For upcoming media policy events, see http://www.benton.org/calendar.htm
MEDIA & POLITICS
Local Media's Clout Rises in Battleground States
You Can Report, but We Will Decide
POLICYMAKERS
FCC Chairman Calls for New Telecom Laws
Carlisle Targets VoIP Jurisdiction, E-Rate Abuses
QUICKLY
Study: Cable Losing Steam
Internet2: 2004 and Beyond
Internet Database to Track FCC Spectrum Proceedings
MEDIA & POLITICS
LOCAL MEDIA'S CLOUT RISES IN BATTLEGROUND STATES
How much coverage the campaigns get in the local media in key states could
determine who wins the White House in November, according to no less a
political expert than former President Bill Clinton. "How people view
things from the local level is very important" to how they vote, Clinton
said in an interview. A local newspaper's endorsement in a close state
"like Oregon, for example, is going to have a lot more impact on voters
there than those of The New York Times or Washington Post," Clinton said.
There's plenty of evidence to support President Clinton's view. The Pew
Research Center for the People & the Press, for example, says 42% of the
1,506 people it surveyed last December and January "regularly learn
something" about presidential candidates and campaigns from local TV news
programs. That topped cable news networks (38%) and weeknight network news
broadcasts (35%). Daily newspapers (31%) trailed the TV outlets but were
well ahead of the Internet (13%).
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Mark Memmott]
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20040824/a_localmedia24.art.htm
YOU CAN REPORT, BUT WE WILL DECIDE
[Commentary] The conservative media's handling of the Swift boat dispute is
a case study in bias. In this article, Wasserstein tracks how the story has
played out across media.
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Ben Wasserstein]
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-wasserstein24aug2...
(requires registration)
Also see:
On Cable, a Fog of Words About Kerry's War Record
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/24/politics/campaign/24watch.html
Bush Urges Muting of Ads
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-na-swiftboat24aug24,1,...
President Urges Outside Groups to Halt All Ads
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/24/politics/campaign/24swift.html?hp
Bush Distances Himself From Ads
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB109330196773299051,00.html?mod=todays...
Bush: All independent Attack Ads Should Stop
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20040824/a_swiftboat24.art.htm
POLICYMAKERS
FCC CHAIRMAN CALLS FOR NEW TELECOM LAWS
Speaking at a Progress and Freedom Foundation conference in Aspen, FCC
Chairman Michael Powell asked, "Is the current law broken and we need a new
one?" And he answered, "Of course, [the law is] dated -- it does not match
reality anymore." His remarks are his strongest criticism yet of the 1934
and 1996 telecommunications acts, which created arcane regulatory
categories that do not clearly include the Internet. That lack of clarity
has bedeviled regulators and left entrepreneurs puzzled about what laws
might eventually apply to their businesses. Chairman Powell singled out
voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) as a "killer app for legal policy
change" because it pits two different regulatory models against each other
and forces governments to choose which will prevail. "VoIP is a great thing
to be forcing the conversations," Powell said. "I'd like to see (the law)
modified, rewritten, scrapped or something... I think the statute is
written (with categories) that don't make sense" in today's world of VoIP,
broadband and wireless technologies.
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Declan McCullagh]
http://news.com.com/FCC+chairman+calls+for+new+telecom+laws/2100-1028_3-...
CARLISLE TARGETS VOIP JURISDICTION, E-RATE ABUSES
There's a new sheriff in town, name-a Jeffrey Carlisle and he be runnin'
the FCC's Wireline Bureau. At the top of his agenda is figuring out
jurisdiction and regulation of Internet telephone service (VoIP). "I don't
know if we can get a comprehensive order done by the end of the year
because the record's so huge and there are so many issues," Chief Carlisle
said in an interview with Communications Daily. "I do believe we should try
to decide the jurisdiction issue by the end of the year." He said
investment in VoIP has been held up by questions of regulatory
jurisdiction. Mr. Carlisle also identified these items as priorities for
the bureau this year: 1) universal service and especially the E-rate
program; 2) permanent phone competition rules; 3) intercarrier
compensation; and 4) building up the bureau staff, which Carlisle
said has dropped because of advancement opportunities in other bureaus and
moves to industry jobs as the economy has improved.
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Edie Herman, Susan Polyakova]
(Not available online)
QUICKLY
STUDY: CABLE LOSING STEAM
Unless cable networks choose to cut profit margins by ramping up spending
for programming, Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Tom Wolzien predicts that by
2009 cable networks will peak, collectively attracting about 57% of
prime-time viewers (that's up from 53% in 2004 and 43% in 2000). Nearly all
cable-viewing growth has come from being available in more homes, not more
attractive shows, according to Wolzien's analysis of Nielsen Media ratings.
The top 51 cable networks did not gain market share from 2000 to 2004 among
cable and satellite subscribers who got them. What's more, cable channels
"are cannibalizing each other," he says. "That's what's bizarre. They
aren't cannibalizing the broadcasters. The broadcasters were getting killed
because the cable guys were expanding their base." That "free ride," as he
puts it, will end once nearly all 91 million cable and satellite customers
receive all of the top channels. At that point, "They will have to get
their audiences the old-fashioned way. They have to put better programming
on the screen."
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: David Lieberman]
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20040824/1b_partysover24.art.htm
INTERNET2: 2004 AND BEYOND
Internet2 was developed by a consortium of universities and technology
companies in 1996 to provide vast improvements in connection speeds. The
goal of the project has always been to stay three to four years ahead of
what is commercially available through the public Internet. The network
itself is in its third generation of design. Earlier this year the backbone
(called Abilene) was upgraded to 10gbps (gigabits per second). More than
227 universities, libraries, public schools and research institutions are
connected to Internet2. The network connects to more than 57 international
high-capacity networks. It provides a test-bed for new technologies such as
IP version 6. Peer-to-peer applications, high-definition video
conferencing, remote manipulation of lab equipment, and distributed
computing are all applications that are enabled by Internet2.
Learn more at the URL below.
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Marguerite Reardon]
http://news.com.com/Internet2%3A+2004+and+beyond/2100-1034_3-5321053.htm...
INTERNET DATABASE TO TRACK FCC SPECTRUM PROCEEDINGS
The FCC's Spectrum Policy Task Force (SPTF) has launched a new Internet
tracking tool to access information on FCC spectrum-related proceedings.
The tracking tool is part of the Task Force's efforts to improve access to
information on the Commission's ongoing spectrum-related proceedings and
initiatives. The listing is intended to provide the public, industry
researchers and other interested parties one place on the FCC's website
where these proceedings and initiatives are listed, with one- or two-click
access to public comments, Commission documents and other related
materials. To access the tracking tool, go to the link on the Task Force's
homepage at http://www.fcc.gov/sptf/ and click on the "Proceedings &
Initiatives" hyperlink. Currently, 30 ongoing proceedings are listed.
For more info, contact Peter Tenhula (202) 418- 2229 or Blaise Scinto (202)
418-1380
[SOURCE: FCC]
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-251136A1.doc
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Communications-related Headlines is a free online news summary service
provided by the Benton Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted Monday through
Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments,
policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are
factually accurate, their often informal tone does not always represent the
tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang
(headlines( at )benton.org) -- we welcome your comments.
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