March 2010

"We are entering a world where almost any human interaction of any kind will require use of the internet."
-- Harendra de Silva QC, Barrister

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010
http://benton.org/calendar

NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN
   What We Won In The National Broadband Plan
   FCC broadband chief hopeful plan suggestions will become realities
   Putting the FCC National Broadband Plan into Action
   Broadband plan stirs praise, then criticism at the FCC
   National Broadband Plan dissenters include small telcos
   Toward a more wired union
   FCC's Broadband Plan: Mobile Broadband Will Save Us!
   Consumer Broadband Test Update
   Your Questions (and answers) about the National Broadband Plan [Video]
   Verizon, AT&T, Google Partake of Broadband Speed Race
   FCC Launches Spectrum Dashboard
   Inside the FCC's spectrum revolution (and its problems)
   National Broadband Plan calls for charging agencies for spectrum use
   Genachowski To TV: Take It Or Leave It
   A Compelling Vision for the Future of Public Safety Communications
    See also: FCC Seeks Comment on Public Safety Broadband Deployments
    See also: South Carolina's Public-Private Partnership Brings Interoperability to State Public Safety Communications
   National Broadband Plan focuses on e-Rate, online learning
   Broadband Plan: Test Fed Sites
   FCC's Broadband Plan and Cities, Counties

MORE ON INTERNET/BROADBAND
   FCC's Network Neutrality Proceeding Means More Work For State Department
   Comcast: 100-Meg Residential Service Coming This Year
   Google's Growing Infrastructure Advantage
   Cape Cod Wins Broadband Stimulus Grant

WIRELESS
   Move to 4G May Change Pricing Model
   Four areas to watch beyond the radio

TELEVISION
   GAO: Over Two-Thirds of Primetime Programming Produced by Broadcast Networks
   FCC to tackle retransmission issue
   Google and Partners Seek TV Foothold
   What's Television's Next Business Model?
   Local TV news doesn't share the public interest
   Comcast Won't Challenge FCC's Closing of Terrestrial Exemption
   Proposed House Bill Would Extend Satellite Blanket License to April 30

JOURNALISM
   The New News Landscape Is Omnipresent
   Cable Web Sites Dominate Top 10 News Destinations in February

GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
   Web 2.0 versus Control 2.0
   States embark on a scramble for cyberspace
   Spy agencies and business to share data
   Pentagon Sees a Threat From WikiLeaks
   Break the law and your new Facebook 'friend' may be the FBI
   Meet USCybercom: Why the US is fielding a cyber army
   After Google dustup, should the US ban Chinese computers?

PRIVACY
   FTC Hears Debate About Whether Privacy Polices Can Work
   Outgoing FTC commissioner dings Google, Internet companies on privacy

HEALTH
   NHIN Direct may impinge on state HIE service plans
   ONC and the feds

ENERGY
   California's Smart Meter Battle: Google vs. Utilities

MORE ONLINE
FCC Traveling to Tampa for April 20 Media Ownership Workshop | APTS President Resigning | Health Care Debate Dominates Interest and Coverage | 25 Things You Can Remote Control With Your iPhone | On this phone call, no one can hear you talk | Google In Italy: Lessons from Tobago | Court Says Parents Can Block 'Sexting' Cases | A Rift at Amazon on E-Book Prices | China Drawing High-Tech Research From US

Recent Comments on:
Day 1 of the National Broadband Plan

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NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN

WHAT WE WON IN THE NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN
[SOURCE: Public Knowledge, AUTHOR: Harold Feld]
[Commentary] On some National broadband Plan issues, such as structural separation, we came up empty. On other issues, such as forcing the Bells to make their old copper lines available to rivals, the Plan wusses out rather than swinging for the bleachers. But there is a huge difference between "we did not get everything we thought would make this plan fantastic" and "it is a worthless fetid steaming piece of refuse." And, as we've always known, the real fun begins with the numerous proceedings the Plan recommends and which the full Federal Communications Commission must vote to begin. What does Feld like about the plan? It puts competition front and center.
benton.org/node/33410 | Public Knowledge
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LEVIN HOPEFUL PLAN WILL BE IMPLEMENTED
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Tony Romm]
Speaking at an event hosted by the Brookings Institution, Blair Levin -- the executive director of the Federal Communications Commission's Omnibus Broadband Initiative -- seemed confident many of the crucial recommendations in the agency's National Broadband Plan would eventually become realities. He stressed the plan would help the FCC, the executive branch and federal lawmakers begin "breaking down those barriers" that have long stifled action on the broadband front. "If I was handicapping the document... obviously, where we make recommendations to the FCC, that's where [action] is most likely to occur," Levin said. "We spent a lot of time with the commissioners." He said a less contentious plan would have produced more consensus, but ultimately "would not have been as satisfying" or forward thinking as the report delivered to federal lawmakers this week.
benton.org/node/33409 | Hill, The
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PUTTING THE PLAN INTO ACTION
[SOURCE: PCWorld, AUTHOR: Tony Bradley]
Publishing the National Broadband Plan is just the beginning. As much resistance as the FCC has experienced just trying to draft a plan, it seems that political opponents--and the lobbyists, and big business interests that back them--have treated the plan itself as the target. However, the FCC plan is not a government directive; it's a blueprint that is still a work in progress. To its credit, the FCC has provided equal opportunity for dialog and debate for both public and private interests throughout the process of developing the plan. What now? Now the real work begins. The FCC is planning a series of 40 or so proceedings over the next few months to engage in more detailed discussion of the "how" to go with the "what". The authority of the FCC to pursue its ambitious initiatives has been called into question, and the FCC will need to work closely with private sector interests to bring the proposals in the plan to life.
benton.org/node/33408 | PC World
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BROADBAND PLAN STIRS DEBATE
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: David Hatch]
The honeymoon for the National Broadband Plan ended quickly. There are signs that deep fissures are emerging among FCC commissioners. That reality was hammered home when Commissioner Mignon Clyburn -- normally a staunch ally of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski -- sharply criticized one of the plan's core proposals: offering incentives to television broadcasters to relinquish large chunks of airwaves to be reassigned to mobile wireless carriers. Commissioner Michael Copps raised the temperature in the packed room with a veiled threat to telecommunications and cable companies, which the FCC is heavily relying on to make tens of billions of dollars in infrastructure investments consistent with the plan's goals. "Lack of competition could conceivably require us to take actions going beyond what is generally discussed here," he said. "We may have to invoke other available authorities already invested in the commission -- or, should we lack some authority that we need, we may have to request it." Those comments appeared to be a reference to tentative "network neutrality" rules approved in October that would toughen agency guidelines designed to preserve the Internet's openness and to the possible reclassification of broadband from a lightly to heavily regulated service. The agency's two Republicans balanced their praise with ample criticism about key recommendations -- and strong warnings that the document could pave the way for more regulation.
benton.org/node/33407 | CongressDaily
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SMALL TELCOS DO NOT LIKE PLAN
[SOURCE: Connected Planet, AUTHOR: Joan Engebretson]
Despite its complexity, the National Broadband Plan is still just that -- a plan. Before its recommendations can come to pass, more than 40 Federal Communications Commission proceedings will need to occur and Congress must agree to raise at least $6.5 billion over 10 years to support it, as well as creating some new laws, such as standards to ensure privacy of energy data. Perhaps because the plan, as of today, lacks the power to actually change anything, the telecom industry reaction to it was overwhelmingly positive. But a few dissenters have emerged. The National Telecommunications Cooperative Association disagreed with the plan's proposal to end rate of return accounting for small telcos, including many of the organization's members. Dan Mitchell, vice president of NTCA's legal and industry division said that although price cap regulation is appropriate for areas that can support multiple communications service providers, he believes the rate of return approach continues to be most appropriate in areas where market conditions do not support competition. The Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies expressed concerns about Universal Service reforms. Perhaps feeling snubbed because broadband over power line technology was not highlighted in the plan, another dissenter was International Broadband Electric Communications, a BPL provider.
benton.org/node/33406 | Connected Planet
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TOWARD A MORE WIRED UNION
[SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle, AUTHOR: Editorial staff]
[Commentary] Silicon Valley should be pleased with the Federal Communications Commission's new national broadband plan. Though it isn't perfect, the plan is far better than anything that came out under former President George W. Bush's FCC - and it recognizes that broadband is becoming as crucial to the American economy as electricity and telephones. Unfortunately, there are many things in the plan that require congressional approval. While common sense suggests that Congress should jump at the chance to keep America competitive and expand access to the most important invention of the last century, there are certain entrenched interests - namely the telephone and cable companies - who have a vested interest in preventing competition, even if it means that the whole country has slower and less reliable service than our global competitors. Coincidentally, these companies also employ lots of lobbyists. To protect its own growth, Silicon Valley needs to do some lobbying of its own.
benton.org/node/33424 | San Francisco Chronicle
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MOBILE BROADBAND TO SAVE US!
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: Stacey Higginbotham]
The Federal Communications Commission issued the long-awaited National Broadband Plan this week, a 376-page document that makes clear the agency accepts the reality of the current wireline duopoly — and as such, has decided to put the burden of competitive pressure on mobile broadband. There are many consumer-friendly aspects of the plan, such as opening up set-top boxes and creating an easy-to-understand label that shows people what their broadband connections are capable of. But the FCC has clearly decided against a plan that requires a new infrastructure buildout when the current infrastructure will suffice. If only the agency had moved to tackle this issue back in 2002, when the telecommunications providers were thinking about how their fiber rollouts were going to occur, and implemented policies that could have resulted in a shared nationwide fiber network.
benton.org/node/33423 | GigaOm
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CONSUMER BROADBAND TEST
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Jordan Usdan]
Thanks to the over 150,000 unique users who have taken over 300,000 Consumer Broadband Tests, as well as the nearly 4,000 addresses submitted to the broadband Dead Zone Report. The popularity of the consumer tools has exceeded our expectations.We've made some text changes to the short "About" section found on a tab below the Consumer Broadband Test Tool. Some users have been confused by the differences between the two testing platforms presented by the FCC - Ookla and M-Lab - and this posting explains the variability.
benton.org/node/33422 | Federal Communications Commission
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THE NEW SPEED RACE
[SOURCE: BusinessWeek, AUTHOR: Olga Kharif]
The race to provide ultrafast broadband is on. In May, Cleveland will become a test bed for a service, spearheaded by Case Western Reserve University, that lets residents of more than 100 homes download data at about 1 gigabit per second. In February, Google said it plans an ultra-high-speed broadband network covering as many as 500,000 users. The plans by Google and Case Western may add to pressure on the largest broadband providers such as Verizon Communications, AT&T, and Comcast to accelerate their own deployments and could create a windfall for the makers of networking equipment, analysts say. "Pre-Google announcement, it would have been five years" before such speeds became common, says John Mazur, a principal analyst at Ovum, a telecom market researcher. "Post-Google announcement, it could be sooner." A download speed of 1 gigabit per second (Gbps) is 20 times faster than top speeds Verizon offers consumers and more than 256 times faster than the speeds available to the average broadband subscriber. Broadband providers are trying to meet a surge in demand for video and other services delivered over networks, sometimes wirelessly. Global data traffic may increase fivefold by 2013, according to Cisco.
benton.org/node/33420 | BusinessWeek
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SPECTRUM DASHBOARD
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Press release]
As discussed in the National Broadband Plan, the Federal Communications Commission announced the "beta" release of its Spectrum Dashboard. The Spectrum Dashboard allows users to more easily review how spectrum bands are allocated and used and also allows users to identify license holders in specific areas. The initial version released today provides information covering frequencies between 225 MHz and 3.7 GHz - the range of spectrum potentially usable for mobile broadband. In addition, the Spectrum Dashboard contains enhanced search, mapping and data download capabilities for licenses in the following services in that range: 700 MHz Band; Advanced Wireless Service (AWS); Broadband Personal Communications Service (PCS); Broadband Radio Service (BRS); Educational Broadband Service (EBS); Cellular; 2.3 GHz Wireless Communications Service (WCS); Full Power TV Broadcast; and Mobile Satellite Services (MSS). The Spectrum Dashboard will increase transparency into how radio spectrum is being used in the United States. In conjunction with the release of the National Broadband Plan, the Spectrum Dashboard provides a resource for stakeholders who want to participate in the deployment of wireless broadband throughout the nation. The dashboard allows users to browse, review and analyze spectrum data as it relates to broadband deployment, both at the local and national levels.
benton.org/node/33404 | Federal Communications Commission | Spectrum Dashboard
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THE FCC'S SPECTRUM REVOLUTION
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Matthew Lasar]
The National broadband Plan calls for freeing up 300MHz starting just below the UHF zone (300MHz to 3GHz) to be made "newly available for mobile use within five years." On top of that, the Plan wants to open up 20MHz of licensed space in the little-known 2.3GHz Wireless Communications Service (WCS) band for mobile broadband use. The FCC is setting a tough agenda for itself with these benchmarks -- but they pale in comparison to the revolution in spectrum philosophy for which the FCC is calling. What the Commission proposes is nothing short of a fundamental restructuring of how the government oversees spectrum ownership and use. And the first test of the new approach will not come in the TV bands, but in that obscure little WCS zone -- its fate being watched by Comcast, AT&T, Sirius XM satellite radio, and the entire auto industry. Historically, the way that the FCC has allocated spectrum is to apportion some license area and designate its use for one purpose. Now the Commission calls this system outmoded. The pace of technological change (or the emergence of "disruptive technologies," in the FCC's words) means that new uses for old spectrum are constantly being uncovered, while much presently owned bandwidth is underutilized. So the agency is seeking a much more fluid system of spectrum management that allows both government and industry to reconsider the uses of any band much more quickly—at present your garden variety re-allocation takes from six to thirteen years. To speed up this process, the NBP proposes some changes.
benton.org/node/33403 | Ars Technica
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CHARGING FED AGENCIES FOR SPECTRUM USE
[SOURCE: nextgov, AUTHOR: Bob Brewin]
In its National Broadband Plan delivered to Congress on Monday, the Federal Communications Commission proposed that agencies pay to use radio spectrum to maximize its potential for commercial use -- a suggestion one former Air Force general called "absurd." FCC's plan also calls for reallocating spectrum the Defense Department uses to manage satellites and to communicate with unmanned aerial vehicles and Army troops to commercial wireless broadband systems. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration manages federal use of spectrum, and FCC suggested in the spectrum chapter of its plan that Congress should allow NTIA to charge government agencies for spectrum that they currently use for free. The proposal would introduce market efficiencies to federal spectrum use and help spur the development of commercial broadband wireless services, FCC argued. The Technology Policy Institute, a Washington think tank, estimated in 2009 that about 23 percent of the nation's spectrum between 3 MHz to 3 GHz is allocated exclusively to federal agencies. FCC said imposing a fee "may help to free spectrum for new uses such as broadband, since licensees who use spectrum inefficiently may reduce their holdings once they bear the opportunity cost of spectrum." But the commission said the charge "must avoid disrupting public safety, national defense and other essential government services that protect human life, safety and property, and must account for the need to adjust funding through what can be lengthy budgetary cycles."
benton.org/node/33402 | nextgov
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FCC TO TV: TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT
[SOURCE: TVNewsCheck, AUTHOR: Harry Jessell, Kim McAvoy]
[Commentary] The National Broadband Plan comes down to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski saying this to broadcasters: We can do this the easy way or we can do it the hard way, but, make no mistake, we are going to take back 120 MHz of your spectrum and sell it to wireless providers so that more Americans can have faster mobile access to the Internet. The easy way is for broadcasters to simply go along with the NBP's principal proposals: 1) Acquiesce to a repacking of the broadcast plan to free up at least six channels (36 MHz). 2) "Voluntarily" enter into arrangements under which two or more stations would share a single 6 MHz broadcast channel so the FCC can recover another 14 channels (84 MHz). Stations that choose to give up all or some of their spectrum through channel sharing would be rewarded. They would be entitled to a percentage of the proceeds from the eventual auctioning of the spectrum to wireless providers. However, if broadcasters fail to go for channel sharing and auction cash in sufficient numbers or if Congress fails to allow broadcasters in on the auction take, then the NBP says the FCC should do it the hard way.
benton.org/node/33401 | TVNewsCheck
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VISION FOR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Jamie Barnett]
The National Broadband Plan lays out a comprehensive vision for the future of public safety communications. The Plan's recommendations for advancing public safety and homeland security draw upon an extensive record and incorporate input from the public safety community, service providers, vendors and countless others. We truly appreciate the efforts of all who contributed to development of these recommendations, which we believe will revolutionize public safety communications and emergency response. Our central recommendation is the creation of a nationwide interoperable public safety broadband wireless network through incentive-based partnerships between public safety agencies and the partner of their choice. The Plan asks Congress to commit a substantial amount of public funding -- as much as $12-16 billion over 10 years -- to support the build-out and operation of this network. It also recommends that the FCC create an Emergency Response Interoperability Center (ERIC) to ensure a baseline of operability and interoperability for the network nationwide. Recommendations to enable roaming and priority access on commercial networks will also help ensure that public safety has access to a network when and where they need it. Our recommendations will ensure that there truly is a nationwide network for the public safety community that is interoperable and provides them with the advanced communications capabilities they need. The Plan also makes recommendations on how to improve cybersecurity and proposals to facilitate the deployment of Next Generation 911, which will incorporate broadband technologies to improve the emergency response capabilities of public safety answering points (PSAPs), first responders, and other professionals. Finally, the Plan calls for the FCC to explore how to develop a multiple platform, redundant, next-generation alert system—one which uses broadband capabilities to better support underserved communities and reach a wider audience.
benton.org/node/33400 | Federal Communications Commission
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BROADBAND PLAN AND EDUCATION
[SOURCE: eSchool News, AUTHOR: Maya Prabhu]
More students should have access to online learning, and the federal e-Rate program should be more widely deployed and should embrace and encourage innovation, according to the National Broadband Plan. The plan lays out recommendations for ways to equip the country, including schools and libraries, with affordable broadband Internet access -- a necessity as education stakeholders work to ensure that all students are equipped for 21st-century careers. "Connecting America: The National Broadband Plan" has direct implications for education that are addressed in a 22-page package. The plan states that broadband can enable improvements in public education by facilitating the delivery of e-learning and online content, which can provide more personalized learning opportunities for students. Broadband also can facilitate the flow of information, helping teachers, parents, schools, and other organizations make better decisions tied to each student's needs and abilities.
benton.org/node/33398 | eSchool News
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MORE ON INTERNET/BROADBAND

NET NEUTRALITY AND THE STATE DEPARTMENT
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The FCC's actions on network neutrality, particularly if it classifies broadband as a Title II service subject to mandatory access provisions, could create work for the State Department, according to Ambassador Philip Verveer, assistant secretary of state and U.S. coordinator for international communications & information policy. "I can tell you from my travels around the world and my discussions with figures in various governments around the world there is a very significant preoccupation with respect to what we are proposing with respect to broadband and especially with respect to the net neutrality." Ambassador Verveer said that the proceeding "is one that could be employed by regimes that don't agree with our perspectives about essentially avoiding regulation of the Internet and trying to be sure not to do anything to damage its dynamism and its organic development. It could be employed as a pretext or as an excuse for undertaking public policy activities that we would disagree with pretty profoundly." He says he has tried to assuage his counterparts' concerns over the proceeding. "But [the concern] is there, and depending upon what happens with respect to the net neutrality proceeding, it may well end up having an effect that will cause us at the State Department to have to engage in a lot of discussions with our foreign counterparts." The thrust of Verveer's brief speech, whose brevity he said was in inverse proportion to the importance of the subject, was the impact of cloud computing on privacy and intermediary liability.
benton.org/node/33395 | Multichannel News
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COMCAST ROLLING OUT 100 MBPS SERVICE
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Todd Spangler]
Comcast starting this year plans to roll out 100-Megabit-per-second downstream service for residential customers -- twice its fastest Internet tier today. Currently, Comcast has deployed DOCSIS 3.0, the next-generation cable modem technology, to more than 75% of its nationwide footprint representing some 38 million homes and business premises. The MSO's Extreme 50 tier offers up to 50 Mbps downstream in those markets. In the next 12 to 18 months, Comcast anticipates being able to offer 100-Mbps Internet service to many, if not all, of those customers, said Cathy Avgiris, senior vice president and general manager of communications and data services. The company is the biggest broadband provider in the U.S., with 15.9 million high-speed subscribers as of the end of 2009.
benton.org/node/33394 | Multichannel News
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GOOGLE'S INFRASTRUCTURE ADVANTAGE
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: Stacey Higginbotham]
Google's content comprises between 6 and 10 percent of global Internet traffic, making its internal network one of the top three ISPs in the world, according to Arbor Networks. However, the total volume of traffic is just one measure of how big a web presence a company has — the other is how it can leverage that scale to cut its costs and boost its ability to better serve customers. For Google, which has long seen its infrastructure as a competitive advantage, the ability to keep its mighty web traffic on its own network rather than pay others to deliver it is a margin-boosting — and quality-boosting — advantage.
benton.org/node/33391 | GigaOm | Arbor Networks
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CAPE COD STIMULUS WINNER
[SOURCE: Government Technology, AUTHOR: Andy Opsahl]
OpenCape won the $32 million it requested to deploy a 350-mile fiber backhaul to connect government agencies, hospitals, research organizations and other anchor institutions, both public and private sector, to high-speed broadband. Massachusetts contributed $8 million in matching funds. Town IT officials see the forthcoming network as a vehicle for finally sharing IT platforms with other towns, according to Teresa Martin, vice chair of OpenCape. Having struggled for years with spotty connectivity and small budgets, many towns on the cape have been without technologies other areas take for granted, like online permit application functionality. Using the forthcoming fiber backhaul, set to include a regional data center, local Cape Cod towns will be able to share such applications. The regional data center, owned by OpenCape, will house whatever servers are necessary for the shared applications. The fiber will deliver them to the various local government offices. A central GIS repository is among the first projects Martin expects to see towns share.
benton.org/node/33390 | Government Technology
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TELEVISION

TWO-THIRDS OF PRIMETIME PRODUCED BY NETWORKS
[SOURCE: Government Accountability Office, AUTHOR: David Wise]
The media industry plays a vital role in informing and entertaining the public. Media ownership and the availability of diverse programming have been a long-standing concern of Congress. Despite numerous programming choices in television and radio available to the public, some studies have reported that independently produced programming -- that is, programming not affiliated with broadcast networks or cable operators -- has decreased through the years. GAO found major broadcasters produced about 76 to 84 percent of prime time programming hours. This requested report discusses 1) the extent to which the sources of television programming have changed over the last decade, 2) the factors industry stakeholders identified as affecting the availability of independent television programming, and 3) the factors industry stakeholders identified as influencing programming decisions in radio. To address these issues, GAO analyzed data from the Federal Communications Commission and industry on sources of broadcast television programming in prime time (weeknights generally from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.) and companies owning cable networks, as well as radio format data to determine programming variety. GAO also reviewed legal, agency, and industry documents and interviewed industry stakeholders, public interest groups, and others. GAO-10-369.
benton.org/node/33389 | Government Accountability Office | Highlights of the report
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FCC TO TACKLE RETRANS ISSUE
[SOURCE: Variety, AUTHOR: Cynthia Littleton]
The Federal Communications Commission will undertake a review of the retransmission consent rule amid the growing contentiousness between broadcasters and cable operators on carriage agreements, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said Wednesday. "We're going to look at (retrans) the same way we looked at broadband: Open participatory proceedings focusing on facts and data, and just thinking in an open way with an open mind about what would work best for the country and for all the players involved," Chairman Genachowski said. A group of cable, satellite and telco operators filed a petition with the FCC last week urging the commission to mandate that retrans disputes be subject to arbitration and that stations cannot pull their signals while negotiations are ongoing -- a key leverage point for station owners. The FCC is expected to post a formal notice seeking comments from the public on the petition some time this week.
benton.org/node/33416 | Variety
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GOOGLE TV
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Nick Bilton]
Google and Intel have teamed with Sony to develop a platform called Google TV to bring the Web into the living room through a new generation of televisions and set-top boxes. The move is an effort by Google and Intel to extend their dominance of computing to television, an arena where they have little sway. For Sony, which has struggled to retain a pricing and technological advantage in the competitive TV hardware market, the partnership is an effort to get a leg up on competitors. The partners envision technology that will make it as easy for TV users to navigate Web applications, like the Twitter social network and the Picasa photo site, as it is to change the channel. Some existing televisions and set-top boxes offer access to Web content, but the choice of sites is limited. Google intends to open its TV platform, which is based on its Android operating system for smartphones, to software developers. The company hopes the move will spur the same outpouring of creativity that consumers have seen in applications for cellphones.
benton.org/node/33411 | New York Times | WSJ | Bloomberg
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TV'S NEXT BUSINESS MODEL
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: Michael Kokernak]
Contrary to what some new-media folks believe, television still aggregates an audience and still has a business model (albeit an aging one). Each TV program represents distinct audiences that come together to sample relevant content. It's hard to find TV content today that does not contain Web site addresses, Twitter mentions, and text-based messages throughout. It's accepted that even with these "light" reference points, as it stands now TV's long-term prospects pale in comparison to those of the Internet, mostly because TV content still has no direct-response mechanism. Blending Internet elements into TV content makes for a seamless experience - and, in my opinion, is tomorrow's preferred business model. When I watch TV it feels, and looks, as if we're already headed in this direction. What we are missing, though -- in addition to some critical technology deployments -- is a unified direction for the industry on planning for, and measuring, TV click responses. It's clear to me that the future of television planning will be response-driven. However, until we can develop cross-platform metrics, additional new business models for television will be nearly impossible to establish. In addition, when we do establish the rules for cross-platform measurement, I think we will see tremendous synergies unlocked for agencies that had the foresight to consolidate their traditional and new-media businesses.
benton.org/node/33388 | MediaPost
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LOCAL TV NEWS
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: James Rainey]
The Federal Communications Commission says that, in exchange for the right to use the airwaves we all own, a broadcaster must operate in the "public interest," airing "programming that is responsive to the needs and problems of its local community." From what a USC Norman Lear Center study has concluded -- Los Angeles television news stations manage just 22 seconds of local government coverage for every half hour on the air -- broadcasters follow FCC rules like L.A. drivers follow stop signs: as helpful reminders for anyone who doesn't happen to be in a big hurry. And make no mistake, the people who run TV news are in a big hurry -- to create a space for news not already appearing on the Internet, to cling to viewers fleeing to their Xboxes and DVRs and to prop up endangered advertising revenue, any way they can. Anyone even vaguely paying attention has recognized for some time that local TV operators take something less than a keen interest in elevated civic discourse. You're sure to learn about the Guitar Hero championships. (Slammin' video. No analysis required.) But don't expect to find out much about who's running for Assembly or just how much library hours will be reduced by the latest city budget cuts.
benton.org/node/33387 | Los Angeles Times | www.huffingtonpost.com
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JOURNALISM

THE NEW NEWS LANDSCAPE IS OMNIPRESENT
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: Jack Loechner]
To a great extent, people's experience of news, especially on the Internet, is becoming a shared social experience as people swap links in emails, post news stories on their social networking site feeds, highlight news stories in their Tweets and haggle over the meaning of events in discussion threads. A new survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project aimed at understanding the new news landscape, reports that 56% of American adults say they follow the news "all or most of the time," and 25% follow the news at least "some of the time." 99% of American adults say that on a typical day, they get news from at least one of these media platforms: a local or national print newspaper, a local or national television news broadcast, radio or the Internet, and the Internet is now the third most popular news platform, behind local television news and national television news. The process Americans use to get news is based on foraging and opportunism, says the report. They access news when the spirit moves them or they have a chance to check up on headlines. At the same time, gathering the news is not entirely an open-ended exploration for consumers, even online where there are limitless possibilities for exploring news. Some 46% of Americans say they get news from four to six media platforms on a typical day. Just 7% get their news from a single media platform on a typical day.
benton.org/node/33381 | MediaPost
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GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS

WEB 2.0 VS. CONTROL 2.0
[SOURCE: Reporters Without Boarders, AUTHOR: ]
The fight for free access to information is being played out to an ever greater extent on the Internet. The emerging general trend is that a growing number of countries are attempting to tighten their control of the Net, but at the same time, increasingly inventive netizens demonstrate mutual solidarity by mobilizing when necessary. The "Enemies of the Internet" list drawn up again this year by Reporters Without Borders presents the worst violators of freedom of expression on the Net: Saudi Arabia, Burma, China, North Korea, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, Uzbekistan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, and Vietnam. Among the countries "under surveillance" are several democracies: Australia, because of the upcoming implementation of a highly developed Internet filtering system, and South Korea, where draconian laws are creating too many specific restrictions on Web users by challenging their anonymity and promoting self-censorship. Turkey and Russia have just been added to the "Under Surveillance" list. Other countries, such as the United Arab Emirates, Belarus and Thailand are also maintaining their "under surveillance" status, but will need to make more progress to avoid getting transferred into the next "Enemies of the Internet" list. Thailand, because of abuses related to the crime of "lèse-majesté"; the Emirates, because they have bolstered their filtering system; Belarus because its president has just signed a liberticidal order that will regulate the Net, and which will enter into force this summer ­ just a few months before the elections.
benton.org/node/33379 | Reporters Without Boarders
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STATES EMBARK ON SCRAMBLE FOR CYBERSPACE
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Misha Glenny]
[Commentary] It is time to stop thinking of cyberspace as a new medium or an agglomeration of new media. It is a new continent, rich in resources but in parts most perilous. Until 30 years ago, it had lain undiscovered, unmined and uninhabited. Cyberspace is being nationalized rapidly. In some parts of the world, this has been going on for a while. The legal mapping of cyberspace in the west is more chaotic. But we are now witnessing the establishment of myriad laws and rules by legislators and in the courts. In a hearing this week at Blackfriars Crown Court in London following a major cybercrime trial, Harendra de Silva QC put his finger on it when he argued that "we are entering a world where almost any human interaction of any kind will require use of the Internet". So while there is clearly a pressing need to define rules that apply in cyberspace, they are emerging at speed with little coherent strategy behind them. Nobody knows where this process will lead for two central reasons. The speed of technological change means that the traditional tools of state used to carve up the world in the 19th century, such as laws and treaties, are often inadequate, if not entirely irrelevant, when applied to this new domain. Governments are becoming obsessed about the need to control the Internet but have yet to work out how to do this without suffocating the noble goal of those pioneers who merely wanted to facilitate communication between ordinary people.
benton.org/node/33419 | Financial Times
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CYBERSECURITY BILL
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Stephanie Kirchgaessner, Joseph Menn]
The US government will share classified information with the private sector operators of "critical infrastructure" under the terms of a proposed cybersecurity bill in Congress that has bipartisan support. The bill was unveiled by Sens Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) amid heightened concern in Washington that the US is ill equipped to deal with the growing threat of cybercrime and state-sponsored "intrusions" into US government and communications networks. If passed, the legislation would enhance collaboration between US intelligence agencies and the private sector. First, it would require the White House to designate certain technology systems as critical if their disruption threatened strategic national interests. If intelligence officials received information about a forthcoming attack targeting a specific company or critical part of the US infrastructure, a top-level private sector official with security clearance would be provided with "enough" information to defend or mitigate the attack.
benton.org/node/33418 | Financial Times
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