September 2008

The US economic downturn has had a severe effect on broadcaster NBC's local television stations but the company has not yet seen an advertising slowdown at a national level, Jeff Zucker said.

On Thursday, the Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing to examine broadband provider practices with respect to consumer privacy. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Ranking Member on the Committee, called for increased transparency and disclosure for online advertising. Public Knowledge President and Co-Founder Gigi B. Sohn warned the Committee of the privacy intrusion that occurs when Internet Service Providers (ISPs) inspect detailed customer information using a technique called Deep Packet Inspection (DPI). She described DPI as: "To put it simply, Deep Packet Inspection is the Internet equivalent of the postal service reading your mail. They might be reading your mail for any number of reasons, but the fact remains that your mail is being read by the people whose job it is to deliver it." Sohn outlined the following principles a solution should have. ISPs must ensure that: 1) the purpose of the use of customer data is one which can be consistent with consumers' privacy expectations; 2) the amount and type of data collected is narrowly tailored to the proposed use, and that the data is not kept or disseminated to third parties past what is necessary to that use; and 3) customers have access to and actually receive adequate information about the proposed use, and have affirmatively and actively consented to any practices which could violate customers' expectations of privacy. Representatives of AT&T, Verizon Communications, and Time Warner Cable urged committee members to forgo passing new laws to regulate the use of targeted online advertising, instead advocating for a self-regulation of the industry to keep consumers' Web surfing habits secure and private.

In a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin, House Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-MI) and Telecommunications & Internet Subcommittee Chairman Ed Markey (D-MA) said they and 10 other House members were asking the FCC to: 1) Establish a public/private/nonprofit-sector information campaign that focuses on the need for new antennas or adjustments to existing antennas to receive digital-TV broadcast signals; 2) Encourage Americans to act now to buy and install a DTV converter box, test the reception and then take action to resolve any problems as soon as possible; 3) Update information on the FCC's Web site and other related government DTV Web sites to include in an obvious, accessible location a clear explanation of antenna matters; and 4) Expand the FCC's call center, especially in the weeks immediately preceding the transition, to address questions concerning antenna matters.

The Federal Communications Commission approved a new framework for the creation of a nationwide emergency communications network Thursday amid concerns that the ongoing economic crisis may make it difficult to attract investors. This is the agency's second attempt to create a set of rules for the network, which would use public airwaves and private money. The first attempt flopped earlier this year when it failed to attract a bidder. The new framework includes more detail and makes the plan more attractive to private companies in several areas. The proposed network would be used by police, firefighters and other emergency crews responding to disasters or terrorist attacks. The basic concept is unchanged. The agency would auction a swath of airwaves - made available thanks to the transition to digital broadcasting - to a private bidder. That spectrum would be combined with a roughly equal portion of airwaves controlled by a public safety trust. The private investor would build a wireless network and lease access to emergency responders while selling wireless service to commercial users for profit.