BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for THURSDAY OCTOBER 16, 2008
FCC NEWS
FCC Nov 4 Open Meeting Agenda
FCC chair eyes fallow TV airwaves for broadband
Martin: Other Commissioners Opposed Low-Power Must Carry
FCC Majority Votes To Approve Amended Low-Power Item
Donovan Rips FCC's White Spaces Plan
FCC Proposes Attempted DTV Coverage Fix
FCC Unsure About Arbitron PPM Action
ELECTIONS & MEDIA
Verizon and AT&T Provided Cell Towers for McCain Ranch
Keeping the Internet Free For a New Generation of Speakers
YouTube Responds To McCain Copyright Complaint
TV station blurs line by editing candidate's gaffe
Political campaigns embrace mobile technologies
In Targeting Online Ads, Campaigns Ask: Who's Searching for What?
Obama ad buy would push back start of a World Series Game 6
BROADCASTING/CABLE
DTV transition comes early to Hawaii
NAB Supports Analog Nightlight Bills
Hatch Wants FCC to Take Steps Now to Avoid DTV 'Cliff Effect'
9.6 Million Households Still Unprepared For DTV Switch
INTERNET/BROADBAND
Vodafone gives network neutrality a thumbs down
Beset by Large Rural Areas, Arizona Aims to Blend Broadband Data Sources
ONLINE PRIVACY
Britain Considers Database for Telephone and E-Mail Traffic
New Data Privacy Laws Set For Firms
QUICKLY -- Big Media. Bad Idea., Media Recession Will Last 18 Months; Internet Means 'Power To The People' In Election Process; More Fed Mobility Could Save Taxpayer Dollars; Government study finds H-1B visa fraud; Rethinking research in the Google era
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FCC NEWS
FCC NOV 4 OPEN MEETING AGENDA
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin has circulated the following items for consideration by his fellow FCC Commissioners as part of the tentative agenda for the next open meeting scheduled for Tuesday, November 4, 2008: 1) A Report and Order, Order on Remand, and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking addressing the comprehensive reform of intercarrier compensation and universal service. 2) The ALLTEL/Verizon and Sprint Nextel/Clearwire mergers. 3) A Second Report and Order and Memorandum Opinion and Order addressing unlicensed operation in the television broadcast bands. 4) An Order adopting rules for the use of distributed transmission system technologies in the digital television service. 5) An Order addressing the closed captioning of digital programming and several other closed captioning issues.
http://benton.org/node/17882
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FCC CHAIR EYES FALLOW TV AIRWAVES FOR BROADBAND
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Joelle Tessler]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin proposed opening up unused portions of the television airwaves known as "white spaces" to deliver wireless broadband service. The proposal is aimed at bringing affordable high-speed Internet connections to more Americans. Chairman Martin issued his proposal ahead of the official release of a technical report by FCC engineers (see links below) concluding that potential interference could be eliminated with the use of wireless transmitter devices that rely on spectrum-sensing and "geo-location" technologies to detect and avoid nearby broadcast signals. The plan could run into opposition from the nation's big television broadcasters, which have argued that the use of the fallow spectrum to deliver wireless Internet services could disrupt their over-the-air signals.
http://benton.org/node/17881
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MARTIN: OTHER COMMISSIONERS OPPOSED LOW-POWER MUST CARRY
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin pulled the low-power must-carry item from the agenda for the FCC's Oct 15 meeting in Nashville because his fellow FCC commissioners informed him this week they would not support a notice of proposed rulemaking that included extending must-carry status to more than 500 low-power stations. "I am very upset that the other commissioners had months to consider an item and decided they would submit edits Monday night. All four of them did not want to proceed with an item that would give low-power television the same opportunity that full-power had." He said the commissioners were not willing even to vote no on that item if that is what they wanted. "They just wanted to change it to an NOI," he said, "which would have been meaningless and strip out the controversial parts that would have given low power any opportunity to have carriage rights." FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein took issue with the suggestion the other commissioners were trying to strip out the must-carry question. "The proposal of the four commissioners included a full discussion of giving full-power status to low-power stations so they could get must-carry," he said. "He doesn't even bother showing up, then he attacks us while we are sitting in an official meeting for his failure to move an LPTV item that he stalled since last February," said Commissioner Adelstein pointedly.
http://benton.org/node/17880
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FCC MAJORITY VOTES TO APPROVE AMENDED LOW-POWER ITEM
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Apparently, a majority of Federal Communications Commission has voted for a low-power TV item that has been the source of extreme friction between FCC Chairman Kevin Martin and his fellow commissioners. This action would: 1) Establish rules allowing low-power TV stations to apply for second channels during their switch to digital. 2) Propose a 2012 hard date for that switch (currently there is no hard date for low power TV stations). 3) Open an inquiry into various ways to boost carriage of low-power TV stations by multichannel video providers after the switch to digital, including granting Class A low powers (there are over 500) must-carry status on cable, as well as potentially allowing other low-powers to qualify for carriage on public, access and government (PEG) cable channels and on DBS set-asides currently reserved for non-commercials.
http://benton.org/node/17884
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DONOVAN RIPS FCC'S WHITE SPACES PLAN
[SOURCE: tvnewsday, AUTHOR: ]
David Donovan, president of the Association for Maximum Service Television, blasted Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin's plan to permit unlicensed computer devices in unoccupied portions of the broadcast spectrum-so-called white spaces. Donovan warned that the plan to allow sensing-only devices in some instances would lead to "massive interference." Donovan said the testing by the FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology demonstrates beyond any doubt that unlicensed devices relying exclusively on sensing will cause harmful interference to millions of consumers' digital television sets and government subsidized converter boxes.
http://benton.org/node/17883
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FCC PROPOSES ATTEMPTED DTV COVERAGE FIX
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Federal Communications Commission is proposing allowing broadcasters to use additional transmission technology to help fill in DTV coverage gaps highlighted by the Wilmington (NC) early analog switch. Employing distributed transmission systems would allow broadcasters to use multiple towers with smaller coverage areas to reach their markets.
http://benton.org/node/17879
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FCC UNSURE ABOUT ARBITRON PPM ACTION
[SOURCE: MediaWeek, AUTHOR: Jeffrey Yorke]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin said during a hastily-called press conference he isn't sure the FCC has the "legal authority" to investigate Arbitron's portable people meter radio ratings service. The PPM Coalition filed a petition with the FCC to investigate Arbitron's data collection method's with the new electronic technology, and attorneys generals in New York and New Jersey have filed suit against Arbitron, which has filed suits against both attorneys general. "We are considering what we should end up doing," added Chairman Martin.
http://benton.org/node/17878
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ELECTIONS & MEDIA
VERIZON AND AT&T PROVIDED CELL TOWERS FOR MCCAIN RANCH
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: James Grimaldi]
Early in 2007, just as her husband launched his presidential bid, Cindy McCain decided to resolve an old problem -- the lack of cellular telephone coverage on her remote 15-acre ranch near Sedona, nestled deep in a tree-lined canyon called Hidden Valley. By the time Sen John McCain's presidential bid was in full swing this summer, the ranch had wireless coverage from the two cellular companies most often used by campaign staff -- Verizon Wireless and AT&T. Verizon delivered a portable tower know as a "cell site on wheels" -- free of charge -- to Cindy McCain's property in June in response to an online request from Cindy McCain's staff early last year. Such devices are usually reserved for restoring service when cell coverage is knocked out during emergencies, such as hurricanes. In July, AT&T followed suit, wheeling in a portable tower for free to match Verizon's offer. Over the course of the past year, Cindy McCain had offered land for a permanent cell tower and Verizon embarked on an expensive process to meet her needs, hiring contractors and seeking county land-use permits even though few people other than the McCains would benefit from the tower. Ethics lawyers said Cindy McCain's dealings with the wireless companies stand out because Sen. John McCain is a senior member of the Senate Commerce Committee, which oversees the Federal Communications Commission and the telecommunications industry. He has been a leading advocate for industry-backed legislation, fighting regulations and taxes on telecommunications services. McCain and his campaign have close ties to Verizon and AT&T. Five campaign officials, including campaign manager Rick Davis, have worked as lobbyists for Verizon.
http://benton.org/node/17877
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KEEPING THE INTERNET FREE FOR A NEW GENERATION OF SPEAKERS
[SOURCE: The Huffington Post, AUTHOR: Leslie Harris]
[Commentary] Sometimes I just want to grab our government leaders by their collective collar and yell: "What part of 'free' in 'free speech' don't you understand?!" when it comes to the issue of digital communication being afforded the same First Amendment protection as traditional print media. The next President should not shy away from this issue or follow the easy path toward demagogy. He should set out a public vision that embraces and celebrates the Reno decision as the Internet's very own Bill of Rights and promote strategies that empower Internet users to make their own choices for their families about content controls. The next president should: 1) Affirm that the Internet is subject to the highest level of constitutional protection for free speech, and send a clear message that he will veto any legislation that aims to undermine that standard. 2) Promote the empowerment of families to control what kids do online through support for Internet literacy programs and for continued innovation in the development of technological tools for voluntary use by parents (filters, monitoring software, etc.). 3) Defend technological innovation by ensuring that online service and application providers retain their immunity from responsibility for content posted by others. 4) Protect political speech by ensuring that bloggers and other individual speakers aren't burdened by campaign finance regulations intended for much larger entities. 5) Strongly enforce our laws against child pornography.
http://benton.org/node/17876
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YOUTUBE RESPONDS TO MCCAIN COPYRIGHT COMPLAINT
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Andrew Noyes]
YouTube responded to a copyright complaint by the presidential campaign of Sen John McCain (R-AZ) late Tuesday, telling the camp that its suggestion to fast-track reviews of Digital Millennium Copyright Act takedown requests that pertain to political candidates and campaigns won't fly. The recommendation, made by McCain general counsel Trevor Potter in a Monday letter skirts the larger issue that YouTube "does not possess the requisite information about the content in user-uploaded videos to make a determination as to whether a particular takedown notice includes a valid claim of infringement." While presidential campaign-related video is "invaluable and worthy of the highest level of protection," YouTube attorney Zahavah Levine argued that "there is a lot of other content on our global site that our users around the world find to be equally important." She added that the site, which is owned by Google, also tries to "be careful not to favor one category of content over another, and to treat all of our users fairly, regardless of whether they are an individual, a large corporation or a candidate for public office." The real problem, Levine said, is entities that abuse the DMCA. Gigi B. Sohn, president and co-founder of Public Knowledge, said, "YouTube's response to the McCain/Palin campaign should be a wake-up call for Congress and for the next Administration that it is time to take a fresh look at the balance in copyright law. The letter demonstrated the real-world administration of a complex legal structure involved in the notice-and-take down procedures of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act."
http://benton.org/node/17875
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TV STATION BLURS LINE BY EDITING CANDIDATE'S GAFFE
[SOURCE: The Morning Call, AUTHOR: Darryl Isherwood]
WFMZ-TV Channel 69 in Pennsylvania took the extraordinary step of censoring a congressional debate because a candidate wrongly said Sovereign and Wachovia banks had folded. The station muted the sound and blurred the lips of Sam Bennett (D) as she made the statements in her taped debate with Charlie Dent (R). Both seek to represent the Lehigh Valley on Capitol Hill. The station agreed to edit the broadcast after Dent and Bennett agreed. The candidates also agreed on a disclaimer, which appeared on the screen at the beginning of the telecast. ''In the end,'' WFMZ General Manager Barry Fisher said, ''we did not feel that broadcasting the names of the banks served the public in any way.'' Kelly McBride, a media ethics expert, said the station was right to do something, but did the wrong thing. A media outlet's first loyalty is to the viewer, she said. ''Ultimately the voters deserve to know what information this candidate got wrong,'' McBride said. ''I think the truthfulness of the moment was compromised.'' ''They essentially covered for the woman,'' McBride said. ''Also, the audience could have walked away from the broadcast confused, and that's never a good thing.''
http://benton.org/node/17874
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POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS EMBRACE MOBILE TECHNOLOGIES
[SOURCE: InfoWorld, AUTHOR: Grant Gross]
Political campaigns in the US have just begun to embrace text messaging and other mobile technologies to communicate with potential voters, but mobile-phone owners should expect more in upcoming elections, a group of political advisers and mobile experts said. By the 2012 election, mobile-phone users will be able to send donations to political campaigns through text messaging, with the donation charged to their phone bill, predicts Jed Alpert, CEO of Mobile Commons, a company focused on mobile-based advocacy. Charitable organizations are already experimenting with this method of fundraising, and campaigns are able to text voters messages that allow them to connect to call centers that take donations. During the next election cycle, many politicians will also embrace streaming audio and video, with highly targeted messages sent out to mobile-phone users, added Casey O'Shea, national field director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). Politicians will soon begin to integrate mobile marketing with their other media, and the use of mobile applications will expand beyond iPhone users.
http://benton.org/node/17873
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IN TARGETING ONLINE ADS, CAMPAIGNS ASK: WHO'S SEARCHING FOR WHAT?
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Peter Whoriskey]
Discovering how people search for candidate information -- exactly what words they type into a search box -- is a budding science that is paying big dividends in the presidential race between Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL). As never before, the campaigns are buying ads to run along with the results of specific search queries on Google, Yahoo and Microsoft's Live. Because the ads catch people just as they are searching for information and because they can be tailored to the users' immediate interest -- the phrases they type in -- both campaigns are spending millions on the method, which is relatively new in politics.
http://benton.org/node/17887
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OBAMA AD BUY WOULD PUSH BACK START OF A WORLD SERIES GAME 6
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Meg James]
Major League Baseball agreed Wednesday to delay the start of a World Series game by about 15 minutes to make room for a television commercial that Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama plans to run Oct. 29. That would be the date for Game 6 of the baseball championship, if a sixth game is necessary. Obama's campaign this month negotiated to buy the same half-hour of prime time -- from 8 to 8:30 p.m. EDT that night -- on CBS and NBC. The campaign also approached ABC and Fox Broadcasting to purchase that half-hour on those networks, but Fox had reserved that time period for a pregame show and Game 6 of the World Series, if the baseball championship extends that long. "This is unprecedented in American political and sports history," said Dan Schnur, director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at USC. He said the only thing that he could think of that came close was an address by President Bush about a week after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, a nationally televised speech to a joint session of Congress that brought an NHL exhibition game to a halt.
http://benton.org/node/17886
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BROADCASTING/CABLE
DTV TRANSITION COMES EARLY TO HAWAII
[SOURCE: Honolulu Star Bulletin, AUTHOR: Erika Engle]
Hawaii's full-power television broadcasters will convert to all-digital broadcasts more than a month ahead of the rest of the nation, on Jan. 15, 2009. The rest of the country makes the so-called DTV transition Feb 17. Hawaii's full-power TV stations, including network affiliates and independent stations, will cease analog broadcasting at noon Thursday, Jan 15. Broadcasters made the decision to go early in response to wildlife officials' concerns for the safety of the endangered Hawaiian dark-rumped petrel.
http://benton.org/node/17872
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NAB SUPPORTS ANALOG NIGHTLIGHT BILLS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The National Association of Broadcasters TV board has voted to support bills that would allow broadcasters to continue to air emergency alerts and DTV switch information in analog for a few weeks after the DTV transition date of Feb. 17, 2009. The bills were introduced by Sen John D. Rockefeller (D-WV). and Rep Lois Capps (D-CA). Currently, broadcasters must pull the plug on analog by law.
http://benton.org/node/17885
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HATCH WANTS FCC TO TAKE STEPS NOW TO AVOID DTV 'CLIFF EFFECT'
[SOURCE: Sen Orrin Hatch (D-UT)]
Sen Orrin Hatch (D-UT) sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin asking the FCC to act now to avoid the "digital cliff effect" that could leave viewers in rural Utah and across the US in the dark when the nation switches from analog to digital television in February. Sen Hatch is asking the FCC the following: 1) What has the FCC and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration done to educate consumers about the potential digital cliff effect? 2) What will happen to viewers who purchase a new television or converter box and still cannot receive reception because of the digital cliff? 3) Are there plans to assist people affected by the digital cliff, especially those who have acted in good faith by ordering a converter box or purchased a new TV, but who find themselves unable to receive free, over-the-air television? Sen Hatch noted that tens of thousands of homes in Utah rely on free analog TV signals. That is why the senator said it is important to act now to prevent problems rather than wait to address them after the transition takes place.
http://benton.org/node/17871
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9.6 MILLION HOUSEHOLDS STILL UNPREPARED FOR DTV SWITCH
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
According to Nielsen, 9.6 million households would receive no TV at all if the DTV transition happened today. In addition, another 12.6 million have at least one analog-only TV set in the house not hooked up to cable or satellite or DTV-to-analog converter box that won't receive a digital signal after the Feb 17 transition. That translates to one in five homes not entirely ready for the switch with four months to go. The study found that households with less education, lower income and blue collar workers were the least prepared, and that there remained a race gap, with older, white Americans better prepared than Hispanics, African Americans or Asians. The number of "fully unprepared homes" decreased by only 1.4 percentage points between May 1 and Sept 1, which leaves 8.4% unready. The most unprepared market is Houston, with 15.8% unprepared, while the most prepared market is Fort Myers-Naples (FL) with only 2.4% unprepared. But Nielsen also pointed out that one-quarter of the unready sets in households aren't being used for TV watching, but instead for video games or watching DVD. So, some of those unready sets will never be used for TV tuning and never converted.
http://benton.org/node/17870
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
VODAFONE GIVES NETWORK NEUTRALITY A THUMBS DOWN
[SOURCE: InfoWorld, AUTHOR: Mikael Ricknäs]
Vodafone doesn't believe Network Neutrality will work as capacity demands increase, forcing operators to build out faster networks. Instead, a second network is needed, according to David Leftley, head of technology economics at Vodafone Group R&D. His idea of how future networks should be financed and built is at odds with the principles of network neutrality. "There are the network neutralists who believe we just build an infinite capacity network, as big as you can. Bandwidth is infinite, the carrier has no differentiation, and all content has infinite value. The application provider, on the whole, ignores the carrier. There is no value exchange, so I don't see how that can work," said Leftley. Instead, what is needed is an alternative, intelligent Internet that can extract and distribute the value of the content it carries, Leftley said. The solution he proposes, IPX (IP Exchange), is already being developed by mobile phone operators. IPX will consist of a number of private, global IP (Internet Protocol) backbones designed to guarantee quality of service when users connected to different mobile operators communicate with one other. The first IPX networks will see the light of day next year, and will make it possible for all involved to receive "a fair commercial return for their work," according to industry organization the GSM Association, which is leading the development. What Leftley sees as a change in the message from network vendors has convinced him that operators are on the right track.
http://benton.org/node/17869
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BESET BY LARGE RURAL AREAS, ARIZONA AIMS TO BLEND BROADBAND DATA SOURCES
[SOURCE: BroadbandCensus.com, AUTHOR: Drew Bennett, William Korver]
"Reliable, affordable access to high-capacity telecommunications infrastructure has become as essential as water, sewer, transportation and electricity service in creating healthy and successful communities in the 21st century." So begins a 2007 report by the Arizona Department of Commerce, the "Arizona Broadband Initiative Framework." The report concludes: "the opportunity for states to use ubiquitous broadband deployment as a competitive differentiator is quickly passing." Further, "the realization of broadband connectivity in parts of rural Arizona will not be accomplished by relying on normal market forces alone." In sum, the report urges government officials and others to expand and enhance broadband networks in the southwestern state. Arizona is now setting off on a path that a handful of other US states are already on. Officials in the Grand Canyon State sought to learn what other states have done to expand broadband services beyond those provided by market forces. The Arizona Telecommunications and Information Council (ATIC) is tasked with coordinating state, as well as public/private projects, to encourage wide-scale deployment and availability of broadband services.
http://benton.org/node/17868
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ONLINE PRIVACY
BRITAIN CONSIDERS DATABASE FOR TELEPHONE AND E-MAIL TRAFFIC
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: ]
The British government is considering setting up a database of all phone and e-mail traffic in the country as part of a high-tech strategy to fight terrorism and crime, its senior law enforcement official said Wednesday. The official, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, said Britain's police and security services needed new ways to collect and store records of phone calls, e-mail messages and Internet traffic. Technological changes have created an online world that is complex and fragmented, Ms. Smith said, and important information like telephone billing data is not always retained. New strategies are needed to find "some way or other to collect that data and store it," she said. Opposition politicians and civil liberties groups immediately condemned the idea, and the country's independent reviewer of terrorism laws, Lord Carlile, said the government should not be allowed to set up a vast "data warehouse."
http://benton.org/node/17889
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NEW DATA PRIVACY LAWS SET FOR FIRMS
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Ben Worthen]
A Nevada law that took effect this month requires all businesses there to encrypt personally-identifiable customer data, including names and credit-card numbers, that are transmitted electronically. Nevada is the first of several states adopting new laws that will force businesses -- from hair stylists to hospitals -- to revamp the way they protect customer data. Starting in January, Massachusetts will require businesses that collect information about that state's residents to encrypt sensitive data stored on laptop computers and other portable devices. Michigan and Washington state are considering similar regulations. While just a few states have adopted such measures so far, the new patchwork of regulations is something many businesses will have to navigate, since the laws apply to out-of-state companies with operations or customers in those states.
http://benton.org/node/17888
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QUICKLY -- Big Media. Bad Idea., Media Recession Will Last 18 Months; Internet Means 'Power To The People' In Election Process; More Fed Mobility Could Save Taxpayer Dollars; Government study finds H-1B visa fraud; Rethinking research in the Google era
BIG MEDIA. BAD IDEA.
[SOURCE: Portfolio.com, AUTHOR: Sophia Banay]
Big media just isn't working. Say what you want about the benefits of synergies and size for big media companies; for their shareholders, the bigger the company, the smaller the gains. How about small media? Or at least smaller media? The supposed "synergies" between the divisions of modern conglomerates have never really blossomed.
http://benton.org/node/17867
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MEDIA RECESSION WILL LAST 18 MONTHS
[SOURCE: Portfolio.com, AUTHOR: Jeff Bercovici]
Merrill Lynch media analyst Jessica Reif-Cohen thinks the consumer spending recession just getting under way will resemble pre-World War II downturns, which typically lasted 18 months. Media stocks will start to rebound a quarter before the recession ends; ad spending won't recover until a quarter or two after.
http://benton.org/node/17866
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INTERNET MEANS 'POWER TO THE PEOPLE' IN ELECTION PROCESS
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: Mark Walsh]
The Internet has had an undeniable impact on the 2008 election, but news organizations are still wrestling with the mashup of traditional and newer, participatory forms of political coverage.
http://benton.org/node/17865
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MORE FED MOBILITY COULD SAVE TAXPAYER DOLLARS
[SOURCE: TelecomWeb, AUTHOR: ]
Telework Exchange, a public/private partnership focused on telework in government, says its "Out of the Office: Federal Mobile Workforce Trends" study reveals 82 percent of polled feds telecommute some time each month, and 29 percent spend more time working outside of the office today than they did a year ago. In addition, federal employees who use a smartphone for work purposes report an average time savings/productivity gain of 54 minutes per day. The report also finds a "clear productivity opportunity" for the mobile workforce, in that the federal government could save an estimated $37 million in additional productivity each day by equipping mobile employees (based on an average federal hourly wage of $29).
http://benton.org/node/17864
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GOVERNMENT STUDY FINDS H-1B VISA FRAUD
[SOURCE: InfoWorld, AUTHOR: Ephraim Schwartz]
A report by the Office of Fraud Detection and National Security finds a 27 percent rate of fraud in the H-1B visa program. The study found two types of fraud, "willful misrepresentation, falsification, or omission of a material fact" and a second type where there was no willful fraud, but "there was evidence that the employer or alien beneficiary failed to comply with applicable laws and regulations." However, although some of the "technical" violations were minor infractions, the description of some of the "technical" violations appear to be serious breaches in the regulations.
http://benton.org/node/17863
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RETHINKING RESEARCH IN THE GOOGLE ERA
[SOURCE: eSchool News, AUTHOR: Meris Stansbury]
As the Internet replaces library databases as students' primary research option, a new discussion is emerging in academic circles: Is the vast amount of information at students' fingertips changing the way they gather and process information for the better -- or for worse?
http://benton.org/node/17862
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