September 2013

Further ONC shakeup as No. 2 Muntz announces departure

David Muntz, the No. 2 official at HHS' Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, will be joining his boss, National Coordinator Dr. Farzad Mostashari, in heading out the door in Oct 2013.

Muntz intends to return to the private sector; his last day is Oct. 5. ONC executive Dr. Jacob Reider was named as the acting replacement for Mostashari, and Lisa Lewis was named acting replacement for Muntz. Mostashari announced last month that he would step down. Reider will take over Oct. 4.

Fifteen Years In, Google Revamps Its Search Algorithm and Celebrates Its Roots

Google has “changed engines midflight,” search leader Amit Singhal announced. Not that anyone noticed, or that Google can even describe what changed in layman’s terms. But recently, the company swapped out its search-ranking algorithm for a new one, code-named Hummingbird that can handle more complex queries faster.

“People are trusting search more,” Singhal explained at an event at the original Google worldwide headquarters in Menlo Park, CA. That trust, Singhal went on to say, results in Google users asking longer and more complicated queries. Where the Boolean this-or-that style of search used to work fine with words and documents, it deteriorated with concepts and relationships, Singhal said. For instance, users will now be able to enter queries like “compare Earth and Neptune” and get structured charts about the various measurements and features of the planets. Or “compare coconut oil and olive oil” and see their relative nutritional information.

FCC Proposes to Remove Barriers to Wireless Infrastructure (update)

The Federal Communications Commission adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) initiating a review of its wireless infrastructure policies. The NPRM builds upon the Broadband Acceleration Initiative, including a 2011 Notice of Inquiry seeking comment on measures needed to reduce obstacles to obtaining access to rights-of- way and locations for wireless facilities. Increasing certainty in the FCC’s processes and removing barriers to infrastructure deployment will spur public and private investment, while expanding wireless coverage and capacity throughout the Nation.

Specifically, the NPRM seeks comment on:

Streamlining the environmental and historic preservation review processes for newer technologies, including small cells and distributed antenna systems;
Removing barriers to the deployment of temporary towers that are used in cases of emergencies or to add capacity during short term events;
The meaning of terms included in a provision of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 which states “a State or local government may not deny, and shall approve, any eligible facilities request for a modification of an existing wireless tower or base station that does not substantially change the physical dimensions of such tower or base station;” and
Clarification of issues addressed in the Commission’s “shot clock” order which set time periods for state and local governments to complete review of wireless siting applications.

Update:
Submit comments on or before January 17, 2014 and reply comments by February 18, 2014.

FCC Opens Proceeding to Consider Elimination Of The UHF Discount

The Federal Communications Commission initiated a proceeding to consider eliminating a provision that gives special treatment to UHF channels under its national television ownership cap. Called the UHF discount, the provision was adopted nearly 30 years ago when UHF signals were regarded as technically inferior to VHF signals in analog television broadcasting.

The broadcast television ownership rule prohibits a single entity from owning stations that reach in the aggregate more than 39% of total television households nationwide. The UHF discount allows stations broadcasting in UHF to count toward that cap only 50% of the television households in their Designated Market Areas, as opposed to the 100% requirement for VHF stations. With the transition of full-power stations to digital broadcasting in 2009, the technical inferiority of UHF appears to be a thing of the past. Therefore, the technical justification for the UHF discount no longer seems to exist. The FCC seeks to ensure that its rules reflect the current state of television broadcasting technology. The proceeding also furthers the FCC’s mandate to evaluate its rules to make certain they continue to serve the public interest.

Specifically, the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeks comment on the following tentative conclusions and proposals:

The FCC has the authority to modify the national television ownership rule, including the authority to revise or eliminate the UHF discount.
The UHF discount should be eliminated from the national television ownership rule because the historical justification for the discount no longer exists.
If the UHF discount is eliminated, grandfathering should be accorded to existing broadcast station ownership groups that exceed the 39% national audience cap by virtue of the elimination of the discount and to proposed station combinations that exceed the 39% cap by virtue of the elimination of the discount if an application is pending with the FCC or the Commission has approved the transaction but it is not yet consummated when the NPRM is released. Grandfathered ownership combinations subsequently sold or transferred would be required to comply with the national FCC cap in existence at the time of the transfer.
Should the FCC consider adopting a VHF discount at this time?

Netflix: Hollywood’s Favorite Charity

[Commentary] Unlike the traditional content providers before them who bungled their transition to digital by giving everything away free, Hollywood thinks it has found a darling little helper to fill its coffers with an unexpected flow of revenue. For a business renowned for relieving the unwary of their shirts, Hollywood has allowed Netflix to walk away with its wallet. Netflix’s prosperity is based on having Hollywood as a very willing and cooperative subsidy machine.

The studios and TV networks have allowed Netflix to build both an international presence and a level of recognition that they cannot match with their own product! Despite having around only 10 percent of the US population as subscribers, Netflix has, courtesy of Hollywood’s charity, the prominence that Warner Bros. and Paramount, for example, had decades ago and squandered. Hollywood — meaning the collective talent of the film and television industry — now does all the donkey work while Netflix cherry-picks what will be most profitable and successful for its business model. What iTunes has done to the music industry Netflix is doing to Hollywood. Networks are merrily facilitating the destruction of their own business model by destroying the notion of staggered viewing over a season, where the best shows and event screenings bookend lesser work to sustain the audience numbers through billions of dollars of advertising, their bread and butter. Broadcast TV and scheduling as we know it is heading for extinction.

Here’s how Ron Wyden wants to rein in the NSA

A bipartisan group of senators led by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) announced a new proposal to overhaul the nation's surveillance laws. The other co-sponsors are Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY).

The legislation's text has not been released yet, but here's what the senators say they hope to accomplish: 1) End bulk collection of Americans' communications records. 2) Limit the legal authority for the PRISM program. 3) Reform the secret surveillance court (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court). 4) Increase transparency.

The proposal is not as ambitious as Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ)’s proposal to repeal the Patriot Act and FISA Amendments Act altogether. But it would impose significant new limits on the government's domestic spying powers.

Shutdown unlikely to stop NSA spying

A government shutdown, set for Oct 1 if lawmakers fail to strike a deal, would be unlikely to impede the National Security Agency's surveillance programs.

The Defense Department is set to release its plan for how to handle a potential shutdown. That plan is expected to be similar to one the department released in 2011 ahead of another congressional showdown that ultimately resulted in a deal to keep the government running. The 2011 plan, outlined in a memo by then-Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn, exempted activities necessary for "protection of life and property." The exemption covered "intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance activities required to support national or military requirements necessary for national security," according to the memo.

Over Three-Quarters of US Households Get Broadband at Home

New consumer research from Leichtman Research Group found that about 78% of US households get a broadband Internet service at home. Broadband now accounts for 94% of all households with Internet service at home -- an increase from 92% last year, 75% in 2008, and 33% in 2004. Overall, 83% of households get an Internet service at home, and 55% of adults access the Internet on a Smartphone. While the percentage households getting Internet service at home is similar to last year, those accessing the Internet on a Smartphone increased from 44% last year.

Other related findings include:

9% of all households get broadband, but do not subscribe to a multi-channel video service -- compared to 8% the past two years
64% of broadband subscribers also access the Internet on a Smartphone -- compared to 52% last year
19% of all not online at home access the Internet on a Smartphone -- compared to 12% last year
1% of households paid to subscribe to Internet service at home in the past year, do not currently subscribe, and do not plan to subscribe again in the next six months
Less than 1% of all online households say that broadband is not available in their area -- compared to 6% in 2008
42% of households with annual incomes <$30,000 do not use a laptop or desktop computer at home -- compared to 8% with incomes >$30,000
1% of all households have an iPad or tablet, but do not use a desktop or laptop computer

Want gigabit fiber home Internet? Move to one of these cities

Google Fiber has made gigabit Internet speeds seem tantalizingly within reach of so many Americans… unfortunately, it's just not available to most of us. But Internet service providers (ISPs) in various cities are promising gigabit fiber to the home with increasing frequency. Recently, regional mobile ISP C Spire announced a competition to select a Mississippi community for gigabit service. An ISP in Chattanooga, Tennessee, recently dropped its gigabit prices to $70 a month.

So just where do you have to live to get gigabit speeds? The long list of mostly US cities includes Kansas City, Sebastapol (California), Vancouver (British Columbia), Seattle, Chicago (that’s just in Hyde Park, if you’re scoring at home), Morristown (Tennessee), East Lansing (Michigan), and Orono (Maine).

Yes, some people will pay you for your news — a really, really small number of people

As advertising revenue in the traditional media industry continues to decline, more and more newspapers and other publishers are putting up paywalls of various kinds. But veteran media executive and analyst Alan “Newsosaur” Mutter has some sobering news: while some newspapers like the New York Times are reaching a substantial number of readers with their metered plan, most other newspaper publishers are likely only going to get a tiny fraction of their readers to pay.

Take Gannett, for example. The newspaper chain is the largest newspaper publisher in the US as measured by circulation, with more than 81 daily papers, and it has been betting heavily on paywalls to drive additional revenue at its various properties. So after two years or so of trying to push its paywall strategy, how many of Gannett’s newspaper readers have been convinced to sign up for digital access? According to Mutter, that number is a little over 2 percent. One possible solution to this problem, as news industry analyst Ken Doctor has pointed out, is to stop trying to sell just access to the news and think of other things you could sell — such as access to your journalists on special topics, events and other types of content.

Benton

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