April 2013

As the federal government tries to encourage companies like AT&T and Verizon to create bigger, faster mobile networks, television broadcasters are feeling like the farmers of yesteryear who were asked to sell their land to make way for the nation's highways.

Broadcasters own a valuable swath of invisible real estate on the airwaves and just like farmers, their livelihoods depend on cultivating that fertile space. But the Federal Communications Commission believes clearing new lanes of over-the-air bandwidth will ease mobile network congestion, which leads to dropped calls, stuttering video and hanging e-mails. Broadcasters say they are already feeling the pinch after giving up precious airwaves in the transition to digital TV in 2009. They are worried that their businesses may be in jeopardy as the government embarks on an unprecedented auction. They fret they'll be short-changed in a complex process that is expected to rake billions of dollars into federal coffers. "We've already been squeezed once," said Gordon Smith, president of the National Association of Broadcasters, on the sidelines of the industry's annual gathering, NAB Show. "We're being squeezed twice now. There's no more juice in that squeeze."

Higher education leaders have proposed a way to make it easier for universities to offer online courses across state lines. The proposal would replace a cumbersome patchwork of rules and fees that make it costly for universities to offer online courses to students in different states.

With some seven million students enrolled in online college courses for credit — a number that is growing rapidly — higher education officials say it is crucial to simplify the system. A commission on online learning led by former Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley outlined a proposal under which any institution that had received state authorization for its online programs, based on certain quality and consumer protection standards, would be allowed to enroll students from other states that met the same basic standards and agreed to reciprocity. Under the current regulatory scheme, which was designed for courses taught in brick-and-mortar classrooms, colleges and universities generally must register their programs in every state where they are offered.

The PC ecosystem is under threat. To rescue it, Microsoft and Intel may have to dig deeper—into their own pockets.

Global personal-computer shipments fell 14% in the first quarter, according to research firm IDC, their steepest decline ever. Microsoft's stock duly fell 5% on April 11, with Hewlett-Packard's stock down 7% and Intel's, 3. What is surprising is that investors are surprised. Not only did the two halves of the "Wintel" duopoly miss the boat with mobile, their latest attempt to regain momentum has looked ineffectual for months. New machines running Microsoft's latest touch-enabled operating system, Windows 8, typically powered with Intel chips, are so rare as to elicit stares when seen in the wild. Microsoft blames limited distribution. But IDC analyst Bob O'Donnell points out that such machines have proven too confusing and expensive.

Billionaire Carlos Slim is preparing an aggressive push into Mexico’s television market to take advantage of new telecommunications legislation, even as the changes threaten his dominance in the phone business.

While Slim’s wireless carrier, America Movil SAB, is one of the chief targets of a bill to create more competition in Mexico, proposals to give consumers more options in cable and satellite TV will benefit the company, Chief Financial Officer Carlos Garcia-Moreno said last month. The bill is under Senate review after passing the lower house of Congress in March. The law offers Slim his best chance in years to get a license to offer pay-TV services over satellite and cable, said Pablo Vallejo, an analyst at Corporativo GBM SAB. Slim, the world’s richest person, is amassing media assets, including Mexican soccer teams and the rights to air the Olympics, to lure customers with exclusive programming.