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April 2012

Philly Cops Bust Crime In 140 Characters Or Fewer

The Philadelphia Police Department is adding a new tool to its crime-fighting arsenal — Twitter. Supporters say the real-time information-sharing could help police build a stronger rapport with residents and better protect them.

West Philadelphia resident Mike Van Helder remembers when police knocked down his neighbor's door at 6 a.m. "There was shouting and loud noises and of course I didn't know what it was about," Van Helder recalls. "And them being my next door neighbors, I was understandably concerned." So Van Helder tweeted Detective Joseph Murray for more information. "He couldn't get back to me immediately, but early the next day, he let me know that it was the Major Crimes Unit serving a warrant on the next-door neighbors," Van Helder says. Murray had started tweeting on his own, before the department launched its tweeting initiative. And he didn't just tell residents about past crimes. He says he also tried to be proactive. "I didn't want people in the area that I police to not know what's going on," Murray says. "I felt I had a responsibility to the people that I'm paid to protect to let them know about burglary patterns, robbery patterns in their area so they don't walk right into the middle of one." A few months ago the department asked Murray to stop, temporarily, so he could learn about the its social media policy and training.

How democracies clamped down on the Internet

Electoral democracies do not normally clamp down on the Internet simply to prevent dissent, the way autocratic regimes like China or Myanmar do (though in Thailand’s case, that is part of the rationale). They more often crack down to fight terrorism, protect national security, and combat offensive and hateful content.

But the result of these clampdowns can be severe, with online writers or bloggers being arrested — and, compared to openly repressive regimes such as China or North Korea, their effects may be more insidious. Where these countries have a history of supporting free speech and freedom of the press, the crackdown on the Web as it emerges as our newest and most vibrant public square represents a significant step backward. In some cases, as in Turkey, clampdowns on freedom on the Web may portend greater clampdowns on all types of freedom of the press and expression. As the Internet becomes the predominant way people publish and share news and information, censorship threatens the innovation that has been a hallmark of these electoral democracies. And, perhaps most disturbing, the crackdowns mean that even as democracies try to insist that authoritarian governments lower their firewalls and honor free expression, they are losing any moral authority on the issue by abandoning that ideal themselves.

UK 'exporting surveillance technology to repressive nations'

Britain is exporting surveillance technology to countries run by repressive regimes, sparking fears it is being used to track political dissidents and activists.

The UK's enthusiastic role in the burgeoning but unregulated surveillance market is becoming an urgent concern for human rights groups, who want the government to ensure that exports are regulated in a similar way to arms. Much of the technology, which allows regimes to monitor internet traffic, mobile phone calls and text messages, is similar to that which the government has controversially signaled it wants to use in the UK. The campaign group, Privacy International, which monitors the use of surveillance technology, claims equipment being exported includes devices known as "IMSI catchers" that masquerade as normal mobile phone masts and identify phone users and malware – software that can allow its operator to control a target's computer, while allowing the interception to remain undetected.

April 10, 2012 (Real Disclosure for Real Democracy)

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2012

See a quick look at some of the top stories from last week http://benton.org/node/119474


MEDIA AND ELECTIONS
   From the Desk of Michael Copps: Real Disclosure for Real Democracy - op-ed
   The Boys on Le Bus: Foreign Press Mines Local Angles in US Primary

OWNERSHIP
   Facebook to Acquire Photo-Sharing Start-Up Instagram for $1 Billion
   Here is why Facebook bought Instagram - analysis
   Microsoft Buying AOL Patents, Licenses For $1 Billion
   AT&T to sell most of Yellow Pages business to private equity firm Cerberus for $950 Million [links to web]

INTERNET/BROADBAND
   Twelfth Quarterly Status Report to Congress Regarding BTOP - research
   Google Plots Web Domain-Buying Spree
   'Smart screens' to replace pay phones in NYC
   Online Ad Spend Rings Up $85 Billion, Mobile Web Aids Rise [links to web]

SPECTRUM/WIRELESS
   National Database Planned to Combat Cellphone Theft
   T-Mobile, Leap Swap Spectrum
   Analyst Cuts Apple Rating on Prospect of iPhone Subsidy Revolt [links to web]
   New security flaws detected in mobile devices [links to web]
   Spectrum sale in UK fans 4G hopes [links to web]

CONTENT
   Consumer group urges Senate to probe Apple and e-book publishers [links to web]
   Over 2/3 of U.S. libraries offer e-books; 28% lend e-readers [links to web]
   Google And The Death Of Getting Lost [links to web]
   Court Revives Trademark Suit Against Google [links to web]

PRIVACY
   Maryland bans employers from asking for Facebook passwords [links to web]
   Companies risk fines over new UK data rules

TELEVISION
   NEA Is Said to Cut Aid to Arts Programs on PBS
   FCC Recertifies Boston to Regulate Comcast Rates
   ACA Seeks FCC Help to Encrypt Basic [links to web]
   TV Sets Are Connected to the Internet In 38% of Homes [links to web]
   Flood of video streaming options could confound TV watchers [links to web]

GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
   Iran denies has plan to cut Internet access
   Memo highlights Obama strategy on making government data usable
   All major federal agencies now using Twitter and YouTube [links to web]

LOBBYING
   Netflix Says Its PAC Is Not About SOPA [links to web]
   Behind the Netflix PAC: a broadband power play - analysis [links to web]

POLICYMAKERS
   Sen Grassley not satisfied with FCC documents, will keep hold on nominees

AGENDA
   FCC Releases Tentative Agenda for April Open Meeting - press release

STORIES FROM ABROAD
   The Boys on Le Bus: Foreign Press Mines Local Angles in US Primary
   Iran denies has plan to cut Internet access
   Spectrum sale in UK fans 4G hopes [links to web]
   Companies risk fines over new UK data rules

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MEDIA AND ELECTIONS

REAL DISCLOSURE FOR REAL DEMOCRACY
[SOURCE: Benton Foundation, AUTHOR: Michael Copps]
[Commentary] America, we have a problem: billions of anonymous dollars pouring into a tsunami of negative TV advertising aimed at distorting political campaigns and manipulating election outcomes. Our civic dialogue -- the prerequisite of successful self-government -- is being short-circuited by deep-pocketed individuals, corporations and other groups operating on the smug premise that elections should be bought by the power of money rather than fought by the power of ideas. With visions of sugarplum profits dancing in their heads, big media companies are snapping up more and more stations around the country. That’s bad news for smaller, independent broadcast and cable companies and even worse news for localism, diversity and competition. Thirty years of rampant consolidation have decimated newsrooms, destroyed the muscle of investigative and accountability journalism, and stunted our civic dialogue. How much more damage has to be inflicted before we understand the necessity to say “No!” to more media consolidation and “Yes!” to some honest-to-God public interest oversight?
http://benton.org/node/119475
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FOREIGN PRESS AND US PRIMARIES
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Elizabeth Williamson]
Covering the endless US presidential primary is a particular challenge for the 1,200 foreign journalists swarming the trail this year. They rarely win attention, let alone interviews, from the candidates. Moreover, their readers overseas often view the contest as if through the opposite end of a telescope: a race toward a barely perceptible goal featuring inscrutable issues and a shifting cast of characters. That is why, even though they work alongside their U.S. counterparts, foreign reporters seem to inhabit a parallel universe, mining the contest and the candidates' biographies for anything remotely resonant to various domestic audiences.
benton.org/node/119533 | Wall Street Journal
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OWNERSHIP

FACEBOOK-INSTAGRAM
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Kara Swisher]
Facebook has just announced that it will acquire Instagram, the popular mobile photo-sharing service, for $1 billion in cash and shares. The social networking giant posted on the acquisition, its biggest yet, on its site, as well as on CEO and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg’s Timeline on Facebook. Photos are critically important for Facebook, which has been slow to innovate in the fast-growing mobile arena in the important consumer space. By contrast, Instagram has taken the arena by storm, with its delightful and elegant app and the motto, “Fast beautiful photo sharing.” Consumers have responded. The San Francisco-based company — with only 13 employees — had 30 million Apple iPhone users before it came to Google’s Android last week, where it got more than a million new users in just 12 hours. Still, despite all the usage, Instagram had not articulated a plan for, you know, making money. Now, that will presumably be Facebook’s problem to solve.
benton.org/node/119510 | Wall Street Journal | LATimes | Bloomberg
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WHY FACEBOOK IS BUYING INSTAGRAM
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: Om Malik]
[Commentary] A few days ago Instagram was rumored to be valued at $500 million. A few months ago it was $300 million. Its last round — just a year ago – valued the company at $100 million. The rising valuation of the company was reflective of the growing audience it has been garnering, despite being just on the iPhone. It had reached nearly 30 million registered users before it launched an Android app, a turbo-charging event for the company.
So the question is: Why did Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s level-headed but mercenary founder, buy Instagram at twice the valuation that professional venture investors were putting on it? The answer is found in Zuckerberg’s own blog post: “This is an important milestone for Facebook because it’s the first time we’ve ever acquired a product and company with so many users. We don’t plan on doing many more of these, if any at all. But providing the best photo sharing experience is one reason why so many people love Facebook and we knew it would be worth bringing these two companies together.”
My translation: Facebook was scared and knew that for first time in its life it arguably had a competitor that could not only eat its lunch, but also destroy its future prospects. Why? Because Facebook is essentially about photos, and Instagram had found and attacked Facebook’s Achilles heel — mobile photo sharing.
benton.org/node/119509 | GigaOm
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MICROSOFT-AOL DEAL
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: ]
America Online (AOL) has agreed to sell 800 of its patents and their related applications to Microsoft and grant it a license for its remaining patents for a total about $1.06 billion in cash. New York-based AOL said it plans to return some of the sale proceeds to its shareholders. The company's shares jumped $6.46, or 35 percent, to $24.77 in premarket trading. Microsoft shares slipped 22 cents to $31.30. After the sale, AOL said it will still hold over 300 patents and applications covering a variety of core and strategic technologies including advertising, search, content generation, social networking, mapping, multimedia, and security among others. Tim Armstrong, AOL's chairman and chief executive, said the deal with Microsoft resulted from a "robust" auction of the company's patents. He said the company's license agreement with Microsoft shows that it still holds a valuable patent portfolio.
benton.org/node/119478 | Associated Press | Politico
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INTERNET/BROADBAND

NEW BTOP REPORT
[SOURCE: National Telecommunications and Information Administration]
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration sent Congress a quarterly report on the status of the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). This report focuses on the program’s activities from October 1 to December 31, 2011. BTOP grant recipients collectively exceeded all performance goals established for FY11. Based on these positive results, NTIA established strong targets for FY12, taking into account progress made through FY11 and expected grant recipient performance through September 2012. Through December 2011, the Program has delivered significant progress in areas, such as new fiber-optic infrastructure construction, the opening of new PCCs, and thousands of new broadband subscribers now experiencing the benefits of the high-speed Internet service. Recipients’ quarterly progress reports, which were made public at the beginning of March 2012, provide a more granular depiction of these results. BTOP recipients reached a significant milestone in late December 2011, surpassing $1 billion in total drawdowns. The first quarter of FY12 also featured a significant increase in overall project spending as BTOP recipients approached the midpoint of their period of performance. During the past quarter, recipients spent more than $415 million of Federal grant funds, matched by recipient funds of more than $145 million. Cumulatively, Federal outlays for the Program totaled $1.2 billion, while total recipient matching contributions exceeded $537 million. Federal outlays increased nearly 55 percent from the previous quarter, and matching funds contributed increased by more than 37 percent.
benton.org/node/119487 | National Telecommunications and Information Administration
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GOOGLE SPREE
[SOURCE: AdAge, AUTHOR: Jason Del Rey]
This week marks a major step toward a dramatically expanded internet, but only a few brands -- including Google and Deloitte -- say they'll take advantage of it. On April 12, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers will stop accepting applications for a new round of generic top-level domains, or gTLDs, the part of a web address that appears to the right of the period ("com" and "org" are among 22 current top-level domains). The application process is expected to result in hundreds, if not thousands, of new gTLDs, which will likely start going live sometime next year. But of the major marketers contacted by Ad Age, only a few said they're planning to apply for new gTLDs. A few said they weren't planning on it. The majority refused to comment, mostly likely not wanting to tip off competitors to their intentions while the application window is still open. A Google spokesperson said the company will indeed apply for several top-level domains. "We plan to apply for Google's trademarked TLDs, as well as a handful of new ones," the spokeswoman said in an emailed statement. "We want to help make this a smooth experience for web users -- one that promotes innovation and competition on the internet." Google refused to provide more details, but it's likely that ".Google" and ".YouTube" will be among the trademark TLDs the company applies for.
benton.org/node/119491 | AdAge
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SMART SCREENS REPLACE PAY PHONES
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Marguerite Reardon]
New York City is looking to replace its public pay phones with Internet-connected touch-screen tablets. The city will start a pilot program next month where it will install 32-inch "smart screens" with broadband Internet connections in 250 old phone booths throughout the city. The hope is that eventually the city will replace its 12,800 outdoor pay phones with these new tablet-booths, according to a story by the New York Post. The franchise for the public pay phones in the city is expiring in October 2014. The new touch-screen tablets will be free to access and will generate revenue via local advertising. People will be able to use the kiosks/tablets to get information on local restaurants, nearby stores, tourist attractions, and traffic updates. The booths will also provide access to the city's 311 complaint and information line. And it will offer safety alerts. All of this will be available in multiple languages.
benton.org/node/119486 | C-Net|News.com
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SPECTRUM/WIRELESS

COMBATING CELLPHONE THEFT
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Edward Wyatt]
The soaring popularity of smartphones has produced an unwelcome, if predictable, side effect: an epidemic of smartphone thefts. Now, police departments, the Federal Communications Commission and the wireless phone industry have devised a plan to fight back: the creation of a central database to track stolen phones and prevent them from being used again. On April 10, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski is scheduled to join police chiefs from New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland and representatives of a wireless industry trade group to announce the new plan, which will allow wireless providers to disable and block further use of a device once it is reported stolen. The groups are also working with members of Congress to write legislation that would make it a federal crime to tamper with a phone’s unique identifiers in an attempt to evade the blocking process. Over the next six months, each of the four largest carriers — Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile — is expected to put in place a program to disable phones reported as stolen, preventing them from being used on their own networks. Within 18 months, the FCC plans to help the companies merge their databases to create a national program that also prevents a phone from being altered to use another carrier’s network.
benton.org/node/119538 | New York Times | WSJ | USAToday | Washington Post
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SPECTRUM SWAP
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Roger Cheng]
T-Mobile USA and Leap wireless plan on exchanging spectrum in several markets in the US to better improve the potential coverage. The spectrum swap also includes T-Mobile, Cool Inlet/VS GSM VII PCS, a joint venture in which T-Mobile has a non-controlling majority stake, as well as Savary Island Wireless, which Leap has a non-controlling majority stake in. By realigning their spectrum holdings, the carriers can build a network with better coverage, and potentially, better service. T-Mobile said the agreement would allow it to enhance its 4G user experience and modernize its network for future its planned LTE deployment.
The deal means Leap, which operates a prepaid wireless service under the Cricket brand, would get additional spectrum in Phoenix, Houston, Galveston, and Bryan College Station, Texas. Leap and Savary Island are also assigning T-Mobile and Cook spectrum in various markets in Alabama, Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. T-Mobile, Leap, and Cook Inlet will also exchange spectrum within markets in Philadelphia, Wilmington (DE), Atlantic City, and other markets in Texas and New Mexico. Leap and Cook Inlet will swap spectrum between each other in Texas.
benton.org/node/119489 | C-Net|News.com | Leap press release
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TELEVISION

NEA CUTTING PBS FUNDING?
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Elizabeth Jensen]
The National Endowment for the Arts, a major supporter of PBS shows devoted to performing arts and independent documentaries, is proposing substantial cuts in their financing. Collectively, the cuts, which will not be official until April 25, would strip more than $1 million in federal production aid from PBS shows, which have been hard-pressed for financing in recent years. The money falls under the NEA’s 2012 Arts in Media grant program. The NEA began notifying applicants by mail late last week of the grant amounts they could expect. Last year, the N.E.A. distributed $4 million in the Arts on Radio and Television category, about half of it to PBS shows. For 2012, the renamed category was opened to any media platform, including Web and mobile projects, content for theatrical release and digital games. Public television officials said they had been told the N.E.A. had about 350 applicants this year, compared with about 150 last year, but the amount of money did not change. The category is overseen by Alyce Myatt, a former PBS programming executive who is the NEA’s media arts director. Neal Shapiro, president and chief executive of New York public media provider WNET, which produces the biography program “American Masters” and the performing arts show “Great Performances,” called the loss of NEA money “damaging.” He said it was his understanding that the cuts were not definite. “We are hoping people will look at them and say they are way too severe,” he said. Public television “is the only place you see these things,” he said.
benton.org/node/119536 | New York Times
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FCC RECERTIFIES BOSTON TO REGULATE COMCAST RATES
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Federal Communications Commission’s has recertified Boston to regulate basic rates of cable provider Comcast, a decision that comes only weeks before the National Cable & Telecommunications Association plans to hold its annual convention there. But Comcast can stay that decision by seeking rate relief on alternate grounds, which it is expected to do. "Comcast faces real competition every day in Boston from DirecTV, Dish Network, and RCN," said the company in a statement. "With the amount of competition in the city, we expect to easily meet the so-called ‘Competing Provider' test, and we plan to refile as soon as possible as provided under the FCC Order. Importantly, Boston cannot re-regulate until the Commission acts on that filing. With the level of competition in the city, prices should be set by market forces, not by regulation." The city had petitioned the FCC to revoke its finding of effective competition made back in 2001, saying the situation had changed. The FCC agreed. It said that because overbuilder RCN passed less than a third 32.1% of the Boston market and had no plans to expand were decisive in determining that there was not effective competition from that overbuilder.
benton.org/node/119494 | Broadcasting&Cable
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GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS

MAKING GOVERNMENT DATA USABLE
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Andrew Feinberg]
A new draft paper from President Obama’s budget office reveals the Administration’s strategy to making government information more accessible and usable. The strategy, titled "Building a Future-Ready Digital Government" and circulated for discussion among federal agencies last week by the White House Office of Management and Budget, is intended to make it possible for citizens, private-sector businesses and government agencies to access high-quality digital government information on computers, cellphones and other platforms, something that now can be exceedingly difficult to do. The “Future-Ready” strategy laid out in the draft has two overarching goals: to enable citizens and an increasingly mobile workforce to access high-quality digital government information and services anywhere, anytime on any device; and to ensure that the government procures and manages devices, applications and data in smart, secure and affordable ways. Upon examination, the strategy appears to build upon a foundation of several highly publicized executive orders signed by President Obama in his first days after taking office, including the "President's Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government" and OMB's own "Open Government Directive."
benton.org/node/119505 | Hill, The
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POLICYMAKERS

FCC HOLDS
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Brendan Sasso]
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has no plans to lift his hold on President Obama's two nominees to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) despite receiving a trove of the agency's documents, a spokeswoman for the senator said. She claimed that all of the documents had been previously released in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. "Therefore, Sen. Grassley’s hold on the FCC nominees will continue until the FCC demonstrates its commitment to comply with the House committee’s request and produce new, internal documents," the spokeswoman said. But an FCC official said the release does contain new, internal documents. "Thousands of pages submitted to the committee contain confidential information that is not in the public domain," the official said.
benton.org/node/119500 | Hill, The | National Journal
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AGENDA

FCC ANNOUNCES TENTATIVE AGENDA FOR APRIL OPEN MEETING
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Press release]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski announced that the following items will be on the tentative agenda for the next open meeting scheduled for Friday, April 27, 2012:
Billing for Unauthorized Charges (“Cramming”) Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking: The Commission will consider a Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that protects consumers by adopting and proposing additional rules to help consumers prevent and detect the unlawful and fraudulent placement of unauthorized charges on their telephone bills.
Noncommercial Educational Station Fundraising for Third-Party Non-Profit Organizations Notice of Proposed Rulemaking: The Commission will consider a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking inviting comment on whether to allow noncommercial educational broadcast stations to conduct on-air fundraising activities that interrupt regular programming for the benefit of third-party non-profit organizations.
Enhanced Disclosure Requirements for Television Stations Report and Order: The Commission will consider a Report and Order that increases transparency and improves public access to community-relevant information by moving the television broadcast station public file from paper to the internet.
Innovation in the Television Bands Report and Order: The Commission will consider a Report and Order establishing a regulatory framework for channel sharing among television licensees in connection with an incentive auction of spectrum.
Universal Service Fund Contributions Notice of Proposed Rulemaking: The Commission will consider a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking comment on proposals to reform and modernize how Universal Service Fund contributions are assessed and recovered.
benton.org/node/119493 | Federal Communications Commission
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STORIES FROM ABROAD

IRAN DENIES NET PLAN
[SOURCE: "Agence France-Presse, AUTHOR: ]
Iran has denied online reports that it plans to cut access to the Internet in August and replace it with a national intranet, according to a statement by the ministry of communication and information technology. The reports derived from a supposed interview with Communications Minister Reza Taghipour published on April 1 that was in fact a hoax, the ministry said in the statement on its own site website which itself was not accessible outside of Iran. "The report is in no way confirmed by the ministry" and is "completely baseless," the ministry statement said. The hoax report quoted Taghipour saying that Iran would from August launch a "clean internet" that would block popular services like Google and Hotmail and replace them with government-sponsored search engines and e-mail services. The ministry statement slammed the false report as serving "the propaganda wing of the West and providing its hostile media with a pretext emanating from a baseless claim." Iran, however, does have plans to establish a "national information network" billed as a totally closed system that would function like a sort of intranet for the Islamic republic. Taghipour said in early April that the plan would be fully implemented by March 2013.
benton.org/node/119532 |
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UK DATA RULES
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Maija Palmer]
Most British companies have failed to prepare for new data protection rules due to come into force next month amid fears the measures will make it much harder for websites to secure commercially valuable information about their users. About 95 per cent of UK companies have yet to comply with the regulations, which require websites to get permission from consumers to use the tracking “cookies” that monitor people’s internet habits, according to KPMG, the consultancy. Companies risk fines of up to £500,000 if they fail to fall into line with the rules but critics say compliance could put some e-commerce websites out of business. The law, which stems from a European Union directive, was supposed to come into effect in Britain last May, but confusion over the measures led to companies being given an extra year to comply.
benton.org/node/119528 | Financial Times
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National Database Planned to Combat Cellphone Theft

The soaring popularity of smartphones has produced an unwelcome, if predictable, side effect: an epidemic of smartphone thefts. Now, police departments, the Federal Communications Commission and the wireless phone industry have devised a plan to fight back: the creation of a central database to track stolen phones and prevent them from being used again.

On April 10, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski is scheduled to join police chiefs from New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland and representatives of a wireless industry trade group to announce the new plan, which will allow wireless providers to disable and block further use of a device once it is reported stolen. The groups are also working with members of Congress to write legislation that would make it a federal crime to tamper with a phone’s unique identifiers in an attempt to evade the blocking process. Over the next six months, each of the four largest carriers — Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile — is expected to put in place a program to disable phones reported as stolen, preventing them from being used on their own networks. Within 18 months, the FCC plans to help the companies merge their databases to create a national program that also prevents a phone from being altered to use another carrier’s network.

NEA Is Said to Cut Aid to Arts Programs on PBS

The National Endowment for the Arts, a major supporter of PBS shows devoted to performing arts and independent documentaries, is proposing substantial cuts in their financing. Collectively, the cuts, which will not be official until April 25, would strip more than $1 million in federal production aid from PBS shows, which have been hard-pressed for financing in recent years.

The money falls under the NEA’s 2012 Arts in Media grant program. The NEA began notifying applicants by mail late last week of the grant amounts they could expect. Last year, the N.E.A. distributed $4 million in the Arts on Radio and Television category, about half of it to PBS shows. For 2012, the renamed category was opened to any media platform, including Web and mobile projects, content for theatrical release and digital games. Public television officials said they had been told the N.E.A. had about 350 applicants this year, compared with about 150 last year, but the amount of money did not change. The category is overseen by Alyce Myatt, a former PBS programming executive who is the NEA’s media arts director. Neal Shapiro, president and chief executive of New York public media provider WNET, which produces the biography program “American Masters” and the performing arts show “Great Performances,” called the loss of NEA money “damaging.” He said it was his understanding that the cuts were not definite. “We are hoping people will look at them and say they are way too severe,” he said. Public television “is the only place you see these things,” he said.

Court Revives Trademark Suit Against Google

Google suffered its second legal setback in two weeks as a US appeals court vacated part of an earlier court decision dismissing a trademark-infringement lawsuit filed against the Internet-search company.

A three-judge panel of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond (VA) breathed new life into a case filed by language-training software maker Rosetta Stone by unanimously ruling that a lower court erred in dismissing claims that Google had infringed on its trademarks and diluted their value. In 2010 the Virginia-based lower court dismissed Rosetta Stone's suit against Google for allegedly allowing other companies to use words such as "Rosetta Stone" in advertisements on Google's search engine, which appear above regular search results. Rosetta Stone alleged that those advertisers created confusion among consumers. The company also claimed that some of the advertisers sold counterfeit Rosetta Stone products. The claims were filed after Google changed its policy in 2009 to allow the limited use of trademarks in ads.

The Boys on Le Bus: Foreign Press Mines Local Angles in US Primary

Covering the endless US presidential primary is a particular challenge for the 1,200 foreign journalists swarming the trail this year. They rarely win attention, let alone interviews, from the candidates. Moreover, their readers overseas often view the contest as if through the opposite end of a telescope: a race toward a barely perceptible goal featuring inscrutable issues and a shifting cast of characters. That is why, even though they work alongside their U.S. counterparts, foreign reporters seem to inhabit a parallel universe, mining the contest and the candidates' biographies for anything remotely resonant to various domestic audiences.

Iran denies has plan to cut Internet access

Iran has denied online reports that it plans to cut access to the Internet in August and replace it with a national intranet, according to a statement by the ministry of communication and information technology.

The reports derived from a supposed interview with Communications Minister Reza Taghipour published on April 1 that was in fact a hoax, the ministry said in the statement on its own site website which itself was not accessible outside of Iran. "The report is in no way confirmed by the ministry" and is "completely baseless," the ministry statement said. The hoax report quoted Taghipour saying that Iran would from August launch a "clean internet" that would block popular services like Google and Hotmail and replace them with government-sponsored search engines and e-mail services. The ministry statement slammed the false report as serving "the propaganda wing of the West and providing its hostile media with a pretext emanating from a baseless claim." Iran, however, does have plans to establish a "national information network" billed as a totally closed system that would function like a sort of intranet for the Islamic republic. Taghipour said in early April that the plan would be fully implemented by March 2013.

Spectrum sale in UK fans 4G hopes

Everything Everywhere, the UK’s largest mobile operator by customer numbers, has appointed Morgan Stanley to sell spectrum that could be used to roll out 4G mobile broadband services in the UK ahead of other operators.

About a quarter of the 1,800 MHz spectrum controlled by Everything Everywhere, which is jointly owned by France Telecom and Deutsche Telekom, will be marketed this month by Morgan Stanley to groups with an interest in setting up a 4G network in the UK. The sale has been forced on Everything Everywhere by the competition authorities under the terms of approval for the merger between T-Mobile and Orange in the UK. The leading operators are the most obvious buyers of the spectrum, which could cost as much as £400 million, although other large technology groups could also be interested. Under the terms of the sale, the buyer of the spectrum needs to have the capability to establish a network. Olaf Swantee, chief executive of Everything Everywhere, told the FT that the design of the sale was to encourage competition by finding a company that could create a rival service.

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