November 27, 2013 (Would Washington Allow a Cable-TV Megamerger?)
Headlines wishes you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving. We will return MONDAY, December 2, 2013 #GoBlue
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2013
Next week’s agenda http://benton.org/calendar/2013-12-01--P1W/
TELECOM/INTERNET
Moving Forward on The Phone Transition: Trials and Conclusion - analysis
FCC Releases New Data on Local Telephone Competition - research
Broadband Manifesto champions transformative power of high-speed networks to drive socio-economic development - press release
Vonage, Verizon set stage for further VoIP interconnection [links to web]
Comcast On Pace To Complete IPv6 Network Rollout By Early 2014 [links to web]
Kentucky Utility Company Launches Gigabit Service Using FTTP [links to web]
Internet access won’t fix inequality - analysis
New Jersey Now Allows Gambling via Internet [links to web]
OWNERSHIP
Would Washington Allow a Cable-TV Megamerger? - analysis
Cox Explores Bidding for Time Warner Cable
Here’s why Obama trade negotiators push the interests of Hollywood and drug companies - analysis
In Silicon Valley, Partying Like It’s 1999 Once More [links to web]
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
CBO Scores Intelligence Authorization Act [links to web]
WIRELESS
Sen Alexander considers bill to block in-flight cellphone calls [links to web]
No cell phone calls in flight - San Francisco Chronicle editorial [links to web]
Smartphone With Wi-Fi Smarts [links to web]
TV/RADIO
NHL, Rogers announce landmark 12-year deal [links to web]
Clear Channel Airports Creates Radio Station For O'Hare, Midway [links to web]
CONTENT
Pandora gives up on law to reform music royalty rates
ELECTIONS AND MEDIA
New Rules Would Rein In Nonprofits’ Political Role [links to web]
EDUCATION
Powering the Digital Classroom [links to web]
HEALTH
The Diagnosis Difference - research
Is Obamacare on the rebound? Media turn to positive stories.
GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE
The Deadline For Fixing Obamacare is Nov 30 – Here’s What to Look For
Is Obamacare on the rebound? Media turn to positive stories.
25 Tech Ideas for Improving Your Community [links to web]
Until more feds telework more frequently, agencies won't save much money [links to web]
JOURNALISM
Is Obamacare on the rebound? Media turn to positive stories.
Center for Public Integrity to cover political power of broadband industry - press release [links to web]
LOBBYING
Political Contributions Hang Over Seattle Gigabit Efforts
Sinclair Hires Washington Policy Point Person [links to web]
POLICYMAKERS
Clint Odom Joins FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel’s Staff as Policy Director - press release [links to web]
STORIES FROM ABROAD
EU demands protection against U.S. data surveillance
Broadband Manifesto champions transformative power of high-speed networks to drive socio-economic development - press release
German watchdog ends Amazon probe after pricing concession [links to web]
MORE ONLINE
Study: Major Shift In Media Landscape Occurs Every 6 Seconds - press release [links to web]
Backlash by the Bay: Tech Riches Alter San Francisco [links to web]
Growth in Foundation Support for Media in the United States - press release [links to web]
TELECOM/INTERNET
MOVING FORWARD ON PHONE TRANSITION: TRIALS AND CONCLUSION
[SOURCE: Public Knowledge, AUTHOR: Harold Feld]
[Commentary] The argument about technical trials for the transition of the phone network has unfortunately broken down largely into two sides. AT&T and its supporters, who want to see AT&T convert a wire center under terms defined by AT&T, and everyone else, who thinks we don’t need trials at all. Public Knowledge supports well-constructed trials that actually further the debate. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler intends for the FCC to authorize “experiments,” and focuses on numerous details that such experiments would need to cover -- such as reporting requirements and consumer notice. Up for grabs are what, specifically, the new rules will be. Chairman Wheeler believes the Commission Order in January will “set forth the best process that the Commission can initiate so that, in parallel, it may decide the legal and policy questions raised by this network revolution.” In other words, those expecting to see things like “will we have mandatory interconnection for IP-based calls” decided in January 2014 are likely to be disappointed. The January Order will likely queue up important questions like these, with a method for how to decide them. I believe -- reading the tea leaves here -- it will focus heavily on exploring the right overall approach. Which, according to Public Knowledge, is the right way to go. The FCC needs to kick this up to a Commission level, assert control, and start moving us down the path of phasing out the old technology. At this stage, we need a road map for how we plan to transition the phone system. The big unknowns are the states, the local governments, federal agencies and Indian Tribes. So far, to the extent these constituencies have weighed in at all, it has tended to be at a high level policy concern. The broad nature of this process and the lack of any central proceeding makes it difficult for people to focus on the decisions that need to be made. Hopefully, that will now change.
benton.org/node/168823 | Public Knowledge
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LOCAL TELEPHONE COMPETITION
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: ]
This report summarizes the information collected about telephone services as of December 31, 2012. It demonstrates continued growth in subscribership to interconnected VoIP and mobile telephony services and continued decline in subscribership to traditional wired telephone services. In December 2012, there were 96 million end-user switched access lines in service, 42 million interconnected VoIP subscriptions, and 305 million mobile subscriptions in the United States, or 443 million retail local telephone service connections in total. Over the three-year period 2009-2012, interconnected VoIP subscriptions increased at a compound annual growth rate of 17%, mobile telephony subscriptions increased at a compound annual growth rate of about 4%, and retail switched access lines declined at about 9% a year.
benton.org/node/168824 | Federal Communications Commission | Commissioner Pai
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BROADBAND MANIFESTO
[SOURCE: International Telecommunication Union, AUTHOR: Press Release]
Broadband infrastructure, applications and services have become critical to driving growth, delivering social services, improving environmental management, and transforming people’s lives, according to a new Manifesto released by the Broadband Commission for Digital Development and signed by 48 members of the Commission, along with other prominent figures from industry, civil society and the United Nations. “Overcoming the digital divide makes sense not only on the basis of principles of fairness and justice; connecting the world makes sound commercial sense,” the Manifesto reads. “The vital role of broadband needs to be acknowledged at the core of any post-2015 sustainable development framework, to ensure that all countries – developed and developing alike – are empowered to participate in the global digital economy.”
benton.org/node/168774 | International Telecommunication Union | Broadband Commission
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INTERNET ACCESS WON’T FIX INEQUALITY
[SOURCE: Salon, AUTHOR: Aaron Sankin]
In 2013, more Americans than ever are online. In the eyes of activist Larry Ortega, this is unequivocally a positive development. But to call the digital divide closed, even between groups of people who possess the ability to access the Internet, is something he profoundly disagrees with. ‟There’s a misconception that just because someone has Internet access, the digital divide,” the gap between those with Internet access and those without, “has been eliminated,” charges Ortega, who heads a chapter of the digital literacy group One Million New Internet Users. The problem, Ortega argues, is that large swaths of the population, groups that are predominantly poor and non-white, are largely relying solely on smartphones for Internet access. It’s created a two-tiered system where the rich have access to expensive, high-speed broadband Internet at home and everyone else is relegated to slower connections on mobile devices that seriously limit users’ ability to contribute to the digital conversation.
benton.org/node/168776 | Salon
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OWNERSHIP
WOULD WASHINGTON ALLOW A CABLE-TV MEGAMERGER?
[SOURCE: Bloomberg, AUTHOR: Joshua Brustein]
Comcast appears to be considering a bid for Time Warner Cable. Of course, it may have to beat an offer that Charter Communications is putting together -- unless, that is, the two companies can find a way to make a joint bid. So should you care about what is shaping up to be a major consolidation of the cable industry? And will Washington? A person involved in the deal says that Comcast doesn’t think the government would stop such a deal on antitrust grounds, but there will certainly be others trying to convince regulators to do so. Cable companies, of course, don’t really compete in the US. Your cable provider is wholly a function of where your house is. But if the companies do merge, the combination of Comcast and Time Warner Cable would create one giant provider covering more than 60 percent of subscribers nationwide and would account for one-third of all pay-television customers, according to industry analyst Craig Moffett. The Federal Communications Commission could challenge a merger on the general grounds that it’s bad for consumers. “The challenge is that a Comcast-Time Warner Cable combination would be so large that you could argue that you couldn’t survive as a programmer without a distribution agreement from Comcast,” says Moffett. It’s clear that the specifics will obviously impact how regulators react to it. Either way, it will be an interesting early test for new FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, a former lobbyist for the cable industry who has made it a point to talk up how aggressively he plans to protect consumer interests.
benton.org/node/168772 | Bloomberg
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COX EXPLORES BIDDING FOR TIME WARNER
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Ana Mattioli, Martin Peers]
Cox Communications is contemplating jumping into the bidding for Time Warner Cable say people familiar with the situation, either on its own or with others. Cox is the third biggest cable operator, after Time Warner Cable, with about 4.5 million television subscribers, ranking it a little ahead of Charter Communications which started the pursuit of Time Warner Cable in early 2013. Charter is backed by John Malone's Liberty Media. Comcast, the nation's biggest cable operator, is also contemplating a Time Warner Cable bid, either on its own or by backing a Charter bid, people familiar with the situation have said.
benton.org/node/168821 | Wall Street Journal
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OBAMA TRADE NEGOTIATORS PUSH INTERESTS OF HOLLYWOOD AND DRUG COMPANIES
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Timothy Lee]
The draft "intellectual property" chapter of the Trans-Pacific Partnership showed that the positions taken by US negotiators largely mirrored the provisions of US law, but the US negotiating position also had an unmistakable bias toward expanding the rights of copyright and patent holders. Those positions are great for Hollywood and the pharmaceutical industry, but it's not obvious that they are in the interests of the broader US economy. To the contrary, critics contend that the rights of copyright and patent holders have been expanded too much. Two major factors contribute to the Office of the United States Trade Representative's strong pro-rightsholder slant. An obvious one is the revolving door between USTR and private industry. Since the turn of the century, at least a dozen USTR officials have taken jobs with pharmaceutical companies, filmmakers, record labels, and technology companies that favor stronger patent and copyright protection. A more subtle factor is the structure and culture of USTR itself. In its role as a promoter of global trade, USTR has always worked closely with US exporters. That exporter-focused culture isn't a problem when USTR is merely seeking to remove barriers to selling US goods overseas, but it becomes problematic on issues like copyright and patent law where exporters' interests may run directly counter to those of American consumers. USTR's enthusiasm for stronger copyright and patent protections could become a liability for the Obama Administration's broader trade agenda. In 2012, grassroots copyright activists blocked the ratification of one trade agreement by the European Union over its copyright provisions. There's a risk that a similar fate could befall the TPP.
benton.org/node/168785 | Washington Post
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CONTENT
PANDORA GIVES UP ON INTERNET RADIO FAIRNESS ACT
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: Jeff John Roberts]
Streaming site Pandora has quietly given up its campaign to get Congress to pass the Internet Radio Fairness Act, a law that would have put online radio services on a more equal footing with AM/FM and satellite stations when it comes to licensing song rights. “We are pragmatic and recognize the low probability that Congress will address this issue in the near term,” Pandora CEO Tim Westergren said. The decision is being hailed as a victory by the music industry, which has waged a high profile campaign against the law, and where some have blamed streaming services like Pandora for a decline in their income. This view may not be fair, however, given that Pandora reportedly pays 70 percent of its revenue to obtain licenses from both songwriters and performers. By contrast, companies that deliver radio via satellite or cable services pay a lower rate under two separate licensing regimes, while traditional AM/FM radio stations must only pay the songwriters -- they don’t pay the performers at all.
benton.org/node/168828 | GigaOm
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HEALTH
THE DIAGNOSIS DIFFERENCE
[SOURCE: Pew Internet and American Life Project, AUTHOR: Susannah Fox, Maeve Duggan]
A new national survey by the Pew Research Center, supported by the California HealthCare Foundation, explores how adults with chronic conditions gather, share, and create health information, both online and offline. The Pew Research Center’s analysis indicates a “diagnosis difference” that is tied to several aspects of health care and technology use. For example, holding other variables constant (including age, income, education, ethnicity, and overall health status), the fact that someone has a chronic condition is independently associated with being offline. Internet users living with one or more conditions are more likely than other online adults to:
Gather information online about medical problems, treatments, and drugs.
Consult online reviews about drugs and other treatments.
Read or watch something online about someone else’s personal health experience.
The diagnosis difference is also tied to the phenomenon of people tracking symptoms and other health indicators, which clinical research shows is a low-cost, effective health intervention.
benton.org/node/168775 | Pew Internet and American Life Project
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GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE
THE DEADLINE FOR FIXING OBAMACARE IS SATURDAY -- HERE'S WHAT TO WATCH FOR
[SOURCE: nextgov, AUTHOR: Garance Franke-Ruta]
[Commentary] The deadline on which President Barack Obama has staked his presidency is upon us. The President has pledged that Healthcare.gov will be "working for the vast majority of Americans in a smooth, consistent way" by November 30, 2013 -- just four days away. Already, a CNN/ORC International survey found that for the first time, a "clear majority" of Americans do not believe President Obama is honest and trustworthy. Only four in 10 think he's able to manage the federal government. Where things stand in four days will either reinforce those views or start to repair Americans' trust in their President. Either the site works as promised and President Obama escapes from the quicksand of the last few months, or it's not fixed and the Administration descends further, with each passing day making it less likely that his Administration will ever get back on track. So we'll find out on soon which it is, right? Well, no. The most likely outcome is that there will be enough legitimate progress for the White House to say Healthcare.gov is (almost) fixed -- and also enough problems for opponents to continue to lob criticisms. As such, Nov. 30 is likely to come and go without much changing public opinion around the Affordable Care Act. "The system will not work perfectly on December 1, but it will operate much better than it did in October," predicted Julie Bataille, a spokeswoman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. [more at the URL below]
benton.org/node/168781 | nextgov
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MEDIA COVERAGE OF OBAMACARE
[SOURCE: Christian Science Monitor, AUTHOR: Linda Feldmann]
Bit by bit, the media narrative around the travails of Obamacare and its main enrollment vehicle, HealthCare.gov, is starting to look up. Or to put it more precisely, it is no longer so crushingly negative. After weeks of stories about website crashes and canceled health plans -- and an extraordinary mea culpa from President Obama -- a competing story line is starting to emerge. Slowly but surely, people are navigating the exchanges and getting insurance – for some, cheaper and better than what they had.
benton.org/node/168830 | Christian Science Monitor
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LOBBYING
POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS HANG OVER SEATTLE GIGABIT EFFORTS
[SOURCE: Government Technology, AUTHOR: Brian Heaton]
Outgoing Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn championed a public-private partnership between the city, the University of Washington, and Gigabit Squared earlier in 2013 that will bring cheaper high-speed Internet service to 12 neighborhoods in 2014. But with incoming mayor -- and current state senator -- Ed Murray’s (D-WA) campaign being financed in part by cable giant Comcast, time will tell if that project retains the support of Seattle’s political leaders. While State Sen. Murray has publicly countered criticism that he’s Comcast’s puppet, he has otherwise remained silent on broadband issues. Yet the donations to his campaign beg the question whether Comcast’s contributions were an isolated occurrence, or part of a larger strategy to influence local elections when there is support for lower-priced competition in the future?
benton.org/node/168779 | Government Technology
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STORIES FROM ABROAD
EU DEMANDS PROTECTION AGAINST US DATA SURVEILLANCE
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: John O'Donnell]
The European Commission called for new protection for Europeans under United States law against misuse of personal data, in an attempt to keep in check the US surveillance. EU justice commissioner Viviane Reding said she wanted Washington to follow through on its promise to give all EU citizens the right to sue in the United States if their data is misused. "I have ... made clear that Europe expects to see the necessary legislative change in the US sooner rather than later, and in any case before summer 2014," she said. Reding's message was reinforced in a draft report obtained by Reuters that called for "very close attention by the EU" in monitoring data-exchange agreements given the "large-scale collection and processing of personal information under US surveillance programs." In the report, they highlighted the need for improving transparency in the 'Safe Harbour' scheme that allows companies in Europe who gather personal information about customers, for example, to send it to the United States.
benton.org/node/168820 | Reuters
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