Benton's Communications-related Headlines for 1/28/04

The Good News, the Bad News, the Ridiculous News in Communications Policy

OWNERSHIP
Government Passes on Ownership Review
Copps on Media Ownership
SBC-AT&T Merger Would Get Approved But Take Time, Divestitures
XM, Sirius In Preliminary Merger Talks

MEDIA POLICY
Lawmakers Try Again to Boost Indecency Fines
The FCC Needs a Conciliator
Belo Lobbies to Delay DTV Decision

CONSUMER PROTECTIONS
California PUC Suspends Telecom Consumer Bill of Rights Until December
Federal Contracts With Columnists Prompt Change in Policy
PBS Stations May Run Controversial Show
Trouble Bubbling Up? Nautical Nonsense!
File-sharing Battles Leave Us Out

INTERNET
President Promotes Switching To Electronic Medical Records
Internet Evolution

QUICKLY -- Ferree Leaving Early March; Bash Joins Adelstein Staff; June=20
Taylor Acting Director of the Office of Workplace Diversity; Clear=20
Channel-PBS Agreement; Public Telecommunications Facilities Grant=20
Opportunities; TPRC Call for Papers

STATEMENTS ON DECISION *NOT* TO APPEAL PROMETHEUS RADIO PROJECT VS FCC

OWNERSHIP

GOVERNMENT PASSES ON OWNERSHIP REVIEW
The Solicitor General has confirmed that the government will not appeal a=20
lower court's ruling (in Prometheus Radio Project vs. FCC) that instructed=
=20
the FCC to revamp its media ownership rules. Without the backing of the=20
Government, the Supreme Court is unlikely to hear an appeal filed by the=20
television networks and large newspaper companies. However, some people are=
=20
suggesting that the Government might wait to see what arguments are made by=
=20
media companies, then weigh in in support of various parts of those=20
appeals. Josh Silver, executive director of media consolidation foe Free=20
Press, was not prepared to start breaking out the champagne. "Today's=20
decision is not cause for celebration. It is a call to arms," he said in a=
=20
statement. "The courts sent the FCC back to the drawing board to restart=20
the entire rulemaking process, but the FCC is still dominated by industry=20
pawns. We cannot expect this FCC to act in the public interest without=20
listening to the public and conducting independent, credible research on=20
the diversity of local voices."
Communications Daily reports that FCC Commissioners Copps and Adelstein=20
made a joint statement: =93The ball is now back in the FCC=92s court. The
Commission should seize the second chance to do the right thing.=94 They=
said=20
the FCC=92s new media policy should include: 1) A comprehensive proceeding=
to=20
promote localism, competition and diversity. 2) A series of hearings across=
=20
the country on the impact of media concentration. 3) Creating a =93far more=
=20
complete record,=94 including independent research on media concentration.
(We've been saying 'til we're blue in the face how important this case is,=
=20
so there's a lot of reaction to the decision. See links to reactions at the=
=20
end of this email.)
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA499594?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA499741.html?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
Feds Leave Broadcasters Alone in FCC Media Ownership Appeal
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Michael Feazel]
(Not available online)
Adelstein/Copps:=20
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-256380A1.doc
LATimes:=20
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-fcc28jan28,1,3926683....
y?coll=3Dla-headlines-pe-business
NYTimes: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/28/business/media/28media.html
WashPost:=
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42134-2005Jan27.html
WSJ:=20
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110685482591338286,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_page_one
USAToday:=
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20050128/1b_fcc28.art.htm
TVWeek: http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=3D7188

COPPS ON MEDIA OWNERSHIP
Remarks of Commissioner Michael J. Copps, National Association of=20
Television Program Executives, Las Vegas, Nevada. "So it is time-it is long=
=20
past time-for the FCC to consider and approve a set-aside, like 25 or 35=20
per cent of prime-time hours, for independent producers and=20
creators. There's just so much more creativity and genius out there than=20
our media currently reflect. More independent programs would be a=20
wonderful boon to diversity, localism and competition-the three building=20
blocks of a healthy and dynamic media environment. And you know, these=20
building blocks aren't luxuries, nice things to have if we can afford=20
them. Diversity, localism and competition are necessities for a thriving=20
American media, and we can't afford not to have them. They are essential=20
for the quality of entertainment our citizens enjoy, and they are essential=
=20
for the vitality of America's civic dialogue-a civic dialogue that I think=
=20
is in serious, serious trouble-but that's another speech. We need these=20
building blocks across our entire media landscape. And your FCC ought to=20
be nourishing these all-American traits. Instead it has been busy=20
subverting them."
[SOURCE: FCC, AUTHOR: FCC Commissioner Michael Copps]
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-256292A1.doc

SBC-AT&T MERGER WOULD GET APPROVED BUT TAKE TIME, DIVESTITURES
We travel to upstate New York and what does SBC do? Just try to reverse the=
=20
1984 consent decree to break up AT&T -- Is there no rest for the weary?=20
Apparently SBC is in talks to acquire AT&T (see 1/27 WSJ=20
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110678104526737235,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_page_one).=20
Some seven years ago, similar rumors of a deal were quashed when then-FCC=20
Reed Hundt said it would be unthinkable that such a merger would be=20
approved. Now industry analysts say the deal may take some time, but would=
=20
ultimately win approval since AT&T is not the biggest competitor for the=20
Baby Bells anymore. A merger would face strong opposition from consumer=20
groups concerned about further diminished competition and higher prices.=20
Consumer Federation of America Research Director Mark Cooper said the=20
merger would represent =93the continuous deterioration of competition in the=
=20
telecom sector, with an evolving cable-Bell duopoly.=94
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Susan Polyakova]
(Not available online)
WashPost:=
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41648-2005Jan27.html
WSJ:=20
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110686715042638602,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_page_one
=
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110686736617438606,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
us_marketplace
=
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110686391699838493,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
us_money_and_investing
USAToday:=20
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20050128/1b_attsbc28.art.htm
=
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20050128/2b_attregulatory28.a...
htm
LATimes:=20
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-fi-att28jan28,1,364734...
ory?coll=3Dla-headlines-frontpage
NYTimes: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/28/business/28phone.html

XM, SIRUS IN PRELIMINARY MERGER TALKS
The New York Post reports that satellite radio rivals Sirius and XM have=20
been meeting lately to discuss the possibility of a merger, according to=20
several sources close to the matter. They have been weighing any potential=
=20
antitrust concerns [well, yeah, that's a good place to start] that would=20
arise from a deal, which would create a monopoly in the nascent satellite=20
radio business -- already a FCC-licensed duopoly. The two companies have=20
talked in the past about merging, but the discussions never got to an=20
advanced stage. Many people in the media industry say it's inevitable the=20
two companies will eventually merge, although a deal could be at least a=20
year away. A merger would alleviate a price war for premium content and=20
allow the two companies to save significant amounts of money on marketing=20
costs.
[SOURCE: Radio Ink]
http://www.radioink.com/HeadlineEntry.asp?hid=3D126959&pt=3Dtodaysnews

MEDIA POLICY

LAWMAKERS TRY AGAIN TO BOOST INDECENCY FINES
Rep. Fred Upton unveiled on Tuesday a bill to raise fines on broadcasters=20
and entertainers to as much as $500,000 per violation. It would also=20
require the FCC to consider revoking a station's license after three=20
violations. Meanwhile, Sen. Sam Brownback, a Kansas Republican, wants to=20
boost fines to as much as $325,000 per violation and a $3 million maximum=20
for continuing violations. The maximum fine now is $32,500 per violation.=20
"It is my hope that we can expedite the legislation and deliver something=20
of real value to American families," said Rep Upton. "At current levels,=20
fines are more of a cost of doing business rather than a deterrent."=20
Broadcasting & Cable reports that Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) labeled the=20
indecency-enforcement as "overreaching" and pledged to defend the First=20
Amendment from that effort. She also said the bill "fails to address the=20
major concern of citizens across the country who believe that there is a=20
direct correlation between media consolidation and the increasing number of=
=20
objectionable materials on the air."
[SOURCE: RadioInk]
http://www.radioink.com/HeadlineEntry.asp?hid=3D126960&pt=3Dtodaysnews
[SOURCE, Broadcasting & Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA499437?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

THE FCC NEEDS A CONCILIATOR
[Editorial] President Bush will soon pick a new Federal Communications=20
Commission chief. To many, that could be ho-hum. But because of the rapid=20
pace in consumer technology, the FCC has power to influence the lives of=20
Americans in all their waking hours, from Internet telephony to digital TV=
=20
to Janet Jackson's future as a singer on network TV. Mr. Bush needs to=20
choose wisely. The person who walks the FCC's political tightrope as its=20
new leader must be just that - a leader, one who can react to quick shifts=
=20
in technology while trying to reconcile competing cries for help from the=20
public.
[SOURCE: Christian Science Monitor, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0128/p08s01-comv.html

BELO LOBBIES TO DELAY DTV DECISION
FCC Chairman Michael Powell is now said to have the three votes necessary=20
to deny broadcasters both cable carriage of all their multicast digital=20
channels and dual analog-digital must-carry during the transition to DTV.=20
But broadcasters continue to lobby to either reverse of delay that=20
decision. Dallas-based Belo Broadcasting, a large TV station owner group,=20
is taking its plea to the House and Senate Commerce Committees. In a letter=
=20
to key Congress members, Belo Chairman Robert Dechard said that with=20
Chairman Powell leaving and the FCC and commerce committees "reorganizing=20
under new leadership," Congress should postpone a decision until a new FCC=
=20
chairman is named. Broadcasters need multicasting must-carry in order for=20
those additional services to be viable, he argues.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA499751?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

CONSUMER PROTECTIONS (?)

CALIFORNIA PUC SUSPENDS TELECOM CONSUMER BILL OF RIGHTS UNTIL DECEMBER
Luckily, the original Bill of Rights has had a longer life that=20
California's telecommunications customers' bill of rights which has been=20
suspended through the end of the year after being adopted in November 2004.=
=20
Between now and the end of the year, the PUC said it will be taking=20
comments and holding informal meetings and formal hearings to address=20
wireless carriers=92 problems with the provisions and implementation=
schedule=20
for the bill of rights. The rules, the result of a four-year effort, were=20
the nation=92s most sweeping set of protections for wireless and landline=20
telephone customers. They gave subscribers a 30-day trial period to cancel=
=20
new services without penalty and imposed numerous other consumer=20
requirements regarding service, billing, disclosures and marketing. Only=20
PUC Commissioner Geoffrey Brown voted against the temporary suspension,=20
saying consumers would be =93castrated=94 by the loss of the protections=20
afforded by the policy document. Brown said consumers seeking redress under=
=20
other
rules and laws encounter prohibitive legal fees and slow legal processes.=20
He said suspension of these rules denies consumers an efficient and=20
affordable way to fight abuses. He said the stay=92s =93illusory promise of=
=20
reinstatement is a fig leaf for elimination.=94
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Herb Kirchhoff]
(Not available online)
WSJ:=20
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110688198222039094,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_marketplace
LATimes:=20
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-puc28jan28,1,5097157....
y?coll=3Dla-headlines-pe-business
Reaction --
Consumers Union:=20
http://www.consumersunion.org/pub/core_telecom_and_utilities/001817.html...
e
Wireless Lobby: http://www.ctia.org/news_media/press/body.cfm?record_id=3D14=
84

FEDERAL CONTRACTS WITH COLUMNISTS PROMPT CHANGE IN POLICY
Michael J. McManus, a part-time columnist who heads an organization that=20
promotes marriage, was awarded a contract worth up to $10,000 from the Bush=
=20
Administration last year -- the third recent case in which a syndicated=20
columnist has received such payments. He was paid through a subcontract=20
from a consulting firm that does work for the Department of Health and=20
Human Services. He said he saw nothing wrong with receiving the money,=20
which he said amounted to $4,000 plus travel expenses, or an additional=20
$49,000 in federal funds channeled to his organization, Marriage Savers,=20
from another federal grant recipient. McManus said Thursday night that his=
=20
column appeared in 30 papers, most of them small, and generally did not=20
back or even address administration policies. He said his applications for=
=20
some direct federal grants had been denied by the Bush administration, "so=
=20
I don't think it looks terribly cozy." Nonetheless, an assistant secretary=
=20
of Health and Human Services who oversees the payments said Thursday he was=
=20
changing his division's policy so that contracts to columnists would be=20
prohibited. Under both Democratic and Republican administrations, the=20
government has awarded contracts to public relations firms to present=20
information about specific issues and promote its programs. The amount and=
=20
number of contracts have increased under the current administration.
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Tom Hamburger]
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-pr28jan28,1,3044...
story?coll=3Dla-news-a_section
(requires registration)

PBS STATIONS MAY RUN CONTROVERSIAL SHOW
A number of local public TV stations may run an episode of the animated=20
series "Postcards From Buster" featuring a real family headed by a lesbian=
=20
couple despite a decision by PBS not to distribute the program. PBS said=20
its unusual decision to drop the episode was made independently, not=20
because of pressure from the U.S. Department of Education's new secretary,=
=20
Margaret Spellings. Sec. Spellings on Tuesday wrote to PBS President Pat=20
Mitchell asking the network to consider removing the department's logo and=
=20
returning the public money spent on the episode.
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Lynn Smith]
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-pbs28jan28,1,540...
.story?coll=3Dla-news-a_section
(requires registration)

TROUBLE BUBBLING UP? NAUTICAL NONSENSE!
Is SpongeBob SquarePants gay? Is he a threat to cable-subscribed children=20
everywhere? Will FCC Chairman Michael Powell step up and protect the=20
viewing audience? He has been strangely quiet on this latest crisis. And=20
here's why: Powell is quite close to the sponge dude. He's even been seen=20
cavorting with him, including publicly on one occasion. Back on March 10,=20
Powell's FCC Web site featured a photo of the chairman and the sponge,=20
grinning and holding hands no less in the MTV booth at a trade convention.=
=20
This and similar fun photos were removed from the site not long after that=
=20
item ran. Even so, the Post reports that the Powell/SpongeBob relationship=
=20
remains, let's say, very special.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Al Kamen]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43234-2005Jan27.html
(requires registration)

FILE-SHARING BATTLES LEAVE US OUT
[Commentary] Under the guise of "looking for middle ground" in the=20
peer-to-peer file-sharing debate, Ross argues that Public Knowledge and the=
=20
organization's president, Gigi Sohn, does not "speak for consumers like me=
=20
who want digital content, but want to pay for it."
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Patrick Ross, Progress & Freedom=
Foundation]
http://news.com.com/File-sharing+battles+leave+us+out/2010-1071_3-555194...
ml?tag=3Dnefd.ac

INTERNET

PRESIDENT PROMOTES SWITCHING TO ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS
President Bush called on doctors and hospitals Thursday to move their=20
medical records from paper to electronic files, a change that he said would=
=20
improve medical care while shaving significant sums from the nation's=20
spiraling health care bill. Electronic files give doctors instant access to=
=20
potentially lifesaving information such as patients' medical histories, lab=
=20
test results and the list of medications they have been prescribed. In=20
addition, proponents say, electronic records reduce administrative costs=20
and the chance for medical errors that occur when information is written=20
down inaccurately or illegibly. The records also invite patients to become=
=20
more involved in their medical care by making lab tests and other records=20
available to them over the Internet, and providing them with electronic=20
links to more information about their medical conditions.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Michael Fletcher]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41595-2005Jan27.html
(requires registration)

INTERNET EVOLUTION
A decade after browsers came into popular use, the Internet has reached=20
into=ADand, in some cases, reshaped=ADjust about every important realm of=20
modern life. It has changed the way we inform ourselves, amuse ourselves,=20
care for ourselves, educate ourselves, work, shop, bank, pray and stay in=20
touch. On a typical day at the end of 2004, some 70 million American adults=
=20
logged onto the Internet to use email, get news, access government=20
information, check out health and medical information, participate in=20
auctions, book travel reservations, research their genealogy, gamble, seek=
=20
out romantic partners, and engage in countless other activities. That=20
represents a 37 percent increase from the 51 million Americans who were=20
online on an average day in 2000 when the Pew Internet & American Life=20
Project began its study of online life. The Web has become the =93new=20
normal=94 in the American way of life; those who don't go online constitute=
=20
an ever-shrinking minority. And as the online population has grown rapidly,=
=20
its composition has changed rapidly. At the infant stage, the Internet=92s=
=20
user population was dominated by young, white men who had high incomes and=
=20
plenty of education. As it passed into its childhood years in 1999 and=20
2000, the population went mainstream; women reached parity and then=20
overtook men online, lots more minority families joined the party, and more=
=20
people with modest levels of income and education came online.
[SOURCE: Pew Internet & American Life Project]
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/148/report_display.asp
http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/Internet_Status_2005.pdf

QUICKLY

* Ferree Leaving Early March
Kenneth Ferree, Chief of the Media Bureau for the Federal Communications=20
Commission (FCC), announces his resignation effective in early
March 2005. In March 2002, the Cable Services Bureau was combined with the=
=20
Mass Media Bureau, and Ferree was named Chief of the newly created Media=20
Bureau. Ferree provides legal, policy and regulatory advice to the FCC=20
Chairman and the other FCC Commissioners on broadcast, cable, broadband,=20
and post-licensing satellite issues.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-256319A1.doc

* Bash Joins Adelstein Staff
FCC Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein announced today that Eric Bash has=20
been detailed to his staff as an Interim Legal Advisor working on media=20
issues pending the selection of a permanent advisor. Bash is currently=20
Assistant Chief in the Enforcement Bureau, Investigations & Hearings=20
Division. He previously served as Special Counsel to the Commission's=20
Localism Task Force, and as Attorney Advisor in the Media Bureau, Policy=20
Division, and in the former Mass Media Bureau, Policy & Rules Division. He=
=20
also has worked in the Common Carrier (now Wireline Competition) and=20
Wireless Telecommunications Bureaus. Before joining the Commission in=20
1996, Eric worked for the Federal Trade Commission, representing the agency=
=20
in consumer protection litigation in the federal courts. Eric received his=
=20
J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, and his A.B. from Duke University.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-256315A1.doc

* FCC Chairman Michael Powell today named P. June Taylor Acting Director of=
=20
the Office of Workplace Diversity (OWD).
Taylor most recently served as Associate Bureau Chief and Chief of Staff in=
=20
the FCC's Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGB). Prior to joining=
=20
the Commission, Taylor was an attorney with the Office of General Counsel=20
for the Western Area Power Administration, U.S. Department of=20
Energy. While at Western, she successfully defended the agency in=20
litigation before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Equal=20
Employment Opportunity Commission, and Merit Systems Protection Board. She=
=20
clerked for the Honorable Warren O. Martin and the Honorable Lawrence A.=20
Manzanares of the 2nd Judicial District, Colorado District Court. Taylor=20
also served as a Judicial Fellow to the Colorado Supreme Court. Taylor=20
received her J.D. from the University of Denver College of Law where she=20
was President of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association and=20
Articles Editor of the Transportation Law Journal. She holds a B.A. cum=20
laude from the University of New Mexico where she was a Phi Beta Kappa=20
graduate.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-256306A1.doc

* Clear Channel-PBS Agreement
Just when you thought public TV couldn't get more commercial... PBS and=20
Clear Channel Entertainment (CCE) announced Thursday that they will create=
=20
an exclusive live touring partnership and television production deal. The=20
agreement provides Clear Channel with a first right of refusal to mount=20
live tours of performance shows produced for PBS stations' membership=20
pledge drives. Additionally, it is anticipated that Clear Channel TV will=20
produce original fundraising programs for PBS. The live events will allow=20
local PBS television stations to partner with CCE to promote both the=20
telecast and the live shows as fundraising events.
[SOURCE: PBS Press Release]
http://www.pbs.org/aboutpbs/news/20050127_clearchannel.html

* Public Telecommunications Facilities Program
The Public Telecommunications Facilities Program (PTFP) has published a=20
Federal Funding Opportunity Notice detailing the FY 2005 PTFP grant round=20
application requirements and guidelines. The PTFP assists, through matching=
=20
grants, in the planning and construction of public telecommunications=20
facilities in order to: 1) Extend delivery of services to as many citizens=
=20
as possible by the most cost-effective means, including use of broadcast=20
and non-broadcast technologies; 2) increase public telecommunications=20
services and facilities available to, operated by, and controlled by=20
minorities and women; 3) strengthen the capability of existing public=20
television and radio stations to provide public telecommunications services=
=20
to the public. The deadline for all applications is March 1, 2005.
[SOURCE: National Telecommunications and Information Administration]
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ptfp/attachments/whatsnew.htm

* The Telecommunications Policy Research Conference is now accepting paper=
=20
proposals for its 2005 conference, which will be held from Friday,
September 23 through Sunday, September 25, 2005 at the George Mason=20
University Law School in Arlington, Virginia. TPRC also invites suggestions=
=20
on special panels and tutorials. This year TPRC is soliciting abstracts for=
=20
policy-relevant papers in the following topic areas: Comparative History;=20
Competition Policy in Network Technologies and Industries; Information and=
=20
Communication Technologies for Community and National Development;=20
Intellectual Property; Mass Media and Content Regulation; Disruptive New=20
Technologies; Privacy and Security; Regulation, E-regulation, and=20
Governance of Information and Communication Technologies; and Spectrum=20
Policy and Wireless Applications
The deadline for abstract submissions is March 31, 2005.
http://www.tprc.org/TPRC05/call05.htm

STATEMENTS ON DECISION *NOT* TO APPEAL PROMETHEUS RADIO PROJECT VS FCC

Media Access Project
http://www.mediaaccess.org/press/prometheusvictoryPR.pdf

Consumers Union
http://www.hearusnow.org/index.php?id=3D436

Center for Creative Voices in Media
http://www.creativevoices.us/php-bin/news/showArticle.php?id=3D104&PHPSE...
=3D5608baccd03407f30449c81094e7c7ef

Communications Workers of America
http://www.cwa-union.org/news/PressReleaseDisplay.asp?ID=3D478

Free Press
http://www.freepress.net/news/release.php?id=3D43

United Church of Christ
http://www.ucc.org/news/oc012705.htm
--------------------------------------------------------------
Sure we just got back, but we are outta here. See you Monday. Thanks again=
=20
to our friends at Ithaca College.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Communications-related Headlines is a free online news summary service=20
provided by the Benton Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted Monday through=20
Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments,=20
policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are=20
factually accurate, their often informal tone does not always represent the=
=20
tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang=20
(headlines( at )benton.org) -- we welcome your comments.
--------------------------------------------------------------