February 2009

Cell phone demand to stay strong despite downturn: U.N.

Mobile telephones are seen as "a basic necessity" around the world and should enjoy persistent strong demand throughout an economic downturn, a United Nations agency said in a report published on Monday. "With or without a recession," millions of people in India, China, Nigeria, and other emerging markets will seek out mobile phones, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Increasingly cost-conscious households in Europe and North America are also expected to keep up their mobile use, and many will drop their fixed-line telephones as a way to save money, the ITU said in a report released for the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona.

In Web Age, Library Job Gets Update

A growing cadre of 21st-century multimedia specialists help guide students through the digital ocean of information that confronts them on a daily basis. These new librarians believe that literacy includes, but also exceeds, books. Some of these new librarians teach children how to develop PowerPoint presentations or create online videos. Others get students to use social networking sites to debate topics from history or comment on classmates' creative writing. Yet as school librarians increasingly teach students crucial skills needed not only in school, but also on the job and in daily life, they are often the first casualties of school budget crunches.

Carlos Slim Helú: The Reticent Media Baron

Carlos Slim Helú, Mexico's richest man and now a major shareholder in and lender to The New York Times, has a complex relationship with the news media. He invests money in an array of television and newspaper companies and says he sees a bright future for those media companies that adapt. But when the news media focus their spotlight on him, he sometimes gives the impression that he wants to be left alone to make more money in peace.

Broadcasters, Sprint Nextel Ask FCC for More Time in Spectrum Relocation Effort

Citing the impacts of weather, broadcaster bankruptcies, delays in the DTV transition and the general complexity of the project, broadcasters and Sprint Nextel have jointly asked the FCC for more time to complete the relocation of electronic-newsgathering spectrum from current channel assignments to new ones to make room for advanced wireless services. They want until Feb. 7, 2010. If granted, it would be the latest extension in a years-long effort by the government to allow new services to share the 2-gigahertz band with broadcasters, which use it to transmit news, sports and other programming from the field to the TV studio for editing. That relocation is possible because broadcasters will need less of the band when broadcasting in more spectrum-efficient digital. Last March the FCC agreed to extend the deadline for the move to March 5, 2009.

FCC, Meet "Change"

[Commentary] Perhaps the first image that pops into your mind when recalling President Bush's Federal Communications Commission is Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" during 2004's Super Bowl half-time show. But many of the commission's other policy positions—from media consolidation, net neutrality, and spectrum auctions—were far more consequential for the public good, and in many cases decidedly more damaging to free and democratic debate. What will President Obama's FCC be like? President Obama is expected to tap Julius Genachowski as head of the FCC. One of Genachowski's biggest tasks will be simply to provide the kind of competent leadership that inspires respect in the integrity of the commissions decisions themselves. Former-FCC Chairman Kevin Martin was surely lacking in this respect. Restoring competent leadership, addressing media consolidation, making sure public airwaves can still be used for the public good, and easing obscenity restrictions that infringe upon freedom of speech are all tall tasks. Yet they represent only the tip of what undoubtedly is a decidedly dirty iceberg that lies beneath. Mr. Genachowski and his colleagues—particularly the estimable Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein—will have their work cut out for them in restoring this crucial agency to the side of the citizens and consumers it was originally intended to serve.

Fairness Doctrine Returns to Front Burner

Members of Congress are still discussing the return of the Fairness Doctrine, either in its previous incarnation or in a new form. And all the talk is fanning the flames of broadcaster concerns. Federal Communications Commission member Robert McDowell helped ignite a new round of debate with a lengthy speech on the topic two weeks ago. The doctrine, which was scrapped by the FCC in 1987, required broadcasters to air both sides of controversial issues. White House senior adviser David Axelrod would not comment on the possible reintroduction of the FCC's fairness doctrine Sunday, saying that would be up to the president and his new FCC chairman, Julius Genachowski.

Web Tax Guidelines Bill for States Re-Introduced in House

House Telecommunications Subcommittee Chairman Rick Boucher (D-VA) and Rep Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) have reintroduced a bill that would raise the bar for states that want to tax Web sites. The goal of the bill, The Business Activity Tax Simplification Act, is to "clarify the confusion surrounding when states can levy business activity taxes on out-of-state businesses," the legislators said. Specifically it will provide guidelines for when an out-of-state business can be taxed for doing business in a state.

Copps Taps Michele Ellison to be Acting General Counsel

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Copps has picked Michele Ellison to be the FCC's Acting General Counsel. For the last twelve years, Ellison has served as the Deputy General Counsel. She currently oversees the transactions and merger review functions of the Office as well as the bankruptcy and fraud litigation portfolios. She joined the FCC in 1995 and since that time has provided leadership in many areas, including co-chairing the Commission's Localism Task Force, leading a Task Force on expanding communications opportunities to small businesses and developing countries, and serving as senior advisor to former Chairman Kennard on a variety of agency-wide operational matters. Prior to joining the Commission, Ms. Ellison was a Partner at Williams and Connolly in Washington, D.C. She clerked for the Honorable Damon J. Keith of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and for the Honorable Paul R. Webber, III of the D.C. Superior Court. She received her J.D., cum laude from Howard University School of Law, and her B.A. from Duke University. She is a member of the communications and District of Columbia bars.

The Stimulus Debate and Daschle Debacle Dominate the Blogosphere

Blogs and social media largely agreed with the more traditional press about the two dominant topics in last week's news - President Barack Obama's economic stimulus package and the taxing problems with some of his Cabinet nominees. But the new media turned next to an event outside the U.S., which, if somewhat less weighty, demonstrated the more global reach of Internet news. Bloggers, talk show hosts and other media pundits all saw high stakes in the battle over the stimulus bill. But the new media, rather than grading the political maneuverings of the new President, focused more on the economic value of elements in the plan itself.

The First Telecom President

President Abraham Lincoln was also the first President to grasp the benefits and power of telecommunications. Originally considered an unsophisticated westerner, Lincoln was fascinated with new technology (Lincoln is the only President to be granted a patent), whether it was the latest in weaponry, hot air balloons, railroads (he had paved the way for the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in 1869) or the telegraph, which was first used in 1844. Lincoln almost immediately saw the advantages of the telegraph. His historic debates with Stephen Douglas in 1858 crystallized his position on slavery and were carried almost instantly around the nation, paving the way for his Presidential run two years later. Lincoln used and understood the telegraph as a powerful communications vehicle in the 19th century. In all likelihood, if Lincoln were campaigning and elected President in the 21st century, he would recognize the assets that modern technology would bring to him and to the country.

Benton

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