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February 2016

AT&T sues Louisville over ‘Google Fiber’ proposal

AT&T filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging Louisville lacks jurisdiction to allow high-speed Internet service providers such as Google Fiber to install equipment on its utility poles.

The company says it welcomes competition in providing Louisville residents with faster online access but the so-called "One Touch Make Ready" ordinance passed recently is unlike any other in the US and violates state and federal rules. "AT&T pursued this course of action because the Metro Council has no jurisdiction to regulate pole attachments," spokesman Joe Burgan said. "Because of this, the ordinance is invalid." High-speed Internet providers are now allowed to install their new equipment on utility poles owned by AT&T and possibly move other companies' installations thanks to the measure, which Mayor Greg Fischer's office supported as a way to lay the groundwork for Louisville's fiber-optics network. The council approved that measure unanimously over objections from AT&T and Time Warner Cable, which lobbied heavily against the proposal.

In the 11-page suit, AT&T asks for a federal judge to clarify that the authority to regulate poles is reserved to the Kentucky Public Service Commission and the Federal Communications Commission.

Some Viewers Risk Losing PBS Broadcasts After FCC Auction

Local Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) stations could pull in hundreds of millions of dollars this year by selling their airwaves to the federal government, raising worries that pockets of the US could lose their access to public television.

The Federal Communications Commission is poised to buy broadcast licenses from local TV stations, aiming to free up airwaves and resell them to wireless provider. Major station owners have agreed to participate in the FCC auction. So have some of the nation’s roughly 350 public-TV stations, whose broadcasts currently cover about 99% of the U.S. population. It isn’t clear just how many stations have signed on, because the process is confidential under FCC rules. The stations that sell their airwaves could go off the air, potentially redrawing the map for public television and its audience. The Public Broadcasting Service, which produces programming for its independent member stations, has little say in the matter, and won’t get any of the sales proceeds. Public-TV advocates fear the auction will deprive some Americans of their free access to noncommercial television. “We’ve been concerned about that for quite a while, and still don’t have a good handle on what our exposure is there,” said Patrick Butler, president of the Association of Public Television Stations, referring to the possibility that some stations could leave the air.

Media Bureau Denies Latina Broadcasters Stay Motion

On February 22, 2016, Latina Broadcasters of Daytona Beach, LLC (Latina), the licensee of Class A television station WDYB-CD, Daytona Beach (FL) filed a request to stay the Commission’s February 12, 2016 Order on Reconsideration in the above-captioned proceeding pending judicial review. In the alternative, Latina requests a stay of the broadcast television spectrum incentive auction. We deny the Stay Motion.

The Commission has devoted considerable time and resources since the enactment of the Spectrum Act to preparing for the incentive auction, an unprecedented proceeding involving numerous complex and highly technical issues, representing the culmination of four years of work by the Commission and dozens of members of its staff, with significant ramifications for the nation’s economy and consumers. The beginning of the auction is now only five weeks away. A delay would disserve both consumers and eligible entities who have developed business plans based on the current schedule, including securing financing and deferring other business plans.

ACA, NCTC Team To Back FCC Programming Inquiry

The American Cable Association and National Cable Television Cooperative, long allied in the push to get the Federal Communications Commission to address issues like package deal programming negotiations, are ready for the agency to start drilling down on the issue. The commission recently voted to launch, at the request of FCC commissioner Mignon Clyburn, an inquiry into access by traditional and online programming to distribution platforms.
"With the release of the FCC's Notice of Inquiry, the programmers behind these unfortunate market trends will finally come under the close scrutiny they so clearly deserve," said Matt Polka, president of the American Cable Association, in a jointly released statement.

5 Ways Mobile Is Changing News Consumption

Here are five ways the mobile audience is changing modern media:
1. New partnerships are possible: The mobile era allows legacy publications to collaborate with new media properties and tech companies in ways they couldn't a few years ago,
2. Media has been democratized: While some journalists bemoan the idea of casual observers equipped with cameras scooping them—or replacing them—citizen journalists and other partners can potentially help news organizations cover everything that's happening at any given time.
3. Advertising needs to catch up: The advertising industry hasn't caught up yet with where users are, Mayman said. Because of that, it's hard for news to move entirely to mobile with a revenue model in place first. While 70 percent of AOL's viewers are now mobile-first, that doesn't mean the other 30 percent doesn't exist—nor does it mean the 70 percent who are mobile-first aren't consuming content on a desktop.
4. More technology requires more technology investment: News has gone from broadcasting to one-to-one interactions, Romano said. While that creates opportunities, it also creates challenges on the backend that aren't visible to consumers who simply want their video feed to work.
5. Video will be more vertical—and virtual: How users consume video means publishers and advertisers need to change how they create it. While vertical video is becoming more popular thanks to platforms like Snapchat, virtual reality is also on the forefront.

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