August 2014

FCC Sec. 706 NOI Draws Advocacy Group Praise

The Federal Communications Commission's signal in a Notice of Inquiry that its latest Sec. 706 report could start factoring in usage limits and latency and other network management issues as it considers what is reasonable and timely deployment of advanced communications and just what speed and level of access qualifies as "advanced" drew applause from public interest groups.

"The primary goal of the national Broadband Plan is for 100 million US homes to have affordable access to actual download speeds of at least 100 megabits per second by 2020," said Benton Foundation Director of Policy Amina Fazlullah. "In today’s NOI, the FCC is using its broad powers under Section 706 of the Communications Act to ask the right questions and take the right measurements to ensure the US reaches our stated goal. The Benton Foundation welcomes the FCC action and its potential positive impact on advancing other national priorities including civic participation, public safety and homeland security, healthcare, and education."

Consumers Union and the Consumer Federation of America also voiced support.

Gannett Split Indicative Of New Media Order

[Commentary] Gannett's move to split into two companies -- one encompassing broadcasting and digital, the other publishing -- is the latest move in a trend reflecting current economic and regulatory realities.

Newspapers have taken it on the chin with the advent of the Internet and the shift of classified advertising, once a newspaper mainstay, to the digital platform.

The split will allow Gannett to avoid Federal Communications Commission newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership restrictions, enabling it to take advantage of acquisition opportunities in each sector.

"There will be fewer regulatory obstacles in two consolidating industries," Gannett CEO Gracia Martore noted, adding that, "Both companies will continue to collaborate on cross-platform sales."

Surprise: TV networks are already unbundling from cable

[Commentary] HBO is never going to unbundle, except when it is: Executives of the premium cable network have long insisted that they won’t offer its HBO Go streaming service as a Netflix-like standalone Internet subscription in the United States.

But HBO is already running an Internet-only service in northern Europe, and it’s now looking to take that proposition to other countries, including possibly Japan and Turkey. HBO isn’t the only network that’s been testing the waters on Internet-based video services.

Millennial’s Continue To Defect From Summer Broadcast TV -- To the Tune of 20%

Millennials are continuing to defect from live broadcast television viewing in the summer. Through July 27 the five English-language broadcast networks in primetime were cumulatively averaging 2.3 million 18-34 viewers per night, down about 600,000 or 20% from the 2.9 million they were averaging during the same period in the summer of 2013.

Fox has suffered the biggest millennial defections, down 207,000 18-34 viewers in the summer, or a whopping 27%; ABC is next, down 164,000 viewers in the young demo, a decline of 19%. NBC is drawing 126,000 fewer 18-34 viewers, down 19%, while CBS is down just 68,000, off a lower base but down 16% in that demo.

Quantcast Links Web and Mobile App Data for Ad Targeting

Quantcast, a San Francisco-based audience measurement company, is meshing consumer Web and mobile app behavior with an eye on making real-time ad buying more targeted.

Its new data-reporting system, dubbed Audience Interests, is aimed at digital publishers and has recently been tested by BlogAds, the proprietor of highly trafficked PerezHilton.com.

Russian Gang Amasses Over a Billion Internet Passwords

A Russian crime ring has amassed the largest known collection of stolen Internet credentials, including 1.2 billion username and password combinations and more than 500 million email addresses, security researchers say.

The records, discovered by Hold Security include confidential material gathered from 420,000 websites, ranging from household names to small Internet sites.

What’s in the E-rate Order? A Request for More Input and Data

Although the Federal Communications Commission adopted many changes to the E-rate program on July 11, 2014, the FCC also launched a new proceeding -- a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking -- seeking public comment on additional issues.

Specifically, the FCC seeks input on the future funding needs of the E-rate program; discrete issues that may further simplify the administration of the E-rate program; promoting cost-effective purchasing through multi-year contracts and consortium purchasing; and how best to calculate the amount of funding eligible libraries need in order to purchase Wi-Fi networks and other internal connections.

Tenth Broadband Progress Notice of Inquiry

This Federal Communications Commission inquiry concerns the deployment of advanced telecommunications capability to all US-Americans in a reasonable and timely fashion, and possible steps to accelerate such deployment.

The FCC starts anew by analyzing current data and seeking information that will enable the FCC to conduct an updated analysis for purposes of its next report.

In particular, the FCC seeks comment on the benchmarks to use to define “advanced telecommunications capability,” to explore whether the agency should establish separate benchmarks for fixed and mobile services, which data is reliable for measuring broadband, whether and how to take into account differences in broadband deployment, particularly between urban areas versus non-urban and Tribal areas, and other issues.

Even In A “Good Year,” Film Diversity Stays Stable

The Media, Diversity, & Social Change Initiative at USC Annenberg released a study demonstrating that diversity on screen falls far below that of the US population.

The study found that individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups comprise just over a quarter (26%) of all speaking characters. Individuals from all underrepresented groups face a similar plight in animated films.

Across three years examined (2007, 2010, 2013), less than one-eighth of characters in big-screen films were from any underrepresented group. The high occurred in 2013 when 12.4% of characters were from diverse backgrounds, while in 2007, 8.1% of speaking characters were from underrepresented racial and/or ethnic groups. 2010 was the worst year, when a mere 1.5% of characters reflected any racial and/or ethnic diversity.

Murdoch’s Fox Withdraws Time Warner Takeover Offer

Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox withdrew its unsolicited takeover offer of $75 billion for Time Warner, giving up after the attempt to reshape the media industry sent Fox shares tumbling and Time Warner’s board refused to engage in talks.

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