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  2. December 2009

December 2009

Saturday Morning Vote Approves Satellite Extension Bill (updated)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has scheduled a vote for 7:30 a.m. on Saturday on the defense appropriations bill (HR 3326) which includes an amendment that acts as a stop-gap measure so satellite and cable operators can continue for 60 days to deliver distant network-affiliated TV station signals into markets across the country. That's because legislators could not agree on reauthorizing the full Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Reauthorization Act (SHVERA) in time to make the Dec. 31 sunset date. The main sticking point appears to be a deal that would allow DISH Network back into the distant-signal business in exchange for delivering local TV stations signals into every market in the country (the smallest markets are uneconomical to serve).

On Saturday, the Senate passed the measure 88-10. The spending measure now goes to President Barack Obama for his signature.

TV's Popularity on the Rise

Even though Americans are pushing domestic boxoffice revenue to new highs, an increasing number of them are indicating they'd rather save money and watch television. According to Deloitte's fourth annual "State of the Media Democracy" report, due out today, 34 percent of Americans cite TV as their favorite medium, up from 27 percent last year. Second through fourth, respectively, were Internet, music and books, all of which are perceived by the average consumer as being less expensive than a night out at the movies. While 71 percent of respondents say watching TV is one of their top media choices, only 22 percent listed going to the movies among their top 3. This year's results suggest that consumers are increasingly looking to stay home for their entertainment rather than open their wallets. Asked whether they are looking to scale back entertainment purchases, 72 percent of American consumers responded in the affirmative.

Glickman Defends Industry IP Meeting With Biden

Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) Chairman Dan Glickman called this week's meeting of copyright industry representatives with Vice President Joe Biden, as well as the attorney general, head of the FBI and the secretary of Homeland Security, "very productive," and said the folks who criticized it were "dead wrong." He also defended the industry's request to the Federal Communications Commission for a waiver of its selectable output controls, and said he thought there was a way to protect content and still find common ground with the FCC on network neutrality. The meeting, was requested by the vice president's office to get more information about the copyright industry, Glickman said in an interview for C-SPAN's Communicators series.

Ready for Open Government? Part 3

This is the last of a three part series on the Government Executive survey of federal managers' attitudes about open government and a discussion of those findings on the federal social networking site GovLoop. This last part presents managers' perspectives on the obstacles to open government. Federal managers are mostly in favor of open government and interacting with the public, but they say some big obstacles could make the reality of social networking difficult to pull off. Besides cybersecurity issues, feds say they also are concerned about controlling the agency's message, which is ironic given social networking's goal of crowd sourcing.

Clinton: We Must Continue to Tell America's Story

In recent remarks at new Department of State facilities, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, "I think telling America's story is something that we need to do every single day. We did it quite well during the Cold War and then we dropped off because we thought, well, Cold War is over, Soviet Union has dissolved, everybody should know that democracy and human rights and individual freedom and liberty is self-evidently the way of the future. Well, we've learned that we cannot rest. We have to continue to make the case. And every time we engage a foreign audience about our values or we exemplify them, we learn from their feedback, and we become more creative and more persuasive in trying to make our case." With the opening of a state of the art building, Sec Clinton noted, "[W]e need to have a constant flow of information among us, because the world of public diplomacy is changing so rapidly because of digital media. You need the tools to communicate constantly in an increasingly interconnected world with 24/7 news feeds, constantly updated blogs, and of course, viral video."

Websites Shifting From Free to 'Freemium'

LinkedIn, ESPN, Skype and other Web sites, which reeled in users with free content, are now boosting sales by adding features that customers have to pay for. LinkedIn introduced a product last month that helps recruiting agencies scour the networking site for job candidates. In June, ESPN merged its online magazine with its Insider service, which costs $6.95 a month. Skype has added features such as voice mail and calling plans that allow users to dial land-line phones for a monthly fee. The shift reflects a desire by Web site owners to reduce their dependence on online advertising. Instead, they're attracting visitors with free content and then selling them premium services or subscriptions, a model known as "freemium." U.S. consumers will spend $8.55 billion on Web content such as games, music and dating in 2010, up 13 percent from this year, according to Forrester Research.

Ethnic media's four-step model for the news industry's future

[Commentary] Experts seem to agree that newspapers needed to focus on both niche marketing and community building techniques to be successful. Ethnic media outlets, in many ways, have been doing these things for years. Obviously, while they still face the same challenges as their mainstream cousins, it seems as though they can provide valuable guidance and wisdom on certain philosophies that mainstream newspapers will have to adapt to be successful.

Media Ownership Financial Issues

445 12th Street SW
Washington, DC 20554
January 12, 2010
9:00 a.m.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-295279A1.doc
Agenda:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-295504A1.doc

The workshop will focus on the current financial and economic conditions and marketplace factors affecting the media industry and how the FCC should take these into account as it conducts its review process.

Specifically, the forum will examine whether:

  • The media ownership rules affect the financial health of broadcasters
  • Lending or investing institutions consider the rules in their funding practices
  • Economic changes affecting the media marketplace are cyclical or permanent
  • There is a need to balance financial conditions in the media industry with other policy goals when conducting the Commission's ownership review and, if so, how that should be done

Agenda and Panelists:

9:00 a.m. Welcome and Introductory Remarks

9:15 a.m. Financial Issues Facing Larger Markets/Large Broadcasters

  • Brandon Burgess, ION Media Networks
  • James Cotter, Sun Trust Bank
  • Brian Rich, Catalyst Investors
  • Marci Ryvicker, Wells Fargo

11:00 a.m. Financial Issues Facing Smaller Markets/Small Broadcasters

  • Susan Patrick, Patrick Communications
  • Maria De Leon, KXTD Gaytan Broadcasting Media, LLC
  • Rick Peters, Bluewater Broadcasting
  • Terry Jones, Syncom Funds

1:00 p.m. Adjournment

Additional panelists may appear.

The workshop will also explore how new media are affecting broadcasters, the lending and investment practices in traditional media, and how market size affects financial issues related to broadcasting.

The forum will consist of two panels. The first will be comprised of smaller broadcasters, or broadcasters that compete in smaller markets, and representatives of financial institutions that serve them. The second panel, consisting of larger broadcasters or broadcasters that compete in the larger markets, will also include representatives from financial institutions that serve these broadcasters.

Public participation at the workshop is encouraged. For those who cannot attend in person, audio/video coverage will be broadcast live over the Internet from the FCC Live web page at www.fcc.gov/live.

Open captioning of the forum will be provided. Other reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities are available upon request. Include a description of the accommodation you will need. Also include a way we can contact you if we need more information. Last-minute requests will be accepted, but may not be possible to fill. Send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice), 202-418-0432 (tty).

For further information, contact Mania Baghdadi or Amy Brett, Industry Analysis Division, Media Bureau (202) 418-2330. Media Bureau press contact: Janice Wise (202) 418-8165.


Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street SW
Washington, DC 20554
Wednesday, January 20
10 am

The Federal Communications Commission confirmed that the following items will be on the agenda for the next open meeting scheduled for Wednesday, January 20:

  • Program Access: A Report and Order to further promote competition in the video distribution market through rules addressing terrestrially delivered, cable-affiliated programming.
  • This item was acted upon on Jan 15. Wireless Devices: An Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to complete an important component of the DTV transition by prohibiting the further distribution and sale of devices that operate in the 700 MHz frequency and setting a date by which existing devices must clear the band to enable the rollout of public safety services and the deployment of next generation wireless devices for consumers.

  • Robocalls: A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would harmonize the Commission's rules regarding prerecorded telemarketing calls with the Federal Trade Commission's recently amended Telemarketing Sales Rule.
  • National Broadband Plan Status Report: Commission staff will report on the status of the National Broadband Plan, providing a framework for the national purposes portion of the Plan.

See http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-295693A1.doc


Consumers, Transparency, and the Open Internet

Federal Communications Commission
Jan. 19, 2010
1:30 p.m.

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-295283A1.doc

Agenda available soon

OPENING REMARKS:

  • Jon Leibowitz, Chairman, Federal Trade Commission
  • Hon. Konrad W. von Finckenstein, Q.C., Chairman, Canadian Radio- telephone and Telecommunications Commission

PANELISTS:

  • Parul P. Desai, Media Access Project
  • Ron Dicklin, Root Wireless
  • Gerald R. Faulhaber, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
  • Joel Kelsey, Consumers Union
  • Fernando LaGuarda, Time Warner Cable
  • Sascha Meinrath, New America Foundation
  • Jay Monahan, Vuze, Inc.
  • Nicholas Weaver, International Computer Science Institute (Netalyzer), University of California at Berkeley
  • David E. Young, Verizon
  • Joel Gurin, Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau, FCC (Moderator)
  • Julius Knapp, Office of Engineering & Technology, FCC (Moderator)

All workshops will be open to the public; however, admittance will be limited to the seating available. Audio/video coverage of the workshops will be broadcast live with open captioning over the Web on www.OpenInternet.gov.

Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities are available upon request. Please include a description of the accommodation you will need. Individuals making such requests must include their contact information should FCC staff need to contact them for more information. Requests should be made as early as possible. Please send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau: 202-418-0530 (voice), 202-418-0432 (TTY).

For additional information about the workshops, please visit www.OpenInternet.gov.


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