September 2014

TV Viewers Getting Older Fast, Analyst Says

TV viewers are getting older faster than the general population, and that’s probably not good for the industry, according to a new report.

Analyst Michael Nathanson of MoffettNathanson Research calculates that the median age of viewers during the 2013-14 TV season has risen by 2.5 years, or 6% to 44.4 years old since the 2009-10 season. He says that over the past five years, TV viewers have aged 5% faster than the average American, with broadcast network viewers getting 7% older to a median of 53.9 years old, and cable network viewers getting 8% older for a media of 40. The median age of America was 37.2 years old, up 1.9 years over the past decade, according to the US Census. A more recent government report put the median age at 37.6 year old in 2014. Nathanson notes that live primetime viewing is down 13% since the 2009-10 season, but that viewership among people age 55 and up has been steady.

AT&T’s LTE network dome now covers 300 million people

AT&T has hit a significant milestone in its 4G rollout. The carrier said that its LTE network now arches over 300 million people in the U.S. or roughly 95 percent of the population. There are still roughly 17 million Americans who can’t get an AT&T LTE signal, but traditionally the big carriers never reach 100 percent network penetration. Instead they leave the most rural areas of the country to the regional carriers with whom they strike roaming deals.

The Government Could Build You Faster Internet, But Cable Companies Won't Let It

The telecom industry is putting many cities in a double bind: They won't improve Internet service and are doing their very best to block a city's right to do it themselves.

Larry Flynt, Video Games and the Potential Fallout of Net Neutrality

Adult entertainment is among the sectors with the most to lose in the network neutrality debate, along with any company that uses online video or real-time actions like gaming that can’t afford to pay Internet service providers for faster connections. Access to free content on the Internet has shuttered many adult entertainment businesses, and more will close if paid prioritization becomes the new norm under the Federal Communications Commission's proposed rules, said Larry Flynt, owner of Hustler Magazine. “It’s doubtful that smaller, independent websites would survive without some kind of net neutrality protection,” Flynt says. “It’s a huge First Amendment issue.”

Google says tests prove large exclusion zones are unnecessary in 3.5 GHz band

Google says its testing reveals that LTE and Wi-Fi networks can work in close proximity to radar systems in the 3.5 GHz band, proving it is unnecessary to establish large exclusion zones to protect commercial wireless systems from harmful radar interference.

Broadcom releases a 650Mbps chip to link smartphones to gigabit Wi-Fi networks

A new generation of routers have emerged that promise unparalleled gigabit wireless speeds using new 802.11ac Wi-Fi technology. The problem is that our mobile devices -- even the ones that boast 802.11ac radios -- often can’t take full advantage of them. Broadcom aims to change that with a new wireless chipset that will boost theoretical connection speeds from a smartphone or tablet to the Wi-Fi router to 650 Mbps.

IGF highlights how developing countries use zero rating programs to drive Internet adoption

[Commentary] Zero rating is a mobile business model in which certain content or applications are not counted toward the consumer’s data cap. Such programs are used as an incentive to get people to try the Internet by offering a particular service. The program is popular across developing countries, particularly in India where the elderly, who have never used the Internet or a computer, now use zero rated programs for Facebook and WhatsApp to connect with their grandchildren around the world.

One criticism of zero rating is that it gives users a myopic view of the Internet. However Alejandro Pisanty, Director General for Academic Computing Services at the National University of Mexico (UNAM) and member of ISOC and ICANN, dispelled that notion by pointing out that users of zero rated programs combine them with Wi-Fi network access to access the rest of the Internet. Furthermore, it’s important from a social justice perspective that for activists in many countries, Facebook and Twitter are the de facto platforms for communication. Access to these platforms are important for many, and they welcome zero rated access.

[Layton studies Internet economics at the Center for Communication, Media, and Information Technologies (CMI) at Aalborg University in Copenhagen, Denmark.]

After A 35-Year Run, NPR's Programming Chief Will Retire

After almost 35 years at National Public Radio, Ellen McDonnell, the network's executive editor for news programming, is stepping down.

In her role, McDonnell was tasked with overseeing all of NPR's news programs, including the network's flagship news magazines Morning Edition and All Things Considered. McDonnell joined NPR in 1979 as a news writer. She then worked her way from overnight producer on Morning Edition to becoming the show's executive producer -- a role she held from 1998 to 2007. McDonnell's exit closely follows the departure of Margaret Low Smith, who left her position as senior vice president for news in August to become president of The Atlantic's live events business.

Why California’s smartphone ‘kill switch’ law should concern journalists

[Commentary] My concern isn’t that smartphone theft is unfit for a technical response -- it’s that the California legislation leaves open the possibility that law enforcement could hit the kill switch and stop newsgathering in its tracks.

To be clear, a subsection of the law states that any government request “to interrupt communications service utilizing [the kill switch] is subject to Section 7908 of the Public Utilities Code,” which sets standards for such requests. The standards are decent and generally require law enforcement to obtain a court order before interrupting any communications service by any means. Under § 7908, it would be okay to proceed without a court order only if the agency could prove exigent circumstances after the fact to a judge. (Users will also be able to opt-out of the default kill switch setting, though I question whether opting-out would actually stop a law enforcement agency determined to disable a phone.) We need to design and regulate technology in a way that respects individual freedoms and the spirit of democracy -- and journalism is a necessary ingredient of our democracy. It’s untenable for states to create the potential for government actors to interfere with newsgathering activities simply by hitting a kill switch, however unlikely that action might seem.

CPB eyes TV CSG rules in anticipation of spectrum auctions

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting will review its television Community Service Grant policies to clarify how to handle station revenues from the upcoming spectrum auction.

As part of its review of CSG policies, CPB will consider whether such auction revenue, as well as sale of spectrum, will count toward stations’ nonfederal financial support (NFFS). “Our impression is that it does not qualify for NFFS,” said Michael Levy, executive vice president. “We will be examining this issue and others within the scope of the review.” Stations must meet minimum levels of NFFS to qualify for CPB funding. NFFS also figures into the formula to determine the amount of a station’s CSG.

Benton

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