December 2009

Afghanistan Dominates the News

In a week when Barack Obama announced a decision destined to have a critical influence on his presidency, his plan for the conflict in Afghanistan dominated the news. From November 30-December 6, Afghanistan accounted for 27% of the newshole, according to the Pew Research Center's Project of Excellence. That was the largest amount of attention the media have devoted to the war there since the PEJ began monitoring the news in January 2007. The catalyst was the President's December 1 speech at West Point when he ordered a surge of 30,000 more troops to the battle zone and outlined a timetable for withdrawal—decisions that generated some criticism from the ranks of both hawks and doves. And it marks a growing rise in coverage of the conflict. For most of the last three years the fighting in Afghanistan had attracted minimal media attention. But starting late summer, that coverage spiked markedly with much of the focus on the lengthy and leaky Obama strategy review. Before last week, the previous high water mark (20%) occurred from Oct. 5-11, when news of policy disagreements inside the administration drove the narrative. The No. 2 story (14%) last week was the economy.

Hispanics in the News

Hispanics are already the largest minority group in the United States -- accounting for 47.4 million people or 15.8% of the total population -- and that percentage is expected to nearly double by the middle of this century. As their population grows, so does the importance of how they are portrayed in the media. A study of more than 34,000 news stories that appeared in major media outlets finds that most of what the public learns about Hispanics comes not through focused coverage of the life and times of this population group but through event-driven news stories in which Hispanics are one of many elements. From February 9 to August 9, 2009, only a fraction of stories contained substantial references to Hispanics -- just 645 out of 34,452 studied. And only a tiny number, 57 stories, focused directly on the lives of Hispanics in the US, according to a media content analysis done jointly by the Project for Excellence in Journalism and the Pew Hispanic Center.

House Passes Data Accountability and Trust Act and Informed P2P User Act

On Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed the Data Accountability and Trust Act (H.R. 2221) and the Informed P2P User Act (H.R. 1319). H.R. 2221 will protect consumers by requiring reasonable security policies and procedures to protect data containing personal information, and to provide for nationwide notice in the event of a security breach. H.R.

Internet Innovation Alliance
Thursday, December 10, 2009
8:45 a.m. - 2 p.m.
The Newseum, 8th Floor
http://www.internetinnovation.org/activities/Broadband-Symposium

The Symposium will:

Examine the opportunities and advantages broadband Internet brings to education, job searching, creation and training, health care, community building, entertainment and civic participation.
Address wireless Internet as a bridge over the digital divide, the benefits of online content for minority communities, and the economic impacts of broadband deployment.
Discuss the future of broadband technology and the likely impact of government actions to promote or diminish broadband deployment and adoption.

Featuring:

Cornell Belcher,
President, Brilliant Corners Research & Strategies

Fabián Núñez,
Former Speaker, California State Assembly

Rey Ramsey,
CEO, One Economy Corporation

With:
Marcia Thomas-Brown
Program Manager, Summit Health Institute for Research and Education

Derek Douglas,
Special Assistant to the President for Urban Affairs

Valerie Fast Horse,
IT Director, Coeur D'Alene Tribe

Karen Finney,
Democratic Consultant

Brian Foley,
Interim Provost, Medical Education Campus, Northern Virginia Community College

Dr. Joseph P. Fuhr,
Professor of Economics, Widener University and Senior Fellow, American Consumer Institute

Jeff Johnson,
Managing Editor and Chief Correspondent for The Truth with Jeff Johnson

Dr. Elaine Kamarck,
Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

Jimmy Lynn,
Managing Partner at JLynn Associates

Maria Teresa Petersen,
Executive Director, VotoLatino

Paul Schroeder,
Vice President, Programs and Policy Group, American Foundation for the Blind

Jamal Simmons
Political Strategist and Media Consultant

Deborah Taylor Tate
Former Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission

Denmark West,
President of Digital Media, BET

Navarrow Wright,
President, Maximum Leverage Solutions

RSVP to info@internetinnovation.org

Additional info at http://www.internetinnovation.org/activities/Broadband-Symposium/broadba...

Read more about Universal Broadband: Access for All Americans

NASUCA Supports Using USF for Improving Broadband Affordability and Adoption

The National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates (NASUCA) offered the Federal Communications Commission a number of ideas on Universal Service reform and its impact on the goal of universal broadband. On creating a broadband program for low-income households, NASUCA agrees that universal service support should be made available so low income consumers and their households can obtain broadband service on more affordable terms. The National Broadband Plan, NASUCA argues, should include plans for a Lifeline for Broadband program. However, similar to the goal of universal service for plain old telephone service ("POTS"), the goal of universal service for broadband must necessarily be a long term goal which will take years to accomplish. A Lifeline for Broadband program will assist not only the low income consumers but aid broadband providers by increasing the take rate and return on investments. A baseline understanding of broadband penetration rates and targets for improvement are a necessary part of any regulatory effort that will flow federal USF dollars to broadband service providers. The Commission should recognize this fact and move with deliberation toward development of the baseline information needed to shape an effective and efficient program to promote universal broadband service among low income consumers.

Reform Universal Service for Recipients, Not Carriers, Groups Tell FCC

The Media Access Project, representing a number of urban and rural public service organizations, filed comments on universal service reform and the goal of universal broadband. The groups urge the Federal Communications Commission to not consider Universal Service Fund (USF) issues solely from the perspective of carriers currently receiving USF disbursements. The interest that USF must serve, they argue, is not the parochial interest of any service provider or class of carriers, but the public interest. The fund must promote universal connectivity for all Americans, and that means prioritizing the needs of people that depend on communications services - especially those still waiting for the expansion of modern communications facilities to reach them - over the needs of any particular companies. As even "basic" telecommunications services migrate to broadband, utilizing Internet Protocol ("IP") technology and the Internet to reduce the rates paid by consumers fortunate enough to have broadband access, the Commission can no longer conceive of broadband as a luxury, add-on, afterthought, or complement to the services historically supported by universal service mechanisms.

Overhaul USF Now, Wireless ISPs Tell FCC

In comments filed at the Federal Communications Commission, the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association ("WISPA") urges the FCC to promote the objective of ubiquitous broadband availability by subsidizing providers that serve "unserved" and "underserved" census blocks. By establishing a new subsidy program, the FCC will be able to sustain the funding initiatives created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. It is high time to transition the high-cost, low-income Universal Service Fund ("USF") from supporting last-century voice services to a system that supports broadband deployment. Initial funding for this program would come from the existing USF contributions for voice services that continue to generate windfall profits for carriers, with additional contributions form broadband revenues for services such as data, VoIP and video distributed over broadband networks. The current system is in sore need of repair because the cost basis for funding support is based on the high costs of wireline voice service, not the lower costs of wireless voice service. As a result, carriers that provide voice services at lower costs reap a significant windfall - the difference between the higher USF cost and the lower actual cost. Further, rural wireline Eligible Telecommunications Carriers (ETCs) have been using USF high-cost subsidies to construct new plant capable of providing both voice and broadband service and then allocate all of the capital cost to voice service, thereby successfully obtaining government subsidies for construction of broadband infrastructure. The FCC should initiate a transition period, beginning January 1, 2010, where the Commission would continue to support already-constructed wireline ETC plant for the shorter of: (a) five years, or (b) the remainder of the amortization period for the infrastructure involved. There should be no USF high-cost support whatsoever for new capital expended to construct obsolete landline voice infrastructure on or after January 1, 2010. With respect to wireless voice ETCs, there should be no USF high-cost support beyond December 31, 2010 for any wireless ETC that bases its request for support upon a landline ETC's costs, as opposed to the wireless provider's own actual costs. Support for new construction occurring on or after January 1, 201ashould be limited to facilities capable of supporting broadband service.

Cable Offers Ideas for Universal Service Reform for National Broadband Plan

In comments filed at the Federal Communications Commission, the cable industry weighed in how universal service policies can impact the national goal of universal broadband.

The National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) -- which represents large cable operators who are also the largest providers of broadband service and are emerging as competitive voice service providers -- said the FCC must strive to eliminate the "Universal Service Fund Gaps" without placing additional financial burdens on American consumers. in a previous filing, NCTA called on the FCC to establish a two-step process by which any party may request that the FCC reassess the level of high-cost support provided to a particular study area. In the first step, the burden would be on the petitioner to demonstrate that the area meets one of two competition-based triggers. If one or both of those triggers is satisfied, the Commission would initiate the second step of the proceeding. In that step, the burden would be on a recipient of high-cost support to demonstrate the minimum amount of support necessary to ensure that non-competitive portions of the area will continue to be served. This process would identify those incumbent telephone company costs that cannot be recovered through any of the services (regulated and unregulated) provided in the non-competitive portion of the study area, including costs associated with any clearly defined carrier of last resort (COLR) obligations.

The American Cable Association, which represents smaller cable operators, is also supportive of a Universal Service mechanism to fund broadband -- but only if it is competitively and technologically neutral and is precisely targeted to users that lack access in areas that are unserved or underserved. The ACA has its own proposal for USF reform; the main components of the ACA proposal are:

1. Cap the Entire Universal Service Fund and the High Cost Portion of the Fund at 12/31/09 Level;

2. Create a New Broadband Fund for Unserved and Underserved Areas (Last Mile Wireline & Wireless, and Middle Mile);

   a. The amount of funding for the Broadband Fund would be the difference between the capped high-cost fund amount as of 12/31/09 and the level of the high cost fund as it is reduced through the mechanisms described in Section 3.
   b. Funding would be awarded separately for last-mile wireline and wireless providers and for middle-mile providers with the FCC determining the appropriate allocation. Funding would be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, with unserved areas being funded first; if multiple last-mile providers seek capital funding in unserved areas or multiple middle-mile providers seek capital funding, reverse auctions (or another neutral selection method) would be used.
   c. For unserved areas, last-mile funding would be in the form of (1) capital grants for the construction of infrastructure to provide eligible broadband services (unless such funding has been obtained from other government programs), and (2) operating funds ($X/line/month) conditioned on serving the customer. The amount of the operating fund subsidy would be calculated based on the cost of providing broadband service (either wireline or wireless) in the unserved area versus the average nationwide cost of providing broadband service. For purposes of administrability, the FCC would calculate the cost by examining costs in representative (census block) areas which then could be linked to the level of density or other factors closely-linked to costs.
   d. For households in underserved areas, last-mile funding would be in the form of operating funds ($X/line/month) conditioned on serving the customer. The amount of the operating fund subsidy would be calculated based on the cost of providing broadband service (either wireline or wireless) in the underserved area versus the average nationwide cost of providing broadband service. For purposes of administration, the FCC would calculate the cost by examining costs in representative (census block) areas, which would be linked to the level of density.
   e. For middle-mile infrastructure for unserved and underserved areas, funding would be in the form of capital grants for the construction of infrastructure to provide eligible broadband services.
   f. The FCC would evaluate operating support at regular intervals to determine the level of such support and whether such support continues to be necessary.
   g. The FCC would make additional and separate funds available for lowincome households to subscribe to broadband service.

3. Transition the High Cost (Voice) Fund Using Savings to Fund Broadband;
   a. Provide Smaller Eligible Telecommunications Carriers ("ETCs") with continuing support for their provision of traditional voice service and eliminate funding where competition is present.
   b. Current wireline ETCs (Eligible Telecom Carrier) with fewer than 100,000 access lines would continue to draw from the fund as they draw today (by area) for the provision of voice service unless they choose to access funding from the new Broadband Fund to serve that area (other than access to the fund for purposes of funding middle-mile infrastructure), in which case the funding mechanism in the new Fund replaces the current mechanism.
   c. Current wireline ETCs with more than 100,000 access lines would draw from the fund based on the "current high cost differential" per access line multiplied by the number of voice access lines in service annually. No such wireline ETC would draw from the fund for an access line if (1) the user can obtain voice service from another wireline provider who is able to serve the user without drawing from the fund, (2) the state regulator has deregulated the wireline ETC's provision of voice telephone service for the user, or (3) the wireline ETC accesses funding from the Broadband Fund to serve the user (other than access to the fund for purposes of funding middle-mile infrastructure).
   d. A wireline competitive ETC ("CETC") would draw from the fund based on the number of voice access lines served, except that (1) no funds would be awarded if another competitive wireline provider was able to serve the same customer without drawing from the fund, and (2) no funds would be awarded if the CETC accesses funding from the Broadband Fund to serve that customer (other than access to the fund for purposes of funding middle-mile infrastructure).
   e. A wireless competitive ETC ("CETC") would draw from the fund based on the number of voice access lines served, except that (1) no funds would be awarded if another wireless provider was able to serve the same customer without drawing from the fund, and (2) no funds would be awarded if the CETC accesses funding from the Broadband Fund to serve that customer (other than access to the fund for purposes of funding middle mile infrastructure).
   f. No high-cost voice funds would be provided to areas or customers not currently receiving funding.
   g. Maintain the CETC "interim" cap during the transition to use of the Broadband Fund. No new funding would be awarded to a CETC entering a new service area after 12/31/09.

4. Contribution Methodology
a. Move from the current contribution mechanism of placing an assessment on interstate telecommunications revenues to hybrid numbers/connections based approach -- with a cap on revenue at current level of total USF.

Carriers Big and Small Weigh In on Broadband and Universal Service Reform

In comments filed at the Federal Communications Commission, a number of telephone company trade groups have weighed in how universal service policies can impact the national goal of universal broadband.

The United States Telecom Association (USTelecom), the trade association representing service providers and suppliers for the telecommunications industry, says a credible strategy for the deployment and adoption of broadband throughout the U.S. must include proposals for reforming the intercarrier compensation and universal service regimes by reinforcing the appropriate business fundamentals for network investment. USTelecom urges the FCC to adopt reforms recognizing that the evolution of both intercarrier compensation and universal service support to a broadband world must not ignore consumers who will continue to rely on today's network for vital services at reasonable rates for the foreseeable future because it is not financially viable for providers in some areas to build out broadband facilities.

The National Exchange Carrier Association (NECA), a not-for-profit association of incumbent local exchange carriers, provides the FCC with research indicating that high-cost funding paid under current programs has enabled the deployment of a single, multi-use, broadband-capable network to reach a substantial majority of customers in areas served by rate-of-return carriers ("RLECs"). (These carriers are allowed to recover their revenue requirement by setting rates on their various products and services so that it earns no more than the rate-of-return authorized by the FCC. FCC rules define the rate base (specified plant items) upon which a carrier is allowed to earn a return. These carriers must submit revenue data annually as well as line count data and certifications for various High Cost components.) But much work remains to be done as new services continue to impose greater and greater demands on RLEC broadband networks. NECA's comments outline a workable benchmark-based approach for a new end-to-end broadband funding mechanism, one that will help RLECs provide high-speed broadband services at reasonable prices throughout their service areas. NECA's proposal also provides for an administratively simple and efficient way to transition existing universal service funding mechanisms to the new broadband fund, without risking harm to customers who continue to subscribe to voice services. Further, as explained above, NECA's approach would not cause funding to be diverted to maintaining "legacy" circuit switched networks, as these facilities have already been upgraded in many areas to IP-based broadband systems.

COMPTEL, an industry association representing competitive communications service providers and their supplier partners, asks the FCC for comprehensive USF reform and reminds the FCC that the Government Accountability Office offered the Commission two recommendations, not yet acted upon: 1) To better ensure that the high-cost program supports the purpose it is intended to fill, FCC should first clearly define the specific long-term and short-term goals of the high-cost program and subsequently develop quantifiable measures that can be used by the Congress and FCC in determining the program's success in meeting its goals. 2) To ensure a robust internal control environment that supports performance-based management, FCC should identify areas of risk in its internal control environment and implement mechanisms that will help ensure compliance with program rules and produce cost-effective use of program funds.

The National Telecommunications Cooperative Association, the trade association representing rural telecommunications providers, said the FCC implement NTCA's national broadband plan, including provisions concerning USF and intercarrier compensation (ICC) reform. NTCA's 2009 Broadband/Internet Survey shows that NTCA members who receive high-cost funding under the USF program are deploying broadband services and any reduction or cap of the high-cost program will adversely affect traditional and broadband services in rural America. USF reform should include identification of Market Failure Areas to target new broadband support. That support should include middle-mile and second-mile transport services. A revenue-based contribution methodology that includes all broadband internet access providers as contributors is the optimal plan for funding broadband through the USF. The Commission should also explore requiring large bandwidth users to contribute to the new broadband USF funding mechanism.

The Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies (OPASTCO) developed a broad outline for reforming the High Cost Universal
Service Fund (USF) program for rural incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) service
areas that would hasten progress toward the ubiquitous availability of affordable, highspeed
broadband services in these territories.

The components of the plan are as follows:

Create a new Universal High Speed Broadband Fund, which would support all of the major network components of providing high-speed broadband service in rural service areas - last-mile loop costs, second-mile transport costs, middle-mile transport costs, and the cost of access to the Internet backbone. Both capital expenditures and ongoing operational expenses would be supported.
The plan would support one fixed technology high-speed network provider in each rural service area. It also allows for one mobile wireless provider in each area to be supported. Support amounts are based on a demonstration of actual costs that exceed a qualifying threshold.
Rural ILECs can "opt in" to the new Fund at any time during a seven-year transition period. Once a rural ILEC opts in, all high-cost support is received via the new Fund. At the time of opt in, a rural ILEC would immediately begin receiving the support amount that they were presently receiving from the existing mechanisms, as a starting point. Those ILECs choosing not to opt in immediately would continue to receive support through the existing mechanisms.
All intercarrier compensation (ICC) rates transition down to zero over seven years, and the ICC revenues that rural ILECs are receiving at the time they opt in would gradually transition into the support received from the new Fund, as the ICC rates are reduced. Rural ILECs may also elect to immediately reduce their ICC rates to zero at the time they opt in.
At the end of the seven-year transition period, the existing rural high-cost support mechanisms and ICC regime are eliminated, and carriers would recover their broadband network costs through a combination of affordable end-user rates and support from the new Fund. At that time, the public switched telephone network (PSTN) is fully converted to a broadband network.
All fixed technology providers receiving support through the new Fund must commit to offering broadband throughout the service area at speeds that are at least equal to the national average broadband speed, and end-user rates that are reasonably comparable to the national average rate. Support recipients must also submit to quality of service oversight.
The Low Income program is expanded to support broadband Internet access
service for qualifying consumers.
Contributions to all USF programs, including the new High Speed Broadband Fund, would be based on a combination of public network connections and working telephone numbers, including all broadband connections in service, regardless of technology.

The Coalition for Rational Universal Service and Intercarrier Reform (CRUSIR), a group of competitive service providers, told the Federal Communications Commission that Universal Service Fund support should not be limited to voice service or for that matter to plain old telephone service (POTS) providers, but we also see a need to continue funding in a manner that does not disadvantage smaller competitors. In a world of broadband services that are less and less like POTS, a funding mechanism based on telephone numbers makes even less sense than it may have in the past, and we continue to oppose it. We also stress that support should not be given for information services provided on a non-common-carrier basis, but for common carrier services that can support competitive provision of information services. Placing a "network neutrality" requirement on recipients so that they provide what might be called a "fair and balanced" information service is not a substitute for an open network that allows many ISPs to compete for service across the same physical facilities.

The Rural High Cost Carriers -- a cross-section of rural incumbent local exchange carriers who provide a full range of telecommunications services and facilities, including broadband, in rural, high cost areas of the U.S. -- are extremely concerned about the intersection of the Commission's Broadband policy and real revenue requirements, including intercarrier compensation and federal universal service fund receipts. Rural carriers are dependant upon such revenue requirements to continue to provide service at affordable prices in accordance with the Telecommunications Act of 1934, as amended in 1996. In order to ensure that the deployment of broadband across the United States does not create a negative impact on the provision of rural service, which includes not only voice but also broadband, the Rural High Cost carriers urge the Commission ensure four policies are reflected in the National Broadband Plan:

1. The size of any USF-related broadband fund, or related government directed revenues, should be driven by the Commission's public policy decision as to the desirable broadband speeds, and by eliminating wasteful spending on CETCs under the identical support rule.

2 Ideas such as USF portability and forward-looking pricing are unworkable in the real world because the deployment of high quality and sustainable IP-related services, such as email, VOIP and video, in rural areas, requires sustainable networks.

3. Reductions in current levels of high cost support and/or intercarrier compensation would jeopardize the ability of the Rural High Cost Carriers to continue to serve customers and deploy broadband capable networks.

4. The principle of cost-causation is paramount in designing a broadband-related contribution mechanism because upward pressure on the universal service fund will continue to exist as a result of broadband speed requirements and increases in demand. Those who profit from the network by driving increasing amounts of content and applications should be included in this calculus.

Dec 8, 2009 (White House's Open Government Plan)

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2009

Bridging the Digital Divide and Open Government (see story below) headline a busy wonk day http://bit.ly/8TkRtL

GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
Activists Skirt Web Crackdown to Reach the Outside World
Obama team launches its interactive 'openness' policy with online access

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
FCC, FEMA Adopt Mobile Emergency Alert Standards
Remarks of Commissioner Copps to the Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council

UNIVERSAL BROADBAND
   FCC Explains Its Broadband Plan to Silicon Valley
   Report Using Census Block Data Finds Broadband Adoption Rate of 72.9 Percent
   In the digital age, we need universal, affordable broadband
   Benton to FCC: Use USF to Accelerate Digital Transition
   Rural Broadband Won't Be Solved By Profit-Maximizing Means

OWNERSHIP
   What exactly does Comcast already own? Here's a list
   Comcast Keeping NBC's Broadcast Business
   NBC On Record Opposing Consolidation
   Comcast/NBCU: Broadcast Wanes, Interactive Ad Push Soars
   NBC Universal deal gives Comcast an angle on news
   File-Sharing Judge: Copyright Act Creates 'Deep Potential for Injustice'

TELEVISION
The Holiday Season of Internet TV. Time to Cancel Your Cable Subscription
Americans Still Watch 99% Of Video On TVs: Nielsen

PRIVACY
FTC Officials Urge Action On Privacy
Groups Far Apart on Online Privacy Oversight

HEALTH
   Better data could mean better care
   Blumenthal: Marking the Road Ahead
   Blumenthal: Industry Eventually Could Steer Health IT Initiatives
   Study Reveals Remote Workforce Challenges

MORE ONLINE...
   Does Your Smartphone Need a Split Personality?
   Data Gaps Could Hinder a Nationwide Traffic Information System, GAO Study Finds
   Powell, Ford named co-chairs of broadband coalition
   Sesame Street, Hasbro Announce 10-Year Alliance
   Court Spars on Oversight of Agencies

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GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS

ACTIVISTS SKIRT WEB CRACKDOWN
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Christopher Rhoads]
The intensifying crackdown on supporters and leaders of Iran's opposition, and the banning of foreign media from covering it, hasn't prevented a flood of online information about Iranian protests from reaching the world. Video, still images and text messages posted on Facebook, Twitter, blogs and news Web sites Monday chronicled the latest antigovernment action, held largely at Iranian universities on what has historically been a protest day, National Student Day. Rather than being cowed by authorities' show of force, or by hampered online and mobile links, opposition members and their supporters showed they have honed communication skills developed during the protests of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election in June. "The people of Iran have figured out how to get around filtering," said Mehdi Saharkhiz, 27, a graphic designer living in New Jersey and the son of a prominent, imprisoned Iranian journalist. "They have become their own news agency."
benton.org/node/30356 | Wall Street Journal
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OBAMA TEAM LAUNCHES 'OPENNESS' POLICY
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Dan Vergano]
Open government? There's an app for that. Or so the Obama administration proposes, rolling out a "transparency, participation and collaboration" directive for all federal departments and agencies at 11 a.m. ET today. "We are fundamentally committed to changing the way government works," says Aneesh Chopra, the federal government's chief technology officer. Further "open government" initiatives will follow, showcasing federal data already public and seeking comment starting Thursday on whether all federally funded research, other than what's classified, should be free. The effort means that, for the first time, the public will soon have immediate access to information such as hospital report cards, dangerous workplaces, airport delays, wildfires and even calories in foods. Bush administration secrecy, agency rules and old technology had hindered its release until now, says Gary Bass of OMB Watch, a government-watchdog group. "I couldn't have written it better," Bass says.
benton.org/node/30357 | USAToday
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EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS

FCC, FEMA ADOPT MOBILE EMERGENCY ALERT STANDARDS
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Press release]
As part of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), the nation's next generation of emergency alert and warning networks, the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the adoption of the design specifications for the development of a gateway interface that will enable wireless carriers to provide its customers with timely and accurate emergency alerts and warnings via their cell phones and other mobile devices. The Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) is one of many projects within IPAWS intended to provide emergency mangers and the President of the United States a means to send alerts and warnings to the public. Specifically, CMAS provides Federal, state, territorial, tribal and local government officials the ability to send 90 character geographically targeted text messages to the public regarding emergency alert and warning of imminent threats to life and property, Amber alerts, and Presidential emergency messages. The CMAS is a combined effort of the federal government and cellular providers to define a common standard for cellular alerts. This announcement marks the beginning of the 28-month period, mandated by the FCC in August 2008, for commercial mobile service providers who have elected to participate in the design specifications known as CMAS to develop, test and deploy the system and deliver mobile alerts to the public by 2012.
benton.org/node/30353 | Federal Communications Commission | TechDailyDose
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COPPS AT CSRIC
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: FCC Commissioner Michael Copps]
Federal Communications Commission member Michael Copps spoke at the first meeting of the newly re-charted Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council. He said: "We're over eight years out from 9/11 now-and over four years beyond Hurricane Katrina-and our country is nowhere near where it should be in terms of being prepared for the next great disaster, be it man-made or from the not-always-benign hand of Mother Nature. On this day particularly, December 7th, we should appreciate how swiftly harm can befall us. Yes, I think in some respects we've moved ahead, but I think most public safety experts agree that there's more to be done than has yet been done. Many of us remember the stern warnings of The 9/11 Commission Report. Well, many of the shortfalls identified in that report still remain. And, as a country, the farther away we get without another terror attack, the more hurricane-less summers we have, the more folks become complacent. Most of us are guilty of that, I suppose. And it's not good. But it is government that must lead the way. Not acting by itself, but working closely with the private sector, public safety, all the stakeholders-and when it comes to public safety, we're all stakeholders. It's all of our jobs-industry, government and the public safety community, working together-to do this job. As I have said before, when disaster strikes again, we don't want anyone to be able to say that we in the public sector or you in the private sector were asleep at the switch. If disaster struck tomorrow, to be perfectly frank, I don't think there would be a patient reaction from the American people -- nor should there be."
benton.org/node/30352 | Federal Communications Commission
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UNIVERSAL BROADBAND

FCC EXPLAINS NBP
[SOURCE: Light Reading, AUTHOR: Craig Matsumoto]
The important thing to remember about the U.S. National Broadband Plan is that it's not going to fix everything. Blair Levin, a former Federal Communications Commission chief of staff who's returned to run the FCC's broadband initiative, and Carlos Kirjner, senior adviser to the FCC chairman, spoke at an informal gathering of about 50 people, organized by Silicon Valley's Churchill Club. It wasn't just a techy kiss-up session, though. The tone was candid as Levin and Kirjner summed up the major areas the Plan is addressing so far: The need for more wireless spectrum, IPTV and other IP-related changes to TV markets, Developing ways to let users quantify how well broadband is working, Security and privacy, "Universalization," bringing broadband to institutions like schools and hospitals, and Lowering broadband costs by addressing issues such as right-of-way. But the broadband plan won't fix every contention that exists around broadband issues. Net neutrality is a good example. It came up in audience Q&A, but Levin and Kirjner said the plan won't be answering that issue simply because that's the job of other people at the FCC.
benton.org/node/30351 | Light Reading
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BROADBAND ADOPTION PEGGED AT NEARLY 73%
[SOURCE: BroadbandBreakfast.com, AUTHOR: Drew Clark]
A new report using an innovative approach to broadband data finds that the percentage of households in the United States that have adopted high-speed Internet services is 72.9 percent. The report was generated by comparing the Census blocks in which broadband is available with the number of subscribers that carriers report to the Federal Communications Commission. By linking the number of subscribers in a particular state (from FCC data) to a data-set of Census block-by-Census block tabulations of broadband availability, consultant Brian Webster believes that he is able to peg the nation-wide broadband adoption rate for homes passed at 72.9 percent. That number is about 10 percentage points higher than what other studies have found. That's not surprising precisely because he is attempting to count adoption of homes passed, and not of the population as a whole. "That's a difference that could have a significant impact on the decisions made to deploy broadband in the remaining un-served markets," says Webster.
benton.org/node/30350 | BroadbandBreakfast.com | Read the report
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IN THE DIGITAL AGE, WE NEED UNIVERSAL, AFFORDABLE BROADBAND
[SOURCE: Miami Herald, AUTHOR: Eric Newton]
[Commentary] America needs universal, affordable broadband access. Everyone, no matter their age, race, income or neighborhood, should be able to go online to get whatever they want -- video, audio, photos and text -- from anywhere in the world as fast as anyone else can. In the digital age, countries without high-speed broadband will become second-class nations filled with second-class citizens, able to vote but not knowing why they should; able to work but not knowing how to find a job online. This isn't the first time we've faced a need to connect the nation. In the 19th century, we linked East and West with the transcontinental railroad. In the 20th, we linked driver to destination with the United States Interstate Highway System. Today, we need to link people and ideas. Nearly two dozen other nations now rank ahead of the United States in high-speed broadband. That just won't do.
benton.org/node/30349 | Miami Herald
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BENTON TO FCC: USE USF TO ACCELERATE DIGITAL TRANSITION
[SOURCE: Benton Foundation, AUTHOR: Charles Benton]
In comments filed with the Federal Communications Commission, the Benton Foundation suggests the FCC modernize the Universal Service fund to accelerate broadband deployment and adoption. The size of the universal service fund does not have to be drastically increased, Benton argues, but as soon as possible all support should be directed to broadband deployment and adoption. Merely extending universal service support to broadband, without a commensurate decrease in analog support, could indeed increase costs to consumers who can't afford to pay more. Instead, broadband support should be phased in over a limited timetable while phasing out support for analog service, spurring new competition, and enabling providers to offset the increased cost through increase subscriber services like the addition of voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and video to their broadband offerings. The Commission must modernize Lifeline and Link Up to help meet the communications needs of low income consumers. The Commission should expand USF to include equipment and training to make broadband access meaningful. The Broadband Lifeline/LinkUp program must be designed to reach and serve all eligible households. The Commission should streamline Broadband Lifeline/Link Up eligibility and enrollment.
benton.org/node/30348 | Benton Foundation | New Jersey Division of Rate Counsel
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RURAL BROADBAND WON'T BE SOLVED BY PROFIT-MAXIMIZING MEANS
[SOURCE: App-Rising.com, AUTHOR: Geoff Daily]
[Commentary] The foundation of American broadband policy to date has been that the best way to stimulate deployment is to leave it up to the market, to let private, profit-maximizing companies compete to lower prices, improve service, and expand networks. While this model may be working in some areas--like those with the choice of Verizon FiOS, Comcast DOCSIS 3.0, and a handful of wireless providers--it isn't working in all areas. In particular, we must come to accept the fact that rural broadband can't and won't be solved through profit-maximizing means. The economics just don't work out. If I'm a carrier with $X dollars to spend, then I have an obligation to my shareholders to invest that money where it has the greatest chance of making the best return, and that's almost always going to mean picking a city over a remote town or even more rural area. This becomes especially acute when we're talking about getting our most rural Americans online as it may be impossible to profitably deliver to them high quality service at a price they can afford. But that doesn't mean rural broadband can't be profitable.
benton.org/node/30347 | App-Rising.com
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OWNERSHIP

WHAT DOES COMCAST OWN?
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Matthew Lasar]
Do people know what Comcast actually owns? It sells cable video to 24.2 million subscribers, serving 26 percent of multichannel video consumers across the country. It also offers high-speed Internet to 14.9 million households and phone service to 6.5 million VoIP customers. But Comcast has its fingers in many other pies. Comcast Interactive owns Plaxo, Fandango, Fancast, Daily Candy, and Comcast.net. Comcast runs what the company calls five "significant programming networks." Its most popular is E! Entertainment Television, which has 85 million subscribers; the Golf Channel, with 73 million; VERSUS, a sports and leisure programming network, with 66 million; G4 ("gamer lifestyle programming") with 57 million; and Style ("lifestyle-related programming") with 51 million. On top of these there's the Comcast SportsNet system, with branches in the Baltimore/Washington area, California, the Mountain states, Boston, Portland, and Chicago. Comcast owns not only sports content but a range of sports entertainment franchises and businesses under the rubric of Comcast Spectacor. Spectacor runs the Philadelphia Flyers hockey team, the Philadelphia 76ers basketball team, and Philadelphia's Wachovia Center Sports Arena. It also operates the Global Spectrum event management company, which runs events around the United States and Canada, the Front Row venue marketing/advertising firm, the New Era ticket processing company, a skating production company, a food services company, and several other ventures. In addition to all this, Comcast has "non-controlling interests" in a host of related enterprises. These include iN DEMAND, TV One (African-American-oriented programming), MGM, SportsNet New York, FEARnet (horror Web TV on demand), New England Cable News, Music Choice, the Pittsburgh Cable News Channel, and PBS KIDS Sprout. (The last is a partnership between Comcast, HIT Entertainment, PBS, and Sesame Workshop.) Comcast also has put some investment money into the Clearwire and SpectrumCo wireless ventures. Other Clearwire investors include Intel, Google, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House Networks.
benton.org/node/30346 | Ars Technica
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COMCAST KEEPING NBC'S BROADCAST BUSINESS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Claire Atkinson]
Speaking at the annual UBS media conference, top Comcast executives said they saw significant upside to helping NBC get to "third, second or first place." Company chief operating officer, Steve Burke, said he defined the NBC broadcast network as three businesses, "To us, it's the network, the broadcast stations and TV production. When you look at those three as an ecosystem, it's a good business but it's got its challenges." Burke said: "Network rankings are cyclical. There's a lot of reasons why the guy in last place can put on more shows, while the guy in first place waits too long to retire shows." He later told investors, "There's a chance the broadcast business economics might get better," with an improving ad climate and on better ratings. He added that NBC had a valuable role since many of the shows that power the top cable network, USA and other cable properties were derived from the network. The company sees a much bigger use of NBC for promoting its cable assets.
benton.org/node/30345 | Broadcasting&Cable | AP | Huffington Post
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NBC ON RECORD OPPOSING CONSOLIDATION
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Juliana Gruenwald]
NBC Universal, which claims its pending merger with Comcast would be a boon for consumers, warned of dire consequences nine years ago when Time Warner and AOL wanted to combine. In a July 24, 2000 letter to the Federal Communications Commission, NBC wrote, "Given the size and scope of the proposed merged company, AOL/Time Warner will have both the ability and the incentive to discriminate against unaffiliated content providers such as NBC." The Peacock network also urged the agency "to establish firm principles of non-discrimination in the treatment of unaffiliated content providers in the broadband services marketplace" -- a step that Comcast is now trying to prevent the FCC from taking. The letter was signed by NBC Executive Vice President and General Counsel Rick Cotton, who observed during a Friday press briefing that predictions about the dominance of a merged Time Warner-AOL never materialized. Of course, if he and others at NBC had gotten their way, the deal might never have been approved.
benton.org/node/30344 | CongressDaily
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BROADCAST WANES, INTERACTIVE AD PUSH SOARS
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: Diane Mermigas]
Advertising is not a big part of the proposed Comcast NBCU merger -- yet. It represents only about 20% of the new NBCU's total revenues, a figure the new owners intend to change. The road to revenue growth is paved with interactive ad riches -- a long, twisted path through cable, online and mobile. The big question is, how long will it take for those options to ramp up? The new NBCU will control about one-fifth of TV viewing in the U.S., a one-third stake in the leading online video service Hulu and full ownership of Comcast's online video service Fancast. It will provide Comcast and other cable operators with tremendous scale to roll out Project Canoe, an addressable ad program providing advanced local advertising solutions. Trials targeting consumers by geographic location -- as well as needs and interests -- using the cable set-top box have been successful so far, supported by major marketers including Procter & Gamble and Kraft Foods. The hope is that marketers will pay a premium for such targeted interactive connections, which they can continue to mine over time.
benton.org/node/30343 | MediaPost
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NBC UNIVERSAL DEAL GIVES COMCAST AN ANGLE ON NEWS
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Matea Gold]
When Comcast Corp. assumes control of NBC Universal, the company will inherit a portfolio of news organizations, including a top-shelf network news division that dominates the competition. Powered by the "Today" show in the morning and "NBC Nightly News" in the evening, NBC News is one of the few bright spots at the broadcast network. It's also one of the few aspects of the venture that will be largely new terrain for Comcast. Until now, the Philadelphia-based cable television operator's experience in news has been limited to running a handful of local television channels that produce newscasts, including the East Coast regional network CN8 until it shut down at the end of last year. NBC News executives have been heartened by private conversations with Comcast executives in which they expressed admiration for the news division and pride that it would be part of the cable behemoth. While Comcast has not made any specific commitments about resources, NBC officials said the new owners are aware that the news division contributes to the overall bottom line of the company, buoyed by its profitable cable news network, MSNBC. In fact, inside the news division, employees said they feel lucky that NBC was not purchased by a media company such as Time Warner or News Corp., which already has its own news networks and might have slashed staff.
benton.org/node/30358 | Los Angeles Times
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COPYRIGHT ACT CREATES 'DEEP POTENTIAL FOR INJUSTICE'
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: Wendy Davis]
U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Gertner, who presided over the recent file-sharing lawsuit brought against graduate student Joel Tenenbaum, has joined the roster of critics who are asking Congress to reform copyright law. "As this court has previously noted, it is very, very concerned that there is a deep potential for injustice in the Copyright Act as it is currently written. It urges -- no implores -- Congress to amend the statute to reflect the realities of file sharing," Judge Gertner wrote in a decision issued Monday. "There is something wrong with a law that routinely threatens teenagers and students with astronomical penalties for an activity whose implications they may not have fully understood."
benton.org/node/30337 | MediaPost
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TELEVISION

CANCEL YOUR CABLE SUBSCRIPTION
[SOURCE: The Huffington Post, AUTHOR: Marvin Ammori]
[Commentary] This holiday season is shaping up to be the season of Internet TV. Finally the time has come for Americans to watch TV through the Internet, and not just on laptop screens but on living room flat panel HD TV screens . Devices and services like AppleTV, Roku, Boxee, and Netflix let you watch popular movies and TV shows directly on your TV screen. To the delight of TV viewers but the annoyance of cable companies, it is time for many Americans to give themselves or loved ones a long-hoped-for gift. For them, it its time to cancel their ever-more-expensive cable subscriptions.
benton.org/node/30342 | Huffington Post, The
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AMERICANS STILL WATCH 99% OF VIDEO ON TV
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Todd Spangler]
Web video may be the buzz of the TV industry, but Americans still spend the vast majority of their time watching video -- approximately 99% -- on traditional televisions, according to Nielsen's latest "three screens" report. In the third quarter, the average American spent 31 hours, 19 minutes per week watching traditional TV, compared with 31 minutes watching time-shifted TV, 22 minutes of Internet video and just 3 minutes on a mobile phone, according to Nielsen's Anytime Anywhere Media Measurement (A2/M2) Three Screen Report for the period. Even among those 18-24 -- a cohort that typically consumes the most online video of any age group -- viewing is largely on TVs, with the demographic registering 22 hours, 44 minutes of traditional TV watching in the period compared with 35 minutes of Internet video and 19 minutes spent watching time-shifted TV. Nielsen's definition of "TV watching" includes live usage plus any playback viewing within the measurement period, while "time-shifted TV" is playback primarily on a DVR but includes playback from VOD, and services like Time Warner Cable's Start Over.
benton.org/node/30341 | Multichannel News
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PRIVACY

FTC OFFICIALS URGE ACTION ON PRIVACY
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Juliana Gruenwald]
Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz and his colleague, independent member Pamela Jones Harbour, told a privacy workshop Monday that the time is ripe for action to improve consumer data privacy both online and offline. "I'd argue that we're at another watershed moment in privacy, and that the time is ripe for the commission to build on the February behavioral targeting principles and to take a broader look at privacy writ large," said Chairman Leibowitz. Both Chairman Leibowitz and Commissioner Harbour noted that the Internet has enabled much broader and deeper collections of personal information. The officials said that posting privacy policies on a Web site and offering consumers the choice to opt out may not be enough since most consumers do not read or understand such notices.
benton.org/node/30340 | CongressDaily
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GROUPS FAR APART ON ONLINE PRIVACY OVERSIGHT
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Stephanie Clifford]
If online privacy was once an obscure policy subject, it has come front and center. That much was apparent at the standing-room-only roundtable on privacy and technology that the Federal Trade Commission held on Monday. Although no major policy decisions were made, the forum showed a heightened awareness of online privacy issues. The commission had brought in academics, consumer advocates and executives from Google, Microsoft and Wal-Mart to debate what needs to change to address privacy issues online. It was not just a theoretical question. The commission has been examining whether online privacy should be regulated. The debate has grown louder as technology companies are tracking and profiling people in new ways, Congress is showing an interest in the subject, and companies are trying to avoid government intervention. "The stakes are so big here," said Berin Szoka, director of the Center for Internet Freedom at the Progress and Freedom Foundation, a research organization that favors deregulation. New regulations, he said, would "make a real difference." But fellow panelist Jeff Chester called a false dichotomy the suggestion that there had to be a tradeoff of privacy protection for saving journalism. There is no reason why there can't be a "citizen-friendly" system.
benton.org/node/30359 | New York Times | Broadcasting&Cable
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