July 2009

The Last Cautionary Broadband Mapping Tale Before $350 Million Is Wasted

[Commentary] North Carolina seems on track to do away with the e-NC authority, an organization created eight years ago by the state legislature to track the availability of Internet services and to push for more and faster Internet service across the state. The move is yet another cautionary tale of the perils of broadband mapping, and shows that it's now more likely than ever that the telephone and cable companies will prevail in their fight to control the information on which a national broadband plan is based. Oh, yes, and up to $350 million of taxpayer money will be totally wasted. The stimulus broadband mapping program is set up for massive failure unless changes are made. Congress has to allow more competition for grants. The Durbin argument that private, for-profit companies shouldn't do public work like broadband mapping, while non-profits should, falls apart when one considers the advantages of an independent company vs. a compromised non-profit. The agencies responsible need more detailed criteria to protect the public investment. Consistency, transparency, public verification and less protection of information are needed. Maybe then can an #epic fail can be avoided.

Obama Picks Cahill For CPB Board

President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Patricia D. Cahill for the Board of Directors, Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Cahill has worked in public radio since 1969. She is currently the General Manager of KCUR-FM, a public radio station at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, which boasts more than 190,000 listeners weekly. Ms. Cahill is also assistant professor of communication studies at the University where she teaches broadcast management. Prior to joining KCUR, Ms. Cahill served as General Manager of KMUW-FW at Wichita State University for over a decade while teaching broadcasting and journalism at the University. She has served on the Board of Directors of National Public Radio and as President of Public Radio in Mid America. She has also worked with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, reading grant applications and performing committee work. Ms. Cahill received her B.A. and M.A. from the University of Kansas.

FCC Nominations Hearing July 15

The Senate Commerce Committee has scheduled a nominations hearing for Mignon L. Clyburn and Meredith Attwell Baker for July 15, 2009. President Obama nominated both to serve on the Federal Communications Commission.

China tightens Web screws after Xinjiang riot

China clamped down on the Internet in the capital of China's northwestern region of Xinjiang on Monday, in the hope of stemming the flow of information about ethnic unrest which left 140 people dead. The government has blamed Sunday's riots in Urumqi -- the deadliest unrest since the 1989 military crackdown on the Tiananmen pro-democracy demonstrations -- on exiled Muslim separatists. Some residents in Urumqi, Xinjiang's regional capital, said they had been told there would be no Internet access for 48 hours.

Senate OKs Online Expenditure Proposal

Sen Tom Coburn (R-OK) on Monday successfully pushed through an amendment to the $3.1 billion FY 2010 legislative branch appropriations bill that he argued would make it easier for the public to examine Senate expenses, such as salaries for staff, travel and office operations. Those records are already computerized but his plan would make the files available online for public review. Senate Appropriations Legislative Branch Subcommittee Chairman Bill Nelson (D-Nebraska) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) supported the proposal and agreed to a limited debate on the issue. Sen Coburn said his amendment would help the Senate "lead by example" and rein in spending within individual offices while providing much needed public accountability for taxpayer dollars. "I'm just as frugal with their money in my office as I am on the floor," said Sen Coburn, who routinely objects to congressional spending sprees and has earned the nickname "Dr. No." Meanwhile, a similar effort in the House has been delayed due to "security and support issues" that the House Administration Committee says must resolved before so-called "statement of disbursements" are made available in an electronic format.

Obama's Ghana Trip Will Be Tech Savvy

On Saturday, President Obama will deliver a speech in Accra, Ghana and the White House is making sure Internet and mobile phone users around the world can get involved. In a message on the social networking site Facebook, administration officials said individuals will be able to submit questions, comments, and words of welcome in English or French via SMS text messages. SMS participants will also get live highlights from Obama's trip. The president will answer some questions following his speech in a radio broadcast.

Canadian regulator moves to help broadcasters

Canada's broadcast regulator signaled support on Monday for having the country's cable and satellite providers pay local broadcasters for programming they now get for free. The federal regulator said cable and satellite firms will temporarily pay more into a fund to promote local production and said broadcasters can use the money for news and other programming in smaller markets.

Media players plot survival in Sun Valley

The global recession, shrinking advertising sales and fears that the Internet could render big media empires obsolete provide an ominous backdrop for executives at this week's Sun Valley conference. Herb Allen's boutique investment bank Allen & Co has organized this retreat in the affluent mountain resort town in south-central Idaho every summer for 27 years, inviting guests such as Rupert Murdoch, Sumner Redstone and Barry Diller. But never before have the media elite been harder pressed to find ways to survive and grow, whether through acquisitions or alliances that they forge over hikes, horseback rides and after-dinner drinks at this historical meeting ground for media and technology deal makers.

NAB: Support FCC's Disaster Info Program

The National Association of Broadcasters will host a 30-minute webcast featuring Federal Communications Commission and NAB officials on Tuesday, July 14, to encourage broadcasters to participate in the FCC's Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) program. Launched by the FCC in 2007, DIRS is a voluntary, Web-based system that broadcasters can use to report their operational status and to obtain resources needed to stay on the air and serve their local communities during times of disaster.

ACA Renews Call for Retrans Reform

With SNL Kagan estimating that retrans fees -- the fees cable operators pay some TV station owners to carry their signals -- will jump to $1.2 billion by 2011, the American Cable Association, which represents smaller cable operators, is calling for reform. "Congress must fix a broken retransmission consent process by preventing broadcasters from unjustifiably discriminating against consumers served by cable operators with a small number of subscribers in a local TV market," said ACA president Matthew Polka.

Benton

Search