Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow on Gobbler's Knob so bundle up.
OWNERSHIP & SOCIETY
Belo's Decherd Warns of Media Monopolists
Consolidation of Media Rapped at Indie Confab
Plan B: Why CNN and CBS News Should Merge
Grokster and America's Future
Latest Research Will Be Accessible
All the News that's Fit to be Given Away
After Death, a Struggle for Their Digital Memories
Mergers Narrow Telecom Choices for Consumers
Qwest Is in Talks to Buy MCI, Further Roiling Telecom World
Time Warner Plan Is to Merge Assets With Adelphia's
CONSUMER PROTECTIONS?
Request for a Congressional Investigation into the FCC Consumer
Advisory Committee
Spam Fighter has a Honey Pot of an Idea
D.C. Seeks Sales Ban On Violent Games
The Year of Living Indecently
DOE Disinvites Buster Producer
LEGISLATIVE AGENDA
Barton=92s First Priority: 2006 DTV Transition Deadline
Legislation to Ensure Continued Internet and Phone Service to=20
Rural Areas
TELECOM
Universal Service Fund Oversight Guy
Running From Dial-Up Access
FCC lets SBC Dial Direct to get Net Phone Numbers
Not Just for Emergencies Anymore
CABLE
FCC Staff Rejects Massive Cable Dereg
NRB Asks White House For DTV Delay
QUICKLY -- Benton Critiques Industry of Giants; WMD: The Movie
OWNERSHIP & SOCIETY
BELO'S DECHERD WARNS OF MEDIA MONOPOLISTS
Having built a virtual local news monopoly in Dallas, Robert Decherd,=20
chairman of broadcast group/newspaper publisher Belo, is warning that=20
"without full digital must carry...the government sets in motion an=20
information delivery infrastructure that will be controlled by just seven=20
companies" (the top five cable companies, plus EchoStar and DirecTV). He=20
says marketplace forces are not sufficient given that lopsided power=20
structure, which threatens an essential diversity of voices. Decherd=20
concedes that pay TV, not broadcasting, is now the delivery mechanism of=20
choice for TV channels. "Given that 85% of Americans subscribe to one of=20
these services and receive their broadcast signals directly through them,=20
the cable and satellite companies operate as the gatekeepers between the=20
local braodcasters and the local communities they serve." Decherd says=20
those who believe that broadcasters like Belo are well positioned to=20
negotiate multicast carriage with cable and satellite operators for=20
themselves are "dead wrong." He argues that Cable operators have the=20
monopoly muscle to dictate their own terms. Broadcast networks are in a=20
better position, he says, because they can leverage their cable nets to get=
=20
carriage for their owned stations, but not so for owners like Belo. Decherd=
=20
argues that multicast channels and the new sources of news and information=
=20
they provide are an important reality check in a world where news bombards=
=20
viewers at the speed of light, and often with few editorial filters.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA500987?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
CONSOLIDATION OF MEDIA RAPPED AT INDIE CONFAB
The Independent Press Association, a San Francisco nonprofit dedicated to=20
supporting independent publishers as the "antidote to media monopoly," held=
=20
its fourth annual conference this past weekend, drawing more than 320=20
publications. It featured speeches by FCC Jonathan Adelstein, National=20
Public Radio and Air America radio personality Laura Flanders, Barnes &=20
Noble newsstand director Jaime Carey and venture capitalist Melissa=20
Bradley. FCC Commissioner Adelstein said, "This past year has truly been=20
the year for the independents. Independent media brings necessary new=20
perspectives, and can change and shape opinions in important ways."=20
Focusing on "the effects of media consolidation on democracy," Adelstein=20
talked about the public's appetite "for a more nourishing media diet" in=20
the face of the "McDonaldization of the media. Don't get me wrong,"=20
Adelstein said, "I love McDonald's, once in a while. But when you have to=20
deal with so much homogenized, prepackaged, predigested . .." Adelstein=20
paused as the audience chuckled, "uh, material, coming at you every day,=20
you can get sick." Adelstein linked current issues, such as the Armstrong=20
Williams payola scandal and other breachings of editorial- advertising=20
lines, to the broader problem of consolidation. "In the increasing quest=20
for revenue, managers are under huge pressure from their bosses to perform,=
=20
and that bottom-line pressure forces the commercialization of the news at=20
the expense of truth."
[SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle, AUTHOR: Reyhan Harmanci=20
rharmanci( at )sfchronicle.com]
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=3D/c/a/2005/02/02/DDGJCB3D3J...
L
PLAN B: WHY CNN AND CBS SHOULD MERGE
[Commentary] CNN needs more viewers to justify its global news operation.=20
CBS needs more TV news platforms. So why don't the two moribund outfits=20
team up? As recently as 2003, the two companies were reportedly discussing=
=20
joining forces. Two weeks ago, Time magazine wrote there were "rumors" of a=
=20
merger between the two once again, but it wasn't clear whether that was=20
true. Proponents of the idea -- mostly news people, but a financial=20
analyst as well -- suggested that a CNN=96CBS News partnership could bulk up=
=20
the integrity and competitiveness of both operations.
[SOURCE: New York Observer, AUTHOR: Joe Hagan]
http://www.nyobserver.com/pages/nytv.asp
GROKSTER AND AMERICA'S FUTURE
[Commentary] The technology revolution is in peril because of the=20
Government's efforts to protect the rights of content producers over=20
content consumers. Next month, a case entitled MGM v. Grokster will go=20
before the U.S. Supreme Court. The case is about whether peer-to-peer=20
software that enables the peer-to-peer networks most of us read about--and=
=20
few of us use--should be illegal or not. The big entertainment companies=20
are pushing the argument that because some of their content gets stolen=20
through the use of this software, all uses of the software should be=20
illegal. They are not, however, arguing that there aren't legitimate=20
reasons to use the software. They acknowledge that businesses and=20
individuals are using the software for purposes other than those that=20
impact their music or movie businesses. They just feel that because it=20
impacts their business (they still don't know if it's a positive or=20
negative impact) in a way they can't control, it's better to make it=20
illegal than adapt to the new technology. In reality, this case isn't=20
about whether music or movies are illegally downloaded using P2P software.=
=20
This is purely about control. In reality, this case isn't about whether=20
music or movies are illegally downloaded using P2P software. This is purely=
=20
about control. The entertainment industry wants control over technology=20
that could impact its business.
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Mark Cuban]
http://news.com.com/Grokster+and+Americas+future/2010-1028_3-5559340.htm...
g=3Dnefd.ac
LATEST RESEARCH WILL BE ACCESSIBLE
The National Institutes of Health, moving to disseminate publicly funded=20
medical research more broadly, will issue rules today making scholarly=20
articles produced by scientists getting NIH grants available to the public=
=20
free. The rules are likely to require that government-funded works be made=
=20
available on a government Web site 12 months after being published.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Bernard Wysocki Jr.=20
bernie.wysocki( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110738447096144147,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_personal_journal
(requires subscription)
ALL THE NEWS THAT'S FIT TO BE GIVEN AWAY
The rising expectation that news should be free has implications for both=20
the industry and a democracy that depends on it for information. On the one=
=20
hand, some observers believe that the proliferation of free newspapers and=
=20
free news sites on the Internet means a larger number of voices that cater=
=20
to niche audiences. But others worry that websites and newspapers supported=
=20
purely by advertisers may not be able to sustain a vast network of=20
professional news gatherers. Whatever its perils and promises, the march=20
toward free news seems unstoppable.
[SOURCE: Christian Science Monitor, AUTHOR: Stephen Humphries]
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0203/p12s01-ussc.html
AFTER DEATH, A STRUGGLE FOR THEIR DIGITAL MEMORIES
As computers continue to permeate our lives, what happens to digital bits=20
of information when their owners pass away has become one of the vexing=20
questions of the Internet age. Much of that data are stored in accounts on=
=20
remote servers and have no physical manifestation that can be neatly=20
transferred. There are no clear laws of inheritance, meaning that Internet=
=20
providers must often decide for themselves what is right. Many Internet=20
firms have found themselves facing criticism no matter what they do. If=20
they decline to release the information, they are labeled villains by=20
people supporting the families. If they give it up, they are chastised for=
=20
violating their own privacy statements. Complicating such disputes is the=20
very nature of e-mail, which many consider to be more personal and informal=
=20
than regular letters; some even use it to correspond anonymously, to hide=20
aspects of their lives they may not want revealed to others.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Ariana Eunjung Cha]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58836-2005Feb2.html
(requires registration)
MERGERS NARROW TELECOM CHOICES FOR CONSUMERS
SBC's proposed $16 billion purchase of AT&T is another reminder of the=20
dramatic technological and regulatory changes sweeping the=20
telecommunications industry and reshaping the choices consumers face when=20
they shop for communications services. The notion of phone companies=20
battling one another for local customers is all but dead. Instead, the=20
emerging competition is between phone giants, such as SBC Communications=20
and Verizon Communications, and cable behemoths such as Comcast. Both are=20
encroaching on each other's turf, hoping to entice consumers by bundling=20
Internet access and phone and television services into all-in-one packages.=
=20
Mobile phone companies and Internet phone start-ups such as Vonage will try=
=20
to steal away slices of the telephone market. But experts predict the=20
lion's share of the phone market will go to the regional Bell phone=20
companies and cable companies. Whether this new type of competition will be=
=20
good for consumers or not is open for debate. Outgoing FCC Chairman Michael=
=20
Powell has said that this type of "intermodal" competition is as good as=20
any for consumers. "It underscores the fact that the vision of rigorous=20
competition for the residential customer has failed," said Mark Cooper,=20
analyst with Consumer Federation of America. "We're getting a duopoly, and=
=20
it's a crummy duopoly. Two companies is not enough to trigger vigorous=20
price competition or innovation."
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Michael Bazeley]
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/technology/10796961.htm
QWEST IS IN TALKS TO BUY MCI, FURTHER ROILING TELECOM WORLD
Another day, another merger to consider. MCI and Baby Bell Qwest=20
Communications I are in talks that could lead to a merger as pressure on=20
telecom companies to consolidate increases in the wake of SBC's agreement=20
to purchase AT&T earlier this week. Qwest, which has been in on-and-off=20
talks with MCI for months, is offering about $6.3 billion to acquire MCI,=20
close to its market value. Verizon is also in talks with Qwest. The sale of=
=20
MCI would mark a quick end to the nation's independent long-distance=20
telephone industry. Just six weeks ago, Sprint agreed to acquire Nextel=20
Communications for $35 billion in a bid to define itself primarily as a=20
wireless company.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Almar Latour almar.latour( at )wsj.com and=
=20
Dennis K. Berman dennis.berman( at )wsj.com ]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110738875129944310,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_page_one
(requires subscription)
TIME WARNER PLAN IS TO MERGE ASSETS WITH ADELPHIA'S
The joint bid for Adelphia Communications by Time Warner and Comcast calls=
=20
for merging Time Warner's cable operation into Adelphia to form a new=20
company that would be mostly owned by Time Warner, according to people=20
familiar with the matter. Comcast has agreed to contribute $1 billion to $2=
=20
billion in cash and its 21% stake in Time Warner Cable to the deal, which=20
is valued by Time Warner and Comcast at $17 billion to $17.5 billion. In=20
exchange, Comcast would get 2 million to 2.5 million subscribers. The Time=
=20
Warner-Comcast bid is believed to have the inside track in the closely=20
watched auction of the country's fifth-largest cable operator, which has=20
been operating under bankruptcy protection since 2002. A bid for the entire=
=20
company also was submitted Monday by a venture of private-equity firms=20
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and Providence Equity Partners.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Peter Grant peter.grant( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110738939286344340,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_page_one
(requires subscription)
CONSUMER PROTECTIONS?
REQUEST FOR A CONGRESSIONAL INVESTIGATION INTO THE FCC CONSUMER ADVISORY=20
COMMITTEE
Teletruth, an independent, national customer alliance today will request an=
=20
investigation under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) of how phone=
=20
company interests, and not consumers, are in control of the FCC's Consumer=
=20
Advisory Committee (CAC). Teletruth has served on the committee lending=20
expertise on the auditing and correcting of mistakes on residential and=20
small business phone bills, as well as covering other areas of the phone=20
and broadband industries for the public interest. However, Teletruth=20
writes, it has become clear over the course of two-years of events that=20
this Committee is the epitome of "regulatory capture" - the=20
telecommunications industry has been able to unduly influence events on=20
this Committee and at the Commission, and has harmed the public interest.
[SOURCE: Teletruth Press Release]
http://www.newnetworks.com/CACpressrelease.htm
http://www.teletruth.org/consumeradvisory.html
See complaint at:
http://www.newnetworks.com/CACletterfinal20205.htm
SPAM FIGHTER HAS A HONEY POT OF AN IDEA
Matthew Prince believes we should try to stop spam at the source, not at=20
your In box. He's going after those who harvest e-mail addresses -- a=20
practice that carries criminal penalties under a slew of anti-spam laws,=20
including the federal CAN-SPAM Act. To do so, Prince launched Project Honey=
=20
Pot, a service that relies on anti-spam volunteers all over the world to=20
upload phantom Web pages on their sites. The pages are invisible to Web=20
surfers, but not to software that crawls the Web to collect e-mail=20
addresses. When a crawler visits one of those pages, the page will generate=
=20
a unique e-mail address that contains information about the time it was=20
harvested and the IP address, or identity, of the computer that harvested=20
it. In a little over three months, volunteers have installed some 5,000=20
Honey Pot pages, which have generated more than 41,000 Honey Pot addresses.=
=20
The data linked to the Honey Pot addresses works like a "homing beacon" on=
=20
a harvester's identity.
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Miguel Helft]
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/technology/10797707.htm
See also --
Deleting Spam Costs Billions, Study Finds
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/technology/10800628.htm
DC SEEKS SALES BAN ON VIOLENT GAMES
In December, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) proposed making it illegal=20
for anyone younger than 18 to buy violent or sexually explicit games.=20
Similar bans have been considered in Michigan. Now Washington, DC may enter=
=20
the debate as well. Council member Adrian M. Fenty (D-Ward 4) and 11=20
colleagues are scheduled to introduce a measure today that would limit the=
=20
sale of such games as the Grand Theft Auto series, Halo 2 and Mortal=20
Kombat. A store that sells the games to minors could lose its business=20
license and face a fine of as much as $10,000. Washington DC Mayor Anthony=
=20
A. Williams says he supports a ban.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: ]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58996-2005Feb2.html
(requires registration)
THE YEAR OF LIVING INDECENTLY
You can read it now or over breakfast in Sunday's New York Times. Rich=20
offers a glimpse of what Janet's breast has wrought. It might all be=20
laughable were the government not expanding its role as cultural cop. But=20
it is. The departures of Michael Powell, the Savonarola of the Federal=20
Communications Commission, and John Ashcroft, whose parallel right-breast=20
fixation was stimulated by a statue in the Justice Department, are red=20
herrings. That our government is now both intimidating PBS and awarding=20
public money to pundits to enforce "moral values" agendas demonizing=20
certain families is the ugliest fallout of the campaign against indecency.=
=20
That campaign cannot really banish salaciousness from pop culture, a rank=20
impossibility in a market economy where red and blue customers are united=20
in their infatuation with "Desperate Housewives." But it can create public=
=20
policy that discriminates against anyone on the hit list of moral values=20
zealots. Inane as it may seem that some are conducting witch hunts against=
=20
Buster and SpongeBob SquarePants, there's a method to their seeming idiocy:=
=20
the cartoon surrogates are deliberately chosen to camouflage the harshness=
=20
of their assault on nonanimated, flesh-and-blood people.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Frank Rich]
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/06/arts/06rich.html
(requires registration)
DOE DISINVITES BUSTER PRODUCER
Many PBS stations may still be deciding to accompany Buster into the home=20
of a family with two mothers, but the Department of Education (DOE) has=20
decided to disinvite the show's executive producer, Carol Greenwald from=20
speaking at a children=92s-TV conference the DOE is co-sponsoring with PBS=
in=20
Baltimore Friday. The Baltimore conference is being co-sponsored by PBS and=
=20
DOE, but the first two days of the conference have been set aside for DOE=20
to talk about new guidelines for educational literacy TV programming it=20
funds. Buster is majority funded by DOE as part of PBS=92 Ready-to-Learn=20
initiative, a five-year partnership between it and DOE under a grant that=20
expires in August. That partnership is likely to change, though, under=20
terms of a new request for proposal DOE is about to issue. Commercial as=20
well as noncommercial kids programmers may be eligible to bid for the grant=
=20
under the new guidelines, and the DOE may seek greater control over the=20
programming produced with its money.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA501189.html?display=3DBreakin...
ws&referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
LEGISLATIVE AGENDA
BARTON'S FIRST PRIORITY: 2006 DTV TRANSITION DEADLINE
House Commerce Committee Chairman Barton (R-TX) and Telecom Subcommittee=20
Chairman Upton (R-MI) made clear that their top priority is legislation, to=
=20
be introduced this Spring, that would enforce a 2006 transition date for=20
conversion of analog TV signals to digital by 2006. Universal service=20
reform is another priority -- Rep Barton believes is should be repealed,=20
but will allow for continuing to keep rural telephone rates low. The=20
Commerce Committee leaders also said there would be sweeping
reform of telecom law, with an emphasis on regulatory parity. They said the=
=20
E-rate program has already met its goal and has now essentially become =93a=
=20
maintenance program.=94 These are all big issues, but first legislators may=
=20
tackle some issues from the Congress: indecent broadcast programming and=20
junk faxes.
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Terry Lane]
(Not available online)
LEGISLATION TO ENSURE CONTINUED INTERNET AND PHONE SERVICE IN RURAL AREAS
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) will support the=
=20
Universal Service Anti-Deficiency Permanent Exemption Act (S-241)=20
introduced by Sen. Snowe (R-ME) that would make permanent the universal=20
service fund=92s exemption from the Anti-Deficiency Act (ADA). Congress near=
=20
the end of last session enacted a year=92s moratorium on application of the=
=20
ADA to USF. Sen Stevens is a co-sponsor of the legislation, along with=20
Senate Commerce Committee ranking Democrat Inouye (D-Hawaii) and Sen.=20
Rockefeller (D-WV). =93Exempting the Universal Service Administrative=
Company=20
from the Anti-Deficiency Act is crucial to retaining Internet access to our=
=20
schools and libraries and ensuring the continued success of rural=20
tele-medicine programs. We have worked to ensure that rural America is not=
=20
left off the information highway and failure to act on a permanent=20
exemption will put us on the exit ramp,=94 said Sen Stevens. Sen Inouye=
said,=20
=93Congress cannot allow beneficiaries of universal service support - our=20
schools, libraries, rural health providers and telecommunications carriers=
=20
- to lose critical services that connect underserved communities to the=20
promise of the digital age. To avoid a repeat of the disruptions that=20
plagued universal service beneficiaries last year, I stand ready to work=20
with my colleagues on a permanent solution to this problem.=94
[SOURCE: Communications Daily]
(Not available online)
[SOURCE: US Senate Commerce Committee Press Release]
http://commerce.senate.gov/newsroom/printable.cfm?id=3D231423
TELECOM
UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND OVERSIGHT GUY
Mark Stephens has won one of the plumb jobs in DC -- he'll be the FCC's=20
Special Advisor for Universal Service Fund Oversight in the Wireline=20
Competition Bureau's Telecommunications Access Policy Division (TAPD). In=20
this position, Mr. Stephens will advise the division chief and the division=
=20
management on issues related to oversight, audits, accounting, and --=20
that's not all -- administration of the Universal Service Fund. Stephens=20
will lead the division's efforts to strengthen oversight, improve=20
administration and further safeguard the Universal Service Fund from waste,=
=20
fraud, and abuse. After creating Strat-O-Matic (TM) bseball, Stephens=20
joined the FCC in 1991 as an auditor in the Common Carrier Bureau's=20
Accounting & Audits Division. Stephens has served as an auditor and systems=
=20
accountant in the Common Carrier Bureau's Accounting & Audits Division and=
=20
as an audit team leader in the Enforcement Bureau's Investigation &=20
Hearings Division. Stephens joined the Wireline Competition Bureau in=20
August 2003 and has been working on Universal Service Fund oversight issues=
=20
since that time. Before joining the FCC, Stephens worked at a public=20
accounting firm and maintained the position of Controller in a private firm.
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-256492A1.doc
RUNNING FROM DIAL-UP ACCESS
The nation's two top dial-up Internet providers are jumping into different=
=20
lifeboats as the broadband Internet wave threatens to sink their leaky=20
business models. It remains unclear whether either lifeboat will float.=20
EarthLink, the No. 2 player in Internet dial-up access, is trying to remake=
=20
itself as an uber-broadband provider, buying wholesale high-speed=20
connectivity from all kinds of network operators and reselling it under its=
=20
own name. America Online, the leader in dial-up access, largely abandoned=20
that broadband strategy last year and is counting on advertising to keep it=
=20
afloat as dial-up customers defect to rivals selling faster or cheaper=20
Internet connections. AOL is partnering with high-speed network operators,=
=20
hoping to snag a sliver of their subscription revenue, while trying to=20
remake itself in the image of ad-centric Yahoo.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Leslie Walker]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A57740-2005Feb2.html
(requires registration)
FCC LETS SBC DIAL DIRECT TO GET NET PHONE NUMBERS
In a boost for Internet telephone service (VoIP), the FCC has made it=20
easier and cheaper for SBC and other Internet phone service providers to=20
get 10-digit phone numbers directly from their official source--a privately=
=20
run, quasi-government agency known as the North American Numbering Plan=20
Administration. Before the FCC's action, only those Net phone providers=20
certified by states could approach the agency directly. The SBC division=20
selling Net phone services argued that it wasn't fair; the calls actually=20
use the Internet and are therefore off-limits to any regulation. Also,=20
requiring certification multiplies the already onerous amount of expensive=
=20
state and federal telephone regulation.
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Ben Charny]
http://news.com.com/FCC+lets+SBC+dial+direct+to+get+Net+phone+numbers/21...
352_3-5560894.html?tag=3Dnefd.top
NOT JUST FOR EMERGENCIES ANYMORE
The cellphone, once viewed by older people solely as a device for use in=20
emergencies, is becoming an everyday convenience. Encouraged by inexpensive=
=20
calling plans, older Americans are using cellphones to call their=20
grandchildren at college, or to set up a bridge game at their retirement=20
community. Half of Americans ages 65 to 74 own mobile phones, according to=
=20
the Yankee Group, a technology research firm, as do 30 percent of those 75=
=20
to 84. Four years ago, the firm estimates, only 15 percent of people over=20
65 were wireless customers. And older users are increasingly attracted to=20
cellphones for general use, not merely safety, the firm says. The increase=
=20
in cellphone use among older Americans is coming despite, not because of,=20
the wireless industry. Carriers make little effort to appeal to older=20
customers, directing most of their marketing efforts to younger people who=
=20
are more likely to use (and pay for) extra features like text messaging and=
=20
voice mail. Indeed, older consumers often complain that all those features=
=20
- accessible on ever-smaller phones with tiny keys - leave them confused.=20
AARP, the advocacy and lobbying group for older Americans, says cellphone=20
service is the benefit most requested by its 35 million members. In=20
response to complaints about poor service and hard-to-use phones, the=20
organization is testing a program that will provide members with discounted=
=20
calling plans and handsets from several carriers as well as materials about=
=20
how to operate the devices.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Jeffrey Selingo]
http://tech.nytimes.com/2005/02/03/technology/circuits/03elde.html
(requires registration)
CABLE
FCC STAFF REJECTS MASSIVE CABLE DEREG
FCC staff apparently have rejected a cable-industry proposal designed to=20
trigger rate deregulation across the country and allow cable systems to set=
=20
basic-cable and equipment rates without local approval. The proposal,=20
floated by the National Cable & Telecommunications Association nearly four=
=20
years ago, called for total cable-rate deregulation in at least 41 states=20
unless state regulators assigned lawyers to prove to the FCC that=20
deregulation was unjustified in thousands of discrete communities. Under=20
current FCC rules, cable systems are presumed to be monopolies unless the=20
cable operator files a petition with the agency demonstrating that the=20
franchise area served is subject to effective competition. To gain=20
deregulation, a cable system must provide evidence that competing pay TV=20
providers -- mainly direct-broadcast satellite providers DirecTV and=20
EchoStar Communications -- serve more than 15% of households in the=20
franchise area.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA501057.html?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
NRB ASKS WHITE HOUSE FOR DTV DELAY
Add religious broadcasters to the list of organizations asking policymakers=
=20
to delay a decision on multicast must-carry until after a new FCC chairman=
=20
is chosen. "The ultimate impact of that decision [to deny multicast=20
must-carry]," says NRB President Frank Wright, "would be less of our=20
programming in the nation's homes."
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA501184?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
QUICKLY
BENTON CRITIQUES INDUSTRY OF GIANTS
A report on Charles Benton's recent trip to Ithaca College from the=20
school's student newspaper. You can also read Benton's major remarks,=20
"Where's the Public? Media Reform in the Digital Age", at=20
http://www.benton.org/press/2005/speech01-05.doc
[SOURCE: The Ithacan, AUTHOR: Nathaniel Weixel]
http://www.ithaca.edu/ithacan/articles/0501/27/news/5benton_cr.htm
WMD: THE MOVIE
Amy Goodman talks to Danny Schechter about his new documentary exploring=20
the U.S. media's inadequate coverage of the war in Iraq from the lead-up to=
=20
the fishy deaths of unembedded reporters. WMD will be opening in New York=20
at the Village East Theater (12th and Second Avenue) and New Metro (99th=20
and Broadway) on Friday evening February 4th.
[SOURCE: AlterNet, AUTHOR: Amy Goodman, Democracy Now]
http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/21157/
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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
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tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang=20
(headlines( at )benton.org) -- we welcome your comments.
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