Dec 19, 2008 (Obama's cabinet)
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for FRIDAY DECEMBER 19, 2008
We Twitter @benton_fdn
THE TRANSITION
Obama Team Is Seeking Stimulus Bill by New Year
Obama's Top Science Advisers
Obama's Cabinet: Diversity, Alacrity, Fraternity
Reps. Waxman, Dingell reach power-sharing accord
Genachowski May be in Line for FCC Chair
Interest Groups, Bloggers Remind Obama They're Watching
Managing regulation in a new era
US not ready for cyber attack
INTERNET/BROADBAND
Congress should preserve Net Neutrality
AT&T's 4 Cents and the Wall Street Journal Link Broadband and Net Neutrality
Gates Foundation gift to Connected Nation
Congressmen urge FCC vote on AWS-3
TELEVISION
NAACP: TV Nets Lagging in Diversity
Young people watch less TV
CBA Wants Conditions on DTV Translator Service
Media Buys for Time Warner?
WorldLink To Sell Fox Infomercial Block
The Coming "Advertising Depression"
Extinction-Level Television Event
JOURNALISM
Good morning, Liberian media
New York Times To Launch 'Instant Op-Ed'
Brodsky Mentioned As Candidate For FCC Chairmanship
WIRELESS
The Role of Deep Packet Inspection in Mobile Networks
China says $41 billion to be spent on 3G
QUICKLY -- Music Industry to Abandon Mass Suits; Media Predictions For 2009: The Year That Changes Everything; You don't need satellite TV when times get tough
THE TRANSITION
OBAMA TEAM IS SEEKING STIMULUS BILL BY NEW YEAR
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Jackie Calmes]
President-elect Barack Obama's advisers hope to finish an economic recovery blueprint by Dec. 25 so that Democratic Congressional staff members can draft legislation by the new year, as the two branches of government try to converge on a two-year plan by late January that could total just under $1 trillion. "The goal for completing action on this important legislation should be as close to Jan. 20 as possible," said an e-mail message from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's office to senior Senate Democratic staff members. Some Obama advisers have sought to tamp down expectations that Mr. Obama could sign a package immediately after he is inaugurated. The opposition of some Senate Republicans and House and Senate negotiations on a final compromise could force delays into February. Democrats familiar with the early deliberations say the preliminary price tag has grown to about $800 billion from the roughly $600 billion that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had estimated in recent days.
http://benton.org/node/20068
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OBAMA'S TOP SCIENCE ADVISORS
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Juliet Eilperin, Joel Achenbach]
President-elect Barack Obama has selected two of the nation's most prominent scientific advocates for a vigorous response to climate change to serve in his administration's top ranks, according to sources, sending the strongest signal yet that he will reverse Bush administration policies on energy and global warming. The appointments of Harvard University physicist John Holdren as presidential science adviser and Oregon State University marine biologist Jane Lubchenco as head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which will be announced tomorrow, dismayed conservatives but heartened environmentalists and researchers. "The Bush administration has been the most remarkably anti-science administration that I've seen in my adult lifetime," Nobel laureate David Baltimore, former president of the California Institute of Technology, said in an interview. "And I do think that there will be a sea change in the Obama administration with the respect shown for the findings of science as well as the process of science."
http://benton.org/node/20067
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OBAMA'S CABINET: DIVERSITY, ALACRITY, FRATERNITY
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Al Kamen]
White males, as they were in Bill Clinton's first Cabinet, will find themselves again in the minority in the Obama regime. Of the 20 Cabinet-level positions, nine are to be filled by white men, two by white women (Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano), two by Asian Americans (Gen. Eric K. Shinseki and Steven Chu), three by Latinos (New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Sen. Ken Salazar and Rep. Hilda L. Solis (D-Calif.)), and four by African Americans (Eric H. Holder Jr., Susan E. Rice, Lisa P. Jackson and Dallas mayor Ron Kirk.) And it appears the Obama team has also begun filling in the sub-Cabinet ranks much more quickly, with nominees for regulatory agencies, science positions and such, something that was unprecedented. Obama has also filled a substantial number of White House positions, even down to the deputy assistant level, giving those staffers ample time to learn their jobs.
http://benton.org/node/20066
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REPS WAXMAN, DINGELL REACH POWER-SHARING ACCORD
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Jeffrey Young]
Incoming House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and the old bull he ousted from the post, Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) have reached an unusual power-sharing arrangement. Chairman Waxman will cede to Dingell the lead role in drafting health reform legislation, a major priority for congressional Democrats and the incoming Obama administration, the two lawmakers announced late Thursday afternoon. In addition, Dingell will retain a sizable staff, remain an ex officio member of each of the panel's subcommittees and become "chairman emeritus" of the full committee. The deal appears to be meant as a signal to the party that the two strong-willed lawmakers are moving on from their high-profile battle. That could ease tensions as Democrats prepare for a very full legislative schedule in 2009.
http://benton.org/node/20065
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GENACHOWSKI MAY BE IN LINE FOR FCC CHAIR
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Cecilia Kang]
An announcement could come as soon as today that President-elect Obama will name Julius Genachowski chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Genachowski, who attended law school at Harvard with Obama and spearheaded the president-elect's technology and innovation agenda, was widely seen a leading contender for the positions of Chief Technology Officier or FCC Chair. Many telecom industry leaders and regulators said they believed Genachowski had first pick on any of the roles in Obama's administration that would oversee technology policy. Sources close to transition officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity said Genachowski had been recently meeting with key Democratic lawmakers to see if the role of CTO would have policy-making authority and decided against taking the job when he realized the definition of CTO would not include a strong regulatory role. Instead, Genachowski expressed interest in the FCC post. He previously served as chief counsel to former FCC Chairman Reed Hundt.
http://benton.org/node/20064
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INTEREST GROUPS, BLOGGERS REMIND OBAMA THEY'RE WATCHING
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Amy Schatz]
With President-elect Barack Obama's transition team sprinting to the end of the cabinet-appointment process, anticipation is rising among public interest groups, unions and lefty bloggers about who Obama will name for posts at independent agencies that oversee Internet and media issues, such as the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Trade Commission and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. On Thursday, a coalition of groups sent a letter to Chicago to remind Obama about his campaign promises on issues such as net neutrality, universal broadband and media ownership reform. "The commitments you made and the detailed plan you published represent a fundamental shift toward communications policy in the public interest," the letter states. "The more than one hundred people signed onto this letter and the millions more we represent in our organizations, workplaces and communities join your call to create a more vibrant and diverse media system and to deliver the benefits of the open Internet and new technology to all Americans." The Service Employees International Union, National Organization of Women, MoveOn, the benton Foundation and Center for American Progress are among the groups that signed the letter, which also drew support of several prominent bloggers and musicians including REM's Mike Mills, Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard and My Morning Jacket's lead singer Jim James. "The letter is a reminder to the president-elect that the public interest community is squarely behind the agenda he's set forth and we want to make sure that he appoints public officials who will carry out his goals," said Josh Silver, executive director of Free Press, a public interest group which was behind the effort.
http://benton.org/node/20043
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MANAGING REGULATION IN A NEW ERA
[SOURCE: McKinsey, AUTHOR: Scott Beardsley, Luis Enriquez, Robin Nuttall]
The 2008 financial crisis may come to be seen as the demarcation between two regulatory eras. For the past generation, free markets have enjoyed a remarkable intellectual and political ascendancy, championed by academics and governments alike as the best way to promote continuing growth and stability. Now the world suddenly appears to think that some problems are too big and threatening to be solved by free-wheeling businesses. Politicians and commentators of every stripe are calling for greater regulation. Consumers are increasingly worried -- and aware that an interconnected global economy means interconnected global problems. They hear about ice caps melting and banks collapsing in distant countries and know that all this matters to their lives, their jobs, their homes, their families. What's more, they expect companies to help alleviate these problems.1 Such developments underscore the expansion of the "social contract" between business and society. The contract includes not only laws and regulations but also a growing obligation for companies to fulfill certain social responsibilities. Against this background of changing perceptions and priorities, regulation is set to assume fresh importance.
http://benton.org/node/20042
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US NOT READY FOR CYBER ATTACK
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Randall Mikkelsen]
The United States is unprepared for a major hostile attack against vital computer networks, government and industry officials said on Thursday after participating in a two-day "cyberwar" simulation. The game involved 230 representatives of government defense and security agencies, private companies and civil groups. It revealed flaws in leadership, planning, communications and other issues, participants said. The exercise comes almost a year after President George W. Bush launched a cybersecurity initiative which officials said has helped shore up U.S. computer defenses but still falls short.
http://benton.org/node/20063
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
CONGRESS SHOULD PRESERVE NET NEUTRALITY
[SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle, AUTHOR: Editorial staff]
[Commentary] Congress could make itself useful on the issue of network neutrality by finally passing legislation. In spring 2006, access providers lobbied hard for a bill that would allow them to offer "tiered" service to different content providers. They lost that fight, mainly because the Democrats swept Congress that fall, but Net Neutrality remains a nebulous legal and ethical term. Unfortunately, the deeper the Internet becomes ingrained in our daily lives, the more this murkiness is going to cost us. President-elect Barack Obama has repeatedly voiced his enthusiasm for the concept of Net Neutrality, and there is a tremendous grassroots movement online that has continued lobbying for some form of legislation. 2009 is the year for Congress to take care of this vital piece of unfinished business.
http://benton.org/node/20041
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AT&T'S 4 CENTS AND THE WALL STREET JOURNAL LINK BROADBAND AND NET NEUTRALITY
[SOURCE: PublicKnowledge, AUTHOR: Art Brodsky]
[Commentary] A little-noticed financial blurb from AT&T and a recent page-one story in the Wall Street Journal have an important connection. Each tells a piece of the story about the challenges of trying to achieve the two big tech goals of the incoming Obama team Net Neutrality and more deployment of broadband. The best strategy for some telecom companies is to realize that they should perhaps try a little harder to adapt to a new climate that will look at the public benefits of broadband and the public responsibilities of private companies.
http://benton.org/node/20040
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GATES FOUNDATION GIFT TO CONNECTED NATION
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Caroline McCarthy]
On Thursday, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced at $6.9 million grant to Connected Nation and the American Library Association's Office for Information Technology Policy (the bulk of it to Connected Nation) to promote better broadband access in public libraries in Arkansas, California, Kansas, Massachusetts, New York, Texas, and Virginia. Connected Nation will receive $6,107,882 to help each pilot state organize and host a broadband summit to gather and activate public library leaders, state and local officials, and other influencers who can support broadband Internet in libraries throughout each state. OITP will receive $851,889 to provide research and expertise that will help state library agencies develop and begin to implement strategies to ensure library broadband connections are sustainable. OITP also will develop and disseminate case studies demonstrating how public libraries can successfully sustain broadband for patrons. The goal is to bring broadband Internet of at least 1.5 Mbps to every public library in each of those states. "As the economic crisis in the U.S. deepens, visits to public libraries are up across the country," a release from the Gates Foundation explained. "Many libraries in states across the country are reporting that online services are in high demand, especially for job seekers, students, and people who do not have Internet access elsewhere."
http://benton.org/node/20039
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CONGRESSMEN URGE FCC VOTE ON AWS-3
[SOURCE: FierceWireless, AUTHOR: Phil Goldstein]
Reps Bobby Rush (D-IL) and Edolphus Towns (D-NY) have written Federal Communications Commission members Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein, urging that they vote with Chairman Kevin Martin on AWS-3 spectrum, the free wireless Internet proposal. Pushed by FCC Chairman Martin, this proposal would create a nationwide license in the 2155-2180 MHz band and require the winning bidder to open up 25 percent of its network for free broadband access with a filter to keep pornography off of it. M2Z Networks, an advocate of this plan, had also pushed for these rules.
http://benton.org/node/20038
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TELEVISION
NAACP: TV NETS LAGGING IN DIVERSITY
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Lynn Elber]
Nearly a decade after the NAACP condemned a "virtual whiteout" in broadcast TV, the civil rights group said major networks have stalled in their efforts to further ethnic diversity on-screen and off. Television shows of the future could be even less inclusive because of a failure to cultivate young minority stars and to bring minorities into decision-making positions, NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous said. The effect on the country could be profound, Jealous said. "This is America: So goes TV, so goes reality. We don't think it's any accident that before we had a black president in reality, we had a black president on TV," he said, referring to the chief executive portrayed by Dennis Haysbert on Fox's "24." A "critical lack of programming by, for or about people of color" can be traced in part to the lack of minorities who have the power to approve new series or make final creative decisions, said Vicangelo Bulluck, executive director of NAACP's Hollywood bureau.
http://benton.org/node/20037
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YOUNG PEOPLE WATCH LESS TV
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Paul Bond]
The older you get, the more TV you watch, according to a report due from Deloitte indicating that "millennials," the generation of ages 14-25, watch just 10.5 hours of TV a week. That compares with 15.1 hours for those belonging to Generation X (ages 26-42), 19.2 hours for baby boomers (43-61) and 21.5 hours for matures (62-75). Lest one assume millennials are shunning broadcast and cable in favor of watching DVDs on their TV screens, they're not. They spend less time watching DVDs of movies and TV shows on television sets, 4.8 hours a week, than do Gen Xers. They are, though, spending more time watching DVDs on a computer -- 1.9 hours a week -- than any other age group. But while millennials are watching the least TV, they are spending the most time with media in general, making that up with video games, music and the Internet.
http://benton.org/node/20036
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CBA WANTS CONDITIONS ON DTV TRANSLATOR SERVICE
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Community Broadcasters Association (CBA) has asked the Federal Communications Commission to put a number of conditions on its proposed new digital television translator service. The FCC has been billing the proposal as an opportunity for TV stations to fill in coverage area gaps in their DTV signals, an issue that came to the fore after the FCC's DTV test in Wilmington, N.C. But CBA, which represents low-power broadcasters, wants to make sure that helping those stations does not come at the expense of low-power broadcasters, which they say means confining applications only to full-power TV stations and only to filling in reception gaps rather than expanding their coverage areas.
http://benton.org/node/20035
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TIME WARNER MAY GET CASH BUT NOT DESIRE FOR MEDIA BUYS
[SOURCE: Dow Jones, AUTHOR: Nat Worden]
Time Warner expects to soon find itself atop a mountain of fresh cash at a time when liquidity is scarce, the media industry is in turmoil and valuations are at an all-time low. It all adds up to a rare opportunity for an embattled, old media empire to reinvent itself from a position of financial strength as a pure branded content company for the digital age. But with its stock at six-year lows and its disastrous marriage with AOL a not-too-distant memory, Time Warner said it will forego big acquisitions to focus on rewarding shareholders with steady cash flows from its existing businesses. Analysts say Time Warner is unlikely to consider any broadcast assets that may be offered up by the likes of NBC Universal or CBS Corp. (CBS), though it could entertain film studio assets or cable networks at the right price. Time Warner bowed out of the bidding for the Weather Channel, which NBC Universal acquired last summer for $3.5 billion, because it got too expensive. Cable networks owned by Scripps Networks, like Food Network and HGTV, could be targeted by Time Warner, as could those owned by Discovery Communications; Cablevision's Rainbow Networks division, which owns AMC; and Viacom, which owns MTV Networks and Nickelodeon. Also, having recently consolidated its film division under Warner Bros., Time Warner is looking for growth opportunities abroad in the film business.
http://benton.org/node/20034
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WORLDLINK TO SELL FOR INFOMERCIAL BLOCK
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Fox is outsourcing the sales of a new long-form ad block, Weekend Marketplace, to WorldLink. Starting Jan. 3, Fox is supplanting its four-hour 4KidsTV block with a for-cash block of infomercials and direct response advertising from 10 a.m. - noon, with affiliates getting 8-10 a.m. to program and sell for themsevles. Fox will get the revenue from the ad block. The block will run on most of Fox's 200-plus affiliated stations.
http://benton.org/node/20033
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ADVERTISING OUTLOOK GROWS DIRE AS INDUSTRY FACES SHAKEOUT
[SOURCE: Dow Jones, AUTHOR: Nat Worden]
Ad market forecasters have been ratcheting back their outlooks for months now, but media economist Jack Myers just upped the ante with his prediction of an "advertising depression." Myers, a longtime industry consultant who runs JackMyers.com, is now forecasting an unprecedented three straight years of declines in advertising and marketing spending in the U.S. starting this year. To put that in perspective, the industry hasn't suffered even a two-year spending decline in advertising since the 1930s. All the money expected to leave advertising has weighed on the media sector, especially the ad agencies. "It's not just economic," Myers said. "It's secular and systemic. It's like moving from an agrarian economy to an industrial economy. Anyone connected with the advertising business is challenged right now." After growing at a blistering pace over the past several decades with just a few isolated recession years along the way, the marketing and advertising engine that has propelled the US economy is sputtering. If Myers' forecast is accurate, the industry, which has long been viewed as being riddled with inefficiencies and extravagance, is likely headed for a massive shakeout.
http://benton.org/node/20032
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EXTINCTION-LEVEL TELEVISION EVENT
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Alan Sepinwall]
[Commentary] Today's entertainment universe provides endless variety for every demographic and taste, and the things that everyone actually wants to watch together are few and far between. That's what makes NBC's decision to surrender its weekday 10 p.m. timeslot to a new Jay Leno talk show as inevitable as it is sad. As the audience shrinks and the networks increasingly program for niches instead of the general public, they resemble cable channels more and more. To use a pop culture metaphor that everyone should (I hope) understand, the networks are Wile E. Coyote running off a cliff. So long as they pump their legs and assume there's solid ground beneath their feet, they get to keep moving. But as soon as one of them gives up and looks at where it is, as NBC has with the Jay Leno deal, there's nowhere to go but way, way down.
http://benton.org/node/20062
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JOURNALISM
GOOD MORNING, LIBERIAN MEDIA
[SOURCE: The Christian Science Monitor, AUTHOR: Bill Glucroft]
Across Africa, local news organizations have been both victims and victimizers while operating under unstable regimes. Liberia's press enjoys far greater freedom now that it operates under a democratic system. But freedom is a blessing and a curse, says Oscar Bloh, director of Monrovia's Talking Drum Studio, a group started by the Washington-based Search for Common Ground. Mr. Bloh says the media still needs a comprehensive strategy to transform themselves from a business that will publish anything to make money, to one that sees itself as a public service that promotes stability.
http://benton.org/node/20060
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NEW YORK TIMES TO LAUNCH 'INSTANT OP-ED'
[SOURCE: Editor&Publisher, AUTHOR: Joe Strupp]
The New York Times is planning to launch a new "Instant Op-Ed" next month that will allow the paper's Web site to post immediate expert viewpoints on breaking news, according to Editorial Page Editor Andrew Rosenthal. "Our Op-Ed now is very rapid response, but it is at the most the next day," said Rosenthal. "We are looking at a way to take advantage of the expandability of the Internet, the back and forth of it and the instantaneous nature of the Internet. Taking ideas that have existed in Op-Ed form and giving them a robust position online." Rosenthal said three editors, among them former editorial writers, are teaming up with a Web producer to oversee the initiative. He said the team is gathering a list of numerous experts on a variety of issues to be ready to provide quick comments, essays and columns on issues or stories that come up in the news. He said the idea is to have a group that provides opinions soon after news occurs, with a solid Web space dedicated to them.
http://benton.org/node/20030
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BRODSKY MENTIONED AS CANDIDATE FOR FCC CHAIRMANSHIP
[SOURCE: The Huffington Post, AUTHOR: Art Brodsky]
[Commentary] Have you been mentioned for a seat on the Federal Communications Commission? Brodsky has: he mentioned it to himself just the other day. Although he hasn't moved into the "likely to be picked" column yet, just getting mentioned is honor enough.
http://benton.org/node/20028
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WIRELESS
THE ROLE OF DEEP PACKET INSPECTION IN MOBILE NETWORKS
[SOURCE: Arbor Networks, AUTHOR: ]
In a crowded mobile broadband market, providers need a way to differentiate themselves with value-added offerings. By using deep packet inspection (DPI), mobile providers can create service packages that prioritize and limit traffic based on subscriber, application type, time-of-day and other variables. Read this white paper to learn how DPI-based solutions provide deep business intelligence, service control and bandwidth management to help mobile providers innovate and differentiate in a competitive mobile landscape.
http://benton.org/node/20031
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CHINA SAYS $41 BILLION TO BE SPENT ON 3G
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Kirby Chien]
Chinese telecom operators will spend about $41 billion on next generation (3G) mobile networks over the next two years, the government said on Friday. In addition, China will support the development of core microchips, terminals and testing equipment as it expands network coverage, Minister of Industry and Information Technology Li Yizhong was quoted on the ministry's website as saying. Li said last week that at least $29.2 billion would be spent on 3G next year alone, while long-awaited licenses would be awarded by early next year.
http://benton.org/node/20059
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QUICKLY
MUSIC INDUSTRY TO ABANDON MASS SUITS
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Sarah McBride, Ethan Smith]
After years of suing thousands of people for allegedly stealing music via the Internet, the recording industry is set to drop its legal assault as it searches for more effective ways to combat online music piracy. The decision represents an abrupt shift of strategy for the industry, which has opened legal proceedings against about 35,000 people since 2003. Critics say the legal offensive ultimately did little to stem the tide of illegally downloaded music. And it created a public-relations disaster for the industry, whose lawsuits targeted, among others, several single mothers, a dead person and a 13-year-old girl. Instead, the Recording Industry Association of America said it plans to try an approach that relies on the cooperation of Internet-service providers. The trade group said it has hashed out preliminary agreements with major ISPs under which it will send an email to the provider when it finds a provider's customers making music available online for others to take.
http://benton.org/node/20061
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MEDIA PREDICTIONS FOR 2009: THE YEAR THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: Keith Richman]
[Commentary] Here's what's likely to emerge in 2009: 1) Online video viewership will rise more than predicted; 2) Consumers will find it easier to copy movies than to rent or buy DVDs; 3) advertising dollars will migrate from television to the Internet; 4) newspapers will continue editorial staff cutbacks, making it harder for them to grow their Internet presence; 5) audiences will continue to fragment; 6) Webisodic content will become profitable; and 7) ad targeting will increase.
http://benton.org/node/20029
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YOU DON'T NEED SATELLITE TV WHEN TIMES GET TOUGH
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Marguerite Reardon]
A look at how one smart family is handling the recession.
http://benton.org/node/20058
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...and we are outta here. Stay safe this weekend. See you Monday.