January 2012

In the Dark

[Commentary] Journalists are big believers in the First Amendment; its legal force undergirds the fearless journalism that democracy requires. But now comes a perversion of that amendment, an effort to turn it against another tool that enables democracy-sustaining journalism: the laws that require political donors to make their names known, and that empower vital reporting on money, power, and influence.

Of course, our right to know who funds our politicians or pays for any given civic megaphone has been battered time and again by lawyers and loopholes. Unprecedented amounts of unprecedentedly opaque money will shape the 2012 elections. Reporters already have their work cut out for them to make this understandable and to show who is trying to gain influence and shape public opinion. Imagine how much harder this job would be if disclosure requirements were found to be an unconstitutional burden on free speech?

Verizon Wireless: We Want to Connect Five Devices for Every Subscriber

Verizon Wireless isn’t content just having the most wireless subscribers in the U.S. It wants those same subscribers to have multiple different devices on its network. Over the long-term, the company is aiming for an average of five devices per subscriber.

“We think customers are going to have five devices,” said Colson Hillier, Verizon’s executive director of data applications. Today, customers often have multiple connected devices, including laptops, televisions and tablets. Even when they are connected, most of those devices are linked to the Internet via Wi-Fi. Over time, though, Hillier said that Verizon sees an opportunity to add 4G. One of the obvious impediments is today that would require either the use of a hotspot or signing up for multiple rate plans. Verizon, like other U.S. carriers, is looking at offering data plans that allow customers to share a pool of gigabytes among a number of different devices. “You don’t get there with five plans,” he said.

News Corp.'s Jon Miller talks about 'channelization' of the Web

We've seen the future of the Web at the Consumer Electronics Show -- and it looks remarkably like TV.

Jon Miller, chief digital officer for News Corp., predicted that a major trend of 2012 will be what he called the "channelization" of the Web. Online video has been characterized by short bursts of entertainment, lasting just a few minutes. Miller said Google's YouTube site is pushing a more programmed approach that more closely resembles TV channels. "Clearly, YouTube is trying to drive that in a big way.... Essentially, it means programming that is sequential that you can keep viewing. You have a passive viewing experience," Miller said at Variety's Entertainment Summit at CES. "You turn it on and it runs. It has continuity, as opposed to watching a three-minute video. It stops, and you sit there."

Two approaches to indie movies for connected TVs, devices

Netflix, CinemaNow and Vudu seem ubiquitous on the smart TV sets and set-top boxes on display at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, but they're not the only companies bringing films on demand to the TV, tablets and smartphones. Among the others trying to drum up business here have been two smaller, evolving competitors, Film Fresh and Bigstar, each of which brings something unique to the mix.

Democrats call for hearing on cellphone-tracking software

Three top Democrats on the House Commerce Committee are urging the panel's Republican leaders to hold a hearing on Carrier IQ, controversial cellphone-tracking software.

"We urge you to hold a hearing as expeditiously as possible to explore the answers to questions raised by recent reports about Carrier IQ and data collection, analysis, and transmission in the mobile device market," Reps. Henry Waxman (D-CA), Diana DeGette (D-CO) and G.K. Butterfield (D-NC) wrote in a letter. Carrier IQ's software, which is embedded in millions of smartphones, is designed to help cellphone companies track the performance of their devices. The technology collects information on the phone numbers consumers dial, the contents of their text messages, the websites they visit, their search queries and even their locations. "Data collection and transmission by Carrier lQ and similar software is widespread, and consumers appear to have little knowledge and even less control over the practice," the lawmakers wrote.

FCC Seeks Comment on Elimination of the Sports Blackout Rule

A group of petitioners have filed a Petition for Rulemaking asking the Federal Communications Commission to eliminate the FCC’s rules regarding sports blackouts, which prohibit MVPDs from carrying a sporting event if the event is blacked out on local broadcast television stations. The petitioners claim that the FCC should eliminate the sports blackout rules because the rules prevent consumers’ access to local sports events, particularly with ticket prices and unemployment at their current high levels. The petitioners also argue that sports leagues could privately negotiate the same results that the rule affords, and therefore the FCC’s rules, which tacitly endorse these private contracts, are unnecessary. Finally, the Petitioners assert that the FCC has the authority to make this rule change. With this Public Notice, the FCC seeks comment on this petition and announce the pleading cycle during which comments and replies may be filed.

iPods, iPhones, iPads – and the Wired and Wireless Broadband Connections That Feed Them

The Broadband Economy has always been about three things: wired and wireless connections; the iPods, iPhones, and iPads that we got in our Christmas stockings; and the content that makes it fun and useful to “connect” your device to the internet.

Some of us talk about the internet and broadband but think only about content – Netflix, social networking, necessary e-mail traffic. Hardware geeks may think only about the fiber-optic cables, or the new cellular towers that are providing faster fiber-optic connectivity or fourth-generation wireless (4G) connectivity. In general, the beauty of the internet has been about the openness of each layer. There are always have been concerns about monopolistic behavior. Consider the potential for “natural monopoly” in infrastructure. Or how a once-dominant player like Microsoft was able, for a time, to serve as a choke-point on the “desktop” of the personal computer. Today’s concerns about competition are just as likely to be had where Google, Facebook and Twitter spar over the integration of their respective social networks, as within Google’s newly revamped search engine features. But as the International Consumer Electronic Show meets in Las Vegas, it’s worth taking stock of the digital devices – not the broadband, and not the content – that are the heart of the ecosystem.

Microsoft gets another Android maker to pay up: LG

Microsoft’s patent licensing machine is back in action, lining up another Android maker: this time, LG.

The Korean manufacturer signed a patent agreement providing coverage for tablets, phones and other devices running the Android or Chrome OS. Details and financial arrangements of the agreement were not released although this is likely a royalty deal similar to others that Microsoft has established. Microsoft said the LG deal is the 11th such patent agreement with an Android maker, covering 70 percent of the Android phones sold in the U.S. It previously inked IP agreements with big manufacturers such as HTC, Samsung and Acer. Microsoft said the latest pact builds upon an earlier cross-licensing agreement with LG and is just the latest example of Microsoft’s broad IP licensing program, which has secured more than 1,100 deals.

ONC’s Mostashari says meaningful use will 'soar' this year

“In 2012, meaningful use will soar," National Coordinator for Health Information Technology Farzad Mostashari asserted at the Jan. 10 meeting of the Health IT Policy Committee.

“Meaningful use will continue to be the cornerstone of our activities,” he told committee members. “We can expect to see the numbers continue to rise,” he said of participants in the federal incentive program for electronic health records adoption. “We’re going to do everything we can to ensure that every provider can be successful at meaningful use,” Mostashari said. “Vendors and providers are going to be asked to step up to the challenge – and it is a challenge. But, it’s a challenge well worth meeting.” Also in 2012, Mostashari predicted interoperability and exchange would be the “second and more complex challenge,” following meaningful use. The emphasis will be on containing the costs and reducing the risks and liability of exchanging health data. Information “will flow at the speed of trust,” he said.

Federal CIO launches mobile roadmap

Federal Chief Information Officer Steven VanRoekel launched an interactive dialogue on government mobile policy that he said would be the first step toward a governmentwide mobile roadmap due out in March. That roadmap, VanRoekel said, will address a range of issues from ways the government can save money -- such as by buying smartphones in larger quantities -- to serving citizens more effectively through public-facing apps.

It also will include information about building internal mobile applications to help federal field officers, such as U.S. Forest Service workers and Border Patrol agents, do their jobs more efficiently. As things stand now, too many agencies and bureaus are putting time and effort into mobile projects without leveraging each other's gains, he said. The dialogue will be open for 10 days and the mobile strategy should be out about two months later, VanRoekel said. Within six months, he hopes to introduce new procurement vehicles so agencies can buy smartphones and tablets more efficiently and cheaply.

Benton

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