Today's agenda includes: an E-Rate hearing at the Senate Commerce
Committee, a Capitol Hill briefing on Wireless Broadband and Unlicensed
Spectrum, and a panel discussion on What's at Stake for Technology and
Telecom in the 2004 Election. Local affiliates of ABC, NBC and CBS [and
PBS, of course] will air tonight's debate between Vice President Dick
Cheney and Sen John Edwards. FOX affiliates will air Game 1 of the Twins vs
the Yankees. FOX is happy for you to pay to see the event on the FOX news
channel.
For upcoming media policy events, see http://www.benton.org/calendar.htm
TODAY'S QUESTION: Has the choice for Vice President ever affected your vote?
TELEVISION
Are You Ready for Some HDTV?
Fox Calls for DC TV Renewals
JOURNALISM
Media Mogul Maelstrom
Journalism Without Profit Margins
QUICKLY
TOP Grantees Announced
Supreme Court Upholds Do-Not-Call Registry
Cities Losing Nearly $500M in Modem Fees
TELEVISION
ARE YOU READY FOR SOME HDTV?
FCC Chairman Michael Powell unveiled an online effort (www.dtv.gov) to help
consumers better understand the digital transition. The site includes a
shoppers' guide, FAQs, and a link to another online HDTV effort
(www.checkhd.com), the industry-backed portal created by Decisionmark that
will bring up available HDTV programming in a particular market, linked to
zip code. Chairman Powell said it was possible that the FCC would decide a
number of key DTV transition issues by year's end, including multicasting
must-carry, public interest obligations, and just how a DTV-ready house is
to be defined. According to statute, when 85% of the TV homes in a market
can receive a DTV signal, the FCC can begin reclaiming spectrum for
auction. There were a dozen of so public activists outside the FCC
headquarters Monday, complaining that the FCC press conference/panel
session on HDTV was simply an effort to sell TV sets. When asked to respond
to that complaint, Powell said that it was not an attempt to sell sets, but
to give consumers the information to buy new sets in a transition mandated
by the government. He said the public interest issues were being addressed
in pending FCC rulemakings but that this was a consumer-targeted effort.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA458220?display=Breaking+News&...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
Read more about the event and the reaction of public interest advocates at
http://www.mediachannel.org/new/
The FCC Press Release for the event is available at
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-252851A1.doc
FOX CALLS FOR DC TV RENEWALS
Fifty television stations in DC, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia did
not get speedy license renewals from the FCC and Fox Television Stations is
asking for immediately renew for two Washington, DC stations. The licenses
for the two stations were challenged by public interest advocates. WTTG-TV
, the local FOX affiliate, is being challenged by the Parent's Television
Council over alleged indecent content on the station. But the station has
not received a letter of inquiry from the FCC and the Commission should
not "delay the grant of WTTG-TV's renewal on the basis of alleged
complaints about which [FOX] has not even been made aware."
The United Church of Christ (UCC) and Center For Digital Democracy (CDD)
are challenging the local UPN affiliate for not providing three hours per
week of children's educational/informational programming. Fox says that
because the UCC and CDD take issue with the depiction of conflict and
violence in the shows WDCA airs for kids, it should not be allowed to use
WDCA's license renewal "as an opportunity to conduct a wholesale re-write
of the children's television rules." Fox, WDCA-TV, the shows' distributors
and the kids TV academician that consulted on the shows, all argue that
"the responsible portrayal of violence and conflict can teach children
valuable lessons." Choosing such shows, they argue, is within the
reasonable discretion of the licensee.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA458313.html?display=Breaking+...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
JOURNALISM
MEDIA MOGUL MAELSTROM
Last month, Viacom Chairman Sumner Redstone told an audience in Hong Kong,
From a "Viacom standpoint, the election of a Republican administration is
a better deal because the Republican administration has stood for many
things we believe in, deregulation and so on." In the widely-reported
remarks, he added: "I vote for what's good for Viacom." With Viacom's many
holdings in journalism -- including CBS News -- should Redstone be making
such an endorsement? The debate is on. Critics say Redstone may have risked
exposing the entire media sector to the unwelcome appearance of coziness
with federal regulators. Opponents of media consolidation have long worried
that media bosses could be compromised or conflicted in trying to balance
their Washington agendas and the mission of their newsgathering operations.
"We always assumed that a little dancing and whispering back and forth
might be going on behind the scene" between political leaders and media
moguls, says Gene Kimmelman, a top lobbyist for Consumers Union. "This
overtly states what we have known all along." Viacom officials say his Bush
endorsement was merely an honest answer to a question that he hadn't expected.
[SOURCE: MSNBC, AUTHOR: Johnnie L. Roberts]
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6173187/site/newsweek/
JOURNALISM WITHOUT PROFIT MARGINS
What, if any, special content or services does the public gain from the
relatively few noncommercial news operations? What advantages do these
media have over their for-profit cousins? The broadest answer seems to be
that readers and viewers gain streams of information vetted by journalists
more attuned to public service than to circulation, ratings or the bottom
line. Less-commercial media can think more in terms of social
responsibility, with less oppression from short-term profit demands. In
content, that often leads to more coverage of foreign affairs, the economy
and government, to less fluff and celebrity stalking, and to extra
tolerance for controversy and alternative views. The journalism may or may
not be superior to that produced elsewhere, but it comes from newspeople
who are aiming high and relishing their independence.
[SOURCE: American Journalism Review, AUTHOR: Carl Sessions Stepp]
http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=3758
QUICKLY
TOP GRANTEES ANNOUNCED
On October 4, 2004, NTIA announced the award of $14.4 million in Technology
Opportunities Program (TOP) grants to 27 non-profit organizations,
including state, local and tribal governments, in 22 states and the
District of Columbia. TOP received 494 applications for FY 2004 funds,
requesting $277.1 million. TOP grants, matched by $16.9 million in
contributions from the private sector and state and local organizations,
demonstrate how advanced telecommunication and information technology can
address public concerns in areas such as economic development, housing,
public safety, health and e-government. More information on TOP-supported
projects, the list of FY 2004 awards, and a searchable database of
applications submitted in FY 2004 at the URL below.
Congratulations to the winners and to NTIA!
[SOURCE: National Telecommunications and Information Administration]
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/otiahome/top/whatsnew/whatsnew.htm#FY2004_Awards
SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS DO-NOT-CALL REGISTRY
Without comment, the Supreme Court rejected an appeal by American
Teleservices Association (telemarketers) who argued that the popular
anti-telemarketing registry, known as the Do-No-Call List, imposed improper
limits on their rights to free speech. The Court's decision to not hear the
case was the last legal hurdle for the list.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Caroline E. Mayer]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7042-2004Oct4.html
(requires registration)
CITIES LOSING NEARLY $500M IN MODEM FEES
In a Sept. 30 petition to the U.S. Supreme Court, the National League of
Cities, the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and
Advisors and the United Conference of Mayors asked the Court to overturn
the FCC and re-establish the right of cities to tax cable's high-speed-data
service, just as they do cable's video-programming revenue. The petitioners
say they are losing nearly $500 million yearly in the wake of a decision by
federal regulators to block local regulation of cable-modem service.
"Clearly, revenue losses of that magnitude have enormous adverse financial
consequences for the nation's local governments," the cities said. "These
revenues would be available for any number of projects and services that
make communities safer and more livable, and [they would] provide
high-quality education services to allow citizens to make full use of the
rapid changes in technology."
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA458218.html?display=Breaking+News
(requires subscription)
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Communications-related Headlines is a free online news summary service
provided by the Benton Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted Monday through
Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments,
policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are
factually accurate, their often informal tone does not always represent the
tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang
(headlines( at )benton.org) -- we welcome your comments.
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