September 2014

Viacom Agrees to Offer 22 Networks on Internet-Enabled Sony Devices Later This Year

Viacom -- the parent of MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central -- has reached a deal with Sony to make 22 of its networks available via a new Internet-based television service.

Scheduled to start later this year, the service is expected to bring live TV and on-demand programming to Sony’s network of 75 million Internet-enabled Sony devices in the United States, including PlayStation game consoles and web-connected televisions. The deal is the first time that Viacom has made its networks available to an Internet-based live and video on-demand television service. One television executive estimated the price for the Sony service at about $15 to $30 a month — a major discount on the average $88.67 households pay each month for cable or satellite service, according to SNL Financial.

Mobile campaign websites need some TLC

Democrats and Republicans both talk a big technology game, but many of their 2014 candidates have a shortcoming that appears to be leaving money and votes on the table. The culprit: bad mobile websites.

An analysis of mobile sites for about 40 competitive House and Senate races found that a majority were plagued with missed opportunities for campaigns trying to find volunteers, donors and voters. The no-nos range from clunky pages that frequently crashed or weren’t formatted properly to content that was just too tiny to read. Another big problem often discouraged by some political consultants: multiple pages of navigation before a potential donor can hit the send button with their all-important credit card numbers.

In Minecraft, Tech Giants Like Microsoft See More Than Fun

Parents like Minecraft because it can be a creative outlet for their children. Teachers like the game because it can bring lessons to life. And Microsoft likes the game so much that the tech giant wants to buy Minecraft’s parent company for more than $2 billion.

It is not flashy graphics or an intricate story line luring these groups to the game, however. Minecraft has become a global phenomenon by breaking with those usual conventions. The point of the game is building things -- and tens of millions of people spend hours constructing elaborate structures with digital pickaxes and other tool -- and helping others make their own creations. The popularity of the game has been clear for a couple of years. But the possible deal with Microsoft is the clearest sign yet how important tech giants view games like Minecraft and their growing fan bases.

Buying Minecraft for billions would be an acknowledgment that gaming is central to many people’s lives.

Online Petitions Proposed to Offer New Yorkers a New Way to Speak Out

New York City lawmakers are considering a local model of the White House’s We The People: an online petition system that would allow residents to ask anything they want of their public officials and, with sufficient support, receive a response.

The proposal to create something resembling a Reddit for the body politic was introduced by Councilman James Vacca (D-Bronx) and referred to the City Council’s Committee on Technology, of which he is chairman. Spokesmen for Mayor Bill de Blasio and Melissa Mark-Viverito, the Council speaker, said their offices were reviewing the bill.

German, French Pressure Led to EU's About-Face on Google

Google’s hard-fought settlement with European Union antitrust authorities over its search practices generated strong political opposition in France and Germany after which the deal was put back on the drawing board, EU officials and antitrust experts said.

Antitrust experts and EU officials said the real battle may have been fought within the commission itself, whose 28 members -- one for each of the bloc's member states -- must approve big EU antitrust decisions. The commission is by its nature highly political. Several key commissioners, including energy czar Günther Oettinger of Germany and financial-services chief Michel Barnier of France, have expressed strong displeasure with the current settlement.

China Internet Regulator to Qualcomm: 'We Should Make Money Together'

China's top Internet regulator publicly challenged the president of Qualcomm, saying half the company's revenue comes from China and that "we should make money together."

The comments from Lu Wei, China's minister of cyberspace affairs, come amid an investigation into the US chip maker by Chinese antimonopoly officials. Qualcomm has said it is cooperating. Chinese customers accounted for 49% of the $24.87 billion in revenue that Qualcomm reported for the fiscal year ended Sept. 29, according to the company. Qualcomm makes processors and wireless modem chips used in smartphones. Much of the company's profit comes from charging patent royalties to handset makers. The probe into Qualcomm is being conducted by China's National Development and Reform Commission, which oversees enforcement of the pricing aspects of the antimonopoly law.

Board of Directors

Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Monday, September 15, 2014 from 9:30 am – 4:30 pm
Tuesday, September 16, 2014 from 9:30 – 11:45 am
http://www.cpb.org/pressroom/release.php?prn=1135

On the draft agenda:

Day One (September 15):

Approval of Minutes
Chair’s and Directors’ Remarks
President’s Report to the Board
Committee Chair Reports
Approval of Executive Session Minutes (executive session)
Personnel and Compensation Matters (executive session)
Update on NPR with Guest Speaker Jarl Mohn
Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Season Two; Guest Speakers: Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr and Dyllan McGee
Update from the Inspector General on Annual Audit Plan
Spectrum Update
Review of Conflicts of Interests Disclosure Form and Code of Ethics
Review of Proposed Goals and Objectives, Strategic Priorities and FY 2015 Business Plan (portions in executive session)
Review of Proposed FY 2015 Operating Budget
Supplemental Schedules for the Proposed FY 2015 Operating Budget (executive session)

Day Two (September 16):

Update on Sound Exchange/Music Rights (executive session)
Update on Office of the Ombudsman (executive session)
Discussion of Calendar Year 2015 Meeting Dates and Locations
Election of Chair and Vice Chair
Future Agenda Items

Read more about CPB Board of Directors

FCC hits new record

The network neutrality debate has generated a record 1,477,301 public comments to the Federal Communications Commission, the agency said, surpassing the 1.4 million complaints sparked by Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction at the 2004 Super Bowl.

The comment total is likely to climb as a result of the symbolic “Internet slowdown” protest going on Sept 10. Netflix, Reddit and other websites are featuring an image of a loading symbol -- the spinning wheel of death -- to illustrate the dangers of Internet slow lanes and make the case for more robust net neutrality rules. The images link to a site that lets people send comments to the Federal Communications Commission, Congress and the White House.

Rep Eshoo: FCC Can Find Title II-Lite Solution

Rep Anna Eshoo (D-CA), who represents Silicon Valley (Google, Facebook), said that the Federal Communications Commission should focus in on Sec. 202 of Title II as a way to take a light-tough approach to reclassifying Internet service providers under those common carrier regulations, so light as to essentially forbear all but six sentences.

She said that for the sake of certainty for consumers and those innovators, there is a Title II "light touch" solution. That is the argument that the FCC can forbear many of the 46 elements in Title II and focus on sec. 202. That section says it "shall be unlawful for any common carrier to make any unjust or unreasonable discrimination in charges, practices, classifications, regulations, facilities, or services for or in connection with like communication service, directly or indirectly, by any means or device, or to make or give any undue or unreasonable preference or advantage to any particular person, class of persons, or locality, or to subject any particular person, class of persons, or locality to any undue or unreasonable prejudice or disadvantage."

Google’s studied silence on network neutrality has finally broken

Google said it would oppose efforts by large Internet providers to speed up, slow down or manipulate Internet traffic that their customers request.

Although Google has recently spoken out on network neutrality through industry groups and think tanks, this marks the first time since 2010 that Google has staked out an explicit position of its own on the policy. "If Internet access providers can block some services and cut special deals that prioritize some companies’ content over others, that would threaten the innovation that makes the Internet awesome," wrote Google in a message to Internet activists. "No Internet access provider should block or degrade Internet traffic, nor should they sell ‘fast lanes’ that prioritize particular Internet services over others." While Google stopped short of endorsing a particular policy prescription — some Internet activists, for example, are calling for the Federal Communications Commission to begin regulating broadband providers under a part of the communications law known as Title II; others argue such a step isn't needed — the company's strongly worded statement envisions a far-reaching policy that would touch not only providers of fixed broadband like cable companies, but also wireless carriers.

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