Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano spoke to the nation in a live Web address on Oct. 20 to spread the spirit of collaboration when it comes to securing the digital networks that support our modern way of life. "Just as with our nation's preparedness for natural disasters or terrorist attacks, our nation's cyber-security is a shared responsibility," she said.
Iconix Brand Group has agreed to pay $250,000 to settle a Federal Trade Commission complaint that the company violated a federal law banning collection of data about children without their parents' consent. The FTC alleged that since 2006, Iconix collected personal information from children on sites for youthful clothing and accessory brands like Candies, Mudd and Bongo. The complaint and proposed settlement were made public Tuesday. In its complaint, the FTC alleges that Iconix collected registration information, including birthdates, of at least 1,000 children age 12 and under and then sent them newsletters and enrolled them in sweepstakes. The FTC also alleged that Iconix allowed users under 13 to upload their photos and post personal information about themselves. The commission said these alleged practices violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, which bans marketers from amassing or spreading personal data about children without their parents' permission. In addition to promising to pay $250,000, Iconix agreed to destroy data collected in violation of federal law and to comply with the privacy law in the future.
MediaPost is asking a judge to unseal a report filed by Google in response to a court order deactivating a Gmail user's account. In papers filed late Tuesday in federal court in the northern district of California, MediaPost argues that the report should be made available so the public can learn what steps Google took to comply with the court's order and what factors went into the disposition of the case. "The report is a judicial record and thus subject to the strong presumption of public access," MediaPost argues, adding that it "wants to see the document for the purpose of continuing to report on this case." The court proceedings in this matter stem from a mis-sent email. In August, the Wyoming-based Rocky Mountain Bank mistakenly sent financial records of more than 1,000 customers to a Gmail address. When the bank realized its error, it sent a message to that same address asking the recipient to contact the bank and destroy the file without opening it. No one responded, so the bank contacted Google to ask for information about the account holder. Google refused to release any information about the account without a court order, which spurred the bank to file legal papers asking for the account holder's identity and also asking that the account be deactivated.
Regulations that encourage utilities to build their own communications network are hurting utilities and blocking telecom service providers from one of their biggest opportunities in the smart grid, according to Jake MacLeod, Chief Technology Officer at Bechtel Communications, a global engineering, construction and project management firm. Speaking at the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions technology conference, MacLeod noted that today's regulatory environment rewards a return on every capital dollar that a utility spends in infrastructure. However, if a utility opts to partner with a telco, requiring operational expenses, but negating the need for capital upfront, that utility gets no aid in return. "So as a power company they say, 'I have to build my own network,'" MacLeod said. "'It doesn't make sense, but I have to build it."
Hospitals and medical practices are scrambling to deploy e-medical record and other clinical information systems to meet federal requirements for the more than $20 billion in stimulus incentives included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. And that means many of them are expanding their IT teams to bring in the skills and expertise they need to implement these systems. In fact, National Coordinator of Health IT Dr. David Blumenthal recently predicted that the move toward digitized medical record systems could create 50,000 new healthcare IT jobs over the next several years.
Cincinnati Bell Wireless told the Federal Communications Commission that AT&T should be required to share handset designs with small wireless carriers before the Commission approves the purchase of Centennial Communications. The purchase of Centennial would "deprive smaller carriers of an ally and consortium partner in buying arrangements," Cincinnati Bell told the FCC. The Justice Department approved the $945 million merger on Oct. 13 on condition the combined company sell wireless assets in Louisiana and Mississippi. The FCC will make a decision "very soon," Ruth Milkman, who heads the agency's wireless bureau, said at the time.
New digital and mobile technologies could help improve health care and cut costs for patients, but health experts say these services are not often covered by private insurance plans. "We need to use technology to change the organizational structure of health care," Darrell West, vice president of the Brookings Institution, said at a recent panel discussion at the Washington-based think tank. Telemedicine, a developing area in clinical medicine, uses technology to do things like transfer medical information electronically and have medical consultations or examinations from remote locations. The health-care bill passed by the Senate Finance Committee contains some provisions for telemedicine, but West said in an interview that the bill "does not go far enough." West said telemedicine services need to be more widely available to the public no matter what kind of health reform Congress approves. "There needs to be policy changes that recognize the virtues of telemedicine," West said.
Political advertising will hit $3.3 billion in 2010, an 11 percent increase over 2008 (but a 4 percent decrease from 2006), according to a Wells Fargo Securities report released Oct. 21. The ad windfall, more than 60 percent of which will go to local TV, will be fueled by the election of 37 governors, 38 senators, every member of the House of Representatives and issue advertising (which could approach $1 billion) on hot-button issues such as health care. The factors affecting the 2010 forecast are similar to those that made 2006 ad spend of $3.4 billion a record year for political advertising. "2010 political spending will most closely resemble 2006, as it was the last time a large number of governor races were held, and congressional elections faced similar conditions (i.e. declining presidential and congressional approval ratings and contentious issues)," wrote Marci Ryvicker, senior analyst and author of the report. Broadcast TV will reap the lion's share at $2.2 billion or 67 percent of the total, with $2 billion going to local TV, $150 million to cable and $50 million to network TV. Direct mail will get $650 million or 20 percent of the ad spend, followed by radio at $250 million or 8 percent, and newspaper at $95 million or 3 percent. Outdoor and the Internet are forecast to reach $55 million and $50 million, respectively.
A team of scientists at the University of California Los Angeles report that new Internet users between the ages of 55 and 78 improved their scores on decision-making and complex reasoning tests after just seven days online. The researchers said they found that surfing the Web seemed to stimulate neural activity and possibly enhance cognitive functioning in those mature Internet beginners. Just a week online increased brain activity twofold in the oldest Internet users studied, according to the scientists. The researchers reported that using the Internet triggers key centers in the brain that usually atrophy with age and lack of use. However, when people begin using the Internet, it positively affects cognitive functions and alters the way the brain encodes new information.
FCC Media Ownership Workshp
Federal Communications Commission
Meeting Room
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, D.C. 20554
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Moderator: William T. Lake, Chief, Media Bureau, FCC
Broadcasters and Industry Panel
Jane Mago, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, National Association of Broadcasters
George Mahoney, Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary, Media General
James L. Winston, Executive Director and General Counsel, National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters
[Others not yet confirmed]
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