January 2011

What Happened to Network Neutrality?

[Commentary] The network neutrality issue is actually far from resolved, despite the Federal Communications Commission's action. In fact, by reaching what was essentially a compromise decision, the FCC set the stage for another round of contention, almost certain litigation, and possibly a move for congressional action to override the FCC.

In the meantime, what the FCC did was adopt rules that do assure access to material on the Internet -- Facebook and YouTube, for example -- without restrictions or extra pricing. But when it comes to wireless providers and mobile devices, the major companies such as Verizon and AT&T now have latitude, which they seem destined eventually to use to create tiers of service that are determined by price or other factors that the companies will determine. While the Internet is approaching universal usage, Wi-Fi and mobile technologies are evolving into the fastest growing sectors of communications. What the FCC has done is create a major administrative loophole that enables the providers to determine how those technologies will work -- although it does require them to be more transparent in explaining their decisions as they are made.

The Obama administration's commitment to net neutrality -- the broadest possible access for the public to technology across all platforms -- has been significantly weakened in many respects by the FCC decision to split the Internet and wireless regulation. But rest assured that, whatever the FCC has done so far, the issues are not finally resolved.

What it's like when the FCC does its job

It took Skype two years to finally make its way to the iPhone. And when it did, it only allowed calls over a Wi-Fi connection -- talking to friends over 3G was strictly prohibited. AT&T's network, we were told, could barely handle regular phone calls, let alone ones that took place over the Web. A million people downloaded the app in its first two days anyway. Over a year and a half later, that kind of limitation is regarded as what it is: anti-competitive. Last week, Skype released its latest app update, and it now lets you do more than just call somebody -- it lets you see your friend as you're talking to her, and lets her see you. It'll let you do this no matter what network you're using: Wi-Fi, 3G, whatever. Videochat isn't new, as you've no doubt learned from those treacly (yet effective) Apple commercials that promote the iPhone's FaceTime feature. But FaceTime is Wi-Fi-only; AT&T doesn't allow Apple to connect video chat over 3G. That Skype, a third-party company, now bests Apple at its own game is a remarkable about face from the way things were. Send your thank-you notes to the FCC. By asking a few questions, the FCC made 2010 the year that the iPhone platform was finally forced to play nice. The new Skype videochat feature is a fitting capstone. After more than two years of doublespeak, restrictions, and censorship, it appears the free and open mobile future we've dreamed about is upon us.

TV, Internet and The Merger: What's best for consumers?

Those in the know say you don't need a television to watch TV anymore. All you need is an Internet connection and a screen. Missed last night’s episode of 30 Rock? No worries. Log on to Hulu and watch it on your laptop. Once you've done that, it’s just a small step to drop your cable or satellite subscription and save a bunch of money, right? Not so fast. Watching your fill of free TV online isn't so easy, especially if you want to see this week’s episode of Glee at the same time as your cable-connected friends or view special events like the Super Bowl. And Comcast’s plan to acquire a majority stake in NBC Universal -- marrying the king of distribution with a household name in programming -- is likely to make free Internet TV trickier, not easier.

Also see how Comcast built clout before merger

Blumenthal Looks Back at 2010, Offers Peek Into Plans for 2011

A Q&A with National Coordinator for Health IT David Blumenthal.

He discusses the biggest challenges the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT faced over the last year, his office's game plan for 2011 and concerns about current EHR adoption rates. Dr Blumenthal also addresses the importance of health IT to the implementation of the federal health reform law, the role of the government in overseeing EHR safety and why other countries have expressed interest in the U.S.' meaningful use program.

North Dakota rural health grants announced

Seven applicants for the Rural Health Grant Program Awards, including a medical center in Park River, N.D., will receive funding for 2011, according to a press release from Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota. The program awards aim to improving access, safety, quality, effectiveness and efficiency to rural health care. The seven 2011 awards total $375,000.

ONC adds $12M in EHR tech support to small hospitals

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT is giving an additional $12.2 million to existing regional extension centers for them to provide more technical assistance to critical access and rural hospitals in their service area, to help them move from paper-based medical records to certified electronic health records (EHRs). These supplemental grant awards are available to 48 of the 62 existing regional health IT extension centers, targeted at increased support for staffing and expertise to provide hands-on assistance to the 1,782 critical access hospitals and rural hospitals with fewer than 50 beds. These additional staff will work in coordination with other extension center personnel, who will be supporting the primary care providers in the center’s service areas, according to a Dec. 20 ONC announcement. ONC said it expects to award the grants on Feb. 4.

Online health info popular but often unchecked

The number of people looking for health information online is set to soar as workers return from holiday breaks, but few will check where the information comes from, according to an international survey.

A report by researchers at the London School of Economics (LSE) commissioned by the private healthcare firm Bupa said that with smartphones and tablet computers set to outsell personal computers by 2012, more health information is available online and there are more ways to access it than ever before. The Bupa Health Pulse survey questioned more than 12,000 people in Australia, Brazil, Britain, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Russia, Spain and the United States and found that 81 percent of those with internet access use it to search for advice about health, medicines or medical conditions. Russians search for health advice the most on the internet, followed by China, India, Mexico and Brazil. The French search for online health information the least, according to the survey's findings. It also found that 68 percent of those who have access have used the internet to look for information about specific medicines and nearly 4 in 10 use it to look for other patients' experiences of a condition.

On the Media: KCET still delivers the news — or does it?

KCET's daring and possibly foolish flight away from the PBS network has been in force only since New Year's Day, but it doesn't seem too early to guess that one program in the station's new lineup will not win a lot of fans. "Newsline" takes the place of the dependable and time-tested "NewsHour," the staple nightly news program that public television viewers see as the civilized antidote to the loud and contentious world of cable TV. Now, KCET viewers get half an hour of "Newsline" and half an hour of "BBC World News." There's nothing at all wrong with the former, at least if you're a resident of Asia or a swath of the western Pacific, or if you have a particular fascination with traditional Korean wedding ceremonies, the finer points of conveyor-belt sushi, Japanese trade policy or men in diapers wrestling over a large ball. That's a partial roster of the stories that arrived, front and center, on the news program Monday, the first weeknight of regular programming since KCET unveiled its post-PBS lineup.

The longtime Los Angeles flagship for PBS announced last year that it would leave the public TV network in a dispute over about $7 million in annual dues.

Paul Brigner joins MPAA as chief technology policy officer

The Motion Picture Association of America announced that Paul Brigner has been named senior vice president and chief technology policy officer. In his new role Brigner will take the lead for the movie industry trade group on technology issues affecting the protection of intellectual property. He will participate in the development of industrywide content standards for streaming digital video. Brigner will report to MPAA interim CEO Bob Pisano and begin his new job Jan. 10.

MAP, Free Press, Others Ask FCC To Delay Comcast/NBCU Vote

Public interest groups -- including Media Access Project and Free Press -- have asked the Federal Communications Commission to "defer action" on the Comcast/NBCU joint venture until Comcast makes its programming contracts back to 2006 part of the FCC record in the transaction, the FCC staff can review them, and groups like themselves can view them, subject to protective orders, then comment on them.

The FCC's transition team, backed by the chairman, has already given its tentative approval of the deal, subject to mandatory and voluntary conditions, but MAP and company say the FCC promised not to make a decision until it had reviewed the entire record. In a letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski and the other commissioners dated Dec 28, they pointed to the chairman's testimony in a Mar. 11, 2010 Senate hearing on the deal that the commission's merger decisions are made "only after we compile and review a full record."

They point out that Comcast had not complied with the FCC's request that it provide information on "certain programming contracts," specifically all programming contracts struck since 2006. "[I]f opponents are denied access to this information subject to the strict protective orders designed to protect the confidentiality of business information," they argue, "there will not have been a full opportunity for them to file facts and arguments based on that data." The groups concede that the information was provided to the Justice Department--with which the FCC is working closely--and that when they asked John Flynn, senior counsel to the chairman for transactions, whether the FCC staff had reviewed the documents, he said that the FCC staff had access to them and that "it is aware of its obligation to ensure that the Commission's record reflects documents upon which the Commission has relied in its review of the pending applications." But that is not sufficient, they argue.

Benton

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