July 28, 2009 (A "New Era" of Broadband Data?)
FCC Still Awaiting Official Word On New Commissioners
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for TUESDAY JULY 28, 2009
INTERNET/BROADBAND
Larry Strickling Says Now is a 'New Era' for Public Broadband Data from Carriers
Broadband stimulus 'underserved' rule becomes more flexible
Logarithmic Bandwidth Goals For America's National Broadband Strategy
Boston, "a copper hole in the fiber donut," demands FiOS
Warner Says Virginia's Broadband Maps Put State 'Ahead of the Curve'
NCTA Emphasizing Adoption, Training Aspect of Broadband Rollout
Panelists Say Broadband's Regulatory Honeymoon Over
Broadband - so what? Here's what
Ofcom reveals lagging broadband speeds
WIRELESS
In Study, Texting Lifts Crash Risk by Large Margin
The Misguided Urge to Regulate Wireless
Nortel and RIM held wireless patent talks
DIGITAL CONTENT
AT&T's 4chan Block Raises Issue of Network Neutrality
CDT Privacy Recommendations for the Google Book Search Settlement
Amazon's troubling reach
Associated Press Has A Plan So Cunning Even They Don't Know How It Works
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS/EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
Congressional Committees Raise Concerns Over Pentagon's Strategic Communications
'Smart Grid' Raises Security Concerns
Advocacy groups, individuals get into the government data game
Limited Collaboration and Monitoring Hamper Federal Emergency Communications Efforts
IP, Cyber Czar Picks Remain Open Question
Britain publishes Twitter guide for ministers
MEDIA OWNERSHIP
Lawmakers want Ticketmaster/Live Nation probe
Tribune asks for more time for bankruptcy plan
HEALTH
Obama Continues To Tout Health IT as a Key to Health Reform
Health record haste sparks privacy fears
ADVERTISING
Google, Ally to Target TV Spots
Product ads gain more screen time
MORE ONLINE
Report Sees Recovery for Global Tech Firms
Verizon profit falls, eyes 8,000 job cuts
Study finds HBO No. 1 network for gay-friendly fare
Apply for TV Converter Box Coupons Before July 31st!
The rise of digital textbooks
Can commercial media learn anything from National Public Radio's new look and business plan?
Health Care Debate Dominates News
Media Coalition Members Against Ban on Media Depictions of Animal Cruelty
Brioché and Trahern join Comcast
INTERNET/BROADBAND
LARRY STRICKLING SAYS NOW IS A 'NEW ERA' FOR PUBLIC BROADBAND DATA FROM CARRIERS
[SOURCE: BroadbandCensus.com, AUTHOR: Ryan Womack]
Speaking at the Virginia Summit on Broadband Access at the Piedmont Virginia Community College, Larry Strickling, the top official at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, said that now is "a new era" for broadband data, including public data about carriers that provide high-speed Internet service. He said that he hoped and expected that carriers will allow information about the areas in which they serve to be made publicly available, as they do in Canada. Strickling also said that broadband incumbents that seek to challenge broadband applicants who argue that their areas are "underserved" will have to make such information public and in the same format as the broadband data collection efforts underway nationwide. "We need the data: I think it is a national imperative in which this data be collected," said Strickling, responding to a question about whether carriers will in fact provide states with the information necessary to create state-level broadband maps.
http://benton.org/node/26687
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BROADBAND STIMULUS 'UNDERSERVED' RULE BECOMES MORE FLEXIBLE
[SOURCE: TelephonyOnline, AUTHOR: Ed Gubbins]
The federal government's definition of "underserved areas" for purposes of awarding broadband stimulus funds has caused consternation among some applicants in particular municipal leaders who feel it excludes them from the program. further clarification of these rules may ease some applicants' minds as they prove more flexible than previously thought. The feds have defined "underserved areas" as areas in which: a) at least half of all households lack broadband or b) fewer than 40% of households subscribe to broadband or c) no service provider advertises broadband transmission speeds of at least 3 Mb/s. But that's actually the definition of "underserved." It's up to applicants to define the term "area." Say an applicant wants to bring broadband to three given census blocks two qualify as underserved, but one doesn't. If, when grouped together into one proposed service "area," they do qualify as "underserved," then a census block that would have been disqualified by itself becomes fair game.
http://benton.org/node/26685
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LOGARITHMIC BANDWIDTH GOALS FOR AMERICA'S NATIONAL BROADBAND STRATEGY
[SOURCE: App-Rising.com, AUTHOR: Geoff Daily]
What should the nation's bandwidth goals be? Some say something as low as 25 Mbps is realistic. Others aspire to 1 or 100 Gpbs -- the speeds being deployed today on our nation's fastest research networks. Daily believes we should be trying to achieve 100Mbps by 2015. To use most of today's Internet you need at least 1Mbps. To use all of today's Internet you need 10Mbps, including watching "HD" video on sites like Hulu.com, which requires 7Mbps. And to be able to fully participate in the Internet of just a few years from now, where interactive HD video applications are everywhere, households will need at least 100Mbps. Then looking out further ahead, speeds of 1Gbps, 10Gbps, and 100Gbps line up perfectly with where discussions about future bandwidth goals should be set. So all that seems to be left is to associate this logarithmic growth in broadband capacity with the years we should set as goals for their widespread availability in the US. For 1Mbps, we really need to get that everywhere ASAP. In fact, if we really had our act together, I'd argue that having 1Mbps be universally available should have been a goal set for 2006 or even earlier. For 10Mbps, I'd like to be aggressive and say 2010 but some may see that as being unrealistic given that wireless technologies aren't yet delivering those speeds in the US. If that's the case then we should look at having this benchmark be set for 2011 or 2012 as an intermediary step. For 100Mbps, I didn't pull the 2015 goal out of my hat as striving to become a 100Mbps Nation by then has already been proposed by Sen. Rockefeller.
http://benton.org/node/26690
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BOSTON, "A COPPER HOLE IN THE FIBER DONUT," DEMANDS FIOS
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Nate Anderson]
Verizon is currently wiring up New York City with fiber optic cables, but Boston mayor Thomas Menino wants to know why FiOS isn't coming to his city anytime soon. Menino has a theory, one that he recently aired during a radio interview: Verizon is retaliating. "They insinuated that we weren't going to get it because of my position on telecommunications," he said. Menino's "position on telecommunications" is that Verizon should pay more money. Specifically, Menino has been trying to change state law so that Verizon has to pay taxes on more of its network equipment that sits on public property. Verizon's FiOS has already been installed in numerous surrounding cities, leaving Boston a "copper hole in the fiber donut," said Boston's Chief Information Officer, William Oates. But despite their density, cities can be expensive to wire. Infrastructure can be hard to access, landlords are finicky about connecting to their buildings, and digging up the streets is tough, dirty work. Verizon is currently bringing FiOS to places like New York City and Washington, DC, but years after the FiOS rollout, neither place is near completion.
http://benton.org/node/26689
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WARNER SAYS VIRGINIA'S BROADBAND MAPS PUT STATE 'AHEAD OF THE CURVE'
[SOURCE: BroadbandCensus.com, AUTHOR: Tina Nguyen]
Speaking at the Virginia Summit on Broadband Access at the Piedmont Virginia Community College, Sen Mark Warner (D-VA) touted the state's preparation for stimulus funding, through public-private partnerships and fiber builds in rural regions of Virginia, and through its advanced work in broadband mapping. He said the mapping "gives communities a guide to know where there is or is not service available. It's helpful, whether you're applying to the RUS [Rural Utilities Service] or the NTIA [National Telecommunications and Information Administration]." Such activities have put Virginia "ahead of the curve" and "in a good position to take advantage of" broadband stimulus funds.
http://benton.org/node/26688
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NCTA EMPHASIZING ADOPTION, TRAINING ASPECT OF BROADBAND ROLLOUT
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The National Cable & Telecommunications Association continues to emphasize the adoption and training side of the broadband rollout. NCTA sent a letter last week in support of the Community College Technology Access Act of 2009, pledging to work for its passage. The bill was introduced in April, but its theme dovetails with NCTA's current push for more broadband training and adoption efforts as part of its grand broadband plan. The bill would provide government funding -- $625 million over the next five years -- to open community colleges to members of the public who want to improve their computer skills.
http://benton.org/node/26686
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PANELISTS SAY BROADBAND'S REGULATORY HONEYMOON OVER
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Mike Farrell]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski will most likely focus the agency's efforts in the broadband space for the foreseeable future, according to a panel session at the Independent Show, and that could spell more regulation for the product in the future American Cable Association outside counsel Chris Cinnamon warned that recent efforts in the broadband space -- including the broadband stimulus plan -- could mean that the FCC will be exerting more authority over the space. "I think the days of the light regulatory touch on broadband are rapidly coming to a close," Cinnamon said during the panel discussion. He added that for the first time, the federal government will have a substantial amount of money invested in broadband infrastructure -through the $7.2 billion Broadband Technologies Opportunities (BTOP) program -- and will have a vested financial interest in how some facilities are managed. Cinnamon added that there is talk that additional legislation is on the horizon -- he mentioned speculation of a truth in billing law for broadband service that is circulating around Washington. "That is the first step in a customer service, consumer protection," Cinnamon added. "There is the potential for a lot more to follow."
http://benton.org/node/26696
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BROADBAND -- SO WHAT?
[SOURCE: Knight Center of Digital Excellence, AUTHOR: Doug Adams]
[Commentary] While President Barack Obama and Congress have made clear how important broadband is to our nation by putting $7.2 billion in stimulus funding behind broadband initiatives, there still seems to be a perception gap among many non-adopter citizens. In short, there is a lack of understanding of the value broadband connectivity can bring to their lives. If the perception is that high-speed access is about iTunes and iPods, then public education should become part of public policy as it relates to stimulus funding on broadband networks. It's critical to get everyone in the U.S. connected to high-speed Internet as soon as possible. When citizens aren't online, our nation's resources our entrepreneurial spirit and innovative minds are not being leveraged. It's time now to connect the dots on the demonstrated payoffs, so that Americans clearly know what opportunities are in store as a result of broadband adoption. So what? It's our future.
http://benton.org/node/26684
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OFCOM REVEALS LAGGING BROADBAND SPEEDS
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Andrew Parker]
A report published on Tuesday by Ofcom, Britain's telecoms regulator, highlights the gap between the broadband speeds that Internet companies advertise and the online experiences of their customers. The report, the first to quantify the gap, compares the speeds of the nine largest fixed-line Internet service providers. Speeds are important because more and more people want to watch video over the Internet, on services such as the BBC iPlayer and Google's YouTube. The most common broadband packages in the UK are those offering download speeds of "up to" 8 megabits per second. Ofcom found that Tiscali and AOL, both owned by Carphone Warehouse, supplied average download speeds of 3.2-3.7Mbps and 3.3-3.9Mbps respectively in April to customers on the packages offering up to 8Mbps. Ofcom found that AOL, BT, Orange and Tiscali had capacity constraints in their networks that meant Internet customers suffered slower broadband speeds at peak usage times. BT described Ofcom's report as "unreliable", adding: "BT Retail provides broadband to customers in rural areas?.?.?.?this means we have customers whose lines are at the limit of broadband service, with resulting lower average speeds."
http://benton.org/node/26700
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WIRELESS
IN STUDY, TEXTING LIFTS CRASH RISK BY LARGE MARGIN
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Matt Richtel]
The first study of drivers texting inside their vehicles shows that the risk sharply exceeds previous estimates based on laboratory research — and far surpasses the dangers of other driving distractions. The new study, which entailed outfitting the cabs of long-haul trucks with video cameras over 18 months, found that when the drivers texted, their collision risk was 23 times greater than when not texting. The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, which compiled the research and plans to release its findings on Tuesday, also measured the time drivers took their eyes from the road to send or receive texts. In the moments before a crash or near crash, drivers typically spent nearly five seconds looking at their devices — enough time at typical highway speeds to cover more than the length of a football field.
http://benton.org/node/26705
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THE MISGUIDED URGE TO REGULATE WIRELESS
[SOURCE: BusinessWeek, AUTHOR: Thomas Hazlett]
[Commentary] Federal regulators have been asked to investigate wireless carriers' exclusive handset deals. But calls for regulation are perverse. These products are precisely the disruptive technologies that policymakers should herald. Yes, we need to investigate them—to figure out how to encourage more of the same. Customers are not hostage to subsidized handsets or to the two-year contracts typically attached. All U.S. networks offer prepaid cards at 10¢ or 20¢ per minute, allowing customers to bring their own phones. The flexibility isn't free: Contracts pencil out to about 5¢ per minute. This "volume discount" rewards users who commit to supporting the network—those $50 billion-and-up megastructures of spectrum, fiber, real estate, base stations, and millions of mobile radios. In this deep recession it is curious that iconic innovations demonstrating robust growth are inspiring regulatory attention. In truth, the key policy issues here involve little more than how to control crowds on iPhone model release days and how to discipline State Dept. officials whose "Crackberry" habits disrupt high-level government meetings. When Washington turns its regulatory gaze on the very killer apps we should be celebrating, we've found what needs fixing.
http://benton.org/node/26697
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NORTEL AND RIM HELD WIRELESS PATENT TALKS
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Wojtek Dabrowski]
Apparently, Research In Motion has held talks with Nortel Networks on buying next-generation wireless patents that were not part of Nortel's $1.13 billion wireless asset sale on the weekend. On Saturday, bankrupt Nortel sold a portfolio of CDMA and next-generation LTE wireless assets to Swedish telecom equipment maker Ericsson. However, Nortel and RIM, the maker of Blackberry, have held negotiations on other key patents related to the next-generation wireless business "for months." By trying to buy the LTE patents still held by Nortel, RIM is aiming to future-proof its business and avoid having to license the technology later from another company.
http://benton.org/node/26673
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DIGITAL CONTENT
AT&T'S 4CHAN BLOCK RAISES ISSUE OF NET NEUTRALITY
[SOURCE: PCWorld, AUTHOR: Ian Paul]
It appears some of AT&T's broadband customers across the United States were intentionally blocked from accessing the infamous forum 4chan over the weekend. The message board's founder Christopher "Moot" Poole encouraged 4chan users to contact AT&T to complain. The 4chan black out lasted for about 12 hours. AT&T claims it did so because of a denial of service attack originating from IP addresses connected to a 4chan server. unWired, also had to temporarily block 4chan because of what unWired described to Broadband Reports as "relentless ACK scan reports." Even if it turns out the ISPs' decisions were legitimate, the appearance of censorship raises the contentious issue of network neutrality -- the belief that ISPs should not be allowed to block or slow down traffic to any Website.
http://benton.org/node/26683
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CDT PRIVACY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE GOOGLE BOOK SEARCH SETTLEMENT
[SOURCE: Center for Democracy and Technology, AUTHOR: Andrew McDiarmid, David Sohn, Alissa Cooper]
A report analyzing the privacy risks associated with the proposed expansion of Google Book Search. The report urges Google to commit to a strong privacy regime for the new service in advance of the settlement fairness hearing this fall. The tentative settlement between Google and publishers, the result of a copyright infringement lawsuit, would dramatically alter the way the public obtains and interacts with books. The report asks the court to approve the settlement but to retain oversight in order to monitor implementation of a privacy plan.
http://benton.org/node/26682
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AMAZON'S TROUBLING REACH
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: David Ulin]
[Commentary] The issue isn't that Amazon has erased material from people's Kindles, or de-ranked gay and lesbian writers, but that it can. This is the problem with the digitized canon and the electronic frontier: It's mutable to the point of being vulnerable. We are asked to trust each other's goodwill, to believe in the commons, even though we know people and institutions try to rewrite history all the time. Does Amazon.com, as its detractors claim, want to control, or even censor, certain types of literature? As long as there's money to be made, I can't see why it would. But economics is a slippery territory, defined by self-interest rather than the public good. And that, as Amazon.com continues to remind us, makes for its own kind of memory hole.
http://benton.org/node/26701
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ASSOCIATED PRESS HAS A PLAN SO CUNNING EVEN THEY DON'T KNOW HOW IT WORKS
[SOURCE: Tales from the Sausage Factory, AUTHOR: Harold Feld]
[Commentary] Every now and then a company or organization finds itself challenged by the fact that the Internet gives people lots of interesting alternatives and thus upsets traditional business models. This prompts said company to flail around for a bit, denouncing how piracy or whatever is unfairly destroying it, then announcing some stunning new proposal or plan that lashes out at this supposed piracy. Usually, since the problem is not "piracy" but "competition," this plan makes no sense whatsoever. The Associated Press is the latest organization to jump off the deep end. AP believes that by setting up a "beacon" system for its content it can require everyone "stealing" its content to pay royalty fees. There are several problems with this scheme. First, the article does not make clear whether it tries to cover linking as "using content" for free. I'm not sure that it could, nor does it make sense given their theory of "piracy." If I link to an AP story, I haven't copied anything and clicking the link actually brings people to the content — the desired result from AP's perspective. Nor can the AP prevent me from describing an AP story even without a link. Heck, many of my local radio stations do this with my local newspapers, simply summarizing articles with an attribution. So if the object is to prevent people from linking to AP articles, or discussing AP articles (the "free ride" that so incenses the traditional news media and its defenders), this proposal really doesn't seem likely to help.
http://benton.org/node/26667
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GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS/EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES RAISE CONCERNS OVER PENTAGON'S STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Walter Pincus]
Lawmakers are voicing concerns about the Pentagon's strategic communications programs, through which the military aims to win over civilians and erode support for adversaries in countries around the world. The programs have grown too fast and are spread through the Defense Department budget in a way that hampers oversight, complain the House and Senate Armed Services committees and the House Appropriations Committee. They also suggest that the military is producing propaganda and other materials that mask U.S. government sponsorship and focus "far beyond a traditional military information operations." The Pentagon spends nearly $1 billion a year on its strategic communications, its contribution to the "war of ideas" that until recent years had been the sole province of the State Department's public diplomacy effort. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have resulted in the military getting money more easily than the diplomatic corps, and the dominance of military personnel in those countries has led to an increasing military role in information operations. Several of the 10 classified programs "should be terminated immediately," said the panel, and it threatened to withhold funding for all 10 for next year until Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates reports to the committee about their "target audiences, goals, and measures of effectiveness." It also cut $500 million from the Pentagon's overall total for strategic communications.
http://benton.org/node/26702
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'SMART GRID' RAISES SECURITY CONCERNS
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Brian Krebs]
Electric utilities vying for $3.9 billion in new federal "smart grid" grants will need to prove that they are taking steps to prevent cyberattacks as they move to link nearly all elements of the US power grid to the public Internet. The requirements from the Energy Department come amid mounting concern from security experts that many existing smart-grid efforts do not have sufficient built-in protections against computer hacking, such as new "smart meters" that put information about consumers' power use onto the Internet, grid-management software and other equipment. The smart-grid spending in the federal stimulus package is intended to create jobs and improve the efficiency and reliability of the electricity grid by lowering peak demand, reducing energy consumption, integrating more renewable energy sources and easing the pressure to build new coal-fired power plants. Many of those efficiency gains will be made possible by new technology being built on top of the existing power grid, such as smart meters, which provide real-time feedback on power consumption patterns and levels. An estimated 8 million smart meters are used in the United States today, and more than 50 million more could be installed in at least two dozen states over the next five years, according to the Edison Foundation's Institute for Electric Efficiency. Yet security researchers have found that these devices often are the weakest link in the smart-grid chain. Smart meters give consumers direct access to information about their power usage and the ability to manage that usage over the Web, but that two-way communication also opens up the possibility that the grid could be attacked from the outside.
http://benton.org/node/26703
See also: Department of Energy Publishes Smart Grid Policy
ADVOCACY GROUPS, INDIVIDUALS GET INTO THE GOVERNMENT DATA GAME
[SOURCE: Government Computer News, AUTHOR: Joab Jackson]
When the Office of Management and Budget announced last spring that it would set up a repository of government data feeds, called Data.gov, a number of other sites appeared aiming to duplicate or even improve on the work that the General Services Administration was doing to create the service. Such duplication of effort might not be a bad thing. Federal Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra has said that by making agency data available, the government could enlist the public in helping to solve our country's most pressing problems.
http://benton.org/node/26681
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EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS: VULNERABILITIES REMAIN AND LIMITED COLLABORATION AND MONITORING HAMPERING FEDERAL EFFORTS
[SOURCE: Government Accountability Office, AUTHOR: ]
This requested report identifies 1) vulnerabilities to emergency communications systems; 2) federal assistance available or planned to first responders for addressing vulnerabilities or enhancing emergency communications; and 3) challenges with federal emergency communications efforts. The Government Accountability Office developed six catastrophic disaster case studies, reviewed agency documents, and interviewed public and private sector officials at the national, state, and local levels. GAO recommends that Department of Homeland Security complete efforts to help implement the National Emergency Communications Plan; DHS and Federal Communications Commission establish a forum or other mechanism to collaborate on significant agency emergency communications efforts; and DHS leverage its expertise to help federal agencies develop emergency communications plans. DHS and FCC generally agreed with the recommendations. (GAO-09-604, June 26)
http://benton.org/node/26680
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IP, CYBER CZAR PICKS REMAIN OPEN QUESTION
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Andrew Noyes]
Now a half-year into the Obama Administration, two White House posts viewed as critical to the high-tech and intellectual property sectors remain vacant -- and lawmakers and industry stakeholders are getting antsy. President Obama's picks for the cybersecurity and IP coordinator jobs have all but been finalized; individuals familiar with situation said, yet no personnel announcements have been made. "A lot of people are frustrated about this because there was so much pomp and circumstance around it," said one high-tech watchdog.
http://benton.org/node/26679
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BRITAIN PUBLISHES TWITTER GUIDE FOR MINISTERS
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Farah Master]
The British government has published a guide to help ministers understand how to use the social networking site Twitter, with the aim of extending its news and corporate messages online. With government departments such as the Foreign Office and Downing Street already tweeting, the 20-page guide details how ministers should provide an "informal" and "human" voice. The guide, written by Neil Williams of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), asks ministers to tweet "a minimum 2 and a maximum of 10 tweets per working day, with a minimum gap of 30 minutes between tweets to avoid flooding our followers." Ministers are also encouraged to tweet with credibility and bear in mind relevant issues while avoiding commercially or politically sensitive information. Campaign messages are not appropriate unless there is a current element involved.
http://benton.org/node/26699
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MEDIA OWNERSHIP
LAWMAKERS WANT TICKETMASTER/LIVE NATION PROBE
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Diane Bartz]
The proposed merger of ticketing giant Ticketmaster and Live Nation, the world's largest concert promoter, should be closely scrutinized by the Justice Department, according to the chair of a Senate antitrust subcommittee and 50 members of the House of Representatives. Sen Herb Kohl (D-WI), chair of the Judiciary Committee's antitrust subcommittee, said the merger would combine Ticketmaster, the nation's dominant ticket seller, with Live Nation, which has its own ticketing business. "It is clear that this merger raises serious competitive concerns warranting thorough scrutiny," wrote Chairman Kohl to Christine Varney, head of the Justice Department's antitrust division. The deal has been criticized by Bruce Springsteen, politicians like Sen Charles Schumer (D-NY), and legions of music fans commenting in Internet chatrooms. Fifty members of the House of Representatives signed a letter written by Rep Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) which also expressed concern about the deal.
http://benton.org/node/26676
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TRIBUNE ASKS FOR MORE TIME FOR BANKRUPTCY PLAN
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Tom Hals]
Bankrupt publisher Tribune Co has asked a court to give it until November 30 to come up with a plan to reorganize. If approved, the request will give Tribune the exclusive right to propose a plan of reorganization. Tribune currently has that exclusive right until August 4, after which creditors may ask the court to accept their plan of reorganization. Tribune said it deserves the extended period because of the complexity of the case. The company said it has made significant progress toward the sale of the Chicago Cubs baseball team, which if sold could impact any plan of reorganization. It also said that it estimates creditors have claims of about $13.7 billion, but the company has received claims for $606 billion in aggregate.
http://benton.org/node/26675
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HEALTH
OBAMA CONTINUES TO TOUT HEALTH IT AS KEY TO HEALTH REFORM
[SOURCE: iHealthBeat, AUTHOR: ]
As President Obama continued his push to reform the U.S. health care system, he highlighted the Cleveland Clinic as a model for how effective health IT systems can improve care and lower costs. Obama visited the Cleveland Clinic on Thursday and viewed a presentation on the center's health IT initiatives. Cleveland Clinic executives also spoke with the president about patient-centered health IT projects involving Microsoft HealthVault, Google Health and MyChart. MyChart currently connects 202,000 patients to an online portal for appointment scheduling, prescription management, preventive health reminders and test results. C. Martin Harris, Cleveland Clinic's CIO and a member of HHS' Health IT Standards Committee, said the center "is developing health IT that gives patients the power to better manage their health care." Harris added that the Cleveland Clinic is "focused on helping lead the nation toward a comprehensive electronic medical records system that will reduce medical errors, improve quality and lower costs." During a town-hall meeting later that day, Obama said the Cleveland Clinic has "one of the best health IT systems in the country."
http://benton.org/node/26669
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HEALTH RECORD HASTE SPARKS PRIVACY FEARS
[SOURCE: FederalComputerWeek, AUTHOR: Alice Lipowicz]
The economic stimulus law is creating privacy risks as it forces fast development of electronic health records, according to at least one privacy advocate. The Privacy and Security Workgroup of the Health and Human Services Department's Health Information Technology Standards Committee presented its recommendations to the committee on July 21. It included a framework of 37 standards to be implemented in phases in 2011, 2013 and 2015. But Dr Deborah Peel, founder of the Coalition for Patient Privacy, said the proposals postpone several major privacy protections until 2015 even though the bulk of the health IT implementations will begin in 2011.
http://benton.org/node/26668
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ADVERTISING
GOOGLE, ALLY TO TARGET TV SPOTS
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Suzanne Vranica]
Google is teaming up with Visible World, a well-known New York technology company that uses software to create multiple versions of a given ad, in its push to offer TV advertisers more targeting options. Google will combine the technology with its Google TV Ads, an automated auction-based system for buying TV ads by choosing which shows best fit the advertised product or service. The idea of such "addressable advertising" is to send a TV ad promoting a sale on minivans to a household with children, for example, and the same basic ad with a promo for a sports sedan to a childless household. "Audiences are more and more fragmented," said Mike Steib, director of Google TV Ads. "One ad with one message for one audience is not the right thing for everyone." The Internet company will pay Visible World to use its software, which allows advertisers and ad firms to tweak an ad by changing features such as graphics, music and the script. Visible World's software also allows advertisers to switch out ads on the fly based on results of how an ad is performing. Among the nine-year-old New York firm's investors are Viacom, Time Warner and ad conglomerate WPP PLC.
http://benton.org/node/26704
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PRODUCT ADS GAIN MORE SCREEN TIME
[SOURCE: Boston Globe, AUTHOR: Brian Steinberg]
Advertisers are inserting themselves more deeply into TV shows than anyone thought possible just four or five years ago. The practice of product placement - in which advertisers pay to have their products or logos appear on screen during a program - has been intensifying for years. Even so, TV networks were once more vigilant about how much screen time they'd give advertisers during most dramas or comedies for fear of offending viewers. Now media outlets are loosening their restrictions. The result? Eye-popping appearances by advertisers in places where viewers would normally expect to see story line and character development. The flailing economy "makes everything at least discussable," said Peter Tortorici, a former CBS executive who is president of WPP Group's Group M Entertainment, a specialist in creating deals that weave advertisers into content. This new willingness often creates "very positive" ideas for integrating products into shows, he said, but "some of it will result in mistakes."
http://benton.org/node/26695
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