Oct 27, 2009 (Developing countries must boost broadband)
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for TUESDAY OCTOBER 27, 2009
Three events today: 1) Spectrum Management Advisory Committee Meeting, 2) Health IT Policy Committee, and 3) Oversight of the Broadband Stimulus Programs in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act http://bit.ly/4ArfLU
NETWORK NEUTRALITY
Keeping access open to all
Net Neutrality, Slippery Slopes & High-Tech Mutually Assured Destruction
ACA: FCC Needs To Restrict Closed Internet Models
BROADBAND/INTERNET
Developing countries must boost broadband: UN
NTIA's Strickling Describes Role of BTOP in Broadband Plan, Innovation Strategy
Rural Broadband: Overcoming Obstacles and Achieving the Vision
Maximizing Network Value with Next Generation Policy
DOCSIS 3.0 -- An Opportunity to Reinvent the Cable Business Model
Observed Average Internet Speeds for U.S. Network Connections
SPECTRUM/WIRELESS
Broadcasters Rise In Defense of Airwaves
Microsoft, Google and the Bear
Verizon mobile growth beats but FiOS TV disappoints
CYBERSECURITY
Scan of Internet Uncovers Thousands of Vulnerable Embedded Devices
The "Korean" Cyber Attacks and Their Implications for Cyber Conflict
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
Carrots and Sticks: Obama's split media strategy
Online chats time well-spent for several lawmakers
JOURNALISM
Newspaper Circulation Falls 10%
Online Focus Is Working for Christian Science Monitor
HEALTH
Disproportionate share hospitals face IT disadvantages
Electronic medical records not seen as a cure-all
Health 2.0: Beneath the Hype, There's Cause for Real Hope
Government agencies to spend $15 billion on health IT by 2014
KIDS & MEDIA
Kids TV Viewing At 8-Year High
CONTENT
Twitter entries satirize works of literature
A Win for Internet Speech
Facebook becoming big friend of small businesses
TELECOM
FairPoint phone company files for bankruptcy
Busy U.S. cell networks a bonanza for gear makers
China settles monopoly test cases
POLICYMAKERS
Obama to detail stimulus spending on 'smart grid'
Obama & Google
How to give the FCC a piece of your mind, online
FCC Announces Membership of the Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council
Former FCC Chairman Powell to Join AOL Board
Department of Agriculture Celebrates 60 Years of Supporting Rural Telecommunications
MORE ONLINE ...
How the U.S. Census Is Reading Your Mind
Sooner or Later, All of You Will Pay
Online courses often pricier for students
Smart Energy Internet Grant
Recent Comments on:
Pulling the TV cord yet staying plugged in
NETWORK NEUTRALITY
KEEPING ACCESS OPEN TO ALL
[SOURCE: Miami Herald, AUTHOR: Edward Wasserman]
[Commentary] The idea that "content is king" is a favorite slogan among media people, since it's comforting to think that the industry is ruled by its creative side. Comforting, but fictional. Who does rule the media kingdom? Not the content creators, but the people who control their physical access to the public, that's who. Sooner or later, channels trump content. That's why people who care about freedom of expression have to start by caring about the freedom of the channels over which expression flows. Hence the importance of the simmering controversy over so-called net neutrality -- a policy that is intended to keep the companies that rent us access to the Internet from playing favorites among Web services, information exchanges, content providers of all kinds. Why does that matter? Because the pace and direction of media development have been historically set by the people who controlled the contact points with the public.
benton.org/node/29160 | Miami Herald
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NET NEUTRALITY, SLIPPERY SLOPES & HIGH-TECH MUTUALLY ASSURED DESTRUCTION
[SOURCE: Progress and Freedom Foundation, AUTHOR: Berin Szoka, Adam Thierer]
[Commentary] Will the high-tech industry -- or consumers -- benefit from inviting government regulation of the Internet under the mantra of "neutrality"? The hatred directed at Microsoft in the 1990s has more recently been focused on the industry that has brought broadband to Americans' homes (Internet Service Providers) and the company that has done more than any other to make the web useful (Google). Both have been attacked for exercising supposed "gatekeeper" control over the Internet in one fashion or another. They are now turning their guns on each other—the first strikes in what threatens to become an all-out, thermonuclear war in the tech industry over increasingly broad neutrality mandates. Unless we find a way to achieve "Digital Détente," the consequences of this increasing regulatory brinkmanship will be "mutually assured destruction" (MAD) for industry and consumers.
benton.org/node/29177 | Progress and Freedom Foundation
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BROADBAND/INTERNET
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES MUST BOOST BROADBAND: UN
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: ]
Developing countries risk missing out on the benefits of information technology because of their lack of broadband infrastructure, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said in a report. Lack of broadband Internet access deprives countries of the possibility of building up offshoring industries. It also prevents people from tapping into all the advantages of mobile phones, whose use is exploding in poor countries. "The narrowing of the digital divide remains a key development challenge," UNCTAD Deputy Secretary-General Petko Draganov said. "What is known as the broadband gap for example is becoming a serious handicap for companies in many poor countries," he told a briefing to launch UNCTAD's Information Economy Report. Companies and consumers are 200 times more likely to have access to broadband in developed countries than in the poorest Least Developed Countries (LDCs), the report shows.
benton.org/node/29176 | Reuters
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STRICKLING ON BROADBAND POLICY AND INNOVATION
[SOURCE: BroadbandCensus.com, AUTHOR: Rahul Gaitonde]
Speaking at the State of Telecom Conference, National Telecommunications and Information Administration head Larry Strickling said that a national broadband plan is key to the innovation strategy of the Obama administration, along with expanding research and development, increasing education and providing a strong technological ecosystem.He said that not every good Broadband Technologies Opportunity Program project will be funded, as there simply are not enough funds. At the same time, he said he wanted to make sure that the NTIA did not fund any bad projects.
benton.org/node/29159 | BroadbandCensus.com
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RURAL BROADBAND: OVERCOMING OBSTACLES AND ACHIEVING VISION
[SOURCE: McLean and Brown, AUTHOR: ]
As part of the National Broadband Plan, the Federal Communications Commission must realize that in many rural areas of the country broadband infrastructure is so costly to build relative to the revenues that it will generate, that no rational business case can be made for private entities to make such investments. Thus, explicit government support will be necessary to deliver broadband to all Americans. Rural wire/fiber-line carriers are building networks employing a hybrid fiber/copper technology that, in addition to providing basic telephone service, are also enabling the delivery of high-speed Broadband service to millions of rural consumers. Building and operating these networks has been made possible by a combination of explicit support provided by the Universal Service Fund (USF), and implicit support provided through Intercarrier Compensation (ICC). On average, USF and ICC provide over half of network cost recovery for rural carriers, and even higher percentages in the most rural areas. The current USF and ICC regimes are based upon voice-service metrics that are not sustainable in an increasingly Broadband world. Fundamental reforms in both programs will be necessary to continue the delivery of Broadband services to current customers and expand Broadband delivery to unserved and underserved rural communities. Without fundamental reform of the USF and ICC systems, rural ILECs (RLECs) face the realistic possibility of a financial collapse that would be devastating to the rural consumers that they serve, and extremely harmful to the achievement of the Nation's Broadband goals.
benton.org/node/29175 | McLean and Brown
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MAXIMIZING NETWORK VALUE
[SOURCE: Openet, AUTHOR: ]
Network service providers are caught between the proverbial rock and the hard place. Demand for Internet protocol (IP) access and bandwidth continues to grow at a tremendous pace driven by network technologies that require faster speeds and subscriber demand for bandwidth-intensive services, such as streaming videos, Internet protocol television (IPTV), and peer-to-peer (P2P) applications. Operators are left with little choice but to deploy faster networks with more capacity. However, the flat-rate, "all-you-can-eat" service plans used by most operators make it difficult to increase revenues in order to cover the additional capital and operational expenditures required to manage heavier network traffic. Within this environment, operators are finding it difficult to capitalize on the explosion in demand for their core assets. That is the "rock". The "hard place" is the financially driven imperative to avoid being relegated within the value chain as a low-value provider of commoditized access services. The number of over-the-top (OTT) providers of IP-based applications, services, and content is growing as companies, such as content providers, Internet companies, and device providers, attempt to monetize on the delivery of rich and valuable Internet content to consumers and businesses. In the meantime, telecommunications providers and cable multiple system operators (MSOs) are in danger of being disintermediated as mere transporters of Internet traffic and being bypassed from participating in emerging revenue models. Next generation policy management enables network service providers to overcome these challenges. With intelligent, dynamic control over subscriber entitlement to network resources and real-time charging capabilities at the network-edge, operators have an opportunity to play a central role in the evolving ecosystem of IP content, applications, services, devices, and networks. Service providers are uniquely positioned to use next generation policy to deliver highly individualized, interactive, and integrated experience to consumers and businesses and to monetize the value delivered to subscribers with a variety of new revenue models. Next generation policy enables service providers to become competitive and strategic players in the value chain.
benton.org/node/29167 | Openet
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DOCSIS 3.0 TO REINVENT CABLE BUSINESS MODEL
[SOURCE: Openet, AUTHOR: Andrew D'Souza]
In the broadband battle, cable operators were the early leaders, boasting faster speeds than the DSL service offered by their telco counterparts. However, as the telcos launch their ultra-fast fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) services, such those offered by Verizon and AT&T in the U.S.; FastWeb, Telefonica, and TeliaSonera in Europe; and Korea Telecom and PCCW in Asia, cable risks falling behind, hampered by its bandwidth limitations. DOCSIS 3.0 promises a way for cable operators to counter the telco threat by providing faster speeds to the end user—up to 160 Mbps downstream and 120 Mbps upstream—offering a more cost-effective approach for cable operators to compete and win against FTTH service providers with ultra high-speed data delivery. However, long-term success depends on going beyond competing on speed and focusing on using the extra bandwidth to create truly compelling offerings. DOCSIS 3.0 can help cable operators take that step by providing not only the necessary bandwidth, but the opportunity to truly differentiate their services by delivering high-definition digital entertainment and broadband services. However, without proper management DOCSIS 3.0 threatens to cannibalize existing cable revenues, as television networks explore over-the-top Internet distribution deals with content delivery networks or deliver content directly via the Internet. It also threatens profit margins, as the marginal cost of adding network bandwidth will not be covered by the marginal revenue. To take advantage and fully leverage new network technologies and opportunities, MSOs need to look at their existing OSS and billing environments and assess whether they can support these next generation services. Cable back office systems have historically been heavily customized, often in-house solutions that were generally developed to address a specific service or geographic region and designed to support static services billed on a flat-rate basis. Transforming these systems to support a new business model is a complex and challenging undertaking; however, those operators that succeed in this effort are rewarded with increased revenues, reduced operational costs, and stronger customer relationships.
benton.org/node/29166 | Openet
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OBSERVED INTERNET SPEEDS
[SOURCE: Akamai Technologies, AUTHOR: ]
In a report filed with the Federal Communications Commission, Akamai presents data on aggregate average Internet speeds for U.S. network connections. The report offers average download speeds by state over time and average download speeds by top cities.
benton.org/node/29170 | Akamai Technologies
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SPECTRUM/WIRELESS
BROADCASTERS RISE IN DEFENSE OF AIRWAVES
[SOURCE: TVNewsCheck, AUTHOR: Harry Jessell]
Finally there's a champion for public interest use of a precious communications resource: US television broadcasters. Concerned that the government may reallocate some or all of their spectrum to wireless broadband, TV broadcasters — commercial and noncommercial — have begun mounting a defense of their airwaves. [Editors note: "their"?] In comments filed with the Federal Communications Commission as part of its inquiry into improving broadband access to the Internet, the broadcasters said their digital over-the-air signals are an integral part of the service they provide today and the basis for new digital services tomorrow like mobile TV. They also said that over the years they have vacated a third of the spectrum originally allocated to broadcasting so that it could be used for other purposes. The National Association of Broadcasters and the Association for Maximum Service Television (MSTV) say broadcaster's transition to digital, completed just this June, produced additional efficiencies in the use of the broadcast spectrum. They also challenge the assertion of FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski and others that there is a severe shortage of spectrum available for wireless broadband. [Editors note: "Spectrum crisis? What spectrum crisis?"] Instead of increasing wireless broadband spectrum by 300 percent as some have suggested, the broadcasters said, the goal should be to improve the efficiency of spectrum used by wireless broadband by 300 percent. The value of broadcasting's use of spectrum cannot be evaluated in strictly financial terms, the broadcasters added. "Over-the-air broadcasting reaches virtually every household in America, and is engineered to serve core public interest goals such as local journalism, universal service, diversity, competition, local economic activity, availability of educational programming, and timely provision of emergency information. "If these objectives were not a factor, the television broadcast service would have different technical and economic characteristics; among other points, it likely would not be free and available to all Americans, especially in more sparsely populated areas."
benton.org/node/29174 | TVNewsCheck
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MICROSOFT, GOOGLE AND THE BEAR
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Saul Hansell]
Major cellphone handset manufacturers are excited that the open source nature of Google's operating system, Anrdoid, will help them cut costs by drawing in a wider range of programming talent. They also appreciate how easy it is to customize Android to make handsets that are different from others in the market using the same software. But Robert J. Bach, president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division, says, "Every Google phone works differently, and you have fragmentation." And indeed, that is a common worry among developers, who don't want their applications to be incompatible with certain phones that have unusual screen sizes or features. But then again, Windows Mobile, which has been around for nearly 10 years, already has that same problem, and one of Microsoft's chief goals in upcoming versions is to rein in the variations between Windows Mobile handsets. But even if Windows Mobile has flaws, Bach is right to wonder about Google's motives. Like PC makers, smartphone manufacturers are falling into two camps. Some—like Apple, R.I.M. and Palm—will write their own operating systems. Others—like Samsung, H.T.C. and Motorola—will get smartphone operating systems from other companies. Before taking over as chief executive of Google, Eric Schmidt battled Microsoft at Novel and Sun, and he has long put a high priority on making sure Google is never vulnerable to excess power in Redmond. In that light, Youssef H. Squali, an analyst with Jefferies, wrote recently that Google will be satisfied if Android simply prevents any company from having too much control over smartphones. "We believe Android is an insurance policy against any potential collusion from carriers, manufacturers and competitors to either block or downgrade Google services," he wrote. "Google is hoping to further fragment the OS market to avoid any concentration of power in the hands of one or two competitors." In other words, Android doesn't have to beat the iPhone. It just has to be better than Windows Mobile.
benton.org/node/29156 | New York Times
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VERIZON MOBILE GROWTH
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Sinead Carew]
Verizon's 3rd-quarter profits were $2.89 billion on revenues that were up 10.2% to $27.27 billion. Wireless subscriber gains offset slower-than-anticipated growth in its FiOS television service. Verizon Wireless added a net 1.2 million mobile customers, but is still losing market share to AT&T. Wireless brought in just under 58 percent of Verizon's total revenue for the quarter. The company, which depends on mobile, broadband and TV for growth, also appeared to lose customers to cable rivals -- Verizon reported 191,000 FiOS TV customer additions in the quarter.
benton.org/node/29155 | Reuters
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CYBERSECURITY
THE VULNERABLE INTERNET
[SOURCE: Wired, AUTHOR: Kim Zetter]
Researchers scanning the Internet for vulnerable embedded devices have found nearly 21,000 routers, webcams and VoIP products open to remote attack. Their administrative interfaces are viewable from anywhere on the Internet and their owners have failed to change the manufacturer's default password. Linksys routers had the highest percent of vulnerable devices found in the United States — 45 percent of 2,729 routers that were publicly accessible still had a default password in place. Polycom VoIP units came in second, with default passwords lingering on about 29 percent of 585 devices accessible over the Internet. "You can reflash the firmware or install any software you wish on vulnerable devices," said Salvatore Stolfo, a Columbia University computer science professor who is overseeing the research project aimed at uncovering vulnerable appliances on the Internet. "These devices will be owned and used by bot herders and other miscreants."
benton.org/node/29146 | Wired
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THE KOREAN CYBER ATTACKS
[SOURCE: Center for Strategic and International Studies, AUTHOR: James Lewis]
It has been several months since the basic "denial of service" attacks against networks in the United States and South Korea in early July. No one has yet taken credit, nor have others been able to determine the attackers' identity. As with many other cyber incidents, there is no conclusive evidence as to who was responsible. Cyberspace enables anonymous attacks. Identities are easily concealed or fabricated in cyberspace, and an astute opponent will of course make it look as if another was responsible for an attack. The use of botnets complicates attribution - the source of an attack, at the first iteration, will be innocent and unknowing third parties. Forensic work may eventually reveal the source of an attack, but a sophisticated opponent will be able to operate clandestinely and with a high degree of deniability. The "Confickr" worm is a good example of this difficulty. Confickr was a global malware that infected millions of computers. Many companies and governments made a coordinated effort to fend it off, but we still have no idea who launched Confickr, what their intent was, or even whether it has been removed from all infected systems. This failure of attribution leads to several conclusions on state of cyber conflict. Cyber conflict is a new and complicated strategic problem. There is neither an adequate policy framework to manage conflict in cyberspace nor a satisfactory lexicon to describe it. Uncertainty is the most prominent aspect of cyber conflict in attribution of the attackers identity, the scope of collateral damage, and the potential effect on the intended target from cyber attack. Many concepts deterrence, preemption, proportional response must be adjusted or replaced for the uncertain cyber environment.
benton.org/node/29171 | Center for Strategic and International Studies
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GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
OBAMA'S MEDIA STRATEGY
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Ben Feller]
The same president who aggressively harnesses the power of the press to promote his agenda has taken to lacing his comments with criticisms of the media, with no bigger target than the gabby culture of cable television. President Barack Obama's critique is biting: The media prefer conflict over cooperation, encourage bad behavior and weaken the ability of leaders to help the nation. The White House's attempt to discredit Fox News as an arm of the Republican Party may have been getting the headlines, but it is only one recent window into Obama's already complex and crafty relationship with those who cover him. All of Obama's frustration comes as he not only welcomes the ratings-mad media's constant demand for his presence, but also aggressively seeks maximum exposure to serve his own agenda.
benton.org/node/29157 | Associated Press
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ONLINE CHATS FOR LAWMAKERS
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Jordy Yager]
Online town hall forums greatly increase the likelihood that constituents will vote for members of Congress, with many voters shifting their position on an issue closer to the lawmaker's, according to a new study released Monday. The study was conducted by the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF), a nonprofit Internet advocacy group. It facilitated and monitored 20 online town hall meetings with 13 lawmakers discussing topics like immigration and detainee policy with 15 to 20 constituents at a time. Overall, participants reported a 15 percent increase in approval of their member after the 30-minute online sessions than they had held previously. "There were also similar increases in trust and perceptions of personal qualities — such as whether they were compassionate, hardworking, accessible, etc. — of the member," said the study.
benton.org/node/29144 | Hill, The
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JOURNALISM
NEWSPAPER CIRCULATION FALLS 10%
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Richard Perez-Pena]
Newspaper sales moved sharply lower this year, falling about 10 percent in the six months ended Sept. 30 compared with the same period last year, according to figures released on Monday by the Audit Bureau of Circulations. Circulation has been sliding since the early 1990s, but in the last few years, the pace of the decline has accelerated sharply. In the same six-month period a year ago, circulation fell at roughly half the rate. The decline has been attributed to the continued migration of readers to the Web, the deep recession, newspapers intentionally shedding unprofitable circulation and, in some cases, waning reader interest as budget cuts reduce the content of the papers. Among the nation's largest newspapers, the biggest decline was reported by The San Francisco Chronicle, whose weekday circulation, about 252,000, was down 25.8 percent. The Star-Ledger of Newark and The Dallas Morning News each fell more than 22 percent on weekdays, and about 19 percent on Sundays. Over all, the audit bureau said that of the hundreds of newspapers whose reports it had so far, weekday circulation was down 10.6 percent, and Sunday was down 7.5 percent. In the same period a year ago, both declines were under 5 percent, and even that was a marked acceleration from the previous years.
benton.org/node/29158 | New York Times
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HEALTH
DISPROPORTIONATE SHARE HOSPITALS FACE IT DISADVANTAGES
[SOURCE: HealthcareITNews, AUTHOR: Molly Merrill]
Disproportionate share hospitals, which serve more poor patients, are lagging behind other hospitals in adopting electronic health records, according to a new survey. Researchers reported in Health Affairs that without federal funding this digital divide would continue and expressed concern that any funding would actually reach these hospitals. The study, which examined EHR use in 2,368 acute care hospitals, was supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the federal Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. The research was lead by Ashish Jha, MD, associate professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital and George Washington University.
benton.org/node/29168 | HealthcareITNews
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ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS NOT A CURE-ALL
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Alexi Mostrous]
In a health-care debate characterized by partisan bickering, most lawmakers agree on one thing: American medicine needs to go digital. But bipartisan support has obscured questions about the effectiveness of health information technology products, critics say. Interviews with more than two dozen doctors, academics, patients and computer programmers suggest that computer systems can increase errors, add hours to doctors' workloads and compromise patient care. Health IT's effectiveness is unclear.
benton.org/node/29153 | Washington Post
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HEALTH 2.0
[SOURCE: iHealthBeat, AUTHOR: Michael Millenson]
[Commentary] Health 2.0 is a trend accompanied by both buzz and buzzwords. That worries some advocates for the poor, underserved and just plain old and sick. Will those groups be left behind in the latest information revolution? The potential positives of the Web-as-health-care platform for interactive health care services could be seen in two full days of presentations and discussions at a recent meeting in San Francisco, called the Health 2.0 Conference. Still, a certain Silicon Valley sensibility remained: widgets for weight control were much more likely to target the calorie count of cappuccinos than corn dogs. Yet the real question is not whether Health 2.0 arrives clothed in hype; of course it does. The most important thing to understand is that Health 2.0 is genuine change happening right now, not just another idea of how health care might be different tomorrow
benton.org/node/29169 | iHealthBeat
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KIDS & MEDIA
KIDS TV VIEWING AT 8-YEAR HIGH
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: Wayne Friedman]
The Nielsen Company says children's viewing of TV is at an eight-year high. Young kids 2-5 spend 32 hours in front of their TVs, while kids 6-11 watch a little less, at over 28 hours. Nielsen says the lower numbers for older kids are the result of more time spent at school. The biggest use of TV time -- 78% -- comes with live TV viewing, which among kids 2-5 is 24 hours, or 51 minutes per week. This comes after time playing DVDs at 4 hours, 33 minutes; then DVR playback, 1:29; game console, 1:12; and videotape playback at 45 minutes. But older kids are different than young kids, with DVD and game console use about equal: 2:28 for DVD and 2:23 for game console. DVR playback is less than half the time for these two activities at just 59 minutes. Videotape playback is at 18 minutes per week among this segment. Nielsen says this trend mirrors overall media consumption in the two years.
benton.org/node/29172 | MediaPost
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CONTENT
TWITTER ENTRIES SATIRIZE WORKS OF LIT
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Andrew Stern, Matt Cowan]
Twitterture: To Tweet or not to Tweet. Two snarky English literature geeks satirize Great Books for fun and profit.
Reuters
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A WIN FOR INTERNET SPEECH
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Editorial staff]
[Commentary] The sheriff of Cook County, Ill., grabbed headlines earlier this year when he sued Craigslist, the online classified advertising forum, for allowing posts that he said promoted prostitution. A federal judge in Chicago wisely threw out the suit last week. As Congress has recognized, if an Internet proprietor had to police every posting that a third party put up, the cost would be enormous — and it would likely stifle communications. Sheriff Dart told the court that his office had conducted sting operations using Craigslist that led to numerous arrests on prostitution and related charges. He seemed to think it was an argument against Craigslist, but it actually shows why suits like his are unnecessary.
benton.org/node/29182 | New York Times
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FACEBOOK BECOMING BIG FRIEND OF SMALL BUSINESS
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Dan Fost]
Facebook is not just for friends anymore. The free social networking site -- blocked in many workplaces as a potential time-waster -- is increasingly becoming an inexpensive marketing tool for small businesses. A growing number of mom-and-pop businesses are taking advantage of a relatively new program on Facebook, one that allows them to claim their name, become visible even to folks who aren't on the site, and stay in close contact with their customers. The business, in effect, can act like any other person on Facebook, posting status updates and seeing what its fans are doing. Facebook doesn't break out figures for small businesses but says it has 1.4 million business "pages," with an average of 100 fans per page. Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg said in a speech in New York last month that every day, 10 million people become fans of pages. (Many of those pages are for random concepts, such as the beach, or laughter, or even one called "I don't sleep enough because I stay up late for no reason," which has 3.5 million fans.) Businesses need to go where their customers are, and increasingly these days, that's on Facebook and other social media sites, analysts say. More than 300 million people have signed up for Facebook, and half of them visit the site every day.
benton.org/node/29180 | Los Angeles Times
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TELECOM
FAIRPOINT FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Clarke Canfield]
FairPoint Communications had its work cut out when it grew sixfold overnight by buying Verizon Communications' land line and Internet operations in three New England states. But the nation's credit crisis and a bungled technology transfer made the task virtually impossible. With a battered financial sheet and a tattered reputation, FairPoint filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday, barely 18 months after becoming the dominant telecommunications company in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. The bankruptcy filing was widely anticipated and fulfilled critics' predictions that FairPoint was taking on more than it could handle when it bought the Verizon properties for $2.3 billion. Regulators and politicians said they would look out for the interests of FairPoint's customers and workers. The regulatory boards in Maine and New Hampshire said they have hired bankruptcy specialists to help during the process. Staff members from the three states' regulatory boards planned to meet with FairPoint's management and staff on Monday. Fairpoint will try to negotiate changes to the broadband deployment requirements it agreed to in exchange for state approval of its 2008 acquisition of Verizon assets. Fairpoint's lawyers are currently examining whether or not its Chapter 11 protection from creditors might also allow the company to renegotiate regulatory requirements in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, where it acquired 1.7 million access lines from Verizon.
benton.org/node/29142 | Associated Press
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BUSY US CELL NETWORKS A BONANZA FOR GEAR MAKERS
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Sinead Carew]
Dropped calls may be annoying to a mobile phone user but network equipment makers and operators are eyeing a big payday from congested cellphone networks. Flashy smartphones like Apple Inc's iPhone, which allow downloads of everything from games to stock prices, are straining mobile networks and pushing carriers to upgrade wired broadband connections to cell towers, known as backhaul. The market for backhaul equipment will double to $10.9 billion in 2013 from $4.6 billion in 2008, according to research firm Infonetics. This will provide new areas of growth for network equipment makers such as Alcatel Lucent, Ciena, and Nokia Siemens.
benton.org/node/29173 | Reuters
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CHINA SETTLES MONOPOLY TEST CASE
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Sundeep Tucker, Kathrin Hille]
Two pioneering legal actions in China involving high-profile companies have been settled, with one case highlighting the fresh powers handed to consumers under the country's new anti-monopoly laws. China Mobile, the world's largest mobile phone group with 500 million subscribers, has agreed to pay Rmb1,000 ($146) to settle a lawsuit filed by a customer who alleged it had abused its monopoly position to extract unfair revenue from subscribers. Zhou Ze, a Beijing-based civil rights lawyer, had demanded China Mobile refund Rmb1,200 because of the allegedly "unfair" extra monthly Rmb50 rental fee charged to high-end customers who do not use prepaid phone cards. The settlement, mediated by a Beijing court and which China Mobile agreed without accepting liability, could trigger thousands of copycat cases against Chinese companies as consumers utilize their new rights.
benton.org/node/29179 | Financial Times
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POLICYMAKERS
OBAMA TO DETAIL STIMULUS SPENDING ON 'SMART GRID'
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Jim Tankersley]
President Obama and administration officials today will announce $3.4 billion in spending projects to modernize the nation's electric power system. The president will offer details on funding for the "smart grid" during an appearance at a solar plant in Arcadia, Fla. White House officials said the projects would create tens of thousands of jobs in the near term and lay the groundwork for changing how Americans use and pay for energy. The spending is aimed at improving the efficiency and reliability of the U.S. power supply, and helping to create markets for wind and solar power, officials said. They also said it would create "smart meters" to help consumers use electricity when demand is low and when rates are cheaper -- for example, by running dishwashers and other energy-thirsty appliances in the middle of the night.
benton.org/node/29181 | Los Angeles Times
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OBAMA & GOOGLE
[SOURCE: Fortune, AUTHOR: Jia Lynn Yang, Nina Easton]
No one can accuse President Barack Obama of cozying up to corporate America. From his denunciations of Wall Street greed to his critiques of the auto manufacturers, Obama and his team have done little to disguise their mistrust of big business -- except when it comes to one very large, very influential technology company. In Google, the $22-billion-a-year online-advertising Goliath, then-Sen. Obama appears to have found a corporate kindred spirit. Google executives, led by CEO Eric Schmidt and co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, are scary smart and supremely self-confident (much like the President himself), and despite their company's growing power, they depict themselves as advocates for consumers. "What we shared is a belief in changing the world from the bottom up, not from the top down," Obama told Google employees during a 2007 visit to its headquarters in Mountain View (CA). Indeed, two of Obama's economic tenets -- support for more U.S.-educated engineers and the expansion of Internet services to poor and rural areas -- grew out of a visit to Google headquarters in 2004.
benton.org/node/29143 | Fortune
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HOW TO GIVE THE FCC A PIECE OF YOUR MIND
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Matthew Lasar]
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) took a big step towards becoming more accessible on Friday, with an impressive upgrade of its Electronic Comment Filing System. The new EFCS offers far more searching capability, formatting flexibility, and bookmarking power than ever before. The system offers text searching and RSS conversion, and it makes it easier to comment on proceedings. EFCS 2.0 still doesn't go quite as far as we recommended last year, but it's another example of how the Commission is turning its website into a true public resource.
benton.org/node/29150 | Ars Technica
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COMMUNICATIONS SECURITY, RELIABILITY, AND INTEROPERABILITY COUNCIL
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: ]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski has appointed the members of the Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council. William Smith of AT&T and Chris Fischer of the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials, International will co-chair the council that will provide recommendations to the Commission regarding best practices and actions the Commission can take to ensure optimal security, reliability, and interoperability of communications systems, including telecommunications, media and public safety communications systems.
benton.org/node/29152 | Federal Communications Commission
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POWELL JOINS AOL
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Kevin Kingsbury]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell and investment banker William Hambrecht are joining the board of America Online as it spins off from Time Warner. AOL has been struggling as advertising revenue has declined and as subscriptions to its dial-up Internet service have dwindled. The nine directors named Monday include current AOL Chief Executive Tim Armstrong, who will be chairman, Frederic Reynolds, the recently retired chief financial officer of CBS, Richard Dalzell, a former Amazon executive, Karen Dykstra, a partner at Plainfield Asset Management; Patricia Mitchell, president and CEO of the Paley Center for Media, a nonprofit cultural institution; management consultant James Stengel; and consultant James Wiatt, a former CEO of the William Morris Agency.
benton.org/node/29154 | Wall Street Journal
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