July 2010

$35 computer taps India's huge low-income market

The sleek handheld device includes an Internet browser, a multimedia player, a PDF reader, and video conferencing ability. But its biggest attraction is the price: $35. The price of the new computer is expected to fall to $10 in the coming years. Kapil Sibal, India's human resources development minister, unveiled the prototype of an unnamed Linux-based computing tool for students to be introduced in higher educational institutions by 2011. "The aim is to reach such devices to the students of colleges and universities, and to provide these institutions a host of choices of low-cost access devices around $35 or less in near future," the human resources ministry said at the launch of the computer. The latest gadget is a thrilling prospect for the future of global education, says Anand Nandkumar, a professor of business strategy in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship at the Hyderabad-based Indian School of Business.

Bill to legalize Internet gambling: No dice

[Commentary] Congress begins work July 27 on a bill to overturn a 2006 law banning Internet gambling in the US.

The measure is being rushed through the House Financial Services Committee on a promise that it would create 30,000 jobs and billions in tax revenue. President Obama hinted at his support for online gambling last year by delaying regulations under the 2006 law in order to give Congress time to change it. The regulations force American credit firms to block payments to offshore gambling operators. What's exactly behind this drive to expand gambling in the US, especially a type done privately in the home rather than in a casino? Obviously there is the lure of money for both the government and the campaign coffers of politicians supporting this bill. (The same lure drives efforts to legalize marijuana.) But as former federal prosecutor Michael Fagan told the House panel marking up the bill: "Any parent who's puzzled or despaired over their child's trancelike playing of video games during the past 20 years can readily see why Internet gambling operators are drooling over the chance to legally expand their market base into the United States."

The House Financial Services chairman, Rep. Barney Frank, needs to drop this bill and find other ways to raise revenue and create jobs than open the door to redistributing wealth from mainly poor Americans to mainly foreign gambling interests.

FCC, Public Safety At Odds Over Plan

Two years ago, the Federal Communications Commission stumbled as it tried to create a nationwide wireless broadband network for police officers, firefighters and emergency medical workers, delaying the construction of what everyone agrees is an urgently needed system. Now the agency is hoping to rework the plan, which relies on a prime slice of airwaves called the D Block.

But the FCC proposal has run into fierce resistance from public safety leaders who warn that their current spectrum holdings are not big enough to meet their needs. They are wary of relying on commercial networks to fill the gap, particularly in emergencies, and are calling on the government to give the D Block to them so they can combine it with the adjacent airwaves and double the amount of spectrum dedicated to public safety broadband. "If they auction this spectrum, we've lost it forever," says Rob Davis, head of the San Jose Police Department and president of the Major Cities Chiefs of Police Association. "We need to control this network ourselves." Public safety officials have powerful allies in Congress.

US Ranks 23rd in Broadband Development

The United States still trails much of the world in broadband development, ranking 23rd on the list of the top 57 countries, according to rankings released by analyst firm Strategy Analytics.

South Korea holds on to the title of the world's most advanced broadband market. Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Lithuania, and Japan round out the top five slots. The rankings are the result of a new broadband measurement tool just launched by Strategy Analytics. The "Broadband Composite Index" (BCI) examines and scores the broadband development of fifty-seven individual countries in five categories, including household penetration, speed, affordability, value for money, and urbanicity. The resulting score provides a more balanced and robust view of broadband development, according to the firm. The United States, which placed 23rd on the list, trailed the rankings in a number of the five index components. Piper says competition -- or the lack of it -- is to blame for the high prices and low average speeds in the US.

Ad Rules Stall, Keeping Cereal a Cartoon Staple

Lucky Charms. Froot Loops. Cocoa Pebbles. A ConAgra frozen dinner with corn dog and fries. McDonald's Happy Meals. These foods might make a nutritionist cringe, but all of them have been identified by food companies as healthy choices they can advertise to children under a three-year-old initiative by the food industry to fight childhood obesity.

Now a hard-nosed effort by the federal government to forge tougher advertising standards that favor more healthful products has become stalled amid industry opposition and deep divisions among regulators. A report to Congress from several federal agencies — expected to include strict nutritional definitions for the sorts of foods that could be advertised to children -- is overdue, and officials say it could be months before it is ready. Some advocates fear the delay could result in the measure being stripped of its toughest provisions.

DirecTV on Comcast: whatever they might have liked to do, they won't be able to do anyway

A Q&A with DirecTV Chief Executive Mike White.

Asked about possible mergers to keep up with the proposed Comcast-NBC combo he says, "I suspect that by the time they get done with the Federal Communications Commission, whatever they might have liked to do, they won't be able to do anyway. Our focus is to be the best provider of video anywhere and anytime our customers want it. I don't see that owning content is a necessity for us to do a great job."

Wireless industry group sues San Francisco over new cellphone radiation law

CTIA, the lobbying arm of the wireless industry, is taking the city of San Francisco to court over a controversial new cellphone law. In a lawsuit filed July 23, CTIA is trying to block law that requires cellphone retailers in San Francisco to post in their stores each phone's "specific absorption rate," a measure of radiation absorbed by a user's body tissue that each manufacturer is required to register with the Federal Communications Commission. The CTIA said in a statement that it filed its suit in U.S. District Court in San Francisco because the law could mislead the public into believing that one phone is safer than another because of lower radiation levels.

Obama looks to improve disabled access to Internet

On July 23, the Obama Administration proposed trying to enhance access for people with disabilities to websites for hotels, retail stores and other public sites as well as improve access to movie theaters.

Most of the proposals are aimed primarily at improved access for the deaf and the blind. With the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act on Monday, the Justice Department issued four proposals for public comment aimed at finding ways to keep up with advancing technologies so people with disabilities are not left behind.

"Just as these quantum leaps can help all of us, they can also set us back -- if regulations are not updated or compliance codes become too confusing to implement," Attorney General Eric Holder said. However, the proposals could draw criticism from the business community, which already has a rocky relationship with the Obama administration over issues including new regulations on the financial industry. The Justice Department noted that the federal government has encouraged self regulation of the Internet, but said that in this case there was a potential need to intervene to improve access for those with disabilities. "It is clear that the system of voluntary compliance has proved inadequate in providing website accessibility to individuals with disabilities," the proposal said.

The Justice Department set a six-month comment period and said it planned to hold a public hearing on the subject. The department said it was also considering requiring movie theaters to show movies with closed captions and video descriptions at least 50 percent of the time and sought comments on the benefits and potential costs.

Dept of Justice Press release:

The Justice Department announced today that it will publish four new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) proposals addressing the accessibility of websites, the provision of captioning and video description in movies shown in theaters, accessible equipment and furniture, and the ability of 9-1-1 centers to take text and video calls from individuals with disabilities. The proposals are in the form of advance notices of proposed rulemaking, or ANPRMs, which provide information on these ADA issues and ask questions seeking comments and information from the public. The four ANPRMs will be published in the Federal Register on July 26, 2010.

"We are working hard to ensure that the ADA keeps up with technological advances that were unimaginable 20 years ago," said Attorney General Holder. "Just as these quantum leaps can help all of us, they can also set us back - if regulations are not updated or compliance codes become too confusing to implement. To avoid this, the Department will soon publish four advanced notices of proposed rulemaking regarding accessibility requirements for websites, movies, equipment and furniture, and 9-1-1 call-taking technologies."

Web Accessibility
State and local governments, businesses, educators, and other organizations covered by the ADA are increasingly using the web to provide information, goods, and services to the public. In the web accessibility ANPRM, the department presents for public comment a series of questions seeking input regarding how the department can develop a workable framework for website access that provides individuals with disabilities access to the critical information, programs, and services provided on the web, while respecting the unique characteristics of the internet and its transformative impact on everyday life.

Next Generation (NG) 9-1-1
9-1-1 centers are moving towards an Internet-enabled network to allow the general public to make a 9-1-1 "call" via voice, text, or video over the Internet and directly communicate with personnel at the centers. The NG 9-1-1 ANPRM seeks information on how the centers may be able to provide direct access to 9-1-1 for individuals with disabilities as they implement new communication technologies.

Captioning and Video Description in Movies Shown in Movie Theaters
Recent technologies have been developed to provide closed captions and video description in movies being shown at movie theaters. Movie studios have begun to produce and distribute movies with captioning and video description. However, these features are not generally made available at movie theaters. In the captioning and video description ANPRM, the department asks for suggestions regarding the kind of accessibility requirements for captioning and video description it should consider as proposed rules for public comments, particularly in light of the industry's conversion to digital technology.

Equipment and Furniture
Full use of the nation's built environment can only be fully achieved by the use of accessible equipment. There is now improved availability of many different types of accessible equipment and furniture, ranging from accessible medical exam tables, chairs, scales, and radiological equipment and furniture to "talking" ATMs and interactive kiosks. In the equipment and furniture ANPRM, the department poses questions and seeks comments from the public, covered entities, equipment manufacturers, advocacy and trade groups about the nature of accessibility issues and proposed solutions for making equipment and furniture accessible to persons with disabilities.

The four ANPRMs will be available for review at http://ada.gov/anprm2010.htm.

FCC: Just Looking for a Little Jurisdiction

[Commentary] How do you use your Internet connection? Is it simply a way for you to get access to the news and entertainment handpicked by your Internet service provider and offered up on portals like comcast.net, verizon.net, or rr.com? Is all you see and read at the mercy of some unseen editor, like with cable TV or your local newspaper? Or is it more like the telephone -- a general-purpose connection granting access to everything else on the Internet, like other newspapers, Skype, the DMV, the Old Spice guy, or HuffPo?

Last week was the deadline for comments on this very question as the Federal Communications Commission reconsiders its authority over broadband Internet providers. Today, Internet access services are marketed, purchased, and rated on features like speed, price, reliability, and oh yeah, speed. ISPs still offer extra "over-the-top" applications like e-mail and storage, and some people use them. But these add-on functions are easily available from an almost unlimited host of unaffiliated providers. For ISP subscribers the connection is the thing. It is critical for the FCC to recognize this and to adjust the way it classifies Internet access. A recent court case, relying on the agency's classification of broadband as an "information service," threw the FCC's jurisdiction into limbo by rejecting its authority to enforce a no-blocking principle against Comcast. At the same time, the National Broadband Plan laid out ambitious goals for universal service and disability access. To prevent future bad action by ISPs, and to achieve the National Broadband Plan's goals, the FCC needs some authority over the most important 21st century communications infrastructure.

The proper source of that authority is its "Title II" charge to promote the rapid, efficient, nationwide availability of telecommunications services. This is not about "regulating the Internet." There must be clear limits on the authority the FCC asserts. Nothing the FCC does should give even the hint of rules governing the applications and services used over broadband connections. But the connections themselves are the sine qua non of all the benefits the Internet has come to offer, and to preserve and promote those benefits, the FCC should have the baseline authority to ensure those connections remain open and unrestricted.

Congress Jumps The Shark To Protect Big Telecom Empires

[Commentary] No matter how many times the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says he has no intention of "regulating the Internet," there will always be politicians using the talking points of the big telecommunications empires to attack him for wanting to "regulate the Internet."

Even though the FCC reported that millions of people are left without broadband, the politicians keep mouthing the same old scare lines. No matter how many thousands of jobs the telecom industry cuts, industry front organizations are ready to spend millions of dollars to further the mistaken notion that jobs will be lost if the FCC institutes some modest rules of the road to protect the open Internet and further innovation. The big Internet companies have the best of all the worlds. They don't need any more help from their friendly legislators. It's the constituents of those legislators who need help to make sure the FCC has the authority to help bring broadband to rural areas, to act as a cop on the beat in case of corporate abuse and to make sure the Internet stays open for all of us to use. Let the FCC do its job and enact the modest changes they proposed to fix the Bush-era mistakes that did away with any consumer protection and oversight. It's the least the shark jumpers could do.

Benton

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