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November 2009

High-Tech Devices Help Drivers Put Down Phone

ZoomSafer is a free service that uses a phone's GPS sensors to determine whether it is at driving speeds, and then disables the cellphone until the car stops. Of course, there is a simpler, no-cost solution to limiting phone use while driving: the off button. But going cold turkey is hard for many Americans who have become addicted to their gadgets. And so technology companies are trying to solve a problem caused by technology with more technology. But the solutions reflect markedly different answers to a simple question: How much can drivers be trusted? One group of companies assume that some people know they can't help themselves, and therefore want a service to automatically disable their cellphone when it is in a moving car. But other companies say the habit can be made safer with hands-free technology. Ford and Microsoft, for example, are selling systems that rely on voice commands to dial phones. Hands-free devices are far more popular. But it is cellphone-muzzling technology that has caught the eye of large auto insurers. That's because some studies show that talking on phones while driving is dangerous, even if the driver is using a headset and has both hands on the wheel. One insurer has even said it will offer discounts to customers who use a call-blocking service.

Suits Over Ads Demand Proof

Companies that were once content to fight in grocery-store aisles and on television commercials are now choosing a different route — filing lawsuits and other formal grievances challenging their competitors' claims. Longtime foes like Pantene and Dove, Science Diet and Iams, AT&T and Verizon Wireless, and Campbell Soup and Progresso have all wrestled over ads recently. The goal is usually not money but market share. Companies file complaints to get competitors' ads withdrawn or amended. The cases themselves might seem a little absurd. Dueling advertisers, however, argue that these claims can mislead consumers and cause a pronounced drop in sales. Since advertisers are required by law to have a reasonable factual basis for their commercials, their competitors are essentially demanding that they show their hand. The increase in these actions may be a reflection of the dismal economy: in recessions, when overall spending lags, advertisers must fight harder for customers.

Cellphone Entertainment Takes Off in Rural India

In the furthest reaches of India's rural heartland, the cellphone is bringing something that television, radio and even newspapers couldn't deliver: instant access to music, information, entertainment, news and even worship. Despite its rapid modernization, many of India's 750,000 villages remain isolated except for the cellphone reception that now blankets almost the entire country after a decade of rapid expansion by operators. So in villages that don't receive any FM radio stations, people have begun calling a number that has a recording of Bollywood tunes and listening to it on their headsets. This primitive cellular "radio" service was used by close to 20 million Indians last year, phone company executives estimate.

Nov 23, 2009 (Weekend Update)

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for SUNDAY NOVEMBER 22, 2009

On Monday morning the FCC hosts a discussion on the state of broadband-related research http://bit.ly/3v3FjE


NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN
   Broadband in America: Where It Is and Where It Is Going
   Improving the E-rate as Part of National Broadband Plan
    See also:School libraries key in teaching information skills
   Copps: Our Window for Reform
   Genachowski: Spectrum Crisis Not Immediate, But Planning For It Should Be
   Mobile Broadband and Implications for Broadband Competition and Adoption
   Report from Nov. 12 Georgetown Field Hearing on Broadband and Public Safety
   Analysis of the Gaps: Public Safety

NETWORK NEUTRALITY
   New York Considers Resolution Backing Net Neutrality
   Minority Journalists Want Strong Net Neutrality Rules

TELEVISION
   DTV Coupon Redemption Ends With Over $1 Billion Worth Unused
   An Unsteady Future for Broadcast
   Oprah Underscores Importance Of Retrans

OWNERSHIP
   McDowell: The Color Green
   GE and Vivendi Halt Talks Over Stake in NBC
   What Will Cabler's Ownership OF NBC Mean For Local Affiliates?
   News Corp., Time Warner Said Interested in MGM Studio
   Verizon Chief: Hulu Will Be Over In Two Years
   MPAA Letter Regarding Anti-Counterfeiting Treaty

GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
   The means exist to rupture Internet censorship -- if the State Department will cooperate

HEALTH
   No hospital savings with electronic records
   Electronic health records could be a deadly target during a cyberwar

CYBERSECURTY
   Senators stress cybersecurity as a top priority for OSTP nominee
   Former DHS cybersecurity chief points finger at Congress
   Chinese cyber-spying seen growing against US
   Cyberattacks on U.S. military jump sharply in 2009

MORE ONLINE ...
   Boucher, Pence Back Senate Version of Shield Bill
   Isaacson Nominated to Chair Broadcasting Board of Governors
   Broadband Over Powerline's Poster Child Pulling The Plug
   Obama Team Challenges Web Developers
   Gore calls for new 'super grid' to deliver renewable energy
   AT&T's top lobbyists tell FCC to punish Google Voice

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NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN

BROADBAND IN AMERICA: CARRIERS' PERSPECTIVE
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: ]
In order to inform the Federal Communications Commission's development of a National Broadband Plan, on August 6, 2009, the FCC announced that the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information, based at the Columbia Business School in New York would conduct an independent, outside expert review of projected deployment of new and upgraded networks. The FCC asked CITI to provide an analysis of the public statements of companies as to their future plans to deploy and upgrade broadband networks, as well as evaluate the relationship between previous such announcements and actual deployment. A draft of the study has now been completed and the FCC is asking for public input. The report concludes that: 1) By 2013-14, broadband service providers expect to be able to serve about 95% of U.S. homes with at least a low speed of wired broadband service and they expect to offer to about 90% of homes advertised speeds of 50 mbps downstream. Service providers expect to provide many homes with access to these higher speeds by 2011-2012.4 Wireless broadband service providers expect to offer wireless access at advertised speeds ranging up to 12 mbps downstream (but more likely 5 mbps or less due to capacity sharing) to about 94% of the population by 2013. In addition to several wireless broadband choices, the majority of American homes will have the choice of two wired broadband services. Upstream speeds for wired and wireless services will generally be significantly lower than downstream. 2) A significant number of U.S. homes, perhaps five to ten million (which represent 4.5 to 9 percent of households), will have significantly inferior choices in broadband: most of these homes will have wireless or wired service broadband available only at speeds substantially lower than the speeds available to the rest of the country. 3) Adoption of broadband service will continue to lag substantially behind the availability of broadband for the foreseeable future. Investment analysts forecast that about 69% of households will subscribe to wired broadband by 2015, and that 53% of the population will subscribe to wireless broadband services by 2013.
benton.org/node/29960 | Federal Communications Commission | Columbia Institute for Tele-Information
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IMPROVING THE E-RATE AS PART OF THE NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN
[SOURCE: Benton Foundation, AUTHOR: Kevin Taglang]
In comments to the Federal Communications Commission on the role of broadband in education, a number of groups offered suggestions on how to improve the E-Rate program. The State E-rate Coordinators' Alliance said the National Broadband Plan should include broadband goals for K-12 education and libraries. National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors urged the FCC to broaden the scope of the E-Rate program to allow local anchor institution networks that provide broadband facilities to schools and libraries to obtain reimbursement. Such a change, NATOA says, would promote the deployment of broadband networks throughout local communities, making a wide range of services available to all members of the affected communities. NATOA believes that the FCC could authorize such a change without the need for statutory amendment. The Education and Libraries Networks Coalition (EdLiNC), a group comprised of the leading public and private education associations and the American Library Association, argues that the FCC should not contravene Congressional intent that the E-Rate exist as a telecommunications and information services program with eligibility restricted to K-12 public and private schools and public libraries. EdLiNC says there should be no expansion to of the program to include ineligible, non-connectivity services, such as computers and training. University of Alaska Professor Heather Hudson, too, says funding pressure prohibits expanding support to training, technical support, and content. EdLiNC urges the Commission to raise the E-Rate program's annual cap. But Hudson counters that there should be no increase if supported just by surcharges on telephone bills. Hudson writes that given the limited support for schools and libraries that are not eligible for significant discounts, it could be argued that funding should be available only to those that are clearly disadvantaged, e.g. eligible for discounts of 60 percent (or possibly 70 percent) or more. Allocations to other applicants could be gradually phased out. Alternatively, the discount percentages could be reviewed and possibly decreased. Do discounts of 80 percent or 90 percent provide sufficient incentives to schools and libraries to find additional sources of funding, or to be prudent and efficient in their utilization of ICT facilities and services? The FCC should commission studies to determine to what extent E-Rate funding has contributed to extending infrastructure in Alaska, on Indian reservations, and in other previously unserved areas. It should also examine how E-Rate support can complement federal ICT infrastructure initiatives such as NTIA's BTOP program and rural infrastructure grants and loans through the Rural Utilities Service (RUS). A number of commenters say the E-Rate program rules could be modified to provide additional opportunities for broadband access to communities such as use of E-Rate supported services in schools by community members during non-school hours.
benton.org/node/29964 | Benton Foundation | Prof Heather Hudson | National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors | National School Boards Association | State E-rate Coordinators' Alliance
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COPPS: OUR WINDOW FOR REFORM
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: FCC Commissioner Michael Copps]
Federal Communications Commission member Michael Copps spoke Friday at a Rainbow PUSH Coalition event and stressed that the 2008 election opened a window of opportunity for telecommunications policy reform. He said universal broadband is our central infrastructure challenge and warned, "If we fail, the diversity gaps and rural gaps and inner city gaps and technology gaps and regional gaps that have been such brakes on our progress can only get worse-much worse." He called for "A broadband policy for the American people should be, after all, a broadband policy of and by the American people." He also stressed the importance of Network Neutrality saying, "no one will benefit more from the opportunities of an open Internet than those who have suffered lack of opportunity for generations. It would be a lost opportunity of huge proportions for diversity groups and civil rights organizations to be doubting Thomases when it comes to the bedrock of preserving Internet openness." He closed asking, "How do we optimize this unique window of opportunity for change that we have open before us? Will we squabble about who has more pressing needs-those in rural areas or those in urban areas? Will we wait for the federal government to make all the decisions and then express our concerns? Will we insist on picking and choosing which broadband technologies are favored in this process? Will we see a broadband plan as a zero sum game? Will we just wait to move on public interest media until the moment has passed us by? Will we allow diversity's hour to become diversity's missed opportunity?"
benton.org/node/29965 | Federal Communications Commission
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SPECTRUM PLANNING CRISIS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski says there is a looming spectrum crisis, but he appeared Friday to be trying to calm the waters a bit after several weeks of increasing alarm from broadcasters over FCC talks about reclaming their spectrum for wireless broadband. He said that there were a lot ideas being offered up about what the commission could do to address the need for more spectrum. "We haven't said anything about which ideas were the best." He also echoed a point he made earlier in the week at a press conference, which is that this is "a long-term planning issue for the country." It has historically taken the FCC between 6 and 13 years to reclaim spectrum, he said. "We know the problem is coming," he said, "It's not coming next week; it's not coming next month; it's not coming next year, but it is coming." And he did say the FCC has to start coming up with the policies to address it now.
benton.org/node/29962 | Broadcasting&Cable
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MOBILE BROADBAND AND IMPLICATIONS FOR COMPETITION AND ADOPTION
[SOURCE: Broadband for America, AUTHOR: William Lehr]
This study predicts that the growth of mobile broadband will result in robust competition but warns that those benefits could be endangered if lawmakers "consider new regulatory obligations on broadband providers." By "enabling the convergence of mobile communication services and the broadband Internet, mobile broadband can enable the creation of markets for wholly new services (e.g., mobile health, location-aware multimedia, and machine-to-machine communications), as well as enhancing the value of existing broadband services by allowing them to go mobile," stated Dr. Lehr in his findings. Dr. Lehr discusses the current trajectory toward faster and more capable mobile broadband services, but explains why he expects mobile and fixed broadband services to remain "distinct and complementary services, rather than as close service substitutes in most user/usage contexts." Nevertheless, Dr. Lehr concludes that "the overall impact of mobile broadband will be strongly pro-competitive."
benton.org/node/29961 | Broadband for America
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BROADBAND AND PUBLIC SAFETY
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Jennifer Manner]
A Federal Communications Commission's National Broadband Plan field hearing focused on public safety and emergency medical applications and requirements. The hearing included Under Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security Rand Beers as well as FCC Commissioners Clyburn, Copps and Baker. There was also a cast of experts whose valuable input will help us develop a National Broadband Plan with meaningful expectations and recommendations for public safety. Their attendance and participation only further highlighted how important it is that everyone in the public safety community come together to find solutions to the communication issues we've faced for quite sometime.
benton.org/node/29959 | Federal Communications Commission
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PUBLIC SAFETY GAPS
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Jennifer Manner]
[Commentary] Earlier this week at the Commission meeting, the Broadband Task Force outlined key gaps that need to be addressed before the U.S. can enjoy universal broadband. There are gaps in the public safety and homeland security sector that I think are important and worth highlighting. Specifically, we are still determining how best to ensure the creation of a nationwide, interoperable public safety broadband network. Today, there is no such network that meets the requirements of the public safety community. More generally, there is a broadband connectivity gap for the public safety community, including the police, fire fighters, the emergency medical response community, and many 911 centers. This gap limits the potential for development of broadband applications that would vastly enhance the ability of public safety personnel to protect lives and property. The only broadband wireless services available today are those offered by commercial providers, which lack the coverage and resiliency that public safety requires.
benton.org/node/29958 | Federal Communications Commission
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NETWORK NEUTRALITY

NEW YORK CITY AND NET NEUTRALITY
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The New York City Council was scheduled to hold a meeting Friday morning on a resolution backing strong network neutrality principles. The resolution, which says the Internet is "in jeopardy" until such rules are approved, was co-sponsored by seven council members. "The Council of the City of New York calls upon the Federal Communications Commission to codify strong network neutrality principles in order to ensure that the Internet will continue to foster innovation, increase competition, and spur economic growth as well as making the Internet faster and more affordable for all," the resolution reads.
benton.org/node/29957 | Broadcasting&Cable | Writers Guild | Free Press
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MINORITY JOURNALISTS WANT STRONG NET NEUTRALITY RULES
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
A coalition of minority journalists is looking to drum up support for the Federal Communications Commission's proposed codification and expansion of FCC network neutrality guidelines. That comes against a backdrop of some difference of opinion in the minority community on whether that proposal could work for or against the interests of communities of color--nothing is yet set in stone and the FCC is seeking lots of comment. Unity: Journalists of Color comprises four groups: the National Association of Black Journalists, the Asian American Journalists Association, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the Native American Journalists Association. According to a copy of a letter to a host of groups including the NAACP, National Council of La Raza, and the National Disability Institute, the alliance says it wants others to join it in calling for strong network neutrality rules. They warn that without rules they say would prevent ISP's from discriminating against content online, access would go to the highest bidder, "erect[ing] additional barriers preventing journalists of color from providing our community with the news and information they need to participate in a democratic society."
benton.org/node/29956 | Broadcasting&Cable
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TELEVISION

DTV COUPON PROGRAM ENDS
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration's digital-to-analog converter box coupon program has officially ended. November 9 was the last day that retailers could redeem the $40 coupons. Apparently, 30 million coupons -- worth $1.2 billion -- went unredeemed. NTIA mailed a little over 64 million coupons, according to final figures from Oct. 14, which means almost half of them were never redeemed or used.
benton.org/node/29955 | Multichannel News
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AN UNSTEADY FUTURE FOR BROADCAST
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Tim Arango, Bill Carter]
Oprah Winfrey is fleeing broadcast television for cable. NBC, once arguably the biggest cultural tastemaker in the United States, is being shopped to Comcast, the country's largest cable company. Have we finally reached a tipping point that suggests a remarkable decline in the fortunes of broadcast television in America? Most analysts and many executives agree that the economic model of broadcast television — which relies much more heavily on advertising than cable — is severely fractured. What they are wondering now is if it is irreparably broken. The business model of the big three networks — which became four when Fox began prime-time programming in 1987 — has for decades relied on a simple formula: spend millions on original programming that will attract advertiser dollars and later live on as lucrative reruns in syndication. But ratings are going down. In the 1952-53 television season, more than 30 percent of American households that owned televisions tuned in to NBC during prime time, according to Nielsen. In the 2007-8 season, that figure was just 5.2 percent.
benton.org/node/29954 | New York Times
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OPRAH AND RETRANS
[SOURCE: TVNewsCheck, AUTHOR: Harry Jessell]
[Commentary] The loss of Oprah — one of broadcasting's biggest and most enduring stars — to cable is a terrible blow to broadcasting. The outpouring of stories last night and this morning about her decision attests to Oprah's high standing in American culture. No more needs be said about that. Those same stories note that the move is another indicator of the shifting balance of power in TV from broadcast to cable. It's hard to argue with that. As broadcasters watch Oprah share her plans with viewers — giving her stations yet another big ratings boost, no doubt — they should be thinking about what they need to do to stop the migration of their best programming to cable and what they need to do to get some new best programming.
benton.org/node/29953 | TVNewsCheck
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OWNERSHIP

MCDOWELL: THE COLOR GREEN
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Federal Communications Commission member Robert McDowell told a RainbowPUSH audience Friday that the key to minority ownership is, well, ownership. Addressing the group's Media & Telecommunications Symposium, Commissioner McDowell said that he wanted to foster minority ownership that can be legally sustained--like a minority tax certificate program--and that will "first do no harm," but he also said it was not primarily an issue of color, at least not political hues or skin color. "To boil it down," he said, "if you want to own something, somehow you have to find the money to buy or build it. This isn't a matter of 'blue' America versus 'red' America. It's not about focusing on the differences among black, white or brown America. Instead, we should focus on the color that can unify us all, the color that can empower small entrepreneurs to change a dream into a reality. And that color is the color green."
benton.org/node/29952 | Broadcasting&Cable | Commissioner McDowell
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VIVENDI SLOWING COMCAST-NBC
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Andrew Ross Sorkin, Tim Arango]
Apparently, talks between General Electric and Vivendi over the future of NBC Universal have stalled. The sides, which jointly own NBC Universal, appear to be at least $500 million apart on how to value the network, which G.E. is hoping to sell to Comcast, the big cable television company. G.E. has been negotiating for weeks with Vivendi over buying its stake and then selling a majority interest in NBC to Comcast. However, it appears that Vivendi is driving a hard bargain, holding up G.E.'s plans. If Vivendi decides against selling its stake entirely and no deal is reached, it may raise questions about G.E.'s position strategically now that it has signaled to the market that it does not feel NBC is a core part of its business. Part of the schism between G.E. and Vivendi is about how quickly Vivendi would be paid; Vivendi has asked that part of its payment be made before G.E. completes its deal with Comcast.
benton.org/node/29951 | New York Times | Forbes
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WHAT HAPPENS TO NBC AFFILIATES?
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: Wayne Friedman]
[Commentary] In a new digital world, will Comcast look to NBC stations to promote the NBC network as well as Comcast's own cable networks or other cable networks? A more controversial question is what happens to stations should NBC become a full-fledged cable network. Can Comcast get NBC affiliates to do even more with less -- or is there another agenda?
benton.org/node/29950 | MediaPost
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NEWS CORP, TIME WARNER EYE MGM
[SOURCE: Bloomberg, AUTHOR: Brett Pulley, Sarah Rabil, Michael White]
Apparently, News Corp, Time Warner, and Qualia Capital are interested in buying the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio. The companies haven't examined the studio's finances and their level of interest will depend on price. Burdened by about $4 billion in debt, Los Angeles-based MGM said last week it is weighing options, including a possible sale of the company. Creditors are hoping to get at least $2 billion, from a single buyer or by selling the assets separately, the people said. Matthew Harrigan, an analyst at Wunderlich Securities, says MGM is worth $1.6 billion to $1.7 billion.
benton.org/node/29949 | Bloomberg
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HULU OVER IN 2 YEARS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Claire Atkinson]
Verizon Communications CEO Ivan Seidenberg said Hulu is a six month wonder and that technology will ultimately bypass the current fascination with the online video service. "When you think of the change, look at Hulu and the dialogue and debate, and you say, O.K. this is in for the next eight to twelve months and in two years it won't matter because the world will have moved on." Speaking at the Paley Center as part of an event hosted by CNBC's David Faber, Seidenberg referenced a project called Sixth Sense which links a mini-projector with a cellphone and allows consumers to watch TV on any surface as an example of how fast technology changes the game. When asked about the evolution of the TV business - Verizon operates relatively new entrant FiosTV - Seidenberg said he had no problem paying retransmission fees because it is, "The cost of entry and we have to absorb it. You don't enter an industry and not play by the rules." However long term, the Verizon chief said it was an avoidable cost. "It's all transitional, all the games the media guys play."
benton.org/node/29948 | Broadcasting&Cable
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MPAA AND ACTA
[SOURCE: Public Knowledge, AUTHOR: Gigi Sohn]
The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) sent a letter to Capitol Hill asking for more transparency for deliberations on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). Of the letter, Gigi Sohn, president and co-founder of Public Knowledge, said, "We are pleased to join MPAA in asking for more transparency in the deliberations over the anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). That request is long overdue. We hope the MPAA sends its message to the U.S. Trade Representative in addition to its letters to Congress. However, we do not agree that the dispute over the backroom deliberations of this agreement are a 'distraction.' The disagreement about public involvement goes to the heart of an open and responsible government. Allowing a select few non-industry observers, including Public Knowledge, to view the contents of the ACTA proposal under strict non-disclosure terms is not a substitute for full public participation. An open and transparent government was one of the first promises made by the Obama Administration. We also take issue with the assertion that opponents of the treaty are 'indifferent' or 'actively hostile,' to use MPAA's terms, to improving worldwide copyright enforcement."
benton.org/node/29947 | Public Knowledge | MPAA | PK blog
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GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS

RUPTURING INTERNET CENSORSHIP
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Editorial staff]
[Commentary] President Barack Obama may not be aware that his State Department not only is doing next to nothing to support Internet freedom in countries such as China, but that it also has been slow-walking congressional initiatives to do so. For two years Congress has appropriated funds to support groups that are developing ways to circumvent the Chinese firewall and those erected in Iran, Burma, Cuba and other repressive countries. No money is going to the one organization with a proven record of overcoming firewalls. The group's advocates suspect that that's because the Global Internet Freedom Consortium is identified with China's banned Falun Gong movement -- and State is fearful of Beijing's reaction to any U.S. support for it. The Obama administration has already done plenty to appease the Chinese regime. The least it can do is act on the president's own words about the value of free information -- and help give Chinese their chance to Twitter.
benton.org/node/29945 | Washington Post
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HEALTH

NO HOSPITAL SAVINGS WITH EHR
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Susan Heavey]
New electronic record systems installed in thousands of U.S. hospitals have done little to rein in skyrocketing healthcare costs, Harvard University researchers said in a study released on Friday. A review of roughly 4,000 hospitals from 2003 to 2007 found that while many had moved away from the paper files that still dominate the U.S. healthcare system, administrative costs actually rose, even among the most high-tech institutions. Advocates of such technology have been pushing for greater use of computerized health records to prevent costly errors and allow greater coordination among caregivers and patients. But adoption has been slow, prompting Congress to offer $19 billion in incentives as part of an economic stimulus bill. The results, published in The American Journal of Medicine, come as the Senate presses ahead with legislation to expand access to healthcare. While the bill does not provide funds to buy necessary equipment, it does aim to facilitate their use and boost standards.
benton.org/node/29944 | Reuters
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CYBERSECURTY

CYBERSECURITY AND OSTP NOMINEE
[SOURCE: nextgov, AUTHOR: Aliya Sternstein]
Defending US networks from cyberattacks was one of the chief concerns that the nominee for the top security post at the Office of Science and Technology Policy heard during his Senate nomination hearing on Wednesday. Cybersecurity "is the greatest national security threat," Sen. John Rockefeller (D-WV) -- chairman of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee -- told Philip E. Coyle III, President Obama's choice to be associate director for national security and international affairs at OSTP. Information security "was unfamiliar to people for a long time and now all of sudden it's the top national security threat because people can undo you gradually and dangerously, lethally in so many ways, so easily, and never be detected in many cases." Coyle, who would become the first person to fill the vacant position in almost a decade if confirmed, assured senators that he would devote a considerable amount of attention and effort to cyber defense and global climate change. He currently is senior adviser to the Center for Defense Information at the World Security Institute, an independent research organization. A Rockefeller aide said on Thursday the committee intends to vote on the nomination by the end of the year.
benton.org/node/29942 | nextgov
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Copps: Our Window for Reform

Federal Communications Commission member Michael Copps spoke Friday at a Rainbow PUSH Coalition event and stressed that the 2008 election opened a window of opportunity for telecommunications policy reform. He said universal broadband is our central infrastructure challenge and warned, "If we fail, the diversity gaps and rural gaps and inner city gaps and technology gaps and regional gaps that have been such brakes on our progress can only get worse-much worse." He called for "A broadband policy for the American people should be, after all, a broadband policy of and by the American people."

He also stressed the importance of Network Neutrality saying, "no one will benefit more from the opportunities of an open Internet than those who have suffered lack of opportunity for generations. It would be a lost opportunity of huge proportions for diversity groups and civil rights organizations to be doubting Thomases when it comes to the bedrock of preserving Internet openness."

He closed asking, "How do we optimize this unique window of opportunity for change that we have open before us? Will we squabble about who has more pressing needs-those in rural areas or those in urban areas? Will we wait for the federal government to make all the decisions and then express our concerns? Will we insist on picking and choosing which broadband technologies are favored in this process? Will we see a broadband plan as a zero sum game? Will we just wait to move on public interest media until the moment has passed us by? Will we allow diversity's hour to become diversity's missed opportunity?"

Improving the E-rate as Part of National Broadband Plan

In comments to the Federal Communications Commission on the role of broadband in education, a number of groups offered suggestions on how to improve the E-Rate program. The State E-rate Coordinators' Alliance said the National Broadband Plan should include broadband goals for K-12 education and libraries.

National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors urged the FCC to broaden the scope of the E-Rate program to allow local anchor institution networks that provide broadband facilities to schools and libraries to obtain reimbursement. Such a change, NATOA says, would promote the deployment of broadband networks throughout local communities, making a wide range of services available to all members of the affected communities. NATOA believes that the FCC could authorize such a change without the need for statutory amendment.

The Education and Libraries Networks Coalition (EdLiNC), a group comprised of the leading public and private education associations and the American Library Association, argues that the FCC should not contravene Congressional intent that the E-Rate exist as a telecommunications and information services program with eligibility restricted to K-12 public and private schools and public libraries. EdLiNC says there should be no expansion to of the program to include ineligible, non-connectivity services, such as computers and training. University of Alaska Professor Heather Hudson, too, says funding pressure prohibits expanding support to training, technical support, and content.

EdLiNC urges the Commission to raise the E-Rate program's annual cap. But Hudson counters that there should be no increase if supported just by surcharges on telephone bills. Hudson writes that given the limited support for schools and libraries that are not eligible for significant discounts, it could be argued that funding should be available only to those that are clearly disadvantaged, e.g. eligible for discounts of 60 percent (or possibly 70 percent) or more. Allocations to other applicants could be gradually phased out. Alternatively, the discount percentages could be reviewed and possibly decreased. Do discounts of 80 percent or 90 percent provide sufficient incentives to schools and libraries to find additional sources of funding, or to be prudent and efficient in their utilization of ICT facilities and services? The FCC should commission studies to determine to what extent E-Rate funding has contributed to extending infrastructure in Alaska, on Indian reservations, and in other previously unserved areas. It should also examine how E-Rate support can complement federal ICT infrastructure initiatives such as NTIA's BTOP program and rural infrastructure grants and loans through the Rural Utilities Service (RUS).

A number of commenters say the E-Rate program rules could be modified to provide additional opportunities for broadband access to communities such as use of E-Rate supported services in schools by community members during non-school hours.

School libraries key in teaching information skills

When school media specialists and educators make an effort to become familiar with the social-networking web sites and technologies that today's students use each day, they can forge important learning connections with their students. "School library media specialists are crucial to the teaching and learning process," said Cassandra Barnett, American Association of School Librarians President. "It's not enough for kids to know how to read anymore; they must be savvy in a multitude of literacies essential in managing information." Barnett said today's school libraries have become interactive media centers with a plethora of learning tools and opportunities.

Genachowski: Spectrum Crisis Not Immediate, But Planning For It Should Be

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski says there is a looming spectrum crisis, but he appeared Friday to be trying to calm the waters a bit after several weeks of increasing alarm from broadcasters over FCC talks about reclaming their spectrum for wireless broadband. He said that there were a lot ideas being offered up about what the commission could do to address the need for more spectrum. "We haven't said anything about which ideas were the best." He also echoed a point he made earlier in the week at a press conference, which is that this is "a long-term planning issue for the country." It has historically taken the FCC between 6 and 13 years to reclaim spectrum, he said. "We know the problem is coming," he said, "It's not coming next week; it's not coming next month; it's not coming next year, but it is coming." And he did say the FCC has to start coming up with the policies to address it now.

Mobile Broadband and Implications for Broadband Competition and Adoption

This study predicts that the growth of mobile broadband will result in robust competition but warns that those benefits could be endangered if lawmakers "consider new regulatory obligations on broadband providers." By "enabling the convergence of mobile communication services and the broadband Internet, mobile broadband can enable the creation of markets for wholly new services (e.g., mobile health, location-aware multimedia, and machine-to-machine communications), as well as enhancing the value of existing broadband services by allowing them to go mobile," stated Dr. Lehr in his findings. Dr. Lehr discusses the current trajectory toward faster and more capable mobile broadband services, but explains why he expects mobile and fixed broadband services to remain "distinct and complementary services, rather than as close service substitutes in most user/usage contexts." Nevertheless, Dr. Lehr concludes that "the overall impact of mobile broadband will be strongly pro-competitive."

Broadband in America: Where It Is and Where It Is Going

In order to inform the Federal Communications Commission's development of a National Broadband Plan, on August 6, 2009, the FCC announced that the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information, based at the Columbia Business School in New York would conduct an independent, outside expert review of projected deployment of new and upgraded networks. The FCC asked CITI to provide an analysis of the public statements of companies as to their future plans to deploy and upgrade broadband networks, as well as evaluate the relationship between previous such announcements and actual deployment. A draft of the study has now been completed and the FCC is asking for public input.

The report concludes that:

1) By 2013-14, broadband service providers expect to be able to serve about 95% of U.S. homes with at least a low speed of wired broadband service and they expect to offer to about 90% of homes advertised speeds of 50 mbps downstream.3 Service providers expect to provide many homes with access to these higher speeds by 2011-2012.4 Wireless broadband service providers expect to offer wireless access at advertised speeds ranging up to 12 mbps downstream (but more likely 5 mbps or less due to capacity sharing) to about 94% of the population by 2013. In addition to several wireless broadband choices, the majority of American homes will have the choice of two wired broadband services. Upstream speeds for wired and wireless services will generally be significantly lower than downstream.

2) A significant number of U.S. homes, perhaps five to ten million (which represent 4.5 to 9 percent of households)5, will have significantly inferior choices in broadband: most of these homes will have wireless or wired service broadband available only at speeds substantially lower than the speeds available to the rest of the country.

3) Adoption of broadband service will continue to lag substantially behind the availability of broadband for the foreseeable future. Investment analysts forecast that about 69% of households will subscribe to wired broadband by 2015, and that 53% of the population will subscribe to wireless broadband services by 2013.

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