September 29, 2011 (Network Neutrality Suits; Kindle Fire)
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
Access Humboldt Challenges FCC's Open Internet Rules - press release
Free Press Files Suit to Challenge FCC's Open Internet Rules - press release
Closed Captions for the Open Internet?
Rep Blackburn Urges Tech Industry Action to Head Off Potential Government Overregulation
Internet Observatory offers real-time IP traffic trends
Broadband World Forum report: Nearly one in 10 broadband subscribers have IPTV [links to web]
Internet Ads Reach $15 Billion, First Half 2011 [links to web]
UK ISPs face crackdown on broadband adverts [links to web]
AMAZON
Amazon Unveils $199 Kindle Fire Tablet
The Omnivore - analysis
Can Publishers Capitalize On Kindle Tablet To Boost’ Digital Downloads? - analysis [links to web]
Prepare to Pay More if You Don't Want Ads on Your New Kindle [links to web]
Analyst: Amazon is likely losing $50 per Kindle Fire [links to web]
WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
Memo reveals which telecoms store your data the longest
Google's Update on Motorola Acquisition - press release
CTIA's Largent: Government May Need to Hold Two or Three Auctions
CTIA expects supercommittee to propose spectrum auctions [links to web]
Samsung to pay Microsoft to use Android: Extortion or partnership?
TELEVISION
Get ready for the great cable unbundling
Fox Sports sues Dodgers, trying to halt TV rights sale [links to web]
OWNERSHIP
Larry Page Outlines His Plan And Vision For Google
HEALTH
Health IT helps boost cancer care, cut costs [links to web]
POLICYMAKERS
FCC's Copps Receives Newton Minow Award - speech
Profile: Anna Gomez, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information - press release [links to web]
Congress uses Twitter more than millennials [links to web]
RESEARCH
Information explosion: how rapidly expanding storage spurs innovation - analysis
US Media Biz To Rise $1.1 Trillion In '11
EDUCATION
A Call for Opening Up Web Access at Schools
When Video Calling Met Long-Distance Lessons [links to web]
MORE ONLINE
Stores give staff iPads to keep up with shoppers [links to web]
Employers are liking — and hiring — social media workers [links to web]
INTERNET/BROADBAND
ACCESS HUMBOLDT SUIT
[SOURCE: Access Humboldt, AUTHOR: Press release]
Access Humboldt petitioned the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for review of a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Preserving the Open Internet order. Access Humboldt says that the recently published decision wrongly discriminates between Internet access via mobile devices like smart phones and Internet access via fixed platforms like cable and telephone, and that the rules are legally unsound. In filing their petition, Access Humboldt is represented by public interest law firm Media Access Project and joins a national effort to protect nondiscriminatory, “network neutral” consumer access to all of the Internet’s legal content. “The FCC’s decision is just too weak,” said Sean McLaughlin, executive director of Access Humboldt. “The rules do not provide the strong foundation needed for truly open, innovative networks. So we have a duty to challenge them in Federal Court.”
benton.org/node/91605 | Access Humboldt
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FREE PRESS SUIT
[SOURCE: Free Press, AUTHOR: Press release]
In the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston, Free Press filed a petition for review of the Federal Communications Commission's December 2010 Open Internet order. Free Press, headquartered in Western Massachusetts, will challenge the arbitrary nature of rule provisions that provide less protection for mobile wireless Internet access than they do for wired connections. Free Press Policy Director Matt Wood said, "When the FCC first proposed the Open Internet rules, they came with the understanding that there is only one Internet, no matter how people choose to reach it. The final rules provide some basic protections for consumers, but do not deliver on the promise to preserve openness for mobile Internet access. They fail to protect wireless users from discrimination, and they let mobile providers block innovative applications with impunity. Our challenge will show that there is no evidence in the record to justify this arbitrary distinction between wired and wireless Internet access. The disparity that the FCC's rules create is unjust and unjustified. And it's especially problematic because of the increasing popularity of wireless, along with its increasing importance for younger demographics and diverse populations who rely on mobile devices as their primary means for getting online. Free Press will fight in court to make these rules stronger, even as we work elsewhere to uphold the FCC's crucial role in promoting openness and equality on the Internet."
benton.org/node/91602 | Free Press | read the filing | B&C | The Hill | Reuters
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CLOSED CAPTIONS FOR THE OPEN INTERNET
[SOURCE: CommLawBlog, AUTHOR: Christine Goepp]
The Federal Communications Commission has launched a rulemaking to implement the closed captioning sections of the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA). The new rules will impose closed captioning requirements on certain online television programming; they will also require captioning capability for a wide variety of devices that are designed to receive or play back video, potentially including smartphones, computers, tablets, game consoles, video recorders, and set-top boxes. This proceeding is set to move quickly, mainly because of the Congressionally-imposed deadline (January 12, 2012) for getting the rules adopted. The Commission’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking got hustled into the Federal Register, as a result of which comments are due by October 18, 2011, and reply comments by October 28.
benton.org/node/91544 | CommLawBlog
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BLACKBURN WARNS OF OVERREGULATION
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
"Empower consumers before government empowers itself." That was the message from Rep. Marsha Blackburn to tech companies at a town hall roundtable at the University of Santa Clara School of Law. That and place online privacy and data security squarely under the jurisdiction of the Federal Trade Commission rather than dividing it up between that agency and the Federal Communications Commission. Rep Blackburn said that consumer trust in online information collection and data management has eroded, that consumer confidence has reached a "tipping point" and that industry must take the lead in addressing those concerns or that uncertainty would "suffocate growth and innovation" and leave a vacuum that would be filled by government solutions. Those solutions, she said, would be driven by the political left as "hyper-regulation from a menu of agencies, or from a classical liberalism perspective that defines private information as property," but in either case driven by headlines and activists, not "careful consideration of the facts."
benton.org/node/91595 | Broadcasting&Cable
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INTERNET OBSERVATORY
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: Janko Roettgers]
A new website dubbed the Internet Observatory, from German traffic management company Ipoque, offers real-time insights into what Internet users are doing online at any given time. The idea behind the Internet Observatory, unveiled at the Broadband World Forum in Paris, is to show continent by continent how much traffic is caused by P2P; how Skype traffic fares against SIP traffic; and which Instant Messaging client generates the most traffic. The project is currently restricted to statistics from Europe, but real-time data for other continents as well as more in-depth statistics about each continent should to added soon, according to Ipoque. Even with its limited geographic scope, the site already reveals some interesting trends.
benton.org/node/91549 | GigaOm
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AMAZON
AMAZON FIRE
[SOURCE: Bloomberg, AUTHOR: Brad Stone, Danielle Kucera]
Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer, unveiled its Kindle Fire tablet computer, taking aim at Apple’s bestselling iPad with a device that’s smaller and less than half the price. The Kindle Fire will have a 7-inch display and sell for $199, compared with $499 for Apple’s cheapest iPad, Amazon executives said. The device, a souped-up version of the Kindle electronic-book reader, will run on Google’s Android software. Amazon also introduced a touch-screen version of its e-reader, to be called Kindle Touch. While the Kindle Fire can vie with the iPad in access to media content, it lacks a camera, microphone or a connection to a 3G wireless network. It may not appeal to consumers who are drawn to the iPad’s larger screen and willing to pay a premium for added features such as video chat.
benton.org/node/91562 | Bloomberg | Amazon | paidContent | FastCompany | NPR | Fortune | Forrester Research
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AMAZON'S VISION
[SOURCE: Bloomberg, AUTHOR: Brad Stone]
Amazon’s 1990s slogan -- ”Earth’s largest bookstore” -- stood for an ambition that now seems cute. Amazon boasted of its unlimited selection of books, even though in most cases it was simply having them shipped directly from distributors. Today, Amazon sells millions of goods and services, from toys and high-definition televisions to server space for other Internet companies and digital reading devices for book lovers. Borders found it impossible to match Amazon’s selection and went out of business earlier this year. Best Buy has watched Amazon undercut it and commoditize whole product categories, and is now trying to shrink the square footage of its superstores. Wal-Mart Stores has struggled to match the ease and reliability of Amazon’s shipping network, and posted nine straight quarters of declining same-store sales. Web sites that have matched Amazon in selection, price, and customer serviceZappos, Diapers.comBezos has quickly acquired. As its rivals steadily asphyxiate, Amazon is ringing up 50 percent growth in quarterly revenues, and could reach $50 billion in sales this year. Walmart needed almost twice the time -- 33 years -- to cross that threshold. “Amazon is such a smart learning organization,” says Nancy F. Koehn, a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School. “It’s like a biological organism that through natural selection and adaptation just keeps learning and growing.”
benton.org/node/91561 | Bloomberg
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WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
CARRIERS STORE CONSUMER DATA
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: David Kravets]
The nation’s major mobile-phone providers are keeping a treasure trove of sensitive data on their customers, according to a newly released Justice Department internal memo that for the first time reveals the data retention policies of America’s largest telecoms. The single-page Department of Justice document, “Retention Periods of Major Cellular Service Providers,” is a guide for law enforcement agencies looking to get information -- like customer IP addresses, call logs, text messages and web surfing habits -- out of US telecom companies, including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon. The document, marked “Law Enforcement Use Only” and dated August 2010, illustrates there are some significant differences in how long carriers retain your data.
benton.org/node/91552 | Ars Technica
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GOOGLE-MOTOROLA REVIEW UPDATE
[SOURCE: Google, AUTHOR: Dennis Woodside]
Google has received a "second request" from the Department of Justice asking for more information about Google's proposed acquisition of Motorola Mobility. "While this means we won't be closing right away, we're confident that the DOJ will conclude that the rapidly growing mobile ecosystem will remain highly competitive after this deal closes. We'll be working closely and cooperatively with them as they continue their review."
benton.org/node/91610 | Google | LATimes | National Journal | WSJ | AP | Bloomberg
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CTIA EYES MULTIPLE AUCTIONS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
CTIA's President and CEO Steve Largent says that he is not sure one incentive spectrum auction will be enough. While Largent and other CTIA executives say their core goal is to get more spectrum through incentive auction legislation -- suggesting a bill with only one auction, or allocating rather than auctioning the D-block, would not be a deal-breaker -- Largent said there might need to be two or three spectrum auctions spread over a decade. Broadcasters have argued there should only be one auction, pointing out they have already gone through one DTV transition, and even one auction will be tantamount to a second one. "At this point, the one, two and three highest priorities for CTIA are getting more spectrum," said Largent, who added CTIA was focused "like a laser" on the issue. He pointed out that his industry is prepared to spend billions to buy broadcaster, and other, spectrum at auction, create jobs by building out that spectrum, and generate billions for the economy at a time when it could use the help.
benton.org/node/91615 | Broadcasting&Cable
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SAMSUNG, MICROSOFT AND ANDROID
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Nathan Olivarez-Giles]
Microsoft announced a cross-licensing of its patent portfolio with Samsung that will leave Samsung paying a royalty to Microsoft for each smartphone and tablet it sells running Google's Android operating system. Samsung will also "agreed to cooperate in the development and marketing of Windows Phone." Google, obviously unhappy that the largest seller of Android phones will pay Microsoft to use an operating system Google doesn't charge anyone to use, described the agreements with a patently different word -- extortion. "This is the same tactic we've seen time and again from Microsoft," Google said. "Failing to succeed in the smartphone market, they are resorting to legal measures to extort profit from others' achievements and hinder the pace of innovation. We remain focused on building new technology and supporting Android partners."
benton.org/node/91616 | Los Angeles Times | Wall Street Journal
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TELEVISION
A LA CARTE CABLE?
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: Ryan Lawler]
The cable industry is pulling an about-face on the issue of a la carte programming, due to increasingly expensive content rights and a weakening economy making bundles of network programming less affordable for the average consumer. That’s the word from Reuters, which reports that cable executives are negotiating with content providers and seeking regulatory relief in an effort to create smaller and more affordable bundles of programming. Cable companies have historically fought against the idea of a la carte, arguing that allowing customers to choose channels on an individual basis would tear apart the value of the bundle. Since typical cable viewers only watch a handful of networks each, such a choice would mean that many niche networks with lower ratings wouldn't survive if viewers didn't choose to pay for them. But cable companies have become stuck between a rock and a hard place: On one hand, media companies are demanding ever-higher carriage fees for their programming; on the other, consumers are being squeezed by a weak economy that threatens to make cable service unaffordable.
benton.org/node/91594 | GigaOm | Reuters
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OWNERSHIP
PAGE'S VISION FOR GOOGLE
[SOURCE: Business Insider, AUTHOR: Nicholas Carlson]
According to CEO Larry Page, Google's model is: invent wild thing that will help humanity, get them adopted by users, profit, and then use the corporate structure to keep inventing new things. For shareholders and other Google stakeholders, this is a clear message: While Page is in charge, you can expect Google to stray from its core competencies into all sorts of businesses. The Google CEO gave Android, Chrome, and YouTube as examples of this pattern in successful action. Chrome has 160 million users now. Android is ubiquitiuos. YouTube has 3 billion playbacks a day and its revenue has grown 3X for the past three years. Page also says that the other advantage to pursuing wildly ambitious goals is that it actually makes business easier because it attracts the world's best talent.
benton.org/node/91546 | Business Insider | see Page's talk
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POLICYMAKERS
COPPS RECEIVES MINOW AWARD
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: FCC Commissioner Michael Copps]
At the 29th annual Everett C. Parker Awards, Federal Communications Commission member Michael Copps received the Newton Minow award. As he accepted the award he said, "When I became a Commissioner more than a decade ago, these were the visions and dreams I wanted to help realize. There were -- there are -- those who have disagreed with me, sometimes more than occasionally, but I hope no one ever doubted my desire to make our media as transformative as Everett Parker and Newt Minow knew it could be. So much of their challenge remains. But these are battles not only worth fighting—they are battles essential to fight if we are going to redeem the promise of America. We have come a long way, and many of you in this room have made truly significant contributions to building a better society. But we still have so many miles to go to build the media that democracy requires. Right now, we have too little substance and too much fluff in our media. Democracy is not well-served by fluff. Therein is our challenge -- yours and mine. To take the visions shared with us by Newt Minow and Everett Parker, to build on the progress these giants made, and to work for -- and insist upon -- a media environment that informs us with real news and information, that reflects and encourages our wondrous diversity, and that reinforces our self-government."
benton.org/node/91599 | Federal Communications Commission
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RESEARCH
INFORMATION STORAGE
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Lee Hutchinson]
Moore's Law gets all the press. It's easy to present even to non-technical readers, and the way it's most often expressed is something like, "computers double in speed every year," though that's a bastardization of the axiom, which actually states that the transistor count of integrated circuits tends to double every eighteen months or so. This formulation does succinctly capture how fast computers have gotten in so short a time. But integrated circuit density hasn't been the only computing tech which has shown extremely rapid progress over the past thirty years. Consider magnetic storage. Modern hard drives are precisely manufactured miracles, products of billions of dollars and decades of research into magnetism and quantum mechanics, squeezing ludicrously large amounts of data into ludicrously tiny spaces. A hard drive with about three terabytes of capacity can be had for less than $150 today; a PC equipped with two or three of these would have more on-board storage than most large enterprises had in aggregate even a decade ago. That kind of inexpensive capacity has revolutionized the way people keep and use data, both at home and at work. From complex storage- and compute-intensive tasks like oil and gas upstream processing all the way down to editing a home vacation video, the ability to store and manipulate increasingly voluminous data actually drives serious innovation.
benton.org/node/91596 | Ars Technica
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US MEDIA
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: Wayne Friedman]
Just as recent U.S. advertising projections have been downgraded by many studies, so too is the entire U.S. communications industry. But overall, the later seems to be in better shape. Veronis Suhler Stevenson says overall U.S. communications businesses will rise 4.1% by the end of this year to $1.12 trillion, as well as seeing compounded growth of 5.5% over the next four years to some $1.41 trillion. This is lower than Veronis' estimate last year of a 6.1% compounded growth rate through 2014, getting to $1.42 trillion. Veronis said recent downtrending economic indicators in the third quarter were the reason for its revised multi-year estimates. The better news: U.S. media business overall will rise at a faster rate than recent U.S. advertising -- as well as outperforming single-digit-percentage projected U.S. economic growth.
benton.org/node/91590 | MediaPost
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EDUCATION
OPENING WEB ACCESS AT SCHOOLS
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Winnie Hu]
A look at Banned Websites Awareness Day, organized by the American Association of School Librarians as an offshoot of Banned Books Week. Carl Harvey, the association’s president, said that as more schools had embraced online technologies, there had been growing concern over schools that block much of the Internet. But some school leaders and education advocates have argued that the Internet can be a distraction in the classroom, and that blocking social media is also a way to protect students from bullying and harassment at school.
benton.org/node/91620 | New York Times
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