January 2012

European parliament’s ACTA monitor quits in protest

The European Parliament’s independent monitor for the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) resigned Jan 27 in protest after 22 European Union member states signed the anti-piracy treaty the day before.

Kader Arif said that he condemns “the whole process which led to the signature of this agreement: no consultation of the civil society, lack of transparency since the beginning of negotiations, repeated delays of the signature of the text without any explanation give, reject of Parliament’s recommendations as given in several resolutions of our assembly.”

Comcast’s bet on NBCU begins to pay off

When cable operator Comcast bought 51 per cent of NBCUniversal, the television and film group, many in the media industry doubted the marriage would be a happy one.
Valuing NBCU at $30bn as it was separated from General Electric, the deal represented a bold bet by Comcast that it could successfully unite content and distribution. If it did so, it would succeed where its peers had failed, transforming the buttoned-down Philadelphia cable guys into bona fide media moguls. But critics worried the two companies had impossibly different cultures, with Comcast’s numbers-oriented discipline contrasting with NBCU’s creative culture. Analysts were wary of the acquisition, which made the enlarged company more complicated to assess. The deal, which closed a year ago this week, is still in its early stages.

Yet there are already signs Comcast is applying the same strategic acumen to its new content assets that helped make it the largest cable operator in the US. It has invested in new original programming, with shows such as The Voice, in an effort to turn round the struggling broadcast network. It secured critical sports rights at a cost of billions of dollars a year. And it has shown a willingness to redouble investment in businesses with which it was unfamiliar, such as films and theme parks.

AT&T View Change Shows It Wants Dish Spectrum, Analysts Say

AT&T’s change of view on Dish Network’s request for a spectrum waiver from U.S. authorities signals the phone company is eager to buy airwaves from the satellite-TV provider, Credit Suisse Group AG said.

There should be no “restrictions on the transfer and/or leasing” of the spectrum, AT&T wrote in comments to the Federal Communications Commission on Jan. 26. The letter is a “change of heart” for AT&T, Stefan Anninger, a Credit Suisse analyst, said in a note. AT&T also urged the agency to require a fast-track network buildout, a stipulation that could make it difficult for Dish to keep the spectrum, Anninger said. “AT&T wants the spectrum,” Jonathan Chaplin, a Credit Suisse analyst, said in an e-mail. “Previously AT&T was pushing for a more extensive review of the waiver request. Now they seem to be supportive of an expedited review.”

AT&T names Stankey as chief strategy officer

AT&T, the largest US telecommunications group, has named senior executive John Stankey to the newly created position of group president and chief strategy officer.

During the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call with investors last week, Randall Stephenson, chief executive, hinted that AT&T might sell off its directories business noting “that’s one area that we’re going to obviously take a very hard look at, and while I don’t want to give any indication on M&A activity, it’s one of these areas that we’re going to have to decide, do we keep it, do we restructure it, as we move forward.” Stankey, a 27-year industry veteran who was previously the president and chief executive of AT&T Business Solutions, will be responsible for “developing the road map to maximize future growth opportunities, including corporate development, addressing long-term wireless-capacity needs, capital allocation strategies and identifying the best strategic paths for low-growth and non-strategic assets.” His appointment is a further indication that AT&T is considering the sale of some of its older, slow growing assets including perhaps some of its fixed-line telephone operations or its directories business.

In censorship, Twitter fails to defend free speech

[Commentary] Twitter's decision to start censoring tweets at the request of repressive governments represents a regrettable retreat from the free-flowing ethos that has made it such an essential social networking site.

Our preference, in 140 characters or fewer, would have been for Twitter to just say no to censorship. Instead, Twitter is trying to make a good-faith effort to uphold the values of transparency and free speech while complying with the laws of countries that have no respect for either. It's a difficult balancing act, to say the least. Some might call it a fool's errand. Despite its anything-goes image, Twitter all along has been removing content that violate copyright or child pornography laws when it gets complaints. But there is something qualitatively different about having an enterprise that was founded on the principle of free expression bowing to any government's demand to suppress what should be the most basic right of any citizen to speak his or her mind. Twitter's policy is nuanced and sensitive on a matter that called for defiance and boldness.

Senate cybersecurity bill sparking concerns about government control

A comprehensive cybersecurity bill set for a vote in the Senate this week is drawing some late concern from the tech industry that could threaten several years of legislative work.

Stimulus grants left power grid vulnerable to cyber attacks

The Department of Energy's rush to award stimulus grants for projects under the next generation of the power grid, known as the Smart grid, resulted in some firms receiving funds without submitting complete plans for how to safeguard the grid from cyber attacks, according to an inspector general's report.

"Officials approved cyber security plans for Smart Grid projects even though some of the plans contained shortcomings that could result in poorly implemented controls," states the report. "We also found that the Department was so focused on quickly disbursing Recovery Act funds that it had not ensured personnel received adequate grants management training." According to the report, 36 percent of the grant applications submitted were lacking one or more elements in their cybersecurity plans. Three out of the five cybersecurity plans reviewed by the IG were incomplete, and often didn't address weaknesses previously identified by the Energy Department.

Information Technology Industry Council hires White House communications aide

The Information Technology Industry Council hired White House official Tom Gavin to be vice president for external affairs. Gavin will join the tech trade group after serving as special assistant to the president and director of Cabinet communications at the White House, where he also served as director of media affairs. Gavin previously worked at the Office of Management and Budget and under former Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) for nine years. When he joins ITI in mid-February, Gavin will oversee third-party outreach and be responsible for bolstering the communications and media operation.

Facebook adds former RNC aide to campaign team

Facebook will add a former online strategist for the Republican National Committee to its campaign team. George Alafoginis will join Facebook next month to work on its campaign 2012 efforts. Alafoginis most recently worked at the consulting firm New Media Strategies, where he specialized in online grassroots activation and social media monetization. Alafoginis previously served as deputy director for online strategy and technology deployment at the RNC. Prior to joining the RNC, he was a policy adviser at the Department of Energy, where he helped found a Facebook-like site for Capitol Hill at MyPoliticalWorld.

President Obama finds virtual end-around to bypass the White House press

President Barack Obama is finding ways to get his message to the public without going through the White House press corps.

On Jan 30, he held his “first completely virtual interview” as part of an event hosted by Google+, the social network the President called “a newfangled thing.” The President joined a so-called “hangout”— a chat room of sorts on the social networking site — and took questions through YouTube on everything from unemployment to streamlining the federal government. The event took place in the White House’s Roosevelt Room without the presence of television cameras or reporters. The virtual interview is part of a larger effort by the White House to connect directly to Americans without going through the news media.

Benton

Search