July 2013

GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS

EUROPEAN REACTION
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Stephen Castle, Eric Schmitt]
European officials and politicians reacted angrily to reports that the United States has been spying on its European Union allies, saying the claims could threaten impending talks with Washington on an important trade agreement. The latest accusations surfaced in the online edition of the German newsmagazine Der Spiegel, which reported that American agencies had monitored the offices of the European Union in New York and Washington. Der Spiegel said information about the spying appeared in documents obtained by Edward J. Snowden, the former American intelligence contractor, and seen in part by the magazine. The Guardian reported additional details about the surveillance program. The newspaper said that one document it had obtained listed 38 embassies and diplomatic missions in Washington and New York, describing them as “targets.” It detailed a broad range of spying methods used against one, including bugs implanted in electronic communications gear and the collection of transmissions using specialized antennas. The list of targets included the European Union’s missions and the French, Italian and Greek Embassies, as well as those of several other American allies, including India, Japan, Mexico, South Korea and Turkey, The Guardian reported. The documents suggest that the aim of the eavesdropping against the union’s office in Washington was to gather inside knowledge of policy differences on global issues and other potential disagreements among member countries, the newspaper said. Catherine Ashton, the union’s top foreign policy official, said that the union was seeking “urgent clarification of the veracity of and facts surrounding these allegations.”
benton.org/node/155080 | New York Times | WSJ | FT | AP
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GOVERNMENT SURVEILLANCE AND CYBERSECURITY
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Brendan Sasso]
Revelations about the National Security Agency's domestic surveillance programs could make it more difficult for Congress to pass cybersecurity legislation. Civil liberties groups have long argued that the House's cybersecurity bill, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), could allow vast batches of private online information to fall into the hands of the NSA. The House passed CISPA earlier this year, but the Senate is still in preliminary talks about its own cybersecurity legislation. News that the NSA has been collecting records on virtually all U.S. phone calls and monitoring certain Internet users through a program called PRISM have brought privacy fears to the front burner in recent weeks.
benton.org/node/155078 | Hill, The
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NSA SLIDES
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: ]
The top-secret PRISM program allows the U.S. intelligence community to gain access from nine Internet companies to a wide range of digital information, including e-mails and stored data, on foreign targets operating outside the United States. The program is court-approved but does not require individual warrants. Instead, it operates under a broader authorization from federal judges who oversee the use of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Some documents describing the program were first released by The Washington Post on June 6. The newly released documents below give additional details about how the program operates, including the levels of review and supervisory control at the NSA and FBI. The documents also show how the program interacts with the Internet companies. These slides, annotated by The Post, represent a selection from the overall document, and certain portions are redacted.
benton.org/node/155058 | Washington Post
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NSA SURVEILLANCE AND NATIONALITY
[SOURCE: Foreign Policy, AUTHOR: Shane Harris]
The National Security Agency has said for years that its global surveillance apparatus is only aimed at foreigners, and that ordinary Americans are only captured by accident. There's only one problem with this long-standing contention, people who've worked within the system say: it's more-or-less technically impossible to keep average Americans out of the surveillance driftnet. "There is physically no way to ensure that you're only gathering U.S. person e-mails," said a telecommunications executive who has implemented U.S. government orders to collect data on foreign targets. "The system doesn't make any distinction about the nationality" of the individual who sent the message. While it's technically true that the NSA is not "targeting" the communications of Americans without a warrant, this is a narrow and legalistic statement. It belies the vast and indiscriminate scooping up of records on Americans' phone calls, e-mails, and Internet communications that has occurred for more than a decade under the cover of "foreign intelligence" gathering.
benton.org/node/155056 | Foreign Policy
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SURVEILLANCE BAD FOR SILICON VALLEY
[SOURCE: The Atlantic, AUTHOR: Christopher Jon Sprigman, Jennifer Granick]
[Commentary] In the public debate thus far over the NSA's mass surveillance programs, Americans have obsessed over our right to protect our emails, phone calls, and other communications from warrantless spying. But an issue that is just as important has been almost completely ignored: should the U.S. government be collecting the communications of foreigners without a warrant or any suspicion of wrongdoing? Unlike spying on U.S. citizens, where the government may well be breaking the law, spying on foreigners is almost certainly legal. But is it wise? We don't think so. Unfettered U.S. spying on foreigners will cause serious collateral damage to America's technology companies, to our Internet-fueled economy, and to human rights and democracy the world over. Rampant surveillance harms both privacy and our long-term national security.
[Christopher Jon Sprigman is a law professor at New York University. Jennifer Granick is the director of Civil Liberties at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society.]
benton.org/node/155054 | Atlantic, The
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WAR ON JOURNALISM
[SOURCE: Salon, AUTHOR: David Sirota]
[Commentary] As New York Times media correspondent David Carr put it: “If you add up the pulling of news organization phone records (The Associated Press), the tracking of individual reporters (Fox News), and the effort by the current administration to go after sources (seven instances and counting in which a government official has been criminally charged with leaking classified information to the news media), suggesting that there is a war on the press is less hyperbole than simple math.” In this unprecedented global war, President Obama has been backed by the combined power of Justice Department prosecutors, FBI surveillance agents, State Department diplomats and, perhaps most troubling of all, a cadre of high-profile Benedict Arnolds within the media itself.
benton.org/node/155050 | Salon
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AGENDA

FCC ANNOUNCES TENTATIVE AGENDA FOR JULY 2013 OPEN MEETING
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Press release]
Federal Communications Commission Acting Chairwoman Mignon L. Clyburn announced that the following items will be on the tentative agenda for the next open meeting scheduled for Friday, July 19, 2013:
15th Annual Video Competition Report: The Commission will consider a Report on the status of competition in the market for the delivery of video programming.
Telecommunications Relay Services and Speech-to-Speech Services for Individuals with Hearing and Speech Disabilities: The Commission will consider a Report and Order addressing mandatory minimum standards applicable to the Speech-to-Speech Relay program and a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking input on ways to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of this program.
Modernizing the E-Rate Program for Schools and Libraries: The Commission will consider a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to modernize the Schools and Libraries Universal Service Support mechanism (the E-rate program) to support high-speed broadband for digital learning technologies and ensure all students, teachers, and library patrons have the tools they need to succeed in the 21st century.
Update on the Implementation of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA): In recognition of the 23rd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau will provide a report on the Commission’s implementation of the CVAA since its passage in 2010.
benton.org/node/155044 | Federal Communications Commission
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E-RATE PROCEEDING
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: FCC Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn]
[Commentary] On June 28 I am submitting a proposal to my fellow Federal Communications Commission members to modernize our E-rate program to ensure all of our children and their teachers, access to the best learning technology. But first, we need clear goals to modernize the program and I propose three, leading with providing our schools and libraries with affordable access to high capacity broadband. We must maximize the cost effectiveness of purchases made using E-Rate support to ensure that we are meeting our broadband goals at the lowest possible cost. And we need to ensure the administrative efficiency of the program. Second, we have to revitalize the program to ensure it is efficiently targeted to those goals. We must be data-driven, and willing to follow the data wherever it leads, including taking a hard look at where we're spending money today. And, we have to consider how best to distribute funding fairly, consider eliminating support for outdated services, and reallocate any savings toward investments in more bandwidth. Third, we need to use this opportunity to bring to the table state and local officials, foundations, network operators and innovators building the next generation of learning tools and content. We must leverage the ongoing massive private investments in networks and ensure that investments in connectivity are the foundation for real positive change in classrooms. To do that, all stakeholders need to be working hand-in-hand.
benton.org/node/155046 | USAToday | Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Rockefeller
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TELECOM

VERIZON SERVICES AFFECTED BY SANDY
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Public Notice]
On June 7, 2013, Verizon filed an application requesting authority to discontinue certain domestic telecommunications services in certain parts of New Jersey and New York affected by Hurricane Sandy. On June 14, 2013, Verizon filed a letter to update the record regarding notice to affected customers. Verizon asserts that new deployment of wireline facilities in the Service Areas would be impractical because the repair or replacement of damaged facilities “would require significant work” and “exacerbate existing infrastructure issues, and would delay the restoration of service for many customers for several months.”
[Comments Due: July 29, 2013. WC Docket No. 13-150. Comp. Pol. File No. 1115.]
benton.org/node/155042 | Federal Communications Commission
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VERIZON SPECIAL ACCESS SERVICES AFFECTED BY SANDY
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Public Notice]
On May 24, 2013, Verizon filed an application under section 214 of the Communications Act of 1934, to discontinue certain domestic telecommunications services in certain parts of New Jersey and New York affected by Hurricane Sandy. The application indicates that Verizon requests authority to discontinue three copper-based special access services, Metallic Service, Program Audio Service and Telegraph Grade Service (collectively, Affected Services), to customers in some parts of New Jersey and New York. Verizon explains that Metallic Service uses a metallic channel to transmit signals at low speeds up to 30 baud; Telegraph Grade Service uses a telegraph grade channel to transmit binary signals at rates up to 150 baud; and Program Audio Service provides a channel for the one-way transmission of a complex signal voltage with the option for customers to choose a bandwidth tier of 50 to 15000 Hz, 200 to 3500 Hz, 100 to 5000 Hz, or 50 to 8000 Hz. Verizon asserts that copper wireline facilities used to provide these services in certain parts of New Jersey and New York were destroyed or rendered inoperable by Hurricane Sandy on or after October 29, 2012. Verizon indicates that the facilities are located in New Jersey and New York and are specifically referenced in network change notices that Verizon filed pursuant to its waiver for disaster planning and response on May 10, 2013.
[Comments Due: July 29, 2013. WC Docket No. 13-149 Comp. Pol. File No. 1112.]
benton.org/node/155040 | Federal Communications Commission
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SUPPORT FOR LIFELINE
[SOURCE: Free Press, AUTHOR: Press release]
On June 27, a diverse coalition of more than 35 public interest, civil rights and community-based organizations sent a letter to Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) highlighting the importance of the Lifeline program. The signers include AARP, the Benton Foundation, the Center for Media Justice, Consumers Union, the Free Press Action Fund, SEIU Missouri State Council, the National Hispanic Media Coalition and the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates. Earlier this month, McCaskill sent her own letter to Acting Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn, suggesting that President Obama’s ConnectED initiative could be supported by defunding the Lifeline program. Lifeline provides a modest subsidy for basic telephone service to our most vulnerable communities, including seniors, people with disabilities and struggling families. The groups reject the idea that funding for schools and libraries should come at the expense of the Lifeline program’s subscribers. The coalition’s letter explains that both programs are essential to advancing our nation’s broadband goals. “These two programs are complementary pathways to bringing connectivity to our country, and we believe that both are necessary if we are to eradicate the digital divide and reduce economic disparities,” the coalition wrote.
benton.org/node/155007 | Free Press
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INTERNET/BROADBAND

DISTORTED VIEW ON BROADBAND?
[SOURCE: The Huffington Post, AUTHOR: Gerry Smith]
Recent editorials authored by top Internet executives paint a rosy picture of America's broadband services, but experts say they distort reality and don't offer a full picture about problems with the market. Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam argued in The New York Times that the U.S. has "gained a global leadership position" in delivering high-speed Internet. Comcast chief executive David Cohen wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer that America has become "a world leader" in broadband access and speed. But the editorials fail to tell the full story about the state of high-speed Internet in America, industry analysts and consumer advocates said. They said that while broadband service in the U.S. has improved, consumers are still paying more for slower speeds than their counterparts in several countries. Sascha Meinrath, vice president of the New America Foundation, said the editorials appeared to be "part of a well-orchestrated misinformation campaign" to disguise problems in the U.S. broadband market. Dave Burstein, editor of the industry blog DSLPrime, said the executives are distorting the true picture by citing statistics that compare the U.S. to the average of all European countries. Burstein said a more accurate comparison should look at the U.S. in relation to individual countries like France and England.
benton.org/node/155036 | Huffington Post, The
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LEADER OR STRAGGLER ON BROADBAND?
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Steve Nelson, John Eger]
[Commentary] In response to a recent New York Times op-ed by Lowell C. McAdam, chairman of Verizon, Nelson writes, “there is a glaring failure amid the success: lack of broadband availability in rural areas, where Verizon and its cable counterparts have chosen not to invest in the infrastructure necessary to deliver the 100 megabits per second speed Mr. McAdam cites as available to over 80 percent of American households.” Nelson says cooperatives and municipalities need two things to help spread broadband deployment: government financial support and forbearance by telecommunications and cable companies not to seek to block what they are not going to build.
Eger writes that the McAdam op-ed is “yet another specious argument in favor of the existing loosely regulated monopoly system of Internet service.” He asks, “When will we wake up and recognize that a new economy dependent on broadband infrastructure is key to our success, indeed survival, in the world? Broadband is a public service that every individual and organization should have, and the United States needs to regulate this service as a public utility, not leave it to the so-called free marketplace.”
[Nelson is a founding member of WiredWest, a broadband cooperative of 42 towns in western Massachusetts. Eger is a professor of communications and public policy at San Diego State University, a former legal assistant to the Federal Communications Commission chairman (1970-73) and director of the White House Office of Telecommunications Policy (1974-76).]
benton.org/node/155034 | New York Times
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VERIZON: FAULTY COMPARISONS
[SOURCE: Verizon, AUTHOR: Link Hoewing]
[Commentary] Unfortunately, there’s been a long-standing campaign by a few academics & advocates to talk down America’s broadband market, while holding up France and Hong Kong as broadband Nirvanas for innovation and consumer pricing. A growing body of evidence, however, shows that the U.S. is no broadband backwater. Akamai data puts the U.S. at No. 1 when considering “other countries with either a similar population or land mass.” That point is key: it’s impossible to make valid comparisons between a continent-sized landmass (that includes the Great Plains, Alaska and western Texas) and largely urbanized countries that look more like the Northeastern U.S. Corridor. Comparing California to Hong Kong is simply not useful. Looking at individual states, we can see that the best U.S. states beat out most of the rest of the world, both in average speeds, and peak connection speeds. Broadband critics typically ignore the mobile industry, presumably because its wild growth over the last five years doesn’t fit their chosen narrative. Finally, on broadband pricing, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation’s study concludes that “American broadband is affordable and in part reflects the significant private investment in American infrastructure. The OECD data indicates that entry-level broadband services are available to U.S. consumers at the second-lowest cost in the OECD.
benton.org/node/155032 | Verizon
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USDA GRANTS
[SOURCE: Department of Agriculture, AUTHOR: Press release]
The Department of Agriculture is accepting applications for grants to provide access to education, training and healthcare resources in rural areas. Funding is authorized through the Department's Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Grant Program. The USDA remains focused on carrying out its mission, despite a time of significant budget uncertainty. Under this notice, USDA may provide up to $17.5 million in grants. Funds can be used to buy equipment and provide technical assistance. To be eligible, applicants must serve a rural area, demonstrate economic need and provide at least 15 percent in matching funds. Awards range up to $500,000. In 2012, USDA Rural Development provided 58 DLT grants for projects in 36 states. Since the program began, 1,400 projects have been funded. Completed applications must be received by August 12, 2013.
benton.org/node/155009 | Department of Agriculture | Notice of Funding Availability
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SPECTRUM/WIRELESS

T-MOBILE SPECTRUM BUY
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Brian Chen]
T-Mobile USA, the fourth-largest American carrier, has agreed to pay $308 million for spectrum licenses currently held by US Cellular. The spectrum would enable T-Mobile to expand its new fourth-generation wireless network in 29 cities for 32 million people. The acquisition helps T-Mobile play catch-up to its rivals Verizon Wireless and AT&T. T-Mobile only recently started turning on its fourth-generation network, called LTE, in a small number of cities as it has been making extensive changes to its smartphone payment plans, which did away with traditional two-year contracts. By contrast, AT&T has deployed 4G LTE in over 290 markets, and Verizon Wireless has LTE in about 500 markets. T-Mobile’s proposed acquisition of spectrum from U.S. Cellular awaits regulatory approval from the Federal Communications Commission and Justice Department. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year, T-Mobile said.
benton.org/node/155048 | New York Times | T-Mobile | CNet | Dow Jones
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CONTENT

WHY IS APPLE WRANGLING OVER E-BOOKS?
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Jessica Lessin]
[Commentary] Why is Apple fighting the U.S. Department of Justice when the book publishers the agency also sued chose to settle? The answer lies in part in what's at stake. Apple says it is fighting the high-profile case, now in the hands of a federal judge, on the principle it did nothing wrong. But the company is defending a lot more than its tiny digital-books business. A win would help Apple maintain negotiating clout with media companies, which are searching for new ways to make money in markets shifting online. A loss could hamper its ability to compete with rivals like Amazon.com to land increasingly important media deals on favorable terms. Apple settled an antitrust case with the European Commission over e-book pricing last year. The EU pact isn't believed to open the company to private lawsuits, while a judgment against the company in the U.S. could. A lawyer for Apple argued during the trial that a ruling against the company would "send shudders through the business community" by imposing a chilling effect on how companies negotiate.
benton.org/node/155030 | Wall Street Journal
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PRIVACY

TIME TO RECLAIM YOUR NAME?
[SOURCE: Benton Foundation, AUTHOR: Kevin Taglang]
[Commentary] “Be Aware, and Beware, of COPPA” one headline blared this week. On July 1, updated rules for the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) go into effect. The updated rules are a big part of a renewed recent interest in privacy. But revelations of the government’s data collection efforts have sparked a necessary and overdue debate on how to balance national security against citizens’ privacy rights.
http://benton.org/node/154629
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OWNERSHIP

BLOCK GANETT-BELO
[SOURCE: Seattle Times, AUTHOR: Craig Aaron]
[Commentary] Local broadcasts are becoming simulcasts, with the same cookie-cutter content piped in from distant corporate headquarters, once-competitive stations combined into single newsrooms and fewer journalists forced to fill more hours of airtime. Could it get any worse? Oh, yes. On June 13, Gannett announced a $2.2 billion acquisition of rival TV group Belo Corp. The deal would double the number of TV stations Gannett owns and make the company — already the nation’s largest newspaper publisher by circulation — the third-largest local TV chain in terms of revenue, according to BIA/Kelsey. In Seattle, Gannett would take over NBC affiliate KING 5, and its corporate footprint would cover the Northwest with stations in Spokane, Boise and Portland, plus the daily newspaper in Oregon’s capital city, Salem. Gannett would be even more dominant in other markets. The company would control the top two network affiliates in St. Louis; the daily newspaper and ABC station in Louisville; two stations plus a piece of the daily paper in Tucson; and three TV stations plus the daily Arizona Republic in Phoenix. That’s a massive amount of media power for one company. The FCC needs to end this charade. If the agency’s rules don’t allow mergers between these stations, then de facto mergers shouldn’t be allowed either. If that means breaking up a few big media companies along the way and stopping this deal, so be it. Want better local news? Blocking the Gannett-Belo deal would be a great way to start.
[Aaron is the president of Free Press]
benton.org/node/155020 | Seattle Times
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TRIBUNE’S BIG TV BUY
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Meg James]
Tribune Company has agreed to purchase 19 television stations owned by Local TV Holdings in a $2.73-billion deal that is expected to make Tribune the largest television station group in the country. Tribune and Local TV Holdings said have entered into a definitive agreement for Tribune to acquire all of Local TV's television stations in a cash transaction. Local TV's stations are located in 16 markets, including Denver, Salt Lake City, Cleveland and Kansas City. The deal would give Tribune 42 television stations, up from 23 stations. The company will become the largest affiliated station group for Fox Broadcasting, owned by 21st Century Fox, with 14 Fox stations. Tribune also would own 14 stations carrying programming of the CW network, a joint venture between CBS and Warner Bros. Tribune also would have five CBS affiliates, three ABC affiliates and two NBC stations. The company would own 14 stations in the nation's top 20 markets. The deal increases its footprint in political battleground states Ohio, Virginia, Colorado and Pennsylvania. Local TV, which is based in Newport (KY), was formed five years ago with the purchase of nine stations previously owned by the New York Times Co. The firm, principally owned by private equity firm Oak Hill Capital Partners, continued adding stations to its portfolio. The boards of both Tribune and Local TV approved the transaction, which is expected to close by the end of 2013 and will be subject to Federal Communications Commission approvals and an antitrust review.
benton.org/node/155074 | Los Angeles Times
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CABLE MERGERS AHEAD?
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Michael De La Merced, Brian Stelter]
John Malone, the chairman of Liberty Media, is weighing a deal for Time Warner Cable, according to people briefed on the matter who were not authorized to speak publicly. In this deal, Charter Communications, a cable operator in which Liberty owns a 27 percent stake, would buy Time Warner Cable. Should he reach a deal, he will most likely use the combined company to roll up other cable operators, upending a status quo dominated by giants like Comcast. Those possibilities are helping to build expectations for deals in an industry that investors and some analysts think is ready for more. Malone has recently become among the most vocal proponents, declaring in April that “there is more consolidation yet to be done.” Uniting cable or satellite television companies would give them more power in negotiating with programming providers like the Walt Disney Company and Viacom, which are demanding ever-higher rates for their channels. Mergers could also help blunt new challenges from companies like Intel, which is working on a subscriber TV service that would be delivered via the Internet. But just as big a target is the broadband Internet service that cable companies also provide. While cable television is mature and will most likely decline in the future, Malone believes broadband has only one direction to go: up. The emerging online rivals to cable TV, like Netflix and Hulu, require the kind of fast data connections that companies like Charter supply.
benton.org/node/155072 | New York Times
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JOURNALISM

WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH TV NEWS?
[SOURCE: The Atlantic, AUTHOR: Derek Thompson]
Forty to 50 million people -- more than the combined populations of New York State and Texas -- are desperate for in-depth and original television journalism, said Ehab Al Shihabi, executive director of international operations for Al Jazeera America. And that's why Al Jazeera America, the new channel he's launching, is going to be a hit in the United States, he claimed at the Aspen Ideas Festival. The rest of the panel wasn't so confident. In fact, some were downright hostile to the idea that serious news has a big and untapped audience. Lawrence O'Donnell, a primetime host on MSNBC, which has moved away from original reporting toward an op-ed-TV model, objected strongly to the idea that there was a 50-million-person audience for a serious news channel that didn't already exist. "I think if you did a survey of the 300 million Americans, I think something like 50 million would tell you they want to read the complete works of William Shakespeare. They won't," he said, even if he personally placed the Bard's complete works on 50 million living room tables. "[Serious television] is being offered to them every night on PBS," he added. "NewsHour is doing it every night. [Every discussion about serious television] always forgets that PBS exists. We're running the market test every single night."
benton.org/node/155024 | Atlantic, The
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NEWS MEDIA TRUST
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Patrick Maines]
[Commentary] Overall confidence in TV news, which was at 46% in 1993, is now 23%; conservatives' confidence is 18%, the lowest on record; and Republicans' is 16%. So what to do about this state of affairs, assuming that the broadcast networks really are interested in representing everybody's views?
First, hire some reporters and editors who understand how important it is for the media to be a watchdog on the government. Without such, after all, there really is no way of keeping an eye on our public servants. Hiring reporters who produce news stories that expose waste, inefficiency, and counterproductive results when they issue from governmental programs would be a nice counterpoint to the reports of "consumer affairs" and "environmental" reporters.
Second, use economic reporters with a marketplace perspective, rather than political reporters, more often on stories that are fundamentally economic in nature. "ObamaCare" is a good example. So are the numerous aspects of our current fiscal and monetary policies, from sequestration to the "Quantitative Easing" of the Federal Reserve.
Third, avoid the overuse of "horse race" journalism — who benefits politically — in stories about regulations and congressional legislation. Such perspectives may be of interest to politicians and political junkies, but they often fall short in explaining the nuts and bolts of complex policy issues.
Fourth, remember that journalism isn't a religion, with keepers of the faith, but a craft that operates in a marketplace of sources of information. Seen this way, it's a given that mainstream news be aimed at attracting and keeping the widest and most diverse audiences possible.
[Maines is the president of The Media Institute]
benton.org/node/155022 | USAToday
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JOURNALISM AND ACTIVISM
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: David Carr]
[Commentary] In a refracted media world where information comes from everywhere, the line between two “isms” — journalism and activism — is becoming difficult to discern. As American news media have pulled back from international coverage, nongovernmental organizations have filled in the gaps with on-the-scene reports and Web sites. State houses have lost reporters who used to provide accountability, so citizens have turned to digital enterprises, some of which have partisan agendas. The question of who is a journalist and who is an activist and whether they can be one and the same continues to roar along, most recently in the instance of Glenn Greenwald’s reporting for The Guardian on the secrets revealed by Edward J. Snowden. Sometimes, a writer’s motives or leanings emerge between the lines over time, but you need only to read a few sentences of Greenwald’s blog to know exactly where he stands. Greenwald is an activist who is deeply suspicious of government and the national security apparatus, and he is a zealous defender of privacy and civil rights.
benton.org/node/155070 | New York Times
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EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS

MOTOROLA AND FIRSTNET
[SOURCE: Politico, AUTHOR: Tony Romm]
Motorola Solutions is angling behind the scenes to knock the credibility of a major public safety wireless network that might end up eating into its bottom line. The telecom company is lobbying firefighters and police officers to criticize FirstNet, the entity overseeing the new communications system, on the company’s behalf. And it’s supplied those first responders with a “sample letter” — a missive without any Motorola Solutions fingerprints — that alleges FirstNet disregards public safety needs, lacks transparency and suffers from serious conflicts of interest. Motorola’s maneuvering illustrates the early market battle surrounding the government’s more than $7 billion project to bring public-safety communications into the digital age. For the company, there’s plenty to lose: It’s long been dominant in providing legacy wireless devices to local first responders, and the creation of a new broadband data network might threaten its core business.
benton.org/node/155012 | Politico
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STORIES FROM ABROAD

NOKIA-SIEMENS
[SOURCE: Bloomberg, AUTHOR: Adam Ewing, Alex Webb, Beth Jinks]
Nokia Oyj agreed to buy Siemens’s share in a six-year venture for 1.7 billion euros ($2.2 billion), giving the Finnish company full access to the phone-equipment maker’s cashflow for a less-than-estimated price.
Nokia will pay 1.2 billion euros for Siemens’s 50 percent stake in Nokia Siemens Networks, with the remainder as a secured loan from Siemens due a year after the deal is completed. Nokia doesn’t plan to integrate Nokia Siemens and may still decide to seek partners, Chief Executive Officer Stephen Elop said. The Finnish handset maker fighting to come back in the smartphone industry jumped as much as 10 percent in Helsinki trading. The purchase price values the venture, which became profitable last year, at 3.4 billion euros, less than at least 5 billion euros projected by Hannu Rauhala, a Helsinki-based analyst at Pohjola Bank. Siemens has been seeking to exit wireless-gear manufacturing to focus on energy equipment, healthcare and infrastructure projects.
benton.org/node/155064 | Bloomberg
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July 2013

New life for Benicia broadband project

Apple Said to Near Time Warner Cable Deal for TV Programs

Forget social and mobile: Our economy needs more “white space” innovation

Auction of Upper and Lower Paging Bands Licenses; 37 Bidders Qualified to Participate in Auction 95

FCC Seeks Comment on Protective Order for Special Access Data Collection

FCC Continues 2013 EEO Audits

2013 Website Survey

July 1, 2013 (Europeans Voice Anger Over Spying by U.S. on Its Allies)

Europeans Voice Anger Over Reports of Spying by U.S. on Its Allies

NSA revelations throw wrench into lawmakers’ cybersecurity push