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December 2009

Open government could present a challenge to intelligence agencies

The release of the open government directive could change intelligence agencies' policies that deny Internet access to nonclassified data that is currently available only in hard copy or only to government personnel, say some Washington transparency advocates. While many federal agencies already have started implementing parts of the guidance the White House issued on Tuesday, the CIA is still reviewing the document. The directive, which President Obama announced the day after he took office in January, establishes deadlines for agencies to comply with specific initiatives aimed at making the business of government more transparent and accountable to the public. One requirement instructs agencies to publish online within 45 days at least three downloadable data sets that have not previously been available online or in a downloadable format. At the same time, agencies must adhere to privacy and national security restrictions, according to the directive. Now that the directive is out, the circumstances driving the decisions to withhold online information have changed, some in the government transparency community said. They want the CIA to post on the Web declassified documents and noncopyrighted analyses of foreign news.

Openness vs. Project Management

Two discussions of note occurred on Thursday during the Senate Budget Committee hearing where Federal Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra and other technology executives appeared.

First, Kundra said public, up-to-date information on federal IT projects would act as a strong force to keep information technology projects on schedule and on budget. He argued that in the past (in the Bush administration) the rationale behind the Office of Management and Budget making public information on projects on the so-called watch list didn't make sense. No one knew what the problems were and, theoretically, they were allowed to fester in the darkness. Karen Evans, Kundra's predecessor, argued in 2008 that they didn't make public the details of the troubled projects because federal managers would clam up about their problems if they knew OMB would publicize them.

The second noteworthy topic that came up at the hearing was Kundra's argument that agencies developed projects on too grand a scale. Instead, "We need to break these contracts down into smaller chunks, move toward more fixed price contracts and hold vendors accountable to make sure they're delivering."

Industry CTOs want government to lead on identity, standards

In late September, a group of chief technology officers and strategists from the world's leading software-makers met in Washington in part to discuss the implications behind President Barack Obama's innovation agenda. Their interests and concerns include creating the next generation of innovators, making sure the right incentives for intellectual property protection are in place to foster innovation, figuring out how the IT industry can help lead the US economy out of the recession, and determining the extent to which the federal government should engage in those issues. Those and other topics were among the points the CTOs discussed with the Obama administration and legislative officials organized by the Business Software Alliance and its president and CEO, Robert Holleyman II. Between meetings with federal chief information officer Vivek Kundra, chief technology officer Aneesh Chopra, the House Science and Technology Committee, and others, these corporate CTOs talked with GCN Editor-in-Chief Wyatt Kash and senior editor Rutrell Yasin about some of their critical concerns — and what messages they felt were important to convey to federal officials.

US System for Tracking Traffic Flow Is Faulted

The federal government has committed more than $50 million to build a sophisticated highway traffic monitoring system that has produced unreliable data and cannot freely share live reports on highway bottlenecks with the public, an audit by the Transportation Department's inspector general has found. Thousands of tiny traffic-monitoring sensors are being installed along highways in 27 cities nationwide under the program. The monitors collect information on lane occupancy and traffic speed, and the data then is supposed to be transmitted live to electronic message boards and other devices. But the decade-old agreement that the department signed with Traffic.com, the contractor hired to install the system, included a provision that granted the contractor exclusive control of the data, says the report. That means Traffic.com, a subsidiary of Navteq of Chicago, can sell the data to commercial providers like The Weather Channel or post it on its own Internet site. But state and local governments that are partners in the project have been told they are not allowed to share the information with the public unless they pay a fee, the report says.

Politics, bad luck and lack of maturity have hampered DHS

As the lead agency for securing dot-gov resources, the Homeland Security Department has a mandate to stop malware from getting into government networks and keep bad things from happening, a job it has not yet sorted out how to do, said Greg Garcia, former DHS cybersecurity chief. A key element of this task will be the third phase of the Einstein network monitoring system, an intrusion prevention system that faces multiple challenges. "They are still working through it," he said recently. "It is a complicated technical question with an overlay of political and privacy issues that delays the development of the architecture." Despite the challenges and false steps made by DHS in its cybersecurity initiatives, Garcia said he is confident the department can grow into its mission.

Cybersecurity Metrics Coming For Federal Agencies

Federal agencies may have to report a number of new cybersecurity metrics to the Office of Management and Budget, according to a draft of proposed cybersecurity performance metrics posted by the OMB and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The new metrics have a strong emphasis on real-time monitoring. Critics have long faulted the government's cybersecurity compliance efforts under the Federal Information Security Management Act as focusing too heavily on metrics that have little to with actual operational security, like whether an agency has tested its contingency plan. "These metrics represent a new approach, which focuses on improving security, not just compliance," NIST said in a statement on its Web site. "These metrics should encourage agencies to take concrete steps to improve their security posture." There are four new categories of metrics, including remote access management, data-level controls, identity and access management, and real-time security awareness and management, as well as a focus on monitoring tools.

In Shift, US Talks to Russia on Internet Security

The United States has begun talks with Russia and a United Nations arms control committee about strengthening Internet security and limiting military use of cyberspace. American and Russian officials have different interpretations of the talks so far, but the mere fact that the United States is participating represents a significant policy shift after years of rejecting Russia's overtures. Officials familiar with the talks said the Obama administration realized that more nations were developing cyberweapons and that a new approach was needed to blunt an international arms race.

Parallels seen in ABC, NBC shifts

In 1986, Capital Cities -- a drab TV station owner with a No. 2 exec named Dan Burke -- acquired ABC. Now Comcast -- perceived as a drab cable system owner, whose No. 2 exec is Burke's son, Steve -- has agreed to assume control of NBC Universal. Whether Comcast follows the CapCities playbook given all that's happened during the intervening years will partly depend, to borrow oft-quoted military parlance, on conditions on the ground. Yet assuming the well-regarded Burke and his boss, Brian Roberts, learned anything from that history, the NBC U deal might leave the acquired company with less to fear, and more potential upside, than many have thus far suggested.

City claims WHYY is giving Delaware short shrift

Public television station WHYY's request to renew its broadcasting license is being challenged because of skepticism about the public television station's commitment to the city, officials said Friday. The objection with the Federal Communications Commission is being filed because Wilmington is the station's host city but believes it is more committed to serving Philadelphia, said John Rago, the city's communications director. City Council President Norman D. Griffiths also accused WHYY of contending that Wilmington is the base of its operations even though the bulk of the news it covers is not Wilmington-based.

Dec 14, 2009 (NTIA Offers Thoughts on National Broadband Plan)

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for MONDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009

Today's agenda includes 1) food marketing to children, 2) Network Neutrality, and, 3) Digital inclusion. http://bit.ly/7MFKNl


BROADBAND/INTERNET
   US Making Progress On Fiber
   Broadband networks supporting innovation
   Should users finance fiber-to-the-home?
   NTIA Offers Thoughts on National Broadband Plan
   Broadband Opportunity and Affordability Act
   Broadcasters Squeezed by Convergence Push
   NAB To TV: Take Spectrum Case To Public
   Broadband Speeds Matter Just as Much as Internet Access, Say New Yorkers
   Loophole to be closed on UK broadband tax

CONTENT
   FTC Report Finds Sexually and Violently Explicit Content in Online Virtual Worlds Accessed by Minors
   Kid Media Consumption: TV Tops, But Internet Big Draw
   PTC Calls on NAB's Smith to Join Indecency Fight
   Advocacy Groups Mass Against Food Marketing Self-Regulation
   The business of Facebook
   Google's Dominance May Limit Choice, Ad Agency Says
   Is Content Still King?
   Radio Days: the celluloid afterlife of real radio

GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
   Senator presses administration for improvements in stimulus data
   Cybersecurity task force established
   Lawmakers Want to Bar Sites From Posting Sensitive Government Docs
   Diplomacy Makes A Call To Tech Support

JOURNALISM
   12 Predictions about Newspapers in 2084 (from 1984)
   Under Murdoch, Tilting Rightward at The Journal
   Glenn Beck's Gold Deal Raising Questions at Fox

WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
   FCC Hires A Broadcast TV Hitman
   Wireless Carriers Push 'Smart' Strategy For Growth
   US teens ignore laws against texting while driving
   With a New Phone, Google May Challenge Apple

TELECOM
   Proposed First Quarter 2010 Universal Service Contribution Factor

TELEVISION
   TV Networks, Local Stations Do Battle Over Cable Fees

MORE ONLINE ...
   FCC chairman's dinner
   R2D2: A model for using technology in education
   'Smart' Electric Utility Meters, Intended to Create Savings, Instead Prompt Revolt

Recent Comments:
Lawmakers Want to Bar Sites From Posting Sensitive Government Docs by geodanny

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BROADBAND/INTERNET

US MAKING PROGRESS ON FIBER
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Juliana Gruenwald]
The United States has maintained its current ranking of 15th in terms of broadband penetration, according to the latest statistics released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, but the country is making progress in the amount of fiber-optic lines being installed. The latest OECD statistics, based on data from June 2009, show that while the United States may still lag behind other countries in terms of the number of broadband subscribers per 100 residents, the United States is seventh overall in the rollout of fiber. Fiber enables much faster broadband speeds than are currently available with cable or DSL, according to Taylor Reynolds with the OECD's Science, Technology and Industry division. The Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland and South Korea round out the top five in terms of broadband penetration among the OECD's member countries. However, in terms of fiber penetration, Japan and South Korea are well ahead of most other countries while the United States is making progress.
benton.org/node/30514 | CongressDaily
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BROADBAND NETWORKS SUPPORTING INNOVATION
[SOURCE: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, AUTHOR: ]
High-speed broadband networks are a platform supporting innovation throughout the economy today in much the same way electricity and transportation networks spurred innovation in the past. New innovations such as smart electrical grids, tele-medicine, intelligent transportation networks, interactive learning and cloud computing will require fast communication networks to operate efficiently. Telecommunication companies have been investing to upgrade their older copper and coax cables to new fibre lines which have vastly larger capacity but the economic crisis has threatened to halt this investment just when consumers and businesses are using more Internet bandwidth. Telecommunication investment largely mimics GDP (gross domestic product) growth - but in a more exaggerated way. Many governments have stepped in to fill the gap using stimulus funds to pay for new broadband networks. But there has been significant debate about whether these investments make economic sense, particularly as governments are entering into an area which has recently been entrusted to the private sector. This report helps put these interventions in perspective by showing that government investments could be justified based on just small direct benefits in just four key sectors of the economy ­ electricity, health, education and transportation. Just a small cost reduction across these four sectors resulting from the new networks could justify the government spending.
benton.org/node/30513 | Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
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SHOULD USERS FINANCE FIBER-TO-THE-HOME
[SOURCE: TelephonyOnline, AUTHOR: Ed Gubbins]
If we're paying for broadband deployment with federal taxes anyway, should we be able to buy our own fiber connections? Brigham City (UT) is poised to test out a rare and experimental model for broadband economics: Having end users finance the cost of connecting their homes with fiber. "I'm not aware of other projects like this," said Paul Larsen, Brigham's economic development director. Under the plan approved by the city council in November ­ some of the particulars of which were dictated by nuances in the bonding process funding the project ­ fiber would be connected to end users willing to pay a one-time fee of $3000 for the connection (independent of any subscription fees paid to service providers on the network), which they could pay upfront or in $25 monthly payments over 20 years, backed by a city bond.
benton.org/node/30512 | TelephonyOnline
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NTIA OFFERS THOUGHTS ON NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN
[SOURCE: National Telecommunications and Information Administration, AUTHOR: Lawrence Strickling]
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration has filed comments in the Federal Communications Commission's National Broadband Plan proceeding. The comments focus on public safety, homeland security and cybersecurity. NTIA stresses that the broadband plan should recognize the layered model that has allowed the Internet to become a transformative technology that empowers people, spurs innovation, facilitates trade, and enables the free and unfettered flow of information. The NTIA also submitted a white paper entitled "Executive Branch Views on Public Safety, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity Elements of a National Broadband Plan." The paper stresses that the plan should identify measures taken to enhance cybersecurity and recognize the responsibility shared by both public and private sector interests in creating effective, coordinated, and cooperative strategies to mitigate the cyber threat.
benton.org/node/30527 | National Telecommunications and Information Administration | NTIA white paper
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BROADBAND OPPORTUNITY AND AFFORDABILITY ACT
[SOURCE: US Senate Commerce Committee, AUTHOR: Chairman Jay Rockefeller]
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) has introduced the Broadband Opportunity and Affordability Act (BOAA), a bill which would amend the Communications Act to extend a universal service program at the Federal Communications Commission to provide support for broadband in low-income households. The bill would 1) create a two-year pilot program to expand the FCC's Lifeline program to support the recurring cost of basic broadband service for eligible low-income households (The FCC's existing Lifeline program subsidizes the recurring expenses of maintaining basic phone service in low-income households), and 2) ask the FCC to provide Congress with a report on expanding the related Link-Up program to assist with the costs of securing computer equipment to start up broadband service. The FCC's existing Link-Up program subsidizes the start up costs of beginning basic phone service for low-income consumers.
benton.org/node/30526 | US Senate Commerce Committee | B&C
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BROADCASTERS SQUEEZED BY CONVERGENCE PUSH
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
As broadcasters continue to wage the turf war to keep their claim on broadcast spectrum, the Federal Communications Commission -- with its push to get high-speed broadband to every home in the US -- appears to be the toughest opponent. Broadcasters are hoping to maintain their status as an over-the-air medium. The FCC, however, sees the future of TV moving to broadband video delivered via set-top box, and last week the commission opened an inquiry into the matter. For months, broadcasters have been making their case for why the government should not be so quick to move the TV model online. Among those reasons: the recent conversion to digital over-the-air service, with a separate $1.5 billion spent to ensure that over-the-air viewers with analog TVs could still get their signals. The recent defense comes in response to FCC broadband advisor Blair Levin's conversations with broadcasters and Wall Street about how they might give up some of their spectrum holdings, and scale back service, to the benefit of wireless broadband.
benton.org/node/30529 | Broadcasting&Cable
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NAB TO TV: TAKE SPECTRUM CASE TO PUBLIC
[SOURCE: TVNewsCheck, AUTHOR: Harry Jessell]
The National Association of Broadcasters is asking TV stations to join the fight to preserve broadcast spectrum by airing an NAB-produced 30-second spot touting the benefits of free, over-the-air broadcasting. In an e-mail to stations from NAB President Gordon Smith and the NAB spectrum committee, the trade association says the spot will be available Dec. 21 and urges stations to run it "in heavy rotation" between Dec. 25 and Jan. 14 to insure "our viewpoint is heard loud and clear." "The broadcast industry could see the greatest assault on the public airwaves since the 1980s, with the anticipated release of the FCC's National Broadband Plan set for February 17, 2010," says the e-mail. The NAB fears that the plan will recommend that all or some of broadcast spectrum be reallocated for wireless broadband access, a service the FCC believes will soon be facing a spectrum shortage.
benton.org/node/30528 | TVNewsCheck | B&C
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CONTENT

VIRTUAL WORLDS AND KIDS
[SOURCE: Federal Trade Commission, AUTHOR: Press release]
The Federal Trade Commission issued a report that examines the incidence of sexually and violently explicit content in online virtual worlds. The congressionally mandated report, "Virtual Worlds and Kids: Mapping the Risks," urges operators of virtual worlds to take a number of steps to keep explicit content away from children and teens, and recommends that parents familiarize themselves with the virtual worlds their kids visit. The report analyzes how easily minors can access explicit content in virtual worlds, and the measures virtual world operators take to prevent minors from viewing it. According to the findings, although little explicit content appeared in child-oriented virtual worlds, a moderate to heavy amount appeared in virtual worlds that are designed for teens and adults. The Commission makes five recommendations to virtual world operators to reduce the risk of youth exposure to explicit content. [more at the URL below]
benton.org/node/30498 | Federal Trade Commission | Read the report
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KIDS MEDIA CONSUMPTION
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: Wayne Friedman]
Live television is still tops with kids. But when it comes to activities after that, younger kids generally go to DVDs and DVRs, while older kids head to the Internet. Almost half of kids 6-11 use the Internet, versus one-fifth of those ages 2-5. Not surprisingly, the biggest time slots are weekends, after school and after dinner, according to the Nielsen Company. Kids 2-5 spend 25 hours per week watching TV and 4.5 hours a week watching DVDs or playing video games. Throw in another 90 minutes for time-shifted DVR programming. Older time-shifting technology is still a factor as well: They spend 45 minutes a week with the VCR. Overall, the 2-11 group averages 28 hours a week, 2.5 hours for DVDs, an hour for DVR, and 18 minutes for VCR usage. Nielsen found that about half the kids 2-11 use TV, while the other half uses both TV and the Internet. Nielsen says 60% of teenagers and older adults were simultaneous users of TV and the Internet. When it comes to personal electronics, homes with kids have more technology than homes without kids.
benton.org/node/30504 | MediaPost
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SMITH AND INDECENCY
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Parents Television Council is trying to enlist new National Association of Broadcasters President Gordon Smith in its fight against broadcast indecency. Citing the former Oregon senator's "strong record of public service on behalf of children and families," PTC President Tim Winter said he was encouraged by public comments Smith made on the issue. But he also said he found them at odds with stations' pushback on court rulings upholding FCC enforcement of fleeting profanity and nudity. "While these comments are both factual and encouraging, they run contrary to the actions and statements of NAB members in federal court," wrote Winter. "Consequently, I am unclear as to what the position of the NAB actually is with regard to the continuation and enforcement of indecency law."
benton.org/node/30506 | Broadcasting&Cable
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ADVOCACY GROUPS MASS AGAINST FOOD MARKETING SELF REGULATION
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
In advance of a Federal Trade Commission forum on food marketing and childhood obesity, kids advocacy group Children Now planned to unveil a study Monday, Dec. 14, that claims the food and beverage industry's self-regulatory efforts have not worked. It and other studies being pitched at the FTC next week come as the commission considers new government guidelines on food marketing on air, online and perhaps elsewhere.?"The Impact of Industry Self-Regulation on the Nutritional Quality of Foods Advertised on Television to Children," by veteran kids TV researcher Dale Kunkel, was being prepared for release at a George Washington University conference. It found that almost three out of four foods advertised to kids on TV (72%) are for products "in the poorest nutritional category," while only 1% are for healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. "We have given the industry time and opportunity to address this issue. Unfortunately, the research indicates that their pledges have failed our children," said Jeff McIntyre, director of national policy for Children Now.
benton.org/node/30517 | Broadcasting&Cable
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FACEBOOK AND PRIVACY
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: editorial staff]
[Commentary] Facebook finally implemented the privacy enhancements it promised several months ago. And oddly enough, the world now knows more, not less, about many of the social network's 350 million users. Although that's not what the public may have expected, it's no accident. And as disturbing as it may be to privacy advocates, the change may have the welcome effect of opening users' eyes to the reality of their relationship with Facebook. Simply put, it's not their friend. Why would Facebook do such things? Because it's a business, and key elements of that business are attracting traffic and trading in at least some of the information users disclose. In fact, even as the company rolled out its new privacy tools, it prodded people to change their privacy settings to expose their personal information and posts to the entire Internet. Unless they reject the new default settings imposed by Facebook, everything they say on the network and much of their information will be available to anyone searching through Google, Yahoo or other search engines. These moves make sense from Facebook's perspective (assuming the public puts up with them). But for users, the lesson is that Facebook and other sites will not guard their personal information. To the contrary, such data are currency to the operators of social networks, and it's up to users to watch their own wallets.
benton.org/node/30520 | Los Angeles Times
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GOOGLE'S DOMINANCE IN ADVERTISING
[SOURCE: Bloomberg, AUTHOR: Dina Bass]
Google's Internet dominance is a concern to advertising firms, because it could limit the choices they can offer clients online, said Bob Lord, the head of Publicis Groupe SA's Razorfish agency. "People don't want Google to become Kleenex," said Lord, the chief executive officer at Razorfish, which Publicis acquired from Google rival Microsoft Corp. this year. Microsoft took a 3.3 percent stake in Publicis as part of that deal. "I don't want one big giant here. If I only have one major platform to go to like Google, it's hard for me to do my job." Google, which already leads the market for search advertising, is now gaining customers for display ads -- an area where Microsoft and Yahoo! Inc. have had an edge. Google also is bolstering its mobile-ad business. Even so, Microsoft's new Bing search engine is letting the company "give Google a run for their money," Lord said.
benton.org/node/30501 | Bloomberg
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IS CONTENT STILL KING?
[SOURCE: New York Magazine, AUTHOR: Gabriel Sherman]
Old media is once again eager to get engaged to the dynamic new forces that increasingly look like the future. At a media conference, there were repeated invocations of its most treasured dowry item: content. "Content is king," is the once and future old-media mantra. The Comcast deal, says CBS chief Les Moonves, "underlines how valuable content is." But if content is king, there is a higher power in the new media world. When asked what content they'd be willing to pay for, people chose Gmail and Search (News finished a distant fourth).
benton.org/node/30500 | New York Magazine
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RADIO DAYS
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Matthew Lasar]
In the movies, radio is a mythic force: local, rebellious, life-changing. This hardly describes the reality at commercial radio stations today, but it does tell us something about how radio was—and about how we want it to be.
benton.org/node/30507 | Ars Technica
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GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS

WARNER WANTS IMPROVED STIMULUS DATA
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Juliana Gruenwald]
Sen Mark Warner (D-VA), the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee's Task Force on Government Performance, pressed the Obama administration's top technology officials Thursday to ensure there will not be a repeat of the problems with the data posted during the first round of reporting on federal economic stimulus spending. During a task force hearing on using technology to improve government data, Chairman Warner said he "didn't realize Virginia had a 12th congressional district," citing one of the many gaffes that have been reported about the data on Recovery.gov, which tracks the economic stimulus spending. Aneesh Chopra, the federal government's chief technology officer, did not directly answer Warner's concerns. Instead, he discussed the need for data to be provided to the government in "machine-readable formats." Federal Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra noted that the new open government directive announced by the Office of Management and Budget this week made a point of addressing concerns with the quality of data agencies release by requiring each agency to appoint an official who is accountable for data quality. "We need to make sure data is timely, comprehensive and reliable," Kundra said.
benton.org/node/30503 | CongressDaily
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CYBERSECURITY TASK FORCE
[SOURCE: infosecurity.com, AUTHOR: ]
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has set up a bi-partisan taskforce on cybersecurity to evaluate potential online threats and provide recommendations for action to the US intelligence community. The cybersecurity taskforce, which will be chaired by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, is expected to complete its review by June 2010. The aim is to evaluate how the country can better coordinate its defenses against the growing challenge posed by cyberespionage, cyberterrorism and cyberwarfare, an issue that has been of mounting concern to the administration as it concentrates on the cybersecurity threat to the US.
benton.org/node/30496 | infosecurity.com
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BARRING SITES FROM POSTING SENSITIVE INFORMATION
[SOURCE: Wired, AUTHOR: Kim Zettler]
Reps. Peter King (R - NY), Charles Dent (R - PA) and Gus Bilirakis (R - FL) have asked the Department of Homeland Security what can be done to bar or criminally penalize whistleblower sites that reposted a sensitive airport-screening manual that was published on the Internet's by a government worker. They also asked about enacting regulations that would bar such publication in the future. The congressmen are outraged that sites like Cryptome and Wikileaks republished the manual after it was posted online by a government contractor working for the Transportation Security Administration. The manual was posted last March on a government procurement site and was discovered Sunday by a blogger.
benton.org/node/30495 | Wired
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DIPLOMACY MAKES A CALL TO TECH SUPPORT
[SOURCE: National Public Radio, AUTHOR: Michele Kelemen]
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton often jokes that she's not very tech savvy, but she has made technology an important part of U.S. diplomacy from Afghanistan to Mexico. And she has appointed a 37-year-old technology policy expert to advise her on these matters. While military planners look at troop levels in Afghanistan, Clinton's senior adviser for innovation, Alec Ross, spends his time thinking about the country's cellular phone network. "One of the things that we saw was that the Taliban was forcing the shutdown of the cellular networks at night, and they then would conduct raids and would be able to do things out of view while the cell networks were powered down," Ross said.
benton.org/node/30502 | National Public Radio
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JOURNALISM

1984 PREDICTIONS ABOUT NEWSPAPERS
[SOURCE: Editor&Publisher, AUTHOR: Dr. Leo Bogart]
[Commentary] Originally published in 1984, Bogart writes: There will be newspapers in 2084 but they will be quite different from those of today, in an age of vastly expanded communications resources. It is easy enough to project from existing trends to a society of far better educated people living longer, healthier, more rewarding lives. We can visualize a global economy becoming steadily more productive upon an ever-expanding base of new technology fueled by new sources of energy and stimulated by new adventures in space. It is harder to foresee the changes in human values, aspirations, and behavior patterns than those in the material aspects of life. The division of labor between the sexes will be progressively less distinct; the ranks of the disadvantaged will be diminished as minorities find their way into the mainstream. With a growing population of vigorous older people, the definitions of work and leisure will be blurred. The relationship between home and the workplace will be different, as home communications systems allow more personal business, shopping, and work activity to take place at home. All this will change the balance of cities and suburbs, and thus the physical appearance of the country itself. Daily life will be very different when everyone can fly through the air with the greatest of ease and the wristwatch picturephone is a commonplace. Developments like these, and others now unimaginable, will change the public's preoccupations and interests, change the content of the news, change people's loyalties and identifications, and thus change the constituencies for news media. The functions of all existing media will be transformed by the development of artificial intelligence, of two-way interactive linkages, and of ready access to vast amounts of stored information and entertainment.
benton.org/node/30499 | Editor&Publisher | Rick Edmonds
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WSJ TILTS RIGHT
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: David Carr]
[Commentary] Sunday was the second anniversary of the sale of The Wall Street Journal to Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. At that time, a chorus of journalism church ladies (Carr was among them) warned that one of the crown jewels of American journalism now resided in the hands of a roughneck, and predicted that he would use it to his own ends. Yet here we are, two years later, and The Wall Street Journal still hits Carr's doorstep every morning as one of the nation's premier newspapers. But under Mr. Murdoch's leadership, the newspaper is no longer anchored by those deep dives into the boardrooms of American business with quaint stippled portraits, opting instead for a much broader template of breaking general interest news articles with a particular interest in politics and big splashy photos. Glenn R. Simpson, who left the newspaper back in March, is not a fan of the newsier, less analytical Journal. "Murdoch didn't ruin The Wall Street Journal; he just rendered it into a much more ordinary paper," he said. But there are growing indications that Mr. Murdoch, a lifelong conservative, doesn't just want to cover politics, he wants to play them as well.
benton.org/node/30523 | New York Times
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GLENN BECK USES SHOW TO SELL GOLD
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Bill Carter]
The Fox News Channel is only too happy to have the Midas ratings touch that Glenn Beck has been providing, but the golden words he may pour into the ears of his audience have raised questions at the news network. Most of those have concerned whether Mr. Beck, who often hails the virtue of buying gold on his Fox show (as a hedge against a coming economic collapse), had been identified as a "paid spokesman" for a company named Goldline International, which sells gold coins. Joel Cheatwood, the senior vice president of development for Fox News, said the network's legal department had recently sent a letter to Mr. Beck's representatives "seeking clarification" about his work for Goldline. "They sent back word that he is not a paid spokesman," Mr. Cheatwood said, adding that it would be "problematic without question" if Mr. Beck did have a position as a paid spokesman for a product. Fox News released a statement outlining its official policy about such issues: "Fox News prohibits any on-air talent from endorsing products or serving as a product spokesperson." Fox News stressed that it was not aware that Mr. Beck was listed on the Internet as a paid spokesman. But he definitely was, until very recently. On cached editions of the Goldline Web site over the last week to 10 days, a photograph of Mr. Beck was accompanied by an asterisk which led to a line at the bottom of the site that read: "paid spokesman."
benton.org/node/30522 | New York Times
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WIRELESS/SPECTRUM

BROADCAST HITMAN
[SOURCE: TVNewsCheck, AUTHOR: Harry Jessell]
[Commentary] How serious is the Federal Communications Commission about stripping away broadcasters' spectrum and giving it to wireless broadband operators? So serious that it will heap all sorts of onerous regulations on broadcasting to speed its demise. Then, when all the stations are dark, the agency will walk in and take the spectrum. No fuss. That's crazy talk. Maybe. Maybe not.
benton.org/node/30510 | TVNewsCheck
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WIRELESS CARRIERS SMART GROWTH
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Jeffry Bartash]
With an eye toward future growth, wireless-phone companies plan to encourage all of their customers to get "smart." In other words, they want customers to buy or upgrade to devices like an Apple iPhone, Palm Pre or the latest Motorola handsets such as the fast-selling Droid. Each of these mobile phones also includes powerful computer-like functions that make them "smarter" than traditional wireless handsets. Since these smart phones include all the latest features, such as Internet access and related software applications, subscribers usually upgrade to more expensive data plans. The result: substantially more revenue for US wireless operators. "The entire wireless industry stands to benefit from growth in data," Verizon Chief Financial Officer John Killian said Tuesday at an investors conference in New York. "We are at the beginning of an explosion in data."
benton.org/node/30511 | Wall Street Journal
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US TEENS IGNORE LAWS AGAINST TEXTING
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Dan Whitcomb]
With momentum building in Washington for all 50 US states to outlaw text messaging behind the wheel, there is evidence that the key demographic targeted by such legislation, teen drivers, will not pay much attention. At least one major study has found that, with mobile devices now central to their lives, young people often ignore laws against using cell phones or texting in the car. The number of text messages is up tenfold in the past three years and Americans sent an estimated 1 trillion in 2009. Some police agencies, while strongly in favor of such mandates, say its tough for officers to enforce them.
benton.org/node/30516 | Reuters
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NEW GOOGLE PHONE
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Miguel Helft]
Google plans to begin selling its own smartphone early next year which means that Google and Apple may soon be engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Or, more precisely, handset-to-handset combat. Google plans to market and sell the new phone directly to consumers over the Internet, and buyers would be able to sign up for service from any compatible provider. The introduction of a Google phone — manufactured to its hardware and software specifications by an Asian maker of handsets — would be an important and risky departure for Google. Until now, it has made software to power cellphones that are built and marketed by partners, and it has largely avoided selling hardware. The apparent shift underscores the fact that mobile phones are quickly becoming the biggest technology battleground of the future, as consumers increasingly rely on their phones to browse the Internet and perform other computing tasks. It also indicates Google's determination to make its mark on yet another industry, as it has done previously in advertising, books and online videos.
benton.org/node/30519 | New York Times | WSJ
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TELECOM

USF CONTRIBUTION FACTOR
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: ]
In this Public Notice, the Federal Communications Commission's Office of Managing Director announces that the proposed universal service contribution factor for the first quarter of 2010 will be 0.141 or 14.1 percent -- up from 12.3% for 4Q 2009.
benton.org/node/30508 | Federal Communications Commission
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TELEVISION

RETRANSMISSION BATTLE
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Sam Schechner]
The nation's biggest broadcast-TV networks are battling with local TV stations for a share of viewers' monthly cable bills, with each side claiming the cash is crucial to its survival. CBS, Fox owner News Corp. and ABC owner Walt Disney are asking independently-owned TV stations that carry their programming for a cut of the payments the stations get from cable, satellite and telecommunications companies. In some cases, networks want half or more of the compensation their affiliated stations receive. The fight comes as broadcast TV struggles to turn itself into a more subscription-supported business from one that relies almost solely on advertising. Their need for new revenue is critical, as broadcasters face more competition from well-funded cable networks. The recession cut ad spending on local TV stations 28% from a year earlier in the first nine months of this year, according to TNS Media Intelligence. National broadcast networks saw ad spending fall 12% in that period. Local TV stations are a key part of the equation. They offer local feeds for the networks. Cable companies often must negotiate to pipe those signals into viewers' homes, through a process known as "retransmission consent," or retrans. Each of the biggest TV networks owns a string of local stations in major U.S. markets. But to reach the remaining 60% to 75% of the country, they strike deals with independently owned TV stations, called affiliates.
benton.org/node/30521 | Wall Street Journal | B&C - Battle to Save Broadcast TV | B&C - Small cable and must carry
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