February 2012

Iran increasingly controls its Internet

Having seen social media help power uprisings across the Middle East, Iran’s leaders are trying to get control over what is uploaded, posted and discussed on the Internet. And after a slow start, authorities are becoming more and more successful, Iranian Internet users say.

Many fear that the disabling of the software used to bypass the state-run firewall heralds the coming of what authorities have labeled the National Internet. The government’s technology officials have announced the construction of a domestic Internet network comparable to an office intranet, which would block many popular sites. They have hinted the National Internet can be launched at any time, and have said it will gradually start working over the coming three years. The move is borne out of necessity, authorities say, in order to prevent Iran’s Western enemies from spying on Iranian citizens. The crackdown on Internet freedom comes amid tension in Iran over a series of mysterious assassinations and explosions that have been blamed on U.S. or Israeli spies. The West has put increasing pressure on Iran in recent months to abandon its uranium enrichment program, which Iran insists is peaceful but which the U.S. and others claim is geared toward the development of a nuclear weapon.

Netflix, Hulu original shows challenge broadcast, cable TV

Within just over a week, Netflix and Hulu are both debuting their first stabs at original scripted programming. The shows amount to a milestone in Internet television, an early sign of the leveling between broadcasting and streaming. Programming options between TV and the Web are increasingly separated by little more than the "video source" button on your remote. But the most salient thing about the new offerings from Netflix and Hulu are just how "TV" they are.

Broadcasting, Disclosure and Democracy

When we speak of “wireless” these days, we’re talking about cell phones and other devices we use on the go – many enabled with mobile broadband. But the term wireless first came into use about 100 years ago when radio receivers and transmitters were introduced. Radio broadcasters and, of course, television broadcasters are licensed by the federal government to use spectrum, the airwaves, to transmit their signals. With those licenses come requirements to serve the public’s interests, not just the narrow commercial interests of the licensees. This week we look at developments in broadcast regulation that could have a major impact on our democracy.

FCC’s McDowell On Putting Political Files Online: What's the Rush?

Federal Communications Commission member Robert McDowell says that the FCC's proposal to make TV stations' political files part of an online public database managed by the FCC is fixing "what appears to be a nonexistent problem" with "little to no" evidence that the information in that file is not already available to whoever needs to see it.

He cautioned the FCC not to rush into such a regime. Commissioner McDowell pointed out that there is speculation the move was prompted by some wanting to track political spending in the wake of the Citizens United decision. He pointed out that decision reaffirmed that political speech was core protected speech. "Given this Constitutional context why would the government want to have such information loaded onto its website to monitor in real time?" he asked. He also said what he called an over-regulatory path would lead to economic hits on broadcasters. Compliance costs for putting the files online could average $120,000-$140,000 a year, he said, diverting funds from newsgathering and local programming, all arguments broadcasters have made to the FCC in opposing the move.

Fox Knows What FCC’s Genachowski Should

[Commentary] Fox executives visited the Federal Communications Commission to tell officials all about MundoFox, a Spanish-language broadcasting network, and ask for a needed waiver. (The Fox executives were seeking a waiver of the so-called network rep rules, which prohibit networks from selling national advertising on behalf of their affiliates. The long-standing rule is intended to protect affiliates from being coerced into rep deals with the networks.) That a company with the indisputable media acumen of Fox was investing millions of dollars into a broadcasting network makes hash out of FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski's contention that broadcasting is an obsolete medium and that its continued use of spectrum is of a waste — or at least the underutilization — of a precious natural resource. The rise of MundoFox also undermines the FCC's incentive auction for moving spectrum from TV to wireless broadband, a service that Chairman Genachowski sees as deserving of every hertz of spectrum it can get.

Mobility Fund Phase I Auction

The Federal Communications Commission announced steps to close our nation’s gaps in mobile service as part of the agency’s groundbreaking reforms under the Connect America Fund, which the FCC adopted last year to put America on the path to universal broadband and advanced mobile coverage by the end of the decade.

The Commission recently released a public notice announcing a reverse auction to award $300 million in one-time Mobility Fund Phase I support starting the implementation process. It also has developed and released a new interactive map to illustrate areas potentially eligible for support. As part of the Connect America Fund, the Commission created for the first time the Mobility Fund, a universal service support mechanism dedicated exclusively to mobile services. Phase I of the Mobility Fund will provide one-time support to accelerate our nation's ongoing efforts to close gaps in mobile wireless service. The Mobility Fund helps improve coverage in these areas for current-generation or better mobile voice and broadband services. In the Public Notice, the Wireless Telecommunications and Wireline Competition Bureaus announce the first auction (Auction 901) to award high-cost universal service support through reverse competitive bidding and seek comment on identifying geographic areas eligible for support, determining the basic auction design, and establishing certain other bidding procedures. Auction 901 will award one-time support to carriers that commit to provide 3G or better mobile voice

Google testing Google-manufactured personal communication device

Google is testing its own "next generation personal communication device," according to a document submitted to the Federal Communications Commission. Google is seeking the FCC's permission to test the device outside its labs on Bluetooth and Wi-Fi networks in and around the homes of 102 Google employees in Los Angeles (CA), Mountain View (CA), New York (NY), and Cambridge (MA).

Rural Telcos: FCC Sec. 706 Authority Covers Retransmission Reform

Representatives of rural telecommunications companies met with top Federal Communications Commission Media Bureau staffers to argue that the ancillary authority the FCC has asserted in taking steps to promote broadband deployment and adoption, and buttress its network neutrality regulations, can be used to justify reforming retransmission consent rules.

Section 706 of the Communications Act gives the FCC the authority to "encourage the deployment of advanced telecommunications to all Americans," a line of authority the FCC has traced to encouraging wireless build-outs (pole attachment reforms, for one), migrating phone subsidies to broadband and codifying its network neutrality guidelines, although FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell has suggested that the invocation of 706 authority as a blanket defense of broadband-related regulations is skating on thin legal ice. The National Telecommunications Cooperative Association, OPASTCO (the Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies) the Western Telecom Alliance and CenturyLink, said the FCC has the authority under the Cable Act to reform the rules, but also said it had Section 706 authority. They argued that retransmission consent was one of those barriers to broadband investment [the more they have to pay in retrans, the less they have for other things] that the FCC has said 706 gives the FCC the broad ancillary authority to redress.

Google: Will it be vulnerable in mobile search?

Google dominates mobile search courtesy of its Android operating system and deals with Apple on iOS, but its position could become tenuous as the value stack in smartphones shifts.

That’s the gist of a research note from Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett. Today, it’s clear that Google dominates mobile search. Google has leveraged its desktop dominance to the mobile realm. However, Moffett makes a case that Google may be a bit vulnerable. Why? Google correctly saw that the iPhone could have been a monopoly and created Android. That move ensured that Google would control its mobile search fate. However, the worries for Google could occur if Apple and Samsung dominate the smartphone industry—not a stretch. Both could charge Google more to be the default search.

Android to overtake Apple in app downloads

Android could notch 8.1 billion app downloads this year, compared with 6 billion for Apple's iOS devices.

That marks an explosion of growth for both platforms; Apple had 2.7 billion downloads and Android recorded 1.4 billion last year. The total number of application downloads is expected to grow by 144 percent this year, Ovum said. Android's rise comes in lockstep with the surge in popularity of the platform, both with consumers and electronics manufacturers. A wave of companies have been attracted to the free mobile operating system, which powers smartphones and tablets. Carriers have also put their marketing dollars behind the smartphones, luring in millions of consumers. As a result, Android has seen its market share jump over the past few months. Android also benefits because other application stores such as those at GetJar and Amazon have sprung up to provide alternative sources for mobile programs.

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