December 2008

Extinction-Level Television Event

[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.

Music Industry to Abandon Mass Suits

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.

Good morning, Liberian media

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.

China says $41 billion to be spent on 3G

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.

You don't need satellite TV when times get tough

A look at how one smart family is handling the recession.

Interest Groups, Bloggers Remind Obama They're Watching

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.

The letter includes six of Obama's best quotes on media reform to remind him that his words have not fallen on deaf ears:

Protecting an Open Internet: To "take a backseat to no one in my commitment to Net Neutrality" and "protect the Internet's traditional openness to innovation and creativity and ensure that it remains a platform for free speech and innovation that will benefit consumers and our democracy."

Promoting Universal, Affordable Broadband: To see that "in the country that invented the Internet, every child should have the chance to get online" by bringing "true broadband to every community in America."

Diversifying Media Ownership: To create "the diverse media environment that federal law requires and the country deserves."

Renewing Public Media: To foster "the next generation of public media," and "support the transition of existing public broadcasting entities and help renew their founding vision in the digital world."

Spurring Economic Growth: To "strengthen America's competitiveness in the world" and leverage technology "to grow the economy, create jobs, and solve our country's most pressing problems."

Ensuring Open Government: To reverse "policies that favor the few against the public interest," close "the revolving door between government and industry," and achieve "a new level of transparency, accountability and participation for America's citizens."

Managing regulation in a new era

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.

Congress should preserve Net Neutrality

[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.

AT&T's 4 Cents and the Wall Street Journal Link Broadband and Net Neutrality

[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.

Gates Foundation gift to Connected Nation

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."

Benton

Search