October 2009

Federal Taskforce To Focus On Cybersecurity Metrics

The US government plans to introduce standard metrics for measuring the effectiveness of its cybersecurity efforts by the end of the year. The move, announced by federal CIO Vivek Kundra, along with the CIOs of the Navy and Department of Justice, comes at a time where the Federal Information Security Management Act, the government's main cybersecurity regulation, has been criticized for being inadequate and incomplete in terms of performance measurement. In order to develop the standards, the government has established the Security Metrics Taskforce, which will draw on best practices from federal agencies and the private sector. The task force includes representatives of the Federal CIO Council, Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, National Institute of Standards and Health, Homeland Security, Department of Defense, Director of National Intelligence, Government Accountability Office, and the Information Security and Privacy Advisory Board. It met for the first time on September 17 and expects to release draft metrics by the end of November.

Axelrod meets with Ailes

At a time of tension between their organizations, White House senior adviser David Axelrod met with Fox News chairman and chief executive officer Roger Ailes two weeks ago. The two discussed news coverage and the relationship between the organizations.

RTNDA: Stations 'Have a Long Way to Go' on Web

According to a new Radio-Television News Directors Association/Hofstra University study, television station websites are a long way from making money -- just 31% turn a profit while 10% break even, 17% lose money while 42% of station mangers don't know if the site is making money. RTNDA Chairman Stacey Woelfel said the study "holds a mirror up for us to see the immediate need for more editorial supervision and management vision" on station sites. "These sites have never been as important as they are now and are, of course, a primary path for us to deliver news to our audiences--now and even more so in the future," he said. "This research gives every news director in America something to examine in his or her own newsroom."

Strong communication key to online learning

Teaching in an online environment isn't the same as teaching in a traditional classroom, and online instructors need special skills and approaches to be successful. For example, communication can pose a challenge in online-learning environments, because online educators can't rely on visual cues as their colleagues can in bricks-and-mortar schools. Now, a new research brief from the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) looks at this challenge in greater detail, examining how successful programs and teachers are ensuring effective communication. The report, called "Examining Communication and Interaction in Online Teaching," reviews existing research and what it has to say about the keys to successful online instruction. It also reviews various policies and practices for communicating with students and parents during an online course, and it looks at the delivery model, course development, pacing, communication methods, and teacher requirements for 10 leading online-learning programs.

The FTC's Double Standard On Swag

The Federal Trade Commission's new guides to testimonials and endorsements make untenable distinctions between traditional media and the Internet. In a portion of the guides addressing review copies, the FTC says that bloggers should disclose the receipt of free merchandise, but that people who write for news organizations need not do so. Why the difference? The FTC seems to think that professional news organizations -- but not citizen journalists -- can be trusted to self-regulate in this area. Certainly, some newspapers have policies forbidding writers from accepting swag. But plenty of publications don't think twice about reviewing a book after receiving a free copy, or writing about a movie after attending a free screening. And some newspapers and magazines allow journalists to review a hotel after going on a travel junket, or write about a restaurant after accepting a free meal. Likewise, some citizen journalists and stand-alone bloggers probably accept swag, while others purchase merchandise with their own money and then write about it.

Are DVRs, procedurals serial killers?

There's a schism between procedural and serialized dramas -- and potentially the rift separating broadcasting and cable as the digital video recorder's impact on TV consumption steadily grows. Several factors appear to be lining up behind broadcast series that are more episodically self-contained, leaving the heavily serialized format to the less-demanding confines of cable. The nagging problem with a show like "FlashForward" is the fear that every viewer who drifts away will be irrevocably lost, in the same way that those who abandoned "Lost" likely deemed the series too impenetrable to rejoin. Fox's "24" has skirted this issue partly by essentially rebooting each season, though even that franchise has experienced inevitable erosion. While these programs generate intense loyalty, they're also seemingly more vulnerable to ratings dives -- and not incidentally, more apt to be time-shifted, with audiences blasting past the commercials. A recent study by TiVo underscores the challenge that serialized programs face, indicating that 83% of the audience time-shifting "Mad Men" zapped through the ads -- markedly higher than the drama-category average of 73%.

Honduran Coup Government Lifts Ban on Protests, Media

The interim Honduran government has lifted an emergency decree that prohibited protest marches and limited other civil liberties, clearing the way for possible new demonstrations over the political standoff in this Central American country. Supporters of ousted President Manuel Zelaya were expected to march on Tuesday in the capital, a day before an Organization of American States summit of regional foreign ministers is due to arrive for talks aimed at ending the impasse over control of the government. Interim President Roberto Micheletti said Monday that the decree, which resulted in dozens of arrests and the closing of two pro-Zelaya media outlets, "has been completely revoked," but Zelaya expressed doubts. "Let's see if they free the campesinos and end the oppression of the people, or if this is one more trick," the ousted president said.

4.6 billion mobile subscriptions by the end of 2009

ITU's latest statistics reveal rapid information and communications technology (ICT) growth in many world regions in everything from mobile cellular subscriptions to fixed and mobile broadband, and from TV to computer penetration -- with mobile technology acting as a key driver. The brand new comprehensive data, forecasts and analysis on the global ICT market show that mobile growth is continuing unabated, with global mobile subscriptions expected to reach 4.6 billion by the end of the year, and mobile broadband subscriptions to top 600 million in 2009, having overtaken fixed broadband subscribers in 2008. Mobile technologies are making major inroads toward extending ICTs in developing countries, with a number of nations launching and commercially offering IMT2000/3G networks and services. But ITU's statistics also highlight important regional discrepancies, with mobile broadband penetration rates still low in many African countries and other developing nations. More than a quarter of the world's population is online and using the Internet, as of 2009. Ever-increasing numbers are opting for high-speed Internet access, with fixed broadband subscriber numbers more than tripling from 150 million in 2004 to an estimated 500 million by the end of 2009. Rapid high-speed Internet growth in the developed world contrasts starkly with the state of play in the developing world. In Africa, for example, there is only one fixed broadband subscriber for every 1,000 inhabitants, compared with Europe where there are some 200 subscribers per 1,000 people. The relative price for ICT services (especially broadband) is highest in Africa, the region with the lowest income levels. The report finds that China has the world's largest fixed broadband market, overtaking its closest rival, the US, at the end of 2008. ITU estimates show that three quarters of households now own a television set and over a quarter of people globally - some 1.9bn - now have access to a computer at home.

Broadband Roll-Out That Excludes Communities is "Prescription for Disaster"

At the Federal Communications Commission's National broadband Plan field hearing in Charleston (SC), Alliance for Digital Equality (ADE) founder Julius Hollis told Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Michael Copps that if the broadband revolution excludes any community, "none of us will be safe in this world." He called it a "prescription for disaster in which America will implode." ADE advocates for equal access to technology in underserved communities. Its partners include BET, AT&T, and wireless provider Qualcomm. Hollis said bridging that divide would take public/private partnerships, echoing a theme of the hearing, which was that neither government nor the private sector could do it alone. Bernie Mazyck, president and CEO of the South Carolina Association of Community Development Corporations, said that the FCC needed to insure organizations like his had a seat at the table, adding that a strictly marketplace-based approach was not the answer.

FCC Broadband Plan Hearing in San Diego to Focus on Spectrum, Mobile Apps

As part of its effort to gather information for the development of a National Broadband Plan, the FCC will hold a field hearing in San Diego Thursday focused on the transformational change that is resulting from the confluence of mobility and broadband. In particular, the hearing will provide a West Coast perspective on spectrum availability, mobile applications, and the role that they play in the development of America's broadband infrastructure. The Commission will be represented by Chairman Julius Genachowski and Commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker. Questions and comments from the audience are encouraged. The hearing will be held Thursday October 8 at the University of San Diego.

Benton

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