Dec 1, 2009 (GE-Vivendi Deal Could Clear path for Comcast)
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for TUESDAY DECEMBER 1, 2009
A couple of multi-day events on tap -- 1) the Innovation Economy Conference and 2) the FTC's From Town Criers to Bloggers: How Will Journalism Survive the Internet Age? (see related stories below) http://bit.ly/7AjQ4q
NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN & THE STIMULUS
Markey: National Broadband Plan Can Have Positive Implications on Global Warming
Broadband Mapping Grants for Five More States
Comcast, AT&T fight Illinois broadband plans
FCC Wants More Input On Spectrum
Smart Turkey?
TIA Asks NTIA, RUS To Focus On Last-Mile Projects, Adoption Efforts
NETWORK NEUTRALITY
The Internet is Never Neutral
CyberMonday Shopping: Celebrate Net Neutrality
JOURNALISM
American government: It's always subsidized commercial media
How to Save Journalism
NAA Says Behavioral Advertising Can Help Revive Flagging Revenues
Automated AOL News: Heralding the Future of Online News Writing?
TV News directors invite viewers to virtual story discussions
OWNERSHIP
With Deal, GE Clears Path to Sale of NBC
Surge to Merge
Media business at crossroads as deals pick up
TELEVISION/RADIO
The Future of TV
Time Warner Cable Takes Firm Stance on Carriage Deals
Mixed Signals in Web Radio
Given a world of interactive options, how much longer will viewers tune into their local newscast for weather?
HEALTH
The Evidence for HIT
WIRELESS
TV remotes may be the gateway to a pervasive wireless mesh
MORE ONLINE ...
New Site Sheds Light On 'Terms Of Service'
FTC Announces Senior Staff Appointments
Recent Comments:
EU overcomes final hurdle for overhaul of telecom rules
NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN & THE STIMULUS
MARKEY: NBP CAN CURB GLOBAL WARMING
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Rep Ed Markey (D-MA) -- former chair of the House Telecommunications Subcommittee and current chair of a special committee on energy and global warming -- is responsible for charging the Federal Communications Commission with writing a National Broadband Plan. On Monday at the FCC's field hearing on broadband, energy consumption and the environment, Rep Markey said he thought that if the FCC gets the plan right, the greenhouse gas problem could be solved by 2050. Among the takeaways from the hearing was that the government would need to find ways to incentivize broadband networks and utilities to work together in ways they had not before, and for both to collaborate with government and academia to get the job done. The job is to match the near ubiquitous deployment of electricity with broadband so that a national smart grid can become a reality, and with enough bandwidth to handle as-yet-undeveloped applications.
benton.org/node/30122 | Broadcasting&Cable | CongressDaily
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BROADBAND MAPPING GRANTS FOR FIVE MORE STATES
[SOURCE: National Telecommunications and Information Administration]
The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) today announced that it has awarded grants to fund broadband mapping and planning activities in Alaska, Colorado, Delaware, Kansas, Louisiana, and Missouri under NTIA's State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program. Alaska: NTIA has awarded the Denali Commission approximately $1.4 million for broadband data collection and mapping activities over a two-year period and almost $500,000 for broadband planning activities over a five-year period in Alaska, bringing the total grant award to approximately $1.9 million. The Denali Commission, an independent federal agency, is the designated entity for the state of Alaska. Colorado: NTIA has awarded the Governor's Office of Information Technology (OIT) approximately $1.6 million for broadband data collection and mapping activities over a two-year period and almost $500,000 for broadband planning activities over a five-year period in Colorado, bringing the total grant award to approximately $2.1 million. OIT is the designated entity for the state of Colorado. Delaware: NTIA has awarded the Delaware Department of Technology and Information (DTI) approximately $1.1 million for broadband data collection and mapping activities over a two-year period and almost $470,000 for broadband planning activities over a two-year period in Delaware, bringing the total grant award to approximately $1.5 million. DTI is the designated entity for the state of Delaware. Kansas: NTIA has awarded Connected Nation approximately $1.5 million for broadband data collection and mapping activities over a two-year period and $500,000 for broadband planning activities over a three-year period in Kansas, bringing the total grant award to approximately $2 million. Connected Nation, a non-profit organization, is the designated entity for the state of Kansas, however the state of Kansas will direct and implement all planning activities. Louisiana: NTIA has awarded the Louisiana Division of Administration, Office of Information Technology (OIT) approximately $1.2 million for broadband data collection and mapping activities over a two-year period and almost $500,000 for broadband planning activities over a two-year period in Louisiana, bringing the total grant award to almost $1.7 million. OIT is the designated entity for the state of Louisiana. Missouri: NTIA has awarded the Missouri Office of Administration (MOA) approximately $1.5 million for broadband data collection and mapping activities over a two-year period and approximately $470,000 for broadband planning activities over a two-year period in Missouri, bringing the total grant award to almost $2 million. MOA is the designated entity for the state of Missouri.
benton.org/node/30121 | National Telecommunications and Information Administration
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COMCAST, AT&T FIGHT ILLINOIS BROADBAND PLAN
[SOURCE: Crain's Chicago Business, AUTHOR: Paul Merrion]
Ambitious state and local plans to improve high-speed Internet access with federal stimulus dollars are running into staunch opposition from AT&T Inc., Comcast Corp. and other private Internet providers. About five dozen public and private entities, including the state, Chicago and Cook County, are vying for a slice of $7.2 billion in federal stimulus grants to promote broadband Internet service. With enough bandwidth, a government-subsidized Internet link also could provide telephone and television service, creating another threat for AT&T and Comcast, as well as smaller carriers. "They see the plug being pulled on their customer base," says Craig Clausen, executive vice-president of New Paradigm Resources Group Inc., a telecommunications research and consulting firm in Chicago. In fighting the proposals, the carriers argue that stimulus projects shouldn't duplicate services they already provide.
benton.org/node/30109 | Crain's Chicago Business
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FCC WANTS MORE INPUT ON SPECTRUM
[SOURCE: TVNewsCheck, AUTHOR: Kim McAvoy]
The Federal Communications Commission is preparing to ask for public comment on reallocating broadcast television spectrum for wireless broadband use. Blair Levin, head of the FCC's National Broadband Task Force, said, "There's been enough public debate where people have been asserting things. We'd like to get on the record real data and real ideas. We'll see where it goes."
benton.org/node/30108 | TVNewsCheck
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SMART TURKEY?
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Nick Sinai]
[Commentary] Why focus on the Smart Grid in the energy section of the national broadband plan? We have a climate crisis on our hands, and broadband and IT need to be part of the solution. In fact, smart electric grids, smart homes, and smart buildings -- sometimes collectively called the smart grid -- are the greatest opportunity for broadband and IT to reduce carbon emissions. One study recently concluded that smart grids, homes, and buildings could reduce over 800 million tons of annual carbon emissions by 2020. That's the equivalent of taking more than 100 million gasoline-fueled cars off the road. The responses to the public notice on Smart Grid issues have also made it clear that there are two issues that we need to address in a comprehensive plan to Congress. First, it's clear from the record that our electrical system-really a collection of systems-will require greater data connectivity across the entire grid, from generation to transmission to distribution to the meter, and within the home and building. As we have more distributed generation, plug-in electric vehicles, and retail prices that better reflect costs, we'll need to modernize the grid, with greater communications and IT throughout. Second, a lot of the expected benefits of the Smart Grid are really benefits we'll gain from smarter homes and smarter buildings. Consumers and building owners will be expected to interact with the grid in new ways, including the "Prius Effect", which refers to the way Toyota Prius drivers responded to the prominent display on the car's dashboard of real-time fuel economy by changing their driving behavior to get even better mileage. Similarly, exposure to better energy consumption information can help encourage energy savings behavior. But a lot of the benefits will be the automation of home or building systems to manage energy better - you won't have to lift a finger!
benton.org/node/30107 | Federal Communications Commission
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TIA ASKS NTIA, RUS TO FOCUS ON LAST-MILE PROJECTS, ADOPTION EFFORTS
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The National Telecommunications & Information Administration and Rural Utilities Service are getting plenty of advice on how to improve its second, and final, round of broadband stimulus funding. The Telecommunications Industry Association, for example, filed comments Monday asking them both to focus on last-mile projects (getting broadband to more folks) and adoption efforts (getting those with access to sign up). Joining a growing chorus, the group also said that the program should allow any rural areas to get money. One criticism leveled by powerful members of Congress is of the definition of rural in the first round, which excluded anybody within 50 miles of an urban area. TIA also asked for clarification of the rules of the road, also echoing a general criticism of the program.
benton.org/node/30125 | Multichannel News
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NETWORK NEUTRALITY
THE INTERNET IS NEVER NEUTRAL
[SOURCE: , AUTHOR: Mark Jamison, Janice Hauge]
[Commentary] Dumb is better? That is what net neutrality advocates would have us believe. Their basic belief is that broadband networks should be pipes that indifferently pass information packets from one location to another, allowing content providers and customers equal opportunity to do whatever they want. Who could be against that? People interested in innovation and customer welfare. Remember Al Gore calling the Internet the information superhighway? The metaphor wasn't and isn't perfect, but it is instructive. Suppose we applied net neutrality to our transportation system — there would be no high-occupancy vehicle lanes during rush hour, no car-only lanes on interstates, and no toll road as an alternative to I-95 in South Florida. Transportation would be more costly and provide less value. Forcing net neutrality would have similar results. Time-sensitive information, such as stock market transactions, would wait in line behind football game highlights.
benton.org/node/30118 |
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CYBERMONDAY SHOPPING: CELEBRATE NET NEUTRALITY
[SOURCE: The Huffington Post, AUTHOR: Marvin Ammori]
[Commentary] Apparently, the first Monday after Black Friday is a big online shopping day, as Americans go back to work ... and shop online. Whether CyberMonday is hype or not for retailers, it's a good day to celebrate Internet openness. For years, a debate has raged in DC over whether phone and cable companies should be allowed to block, discriminate against, or otherwise interfere with users' access to everything online. The millions of people and hundreds of groups favoring Internet openness advocate for a network neutrality law, ensuring this openness. Many favor net neutrality because of free speech concerns. But let's not forget that an open Internet supports American business. Any company, or person, can sell any products online without permission. Any person can go to any site -- not one with a special deal with the phone or cable company -- to buy any gift for any loved one.
benton.org/node/30110 | Huffington Post, The
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JOURNALISM
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT HAS ALWAYS SUBSIDIZED COMMERCIAL MEDIA
[SOURCE: Online Journalism Review, AUTHOR: Geoffrey Cowan, David Westphal]
A mythology about the relationship between American government and the news business is again making the rounds, and it needs a corrective jolt. The myth is that the commercial press in this country stands wholly independent of governmental sustenance. Here's the jolt: There's never been a time in U.S. history when government dollars weren't propping up the news business. This year, federal, state and local governments will spend well over $1 billion to support commercial news publishers through tax breaks, postal subsidies and the printing of public notices. And the amount used to be much higher. After backing the news industry for more than 200 years, the government should assess how it can be most helpful now, when the future of news and information is so uncertain. As it debates possible forms of support, the government should consider these principles: First and foremost, do no harm. A cycle of powerful innovation is under way. To the extent possible, government should avoid retarding the emergence of new models of newsgathering. Second, the government should help promote innovation, as it did when the Department of Defense funded the research that created the Internet or when NASA funded the creation of satellites that made cable television and direct TV possible. Third, for commercial media, government-supported mechanisms that are content neutral -- such as copyright protections, postal subsidies and taxes -- are preferable to those that call upon the government to fund specific news outlets, publications or programs. However policymakers proceed, they should do so based on facts rather than myth. The government has always supported the commercial news business. It does so today; and unless the government takes affirmative action, the level of support is almost certain to decline at this important time in the history of journalism.
benton.org/node/30116 | Online Journalism Review
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HOW TO SAVE JOURNALISM
[SOURCE: The Nation, AUTHOR: John Nichols, Robert McChesney]
[Commentary] The good news first: the politicians and regulators who have it in their power to do something about the decline of American journalism are finally paying attention. Now for the bad news: the way the challenges facing journalism are being discussed, indeed the way the crisis itself is being framed, will make it tough for even the most sincere policy-makers to offer a viable answer to it. The assumption is clear: it's the Internet that's the problem. But just as MTV's debut pronouncement that "Video Killed the Radio Star" proved to be dramatically overstated, so is the notion that journalism's disintegration can be attributed to a brand-new digital revolution or even an old-fashioned economic meltdown. The decline of commercial journalism predates the web.
benton.org/node/30115 | Nation, The
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NAA SAYS BEHAVIORAL ADVERTISING CAN HELP REVIVE FLAGGING REVENUES
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: Wendy Davis]
The Newspaper Association of America is touting online behavioral targeting as a partial fix for the industry's revenue woes. "Targeted advertising shows significant promise for newspapers seeking new ways to support local journalism," the organization writes in comments filed with the Federal Trade Commission. The comments were filed in advance of this week's FTC public workshops about media, "From Town Crier to Bloggers: How Will Journalism Survive the Internet Age." Sophia Cope, legislative counsel at the NAA, adds that members of Yahoo's newspaper consortium have benefited from the company's online ad-targeting capabilities. "Based on preliminary results, it looks like targeted advertising will be one of the solutions that helps newspapers get back some of their revenue," she says. The NAA says that Yahoo's newspaper consortium has generated at least $50 million since last year. The initiative involves Yahoo powering behavioral targeting for some newspapers' Web sites, among other features.
benton.org/node/30124 | MediaPost
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AUTOMATED AOL NEWS
[SOURCE: Fast Company, AUTHOR: Kit Eaton]
AOL's CEO Tim Armstrong is promising to "spark a revolution" in online news reporting: He's got plans to automate it. Instead of relying on AOL's experienced staff of editors and writers to put together the written content for AOL's news Web sites, the company will be employing an algorithmic system that trawls the Internet and examines the stories its Net visitors will most prefer. It'll then advise the humans in the loop which stories are likely to do well, and when to run them--particularly pieces like seasonal or sporting-interest ones. AOL will also be using Seed.com to share out article assignments among the large freelance staff. Payments for freelancers will also be calculated automatically, along with advertising fees. And, and this is the most intriguing part, it'll screen the submitted pieces for grammar and even check them for copyright infringements.
benton.org/node/30119 | Fast Company
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TV NEWS DIRECTORS INVITE VIEWERS TO STORY DISCUSSIONS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Michael Malone]
While the typical station story meeting has six or eight people present to pitch ideas, WITI Milwaukee might have 60 or 80 at its daily 1:45 confab. That's because WITI opens up the editorial meeting to the public through live blogging and a live video stream, along with a Web program that allows users to toss in story ideas while commenting on others.
benton.org/node/30104 | Broadcasting&Cable
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OWNERSHIP
WITH DEAL, GE CLEARS PATH TO SALE OF NBC
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Tim Arango, Bill Carter]
Apparently, General Electric has reached a tentative agreement with the French media conglomerate Vivendi that clears the way for the sale of NBC Universal, including the flagship NBC network, to Comcast, the nation's largest cable operator. GE will buy Vivendi's 20 percent stake in NBC Universal for about $5.8 billion. It removes one of the few remaining hurdles in its plan to sell control of the television and movie company to Comcast in a $30 billion agreement that reflects the changing landscape of broadcast television. While a deal between GE and Comcast still could hit a snag over the final price, it is considered highly likely: GE wants to sell NBC because of rising losses, and Comcast wants to buy it to control more of the television programs and movies that flow through its cable systems. The final threads may take days to sew up and there is a tentative plan to announce a final deal on Thursday.
benton.org/node/30127 | New York Times | WSJ | LATimes | FT | AP | WashPost
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SURGE TO MERGE
[SOURCE: New York Post, AUTHOR: Josh Kosman]
Companies that have been warring for years might soon get in the holiday spirit of togetherness. Among the mergers that industry insiders believe could come down the pipeline are a Time Warner-Viacom tie-up, a Discovery-Scripps marriage and a Verizon-Vodafone deal. The timing is right for mergers. Public companies have been sidelined for five years: first because buyout firms could outbid them, and then because they had to deal with falling earnings. But now, the recession has leveled off, and private equity companies, unable to arrange aggressive loans to finance deals, are hamstrung.
benton.org/node/30106 | New York Post
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MEDIA AT CROSSROADS
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Yinka Adegoke]
The growing influence of the Web to distribute news, video and other content, combined with the lingering economic malaise, have left many media executives and investors uncertain about where to make their next bets. The dilemma boils down to whether a modern media company should focus on building content at scale, or if it also needs to own the pipes to deliver that content. What worries media companies is that Wall Street will rethink their stock valuations if content becomes widely available on the Internet for free, or close to free. "The media companies want to take control again of how people access their content," said Todd Dagres, a partner at Spark Capital, a venture capital firm that has backed companies like Twitter and Boxee. "They want to be the toll-takers for content on the Web in the 21st Century."
benton.org/node/30105 | Reuters
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TELEVISION/RADIO
THE FUTURE OF TV
[SOURCE: AdAge, AUTHOR: Brian Steinberg]
It's conceivable -- and probably inevitable -- that TV/web convergence will lead to us ordering up movies, pizza and even advertising while watching custom-tailored content and interacting with social-network buddies at the same time. The question is how these services will work together and who will manage and monetize them in a world where the TV networks operate with a mass-media mentality and are anxious to keep $60.5 billion in ad revenue from going away.
benton.org/node/30123 | AdAge
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TIME WARNER CABLE TAKES FIRM STANCE ON CARRIAGE DEALS
[SOURCE: MediaWeek, AUTHOR: Anthony Crupi]
With a handful of carriage deals set to expire at the end of the year, Time Warner Cable has launched a preemptive strike against programmers who may be looking to jack up their affiliate fees. The cable operator on Wednesday unveiled RollOverOrGetTough.com, a site that will allow subscribers to weigh in on increasing programming costs. On the home page, users are prompted to click on one of two icons: a "rewind" button that indicates Time Warner should "roll over" on network demand, or a "fast-forward" button that allows customers to add their two cents to the debate. It's not a subtle distinction that's being made here. Those who click on the retrograde icon are warned that "massive price increases -- up to 300% -- are impossible for us to absorb without passing on some of that cost to you." Time Warner Cable adds that programmers who don't secure their carriage hikes "are threatening to pull the plug on your favorite shows."
benton.org/node/30114 | MediaWeek
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MIXED SIGNALS IN WEB RADIO
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Sarah McBride]
Radio's online audience is growing at an impressive pace at a time when the beleaguered radio industry needs all the ears it can get. But radio companies, suffering their third straight year of revenue declines, are having trouble turning that audience into the cash they crave. More than 42 million people each week listen to radio streamed over the Internet, more than double the rate from five years ago, according to market-research firms Edison Research Inc. and Arbitron Inc. Many of those are either new listeners or people tuning in at times when they never listened to regular broadcast radio. But radio has been slowest among the media industry to turn its Internet audience into cash. Gordon Borrell, who runs consultancy Borrell Associates Inc., calls radio the "C" student of the Internet. Radio gets only an estimated 2.4% of its revenue from online, while TV gets 3.4% and newspapers 7%. One of the big problems is that the market for Internet radio is bifurcated between listeners who tune in to streamed versions of existing, terrestrial radio stations and people who listen to Internet-only radio startups. Of the 42 million people who listen to Internet radio, 24 million are tuning in to Web-only radio.
benton.org/node/30126 | Wall Street Journal
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HEALTH
THE EVIDENCE FOR HIT
[SOURCE: Health IT Buzz, AUTHOR: David Blumenthal]
Recent studies raising questions about the benefits of electronic health records (EHRs) are informative, but limited in their applicability to our health information technology (HIT) program. To the extent that they accurately capture past experience with EHRs, these studies illustrate something that the Congress and the President understand and have allowed for: namely, that having an EHR alone is not sufficient. Doctors and hospitals have to use this technology effectively, have to employ its extraordinary power to improve clinical decisions, in order to achieve its potential benefits. The federal government's new programs of incentives and penalties are totally focused on encouraging the meaningful use of EHRs. The resources set aside by the Congress to encourage the adoption of EHRs will go only to physicians, hospitals, and other providers who meet carefully designed new requirements for the use of EHRs that will translate into health improvements and cost reductions for the American people. And the plan passed by Congress includes new resources and support that will help make it possible for providers and hospitals to meet these requirements. We have already announced the availability of grants that will help providers adopt and use EHRs, and we will be making additional announcements in the weeks and months ahead. Sometimes bold steps are required to improve the human condition. Among the most successful health and social programs in American history are Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the Community Health Center Program, and the State Children's Health Insurance Program. It would have been a tragic mistake, costing untold thousands of lives and enormous suffering, if we had foregone or delayed these programs. I believe the HIT initiative will rank with these huge successes in the value it will bring to the American people over the years to come.
benton.org/node/30117 | Health IT Buzz
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WIRELESS
TV remotes may be the gateway to a pervasive wireless mesh
TV REMOTES AND THE WIRELESS MESH
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: John Timmer]
The progress that wireless devices have made in the consumer space is nothing short of breathtaking. In the developed world, nearly everyone has a cellphone, and it's difficult to go anywhere in an urban center and not have a half-dozen WiFi networks within signal range. A lot of the focus in this space has been on providing more bandwidth to devices like smart phones and routers, but at least some companies are betting that the next frontier in wireless is in cheap, low-power devices. Individually, they'll use a tiny fraction of the bandwidth of the hardware we're familiar with; but, if things go according to plan, there will be a lot more of these devices. The devices themselves are based on the IEEE's 802.15 standard, which is intended for what the organization terms "personal area networks." In contrast to WiFi or even Bluetooth, 802.15.4 class devices typically only have a bandwidth of a few hundred Kbps, which puts them decidedly on the low end of the communications scale. That bandwidth, however, is more than sufficient for a wide variety of common uses; the Zigbee standard for wireless smart appliances has been built on top of 802.15.4.
benton.org/node/30120 | Ars Technica
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