For upcoming media policy events, see http://www.benton.org/calendar.htm
TELEVISION AND THE PUBLIC INTEREST
Minow, Geller Seek Expedited FCC Rulemaking on Free Time
Proposed Reality Show Alarms Child Advocates
Will HDTV Antipiracy Plan Unplug Digital Networks?
BROADBAND
AT&T Faces Bills for Calls Carried Over Internet
FCC Urged to Keep VoIP Regulation-Free
Cut-Rate Calling, By Way of the Net
EarthLink Opposes NCTA Stay Request
Tale of Two Broadband Cases Illustrates Battle over Net=92s Future
True Wireless Broadband to Hit U.S.
CELLULAR
FCC Backs Nextel's Plan For Airwaves
Keep Your Cellphone When Switching Companies
INTERNET
Faith Online
* Expect a FCC announcement today of a new fine, possibly as much as=20
$495,000, against Clear Channel for airing indecent programming from Howard=
=20
Stern last year. [SOURCE: Wall Street Journal=20
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB108138955026577630,00.html?mod=3Dmm_m...
_marketing_hs_left]
TELEVISION AND THE PUBLIC INTEREST
MINOW, GELLER SEEK EXPEDITED FCC RULEMAKING ON FREE TIME
Public interest advocates delivered requests yesterday to the FCC asking=20
the agency to better define the public service requirements of=20
broadcasters. First, former FCC Chairman Newt Minow and former NTIA=20
Director Henry Geller filed a petition asking the FCC to launch an=20
=93expedited=94 rulemaking to require free time this fall for candidates in=
=20
campaigns for local and regional offices. Their proposal calls for 20=20
minutes/day in the 30 days prior to a general election. "Putting profits=20
second and public service first can and should be required [of=20
broadcasters] to make a reasonable contribution to an informed local=20
electorate,=94 Mr Minow and Mr Geller wrote.
Additionally, Alliance for Better Campaigns, Benton Foundation, Center for=
=20
Creative Voices in Media, Center for Digital Democracy, Common Cause,=20
Institute for Public Representation of Georgetown University Law Center,=20
Media Access Project, New America Foundation, Office of Communication of=20
the United Church of Christ delivered proposal to FCC Commissioners and the=
=20
Media Bureau. Their proposal for minimum public interest obligations calls=
=20
for 1) three hours per week of local civic or electoral affairs=20
programming, 2) prime time schedules to include 25% of independently=20
produced programming, 3) better disclosure of public service and 4)=20
restrictions on sales presentations and program length commercials.
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Tack Nail]
(Not available online)
PROPOSED REALITY SHOW ALARMS CHILD ADVOCATES
Mark Burnett Productions, the company whose big hits are "Survivor" on CBS=
=20
and "The Apprentice" with Donald Trump on NBC, is developing a show for=20
CBS, "Recovery," that would try to find and recover abducted children with=
=20
a team of former military and former law enforcement personnel. The network=
=20
distributed preliminary publicity material that describes the program's=20
concept as taking "viewers along on an emotional and life-changing ride,=20
from the abduction to the search in all its intensity to the reunion of=20
child and parents." Kevin Stoker, a Brigham Young University professor who=
=20
specializes in media ethics, said the show's premise "strikes me as a new=20
level of voyeurism" and that it raises serious invasion of privacy issues.
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR:Mike Antonucci]
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/8381412.htm
WILL HDTV ANTIPIRACY PLAN UNPLUG DIGITAL NETWORKS?
The debate between movie studios and consumer electronics makers over the=20
connections used to transmit digital TV signals to high-definition=20
television sets and other devices could have lasting effects on the rights=
=20
of viewers to record programming. In the name of piracy protection, content=
=20
producers want to limit how video files can be moved between devices that=20
can pick up, record and transfer digital TV signals. "There are all these=20
things that are being rolled back out of a purported need to control the=20
digital world," said Mike Godwin, senior technology counsel of Public=20
Knowledge, an advocacy group focused on digital technology issues.=20
Hollywood companies "want this to be like the roach motel, where television=
=20
checks in and doesn't check out." The FCC is considering proposals to=20
protect digital TV content now. "Digital rights management is critical to=20
the dissemination of high-value content through this equipment," said Fritz=
=20
Attaway, executive vice president of the Motion Picture Association of=20
America. "If we cannot provide adequate and effective security, those=20
delivery systems can't be used for high-value content."
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: John Borland]
http://news.com.com/2100-1025_3-5186881.html?tag=3Dcd.lede
BROADBAND
AT&T FACES BILLS FOR CALLS CARRIED OVER INTERNET
The FCC is prepared to rule against AT&T's request that it be exempted from=
=20
paying local telephone companies hundreds of millions of dollars in fees=20
because the long-distance calls traveled partly over the Internet.=20
"Unfortunately, we expect our petition to be denied," said AT&T spokeswoman=
=20
Claudia Jones. "It will be the first sign that the FCC will impose legacy=20
regulations on new technologies," she added. Apparently, FCC Chairman=20
Powell and Commissioners Kathleen Abernathy and Jonathan Adelstein have=20
already voted to require AT&T to pay the access fees in the future.=20
However, Chairman Powell failed to win support for a proposal to require=20
AT&T to pay the fees retroactively. Since three commissioners have now=20
voted, a final decision will probably be made public in the next two weeks=
=20
or so.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Christopher Stern]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A59490-2004Apr7.html
(requires registration)
FCC URGED TO KEEP VOIP REGULATION-FREE
The National Taxpayers Union, Americans for Tax Reform, the Council for=20
Citizens Against Government Waste, Republicans United for Tax Relief, and=20
the Family Research Council are among 34 groups that signed on to a letter=
=20
to the FCC urging the agency to protect Internet telephone service from=20
regulation. "We urge the commission to send a clear signal of forbearance=20
on new taxation and regulation," the letter reads. The groups steered clear=
=20
of wiretapping VoIP conversations.
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Declan McCullagh]
http://news.com.com/2100-7352_3-5186747.html?tag=3Dnefd.top
CUT-RATE CALLING, BY WAY OF THE NET
Everything a consumer would like to know about subscribing to Internet=20
telephone service.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: David Pogue]
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/08/technology/circuits/08stat.html
(requires registration)
See Also:
CAN YOU CYBERHEAR ME NOW? MORE PEOPLE SIGN ON TO NET TO MAKE CALLS
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR:Edward C. Baig]
http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20040408/6094243s.htm
EARTHLINK OPPOSES NCTA STAY REQUEST
The stay request filed by the National Cable & Telecommunications=20
Association April 5 automatically postponed the effective date of the Ninth=
=20
Circuit Court of Appeals ruling. EarthLink, one of the nation's leading=20
Internet Service Providers, is opposing the NCTA's stay request arguing,=20
"Economic injury accrues to EarthLink each day that the mandate in this=20
case does not issue." The company urged the Ninth Circuit to instruct the=
=20
cable industry to seek a stay from the Supreme Court when it filed its=20
appeal, which is due no later than June 29. Meanwhile, the FCC filed a=20
motion with the Ninth Circuit supporting the NCTA's stay request. But the=20
agency disclosed that it had not reached agreement with U.S. Solicitor=20
General Theodore Olson on filing an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA409084?display=3DBreaking+News
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA409083?display=3DBreaking+News
(requires subscription)
TALE OF TWO BROADBAND CASES ILLUSTRATES BATTLE OVER NET'S FUTURE
A look at two recent federal court decisions and how they illustrate the=20
nation=92s telephone and cable industries' strategies to extend their=20
monopolistic business models onto the Internet.
[SOURCE: Center for Digital Democracy]
http://www.democraticmedia.org/news/marketwatch/TwoCourtCases.html
TRUE WIRELESS BROADBAND TO HIT U.S.
This year and next, Verizon is rolling out BroadBand Access, a wireless=20
Internet service for laptop, PDA or cellphone that delivers speeds=20
comparable to DSL. Having used the service, which is already available in=20
Washington, DC, Mossberg loves it. The main downside is that it will cost=20
consumers $80/month.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Walter Mossberg at mossberg( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB108137415910377148,00.html?mod=3Dtele...
unications%5Fprimary%5Fhs
(requires subscription)
CELLULAR
FCC BACKS NEXTEL'S PLAN FOR AIRWAVES
The Nextel spectrum swap seems to be becoming a reality. Apparently, a=20
majority of FCC commissioners -- Chairman Michael Powell, Kevin Martin, and=
=20
Michael Copps -- have voted for a plan that provides Nextel valuable new=20
spectrum in exchange for clearing up interference problems with public=20
safety communications. Verizon Wireless, Cingular Wireless and the Cellular=
=20
Telecommunications & Internet Association vehemently opposed Nextel's plan,=
=20
calling the spectrum exchange a "giveaway" worth as much as $7 billion to=20
Nextel. Those groups have threatened a legal challenge to any plan that=20
gives Nextel a license at the high frequency without an auction
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Yuki Noguchi]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A59446-2004Apr7.html
(requires registration)
KEEP YOUR CELLPHONE WHEN SWITCHING COMPANIES
Consumers Union is asking the FCC to investigate and take action to stop=20
the practice by many cell phone companies of artificially =93locking=94=20
wireless handsets, which prevents consumers from using their cell phones=20
when they change cell phone companies. =93The only reason wireless companies=
=20
install these locks is to try and hang onto their customers by effectively=
=20
holding their phone hostage,=94 said Chris Murray, legislative counsel for=
=20
Consumers Union. =93While the locks take different forms with different=20
technologies, they all have the same effect =AD putting another roadblock to=
=20
competition in the wireless market.=94
[SOURCE: Consumers Union]
http://www.consumersunion.org/pub/core_telecom_and_utilities/000971.html...
e
INTERNET
FAITH ONLINE
A new national survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project finds=20
that nearly two-thirds of online Americans use the Internet for=20
faith-related reasons. The 64% of Internet users who perform spiritual and=
=20
religious activities online represent nearly 82 million Americans. Those=20
who use the Internet for religious or spiritual purposes are more likely to=
=20
be women, white, middle aged, college educated, and relatively well-to-do.=
=20
In addition, they are somewhat more active as Internet users than the rest=
=20
of the Internet population."There has been much speculation about the=20
impact of the Internet on religion, particularly as increasing numbers of=20
Americans have been turning to sources other than their own traditions and=
=20
clergy," said Prof. Stewart Hoover of the University of Colorado at=20
Boulder, the lead author of the Pew Internet Project report. "The survey=20
provides clear evidence that the majority of the online faithful are there=
=20
for personal spiritual reasons, including seeking outside their own=20
traditions," Hoover added, "but they are also deeply grounded in those=20
traditions, and this Internet activity supplements their ties to=20
traditional institutions, rather than moving them away from church." The=20
survey found that two-thirds of those who attend religious services weekly=
=20
use the Internet for personal religious or spiritual purposes.
[SOURCE: Pew Internet & American Life Project]
http://www.pewinternet.org/
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