October 2010

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2010

A More Perfect Union: Broad-Banding Together http://bit.ly/beWw1w (tonight and tomorrow)

TELEVISION
   Fox, Cablevision Feud Continues, Baseball Fans Make Plans
   See also: Cablevision to Reimburse Subs for World Series Online
   Fox/Cablevision And FCC Learned Helplessness
   See also: Genachowski-Congress Share thoughts on the FCC's Retransmission Consent Rules
   FCC to Cablevision: Start negotiating
   TV networks want fair payment from cable, Web TV
   Comcast's Roberts: The Set-Top Box Isn't Going To Disappear
   Starting in 2011, FTC Will Require EnergyGuide Labels for Televisions

INTERNET/BROADBAND
   The Open Internet Under Assault
   Why Broadband Changes Everything
   Hill aides, ACLU urge Obama to address cybersecurity bills
   Should we be worried about a cyber war?

PRIVACY
   Google Privacy Probe Dropped by FTC After Assurances
   Privacy advocates see FTC's Google decision as 'free pass'
   Pressure Growing On Congress To Update Electronic Privacy Law
   NTIA's Stickling Addresses Privacy and Innovation at International Conferences in Jerusalem
   Facebook makes foray into California lobbying

CONTENT
   Law Professors Urge Obama To Fix ACTA
   Google wants to make local information easier to find with Place Search
   Cable, technology, media firms form digital registry
   Those Bits Aren't Free: Netflix Could Be Racking Up a $2 Billion Content Tab
   Judge realizes: on the Internet, no one can tell you're a kid

RADIO
   Low-power FM stations show future of local radio
   Smartphone makers ready to wage war on radio over FM chip mandate

OWNERSHIP
   Zell's Tribune and the Hidden Costs of Bad Management
   Ed-Tech Industry Sees Uptick in Mergers and Acquisitions

MEDIA AND ELECTIONS
   Christine O'Donnell Threatens To Sue Radio Station WDEL For Posting Interview
   How Google Instant Is Influencing Elections
   How Campaigns Will Use Online Tools in the 2010 Elections Crunch

GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
   Standing Up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

LETTERS, OH, WE GET LETTERS...
   Genachowski's Response to Senators Regarding FCC's Review of its Broadcast Ownership Rules
   Chairman Genachowski's Response to Members of Congress Regarding the FCC's Retransmission Consent Rules
   Genachowski's Response Senators Regarding Early Termination Fees and Bill Shock

STORIES FROM ABROAD
These headlines presented in partnership with:

   Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation to work on universal high-speed broadband
   German government aims for 75% coverage of 50Mbps broadband by 2014
   Chinese Supercomputer Wrests Title From US
   Ofcom paves way for better rural 3G reception
   Britain a 'nation of digital shopkeepers'
   Huawei and Option forge telecoms technology alliance

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TELEVISION

FOX-CABLEVISION UPDATE
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Brian Stelter]
With only a few hours before the World Series was to begin on Fox, Cablevision said that it had put a new offer on the negotiating table to end its dispute with News Corporation over retransmission fees. But News Corporation, which owns Fox, rejected the offer and said it was "yet another in a long line of publicity stunts," making it more likely that the first game of the World Series would be blacked out in Cablevision's 3 million homes in the New York metropolitan area. Cablevision and Fox have not held serious negotiations since the middle of last week. In a statement, Cablevision had said that "we agree to pay the rate Fox charges Time Warner Cable for carriage of WNYW-Fox 5 New York and WTXF-Fox 29 Philadelphia for a period of one year. This is higher than the rate we pay any other New York broadcast station." Fox said Cablevision's proposal was "incomplete" and "not acceptable" adding, "Cablevision is seeking a discounted 'package rate' without buying the entire package. We have told Cablevision all along we are willing to negotiate a deal -- based on an entire suite of channels -- under the terms we have reached with Time Warner Cable and other providers, or a stand alone agreement for WNYW FOX5, WTXF FOX29 and WWOR My9. Cablevision's offer -- sent to the press just as it was provided to us -- is yet another in a long line of publicity stunts." By offering to match the Time Warner Cable rate, at least temporarily, Cablevision went a long way toward addressing Fox's claim that it cannot lower its asking price for its stations due to a most-favored-nation clause in its contract with Time Warner Cable. Essentially, if Fox lowered its price for Cablevision, it would also have to lower its already-agreed-upon price with Time Warner Cable, which is a much bigger distributor. By rebuffing Cablevision's offer, Fox was putting the ball back in its opponents' court.
benton.org/node/44152 | New York Times | Associated Press | Bloomberg
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FCC, AND RETRANSMISSION
[SOURCE: Public Knowledge, AUTHOR: Harold Feld]
[Commentary] Under the Federal Communications Commission's current rules, there's little the agency can do to solve the Fox-Cablevision retransmission consent impasse. But the FCC actually has fairly strong statutory authority to take action. So while FCC Chairman Genachowski is in a bind, he can actually fix the problem. He even has a vehicle all teed up and waiting in the form of a petition to change the retransmission consent rules. So how on Earth did the FCC get reduced from the consumer protection "cop on the beat" to pathetically tweeting the playoffs? The answer lies with over 15 years of deliberately learned helplessness and rulemaking that Feld can only charitably describe as auto-castration. Twice, in 1992 and 1999, Congress explicitly directed the FCC to make sure that broadcasters don't abuse the retransmission consent negotiation process -- the process Congress created that gives broadcasters the right to withhold their broadcast signal from subscription television providers unless they get paid off. Each time, the FCC went out of its way to develop rules that systemically divested itself of all capability to act. So my advice to Chairman Genachowski, if he is serious about wanting to get Fox television channels back on Cablevision and about protecting television viewers generally, is that he seize this opportunity and move on the petition. Even if the FCC doesn't adopt a rule, it will begin a very necessary discussion about how to adapt a system developed in 1993 to the realities of 2010.
benton.org/node/44151 | Public Knowledge
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START NEGOTIATING
[SOURCE: Variety, AUTHOR: Cynthia Littleton]
Cablevision's hopes for Federal Communications Commission intervention in its standoff with Fox over station carriage have dimmed after a senior FCC official weighed in with a blunt message for the cable giant: "Stop the stunts and start negotiating." "They should spend less time writing publicity-seeking letters to the FCC, and more time at the negotiating table reaching an agreement," a senior FCC official said late Tuesday. "Consumers deserve no less and the law demands it. That's the only way to get programming back on the air. By now the message from the FCC should be crystal clear: Stop the stunts and start negotiating."
benton.org/node/44123 | Variety
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NETWORKS WANT PAY FROM CABLE, WEB
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Jill Serjeant]
The entertainment chiefs of five major U.S. television networks said on Tuesday they need to be fairly compensated if their shows are retransmitted on cable or Google Inc's Web TV, calling it a key industry issue. "Everyone of these businesses is building these services out on our product," Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly said about devices like Google TV. Reilly called the issue of retransmission fees "probably among the most important" facing network TV, saying it was crucial "to get fairly compensated for the programs we make."
benton.org/node/44122 | Reuters
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SET-TOP BOX NOT GOING ANYWHERE
[SOURCE: paidContent.org, AUTHOR: David Kaplan]
Aside from the poor economy hanging over consumers' heads, Comcast is facing greater competition than AT&T and Verizon. A small number of customers appear to be cutting the cord as well and "going over the air," said Brian Roberts, the company's CEO, during the company's earnings call. In addition to the fact that the number of digital video service subs fell 52 percent in the quarter, the costs related to the pending NBC Universal deal also pushed profits down. But as Roberts noted during the call, with the NBCU financing done, and the number of subs inching up over the latter part of Q3, things were starting to look up. He also noted that, despite its own advancements in the "TV Everywhere" concept, the company expected to rely on the set-top box for a long time to come. As retransmission consent disputes between programmers and distributors have escalated in recent months, Roberts said that the pending joint venture with NBC Universal could have a calming influence on what have been increasingly nasty negotiations.
benton.org/node/44121 | paidContent.org | Multichannel News
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INTERNET/BROADBAND

OPEN INTERNET UNDER ASSAULT
[SOURCE: Public Knowledge, AUTHOR: Art Brodsky]
[Commentary] It's not at all difficult to look at all that went on over the last couple of weeks and wonder if the Open Internet was only a grand dream that never existed, or was a phenomenon that appeared all too briefly and then was gone. Either way, there are more losers than winners. Once, the online world (which encompasses the pre-Internet days) was, to use the expression, an "electronic frontier." Congress did what it could to protect the nascent environment, recognizing the great values it could bring. It ruled out taxes on Internet access. It created a safe harbor to protect online providers (in the pre-Internet days) from liability for material that rankles those subject to the rancorous online world. The complaints go back to the start of such protection, continue even through today, including those voiced by New York hotel operators critiqued by customers. The online world seemed almost as a DMZ from the regular business world, even as the Internet ecosystem was built by, and populated by, millions of web sites from those created by big companies and individual people. They combined to create something new and fresh, for a while at least. That was then. Now, policymakers make noise about how important the Internet is, but do little to protect and preserve the environment, which allowed the unique properties of openness and creativity to flourish. Now, for some, the Internet world is simply a collection of more properties to be used as leverage in down-and-dirty business transactions. As usual, consumer desires, even if not legal rights, are getting left in the virtual dust.
benton.org/node/44150 | Public Knowledge
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WHY BROADBAND CHANGES EVERYTHING
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: Om Malik]
The slow and steady increase in broadband speeds means we are using the Internet more often for more things. Statistical proof of this trend came via the latest edition of Cisco Systems Visual Networking Index (VNI) Study. According to the study, the average broadband connection is now generating 14.9 GB of Internet traffic per month, up 31 percent from last year when it was 11.4 GB per month. And while a majority of this traffic is coming from online video -- streaming not P2P -- the trends show that we are using the Internet for more than just that. Give us more speed and we will use it all. And then we'll want more of it. Communication services such as Skype only increase the daily usage of the Internet. Add to the mix addictive sites like Facebook, Zynga and Groupon, and you can see that the Internet is becoming deeply embedded in our lives. There is an interesting dynamic of the web -- the peak traffic -- that is equivalent of prime time on television. Peak-hour Internet traffic is 72 percent higher than Internet traffic during an average hour. In an average day, Internet "prime time" ranges from approximately 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. (for the local time zone) around the world.
benton.org/node/44124 | GigaOm
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OBAMA URGED TO ADDRESS CYBERSECURITY BILLS
[SOURCE: National Journal, AUTHOR: Chris Strohm]
Republican congressional aides and a top American Civil Liberties lawyer agreed that the Obama Administration needs to send Congress its views on pending cybersecurity legislation and whether it needs new authorities to monitor and defend Internet networks. The White House has largely sat on the sidelines as lawmakers and key congressional committees wrangle over competing cybersecurity bills. "The timing now is important for the administration to offer a proposal," Louis Tucker, minority staff director for the Senate Intelligence Committee, said during a forum hosted by the Heritage Foundation. "We need that to happen. It would help our bosses and everybody in Congress to come together." Michelle Richardson, legislative counsel for the ACLU's Washington office, agreed. She said Congress should not grant the administration any new authorities to monitor and defend critical networks until the administration explains its current cybersecurity authorities and what it wants from Congress.
benton.org/node/44144 | National Journal
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PRIVACY

GOOGLE PRIVACY INVESTIGATION ENDS
[SOURCE: Bloomberg, AUTHOR: Jeff Bliss]
The Federal Trade Commission ended its investigation of Google's collection of data over unsecured wireless networks after the company said it will improve privacy safeguards in its Street View mapping project. The agency said the company also agreed not to use the data, according to a letter from David Vladeck, director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, to Albert Gidari, a lawyer for Google. The company's pledge not to include the information in any Google products "is critical to mitigate the potential harm to consumers from the collection of payload data," Vladeck wrote. "Because of these commitments, we are ending our inquiry into this matter."
benton.org/node/44119 | Bloomberg
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PRIVACY ADVOCATES CRITICIZE FTC
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Sara Jerome]
Privacy advocates forcefully criticized the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) after the agency dropped its inquiry into a privacy breach by Google. Jeffrey Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, characterized the development as the FTC giving Google "a free pass." "The FTC keeps giving Google a free pass to collect consumer data card," he said. "While Canadian and other regulators are in hot pursuit of Google's WiFi data collection practices, the FTC has dropped its own investigation." He said Google's "flip flips on this issue--no we didn't collect, yes we did" are one reason a stronger investigation would have been appropriate. He also questioned whether Google's political clout helped it through the privacy debacle. "Google's political clout with the Obama administration also raises concerns that federal policymakers are fearful of taking on the online ad giant," he said. John Simpson, director of the Inside Google Project at Consumer Watchdog, also questioned special ties between the company and the government. "Once again, Google, with its myriad of government connections, gets a free pass," he said. "At a minimum the public deserved a full report about Google's abuses from the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. Instead, the company announced a few steps that are little more than window dressing and the FTC caves in with a woefully inadequate two-page letter."
benton.org/node/44165 | Hill, The
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ELECTRONIC PRIVACY COMMUNICATIONS ACT
[SOURCE: National Journal, AUTHOR: Juliana Gruenwald]
Among the many issues that garnered interest in both chambers this year but has yet to produce legislative action is an effort aimed at updating a 1986 law related to government access to electronic communications. There is widespread agreement among many industry and public interest groups and even lawmakers that the Electronic Privacy Communications Act (EPCA) needs updating to reflect changes in technology, particularly the increasing use of cloud computing. Given the growing pressure, many observers expect the issue will gain traction in the next Congress regardless of which party is in charge. The House Judiciary Constitution Subcommittee held three hearings on ECPA this year and may hold another hearing when Congress returns for a lame-duck session after Tuesday's midterm elections. A spokesman for subcommittee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) said his boss is still working with all the relevant stakeholders on possible legislation but is not ready to introduce a bill. The Senate Judiciary Committee also has examined the issue and held a hearing on ECPA reform in September. Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) indicated he expected Congress would need to update the law but did not give a timeline for when that may happen.
benton.org/node/44145 | National Journal
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PRIVACY AND INNOVATION
[SOURCE: National Telecommunications and Information Administration]
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information Lawrence E. Strickling today addressed privacy and innovation at the 32nd International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners in Jerusalem. In his keynote address, Strickling stressed that preserving trust in the Internet is imperative for its sustainability and continued growth. He noted, for example, that "if users do not trust that their personal information is safe on the Internet, they will worry about using new services. If content providers do not trust that their content will be protected, they will threaten to stop putting it online." Strickling called for technologists and entrepreneurs, privacy and consumer advocates, business interests, and the government to work together to develop a privacy policy. He envisions "a strong role for voluntary but enforceable codes of conduct, which must be developed through open, multi-stakeholder processes." Stressing the importance of engaging the international community on privacy, Strickling added, "The time for greater international cooperation is here. All nations, including the United States, must be ready to work together and begin a proactive and productive dialogue on privacy reform efforts."
benton.org/node/44147 | National Telecommunications and Information Administration
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FACEBOOK LOBBYING
[SOURCE: MarketWatch, AUTHOR: John Letzing]
Facebook Inc., which has been bolstering its political influence as it grows in popularity, has made an initial foray into lobbying in its home state by targeting a specific privacy bill, according to filings with the California Secretary of State's office. Facebook spent more than $6,600 on lobbying in California for the period between April and June, according to a recent filing. The Palo Alto, Calif.-based company's attention was specifically directed at the Social Networking Privacy Act, a bill introduced in the state Senate in February, which would restrict social-networking sites from displaying the addresses and phone numbers of minors. The reported lobbying activity underlines Facebook's need to make its case with both state and federal legislators, amid growing concerns about online privacy. It also highlights the early stage of the social-networking firm's progress.
benton.org/node/44162 | MarketWatch
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CONTENT

ACTA LETTER
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Eliza Krigman]
A group of law professors are urging President Barack Obama not to publicly endorse a proposed trade agreement aimed at increasing international cooperation in the fight to curb piracy and counterfeiting. In a letter set to be sent to Obama Oct 28, the professors take issue with the lack of public involvement in the crafting of the agreement and are asking the White House to ensure that the most recent, and possibly final text, is subject to "a meaningful participation process that can influence the shape of the agreement going forward." The draft letter takes President Obama to task for not living up to his campaign promise of bringing a "new truthfulness and transparency to our public policy and law." The office of the U.S. Trade Representative has not held a single public hearing on the text, the letter notes. The professors also accuse USTR of preventing the release of the text during earlier rounds of negotiations. The first formal release of the text came last spring. "This degree of secrecy is unacceptable, unwise, and directly undercuts your oft-repeated promises of openness and transparency," according to the letter signed so far by two dozen academics including those well known for their technology and digital law expertise such as Harvard University law professor Lawrence Lessig and Pamela Samuelson, a law professor at the University of California at Berkeley.
benton.org/node/44116 | CongressDaily
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GOOGLE PLACE SEARCH
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Jessica Guynn]
Google is making another move to give consumers quick access to information about local places by rolling out Place Search, which clusters search results around specific locations. The idea is to give consumers a quick and comprehensive view of a place in one search, instead of having to perform eight to 10 searches to get the same information. The new feature, which is rolling out over the next few days, is part of a major push for Google to give consumers faster, easier ways to find local information and to give advertisers better ways to reach them.
benton.org/node/44149 | Los Angeles Times
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DIGITAL REGISTRY
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Sue Zeidler]
Major studios, cable and technology companies on Wednesday announced the launch of an Entertainment Identifier Registry (EIDR) to track movies, TV shows and other assets much the way books are coded. Likening it to the International Standard Book Numbers (ISBNs) system used to identify books, executives involved in the initiative said the registry was developed to make it easier for businesses to search, track and report revenue of an asset, cutting costs and streamlining operations. The registry is expected to be available to members in early 2011. The initiative is backed by a broad group of industry players like Comcast, Walt Disney Viacom Inc's Paramount Pictures, Sony Corp, and others, while talks with other parties are ongoing.
benton.org/node/44148 | Reuters
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NETFLIX CONTENT BILL
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Peter Kafka]
Investors are cheering on Netflix as it moves from DVDs to streaming video, and keeps adding customers along the way. But "digital" doesn't equal "cheap." In fact, the online move has cost Netflix at least $1.2 billion. That's the amount the Netflix has committed to paying Hollywood studios for the rights to stream their movies and TV shows. And it's up from $229 million three months ago. The magic of the Netflix Web model, though, is that as people consume more on the Web, they cut back on discs.
benton.org/node/44120 | Wall Street Journal
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DIGITAL CONTENT HARMFUL TO MINORS
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Nate Anderson]
A federal judge today an injunction against a new Massachusetts law that tried to apply its "matter harmful to minors" law to the Internet. Because it's difficult to ascertain someone's age on the 'Net, that attempt turned out to be far too broad. The fuss began back in February, when the state supreme court ruled that the "matter" which could harm minors did not legally include electronic transmissions. The result: overturning a conviction of a man who engaged in lurid instant messaging chats with someone who he believed to be 13 (in reality, "she" was the police, who arrested the man when he tried to meet the "girl"). Alarmed at the prospect of sexual predators texting away to minors, the state legislature acted quickly -- perhaps too quickly. In April, the "harmful to minors" law received a brief update -- not more than a couple of paragraphs -- but they had profound implications for free expression. The new law extended "harmful to minors" to the Internet. In addition to smutty books, films, pamphlets, pictures, plays, dances, and even statues (!), Massachusetts decided that the "matter" which might harm minors would now include: "electronic mail, instant messages, text messages, and any other communication created by means of use of the Internet or wireless network, whether by computer, telephone, or any other device or by any transfer of signs, signals, writing, images, sounds, data, or intelligence of any nature transmitted in whole or in part by a wire, radio, electromagnetic, photo-electronic or photo-optical system."
benton.org/node/44146 | Ars Technica
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RADIO

LPFM BILL
[SOURCE: Citizen Times, AUTHOR: Wally Bowen]
[Commentary] What if there were radio stations dedicated solely to serving a specific geographic community rather than the demands of national advertisers and network owners? Would we begin to rethink and reimagine radio's potential and possibilities? An experiment in reimagining radio was unwittingly set in motion by the 1996 Telecommunications Act, which removed the cap on radio station ownership, produced a frenzy of consolidation and greatly accelerated the disappearance of local voices from our airwaves. The resulting backlash led to the licensing of low-power FM (LPFM) radio stations in 2000, despite strong opposition from commercial broadcasters and NPR, which argued that LPFM stations would interfere with full-power stations. The Local Community Radio Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives last December on a voice vote. With broad bipartisan support, LCRA may be one of the few bills that a highly polarized U.S. Senate can pass in a postelection, lame-duck session. The bill removes constraints imposed on LPFM by network lobbyists and will allow many more Americans to hear for themselves the reimagining of radio.
benton.org/node/44143 | Citizen Times
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SMARTPHONE RADIOS
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Matthew Lasar]
The great smartphone FM tuner device mandate crusade shows no sign of lessening. The National Association of Broadcasters has formally endorsed a proposal to the musicFIRST coalition that would green light over-the-air radio stations paying performance royalties to musicians -- and more. On top of a play-for-pay schedule, the blueprint says that both sides will push for "Congressionally-mandated radio-activated chips" in smartphones, "with an acceptable phase-in period and inclusion of HD Radio chips when economically feasible." The NAB's Board of Directors approved the framework. musicFIRST represents performers and the music labels. The group has long championed the Performance Rights Act (PRA), with its own performance fee provisions. Although the PRA is stalled in Congress, musicFIRST still says it isn't sure whether it's on board for this deal. But the NAB proposal elicited a furious letter from Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association, which represents the mobile phone makers. The statement threatens nothing less than existential war against the whole concept of terrestrial broadcasting itself. If NAB keeps pushing this agenda, the missive warns, CEA will "continue to point out the following": "Radio is a legacy horse and buggy industry trying to put limits on innovative new industries to preserve its former monopoly. The industry's refusal to innovate to the benefit of consumers raises questions about the ongoing wisdom of broadcaster use of publicly owned spectrum that could better be used for broadband services that serve the public interest."
benton.org/node/44117 | Ars Technica
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OWNERSHIP

COST OF BAD MANAGEMENT
[SOURCE: The Huffington Post, AUTHOR: Bradley Bloch]
[Commentary] The Tribune Company's mismanagement by Sam Zell and Randy Michaels actually serves as a useful vantage point from which to consider the larger role that corporations and other types of organizations play in society -- and the rarely recognized social cost of their mismanagement. An institution like Tribune Company does more than run media properties. It picks up where education leaves off, developing and refining a slice of the nation's collective human capital, from fresh-faced journalism school graduates to wizened publishing executives. And the extent to which a person fulfills his or her potential depends almost exclusively on how well they navigate this process (and the luck they have while doing so). But it also depends on how rational the process is -- how good a job the organization does in recognizing and promoting talent, putting people in the right places, and giving them opportunities for growth. The societal impact of good or bad management goes unrecorded on any balance sheet. But consider the differences in abilities -- experience, mental health, contribution to the tax base, or any other measure -- between a person who spends, say, two years with a supportive mentor in challenging and meaningful work, and a person who spends the same two years in a place run like a frat house. Now, multiply that by the 4200 people who have lost their jobs since Sam Zell acquired the company, and the social cost begins to come into view.
benton.org/node/44115 | Huffington Post, The
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MEDIA AND ELECTIONS

O'DONNELL THREATENS RADIO STATION
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Randall Chase]
Republican Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell's campaign threatened a radio station with a lawsuit if it posted video of an interview with the tea party favorite on the Internet. During the interview Tuesday on WDEL-AM, O'Donnell snapped her fingers and beckoned a spokesman to her side after the host of "The Rick Jensen Show" pressed her on how she would have handled the New Castle County budget differently from her Democratic opponent Chris Coons, who is the executive of the state's largest county. After the interview that she would sue if the video was released. O'Donnell campaign manager Matt Moran then called WDEL general manager Michael Reath, demanded that the station turn over the video and threatened to "crush" the station with a lawsuit if it did not comply, Reath said. After viewing the video, which the station provided to the campaign before posting it Tuesday night, O'Donnell's campaign attorney called WDEL's attorney and was very apologetic, Reath said.
benton.org/node/44164 | Associated Press
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GOOGLE INSTANT AND ELECTIONS
[SOURCE: Search Engine Journal, AUTHOR: Zach Matthews]
In the world of politics, reputation management is crucial. In order to appeal to as many voters as possible, politicians must protect their reputation, which means minimizing the availability of information that casts them in a negative light while constantly promoting themselves and their political agendas. Decades ago, long before voters could utilize the web as a tool to gather political information, reputation management was much easier; far less negative information was available to the general public. These days, however, with a seemingly endless supply of easy-to-access information, politicians can only hope that voters are unaware of the mistakes scattered throughout their personal and professional lives. With even just an inkling of a past indiscretion, Internet-savvy voters are able to dig up a wealth of information detrimental to a politician's career. Now, following the release of Google Instant, it is going to be even harder for politicians to conceal blemishes on their records. Thanks to Google Instant, politicians are finding that many of their questionable actions are becoming increasingly difficult to hide from the public. By suggesting popular search strings relevant to information entered by users, Google Instant is leading many voters to information that will, undoubtedly, influence where their votes go.
benton.org/node/44114 | Search Engine Journal
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TECH AND ELECTION CRUNCH
[SOURCE: Fast Company, AUTHOR: EB Boyd]
The 2010 mid-term elections are less than a week away, which means candidates are about to pull out all the stops. And while they'll be hewing to the traditional game books--bombard television with ads, set up phone banks for get-out-the-vote calls--technology has also given those who will use it a slew of new tools and tactics that are going to change the end-game in ways we haven't seen before.
1) Appeals for your dollars used to taper off toward the end of a campaign because, after a certain point, candidates just couldn't spend the money. Most of their funds in the final days went to buying TV ads, but since there were only so many slots available on television, supply eventually ran out. With infinite more space available in the digital world, though, campaigns can keep buying online and mobile ads up to the end. And if they can keep buying, they're going to keep on coming back to you for money. Expect to see lots of last minute-appeals for your dollars, both on the web and your mobile devices.
2) Expect to see campaign ads no matter where you go.
3) In the last days of the campaign, expect to see more precisely targeted get-out-the-vote ads on Facebook -- especially if you've friended a political candidate, or even if you're just a fan of a partisan celebrity.
4) Since a traditional "October surprise" gives today's candidate too much time to rebound, expect to see something drop at the very end--most likely a video on YouTube, either Friday evening or Saturday morning.
5) If you've got a smartphone -- and if you're in the habit of playing around with it when you're doing boring things like, oh, waiting in line at the polls -- be prepared to see political ads leaping out of your apps.
benton.org/node/44113 | Fast Company
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GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS

WARREN VISITS SILICON VALLEY
[SOURCE: The White House, AUTHOR: Elizabeth Warren]
Working on setting up the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Elizabeth Warren is in the Silicon Valley meeting with technology industry leaders to solicit advice about building a state-of-the-art, 21st century agency that harnesses some new tools that exist in our hyper-connected and digital world. She believes the tools that can be at the new agency's disposal will have at least three kinds of implications. First, information technology can help ensure that the new agency remains a steady and reliable voice for American families. The kinds of monitoring and transparency that technology make possible can help this agency ward off industry capture. Second, technology can be used to make help the agency become an effective, high-performance institution that is able to update information, spot trends, and deliver government services twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. If we set it up right from the beginning, the agency can collect and analyze data faster and get on top of problems as they occur, not years later. Think about how much sooner attention could have turned to foreclosure documentation (robo-signers and fake notaries) if, back in 2007 and 2008, the consumer agency had been in place to gather information and to act before the problem became a national scandal. And third, technology can be used to expand publicly available data so that more people can analyze information, spot problems, and craft solutions. When these data are made available - while also, of course, protecting consumer privacy, shielding personal information and protecting proprietary business information - a shared opportunity arises between the agency and people outside government to have a hand in shaping the consumer credit world.
benton.org/node/44160 | White House, The | Washington Post
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STORIES FROM ABROAD
These headlines presented in partnership with:

ASIA-PACIFIC ECONOMIC COOPERATION TO WORK ON UNIVERSAL HIGH-SPEED BROADBAND
[SOURCE: TechEye.net, AUTHOR:]
With the eighth Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum set for the coming weekend, all 21 of its economies are expected to focus on almost universal high-speed broadband by 2020. The meeting is due to set a target for all member regions to roll out ultra-fast broadband such as fiber-optics and next generation wireless. Currently there's a digital divide, reports Nikkei, where countries such as Japan and South Korea enjoy wide broadband usage but places like Thailand were only at 1.5 percent usage as of 2008. APEC will be working with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development to quicken the installation and operation of networks which will extend the reach of broadband.
benton.org/node/44142 | TechEye.net
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GOVT AIMS FOR 75% COVERAGE OF 50MBPS BROADBAND BY 2014
[SOURCE: TeleGeography, AUTHOR:]
The German government plans to provide three quarters of the country's households with high speed broadband by 2014. Under the 'Deutschland Digital 2015' IT strategy ­ the second phase of its 'National Broadband Strategy' published in February 2009 ­ at least 75% of households will be provided with broadband at speeds of up at least 50Mbps within four years, while the government estimates that around 30,000 new jobs in the IT and telecommunications industry will be created within the next five years.
benton.org/node/44141 | TeleGeography
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CHINESE SUPERCOMPUTER
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Ashlee Vance]
A Chinese scientific research center has built the fastest supercomputer ever made, replacing the United States as maker of the swiftest machine, and giving China bragging rights as a technology superpower. The computer, known as Tianhe-1A, has 1.4 times the horsepower of the current top computer, which is at a national laboratory in Tennessee, as measured by the standard test used to gauge how well the systems handle mathematical calculations, said Jack Dongarra, a University of Tennessee computer scientist who maintains the official supercomputer rankings. Although the official list of the top 500 fastest machines, which comes out every six months, is not due to be completed by Mr. Dongarra until next week, he said the Chinese computer "blows away the existing No. 1 machine." He added, "We don't close the books until Nov. 1, but I would say it is unlikely we will see a system that is faster." Officials from the Chinese research center, the National University of Defense Technology, are expected to reveal the computer's performance on Thursday at a conference in Beijing. The center says it is "under the dual supervision of the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Education." The race to build the fastest supercomputer has become a source of national pride as these machines are valued for their ability to solve problems critical to national interests in areas like defense, energy, finance and science. Supercomputing technology also finds its way into mainstream business; oil and gas companies use it to find reservoirs and Wall Street traders use it for superquick automated trades. Procter & Gamble even uses supercomputers to make sure that Pringles go into cans without breaking.
benton.org/node/44159 | New York Times | WSJ
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OFCOM 3G RULING
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Tim Bradshaw, Andrew Parker]
Mobile phone users in rural areas of the UK could soon see their 3G reception improve after regulators allowed operators to repurpose their existing spectrum for mobile broadband services. The ruling by Ofcom that so-called "refarming" of 900MHz and 1800MHz spectrum would not harm competition in the UK mobile market settles a three-year row that has held back the development of faster wireless networks. Ofcom's findings pave the way for the auction of portions of the airwaves currently used by analog television broadcasts, which could further improve mobile broadband speeds and raise billions of pounds for the government. O2 and Vodafone, which own the 900MHz spectrum, and Everything Everywhere, the merged Orange and T-Mobile which owns most of the 1800MHz spectrum, have thus far only been allowed to use their allocation for 2G services. Both ranges will allow operators to expand their network capacity for 3G services, alleviating the congestion created by the rapid proliferation of smartphones. The lower-frequency 900MHz spectrum is particularly suitable for providing 3G networks over longer distances and inside buildings. Existing UK 3G networks operate at 2100MHz.
benton.org/node/44158 | Financial Times
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NATION OF DIGITAL SHOPKEEPERS
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Tim Bradshaw]
Britain has become a "nation of digital shopkeepers", with the Internet industry as a whole now the fifth-largest contributor to gross domestic product, according to a report. The Boston Consulting Group, commissioned by Google, found that domestic online shopping, broadband access and net exports of digital goods and services made up 7.2 per cent of UK GDP - ahead of the construction, education and transport industries. About half of that sum is generated by e-commerce activity. While the UK lacks a homegrown online retail giant on the scale of Amazon or Ebay, BCG found that a multitude of small and medium-sized businesses are taking advantage of online distribution. BCG found that companies making the greatest use of the web for sales and marketing grew at an average of 4.1 per cent annually over the last three years. Lower web users grew 0.6 per cent a year.
benton.org/node/44157 | Financial Times
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HUAWEI-OPTION
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Kathrin Hille]
Huawei, the Chinese telecoms equipment maker, and Option, a Belgian producer of wireless modems, have made a wide-ranging technology alliance which is expected to help settle trade friction between the European Union and China. The two companies said that Huawei would license software from Option, at a cost of €27m ($37m) for the first year of the licence. It would also acquire M4S, an Option subsidiary which is developing chips for mobile devices that support fourth-generation telephony. The companies are also considering building a joint research and development center in Belgium. The deal comes a month after the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, launched a probe into whether the Chinese government is unfairly subsidizing Chinese makers of wireless modems, or dongles, such as Huawei and ZTE. The investigation came on top of two others into whether Chinese dongle makers were dumping their goods on the EU market, and if a cap should be introduced on such imports. The probes were launched at Option's request, which is Europe's only maker of wireless wide-area networking modems.
benton.org/node/44156 | Financial Times
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