensive, decades-long contract for=20
second-rate services. Just a few years ago,=20
developers lured homebuyers to the outer suburbs=20
with the promise of lightning-fast Internet=20
access and high-definition television to go along=20
with Olympic-size swimming pools, tennis courts=20
and other amenities. Residents bragged about not=20
just keeping up with their inner-suburb neighbors=20
but leapfrogging them altogether -- only to watch=20
their technological advantage give way to newer=20
offerings. What was once state of the art is now=20
par for the course, a frustration familiar to any=20
early adopter who has bought the latest and=20
greatest only to find something better, or=20
cheaper, soon after. For Southernwalk, the price=20
of chasing Internet Nirvana turned out to be a=20
contract that could run 75 years.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/20/AR200705...
1724.html
(requires registration)

QUICKLY

iPHONE CERTIFICATION RAISES EYEBROWS
[SOURCE: TelecomWeb, AUTHOR: ]
On May 17, the Federal Communications Commission=20
gave its official blessing to Apple's super-hyped=20
iPhone, certifying the device for use in the=20
United States. The FCC documents, though, also=20
revealed that at least initially the iPhone will=20
be crippled in both its wireless data=20
capabilities and ability to roam outside of the=20
U.S. The iPhone certified for sale in the U.S.=20
will work on only the 1900 MHz and 850 MHz=20
frequency bands, which are the ones in use in the=20
U.S. That means the phone won't be able to roam=20
on the 900 MHz or 1800 MHz bands commonly used by=20
Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)=20
carriers in many parts of the world. On the data=20
side, the FCC documents reveal only that the=20
iPhone has support for Enhanced Data rates for=20
GSM Evolution (EDGE), which limits it to 384 Kb/s.
http://www.telecomweb.com/tnd/23325.html

FCC CLARIFIES STANDARDS FOR DETERMINING COSTS IN 800 MHZ REBANDING PROCESS
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
In an order released May 18, the FCC clarifies=20
the standard for determining the acceptability of=20
costs that Sprint Nextel Corporation is required=20
to pay in connection with the 800 MHz rebanding=20
process. Specifically, the Commission clarifies=20
the provision in the 800 MHz Report and Order=20
that such costs must be the "minimum necessary"=20
to accomplish rebanding of 800 MHz licensees in a=20
reasonable, prudent and timely manner. In a Joint=20
Statement, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin and fellow=20
Commissioner Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein=20
write, "We are pleased that today's item=20
clarifies questions about the acceptability of=20
certain relocation costs. Now that this arcane=20
but contentious economic issue has been resolved,=20
we look forward to the parties moving ahead with=20
the more important and worthwhile work of=20
conducting actual rebanding. We also hope that=20
our action today will spur the parties to=20
reorient their approach to this process. As our=20
decision makes clear, the minimization of costs=20
is emphatically not the sole or even the primary=20
purpose of the rebanding process. More important=20
is that rebanding proceed as quickly and=20
effectively as possible. After all,=20
expeditiously eliminating interference between=20
commercial and public safety users is the goal=20
that motivates all of us. And we sincerely hope=20
that all parties will keep their eyes on that=20
prize even as they work through the details of this complex process."
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-07-92A1.doc
* Joint Statement
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-07-92A2.doc

POSITIONING PHONES TO CREATE NEW SOCIAL NETWORKS
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Niclas Mika]
Finding friends and meeting new ones could become=20
even more important uses for global positioning=20
chips than getting from A to B as the technology=20
spreads to cell phones in coming years. Combined=20
with mobile Internet access, GPS (global=20
positioning system) is seen in the industry as=20
adding a new dimension to social networking that=20
could also have implications for the media=20
business. Once people can physically find those=20
they want to more easily -- as long as those=20
others want to be found -- it can enhance the=20
establishment of growing Internet social networks=20
such as News Corp.'s MySpace site.
http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSL1763708820070517

eSCHOOLS WORK!
[SOURCE: eSchool News, AUTHOR: Gregg W. Downey]
The editors of eSchool News, with financial=20
support from Discovery Education, have aggregated=20
the key documentation that demonstrates the efficacy of educational technol=
ogy.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showstoryts.cfm?Articleid=3D7082
--------------------------------------------------------------
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.
--------------------------------------------------------------