March 2013

Liberty Said Close to Buying Charter Communications Stake

John Malone’s Liberty Media is close to a deal to acquire 25 percent of Charter Communications from its private-equity investors, according to a person familiar with the situation.

The firms include Apollo Global Management LLC and Oaktree Capital Management LP, Charter’s largest shareholders, said the person, who asked not to be named as the process is private. The stake was worth $2.48 billion at today’s closing price. Charter, the fourth-largest U.S. cable operator, has been taking advantage of improving cash flow to refinance debt and add customers through the acquisition of Cablevision Systems’ Optimum West. Its shares have almost tripled since the end of 2009, when it emerged from bankruptcy protection with the deal that gave the private-equity firms their stakes.

Kaplan: FCC Needs to Get More Comment on Band Plan

At a Media Institute Lunch in Washington, the National Association of Broadcasters’ Rick Kaplan said that the Federal Communications Commission's incentive auction will likely fail if the FCC tries to stick to a 2014 deadline or a variable band plan for post-auction station repacking.

By failure he means that either not enough broadcasters are willing to give up spectrum to create a nationwide wireless spectrum band plan or the result is widespread interference. Kaplan, former chief of the FCC's wireless bureau, reiterated NAB's criticism of the FCC's proposed band plan, which intersperses broadcasters and wireless operators, and what he suggested was a rushed auction timetable.

European carriers are moving away from handset subsidies, analysts find

One by one, the signs point to the decline and perhaps demise of the mobile handset subsidy.

Whether it’s Vodafone paying newfound attention to the high-end pay-as-you-go market or regulators threatening to let contract customers walk out in the event of a price hike, there are frequent signs that carriers won’t be subsidizing the smartphones they sell you forever. In the U.S., this is a new thing. It was only in December that T-Mobile USA announced its abandonment of smartphone subsidies, much to the interest of other players such as Verizon, but in Western Europe things have moved on quite a bit further. In fact, according to new research from Informa Telecoms & Media, almost 30 operators there have already dropped handset subsidies for some or most customers.

Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank named UW-Madison chancellor

Acting U.S. Secretary of Commerce Rebecca M. Blank, who said during a recent visit to the University of Wisconsin-Madison that she's tired of the political battles in Washington and has always considered college campuses her home, will be the next chancellor of Wisconsin's flagship university.

Sec Blank was chosen by UW System President Kevin P. Reilly and a special committee of the UW System Board of Regents. Following action by the full Board of Regents, scheduled for April 5, Blank plans to step into her new leadership role in July. Before going to Washington, she was at the University of Michigan and Northwestern University. Reaction to news of her move to Madison was swift from campus, the state Capitol and the White House. "I want to thank Dr. Blank for her hard work and exceptional service on behalf of the American people," President Barack Obama said in a statement. "Over the past four years I have asked Becky to take on several roles at the Department of Commerce, and in each one she has distinguished herself as a steady leader and a vital member of my economic team. A tireless advocate for American businesses, Becky has helped to increase our competitiveness, support our innovators and entrepreneurs, and bring good-paying jobs back to our shores. "While I will be sad to see her go this summer," President Obama said, "I want to wish her the best of luck in her exciting new role. I know the University of Wisconsin Badgers will have an outstanding chancellor for years to come." Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) said Blank was "a great pick."

Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies
House Committee on Homeland Security
March 20, 2013
2pm
http://homeland.house.gov/hearing/subcommittee-hearing-cyber-threats-chi...

Witnesses
Mr. Frank J. Cilluffo
Director
Homeland Security Policy Institute
Co-Director
Cyber Center for National and Economic Security
The George Washington University

Mr. Richard Bejtlich
Chief Security Officer and Security Services Architect
Mandiant

Mr. Ilan Berman
Vice President
American Foreign Policy Council

Mr. Martin Libicki
Senior Management Scientist
RAND Corporation

Read more about Cyber Threats from China, Russia and Iran: Protecting American Critical Infrastructure

Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities
Senate Committee on Armed Services
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
2:30 PM
http://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings/event.cfm?eventid=ffedef41...

The Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities will receive a briefing on cybersecurity threats in review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2014 and the Future Years Defense Program.

Panel I (OPEN)
Kevin Mandia
Chief Executive Officer, Mandiant Corporation

Panel II (CLOSED)*
Stephanie O'Sullivan
Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence
Lieutenant General Jon M. Davis, USMC
Deputy Commander, U.S. Cyber Command

* Following the OPEN panel in Room SR-222, there will be a CLOSED panel in Room SVC-217, the Office of Senate Security in the Capitol Visitor Center.

Read more about Oversight: Cybersecurity Threats

White House narrowing field for FCC chairman

When last we checked in on the Federal Communications Commission chairmanship, it seemed that the White House was in no rush to replace Julius Genachowski, the current head of the agency. But now it appears that Chairman Genachowski is eyeing the exits, and administration officials are busily lining up a successor.

The White House has interviewed several candidates whose names have been much discussed by those who closely track these things: venture capitalist Tom Wheeler; assistant Commerce secretary Larry Strickling; and Karen Kornbluh, ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. One under-the-radar candidate they’ve also talked to is former FCC official Cathy Sandoval, now a utilities commissioner in California. But whoever Obama settles on, it’s looking like it will happen sooner rather than later — the game is afoot.

RNC calls for Republicans to beef up data and digital operations

After suffering a tough loss in the 2012 presidential election, the Republican National Committee (RNC) says the party must close the digital divide between the GOP and Democrats if it wants to win the upcoming midterm elections and 2016 presidential race. As part of this effort, the RNC is looking to hire a chief technology and digital officer by May 1 who will be responsible for recruiting a team of savvy data scientists, tech and digital advocates that will build a new data and digital operation for the upcoming contests. The recommendation was one of many included in a sweeping 100-page report released by the RNC on March 18, which reviews the party's missteps during the 2012 election.

Pushing Editorial Into World of Apps

The small startup 29th Street Publishing is quietly trying to revolutionize magazine publishing, one app at a time. The Midtown-based company promises to take the technical wizardry out of app making, easing the pathway to subscription revenue for those with eager -- if nonpaying -- online audiences. With clients drawn largely from New York City's deep ranks of freelance writers and independent editors, 29th Street helps develop and maintain simple apps for serialized content. The publishing staff also provides gentle nudges to get new editions out on time.

CyberPatriot competition preps young cyberdefenders

The annual competition to encourage high school students, including minorities and females, to pursue college studies in math and science, and possibly enter careers as defenders of the Internet wrapped up March 16 at the Gaylord Convention Center at National Harbor (MD) near Washington, D.C. Sponsored by the Air Force Association, the annual contest seeks to inspire students to pursue STEM: science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Good-guy hacker teams are tasked with detecting and mitigating cyberattacks by mock data thieves and cyber spies. Some 1,200 teams registered and were whittled down in three preliminary rounds.

Benton

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