Three events of note this week: 1) FCC appropriations, 2) How Internet=20
Protocol-Enabled Services Are Changing the Face of Communications: A View=20
from Government Officials; and 3) new FCC Chairman Kevin Martin's first=20
open meeting. For these and other upcoming media policy events, see=20
http://www.benton.org/calendar.htm
DIGITAL TV
Quid Pro Quo
Broadcasters Ask FCC to Rethink Must-Carry Ruling
Complications Dampening Expectations for 2006 DTV Deadline
CABLE
'Definitive=92 Adelphia Sale Bolsters 2 Top Cable Ops
Bells, Cable Spar on Franchises
TV's Religious Revival
Cable TV Could Get Its Mouth Washed Out
PUBLIC BROADCASTING
Recasting PBS?
CPB Plans Civics Lessons
MEDIA
Who's Going to Win The Living-Room Wars?
Newspapers Struggle to Avoid their Own Obit
INTERNET
Internet, Polarized Politics Create an Opening for a Third Party
Peer-To-Peer Users Share More Than Stolen Songs
Watchdogs Seek Out The Web's Bad Side
NEWS FROM CONGRESS
Stevens Endorses Kurth for Open FCC Seat
USF Reform in Congress Not Likely Until 2007, Members Say
VNR Hearing Slated For April 28
QUICKLY -- MCI Tentatively Accepts Qwest Bid; Digital TV Ads; Cellphones=20
and Protests in China; New Media & Control of Nippon Broadcasting Systems;=
=20
Al-Jazeera and Terrorism
DIGITAL TV
QUID PRO QUO
A handful of station groups are pushing to include a small set of=20
public-interest obligations in digital television legislation being drafted=
=20
by House Commerce Committee leaders. The broadcasters hope they can trade a=
=20
narrow slate of obligations for winning TV broadcasters=92 top priority in=
=20
Washington: expanded cable-carriage rights for their digital programming.=20
Activist groups such as Media Access Project (MAP) and Common Cause are=20
pushing for public-interest obligations as well, but broadcasters involved=
=20
in the talks hope to exclude them from the deal-making. Industry lobbyists=
=20
fear that the activists will demand measures beyond what stations will=20
accept. For instance, activists have pushed for quotas for independently=20
produced programming, which broadcasters oppose, refusing to give outside=20
parties any programming say over their operations. MAP President Andrew=20
Schwartzman says the NAB has been foolish to oppose public-interest=20
obligations at a time when new wireless video services are coming online=20
and threatening their business. Unless stations provide programming that=20
the government has clearly defined as a public service, the government may=
=20
one day decide that there=92s no reason stations should continue to enjoy=20
preferential interference protections or their domain over the country=92s=
=20
most valuable slice of communications frequencies. =93I think the NAB has=20
made a serious tactical error,=94 Schwartzman says. =93It has hurt=20
broadcasters=92 position in Washington and their bottom line.=94
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Bill McConnell]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA527236.html?display=3DNews&re...
al=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
BROADCASTERS ASK FCC TO RETHINK MUST-CARRY RULING
The FCC should require cable operators to carry free portions of DTV=20
signals from local commercial TV stations, NAB said in a petition filed=20
late Thursday seeking reconsideration of FCC=92s multicast must-carry order.=
=20
Joint petitioners for ABC, CBS, NBC and Telemundo also sought=20
reconsideration, saying the FCC =93rushed=94 into the must-carry decision,=
=20
making =93numerous=94 factual and legal errors and ignoring important=
evidence=20
about carriage of diverse programming under the new rule. the joint=20
ABC-CBS-NBC-Telemundo petition said the =93proper course=94 for the FCC is=
to=20
vacate the order and reconsider the petition after resolving public=20
interest issues -- a point they said Commissioners Adelstein and Copps have=
=20
consistently termed important in these discussions. Paxson said the FCC=20
should bring public interest issues =93front and center.=94
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Anne Veigle]
(Not available online)
For more on digital broadcasters public interest obligations see:=20
http://www.benton.org/pioguide/index.html
More coverage --
* Groups Make Must-Carry Cases
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA527159?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
* NAB to Seek New Multicast Vote
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA527211.html?display=3DPolicy&refer...
=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
COMPLICATIONS DAMPENING EXPECTATIONS FOR 2006 DTV DEADLINE
Several issues are complicating staff negotiations on a digital television=
=20
transition bill that House Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton (R-TX)=20
hoped would end the transition by December 31, 2006. There are concerns=20
among some staff, including leading Democrats, that tower issues could make=
=20
the 2006 deadline impossible to meet. A House source said most Commerce=20
Committee members realize that Dec 2006, will be extremely difficult -- if=
=20
not impossible -- to pull off. Besides the obvious work to be done in the=20
House, one source said the Senate is unlikely to have a bill until the late=
=20
Fall, making it unlikely that a bill would go to the President=92s desk
until 2006. The House source said this was a =93conservative=94 estimate.=20
Another House source said the actual deadline will probably be somewhere=20
between the 2006 proposed by Rep Barton and a 2009 deadline being talked=20
about by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Stevens (R-Alaska). The source=
=20
said 2008 sounded like a good date.
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Terry Lane]
(Not available online)
CABLE
'DEFINITIVE' ADELPHIA SALE BOLSTERS 2 TOP CABLE OPS
More reading on the purchase of Adelphia by Time Warner and Comcast.=20
Comcast=92s participation in the purchase of bankrupt Adelphia=
Communications=20
puts the cable giant close to the national cable-ownership limit that a=20
federal court rejected in 2001. Monitoring the deal closely,=20
public-interest watchdogs want the Federal Communications Commission to=20
adopt a new ownership limit prior to approving any Adelphia transaction=20
involving Comcast. =93What=92s critical here is that the statute is=
mandatory.=20
It=92s not like the FCC has discretion not to issue a rule,=94 said Andrew=
Jay=20
Schwartzman, an attorney with Media Access Project, a public-interest law=20
firm here. FCC Democrat Jonathan Adelstein, a vocal opponent of media=20
consolidation, agreed that cable limits should be adopted. =93I think we=
need=20
to put rules in place =85 so the market knows what we are dealing with,=94=
he=20
said. Before leaving office March 17, FCC chairman Michael Powell proposed=
=20
issuing a notice of proposed rulemaking in an effort to refresh the=20
cable-ownership docket. But an FCC source indicated that new chairman Kevin=
=20
Martin is not rushing to adopt new cable-ownership rules. Instead, Chairman=
=20
Martin is working on personnel matters and reviewing the status of various=
=20
rulemakings across the agency=92s portfolio. Schwartzman said he believed=
the=20
FCC would adopt a new cable cap before signing off on an Adelphia=20
transaction. If the agency failed to do that, he said, he plans to go to=20
court.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Mike Farrell]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA527311.html&referral=3DSUPP
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA527212.html?display=3DPolicy&refer...
=3DSUPP
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA527312.html?display=3DTop+Stories&...
rral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
BELLS, CABLE SPAR ON FRANCHISES
Verizon and SBC Communications Inc.=92s attempt to enter the video market=20
without local approval has outraged the cable industry, which fears being=20
placed at a regulatory disadvantage that would permit the Bells to target=20
affluent communities while ignoring low-income consumers. Federal law=20
requires community-wide cable buildouts, to prevent economic=20
discrimination, also called redlining. Cable companies need local=20
franchises. A big cable company like Comcast Corp. has 5,000 franchises and=
=20
about 10% come up for renewal each year, requiring the company to hire=20
hundreds of lawyers to satisfy the concerns of local politicians.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA527313.html?display=3DTop+Stories&...
rral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
TV'S RELIGIOUS REVIVAL
Religious broadcasters are eager to capitalize on the emerging place of=20
religion in the national conversation. Plenty of them are still giving=20
audiences that old-time TV religion -- low-production-value preachers=20
paying for time on stations or Christian networks -- but a slew of new=20
companies are clamoring for cable carriage. At the National Cable &=20
Telecommunications Association convention in San Francisco earlier this=20
month, the exhibition hall was studded with booths for aspiring religious=20
channels. Unlike the teach-and-preach religious-TV tradition, they say,=20
many of the new programmers will offer modern content and packaging to=20
reach an underserved and media-savvy Christian youth market. Whether trying=
=20
to break into the business or expand an existing base, religious-TV=20
entrepreneurs sense a rare opportunity.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Anne Becker]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA527238.html?display=3DSpecial...
ort&referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
CABLE TV COULD GET ITS MOUTH WASHED OUT
Cable -- and even satellite TV and radio -- could become subject to the=20
government's indecency rules. "It absolutely will happen; it's only a=20
question of when," says Adam D. Thierer, a senior fellow at the Progress &=
=20
Freedom Foundation. Decency advocates say the Supreme Court may look at=20
cable protections differently now that 85% of households have cable or=20
satellite, vs. 15% nearly 25 years ago when the court said that the rules=20
did not apply to cable. Cable faces a formidable coalition that includes=20
the conservative Parents Television Council and liberal Consumers Union --=
=20
along with religious broadcasters and even Walt Disney. Senate Commerce=20
Committee Chairman Ted Stevens is expected to introduce a cable indecency=20
this Spring.
[SOURCE: BusinessWeek, AUTHOR: Catherine Yang]
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_18/c3931059_mz013.htm
PUBLIC BROADCASTING
RECASTING PBS?
Solomon interviews the new chief executive at the Corporation for Public=20
Broadcasting, Ken Ferree. Asked if public TV should attract more=20
conservative viewers, he answers, "Yeah! I would hope that in the long run=
=20
we can attract new viewers, and we shouldn't limit ourselves to a=20
particular demographic. Does public television belong to the Democrats?"=20
Ferree pushed changes in FCC rules that would have loosened media ownership=
=20
restrictions. "What I was doing at the FCC, in my mind, was preserving=20
commercial broadcast services and helping them thrive. Now, in this job, I=
=20
am trying to preserve free noncommercial television." What PBS shows does=20
he like? "I'm not much of a TV consumer. I like Masterpiece Theater and=20
some of the Frontline shows. I like Antiques Roadshow and Nova. I don't=20
know." The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer? "Lehrer is good, but I don't watch a=20
lot of broadcast news. The problem for me is that I do the Internet news=20
stuff all day long, so by the time I get to the Lehrer thing . . . it's=20
slow. I don't always want to sit down and read Shakespeare, and Lehrer is=20
akin to Shakespeare. Sometimes I really just want a People magazine, and=20
often that is in the evening, after a hard day." Do you listen to NPR? "No.=
=20
I do not get a lot of public radio for one simple reason. I commute to work=
=20
on my motorcycle, and there is no radio access."
[SOURCE: New York Times 4/24, AUTHOR: Deborah Solomon]
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/24/magazine/24QUESTIONS.html?
(requires registration)
CPB PLANS CIVIC LESSONS
Continuing its heavy focus on curriculum-based programming, the Corporation=
=20
for Public Broadcasting is sponsoring a series of conferences to help=20
public-television producers and others apply for grants from its $20=20
million American History and Civics Initiative. The grants are intended to=
=20
fund media projects that "demonstrably improve" the teaching of American=20
history and civics to middle- and high school students.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Bill McConnell]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA527167?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
MEDIA
WHO'S GOING TO WIN THE LIVING-ROOM WARS?
Telephone giants, cable titans, computer companies and consumer-electronics=
=20
makers are all vying to provide the next generation of high-tech=20
entertainment -- a single network of gadgets that lets you view photos,=20
listen to music, record DVDs and tune into whatever TV programs you want to=
=20
watch, whenever you feel like watching them. This convergence of computing,=
=20
communications and entertainment has been promised before, only to=20
evaporate because of consumer indifference and technology that wasn't ready=
=20
for prime time. But now the pieces are finally coming together. And=20
corporations are scrambling to make sure they aren't left behind. In some=20
sense, there are really two separate match-ups: cable vs. telephone to=20
deliver traditional and on-demand television programs, and PC vs. consumer=
=20
electronics to provide the hardware in the home-entertainment system. But=20
to an increasing extent, everybody wants a piece of everything.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Michael Totty michael.totty( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB111392360478310765,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_the_journal_report
(requires subscription)
NEWSPAPERS STRUGGLE TO AVOID THEIR OWN OBIT
The percentage of adults who report reading daily newspapers has fallen=20
from 81 percent in 1964 to just 52 percent in 2004. The antics of=20
plagiarizing and lying newspaper reporters have scarred the media's=20
credibility. Recent industry scandals raise questions about whether=20
newspapers are fudging their circulation numbers, and federal do-not-call=20
legislation stopped the lucrative practice of selling subscriptions through=
=20
telemarketing. And now, free websites like craigslist.com are siphoning off=
=20
millions of dollars in vital classified ad revenue from newspapers. But=20
given all these challenges, more than 1,400 daily newspapers continue to=20
set the news agenda for television, radio, and the Internet, both=20
nationally and locally. Meanwhile, newspaper advertising revenue grew=20
during all but the first three years of the 1990s, and it went up during=20
the last quarter of 2004, too.
[SOURCE: The Christian Science Monitor, AUTHOR:Randy Dotinga]
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0425/p02s01-usgn.html
INTERNET
INTERNET, POLARIZED POLITICS CREATE AN OPENING FOR A THIRD PARTY
[Commentary] Elite newspapers and magazines dominate their markets partly=20
because it costs so much to build conventional hard-copy competitors. But=20
the Internet has allowed thousands of new voices to find audiences at=20
little cost for a panoramic assortment of news and opinions in Web logs and=
=20
online magazines. Some of the same effect is already evident in politics=20
and some pundits -- including Joe Trippi, a principal architect of Howard=20
Dean's breakthrough Internet strategy in the 2004 Democratic presidential=20
campaign -- believe the Internet could ignite a serious third-party=20
presidential bid in 2008.
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Ronald Brownstein]
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-outlook25apr25,1...
7847.column?coll=3Dla-news-a_section
(requires registration)
PEER-TO-PEER USERS SHARE MORE THAN STOLEN SONGS
Peer-to-peer, or P2P, software allows users to connect directly to each=20
others' computers, bypassing the powerful servers that underpin much of the=
=20
Internet. Web pages, spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations and other=20
material usually stored on servers can thus be made public directly from a=
=20
user's hard drive. That makes online communication much simpler -- and its=
=20
not just for illegal downloads anymore, Peter.
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Andy Sullivan]
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=3D411TS2OV1ITLCCRBAE...
Y?type=3DinternetNews&storyID=3D8272652
WATCHDOGS SEEK OUT THE WEB'S BAD SIDE
Part vigilantes, part informants, part nosy neighbors, a new breed of=20
Internet activists search the Web for sites that they say deal in theft,=20
fraud and violence. Their causes can vary widely, be it stopping spam or=20
holding large corporations accountable for poor products or service. There=
=20
are groups that investigate murders and those that fight terrorism and=20
other crimes. The activists often operate at the boundaries of what is=20
legal and illegal.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Ariana Eunjung Cha]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/24/AR200504...
473.html
(requires registration)
NEWS FROM CONGRESS
STEVENS ENDORSES KURTH FOR OPEN FCC SEAT
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) has endorsed=20
Christine Kurth, the Senate Commerce Committee deputy staff director, for=20
the open seat on the Federal Communications Commission. Kurth, 34, is No.2=
=20
in seniority on the committee staff and is from Anchorage. She began her=20
tenure with Sen Stevens as an intern, held several positions on the Senate=
=20
Appropriations Committee when Sen Stevens was chairman, including deputy=20
general counsel and a position on the Interior Subcommittee. She was also=20
an attorney for the National Labor Relations Board and worked as counsel=20
for the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee. Kurth earned two=20
degrees from Valparaiso U. in Ind.; graduating magna cum laude as an=20
undergraduate and cum laude as a J.D. She clerked for the chief judge of=20
the U.S. Dist. Court, Alaska. Kurth is married to Timothy Kurth, a lobbyist=
=20
with Lundquist, Nethercutt & Griles and a former aide to House Speaker=20
Hastert (R-II) on technology issues.
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Terry Lane]
(Not available online)
USF REFORM IN CONGRESS NOT LIKELY UNTIL 2007, MEMBERS SAY
Sen. Craig (R-Ida.) and Rep. Cannon (R-Utah) said Friday that no=20
significant universal service fund reform in Congress is likely to be=20
enacted until at least 2007.Other legislative priorities, coupled with the=
=20
issue=92s complexity, make 2007 a likelier timeline for enactment. These=20
members=92 evaluation is noteworthy, since neither sits on his chamber=92s=
=20
Commerce Committee. They said their judgments are based on Members=92=20
knowledge and attitudes, not on the expert Committees.
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Terry Lane]
(Not available online)
VNR HEARING SLATED FOR APRIL 28
Senators Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) have scheduled=
=20
an April 28 Commerce Committee hearing on a video news release (VNR) bill=20
to be introduced by Senator John Kerry and several others. The bill=20
requires that "VNR's produced, distributed or otherwise paid for by the=20
federal government clearly identify the federal government as the source of=
=20
such material." The legislation, which would require a disclaimer to run=20
continuously during the VNR, is expected to closely mirror an amendment the=
=20
legislators tried to add to a "Junk Fax Prevention" bill 10 days ago then=20
being considered by the Commerce Committee. It was withdrawn when Sen=20
Stevens agreed to take it up separately. VNRs are essentially prepackaged=20
news stories produced so that TV news programmers can air them without any=
=20
additional editing. Sometimes actors have been employed to portray=20
reporters. Producers of the releases often suggest scripts that news=20
anchors can use a lead-ins.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA527322?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
See info about the hearing at=20
http://commerce.senate.gov/hearings/witnesslist.cfm?id=3D1488
QUICKLY
MCI TENTATIVELY ACCEPTS QWEST BID
MCI finally, but tentatively, embraced a takeover bid from Qwest=20
Communications, declaring the Qwest offer of $9.74 billion, or $30 a share,=
=20
superior to the accepted merger with the far larger Verizon Communications.=
=20
However, Verizon isn't giving up and is likely to raise its current bid of=
=20
$7.5 billion, or $23.10 a share. A new bid will probably come closer to the=
=20
$25.72/share price Verizon agreed two weeks ago to pay for the MCI shares=20
held by MCI's biggest shareholder, Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Hel=FA.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Jesse Drucker jesse.drucker( at )wsj.com=20
and Almar Latour almar.latour( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB111427444420715104,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_page_one
(requires subscription)
See also:
* Qwest Raises Its MCI Bid, and Anxiety Goes Up, Too
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/25/business/25place.html
* MCI terms latest Qwest bid =91superior'
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20050425/qwest25.art.htm
NOW A WORD FROM OUR LOW-DEFINITION SPONSOR...
Although the number of households with HDTVs is growing fast, it's still=20
small. And even people who own the special television sets often have to=20
jump through technical hoops to pick up some shows in high definition --=20
and it's hard to estimate how many people actually take that extra step. So=
=20
while a variety of shows are now designed for high-definition transmission,=
=20
just a handful of commercials are. Most channels that broadcast in high=20
definition simply reformat conventional ads to fit the different standard.=
=20
Some proponents of high-definition commercials argue that the ad industry=20
is missing out on a golden opportunity. Consumers are paying more and more=
=20
attention to picture quality, they argue, and the sharper ads will stand=20
out from the pack. Moreover, they say, people with HDTVs represent a=20
valuable group of early adopters -- and it's worth going to great lengths=20
to reach them.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Sarah McBride sarah.mcbride( at )wsj.com ]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB111400990191312019,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_the_journal_report
(requires subscription)
A HUNDRED CELLPHONE BLOOM, AND CHINESE TAKE TO THE STREETS
The thousands of people who poured onto the streets of China this month for=
=20
the anti-Japanese protests that shook Asia were bound by nationalist anger=
=20
but also by a more mundane fact: they are China's cellphone and computer=20
generation. For several weeks as the protests grew larger and more unruly,=
=20
China banned almost all coverage in the state media. It hardly mattered. An=
=20
underground conversation was raging via e-mail, text message and instant=20
online messaging that inflamed public opinion and served as an organizing=20
tool for protesters. The underground noise grew so loud that last Friday=20
the Chinese government moved to silence it by banning the use of text=20
messages or e-mail to organize protests. It was part of a broader curb on=20
the anti-Japanese movement but it also seemed the Communist Party had=20
self-interest in mind.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Jim Yardley]
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/25/international/asia/25china.html?hp&ex=...
14488000&en=3D63e366184854b780&ei=3D5094&partner=3Dhomepage
(requires registration)
OLD, NEW MEDIA FIRMS SEAL DEAL
Fuji TV and Livedoor hammered out a deal that allows Fuji TV to take=20
control of Nippon Broadcasting Systems, its radio broadcasting affiliate,=20
as it had initially hoped to do by buying back Livedoor's majority stake of=
=20
just over 50%.
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR:Michiyo Nakamoto]
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-ft-livedoor25apr25,1,745...
.story?coll=3Dla-headlines-pe-business
(requires registration)
THE ENEMY ON OUR AIRWAVES
[Commentary] Figures show that 77% of Iraqis cite TV as their main source=20
of information; 15% cite newspapers. Current estimates are that close to=20
100% of Iraqis have access to satellite TV, 18% to cell phones, and 8% to=20
the Internet. The battle for Iraqi hearts and minds is being fought over=20
satellite TV. It is a battle today that we are losing badly. Smith writes=20
that there is a collaboration between terrorists and satellite news=20
channel, Al-Jazeera. "While the precise terms of that relationship are=20
virtually unknown, we do know this: Al-Jazeera and the terrorists have a=20
working arrangement that extends beyond a modus vivendi. When the=20
terrorists want to broadcast something that helps their cause, they have=20
immediate and reliable access to Al-Jazeera." A-Jazeera receives $100=20
million a year from the government of Qatar. Smith questions this=20
relationship as well as the between Al-Jazeera and US television networks.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Dorrance Smith, former senior media=20
adviser to Ambassador Paul Bremer]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB111438848754715621,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_opinion
(requires subscription)
--------------------------------------------------------------
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.
--------------------------------------------------------------