July 17, 2008 ("Martin be damned")
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for THURSDAY JULY 17, 2008
A House subcommittee discusses "What Your Broadband Provider Knows About Your Web Use" today (se story below) and tomorrow NYC tries to figure out if it is ready for the DTV transition. For these and other upcoming media policy events, see http://benton.org/calendar
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
Congress pushes for national emergency communications plan
ELECTIONS & MEDIA
McCain Names More Top Fund-Raisers, Including Telecom Lobbyists
Media Stars Will Accompany Obama Overseas
The Online Candidate Confronts Critical Netroots
Google Gadget Tries To Transcribe What Politicians Say
Bob Barr: The privacy candidate for president
INTERNET/BROADBAND
Martin be damned, cable ISPs want network management freedom
The 3D Internet Will Change How We Live
Lawmakers Probe Web Tracking
Schmidt: Hollywood will do fine on the Net; newspapers not so much
MEDIA OWNERSHIP
Markey urges more conditions on XM-Sirius deal
BROADCASTING/CABLE
MMTC to FCC: Name Compliance Officer
MAP Files Complaint Over Microphones Sharing TV Band
Programmers, Distributors Muster Appeal to Latest A La Carte Ruling
Hollywood writers launch
All Cubs All the Time?
FCC AGENDA
FCC Announces Tentative Agenda for August 1 Open Meeting
Agenda for FCC's Hearing on Broadband and the Digital Future
FCC and USDA to Conduct Educational Workshops on Rural Broadband
QUICKLY -- State Commission Approves Verizon's Video Franchise in NYC; Wall Street Journal to Shed 50 Editing Positions; Daily Video Entertainment in 2013 Will Be Less Than 50% Traditional TV; Start-up thinks 'thin client' can span digital divide
CONGRESS PUSHES FOR NATIONAL EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS PLAN
[SOURCE: nextgov, AUTHOR: Jill Aitoro]
Congress criticized the Homeland Security Department on Tuesday for delaying the coordination of a national emergency communications plan for first responders, emphasizing that states have little time to take action when formulating applications for grant money. The Office of Emergency Communications, established in October 2006 in accordance with recommendations of the 9/11 commission to improve communication among emergency responders and government officials during natural disasters and acts of terrorism, was supposed to have submitted a National Emergency Communications Plan to Congress in April. The plan was developed in cooperation with state, local and tribal governments, federal agencies, emergency response providers, and the private sector. It will provide recommendations for interoperable communication during disasters by using standard technologies, such as handheld radios and broadband networks. But OEC is months late in submitting the plan. States and territories have only a few days to meet a July 21 deadline to submit applications for federal grants to help them pay for upgrades.
http://benton.org/node/15287
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MCCAIN NAMES MORE TOP FUND-RAISERS, INCLUDING TELECOM LOBBYISTS
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Michael Luo, Kitty Bennett]
Senator John McCain released an updated list of his top money collectors on Tuesday, revealing that nearly a fifth of those who have brought in the largest amounts for him, more than $500,000 each, are lobbyists or work for firms that engage in lobbying. At least one fund-raiser who was originally on the McCain campaign's bundler list was taken off. That was James Courter, chief executive of the telecommunications company I.D.T., who resigned Monday as one of more than 20 national finance committee co-chairmen for the campaign, after I.D.T. was fined $1.3 million by the Federal Communications Commission for failing to disclose contracts it had in Haiti. Of the more than 60 McCain bundlers who have raised $500,000 or more, at least a dozen are lobbyists or work for lobbying firms. They include Wayne L. Berman, of Ogilvy Government Relations, whose clients include Fannie Mae, the National Rifle Association and Verizon.
http://benton.org/node/15286
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MEDIA STARS WILL ACCOMPANY OBAMA OVERSEAS
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Jim Rutenberg]
In contrast to Sen John McCain's (R-AZ) trip to Iraq in March, Sen Obama's planned trip to the war-torn nation may be a media circus. NBC News anchor Brian Williams, Charles Gibson of ABC and Katie Couric of CBS will make the trip, too, it appears. And while the anchors are jockeying for interviews with Sen Obama at stops along his route, the regulars on the Obama campaign plane will have new seatmates: star political reporters from the major newspapers and magazines who are flocking to catch Mr. Obama's first overseas trip since becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee. The extraordinary coverage planned for Obama's trip, though in part solicited by aides, reflects how the candidate remains an object of fascination in the news media, a built-in feature of being the first black presidential nominee for a major political party and a relative newcomer to the national stage. Some 200 journalists have asked to accompany Obama on the costly trip, which will include stops in Iraq and Afghanistan, but the campaign will be able to accommodate only one-fifth that number. But the coverage also feeds into concerns in Sen McCain's campaign, and among Republicans in general, that the news media are imbalanced in their coverage of the candidates, just as aides to Sen Hillary Rodham Clinton felt during the primary season.
http://benton.org/node/15293
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THE ONLINE CANDIDATE CONFRONTS CRITICAL NETROOTS
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Katharine Seelye]
The Netroots are preparing for their third annual convention, starting Thursday in Austin (TX). The convention, Netroots Nation, bills itself as "the most concentrated gathering of progressive bloggers to date." About 2,000 bloggers, activists, office-holders, vendors and others are expected to attend, with 200 members of the mainstream media tracking them. The convention comes just as some in the Netroots are questioning Senator Barack Obama's commitment to their values and whether their faith in him as a different kind of politician was misplaced. Most of the discontent stems from his vote to give legal immunity to the telecommunications companies that participated in the Bush administration's warrant-less wiretaps, after he had said he would filibuster it. Daily Kos is also planning to launch its own site focused on Congress this September.
http://benton.org/node/15284
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BOB BARR: THE PRIVACY CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Declan McCullagh]
[Commentary] Bob Barr hopes his enthusiasm for electronic privacy will boost his Libertarian Party campaign for the White House. Call it a long-shot bid for the geek vote. Speaking at a political conference last week, Barr focused almost exclusively on privacy and eavesdropping--and argued that both major parties are far too surveillance-happy. "Both of them will continue down the same track," Barr said, noting that both McCain and Obama supported last week's bill to immunize telecommunications companies that illegally opened their networks to government snoops. Congress' legislative rewrite of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is "not about surveilling Al Qaeda," Barr said. "It's about surveilling U.S. citizens in America." He added, for good measure: "This administration is the most anti-privacy, the most anti-individual freedom, in our nation's history, certainly in my lifetime."
http://benton.org/node/15290
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GOOGLE GADGET TRIES TO TRANSCRIBE WHAT POLITICIANS SAY
[SOURCE: InformationWeek, AUTHOR: Thomas Claburn]
"I'd like you to vote for me Tuesday and then forget we ever met for 2-6 years." As part of its ongoing effort to promote YouTube as a platform for politics, Google on Monday made a new iGoogle gadget available to help Google users search through election-related video. With the help of speech recognition technologies, Google Elections Video Search will transcribe from speech to text and index videos in YouTube's Politicians channels. Google product managers Arnaud Sahuguet and Ari Bezman said, "Using the gadget you can search not only the titles and descriptions of the videos, but also their spoken content. Additionally, since speech recognition tells us exactly when words are spoken in the video, you can jump right to the most relevant parts of the videos you find."
http://benton.org/node/15270
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MARTIN BE DAMNED, CABLE ISPs WANT NETWORK MANAGEMENT FREEDOM
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Matthew Lasar]
[Commentary] "In the absence of network management, the usage of P2P services by a very small number of a cable system's high-speed Internet customers can cause substantial (and sometimes complete) congestion of the system's upload capacity," cable industry reps told Federal Communications Commissioners earlier this month. It's going to be Very Bad, Schooler and Willner warned, if "network management" is denied its unobstructed due. E-mail, Web browsing, online commerce, video and music will be degraded, they promised. Protecting the Internet from said vampires requires not only network management, but network management unsupervised by governments. Anybody who thinks these guys will roll over and play dead because Kevin Martin and the agency's two Democrats enforce its principles against Comcast is in for a letdown. A Commission Order won't finish this.
http://benton.org/node/15285
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THE 3D INTERNET WILL CHANGE HOW WE LIVE
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Benjamin Duranske]
[Commentary] Bandwidth and processing power are constantly growing, leading to several convergent trends. First, interfaces are moving closer to reality. Over the last 30 years, we have gone from punch cards to typed commands to drag-and-drop folders to Windows Vista's 3D panels. Second, hardware that makes 3D immersion possible -- from motion-control devices like Nintendo's Wiimote to $90 Webcams that track face and body movements -- is now reaching average consumers' homes. Finally, we are becoming an increasingly networked society. Eighty-two percent of American homes now have Internet access, up 11% percent from 2006. If current trends hold, the Internet will evolve into a 3D space, and virtual worlds will become an integral part of human communication. Real life will never be the same.
http://benton.org/node/15292
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LAWMAKERS PROBE WEB TRACKING
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Ellen Nakashima]
An Internet provider based in Kansas used a monitoring technology earlier this year to track sites visited by its users, apparently without directly notifying them, according to a congressional panel investigating the action. Embarq, which serves 1.3 million Internet customers in 18 states, including Virginia, acknowledged that it used "deep packet inspection" technology provided by the Silicon Valley firm NebuAd to direct targeted advertising to users. Some lawmakers and others question whether such actions violate users' rights to keep their Internet behavior to themselves. The House Commerce subcommittee on telecommunications and the Internet will take up the subject at a hearing today.
http://benton.org/node/15291
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SCHMIDT: HOLLYWOOD WILL DO FINE ON THE NET; NEWSPAPERS NOT SO MUCH
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Joseph Menn]
Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt told an audience of entertainment executives and advertisers that traditional, professional producers of video content would adapt to the Internet and find ways to replace any money lost as consumer habits shift. If someone were developing a series like "The Sopranos" today, Schmidt said, the producer would keep the basic weekly format but add hourly instant messages with hints of action to come, a daily teaser at 8 a.m. and at 5 p.m. and a three-minute clip with an advertisement for a show sponsor. "You will put all your information everywhere," Schmidt said. "This stuff works." The outlook for newspapers, on the other hand, is "bleak," and Schmidt said that's "a tragedy," in part because "investigative reporting is so important for democracy."
http://benton.org/node/15289
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MARKEY URGES MORE CONDITIONS ON XM-SIRIUS DEAL
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Peter Kaplan]
Rep Edward Markey (D-MA), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, said the Federal Communications Commission should go beyond requirements that FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has already proposed the agency impose on the merger of Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio. In as letter to Chairman Martin, Chairman Markey said the FCC should require that all new satellite radio receivers be built with technology enabling them to also receive high-definition terrestrial radio signals. Chairman Markey also said the FCC should extend the price caps to six years and increase the number of channel set-asides.
http://benton.org/node/15283
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MMTC TO FCC: NAME COMPLIANCE OFFICER
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Minority Media & Telecommunications Council asked the Federal Communications Commission to name an official to act as a compliance officer for its new rule banning discrimination in the placement of broadcast advertising. In a letter to FCC chairman Kevin Martin July 15, when the new rule took effect, MMTC executive director David Honig said the compliance officer would make sure that broadcasters were aware of their new obligations. The rule is meant to prevent advertisers from avoiding buying time on Hispanic- or African-American-targeted stations by requiring broadcasters renewing their licenses to "certify that their advertising-sales contracts contain nondiscrimination clauses that prohibit all forms of discrimination." Apparently, the American Association of Advertising Agencies supports the MMTC request.
http://benton.org/node/15282
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MAP FILES COMPLAINT OVER MICROPHONES SHARING TV BAND
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Consumer groups have filed a complaint at the FCC against Shure and other wireless microphone manufacturers, saying they have induced individuals, churches and even Broadway producers to buy microphones they are not authorized to use at a potential risk for emergency communications. The complaint was filed by Media Access Project on behalf of the Public Interest Spectrum Coalition. An FCC source concedes that the majority of wireless microphones, including those used by churches and Broadway producers, are technically in violation of the FCC rules, but says that there have been few if any complaints from broadcasters or anyone else about interference. The microphones operate in the UHF band, including channels 52-69, which are being reclaimed after the transition to digital for use by, among others, first responders. One of the goals of the complaint, and an accompanying proposal for how to resolve it, is to clear away an obstacle to the use of so-called "white spaces" between TV channels by unlicensed mobile devices, which computer companies are pushing for. [More at the URL below]
http://benton.org/node/15281
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PROGRAMMERS, DISTRIBUTORS MUSTER APPEAL TO LATEST A LA CARTE RULING
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Linda Haugsted]
Attorneys for programming providers and distributors will appeal a US District Court decision that will let consumers challenge, on antitrust grounds, the practice of selling video programming in bundles rather than on a channel-by-channel basis. The December 2007 suit was filed on behalf of consumers in four states and aspires to be a class action on behalf of all cable and direct-broadcast satellite subscribers. The suit alleges that consumers overpay for entertainment programming because the programmers and distributors "conspire" to sell programming in bundles, forcing consumers to pay for channels they don't want. The suit also asserts that independent programmers are foreclosed from carriage.
http://benton.org/node/15280
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HOLLYWOOD WRITERS LAUNCH "IDOL," REALITY TV PROTEST
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Alex Dobuzinskis]
Hollywood writers on Wednesday launched a protest against US television's No. 1 show, "American Idol," claiming the Fox network talent contest underpays workers and subjects them to sweatshop conditions. The move by the Writers Guild of America underscores a long simmering feud between the trade union and producers of many reality TV programs, which unlike scripted dramas and comedies are not covered by WGA contracts. The WGA claims that the companies making "American Idol" and similar shows force workers to toil nearly around the clock without overtime pay or benefits, in violation of California labor laws.
http://benton.org/node/15275
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ALL CUBS ALL THE TIME?
[SOURCE: Chicago Tribune, AUTHOR: Ameet Sachdev]
If you've ever wondered what Chicago-based Headlines writers/policy wonks dream about? A new channel devoted to the Cubs is one of the enticing potential revenue-generating items that Tribune Co. is floating as part of its planned sale of the Chicago Cubs, Wrigley Field and its 25 percent stake in Comcast SportsNet. The idea is a tempting prospect, considering the size of the Chicago media market, the popularity of the Cubs and the success of other regional sports networks in large markets. But future media opportunities for a new Cubs owner may have their limits. About 70 of the 162 Cubs games are also shown on Tribune Co.-owned WGN-Ch. 9. It's unclear whether Tribune Co., which also owns the Chicago Tribune, would obligate the new team owner to continue broadcasting games on the local station. A Cubs-only cable channel also would lack the winter programming [are you kidding -- how about a reply of the glorious 1908 season?!] Team ownership of regional sports networks has increasingly become a new source of wealth for professional sports franchises. Teams like having control of their broadcasts, as well as the revenue streams from advertising and subscription fees charged to cable operators. The subscription fees have been rising steadily in recent years because the channels are must-haves for cable and satellite operators that don't want to upset rabid sports fans.
http://benton.org/node/15271
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FCC ANNOUNCES TENTATIVE AGENDA FOR AUGUST 1 OPEN MEETING
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Kevin Martin has circulated the following items for consideration by his fellow FCC Commissioners as part of the tentative agenda for next month's open meeting scheduled for Friday, August 1, 2008: 1) Comcast: A Memorandum Opinion & Order that addresses Comcast's network management practices. 2) Verizon Wireless/RCC: A Memorandum Opinion & Order and Declaratory Ruling considering the transfer of control of licenses and authorizations from Rural Cellular Corporation to Verizon Wireless. 3) Regulatory Fees: A Report & Order concerning regulatory fees for Fiscal Year 2008 and a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking comment on regulatory fee issues. Topics selected for open meeting agendas are made public and posted on the Commission's website approximately three weeks prior to the Commission's next monthly meeting. The Commission will continue to issue a public notice of the "Commission Meeting Agenda" one week before the meeting and announce at that time the items that are scheduled for the agenda.
http://benton.org/node/15278
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AGENDA FOR THE FCC'S HEARING ON BROADBAND AND THE DIGITAL FUTURE
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
Not a moment too soon, the Federal Communications Commission announced additional details for the public en banc hearing scheduled at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Monday, July 21, 2008, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. There will be two panel discussions including: Mark Cuban, Chairman & Co Founder HDNet, Owner - Dallas Mavericks; Jon Peha, Professor, Department of Engineering and Public Policy, and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University; Mark Cavicchia, CEO, Founder & Director, WhereverTV; Matthew Polka, President & CEO, American Cable Association; Jake Witherell, Sim Ops Studios; John Heffner, Conviva; David Farber, Distinguished Career Professor of Computer Science and Public Policy, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University; Rahul Tongia, Senior Systems Scientist, Program on Computation, Organizations, and Society, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University; Robert W. Quinn, Jr., Senior Vice President - Federal Regulatory, AT&T; Rey Ramsey, Chairman & CEO, One Economy Corporation; Rendall Harper, Board Member, Wireless Neighborhoods; Scott Wallsten, Vice President for Research and Senior Fellow, Technology Policy Institute; and Marge Krueger, Administrative Director, Communications Workers of America District 13. There will also be a two hour period for public comment.
http://benton.org/node/15277
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FCC AND USDA TO CONDUCT EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS ON RURAL BROADBAND
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
The Federal Communications Commission and United States Department of Agriculture announced that registration is still open for the two remaining regional educational workshops on rural broadband: September 18, 2008 in Austin, Texas and November 20, 2008 in Phoenix, Arizona. These workshops are designed to provide communities, organizations, and businesses in rural America seeking to bring the benefits of broadband to their communities with an opportunity to learn about the resources, programs, and policies of the FCC and USDA. If you are interested in attending one of these workshops, please register no later than August 15, 2008 for the Austin workshop or October 10, 2008 for the Phoenix workshop.
http://benton.org/node/15276
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STATE COMMISSION APPROVES VERIZON'S VIDEO FRANCHISE IN NYC
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Todd Spangler]
The New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) on Wednesday confirmed the agreement between Verizon and the City of New York for the telecommunications company to provide FiOS TV service to all five boroughs of the city. The PSC's confirmation clears the last regulatory hurdle for Verizon to begin selling the FiOS TV video service to some 3.1 million city residents. In the Big Apple, the telco will compete with Time Warner Cable, Cablevision Systems and RCN.
http://benton.org/node/15274
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WALL STREET JOURNAL TO SHED 50 EDITING POSITIONS
[SOURCE: MediaWeek, AUTHOR: ]
Wall Street Journal editor Robert Thompson has announced that editing and page production will be handled in New York and will serve all platforms. The global news, global copy, global pagination, monitor and standalone WSJ.com editing desks "will cease to exist" and most of the editorial operations in South Brunswick (NJ) will be closed starting in August. The result will be a loss of 50 positions.
http://benton.org/node/15273
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DAILY VIDEO ENTERTAINMENT IN 2013 WILL BE LESS THAN 50% TRADITIONAL TV
[SOURCE: Center for Media Research, AUTHOR: Jack Loechner]
Anyone wondering why television execs can't get a good nights sleep should know that a new report predicts traditional TV's share of the total video entertainment pie is projected to shrink from 63.9% today to 47.1% by 2013. According to the Multiplatform Video Report released by Solutions Research Group, an average American consumer aged 12 and older with Internet access now spends 6.1 hour daily with video-based entertainment, up from 4.6 in 1996. Of this 6.1 hours, 63.9% (nearly 4 hours per day) currently comes from traditional Television, including live, DVR and video-on-demand viewing. Video games, web and PC video, DVDs and video on mobile devices account for the balance. TV accounted for a lower share of video-based entertainment among younger Americans, coming in at 42.4% among those 12-24 (vs. 63.9% total population average).
http://benton.org/node/15272
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START-UP THINKS 'THIN CLIENT' CAN SPAN DIGITAL DIVIDE
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: John Boudreau]
Stephen Dukker, chairman and chief executive of NComputing, is pursuing a computer revolution with a small box that turns low-cost desktop computers into servers that feed dozens of work stations. In tech parlance, it's called "thin client" technology - devices that have no processing power and store information on servers. NComputing expects to sell 1 million "seats" - the thin box that connects a monitor, keyboard and mouse to a nearby PC - this year at a cost of just $70 each. Dukker and others in the developmental aid field see NComputing as a relatively inexpensive way to connect the poorest pockets of the world to the Internet.
http://benton.org/node/15288
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