September 2014

Senate panel drops controversial TV overhaul

The Senate Commerce Committee seems to be abandoning its plans to overhaul the way that people buy broadcast TV channels like NBC and ABC. A committee spokesperson said that the panel’s “Local Choice” proposal likely won’t be included in its reauthorization of an otherwise uncontroversial satellite TV law.

“Because it is a big and bold idea, Local Choice deserves more discussion and a full consideration by policymakers, and the committee may not have time to include it as part of [the satellite law],” the spokesperson said.

"[The National Association of Broadcasters] is thankful for the consideration Senate Commerce Committee members gave the 'Local Choice' proposal and for recognizing the unintended negative consequences this measure would have had on localism, broadcasters and our millions of viewers," said NAB President Gordon Smith.

Tech giants demand vote on e-mail privacy bill

Google, Microsoft, AOL, Yahoo and scores of other technology titans are demanding congressional leaders allow a vote on a bill to grant new privacy protections to people’s e-mails.

The companies want a vote on the E-mail Privacy Act, a bill that counts more than half of the House as co-sponsors. The bill has yet to move since it was introduced, and a companion measure in the Senate is also awaiting action. The legislation would update the 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act, which allows police to conduct warrantless searches of people’s e-mails and other information stored on the “cloud” that are more than 180 days old. Critics on both sides of the aisle say the law is antiquated and undermines people’s privacy. The bill “would aid American companies seeking to innovate and compete globally,” wrote more than 70 companies, trade groups and organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union. “It would eliminate outdated discrepancies between the legal process for government access to data stored locally in one’s home or office and the process for the same data stored with third parties in the Internet ‘cloud.’”

Study: Patients optimistic about telehealth video appointments

The majority of patients are optimistic about meeting with their healthcare provider via a video appointment, according to a recent study. The study surveyed 263 patients who could supply hardware and Internet connectivity to meet with a healthcare provider at home through a video call. Thirty-eight percent of respondents said they "very likely" would meet with their provider via video; 28 percent said they would be "somewhat likely" to do so, and 33.8 percent were "not at all likely" to meet with their provider that way. However, a majority of participants (86 percent) who had never participated in a video call said they preferred to speak with the provider face-to-face.

Fox News Suffers Major Legal Defeat to TVEyes

US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein issued a significant "fair use" ruling, and in the process, handed Fox News a major legal loss in its attempts to protect its news shows from exploitation.

The lawsuit concerns TVEyes, which might not be widely known, but is used by MSNBC, ABC, CBS, Reuters and Bloomberg to monitor what is being said on Fox News and more than 1,400 other television and radio stations. Besides use by media organization, TVEyes' clients also include the White House, 100 members of Congress, the Department of Defense, the American Red Cross, AARP, Goldman Sachs, the Association of Trial Lawyers and many others. These customers create customized search terms and are able to get access to transcripts and video clips. Fox News has warned that such a service -- because it also allows those who pay a flat fee of $500 a month to watch live streams -- will erode its ratings and "decimate" its business.
There was even more at stake.

Progressive Policy Institute Releases Third Annual Report Ranking US Companies Investing in America’s Future

Which US companies are betting on America’s future? “US Investment Heroes of 2014: Investing at Home in a Connected World” ranks the top 25 American companies by their capital spending in the United States. For the third year in a row, AT&T was at the top of the Investment Hero list with $20.9 billion in domestic capital spending in 2013, followed by Verizon, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Walmart, Intel, and Comcast. Authored by PPI Chief Economic Strategist Michael Mandel and Economist Diana Carew, the report focuses on identifying the U.S.-based corporations with the highest levels of domestic capital expenditures, as defined by spending on plants, property, and equipment in the United States. PPI believes this report can help inform good public policy for encouraging continued and renewed investment domestically.

Between Google and Apple, the smartwatch wars are over before they've even begun

[Commentary] Even with all the months and maybe years standing between humanity and its ideal wrist gadget, the winners of the race are already known. Google and Apple won.

What Apple's Big Announcement Means for Government

Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled the company’s latest innovations: a new set of larger iPhones, Apple Pay and the much anticipated Apple Watch. The announcements have a few major implications for government:

Information on your wrist: 2015 will be the year your agency will need to be accessible through the wrist. Citizens will gradually expect more information via third-party apps to be delivered on their wrist. Moving forward, think about how you can extend notifications and alerts to your citizens through their wrist in a mutually beneficially way. For example, if a constituent is late with paying his water bill, could you notify him on -- and let him pay from -- his watch?
Payment through your phone or wrist: As Apple’s payment system goes live this October, you should be asking yourself -- does your current credit card processing system support NFC payments? If not, get ready, because the requests for Apple Pay as an option are on their way.
Public health on your wrist: The campaign for healthy living may get a boost through the integration of heart, activity and other tracking built into the new wearable. The new device -- along with its health app, third-party apps and the companion HealthKit development platform -- plays nicely into the movement toward a quantified life through which people pay attention to key measures of health, wellness and exercise because, well, even most Apple users would do well to lose a few pounds.

How Having Higher Income Affects How Men Spend and Consume Media

Men tend to spend money on the same goods and services regardless of wealth, but the rich are roughly twice as likely to take a luxury vacation and eat organic, the Shullman Research Center found. And while men in general tend to be bigger Internet consumers, those with a household income of more than $500,000 a year are still catching ads in magazines, newspapers and on television.

Jay Carney joins CNN

Former White House Press Secretary Jay Carney will join CNN as a political commentator. Carney said when he left the White House in May that he'd maintain a public presence in the media. He also signed with the Washington Speakers Bureau.

Meet the new European commissioners who will have the biggest impact on the tech world

Jean-Claude Juncker, the president-elect of the European Commission, unveiled his team. Europe’s digital strategy will likely be led by the liberal former Estonian prime minister, Andrus Ansip, and the current energy commissioner, center-right German politician Günther Oettinger.

The new-look Commission still needs to be approved by the European Parliament, then formally appointed by the European Council (representing the member states, each of whom nominated a commissioner). However, if all goes according to Juncker’s plan, then Ansip will become the Commission vice-president in charge of the “Digital Single Market” and Oettinger will take over the new “Digital Economy and Society” portfolio, dealing with issues like net neutrality.

Benton

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