June 2011

US government leads in number of Google data requests

The US government made more than twice as many requests for user data from Google than any other nation over the last six months of 2010. Google received 4,601 requests from the US government to hand over user data between July and December of last year and complied with 94 percent of them, according to a transparency report. Brazil and India were second and third with 1,804 and 1,699 requests, respectively.

"Our goal is to provide our users access to information and to protect the privacy of our users. Whenever we receive a request, we first check to make sure it meets both the letter and spirit of the law before complying," said Google's Matt Braithwaite. "When possible, we notify affected users about requests for user data that may affect them. And, if we believe a request is overly broad, we will seek to narrow it."

Google investors fear long battle against Feds

Some are concerned that Google's desire to stand firm against government intrusion -- as in its protests against censorship of search results in China -- will lead the company into a long battle with the Federal Trade Commission that ultimately will do more damage than a quick settlement. "The amount of time involved is almost beyond human calculation," says Bob Lande, an FTC veteran who now teaches at the University of Baltimore School of Law. The weight of these legal battles, and uncertain investigations, could tell on the company over time. Google's shares are already under pressure as investors worry about the increasing competition it faces from Facebook and others.

Will More Spectrum Really Help Drive Rural Broadband?

[Commentary] While the Federal Communications Commission may talk about spectrum as the chokepoint for wireless broadband, I'd argue the bigger choke points are when too many people are having to share the same tower.

You'd think having too many people sharing the same tower would be a much bigger deal in urban areas, but that isn't necessarily the case as there's such a lower density of towers in rural areas that each tower has to cover users within a much larger radius. Also, having access to high capacity, affordable backhaul so these towers can actually deliver the traffic that spectrum makes possible can be a really big challenge in rural areas. Plus it's a challenge that requires a lot more effort to resolve than freeing up more spectrum as it means having to invest in laying fiber. I'm not willing to be so bold as to suggest that a shortage of spectrum is not having some impact on depressing investment in rural broadband, but it seems that spectrum is likely the least of the many barriers to deployment.

5 Technology Innovations Changing Cable TV

When it comes to technical innovation, cable has had a reputation — not altogether unwarranted — of being slow off the mark. But the industry appears to be finally breaking free from the chains that have tied it down.

The future of cable technology was in full view at the Cable Show earlier this month. Concepts crystallized into compelling demos and, in some cases, actual products. On-screen guides will be delivered from “the cloud ”— and to any device. After being locked into digital cable TV technology, MSOs have a clear road for how they’ll deliver Internet protocol video to their customers. At the same time, the network of connections is getting faster and smarter to be able to accommodate the coming multiscreen, all- IP-video future. Broadband and digital-cable equipment vendors demonstrated that MSOs will be able to fully tap into the 1 Gigahertz spectrum available over hybrid fiber coaxial networks, yielding multiple Gigabits per second of bandwidth. Grouped into five areas of innovation, here's a look at what was on display in Chicago: 1) Web-user Interfaces, 2) Multiscreen video, 3) Broadband, 4) Home gateways, and 5) Advanced TV ads.

New PBS resource could help advance digital learning

The Public Broadcasting System and Boston-based PBS station WGBH are releasing a new digital media platform for pre-kindergarten through college, called PBS LearningMedia.

The site will provide digital content tied to curriculum standards and will be available in both a free and premium format. PBS LearningMedia will include content from more than 55 member stations, independent producers, and public institution partners. The site plans to launch with 12,000 digital learning objects, which include video clips, documents, games, images, and activities. Rob Lippincott, senior vice president of education for PBS, said the system has been in development since the emergence of WGBH’s Teachers’ Domain and PBS’ Digital Learning Library.

Parents and Media Ratings: Context Isn't a New Concept

[Commentary] In the July issue of "Pediatrics," a research team headed by Iowa State's Douglas Gentile found that parents are not satisfied with age-based rating systems like those used by the television V-chip, on video game boxes, or for movies by the MPAA. As I read coverage of the studies, I was compelled to check the publication date, to be certain they weren't conducted in 1996.

Gentile's research might have been news then, when the V-chip was introduced. Cable penetration was around two-thirds of the country and digital TV was years away; fewer than a fifth of Americans were online; today's immersive mobile media world was the stuff of dreams or science fiction. TV technology wasn't ready for multi-dimensional ratings or equipped to do much beyond "block" or "pass." Today, his conclusions are beyond obvious, and ignore the profusion of data sites, expert reviews, apps and social networks that support (if not supplant) the basic V-chip, MPAA and ESRB ratings.

The studies suggest as eye-opening what most child study experts accept as fundamental: development follows a consistent path, but the pace at which individual kids take that path varies considerably. Development cannot be divorced from context - family values, culture and ethnicity, religion, educational philosophy, SES and more contribute to what parents want, expect and allow - and at what age. V-chip, ESRB and MPAA ratings remain important, but are far from monolithic. Given the evolution of technology, Gentile's research would have been much more revealing and useful had he asked parents about the range of sources they do use to navigate the ever-more complex media landscape.

No Longer Free Press

[Commentary] The trouble with this country is that the press no longer reports the news. Today, the press and media compete to entertain, reducing their coverage to the politics of the news. Reporting is like covering a sporting event -- who's up; who's down. No longer is there an in-depth story of the budget or paying for government.

Major Literary Agency Announces New E-Book Services

Dystel & Goderich Literary Management -- an agency whose clients include Barack Obama, Joy Bauer and Jacqueline Carey -- has announced a new slate of e-book services for its clients. But, it stresses, it is not trying to compete with publishers.

In an announcement on its website, the agency writes, “Over the past months and years we've come to the realization that e-publishing is yet another area in which we can be of service to our clients as literary agents” [emphasis theirs]. DGLM says “part of our job as agents in this new publishing milieu” is to make out-of-print books and “books we believe in and feel passionately about but couldn't sell—oftentimes, after approaching 20 or more houses” available as print-on-demand and digital editions.

The agency explains:
"Right now, you’re thinking, oh, DGLM is going to be another of those agencies that has decided to become an e-publisher and charge clients whose books they can't sell 50% of their income for the privilege of uploading their work. Some of you may be mumbling, “Uh…that’s a conflict of interest.” We get it and we understand how that can be the perception. However, we have no intention of becoming e-publishers… Again, what we are going to do is to facilitate e-publishing for those of our clients who decide that they want to go this route, after consultation and strategizing about whether they should try traditional publishing first or perhaps simply set aside the current book and move on to the next."

Broadband and the Latino Community: Let's Keep the Momentum Going!

National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) members recognize that broadband Internet is one of the tools necessary to help their communities thrive in today's economy.

In fact, I think that any conference focused on building stronger communities should include a discussion of broadband -- it's a critical ingredient for job creation, economic growth, and improving education, health care, and public safety. NTIA's data show that although 90-95 percent of Americans live in areas with access to broadband, only 68 percent of households subscribe to the service. In fact, more than 28 percent of Americans do not use the Internet in any location, which means they are cut off from countless educational and job opportunities. The issue is even greater for Latinos. While the Internet subscribership rate for Hispanics increased by five percentage points last year, it is still only 45 percent. Even after adjusting for socioeconomic factors like income and education, Latinos still significantly lag the national rate in broadband adoption. Our research shows that those who lack broadband at home most commonly cite lack of interest or need as the primary reason. Interestingly, while those are certainly factors for Hispanic non-adopters, they most often cite affordability as the primary reason. So there is no single solution to bridging the digital divide. But the good news is that NTIA, and others in the Obama administration, are working on many fronts to expand broadband access and adoption, including efforts targeted to Hispanics and other communities where broadband is underutilized, such as rural Americans, seniors, people with disabilities, and other minorities.

Internet provider struggles with loan

A telecommunications cooperative based in Woonsocket (SD) is trying to renegotiate the terms of a $20 million loan it received from the federal government in hopes of preventing a default.

Santel Communications is hampered by ongoing lawsuits with bigger telecoms and is finding it difficult to compete against existing Internet providers in Mitchell. The company received the loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2004 to create Mitchell Telecom. The USDA's Rural Utilities Service provides grants and loans for broadband services in unserved or underserved parts of the country. Supporters say the money encourages economic development by providing high-speed Internet service to homes and businesses. Ryan Thompson, Santel's general manager, confirmed that officials have been trying to renegotiate the loan for almost a year. But they've had difficulty in determining how to go about it with USDA officials. "How do we deal with this?" Thompson said. "Are we a problem RUS has never had? I think personally that's why it's taken so long." The company is making payments on the loan, he said. According to its balance sheet, it ended last year with $17.1 million in long-term debt. Thompson said Santel has been hurt by ongoing litigation with larger telephone companies over disputes about how much those larger companies should pay to access Santel's network. Those disputes have crimped revenue.