May 2007

INTERNET/BROADBAND
Broadband Internet Access and the Digital Divide: Federal Assistance Progr=
ams
Edwards Calls On FCC To Make Internet More Available And Affordable
70 percent of US households to have broadband by 2012
Telcos' evolving response to Net phone services
Broadband Battle: Cool Web Sites

OWNERSHIP
Copyrights That No One Knows About Don't Help Anyone
Can Murdoch Pass the Stink Test?
News Corp to Buy Photobucket Site
Citizen Group Wants Seattle JOA To Disclose Details Of New Pact
CBS buys online music site Last.fm
Moonves Dismisses Consolidation Concerns
Viacom to Sell Music-Publishing Unit
Google CEO hopes DoubleClick deal closes by yr-end
AT&T incoming CEO is open to overseas acquisitions=09
=09
BROADCASTING/CABLE
Illinois Telecom Bill Update
Left Behind: The Skewed Representation of Religion in Major News Media
Attention Home Shoppers: FCC Extends Comment Deadline
FCC Considers Easing DMA Changes For Stations
Iowa Gov signs cable television expansion bill
U.S., Saudis at odds over TV station

QUICKLY -- Clinton to Push for Tech Funding;=20
Phone service subsidy program needs revision; Why=20
is Kucinich Embracing Fox News?; Media Give=20
President A Win in War Funding Debate

INTERNET/BROADBAND

BROADBAND INTERNET ACCESS AND THE DIGITAL DIVIDE: FEDERAL ASSISTANCE PROGRA=
MS
[SOURCE: Congress Research Service, AUTHOR: Lennard Kruger & Angele Gilroy]
While the numbers of new broadband subscribers=20
continue to grow, studies conducted by the=20
Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the=20
Department of Commerce (DOC), and the Department=20
of Agriculture (USDA) suggest that the rate of=20
broadband deployment in urban and high income=20
areas may be outpacing deployment in rural and=20
low-income areas. Legislation introduced (but not=20
enacted) in the 109th Congress sought to provide=20
federal financial assistance for broadband=20
deployment in the form of grants, loans,=20
subsidies, and tax credits. Many of these=20
legislative proposals either have been or are=20
likely to be reintroduced into the 110th=20
Congress. Of particular note is the possible=20
reauthorization of the Rural Utilities Service=20
(RUS) broadband program, which is expected to be=20
considered as part of the 2007 farm bill.=20
Legislation to reform universal service =97 which=20
could impact the amount of financial assistance=20
available for broadband deployment in rural and=20
underserved areas =97 has been introduced into the=20
110th Congress (H.R. 42, S. 101, S. 711), as well=20
as other legislation related to broadband and the=20
digital divide (H.R. 1818, S. 541, S. 761, S. 1032).
In assessing such legislation, several policy=20
issues arise. For example, is the current status=20
of broadband deployment data an adequate basis on=20
which to base policy decisions? Is federal=20
assistance premature, or do the risks of delaying=20
assistance to underserved areas outweigh the=20
benefits of avoiding federal intervention
in the marketplace? And finally, if one assumes=20
that governmental action is necessary to spur=20
broadband deployment in underserved areas, which=20
specific approaches, either separately or in=20
combination, are likely to be most effective?
http://www.nationalaglawcenter.org/assets/crs/RL30719.pdf

EDWARDS CALLS ON FCC TO MAKE INTERNET MORE AVAILABLE AND AFFORDABLE
[SOURCE: John Edwards]
Former-Senator John Edwards (D) sent a letter to=20
the Federal Communications Commission urging it=20
to use the upcoming auction of the 700 megahertz=20
slice of the broadband spectrum to make the=20
Internet more affordable and more accessible to=20
all Americans, regardless of where they live or=20
how much money they have. Edwards called on the=20
FCC to set bidding and service rules for the=20
upcoming auction to ensure that the public=20
airwaves benefit everyone, not just big=20
companies. Edwards asked the FCC to: 1) Set aside=20
as much as half of the spectrum for wholesalers=20
who can lease access to smaller start-ups, which=20
would improve service in rural and underserved=20
areas. 2) Require anyone who wins rights to this=20
valuable public resource not to discriminate=20
among data and services and to allow any device=20
to be attached to their service. 3) Make bidding=20
anonymous to avoid collusion and retaliatory bids.
http://johnedwards.com/news/headlines/20070530-fcc/
* John Edwards Supports PISC Open Access, Net=20
Neutrality, and Anonymous Bidding Proposals, Where Do Other Candidates Stan=
d?
http://feeds.publicknowledge.org/~r/publicknowledge-main/~3/120860577/971

70 PERCENT OF US HOUSEHOLDS TO HAVE BROADBAND BY 2012
[SOURCE: Tekrati]
JupiterResearch predicts that 70 percent of US=20
homes =AD some 86 million households =AD will have=20
broadband Internet access by 2012. The latest=20
market forecast finds that wider availability of=20
high-speed service will prompt nearly 36 million=20
new broadband subscribers over the next five=20
years. JupiterResearch forecasts the number of=20
dial-up Internet households -- currently about 33=20
million -- will drop by over two-thirds by 2012,=20
but that the market for dial-up service will not=20
disappear completely. However, as Web content=20
increasingly incorporates high-bandwidth=20
applications such as video, the value of dial-up=20
access will become increasingly marginalized.
http://www.tekrati.com/research/News.asp?id=3D8823

TELCO'S EVOLVING RESPONSE TO NET PHONE SERVICES
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Marguerite Reardon]
Deutsche Telekom's recent announcement that it=20
will take a stake in Internet phone-service=20
upstart Jajah is the first sign that big=20
telephone companies could see the next generation=20
of Net-phone companies as friends instead of=20
foes. Jajah, which allows people to use their=20
existing phone or mobile handset to make free or=20
low-cost VoIP calls, is the first of the new=20
start-ups to officially get backing from a major=20
telephone service provider. Experts say it's not=20
surprising that the first move toward befriending=20
VoIP companies comes from a European carrier,=20
where the telecommunications market is highly=20
competitive. But they question whether operators=20
here in the U.S. will follow suit.
http://news.com.com/Telcos+evolving+response+to+Net+phone+services/2100-...
7_3-6187547.html?tag=3Dnefd.lede

BROADBAND BATTLE: COOL WEB SITES
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Samar Srivastava]
Telephone companies and cable operators in the=20
U.S. are developing new weapons in their battle=20
over the high-speed Internet business: cool Web=20
sites. Telecom giants such as Comcast Corp.,=20
Verizon Communications Inc. and AT&T Inc. have=20
started to launch a wide range of Web sites that=20
offer the latest in videos, games and other=20
features that work best with high-speed=20
connections. Some of these operators are=20
primarily making these offerings to convince=20
consumers still using dial-up service to upgrade.=20
But others are hoping to turn their sites into profit centers as well.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118056879512219301.html?mod=3Dtodays_us_...
ketplace
(requires subscription)

OWNERSHIP

COPYRIGHTS THAT NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT DON'T HELP ANYONE
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Hal Varian]
Under current law, a work is automatically=20
copyrighted the moment it is =93fixed in tangible=20
form.=94 And these days, that copyright lasts=20
virtually forever: 70 years after the death of=20
the author, in most cases. Since there is no=20
requirement to register a work and a copyright=20
lasts so long, the legal owner of a work can be=20
difficult to find, particularly when the work is=20
more than a few decades old. The costs of=20
locating rights holders are an example of what=20
economists call transactions costs. Not=20
surprisingly, high transactions costs tend to=20
discourage transactions from occurring. The=20
so-called orphan works problem was examined by=20
the Copyright Office in a 2006 report in which it=20
proposed legislation to address the transactions=20
costs issues. Under its proposal, if you=20
conducted a =93diligent search=94 to locate a rights=20
holder and still failed to find the owner, you=20
would be off the hook. You could then incorporate=20
the work in question into your own work, as long=20
as you provided proper attribution. If the=20
legitimate rights holder was subsequently found,=20
he or she could not require that your work be=20
withdrawn from circulation, but could collect=20
=93reasonable compensation=94 for use. But what is a=20
=93diligent search?=94 The report leaves the=20
interpretation of this phrase up to the courts=20
but suggests some relevant considerations:=20
whether the work includes identification, the age=20
of the work, whether the work can be found in=20
public databases like Copyright Office records,=20
and so on. The Copyright Office=92s proposal is=20
certainly a step in the right direction.=20
Clarifying the rights and obligations of the=20
buyers and sellers of copyrighted material would=20
reduce transactions costs, and that should lead=20
to a more efficient market for intellectual=20
property. But does the proposed legislation go far enough?
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/31/business/31scene.html
(requires registration)

CAN MURDOCH PASS THE STINK TEST?
[SOURCE: Slate, AUTHOR: Jack Shafer]
Could Rupert Murdoch be trusted to do the right=20
thing once he became owner of the world's leading=20
financial daily and its sister publications? For=20
starters, could he and his management team come=20
close to upholding the Dow Jones code of conduct,=20
which applies to all Dow Jones employees? Give=20
the code a gander. Dow Jones places the highest=20
premium on telling its customers the truth. "If=20
we are not telling them the truth=97or even if=20
they, for any valid reason, believe that we are=20
not -- then Dow Jones cannot prosper," the code=20
states. Setting aside for a moment Murdoch's many=20
skills and accomplishments, he's not particularly=20
interested in the accurate and fair presentation=20
of facts. He believes the rest of the press is=20
liberal and that the conservative swing of his=20
Fox News Channel and New York Post exist to=20
correct that bias. He has routinely used his=20
publications to help elect British politicians=20
(John Major and Tony Blair) and his enterprises=20
to advance personal business and political interests.
http://www.slate.com/id/2166470/

NEWS CORP TO BUY PHOTOBUCKET SITE
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Anick Jesdanun]
News Corp, the owner of MySpace, is buying the=20
media-sharing site Photobucket for about $300=20
million, bringing together two of the Internet's most popular hangouts.
The deal announced Wednesday will give MySpace=20
and sister sites under News Corp.'s Fox=20
Interactive Media access to Photobucket Inc.'s=20
photo and video technologies, while Photobucket=20
gets Fox's resources to accelerate development of=20
its tools. The Photobucket deal comes just weeks=20
after a public spat in which MySpace partially=20
blocked content from Photobucket. Under the deal,=20
Photobucket would remain a standalone operation=20
within Fox, and users of rival social-networking=20
sites such as Facebook could continue to=20
incorporate Photobucket content in their=20
profiles. For now, Photobucket will continue to=20
offer basic services for free, with a fee for more storage and other featur=
es.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070530/myspace_photobucket.html

CITIZEN GROUP WANTS SEATTLE JOA TO DISCLOSE DETAILS OF NEW PACT
[SOURCE: Editor&Publisher]
The Committee for a Two-Newspaper Town (CTNT) --=20
which went to court to keep the Seattle newspaper=20
joint operating agreement (JOA) going -- now=20
wants a judge to order The Seattle Times Co. and=20
The Hearst Corp. to disclose all the details of=20
their private settlement that keeps the=20
partnership alive for at least nine more years.=20
In a motion filed Tuesday in King County=20
(Washington) Superior Court, the CTNT said it=20
fears the Times Co., publisher of the Seattle=20
Times, has some kind of secret deal with Hearst=20
to close the Seattle Post-Intelligencer at some=20
later date. The settlement, reached just before=20
hearings in binding arbitration, ended litigation=20
in which the Times sought to force an end to the=20
JOA, arguing the cost of producing the=20
market-lagging P-I was bleeding the company.
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_con...
t_id=3D1003591792

CBS BUYS ONLINE MUSIC SITE LAST.FM
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Kate Holton and Kenneth Li]
CBS said on Wednesday it bought Last.fm -- the=20
online music service that allows fans with=20
similar tastes to connect -- for $280 million in=20
a bid to attract young audiences. The=20
London-based service has more than 15 million=20
active users in over 200 countries, CBS said, and=20
has earned praise for a system that recommends=20
songs by tracking users' music-playing habits and=20
linking them to other fans with similar tastes.=20
Within a year, CBS aims to explore applying=20
Last.fm's technology to building new communities=20
for online videos that will include its own=20
archive of hit shows and videos not owned by the=20
company. "The price paid for Last.fm is about=20
what MySpace paid for Photobucket, which boasts=20
more than twice as many members," noted Forrester=20
Research analyst James McQuivey. "CBS is paying a=20
premium for something more than just the rapidly=20
growing audience. To my mind, this means CBS=20
thinks it is acquiring a useful technology which=20
can be applied to multiple Web sites."
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=3DindustryNews&storyID=
=3D2007-05-30T172818Z_01_L30615642_RTRIDST_0_INDUSTRY-CBS-LASTFM-DC.XML
* What does CBS want with Last.fm?
http://news.com.com/What+does+CBS+want+with+Last.fm/2100-1027_3-6187471....
l?tag=3Dnefd.lede

MOONVES DISMISSES CONSOLIDATION CONCERNS
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Gary Arlen]
At an executive conference on the digital=20
revolution, CBS CEO Les Moonves spoke about all=20
the ways his company, primarily a television=20
network, is moving online. Singling out CBS=92=20
recent investment in Wallstrip, an=20
Internet-program channel, and his company=92s=20
encouragement of short-form video production for=20
the Web, Moonves said, =93It=92s important to do=20
original content.=94 He also cited ways in which=20
CBS is using Web video to enhance new and=20
existing broadcast series. For example, new CBS=20
program Gossip Girl has already begun as an=20
Internet site to =93plant seeds=94 via the Web and=20
encourage viewership. Moonves described CBS=92=20
Interactive Audience Network: =93We have a band of=20
kids in Los Angeles who are working full-time [to=20
create Web shows] for $50,000 apiece,=94 a fraction=20
of the cost of primetime shows. =93They are=20
creating a series of shorts,=94 he added. =93The wave=20
of the future is getting as much distribution as=20
we can.=94 Moonves noted that CBS has set up=20
partnership with 25 companies, including AOL,=20
Google, Joost, Bebo and other emerging=20
Internet-distribution circuits. He described this=20
=93second generation=94 of network-TV involvement=20
with Internet content (after the earlier use as a=20
promotional vehicle) as a way to further change=20
the way TV is used. Some of the shows may=20
eventually emerge as broadcast-network shows and,=20
for now, the shows =93are reaching audiences that=20
we would never reach=94 on broadcasting, he said.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6447690.html?rssid=3D196
* See more at http://d5.allthingsd.com/
See also --
* No More Media Consolidation, Public Tells FCC
http://creativevoices.typepad.com/blog/2007/03/no_more_media_c.html

VIACOM TO SELL MUSIC-PUBLISHING UNIT
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Matthew=20
Karnitschnig matthew.karnitschnig( at )wsj.com and Ethan Smith]
Viacom agreed to sell its Famous Music publishing=20
business to Sony/ATV Music Publishing, a unit of=20
Sony Corp. Terms weren't disclosed, but people=20
familiar with the matter said the purchase price=20
is $370 million cash. Famous Music publishes=20
music from such acts as Shakira and Eminem. It=20
has a catalog of more than 125,000 titles under=20
copyright, including scores for films such as=20
"The Godfather" and "Mission: Impossible" and=20
standards such as "Moon River" and "It Don't Mean=20
a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)." For=20
Viacom, which operates a family of cable networks=20
and the Paramount movie studio, Famous Music was=20
a poor strategic fit. The New York-based media=20
company inherited the 79-year-old business=20
through its acquisition of Paramount Pictures.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118049694421918292.html?mod=3Dtodays_us_...
ey_and_investing
(requires subscription)

GOOGLE CEO HOPES DOUBLECLICK DEAL CLOSES BY YEAR-END
[SOURCE: Reuters]
Internet search leader Google is open to new=20
acquisitions and remains hopeful it can close the=20
$3.1 billion purchase of Web ad supplier=20
DoubleClick by end-2007 despite a U.S. federal=20
probe, its CEO said on Wednesday. "We're open to=20
other (acquisitions) but there are no specific=20
ones to announce," Eric Schmidt said. He said the=20
company is unlikely to by a media content company.
http://www.reuters.com/article/technology-media-telco-SP/idUSSEO18742007...

AT&T INCOMING CEO IS OPEN TO OVERSEAS ACQUISITIONS
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Ritsuko Ando]
AT&T's incoming chief executive said on Wednesday=20
that the top U.S. phone company was open to=20
overseas acquisitions, but it was less interested=20
in such deals in the United States. Chief=20
Operating Officer Randall Stephenson, who will=20
become CEO when Ed Whitacre retires on June 3,=20
also said AT&T did not have to own a U.S.=20
satellite television provider -- throwing cold=20
water on speculation that it could buy partner=20
EchoStar. Some analysts have speculated that AT&T=20
might acquire a satellite television company,=20
namely alliance partner EchoStar, to compete=20
against cable companies that offer all-in-one=20
services of phone, video and Internet services.=20
Stephenson said AT&T's top priority would be its=20
wireless business. AT&T's acquisition of=20
BellSouth Corp. late last year consolidated=20
ownership of the two companies' Cingular wireless joint venture.
http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSWEN845520070530?src=3D053007_11...
ARTICLE_PROMO_also_on_reuters

BROADCASTING/CABLE

ILLINOIS TELECOM BILL UPDATE
[SOURCE: Saschameinrath.com]
[Commentary] I've just learned that AT&T=20
lobbyists are holed up in state legislators=20
offices and are rewriting state laws that they=20
will attempt to get passed in the dead of night.=20
One might think that this is some sort of=20
nefarious plot to some Gotham City corruption=20
scandal, but it's happening right now in the=20
State of Illinois. With massive public opposition=20
to HB1500, it appears likely that AT&T and it's=20
legislators will attempt to attach amendments to=20
SB 678. This late-night switcheroo is a blatant=20
attempt to change State laws without public=20
comment or input -- it's a power-play by a=20
telecom incumbent whose purpose is to maximize=20
corporate profit margins at the literal expense=20
of Illinois residents. As I've been warning for=20
several months, AT&T is hellbent on having its=20
way with the Illinois legislature. The amendment=20
that AT&T's lobbyists are working on would lower=20
buildout requirements while granting this telecom=20
giant unprecedented power to ignore local=20
concerns. Meanwhile, consumer protections are=20
gutted, and network neutrality has been entirely eliminated.
http://www.saschameinrath.com/2007/may/30/illinois_t_lobbyists_hole_stat...
egislator_offices_will_attempt_midnight_legislative_cou

LEFT BEHIND: THE SKEWED REPRESENTATION OF RELIGION IN MAJOR NEWS MEDIA
[SOURCE: Media Matters for America]
It would surprise few people, conservative or=20
progressive, to learn that coverage of the=20
intersection of religion and politics tends to=20
oversimplify both. If this oversimplification=20
occurred to the benefit or detriment of neither=20
side of the political divide, then the weaknesses=20
in coverage of religion would be of only academic=20
interest. But as this study documents, coverage=20
of religion not only overrepresents some voices=20
and underrepresents others, it does so in a way=20
that is consistently advantageous to=20
conservatives. Among the study's key findings: 1)=20
Combining newspapers and television, conservative=20
religious leaders were quoted, mentioned, or=20
interviewed in news stories 2.8 times as often as=20
were progressive religious leaders. 2) On=20
television news -- the three major television=20
networks, the three major cable news channels,=20
and PBS -- conservative religious leaders were=20
quoted, mentioned, or interviewed almost 3.8=20
times as often as progressive leaders. 3) In=20
major newspapers, conservative religious leaders=20
were quoted, mentioned, or interviewed 2.7 times=20
as often as progressive leaders.
http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/52567/

ATTENTION HOME SHOPPERS: FCC EXTENDS COMMENT DEADLINE
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The FCC has given commenter's until July 18 and=20
respondents until Aug. 2 to weigh-in on whether=20
home shopping stations should have must-carry=20
status. That 30-day extension of the original=20
deadlines came following a request by Media=20
Access Project, which said that deadline=20
overlapped with several other proceedings. On May=20
4 the FCC asked for comment on asking if=20
commercial-heavy home shopping mitigates against=20
public interest analysis. They also asked=20
whether, in balancing the competing demands for=20
the broadcast spectrum, the FCC should have=20
considered possible non-broadcast uses, rather=20
than only the broadcast uses the FCC gauged in=20
determining home shopping was a use deserving of=20
mandatory carriage by cable. The Commission is=20
also asking for input on how home shopping=20
stations meet the public interest obligations for=20
children's programming and important issue=20
coverage required of other commercial TV stations.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6447789.html?rssid=3D193

FCC CONSIDERS EASING DMA CHANGES FOR STATIONS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
FCC chairman Kevin Martin is proposing to make it=20
easier for stations to change their Designated=20
Market Area (DMA) for purposes of cable and=20
satellite carriage. The impetus for the proposed=20
change is making sure that viewers have access to=20
local stations with relevant political and=20
emergency information. Stations already have the=20
ability to request a change in DMA, but this=20
would make the process easier for both cable and satellite.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6447779.html?rssid=3D193

IOWA GOV SIGNS CABLE TELEVISION EXPANSION BILL
[SOURCE: Sioux City Journal, AUTHOR: Dan Gearino]
Gov. Chet Culver closed the books on this year's=20
legislative session Tuesday, signing 11 bills,=20
including a measure that will allow cable=20
television providers to apply for the right to=20
sell their services statewide. The cable=20
television measure replaces a system in which=20
cable providers needed to get approval from local=20
governments, a process that critics say has led=20
to high prices and few choices. Iowa joins about=20
a dozen states that have revised cable franchise=20
rules to encourage competition. Often, the=20
competition comes from telephone companies that=20
decide to enter the cable business. Qwest, the=20
largest phone company in Iowa, was one of the=20
leading supporters of the measure. The leading=20
opponent was the Iowa League of Cities, which=20
argued that local franchise agreements allow=20
cities to customize services to local needs.=20
Cable companies provide free or reduced-cost=20
services to local governments in exchange for the=20
right to serve local customers.
http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2007/05/30/news/iowa/9d3e5f4474...
dd0862572eb000d51c9.txt

US, SAUDIS AT ODDS OVER TV STATION
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Paul Richter]
Outraged by video footage of bloody attacks on=20
American troops, U.S. officials have worked for=20
about half a year to close down a satellite=20
television station that promotes the cause of=20
Iraq's Sunni Arab insurgents to millions of=20
viewers in the region. Yet Al Zawraa is still=20
beaming calls for violent resistance -- thanks to=20
one of America's most important Mideast allies,=20
Saudi Arabia. U.S. and Iraqi troops chased Al=20
Zawraa television's staff out of Iraq last year,=20
and this year Washington pressured the Egyptians=20
and Europeans to stop bouncing the station's=20
signal from their satellites. But despite pleas=20
from Washington, the Saudi government has=20
declined to use its influence as a major=20
stakeholder in the satellite company Arabsat to=20
stop the transmissions, U.S. officials say.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-fg-zawraa31may31,1,...
2981.story?coll=3Dla-news-a_section
(requires registration)

QUICKLY

CLINTON TO PUSH FOR TECH FUNDING
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Jackie Calmes at jackie.calmes( at )wsj.co=
m]
Presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton=20
(D-NY) will call for a big boost in federal=20
spending for research and technology in a=20
campaign trip to California's Silicon Valley=20
today. Sen Clinton's "innovation agenda," as her=20
campaign calls it, packages familiar and new=20
initiatives that are sure to be popular with her=20
audience at Applied Global University in Santa=20
Clara, as well as the broader high-tech=20
community, which favors Democrats with its votes=20
and money. The chief cost of the Clinton agenda=20
would come from making permanent a longstanding=20
20% tax credit for corporations'=20
research-and-development expenses. Presidents and=20
Congresses have repeatedly extended the costly=20
credit for a year or two at a time since its=20
creation in 1981, mainly to make the government's=20
five-year budget estimates look smaller.=20
According to a campaign overview, Sen. Clinton=20
will argue that repeated expirations and=20
extensions wreak havoc with business research=20
strategies -- echoing past campaign arguments of=20
her own husband in the 1990s and George W. Bush=20
in 2000. Presidential contender John McCain=20
(R-AZ), also in California for campaigning and=20
fund raising, indicated at the "D: All Things=20
Digital" conference sponsored by The Wall Street=20
Journal that he doesn't favor legislation to=20
force an expansion of broadband access or protect=20
so-called net neutrality, saying such moves=20
usually have "unintended consequences."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118057187159619384.html?mod=3Dtodays_us_...
e_one
(requires subscription)

PHONE SERVICE SUBSIDY PROGRAM NEEDS REVISION
[SOURCE: Honolulu Advertiser]
[Commentary] The Universal Service Fund, a=20
federal subsidy program that was meant to ensure=20
telecommunications service in rural areas, has=20
become wasteful of consumer resources and needs=20
serious revision. Certainly, a measure of subsidy=20
is in order to make it possible for companies to=20
extend service to rural, under-funded=20
communities. But when consumers are dunned so=20
much money for a service that benefits relatively=20
few, a comprehensive review of the situation,=20
including greater transparency, is in order.
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=3D/20070530/...
NION01/705300351/1104

WHY IS DENNIS KUCINICH UNDERMINING PROGRESSIVES=20
AND AFRICAN AMERICANS AND EMBRACING FOX NEWS?
[SOURCE: AlterNet, AUTHOR: Don Hazen]
[Commentary] Going against the grain of many=20
progressive voters thought to be among his=20
potential supporters, Cleveland area Congressman=20
Dennis Kucinich has decided to join Delaware=20
Senator Joe Biden as the only Democratic=20
presidential candidates planning to attend a=20
September debate that Fox News intend to hold in=20
conjunction with the Congressional Black Caucus.
http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/52568/

MEDIA GIVE PRESIDENT A WIN IN WAR FUNDING DEBATE
[SOURCE: Project for Excellence in Journalism, AUTHOR: Mark Jurkowitz]
Last week, that Iraq policy debate was again the=20
biggest story in the news, accounting for 10% of=20
all coverage from May 20-25, according to PEJ=92s=20
Index. The key event was a May 24 Congressional=20
vote that funded the war but did not include troop withdrawal timelines.
http://www.journalism.org/node/5815
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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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