June 21, 2011 (Skeptics Question AT&T's Logic)
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 2011
The CPB Board of Directors meets today, there's two hearings on cybersecurity, and Commerce Secretary nominee John Bryson appears before the Senate Commerce Committee http://benton.org/calendar/2011-06-21/
AT&T/T-MOBILE
Skeptics Question AT&T's Logic In T-Mobile Deal
Public interest groups say AT&T interested in 'expanding their bad service at high prices'
Public Knowledge Calls AT&T Takeover of T-Mobile Illegal - press release
Free Press: AT&T Fails to Make Case for Merger - press release
ColorofChange.org Takes On AT&T/T-Mobile Merger
AT&T/T-Mobile Issue Briefs
Sprint counters AT&T's spectrum claims
MORE ON WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
Rep Dingell Wants Spectrum Answers from FCC
LightSquared Airwave Switch Would Fix Jamming
INTERNET/BROADBAND
ID InSight Says NTIA Mapping Data Is Highly Accurate
Google to America: Get Online [links to web]
Chapel Hill’s high hopes for broadband quashed by law [links to web]
Upending Anonymity, These Days the Web Unmasks Everyone
TELECOM
FCC chair proposes rule to prevent phone cramming
No Caps: Emergency Access to Phone Service is Critical for All - press release
FCC REFORM
House Republicans Draw Up FCC Reform Bill Outlines
JOURNALISM
The FCC's New 'Local' Focus: Too Little, Too Late?
FCC's timid recommendations won't do much to boost journalism - editorial
OWNERSHIP
Google buys up SageTV to bolster Google TV with useful features [links to web]
Netflix Removes Sony Movies, Citing Sony-Starz Dispute [links to web]
CONTENT
Facebook Surpasses Yahoo as Top U.S. Display-Ad Seller in Study [links to web]
Future of media: The rise of the million-selling Kindle author [links to web]
Why Apple’s Subscription Terms Are A Lose-Lose-Lose - analysis [links to web]
What Big Media Can Learn From the New York Public Library [links to web]
TELEVISION/RADIO
Survey: 90% of TV News Producers Prefer One Mention of a Product Per Brand
What's Eating College Radio?
Fox, Nexstar Cut Ties in Springfield and Ft. Wayne [links to web]
What NJN is, and what its end will mean [links to web]
Could WHYY Refine Public Media's Role? [links to web]
Baseball Commissioner Rejects Dodgers’ TV Deal
EDUCATION
‘TV textbooks’ bring access to low-income Florida students [links to web]
CYBERSECURITY
Hackers Declare War on Government Agencies [links to web]
NSA wants bulletproof smartphone, tablet security [links to web]
HEALTH
National Library of Medicine launches MedlinePlus Connect - press release
RESEARCH
Predictors for real life infidelity include cybersex, sexting [links to web]
Does Addictive Internet Use Restructure the Brain? [links to web]
POLICYMAKERS
President Obama and Twitter: Why he took control of his own account - analysis
Commerce secretary nominee John Bryson becomes pawn in political chess match [links to web]
STORIES FROM ABROAD
These headlines presented in partnership with:
Apple Investigated for Anti-Competitive Behavior in India
Ofcom gives green light for mobile spectrum trading
China blocks some Web searches about migrant protests [links to web]
EU ministers seek to ban creation of 'hacking tools' [links to web]
Wi-Not? South Korea's Seoul To Blanket The City With Free Wi-Fi [links to web]
India's Do-Not-Call Law Puts Telecoms on the Hook [links to web]
AT&T/T-MOBILE
SKEPTICS QUESTION DEAL
[SOURCE: National Public Radio, AUTHOR: Joel Rose]
When AT&T officials announced plans to buy T-Mobile USA for $39 billion, they cited the so-called spectrum crunch as a big reason for the merger. AT&T says it needs more wireless spectrum to avoid dropped calls and to satisfy its customers' growing hunger for data. Now government regulators are asking AT&T to back up those claims. AT&T officials like Ralph de la Vega argue the company needs to acquire T-Mobile's network to keep up with the fast-growing demand for data. "Our data usage has grown 8,000 percent over four years; our own estimates say it's gonna grow eight to 10 times in the next five years," de la Vega said at a wireless conference earlier this year. "So it's in the public interest that we solve that pending spectrum exhaust issue in major cities by this combination." It's an assertion federal regulators are likely to examine closely. Late in May, the Federal Communications Commission asked AT&T for more information about any "spectrum constraints" the company is facing. Skeptics, including Sprint Vice President of Government Affairs Larry Krevor, think AT&T will have a hard time proving its claims. "AT&T has more spectrum, more licensed spectrum, than any other carrier in the country," Krevor says.
benton.org/node/78811 | National Public Radio
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MAP ET AL ON MERGER
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Gautham Nagesh]
A coalition of public interest groups blasted AT&T's proposed acquisition of T-Mobile USA, arguing the transaction would harm consumers and curtail competition in the wireless market. The groups, which include Media Access Project and Consumers Union, filed a reply with the Federal Communications Commission in response to arguments from AT&T and T-Mobile that the merger would benefit consumers by accelerating the deployment of next-generation wireless access. "Removing one of three direct competitors with AT&T from the nationwide market — and its only competitor in the GSM submarket — would leave a void that no other carrier is capable of filling," the groups state. "Removing T-Mobile, in particular — a consumer-friendly, price-disciplining, maverick provider of low-cost and innovative mobile wireless products in an increasingly consolidated market — implicates the public interest even more palpably. "No amount of rhetoric or economic gerrymandering of markets can change that fact." The public interest groups claim AT&T has previously resisted investing to improve capacity and deploy next generation wireless networks as competitor Verizon Wireless has done. The groups argue AT&T shouldn't be rewarded by attaching its willingness to build out its network to the government's approval of the merger. "'Maximizing AT&T's wealth' is not, and never has been, a public interest benefit justifying any merger, much less a legally cognizable merger-efficiency that could justify increasing concentration in an already highly-concentrated industry," the groups state. The filing also notes that under-served groups such as minorities and rural residents tend to rely on wireless broadband service to an even greater degree, and argue that their public interest should trump AT&T's interest "in expanding their bad service at high prices at the expense of competition." The groups note AT&T will not offer T-Mobile's service plans to AT&T customers but will simply honor existing contracts until they expire or customers request an upgrade. They ask the FCC to deny the merger, referring to the telecom giant as a "well-chronicled price hiker and strong-arm tactician."
benton.org/node/78810 | Hill, The
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PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE ON MERGER
[SOURCE: Public Knowledge, AUTHOR: Press release]
AT&T’s takeover of T-Mobile is illegal under the Communications Act, Public Knowledge will argue in a filing to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The Communications Act (Sec. 314) bars the FCC from approving transactions that lessen competition or restrain commerce between the U.S. and foreign countries. In its reply comments to the FCC, PK said: “As the record shows, even under the most cramped and restrictive reading of the statute, Section 314 prohibits the transfer of facilities and assets between AT&T and Deutsche Telekom. The Commission has received numerous submissions from foreign carriers, foreign governments, and others that the combination of assets will “substantially lessen competition” in international roaming for GSM-based carriers.” Public Knowledge noted the law creates “an absolute bar” to approving the transaction: “Undoubtedly, a transaction that reduces the number of possible international roaming partners from 2 to 1 “has the effect” of substantially lessening competition, if not creating an unlawful monopoly, between those geographic regions and “any foreign country” in direct violation of the language of the statute.”
In its filing, PK will also argue AT&T has not been forthright with policymakers about its plans to accept further universal service fund (USF) support. In its formal papers filed with the FCC, AT&T said the FCC should not impose any USF-related conditions.” However, in testimony to the Senate Antitrust Subcommittee, AT&T Chairman Randall Stephenson said the company would accept a condition not to take USF funds for its promised advanced wireless build-out. AT&T in its filing characterized Stephenson’s statement at the hearing as a “voluntary commitment.”
benton.org/node/78808 | Public Knowledge
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FREE PRESS ON MERGER
[SOURCE: Free Press, AUTHOR: Press release]
Free Press filed reply comments with the Federal Communications Commission challenging AT&T’s proposed takeover of T-Mobile. Free Press’ filing disputes AT&T’s claims that the merger will bring better broadband coverage and improved service to consumers, create jobs and increase investment, and lower prices. "AT&T's argument basically boils down to the proposition that what's good for AT&T is good for the country. Of course, the FCC and the Department of Justice cannot accept this self-serving claim," said Free Press Policy Director matt Wood. "A monopolist's hollow promises to provide better broadband coverage and improved service cannot overcome this deal's obvious harms to competition and consumers. AT&T says it will provide broadband to 97 percent of the country if it is allowed to buy T-Mobile, but in public statements the company already touts its rollout of 4G wireless services to that same percentage of the nation without the merger by the end of 2012. Rural advocacy groups voicing support for this deal have been duped by AT&T, because people in areas that supposedly will benefit from AT&T¹s merger promises will already have access to 4G services from AT&T and other carriers next year. AT&T's promises about investment and jobs are similarly misleading, as the company touts to its investors the decreases in investment that this merger would allow. AT&T can talk about creating synergies all it wants, but it cannot pretend at the same time that it will increase investment in American jobs and infrastructure. The deal's real benefit to AT&T would be a reduction in the competition it faces - accompanied by greater incentives and improved ability to raise prices and tighten control over its customers. In following antitrust law and the public interest mandate, there is no other choice but to block this takeover."
benton.org/node/78806 | Free Press
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COLOROFCHANGE
[SOURCE: Atlanta Post, AUTHOR: J Smith]
Activist organization ColorOfChange.org has launched a new campaign against the AT&T/ T-Mobile merger, calling on the Federal Communications Commission to block the deal. In a report on the proposed deal, Color of Change says “AT&T wants to buy T-Mobile – and it could have huge, negative consequences, especially for Black Americans.” The report outlines the potentially harmful economic effects the merger could have and questions the major civil rights groups that have come out in support of the merger. “The deal is likely to destroy jobs, raise the price of cellular service and threaten net neutrality for wireless high-speed Internet,” the report claims. “Protecting net neutrality for wireless broadband in increasingly important as more and more people use their phones to access the Internet, especially African Americans,” the report claims. Color of Change’s study says that combining the two companies would effectively get rid of the competition, causing a snowball of other problems to gather, and that false and deceptive arguments have been used to support the merger.
benton.org/node/78804 | Atlanta Post | Press release
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CENTER FOR MEDIA JUSTICE AND FUTURE OF MUSIC COALITION RELEASE ISSUE BRIEFS ON AT&T/T-MOBILE MERGER
[SOURCE: Center for Media Justice, AUTHOR: Press release]
The Center for Media Justice (CMJ) — a grassroots media policy organization working to strengthen movements for racial justice, economic equity, and human rights— has teamed up with Future of Music Coalition (FMC) — a national non-profit research, education and advocacy organization for musicians— to issue a pair of informational briefs regarding the proposed merger between AT&T and T-Mobile.
Today’s creators depend on access and innovation online — from digital music services, fan management tools and social networks to the ever-growing world of mobile apps. This is why it is so important to make sure that mobile platform remains accessible to creative entrepreneurs. With greater concentration in the wireless sector, just a few providers would be able to act as gatekeepers to an increasingly crucial marketplace. The elimination of a lower-cost provider (T-Mobile) would also negatively impact millions of Americans who may not be able to afford service from AT&T, a company notorious for high prices and exclusive handset arrangements.
Creators have other reasons to be concerned about the merger. AT&T has a troubling record on free expression and openness. In 2007, the company censored a live webcast of the Lollapalooza festival over political lyrics by Pearl Jam. AT&T has also fought for (and achieved) a rules-free environment when it comes to content discrimination via the mobile web. A combined company would have even more incentive to charge big money for access to its networks or favor certain content at the expense of others. This could price many creative entrepreneurs out of the marketplace and set artificial limits on expression.
benton.org/node/78802 | Center for Media Justice
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SPRINT COUNTERS AT&T CLAIMS
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Kent German]
In a filing with the Federal Communications Commission, Sprint further pressed its case against AT&T's proposed acquisition of T-Mobile.
Though Sprint led the redacted document with the now familiar arguments that the $39 billion transaction would hurt consumers by eliminating competition, raising prices, and harming innovation, the carrier also devoted significant space to countering AT&T's controversial claims that the deal is its only solution for solving an impending spectrum crisis. "Sprint's filing demonstrates, once again, that AT&T's purported rationale for the proposed merger -- that there is no other way to meet its projected data service demand growth -- is simply unfounded," Sprint said in a statement. "AT&T could increase its capacity by developing its warehoused spectrum, accelerating its 4G network buildout, and implementing a more efficient network architecture, just as other wireless carriers around the world are doing today."
benton.org/node/78822 | C-Net|News.com
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MORE ON WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
DINGELL WANTS ANSWERS
[SOURCE: TVNewsCheck, AUTHOR: Harry Jessell]
Rep John Dingell (D-MI) wants to know when the Federal Communications Commission will release broadcast engineering models that predict the impact the agency's broadcast spectrum auction plan with have on broadcasting and its viewers. "[T]his analysis would be helpful to the Congress ... in understanding the implications of spectrum reclamation" as it considers authorizing legislation, Rep Dingell wrote in an open letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. Rep Dingell is skeptical of the plan, by which the FCC proposes to auction off up to 120 MHz of the TV spectrum to wireless broadband providers. The FCC hopes to entice broadcasters to contribute spectrum to the auction by allowing them to share in the proceeds. In his letter, Rep Dingell asks a series of questions, giving the FCC until June 27 to reply:
Assuming no stations will be required to move into the low VHF band and no surviving TV stations will lose coverage, what are the general implications of reclaiming 120 MHz for the auction? How many TV stations would have to share a channel or go off the air? (The recover spectrum, the FCC is encouraging stations to either give up their channels or share channels with other stations.)
How many stations in the Northeast, the Great Lakes region and San Francisco/Los Angeles will have to share or go off the air?
How many stations would have to be moved to a new channel?
What are the answers to above question, assuming the FCC reclaims just 90 MHz? 60 MHz? 30MHz?
For each of the reclamation scenarios, how many TV viewers will lose service and how many channels with they lose?
benton.org/node/78823 | TVNewsCheck
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LIGHTSQUARED ALTERNATIVE PLAN
[SOURCE: Bloomberg, AUTHOR: Greg Bensinger]
Philip Falcone’s LightSquared wireless venture said it will use a different set of airwaves for its service than originally planned to help prevent interference with US global positioning-systems. LightSquared will offer its service on a block of airwaves, known as spectrum, that is controlled by satellite company Inmarsat when it introduces service early next year, Chief Executive Officer Sanjiv Ahuja said. LightSquared has been buffeted by opposition from the US military, and device- and farm-equipment makers that say the startup carrier’s plan to offer wireless service over 40,000 base stations risks jamming GPS receivers. The Federal Communications Commission had given LightSquared until July 1 to propose solutions. “This should resolve interference challenges for 99.5 percent of GPS receivers in this country,” said Ahuja. “We believe this clears the path for us to move forward with a coast-to-coast broadband network launch.” Ahuja said the switch to Inmarsat’s spectrum will limit GPS interference for all but a limited number of users, such as farm equipment manufacturers. LightSquared also plans to reduce the power of its transmitters by more than 50 percent. Ahuja said the company will continue working to resolve the GPS issues on its existing spectrum and deploy it at a later time. He declined to say how much LightSquared will pay London- based Inmarsat for use of its airwaves, which it had planned to use in two to three years to supplement its current spectrum holdings.
benton.org/node/78794 | Bloomberg | B&C
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
ID INSIGHT
[SOURCE: BroadbandBreakfast.com, AUTHOR: Rahul Gaitonde]
The market research firm ID InSight clarified reports that the company’s previously-released mapping data was at odds with the accuracy of the National Broadband map. “It is easy to take pot shots at the inaccuracies once the data is in the public domain. It takes courage to stand behind what you believe in and focus on the positives which vastly outweigh the negatives,” said Adam Elliot President of ID InSight. “Through our initial analysis of the map, we are seeing very high degrees of accuracy – sometimes exceeding 99 percent when comparing the National Telecommunications and Information Administration map to what we see with Broadband Scout.”
ID InSight gathered data from more than half a billion Internet transactions from across the nation through its Broadband Scout product. The company collected data from various e-commerce and subscription-based services where users must provide address data. ID InSight then paired the address data and IP data to determine the availability of Internet connections across the nation. Through that process, Broadband Scout determined the availability of Internet access in areas where the Internet service providers (ISPs) have chosen not to provide data to the state mapping projects.
benton.org/node/78787 | BroadbandBreakfast.com
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EVERYONE KNOWS WHO YOU ARE ON THE INTERNET
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Brian Stelter]
Not too long ago, theorists fretted that the Internet was a place where anonymity thrived. Now, it seems, it is the place where anonymity dies. The collective intelligence of the Internet’s two billion users, and the digital fingerprints that so many users leave on Web sites, combine to make it more and more likely that every embarrassing video, every intimate photo, and every indelicate e-mail is attributed to its source, whether that source wants it to be or not. This intelligence makes the public sphere more public than ever before and sometimes forces personal lives into public view. To some, this could conjure up comparisons to the agents of repressive governments in the Middle East who monitor online protests and exact retribution offline. But the positive effects can be numerous: criminality can be ferreted out, falsehoods can be disproved and individuals can become Internet icons. This erosion of anonymity is a product of pervasive social media services, cheap cellphone cameras, free photo and video Web hosts, and perhaps most important of all, a change in people’s views about what ought to be public and what ought to be private. Experts say that Web sites like Facebook, which require real identities and encourage the sharing of photographs and videos, have hastened this change.
benton.org/node/78831 | New York Times
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TELECOM
CRAMMING PROPOSAL
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Cecilia Kang]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski will propose an order aimed at reducing unauthorized fees on phone bills. Chairman Genachowski said that he will propose ways to make traditional phone bills clearer so consumers can better identify line items that they didn't authorize. The practice, called cramming, affects an estimated 20 million land-line phone users a year, Genachowski said at a speech at the Center for American Progress. Chairman Genachowski did not offer many details on his proposed order, but said recently that he would issue an order for the agency to explore ways to bring down cramming complaints. The proposal follows a push to prevent “bill shock,” when cellphone users incur surprisingly higher data charges by exceeding their monthly Web access and texting allotment.
benton.org/node/78799 | Washington Post | FCC press release | Chairman Genachowski
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NO CAPS FOR LIFELINE
[SOURCE: House of Representatives, AUTHOR: Rep Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)]
Rep Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) sent a letter to Federal Communications Committee Chairman Julius Genachowski requesting that access to Lifeline and Link-Up be protected for all Americans regardless of income. Rep Kucinich urged the FCC not to make ‘any reduction in, or impose any limitations on’ the programs that provide vulnerable citizens access to phone services in emergency situations. “This is a matter of great personal interest to me. When I was growing up, my family moved 21 times and, on occasion, we lived in our car. There were times when we needed telephone service, but did not have it. I know personally how important it is to have access to a telephone, and what the results are when a family does not have it. I don't want any family to be in that situation,” wrote Rep Kucinich. “The Lifeline and Link-Up programs were supposed to prevent that situation from occurring.” Implemented in 1984, the programs have over the past few years, due to the economic crisis, seen an increase in demand and enrollees. As a result, the cost of the program has increased. “This is not a bad result – it is a good result. More people who need the benefits of the program are taking advantage of them. And the entire cost of the programs is paid by fees charged to the companies that provide wireless service,” wrote Rep Kucinich
benton.org/node/78792 | House of Representatives
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FCC REFORM
FCC REFORM BILL
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
House Communications Subcommittee majority staffers have come up with a discussion draft of proposed Federal Communications Commission process reform legislation that would include a shot clock and cost-benefit analysis on any new rules, allow more than two commissioners to meet outside of public meetings, and require new reports to Congress on the state of the industry and of the FCC's efforts to speed its rulemaking process. The bill would also address some of the Republican concerns about the FCC's vetting of mergers and application of conditions. One provision would require and conditions to be narrowly tailored and confined to things the FCC could otherwise impose through its rule making authority. And the new legislation could change the balance of power at the commission by allowing a bipartisan majority of commissioners to put items on the FCC agenda, something that can't happen now (and a change the current chairman has not supported).
benton.org/node/78797 | Broadcasting&Cable | learn more about the upcoming hearing
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JOURNALISM
TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE?
[SOURCE: Center for American Progress, AUTHOR: Eric Alterman]
[Commentary] By limiting its specific argument to the slow-motion collapse of local news, the Federal Communications Commission's "Information Needs of Communities" report skirts over -- and on occasion whitewashes -- the myriad interlocking crises that threaten the entire American news ecosystem, and therefore threaten to undermine the crucial role it plays in ensuring the smooth function of deliberative democratic debate. For it's not just local news that's disappearing, it's all news. The FCC staff report does not even dip its toe into the disappearance of actual "news" from the news and its replacement with nonsense -- which is the net result of all the above. Nor does it concern itself with the continuing problem of increased media consolidation and/or the disappearance of so much of investigative reporting infrastructure that is dying together with the media advertising-supported business model. Moreover, consistent with so much of the Obama Administration's ethos -- its proposed solutions are actually more amenable to conservatives than to liberals or even moderates.
benton.org/node/78773 | Center for American Progress
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REACTION TO FCC REPORT
[SOURCE: Seattle Times, AUTHOR: Ryan Blethen]
[Commentary] I was pleased that a Federal Communications Commission report on the future of journalism came to some intriguing conclusions about how the press can thrive. Absolutely, I would like to see philanthropists fund local watchdog journalism. Yes, there should be some tax laws that foster an independent press. Of course, postal rates need to be changed so newspapers can regain the advertising business lost to direct mail. These would all make for good media policy. The problem is the FCC has no impact on any of these policies it proposes. The useful ideas put forth in the "Information Needs of Communities" report landed like an advertising-starved newspaper on a front porch.
benton.org/node/78771 | Seattle Times
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TELEVISION/RADIO
TV PRODUCT PLACEMENTS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Tim Baysinger]
According to recent survey conducted by Vidicom, 90% of TV news producers said they prefer only one mention per product per brand when using branded Satellite Media Tours (SMTs). The survey, which polled producers in the top 20 TV markets, found that while the number one reason for using SMTs is the need for content, half of the producers surveyed only want one product mentioned for each branded segment. Producers said that they will tolerate embedded product only if they are unable to produce the content themselves and it is compelling enough.
benton.org/node/78779 | Broadcasting&Cable
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COLLEGE RADIO DWINDLING
[SOURCE: Chronicle of Higher Education, AUTHOR: Don Troop]
To be sure, hundreds of student-run stations of varying levels of quality and professionalism continue to broadcast within the Federal Communications Commission's historically designated noncommercial portion of the spectrum, 88.1 to 91.9 MHz. But in a trend that industry observers say began in the 1990s, many others have been driven onto the Web or into oblivion when college administrators have decided to sell their licenses for much-needed cash.
benton.org/node/78755 | Chronicle of Higher Education
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DODGERS' TV DEAL REJECTED
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Richard Sandomir]
Bud Selig, Major League Baseball’s commissioner, rejected a proposed cable television deal by the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 20. That scrambled the team’s financial future and voided a divorce agreement reached June 17 by Frank McCourt, the Dodgers’ owner, and his wife, Jamie, who wants the team to be declared half hers. Selig said in a statement that the 17-year television deal with Fox was “structured to facilitate the further diversion of Dodgers assets for the personal needs of Mr. McCourt” and would mortgage the team’s future. Frank McCourt has blamed Selig’s refusal to approve the deal, which is worth $2.5 billion to $3 billion, for his financial problems. In April, Selig took control of the team and installed a trustee, Tom Schieffer, to run it. Selig’s decision is likely to reinforce McCourt’s fear that baseball will seize the team and sell it against his wishes, and could send McCourt to federal court to fight the commissioner. A flashpoint in the deal is a $385 million upfront loan from Fox that would reduce the annual rights fee to the team. Only $211.5 million of the $385 million would finance team operations. Of the rest, $80 million would repay debt, which Major League Baseball says is too high; $23.5 million would repay most of a $30 million personal loan from Fox that McCourt used to meet payroll last month; $10 million would pay the McCourts’ legal fees; and $10 million would be spent as they desire. McCourt could use another $50 million of the Fox money to bankroll a $100 million payment to his wife if the team were declared his property by Judge Scott Gordon of Los Angeles Superior Court, who is overseeing the divorce.
benton.org/node/78829 | New York Times | Wall Street Journal
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HEALTH
MEDILINEPLUS CONNECT
[SOURCE: Department of Health and Human Services, AUTHOR: Press release]
The National Library of Medicine, the world’s largest medical library and a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has formally launched MedlinePlus Connect. This free service allows health organizations and health information technology (HIT) providers to link patient portals and electronic health record (EHR) systems to MedlinePlus.gov, a trusted source of authoritative, up-to-date health information for patients, families and health care providers. MedlinePlus brings together information from NIH, other federal agencies, and reputable health information providers. MedlinePlus covers a wide range of health conditions and wellness issues, and includes key resources to inform patients about their health. Patients using portals or EHRs that have implemented MedlinePlus Connect can access easy-to-understand health information on MedlinePlus that is directly related to their diagnoses, medications, and lab tests. “MedlinePlus Connect is the latest result of NLM’s long standing commitment to using technology and standards to bring high quality information to patients and clinicians when and where they need it,” noted NLM Director Donald A.B. Lindberg, M.D. To use MedlinePlus Connect, an organization should contact their EHR vendor or work with their in-house technical staff to follow the instructions in the technical documentation.
benton.org/node/78756 | Department of Health and Human Services
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POLICYMAKERS
PRESIDENT OBAMA AND TWITTER
[SOURCE: The Christian Science Monitor, AUTHOR: Gloria Goodale]
The White House announced that President Barack Obama would make it clear which tweets were by him and which were by staffers. It's a nod to the coming campaign, as well the fallout from the Rep. Anthony Weiner scandal. Politicians are under pressure to reassure followers about who is actually behind social media messages, and followers are getting more adept at sniffing out when a public figure is using social media consultants to post and tweet on his or her behalf, says Jonathan Askin, a media professor at Brooklyn Law School.
benton.org/node/78825 | Christian Science Monitor, The
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STORIES FROM ABROAD
These headlines presented in partnership with:
APPLE INVESTIGATED FOR ANTI-COMPETITIVE BEHAVIOR IN INDIA
[SOURCE: cellular-news, AUTHOR: Simon Davies]
Apple is facing an investigation into anti-competitive behavior in India following a complaint being sent to the Competition Commission of India claiming the company is limiting the availability of its products to a few service providers. A customer has filed a complaint before the Commission under Section 4 of the Competition Act 2002 that Apple is curbing the customer's choice by limiting the availability of iPhones and iPads in India to a limited number of service providers, besides its signature stores.
benton.org/node/78753 | cellular-news
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OFCOM GIVES GREEN LIGHT FOR MOBILE SPECTRUM TRADING
[SOURCE: TelecomPaper, AUTHOR:]
Ofcom has given the green light for mobile operators to trade radio spectrum. The move is designed to help boost mobile network capacity and deliver faster and more reliable mobile services for customers. The new regulations cover spectrum at 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz, and will allow operators with a greater need for spectrum to make offers for spectrum from operators who need it less. Ofcom hopes this flexibility will help operators respond more efficiently to demand for mobile data services. It will be responsible for the administration of spectrum trades and will consider whether competition is likely to be impacted before approving any trade.
benton.org/node/78751 | TelecomPaper
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