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February 2009

TV's New Date With Destiny

On Tuesday, the House of Representatives will vote on whether the transition to digital broadcast television will be delayed, setting off a new scramble by broadcasters to adjust to a changing DTV switch deadline. After a political back-and-forth that kept station managers off-balance for two weeks, June 12 is the new date for the digital switch. Legislators have said a delay from the original Feb. 17 deadline could cost individual stations up to $1 million in additional utility and lease costs. Whether or not the delay is enacted this week, the National Association of Broadcasters is ready to deploy new public-service messages telling the public about the delay. TV stations that have been preparing contingency plans since President Barack Obama indicated last month that he wanted a delay are deciding whether to go ahead and switch to digital or wait until June. The FCC said that of the nation's 1,800 or so TV stations, 133 have terminated their analog signals already, another 67 will terminate their signals before Feb. 17 and 93 have told the agency they will terminate their signal on Feb. 17. That means no matter what Congress does, about 16% of the nation's TV stations will have switched by Feb. 17.

Sen Gregg Is Top Pick for Commerce

Sen Judd Gregg (R-NH) has emerged as President Barack Obama's top choice for commerce secretary, with an announcement coming as soon as Monday, an Obama administration official and lawmakers said Sunday. The expected move won backing from key Republican leaders, smoothing the way for the longtime fiscal conservative to take the post, if offered. Some Republican leaders had urged Sen. Gregg not to take the job because of concerns that his departure could tip the balance of power in the Senate in favor of Democrats. If Sen. Gregg is appointed as commerce secretary, New Hampshire's Democratic governor could appoint a Democrat to take his seat. The Democrats hope to gain another Senate seat when the Minnesota race is settled; Democrat Al Franken currently leads in that race. Republicans on Sunday suggested that their concerns over Sen. Gregg's seat had been worked out. "Sen. Gregg has told me that if he were to take this appointment, it would not alter the makeup of the Senate in terms of the majority and the minority," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said. Sen Gregg helped shepherd last year's $700 billion financial-rescue package to final approval. He has been a proponent of reforming Social Security and controlling federal spending.

More on Daschle-Hindery Link

Tom Daschle, the former Democratic Senate leader, had been voted out of office. His close friend Leo Hindery, a Democratic donor and media mogul, was out of a job too, having just sold his latest company, Yes Networks. So in early 2005 the two men decided to team up. Daschle agreed to become the founding chairman of "a world-class executive advisory board" of "industry and regulatory experts" for a new investment firm run by Hindery. The Daschle-led board would help provide a "collective depth of industry knowledge and expertise that will allow us to pursue unique and high-value opportunities." In addition to lending the prestige of his name, Daschle traveled to help raise money from investors for Hindery's new venture. And in exchange, over the next four years the firm compensated Daschle with over $2 million, and Hindery lent Daschle the use of a chauffeured limousine in Washington. What expertise Daschle contributed to Hindery's firm is hard to determine. The firm, Intermedia, has hired no federal lobbyists and it mainly invests in media businesses — the television program "Soul Train," for example; cable networks devoted to gospel music or hunting and fishing; and the Christian publisher Thomas Nelson — with few interests before the government. Beyond the ramifications for Mr. Daschle's ascent to the cabinet, the disclosures about Mr. Hindery and the many clients Mr. Daschle advised on public policy offers a new window into how Washington works. It shows how in just four years an influential former senator was able to make $5 million and live a lavish lifestyle by dint of his name, connections and knowledge of the town's inner workings.

Despite iTunes Accord, Music Labels Still Fret

Last month the music industry and Apple, long uneasy partners, seemed a picture of harmony when they agreed on new terms for pricing on iTunes, Apple's online music store. Behind the scenes, however, the relationship remains as tense and antagonistic as ever. Apple's primary goal was securing distribution of music over its iPhone, as mobile phones are expected to become an increasingly important outlet for music.

Bringing the Internet to Remote African Villages

In recent years the mobile phone has emerged as the main modern communications link for rural areas of Africa. From 2002 to 2007, the number of Kenyans using cellphones grew almost tenfold to reach about a third of the population, many of whom did not have land lines, according to the International Telecommunication Union. But many of the phones were simple models made more for talking than Web browsing, and wireless data networks are slow, with sporadic coverage. Satellite connections are faster and more stable, which is why they are attracting interest from the likes of Google, as a way to provide Internet connections to the estimated 95 percent of Africans who, according to the telecommunications union, have no access. Although providing Internet access is outside the normal business realm of Google, with this project it is looking at how obstacles might be overcome in Kenya and other parts of Africa.

Borrowed time? Libraries stung as funding shrinks

Dwindling tax dollars are forcing libraries to close branches, cut hours and end programs just as more people are turning to them for services. Cities are making tough choices, says Chris Hoene, director of policy and research at the National League of Cities. As people lose income or curb spending, income tax and sales tax revenue falls. Local officials must choose between core services, such as police and fire protection, and services such as libraries and parks. "Obviously, when push comes to shove," he says, city governments facing budget cuts "will protect city services considered more vital to the safety of the community."

What the cellphone industry won't tell you

In mid-January, the National Safety Council called for a nationwide ban on the use of cellphones while driving, citing overwhelming evidence of the risk of injuries and death from driver distraction. California has banned texting behind the wheel and, along with several other states, prohibits the use of hand-held phones while allowing drivers to talk with hands-free devices. But research has shown talking is risky even when both hands are free, because the mind is somewhere else. About 4 in 5 cellphone owners make calls while driving, and nearly 1 in 5 sends text messages, according to a survey by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. The habit is so deeply ingrained that the likelihood of all-out bans seems practically nil. Individuals still can make the sensible decision to hang up and drive, but they won't get any encouragement from the wireless industry.

Feb 1, 2009 (Super Bowl Edition)

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for SUNDAY FEBRUARY 1, 2009 (Just 12 days 'til pitchers and catchers report!)

Following the DTV delay bill? Plug http://benton.org/taxonomy/term/2101/all/feed into your RSS reader.

DA SUPER BOWL
   NFL TV ads full of violence, sex, alcohol

THE ECONOMY
   Broadband link to US jobs exaggerated
   How the Senate and House Differ on Broadband Spending [Video]
   Verizon Could Get $1.6 Billion in Senate Stimulus Plan
   Telecoms Say Web Funding For Unserved Falls Short
   What Broadband Competition Means In A 100Mbps Nation
   Britain unveils plans for universal broadband

DIGITAL TELEVISION
   Senate approves bill to delay digital TV
   Obama Will Sign DTV Delay Bill
   Chairman Copps Addresses DTV Transition Issues
   Feb 5 FCC Open Meeting Agenda is all DTV
   TV translators moving into digital age - maybe
   Google, others fret over digital TV 'translators'

THE TRANSITION
   Sen Judd Gregg (R-NH) considered for Sec of Commerce
   CBC wants African-American as Commerce secretary
   Daschle-Hindery Connection Probed
   Sprint Nextel VP To Join NTIA
   Leibowitz to take over FTC reins shortly
   Clinton Science Czar Offers Ideas To Obama
   Blagojevich convicted, thrown out of office
   Copps to Serve as FCC's Defense Commissioner
   Copps Taps Giusti for International Bureau

CONTENT
   NHMC Seeks Official Updates to 'Hate in the Media' Report
   Media Groups Say AT&T Discriminates Against Local Channels
   ABC Says Web Viewers Will Tolerate Twice the Ads
   Obama's Inauguration Dominates Online Space
   Why attacking the press during elections never works

QUICKLY -- MMTC Names Deborah Taylor Tate to Board of Directors; The BarackBerry

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DA SUPER BOWL


NFL TV ADS FULL OF VIOLENCE, SEX, ALCOHOL
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: ]
Perhaps you should turn that dial. Half of the commercial breaks during NFL telecasts show at least one advertisement featuring sex, drugs or alcohol, according to a study by Common Sense Media. Findings include: 1) 40 percent of games showed ads for erectile dysfunction drugs, 2) 46.5 percent of the sexual or violent advertisements were promotions by the broadcast networks for their own programs. 3) Almost 500 of the ads showed an increased form of violence, including murders, explosions and gunfights.
http://benton.org/node/21440
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THE ECONOMY


BROADBAND LINK TO US JOBS EXAGGERATED
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Kim Dixon]
Robert Crandall, a Brookings Institution economist, co-authored a widely-cited study that nearly 300,000 US jobs would be created for every percentage point rise in high-speed Internet use. The Brookings Institution study, published in July 2007, is not particularly relevant now because of differing employment and related migration trends at the time of the study, Crandall said. "There is a great deal of overstatement in most of these studies," said Crandall. Most the data on jobs and broadband is not relevant because it doesn't apply to underserved, mostly rural and high cost areas targeted in the stimulus package, said Shane Greenstein, a professor at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. "The experience of Manhattan in 2005 has no relationship to the experience in West Texas," Greenstein said. Chris King, an investment analyst at Stifel Nicolaus said the proposals targeting unserved rural areas are not enough to propel rural providers to invest in any event, largely because they do not address ongoing operating costs.
http://benton.org/node/21439
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HOW THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE DIFFER ON BROADBAND SPENDING
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Amy Schatz]
Differences between the two broadband stimulus proposals working their way through Congress could take a little while to work out, but details of the plans that have popped up this week offer a map of where things might end up. The House and Senate haven't agreed on much about the broadband stimulus so far, neither the cost ($6 billion in the House, $9 billion in the Senate) nor Internet speeds ("advanced broadband" in the House clocks in at 45mbps, while the Senate says "next-generation" broadband is 100 mpbs). Cable operators aren't thrilled about language in the House and Senate bills, which sets aside grant money for broadband providers who can provide 100 mbps service, since that would tend to favor phone companies installing fiber-to-the-home service. Open access, or net neutrality, conditions could be a major sticking point for phone and cable companies, which don't want significant government constraints on their network management practices. Right now, companies are concerned about how "open access" might be defined in the legislation. The Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday that much of the spending on broadband wouldn't really have much of an impact on consumers for several years. It could take "up to five to seven years" to finish some projects funded by the $2.8 billion handed out by the Agriculture Department's rural development broadband program.
http://benton.org/node/21438
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VERIZON COULD GET $1.6 BILLION IN SENATE STIMULUS PLAN
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Saul Hansell]
Four words buried in a provision to help subsidize high-speed Internet service contained in the latest Senate version of the economic stimulus legislation could mean hundreds of millions of dollars a year in tax credits for Verizon. The provision might give Verizon $1.6 billion in credits in the next two years, even if it does not hire one more person than it currently plans to do. The changes to the broadband part of the Senate stimulus bill were spearheaded by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller IV (D-WV), who has long advocated for expanded broadband service to rural areas. Verizon is the dominant phone company in his state. The Senate proposal also would not ban Verizon, or any other company benefiting from the credit, from discriminating against certain uses of their Internet service, a principle often called network neutrality. Recipients of those grants would be required to follow network neutrality principles outlined by the Federal Communications Commission.
http://benton.org/node/21437
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TELECOMS SAY WEB FUNDING FOR UNSERVED FALLS SHORT
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Amol Sharma]
The funding that Congress is likely to set aside for build-outs of high-speed Internet in its economic-stimulus package falls short of what service providers say is required to reach rural and unserved areas, based on initial cost estimates by several companies. A trade group representing midsize telecom providers with 27 million customers says its members alone would require $6 billion to $6.5 billion to reach about 3.6 million homes in their territories that don't have high-speed Internet access. That includes Qwest, which says its rural build-out would cost $3 billion, but doesn't include estimates from bigger providers such as AT&T and Verizon, or any cable companies.
http://benton.org/node/21436
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WHAT BROADBAND COMPETITION MEANS IN A 100MBPS NATION
[SOURCE: App-Rising.com, AUTHOR: Geoff Daily]
[Competition] "Competition" is a key buzzword in telecom policy. Existing providers think there's plenty, while many public interest groups think we need more. But getting in the way of effective policymaking is that the truth lies somewhere in between. If you only consider the broadband speeds of today then in some areas the marketplace can look pretty competitive. Between cable, DSL, possibly fiber, and a variety of wireless technologies, consumers do often have multiple choices for 1Mbps+ service. And as new wireless technologies are deployed the possibility of a competitive 5Mbps marketplace isn't out of reach over the next few years. But let's look forward to 2015. That's the year that Senator Rockefeller and others have set out as the goal for achieving a 100Mbps Nation. What will competition look like then?
http://benton.org/node/21435
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BRITAIN UNVEILS PLANS FOR UNIVERSAL BROADBAND
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Kate Holton, Georgina Prodhan]
Britain plans to provide universal broadband access in a bid to make the country more competitive and help drag it out of recession. A report by Communications minister Lord Carter said Britain would work to provide Internet access to the whole country at around 2 Megabits per second (Mb) through a mixture of fixed and wireless connections by 2012. Carter also intends to introduce legislation to force Internet service providers to crack down on Web piracy, will form a body to promote UK content and copyright, and will look to allow broadcasters to adapt to the changing times. Currently, around 60 percent of the country takes broadband, while some 99 percent has access to it, but not always at the required 2 Mb speed. Welcoming the Carter proposals, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Britain would look to support the 52 billion-pound ($73.37 billion) industry as it would play a crucial part in lifting the country out of the recession.
http://benton.org/node/21434
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DIGITAL TELEVISION


SENATE APPROVES BILL TO DELAY
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: JoAnne Allen]
Senate unanimously passed another bill on Thursday to delay the national transition to digital television. Efforts to move the transition date to June 12 from February 17 are fueled by worries an estimated 20 million mostly poor, elderly and rural households are not technically ready for the congressionally mandated switch. Earlier this week, the Senate passed another bill delaying the DTV transition, but the measure failed in the House of Representatives. The bill is essentially the same that previously passed the Senate, but with a few minor modifications from the House. The bill has no additional funding for the DTV-to-analog converter box coupon program; the money for reissuing the coupons is in a separate bill, the economic stimulus package. The measure now goes back to the House.
http://benton.org/node/21433
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OBAMA WILL SIGN DTV DELAY BILL
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: ]
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs says President Barack Obama will sign a bill to give consumers more time to get ready for the switch from analog to digital television broadcasts. The switch under current law is set for Feb. 17. Gibbs said Obama will sign the bill because he wants more time to ensure that people don't lose their television signals.
http://benton.org/node/21432
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CHAIRMAN COPPS ADDRESSES DTV TRANSITION ISSUES
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: FCC Chairman Michael Copps]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Copps spoke to the FCC's Consumer Advisory Committee on Friday. He began by forcefully saying, "It's time for the CAC-and all of the advisory committees at the FCC-to be restored to their position as valued and independent counsel on the important communications policy issues we face." He expressed a number concerns about the state of the digital television transition, which remains just days away, and noted six steps the FCC is taking now to improve the transition: 1) Coordinating more closely with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and other entities, 2) increasing coverage of so-called "analog nightlight" stations around the country, 3) improving consumer outreach, 4) expanding consumer assistance-- including in-home assistance, 5) creating a unified calling center, and 6) addressing broadcasters' coverage area issues. He also committed to convening a technical working group to address digital closed captioning and video description issues.
http://benton.org/node/21431
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FEB 5 FCC OPEN MEETING AGENDA IS ALL DTV
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
The Federal Communications Commission will hold an Open Meeting on Thursday, February 5, 2009, which is scheduled to commence at 2:00 p.m. in Room TW-C305, at 445 12th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. The meeting will include presentations and discussion by senior agency officials as well as industry, consumer groups and others involved in the Digital Television Transition. The purpose of the meeting is to educate and inform the Commission and the public about the status and issues involved with the upcoming Digital Television Transition.
http://benton.org/node/21430
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TV TRANSLATORS MOVING INTO DIGITAL AGE -- MAYBE
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Susan Gallagher]
Technical upgrades dovetailing with the digital conversion will allow translators to continue relaying programs from full-power stations, the kind typically affiliated with a major network, and there are government grants to cover at least some of the cost. Low-power television, which the Federal Communications Commission established in 1982 as a pathway for locally oriented TV in small communities, must eventually switch to digital broadcasting but there is no deadline. For translators, the low-powered conversion will mean more adaptation down the line. Some of the country's 4,700 translators are going dark rather than change. About half the size of a microwave oven and often attached to towers, translators were authorized by the FCC in 1956. They receive a transmitted signal, convert the frequency, then relay the signal to TV viewers, who often are in remote places.
http://benton.org/node/21429
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GOOGLE, OTHERS FRET OVER DIGITAL TV 'TRANSLATORS'
[SOURCE: MarketWatch, AUTHOR: John Letzing]
Google and other technology giants have complained to the Federal Communications Commission about its proposal to offer a new replacement "translator" service for TV broadcasters meant to help them shore up coverage following the digital transition in February. Google, Microsoft, and Dell filed comments with the FCC last week, raising concerns that the move could interfere with their planned use of unlicensed "white spaces" wireless spectrum that will soon become available. The companies' concerns highlight yet another potential wrinkle for what has already been a troubled prelude to the digital TV transition. Concerns have been raised that the transition is coming too soon, and may therefore leave many TV viewers without reception.
http://benton.org/node/21428
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THE TRANSITION


SEN JUDD GREGG (R-NH) CONSIDERED FOR SEC OF COMMERCE
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Donna Smith, David Alexander]
Sen Judd Gregg (R-NH) confirmed on Friday that President Barack Obama may nominate him to head the Commerce Department. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Obama would pick a commerce secretary within days but said a final decision had not been made. Up until a few days ago, Silicon Valley executive John Thompson, the chairman and chief executive of Symantec, had been described as the leading candidate. If Sen Gregg became commerce secretary, New Hampshire's Democratic governor, John Lynch, could name a Democrat to replace him in the Senate. If that occurred and comic-turned-politician Al Franken survives a court challenge to his apparent narrow victory in Minnesota, the Democrats would have a 60-seat majority in the 100-member Senate, enough to stop Republican procedural roadblocks.
http://benton.org/node/21427
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CBC WANTS AFRICAN-AMERICAN AS COMMERCE SECRETARY
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Mike Soraghan]
The Congressional Black Caucus is lobbying President Barack Obama to pick African-American technology executive John Thompson to be his commerce secretary. Thompson is chairman and chief executive officer of Symantec, the software security company best known for its Norton computer protection products. He is expected to step down in early April. In a letter to Obama, the caucus members stressed that Thompson is the only African-American leading a major technology company. The letter, sent last week, also lists the seven black Cabinet members chosen by President Clinton during his two terms. Obama has selected four African-Americans for Cabinet positions.
http://benton.org/node/21426
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DASCHLE OWED BACK TAXES THAT EXCEEDED $128,000
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Ceci Connolly, Paul Kane, Joe Stephens]
Thomas A. Daschle, nominated to be secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, did not pay more than $128,000 in taxes over three years, a revelation that poses a potential obstacle to his Senate confirmation. The back taxes, along with $12,000 in interest and penalties, involved unreported consulting fees, questionable charitable contributions, and a car and driver provided by a private equity firm run by entrepreneur and longtime Democratic Party donor Leo J. Hindery Jr. Daschle paid the back taxes six days before his first Senate confirmation hearing with the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. The Finance Committee, however, has jurisdiction over his nomination. The central issue for Daschle hinges on what has been an obscure -- but financially rewarding -- aspect of his post-Senate life: his role as chairman of the advisory board of Hindery's InterMedia Advisors. Daschle and two other former senators -- Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.) and Slade Gorton (R-Wash.) -- headed the board and were rewarded handsomely for the investments InterMedia made in small niche media corporations. Founded as InterMedia Partners, the New York-based firm was recast in March 2005 when Daschle was brought in as an investor and head of the advisory board. That group consists of other major Democratic figures, including Cappy R. McGarr, who runs a Dallas investment firm and served as Daschle's political treasurer, and Bernard L. Schwartz, a former chief executive of Loral Corp. and a major Democratic donor.
http://benton.org/node/21425
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SPRINT NEXTEL VP TO JOIN NTIA
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Winter Casey]
Apparently, National Telecommunications and Information Administration employees have been told that Anna Gomez, who is currently vice president for government affairs at Sprint Nextel, has been tapped for the role of deputy assistant secretary. Gomez worked on President Barack Obama's transition team as the U.S. Trade Representative Lead and was deputy chief of the FCC's international bureau. She also previously served as deputy chief of staff for the National Economic Council and was an associate at the law firm Arnold & Porter. In her role at NTIA, Gomez will answer to the yet-to-be-named Commerce secretary and will be a key administration voice on the nationwide switch to digital television.
http://benton.org/node/21424
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LEIBOWITZ TO TAKE OVER FTC REINS SHORTLY
[SOURCE: TheDeal.com, AUTHOR: Cecile Kohrs Lindell]
President Obama's swearing in was more than a week ago, but the Federal Trade Commission is still in the hands of Chairman Bill Kovacic, a Republican. According to sources at the agency, Chairman Kovacic was told this week that his replacement will be taking over the reins shortly. Though not officially announced, it could be the worst-kept secret in Washington that Commissioner Jon Leibowitz is expected to be moving into the larger chairman's office shortly. appointment is expected within a week. Who the president will appoint to fill the current vacancy on the commission is still unknown, but likely picks include Leslie Overton, a partner at Jones Day law firm, and Ann Malester, a former FTC lawyer now a partner at Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP. Antitrust lawyers involved with the transition said the appointment will "reflect the diversity of the antitrust bar."
http://benton.org/node/21423
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CLINTON SCIENCE CZAR OFFERS IDEAS TO OBAMA
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Andrew Noyes]
Neal Lane, a former science adviser to President Bill Clinton and former National Science Foundation director, wants the Obama administration to make science and technology a higher priority than it has been in recent years. Naming Harvard physicist John Holdren as head of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy was a good start, he said in a paper co-authored by Kirstin Matthews, a policy fellow at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy. Their recommendations include: ensuring federal policy is grounded in the best scientific and technical information; enhancing federal funding for science and engineering and research and development in high-priority areas; and mandating a comprehensive review of all federal programs in K-12 education and implementing major reforms, particularly in science, technology, engineering and math. Meanwhile, Christopher Bronk, a Baker Institute technology fellow, believes the new administration should place a renewed emphasis on information technology. He recommends that the State Department create an entity to engage in digital public diplomacy.
http://benton.org/node/21422
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BLAGOJEVICH CONVICTED, THROWN OUT OF OFFICE
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Kari Lydersen, Peter Slevin]
By a vote of 59-0, the Illinois State Senate decided to remove Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D-IL) from office. Although Gov Blagojevich appeared before the Senate to defend himself in a speech, the Senators were unmoved in the face of evidence from witnesses and secret wiretaps that appeared to show that Blagojevich schemed to profit from his official actions, including an alleged effort to sell Obama's former Senate seat and to force the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial writers by threatening to withhold $150 million in state money for Wrigley Field, owned by the Tribune Company. Senators noted that Blagojevich refused to be questioned under oath about the 13 alleged misdeeds that House prosecutor David Ellis called an unmistakable pattern of abuse of power.
http://benton.org/node/21420
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COPPS TO SERVE AS FCC'S DEFENSE COMMISSIONER
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: FCC Chairman Michael Copps]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Copps will also serve as Defense Commissioner which directs the homeland security, national security and emergency preparedness, and defense activities of the Commission. The duties and responsibilities of the Defense Commissioner include: 1) representing the Commission in interagency matters pertaining to public safety, homeland security, national security, emergency preparedness, disaster management, and defense and related matters, including matters pertaining to continuity of the essential functions of the Commission under emergency conditions; 2) serving as the principal point of contact for the Commission on all matters pertaining to the Department of Homeland Security; 3) serving as a member of the Joint Telecommunications Resources Board (JTRB); 4) developing emergency programs covering service provision by wireless and wireline telecommunications carriers and broadcast, cable, and satellite facilities, as well as radio frequency assignment, investigation, and enforcement; and 5) assuming the duties of the Commission under certain emergencies.
http://benton.org/node/21419
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COPPS TAPS GIUSTI FOR INTERNATIONAL BUREAU
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: FCC Chairman Michael Copps]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Copps has tapped John Giusti to serve as Acting Chief of the International Bureau. Giusti currently serves as Deputy Bureau Chief of the International Bureau where he is responsible for the Bureau's work with other regulators, foreign governments and international organizations, and for the management of issues related to the provision of international services to the American people. He joined the FCC in 1994. http://benton.org/node/21418
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CONTENT


NHMC SEEKS OFFICIAL UPDATES TO 'HATE IN THE MEDIA' REPORT
[SOURCE: HispanicBusiness.com, AUTHOR: Suzanne Heibel]
The National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) is asking Congress and the Federal Communications Commission to update a 1993 report on hate in the media. Alex Nogales, president and CEO of NHMC, presented a three-pronged approach that aimed to attenuate the problem as well as provided a methodology created by UCLA that attempts to scientifically identify hateful language. NHMC argues that the most effective strategy to lessen media-engendered hate would be to utilize a system based on UCLA's research to identify hateful rhetoric, government acceptance of the petition, and an update to the 1993 "Role of Telecommunications in Hate Crime" report.
http://benton.org/node/21414
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MEDIA GROUPS SAY AT&T DISCRIMINATES AGAINST LOCAL CHANNELS
[SOURCE: Alliance for Community Media, AUTHOR: Press release]
Community media groups joined with a nationwide coalition of municipalities and regional organizations in filing a Petition for Declaratory Ruling with the Federal Communications Commission charging that telecom giant AT&T discriminates against local public channels with its U-verse cable TV system. In states from California to Connecticut, wherever AT&T is providing video programming, its U-Verse system removes local PEG channels from the standard lineup, dumping dozens of channels into a generic "Channel 99" ­ stripping away individual channel identities and depriving those channels of basic functions viewers have come to expect. AT&T subscribers cannot simply tune in the village board meeting or homework help program. Viewers can't switch between commercial and PEG channels, set a DVR to record a PEG program, or depend on getting timely local emergency alerts or closed captioned programming. In an independent report released September 2008, the Congressional Research Service agreed that, "AT&T has chosen not to make PEG programming available to subscribers in the same fashion that it makes commercial programming available."
http://benton.org/node/21415
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ABC SAYS WEB VIEWERS WILL TOLERATE TWICE THE ADS
[SOURCE: AdAge, AUTHOR: Michael Learmonth]
The web is about to get a little more like TV -- minus the ad-skipping. ABC.com has started to peddle research that shows online viewers will tolerate shows with ads from multiple sponsors, much like TV. The ABC/Nielsen research concluded that adding multiple sponsors per ad break had "a minimal effect" on recall and did not affect purchase consideration or ad attentiveness. ABC said the data show that doubling the number of ads within a show from four to eight "did not affect the viewers' overall experience with the ABC.com player." If ABC.com is successful, expect other online players to follow, since demand for online spots in network shows generally outstrips supply.
http://benton.org/node/21417
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OBAMA'S INAUGURATION DOMINATES ONLINE SPACE
[SOURCE: Project for Excellence in Journalism, AUTHOR: ]
The New Media Index is an effort by PEJ to monitor the content appearing in new media platforms. The biggest element of this Index is what appears in the more than 100 million blogs and other social media web pages concerned with national news and public affairs tracked by two monitoring sites, Technorati and Icerocket. From the preparations to the swearing-in to the music, President Barack Obama's inauguration was by far and away the dominant subject debated and dissected by bloggers, user news sites and other social media last week. That discussion often diverged from the one in the mainstream press, though the historic nature of Obama's road to the White House created a week when both the online and traditional media focused on the same story.
http://benton.org/node/21416
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WHY ATTACHING THE PRESS NEVER WORKS
[SOURCE: Politico.com, AUTHOR: Roger Simon]
[Commentary] The Columbia Journalism Review revealed this week that the "high command" of the John McCain campaign hired a blogger "to attack" and engage in "bullying" the press during the last six months of the presidential campaign. The blogger was Michael Goldfarb, who was hired by the McCain people from The Weekly Standard. The McCain campaign, he says, "assured me that they were looking for someone to attack the press. And that struck me as a really bad idea, but when a presidential campaign calls up and offers you a job, you take it." One of the things Goldfarb reveals is that the McCain campaign was going to throw The New York Times off the campaign plane (presumably when it was on the ground). Goldfarb wrote a memo that was supposed to explain that decision to the public, but the idea was dropped. Barring reporters is rarely done by campaigns. Smart campaigns know that it's a waste of time to attack and ban the media. Seducing the media is much more productive. Attacking the media is a waste because it is not an issue voters care about. Many voters already have a low opinion of the media, and it is unlikely that a campaign can lower it further. All it does is make the campaign look petulant.
http://benton.org/node/21413
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MMTC NAMES DEBORAH TAYLOR TATE TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Minority Media & Telecommunications Council has named former Federal Communications Commission member Deborah Taylor Tate Maurita Cooley, a telecommunications attorney at Davis Wright Tremaine, and to its board of directors.
http://benton.org/node/21421
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THE BARACKBERRY
[SOURCE: The Economist, AUTHOR: ]
President Obama may have surrendered his trusty BlackBerry, but in its place he's acquired a look alike that's technically superior in every aspect, even if (at 12 ounces) it weighs three times more.
http://benton.org/node/21412
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NFL TV ads full of violence, sex, alcohol

Perhaps you should turn that dial. Half of the commercial breaks during NFL telecasts show at least one advertisement featuring sex, drugs or alcohol, according to a study by Common Sense Media. Findings include: 1) 40 percent of games showed ads for erectile dysfunction drugs, 2) 46.5 percent of the sexual or violent advertisements were promotions by the broadcast networks for their own programs. 3) Almost 500 of the ads showed an increased form of violence, including murders, explosions and gunfights.

Broadband link to US jobs exaggerated

Robert Crandall, a Brookings Institution economist, co-authored a widely-cited study that nearly 300,000 US jobs would be created for every percentage point rise in high-speed Internet use. The Brookings Institution study, published in July 2007, is not particularly relevant now because of differing employment and related migration trends at the time of the study, Crandall said. "There is a great deal of overstatement in most of these studies," said Crandall. Most the data on jobs and broadband is not relevant because it doesn't apply to underserved, mostly rural and high cost areas targeted in the stimulus package, said Shane Greenstein, a professor at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. "The experience of Manhattan in 2005 has no relationship to the experience in West Texas," Greenstein said. Chris King, an investment analyst at Stifel Nicolaus said the proposals targeting unserved rural areas are not enough to propel rural providers to invest in any event, largely because they do not address ongoing operating costs.

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