press release

The Women’s Media Center examined 20 of the most widely circulated, read, viewed and listened to US based TV networks, newspapers, news wires and online news sites.

The Women’s Media Center commissioned Global News Intelligence (GNI) researchers to analyze 27,000 pieces of content from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, 2013. The survey focused on the gender breakdown of full-time newsroom staffers, paid freelance journalists and non-paid content contributors from the following news organizations: ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, Chicago Sun-Times, The Denver Post, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, San Jose Mercury News, USA TODAY, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, New York Daily News, New York Post, The Associated Press, Reuters, CNN.com, Daily Beast, FOXNews.com and The Huffington Post. The research findings tell a stark story about where women stand across every platform in the 24/7 news cycle.

We conducted this research in order to shine a light on how well American news media -- the shaper of images, ideologies, and ideals -- allow women to craft our own narrative and include our voices in a wide-ranging public discourse over the airwaves, in print and online. The report summarizes the most recent available statistical data on:

• Representation of women in media occupations associated with determining content of news
• Representation of women in media occupations associated with determining content of television and film entertainment
• Gender equity in film reviews
• How women are depicted on entertainment television and film
• Women and digital news consumption
• Representation of women for online-only sites and in video games
• Recommendations to news organizations, producers and interview bookers

Our conclusion: American media have exceedingly more distance to travel on the road to gender-blind parity.

Sens John Thune (R-SD) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) and 33 of their Senate Republican colleagues sent a letter to Assistant Secretary of Commerce Larry Strickling, head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), seeking clarification regarding the recent announcement that NTIA intends to relinquish responsibility of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions to the global multistakeholder community.

The letter expresses strong support for “the existing bottom-up, multistakeholder approach to the Internet governance,” and cautions: “We must not allow the IANA functions to fall under the control of repressive governments, America’s enemies, or unaccountable bureaucrats.”

The letter goes on to say: “The global community of Internet stakeholders should act deliberately and transparently as it formulates a possible proposal to transition the IANA functions to a nongovernmental entity. The multistakeholder model of Internet governance and the IANA functions are far too important for this process to be rushed or to be done behind closed doors.” Among other things, the letter asks the administration to “explain why it is in our national interest to transition the IANA functions,” and how NTIA will ensure “the IANA functions do not end up being controlled, directly or indirectly, by a government or inter-governmental entity.”

C Spire announced that homeowner pre-registration exceeded the required threshold in a second area of the city of Ridgeland (MS) -- helping it qualify for the company’s ultra-fast 1 Gbps (Gigabit per second) fiber to the home Internet service and related digital TV and home phone services.

Ridgeland’s Old Agency East fiberhood, which includes the Dinsmor and Greenwood Plantation neighborhoods, reached its 45 pre-registration target and now joins the Bridgewater fiberhood, which qualified in late March along with areas in the cities of Horn Lake, Starkville and the entire town of Quitman for service that promises Internet access up to 100 times faster than national average broadband speeds.

The six areas in the four cities now move into the next phase of the historic initiative where C Spire puts the finishing touches on engineering plans, meets with city officials and residents and starts construction of the fiber infrastructure that will serve as the platform for the next-generation services. Ridgeland Mayor Gene McGee, whose city already has a reputation as Mississippi’s most tech-friendly community, said the latest progress shows that momentum is continuing to build as more residents learn about the opportunity to invest in their neighborhood’s future.

Nine Mississippi cities are part of initial phase of c spire’s ultra-fast fiber to the home initiative. The Ridgeland mayor vows to continue community pre-registration efforts for 1 Gig service.

International Telecommunication Union presented the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI), a unique initiative launched by ITU and ABI Research to measure the levels of cybersecurity in countries, at a forum held in Dubai.

It underlies ITU’s commitment to strengthening cybersecurity and plugging the gaps worldwide while building capacity at the national level, particularly in developing countries. The long term aim is to drive further efforts in the adoption and integration of cybersecurity on a global scale. A comparison of national cybersecurity strategies will reveal those countries with high rankings in specific areas, and consequently highlight lesser known -- yet successful -- cybersecurity strategies. Based on questionnaire responses received by ITU Member States, a first analysis of cybersecurity development in the Arab region was compiled and one for the Africa region is under way. The objective is to release a global status of cybersecurity for 2014. “Greater connectivity also brings with it greater risk,” said ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun I. Touré.

“As our physical and cyber worlds overlap, there is an increased need to address the related challenges of ensuring security, human rights, rule of law, good governance and economic development.” Brahima Sanou, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau addressing the forum, said: “In embracing technological progress, cybersecurity must form an integral and invisible part of that process. Unfortunately, cybersecurity is not yet at the core of many national and industrial technology strategies.” The goal of the GCI is to help foster a global culture of cybersecurity and its integration at the core of information and communication technologies. “Countries need to be aware of their current capability level in cybersecurity and, at the same time, identify areas where cybersecurity needs to be enhanced,” Sanou stressed.

As part of the Administration’s ongoing efforts to help Americans obtain the skills they need to acquire good middle class jobs, Vice President Biden dropped by a meeting with a group of business executives from leading information technology companies.

The Vice President highlighted the importance of making sure our training efforts teach skills that are in demand by employers. He also encouraged the participants to expand initiatives that have proven successful, including partnerships between companies and community colleges to teach workers new skills. The group discussed how increasing the availability of on-the-job training opportunities -- like apprenticeships -- can help Americans find employment and ultimately widen the aperture into the middle class.

The Vice President is working with private companies, non-profit organizations, federal agencies, education institutions, state and local leaders, and others across the country to make the workforce and training system more job-driven, integrated, and effective.

In a new budget released from House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) denounces the critical role that the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) plays in supporting civic engagement, literacy and lifelong learning in more than 123,000 libraries nationwide.

Chairman Ryan recommends that the federal government not have a role in libraries and that Congress shift the federal agency’s responsibilities to the private sector in his 2015 fiscal year budget resolution.

American Library Association (ALA) President Barbara Stripling released the following statement in response to Rep Ryan’s budget: “We were shocked to learn that Representative Paul Ryan recommended eliminating the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the agency that administers the primary source of federal funding to libraries. Libraries depend on the support they receive from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to help patrons learn new skills, find job opportunities and access reading materials that they otherwise could not afford.

More than $180 million has been allocated to the Institute for Museum and Library Services through September 2014 to help libraries make information available to the citizens they serve. In Chairman Ryan’s own state of Wisconsin, more than 65 percent of libraries report that they are the only free access to Internet in their communities. Just blocks from Chairman Ryan’s Wisconsin office, more than 716,000 visitors used the Hedberg Public Library in Janesville, Wisconsin to access library computers and research databases, check out books and receive job training in 2013.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services administered more than $2.8 million in the 2014 fiscal year to help Wisconsin libraries prepare young students for school and provide lifelong learning opportunities for all Wisconsin residents. For example, the state reported that more than 215,000 children participated in summer reading programs at Wisconsin public libraries.

Mike Wassenaar has been chosen as the Public Policy Advocate for the Alliance for Community Media (ACM).

Wassenaar has a long history of industry experience including work as the Senior Development Director at Free Press in Washington DC, as the Executive Director at St. Paul Neighborhood Network in St. Paul, Minnesota, and as the Program and News Director at KFAI Fresh Air Community Radio, in Minneapolis, Minnesota as well as being the MN News and Public Affairs Director at WORT Radio in Madison, Wisconsin. Wassenaar has been actively involved in the Alliance for Community Media.

From 2004-2012 Wassenaar served as the Midwest Region Chair and also served on the National Board of Directors from 2004-2010. He was a National Chair from 2005-2007, served as Treasurer from 2007-2009, and as the Development Chair from 2010-2012. In 2012 Wassenaar received the Buske National Leadership Award.

The Public Policy Advocate will be working with ACM to lead public policy efforts in Washington DC to change federal law to remove the restriction on the use of public, educational and government (PEG) funds (capital vs. operating issue) and will represent ACM’s interests in broader legislative initiatives. He will also represent and lead ACM’s efforts at the FCC and meet with legislators to secure bi-partisan lead and co-sponsors of a bill.

The Federal Communications Commission provided for accelerated growth and expansion of new Wi-Fi technology that can offer faster speeds of one gigabit per second or more, increase overall capacity, and reduce congestion at Wi-Fi hot spots.

The new rules will make 100 MHz of spectrum more accessible for use in homes and congested spaces like convention centers, parks, and airports and increase the potential for more unlicensed spectrum innovation.

The Commission adopted a Report and Order modifying the rules governing the operation of Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) devices operating in the 5 GHz band. By its action the Commission significantly increased the utility of the 100 megahertz of spectrum, and streamlined existing rules and equipment authorization procedures for devices throughout the 5 GHz band. U-NII devices play an important role in meeting public demand for wireless broadband service. Currently U-NII devices operate in 555 megahertz of spectrum in the 5 GHz band, and are used for Wi-Fi and other high-speed wireless connections. These devices support a variety of applications including Wi-Fi hot spots and wireless home local area networks to connect smart phones, tablets and laptops to the Internet, broadband service to rural areas offered by Wireless Internet Service Providers and off-loading of traffic from commercial cellular wireless networks.

The rules adopted remove the current restriction on indoor-only use and increase the permissible power which will provide more robust access in the 5.150-5.250 GHz band. In turn, this will allow U-NII devices to better integrate with other unlicensed portions of the 5 GHz band to offer faster speeds and reduce congestion at crowded Wi-Fi hot spots such as airports and convention centers. The Commission also modified certain technical rules to improve protection for incumbent systems by requiring manufacturers to secure their devices against illegal modification which could cause interference to incumbent users in the band.

The Federal Communications Commission took steps to close a loophole in its TV ownership rules, making sure that a party’s interests in a market are properly counted.

Removal of the loophole helps ensure competition, localism, and diversity in local broadcast markets by preventing a practice that previously resulted in consolidation in excess of what is permitted under the Commission’s rules. A JSA, or joint sales agreement, is between two stations in the same market in which one station is authorized to sell advertising time on the other station. The Commission’s radio rules have long recognized that these agreements create an ownership interest when the JSA allows for the sale of 15% or more of the advertising time on a competing local station.

The Report and Order applies this same standard to broadcast television. Parties to existing TV JSAs will have two years to come into compliance with the applicable local ownership limits. Waiver requests, considered on a case-by-case basis, must show that strict compliance with the rule is inconsistent with the public interest.

Also adopted was a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that initiates the Commission’s 2014 Media Ownership Quadrennial Review and incorporates the ongoing 2010 Quadrennial Review record. The FNPRM asks for new and additional information on current market conditions to ensure a comprehensive and refreshed record. The current ownership rules remain in place while the review is pending.

The FNPRM additionally asks for comment on whether commercial television stations should be required to disclose shared service agreements and how best to achieve disclosure. An SSA allows same market stations to share resources, such as employees, administrative services, or hard assets, such as a news helicopter. The Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking also recommends reinstatement of the Commission’s revenue-based “eligible entity” standard, finding that the program would support new entry into the broadcast industry by small businesses.

The Federal Communications Commission adopted a Report and Order that strengthens its rules governing retransmission consent negotiations. This Order will help curtail a practice that has put upward pressure on cable and Direct Broadcast Satellite programming costs as well as prices to consumers.

The Communications Act requires cable systems and other pay television services to obtain a broadcast television station’s retransmission consent before carrying the station’s signal. The Act also requires broadcasters and pay television service providers to negotiate retransmission consent agreements in good faith.

The Order prohibits a television broadcast station ranked among the top four stations (as measured by audience share) from negotiating retransmission consent jointly with another top four station if the stations are not commonly owned and serve the same geographic market. Joint negotiation by these stations leads to higher retransmission consent fees because the practice reduces competition between the stations. Additionally, the threat of losing the programming of two or more top four stations at the same time gives the stations undue bargaining leverage in negotiations with Multichannel Video Program Distributors. To target collusive behavior effectively, the Order also defines joint negotiations.

Chairman Wheeler, Commissioners Clyburn, Rosenworcel, Pai and O’Rielly with Chairman Wheeler, Commissioners Clyburn, Rosenworcel, Pai and O’Rielly issued statements.