March 2010

FCC Wants 120 MHz Back From TV (updated)

The National Broadband Plan will call for the reallocation of more than one-third of the spectrum currently devoted to broadcast television -- 120 MHz of 300 MHz -- for wireless broadband access within the next five years.

The plan calls for the Federal Communications Commission to free up 36 MHz from the broadcast spectrum band by "repacking" the band and obtain the balance of the 120 MHz by encouraging "voluntary" channel sharing among stations. The recovered spectrum would be auctioned to wireless broadband access operators and, with the blessing of Congress, the proceeds would be shared with the broadcasters. The plan also says that if authorized by Congress the FCC should consider imposing spectrum fees on commercial, full-power TV stations. And, it adds, Congress should consider using those fees as well as some of the spectrum auction proceeds to fund an "endowment" for noncommercial media.

Update:

The timeline for freeing spectrum: the FCC issues a band-reclamation order by next year, holds an auction in the 2012-2013 time-frame, and clears broadcasters off the band in 2015

One day before National Broadband Plan release: Six questions still unanswered

The telecommunications industry is eager to learn answers to several questions that have not been addressed in information about the National Broadband Plan released to date:

1) The definition of broadband.

2) How will we get to "100 squared?"

3) Will the FCC call for the full-scale phase out of traditional telephone service?

4) What will access charge reform look like?

5) Interim access charge solutions.

6) The classification of broadband as a communications, rather than information service.

What Matters Most About Our National Broadband Plan: Bandwidth

[Commentary] Finally, ten years into the 21st century, America will have a plan for encouraging the deployment, adoption, and utilization of broadband. But how are we to judge the merit of the plan when it's made public? How will we know if as a whole it does enough to help our country realize its full digital potential? While there are many specific issues that are serious and contentious, there's one thing above all else that the plan must accomplish: making sure that Americans have access to bandwidth that's ever bigger, better, and less expensive. Bandwidth is what broadband delivers, the capacity to transfer data to be able to use all that the Internet has to offer in the way of content, services, and applications. Think of bandwidth as electricity, and broadband as the electric cables Americans need to their houses to get service.

Public Knowledge Praises National Broadband Plan

The Federal Communications Commission has produced a balanced, comprehensive and forward-looking plan that should serve the country well. The U.S. has long needed such a plan to keep pace with other countries, and this plan, if implemented, will accomplish that objective. We are particularly encouraged to see so much attention devoted to competition policies, which we believe will help to create new opportunities for innovators and new choices for consumers in what is now a tightly held duopoly. Specifically, we commend the Commission for undertaking a review of wholesale competition rules. An examination of special access rates should also be included under the plan, to provide relief for business customers and consumers from costs that could not be justified in a true competitive market.

Tracking Electric Use Could Allow Utilities to Track You, Too

Smart electric grids are championed by the federal government, conservation groups and industry as good for the economy and the environment. The digital meters in homes enable measurement and two-way communication with utilities so consumers can trim electricity use. But some technology policy organizations worry that smart meters pose a potential threat to privacy and could be exploited by online marketers, government agencies, criminals and others.

In a filing with the California Public Utilities Commission last week, the Center for Democracy and Technology and the Electronic Frontier Foundation presented their concerns and recommended new rules on the collection and use of smart grid data. Traditional electromechanical meters -- attached to the side of a house -- are typically read once a month or less. New digital meters will collect data 750 to 3,000 times a month. Such fine-grained metering, privacy experts say, will make it possible to put together a picture of household life: when the people who live there get up, when they get home, what appliances they use most and when they go on vacation.

Virginia Budget Cuts Public Broadcasting

The Virginia General Assembly adjourned its annual legislative session Sunday evening after adopting a two-year, $82 billion budget that cuts millions from education, health care and public safety -- curtailing state spending more aggressively than any in generations while fulfilling the new Republican governor's promise not to raise taxes. Funding for the arts and public broadcasting will be cut by 15 percent over two years.

US e-commerce grows by more than 400 percent during last decade

Here's an interesting look at the growth of e-commerce sites in the U.S. over the past decade. As we noted earlier this morning, today marks the 25th anniversary of the "dot-com" domain name that kicked off the explosion of Internet-based commerce. It's a fitting time to take stock of the Internet's impact on our society, as the Federal Communications Commission is scheduled to unveil its much-awaited National Broadband Plan tomorrow with recommendations of how to expand the reach of broadband to enable even more e-commerce growth.

OK, Networks, No More Excuses

Once a sector in so-called "secular and cyclical decline," broadcast networks are suddenly as welcome on Wall Street as the first crocuses of spring.

The mainstream TV business is no longer subject to endless downbeat stories about ratings declines and ad revenue shifting to cable. There are new revenue streams to talk about: from a network's own affiliates, from cable distributors, from Apple and soon from Hulu. And the backdrop is an ad market looking stronger by the day, and Wall Street seems to be buying in. So, the question is simple: now what? Network margins will be greatly improved in 2010, thanks to restructuring and the legions of staff no longer on payroll. With costs reined in and revenues seemingly on the rise, there are no more arguments for not being able to run these businesses effectively. It remains to be seen if big media is up to the task, and can truly position these businesses for the evolving media landscape. Far and away the biggest news is the multi-billion-dollar annual jackpot from pay-TV distributors. Then there's the strong likelihood of a subscription tier this year on Hulu. And don't forget Nielsen's willingness to let the networks count online viewing on an equivalent basis with TV viewing; this should help stem the decline of ratings points. Optimists might also point to a host of subscription revenue sources on the horizon, among them Apple iTunes. Networks, including Spanish-language net Univision, are talking to Apple about variable pricing for shows on iTunes. If there is an agreement on pricing and the iPad launch on April 3 is a success, network shows sold via Apple could grow much faster than they have on current Apple devices. The ad market is also back, thanks to an upswing in autos, an influx of political dollars and the Olympics. It adds up to a big, fat momentum for the networks.

State Department Launches New Discussion Site

The State Department Monday launched a new Web site aimed at fostering global conversations about foreign policy issues. The new "Opinion Space" site uses "new data visualization models" and analysis to map out where participants' points of view fall on a visual opinion map. The map is based on the similarity of users' opinions and not on where they live. "Those who agree on basic issues are neighbors, and those who are far apart have agreed to disagree," according to the site.

Bill Would Speed Up FOIA Responses

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced legislation Monday that would establish an advisory panel to examine agency backlogs in processing Freedom of Information Act requests for government information and provide recommendations on ways to improve agency responses to these requests.

The panel established by the bill also would be charged with examining whether the system for charging fees and granting fee waivers under FOIA should be changes to cut down on delays in processing fee requests. The panel would be made up of government and nongovernment representatives with experience in responding to and submitting FOIA requests and in setting government information policies.

Benton

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