To view Benton's Headlines feed in your RSS=20
Aggregator, paste=20
http://www.benton.org/index.php?q=3Dtaxonomy/term/6/all/feed into your read=
er.
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
Congressmen Urge Probe of Defense Dept.=92s Influence on Military Analysts
ELECTIONS AND MEDIA
Obama's Chilly Spring
Obama Takes Star Turn in Republican Ads
UNIVERSAL SERVICE
Interim Cap Clears Path for Comprehensive Universal Service Fund Reform
Fewer phones, more broadband: FCC struggling to fix USF
INTERNET/BROADBAND
House Hearing Set on Internet Freedom Preservation Act
Why The 'Right' Gets Net Neutrality Wrong
Internet Says: 'Me Want Cookie'
MEDIA OWNERSHIP
All eyes on Yahoo for alternate deal to Microsoft
Murdoch won't raise bid for Newsday
BROADCASTING/CABLE
Localism Divides Religious Groups
Making Localism Illogical
This Is Only a Test: Vegas Station Simulates Analog Shutoff
ACA Keeps Pressure on FCC Regarding News Corp. Conditions
Cable Operators Seek To Broaden Martin Plan
Sezmi may be on to something, sez me
QUICKLY -- FCC's McDowell is Kevin Martin's Loyal=20
Opponent; On the brink; Amazon.com sues N.Y. over=20
new online sales tax; Scrap looms over radio waves
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
CONGRESSMEN URGE PROBE OF DEFENSE DEPT'S INFLUENCE ON MILITARY ANALYSTS
[SOURCE: TVWeek, AUTHOR: Ira Teinowitz]
Rep Rosa Delauro (D-CT) and 40 other Members of=20
Congress are calling on the Pentagon=92s Inspector=20
General to probe whether the Department of=20
Defense went too far in trying to sway the=20
opinions of military analysts on network and=20
cable TV shows in behalf of the Iraq war in ways=20
that may have been illegal. They called the=20
Pentagon effort an =93unethical, and potentially=20
illegal, propaganda campaign aimed at=20
deliberately misleading the American public.=94
http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/05/congressmen_urge_probe_of_defe.php
(requires free registration)
* Pentagon Used Military Analysts to Deliver Message
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=3D90111757
ELECTIONS AND MEDIA
OBAMA'S CHILLY SPRING
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Howard Kurtz]
The man who tried to soar above politics has been=20
brought back to earth by the same media=20
organizations that helped fuel his spectacular=20
rise. After more than a year of mostly glowing=20
coverage, Barack Obama is having to defend his=20
relationship with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, his=20
temerity in not sporting a flag pin, even his=20
arugula-loving, bad-bowling, let-me-eat-my-waffle=20
persona that fostered what Newsweek has branded=20
"the Bubba Gap." "The media have decided to get=20
tougher on Obama," says St. Petersburg Times=20
media critic Eric Deggans. "There was so much=20
talk about him getting such an easy ride that=20
some journalists got tired of it." When the=20
Illinois senator denounced his former pastor last=20
week, it followed days of saturation coverage of=20
Wright's inflammatory, sometimes eccentric=20
remarks. The press, which was slow to recognize=20
the importance of the Wright controversy --=20
videotapes of his sermons could have been=20
purchased months earlier -- was no longer willing=20
to dismiss the reverend as a sideshow. Still,=20
says David Greenberg, a Rutgers University=20
professor of journalism and history, the coverage=20
could be far worse. For journalists, he says,=20
"there has been a real infatuation with Obama=20
that has served as almost an unconscious=20
restraint" as many became "taken with the idea of=20
demonstrating their tolerance and America's=20
tolerance by electing a black candidate."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/04/AR200805...
1899.html
(requires registration)
OBAMA TAKES STAR TURN IN REPUBLICAN ADS
[SOURCE: AdAge, AUTHOR: Evan Tracey]
[Commentary] Barack Obama's campaign has spent=20
more than $70 million to air more than 121,000=20
campaign ads. But the ads starring Obama that his=20
campaign is not paying for are attracting the=20
most attention. Recently, we have seen=20
candidates, interest groups and a state political=20
party all using Obama's quotes, pastor and=20
likeness in an attempt to attack their opponents.=20
This is nothing new. As long as there have been=20
politicians, they've tried to link their=20
opponents, in a game of guilt by association, to=20
identifiable and polarizing political figures.=20
What this trend shows is that the "movement"=20
atmosphere that once surrounded Obama and made=20
him appear untouchable has now seemingly=20
disappeared, at least in some parts of the=20
country. Conservative candidates, the Republican=20
party and right-wing interest groups are not=20
going to hesitate to use Obama's likeness as a=20
way to denounce and triangulate Democratic=20
opponents. This may be something Democratic super=20
delegates consider when deciding which candidate=20
to support. Of course, the bad news for John=20
McCain and the Republicans is that Democrats will=20
still have Bush and Cheney to counter with in ads this Fall.
http://adage.com/campaigntrail/post?article_id=3D126802
UNIVERSAL SERVICE
INTERIM CAP CLEARS PATH FOR COMPREHENSIVE UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND REFORM
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
In the wake of adopting an interim cap on=20
payments to competitive eligible=20
telecommunications carriers (ETCs) under the=20
Universal Service Fund (Fund), the Federal=20
Communications Commission says it has taken a=20
crucial first step toward comprehensive reform of=20
Universal Service and intercarrier compensation,=20
two carrier compensation regimes that are=20
directly interrelated. Such comprehensive reform=20
is critical to ensuring the continued provision=20
of affordable telecommunications for all=20
Americans. The Commission's action to cap=20
competitive ETC support, as proposed by Chairman=20
Martin six months ago, will stabilize the Fund,=20
enabling the Commission to now move forward=20
expeditiously on comprehensive reform of both the=20
universal service program and intercarrier compensation.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-281939A1.doc
FEWER PHONES, MORE BROADBAND: FCC STRUGGLING TO FIX USF
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Matthew Lasar]
A divided Federal Communications Commission has=20
put a cap on Universal Service Fund (USF)=20
payouts, but even the agency's majority calls it=20
a stop-gap measure for a program in serious=20
trouble. The cap on USF subsidies will exempt=20
telecommunications providers operating on tribal=20
lands in the contiguous United States and in=20
Alaska Native regions. The FCC says that the=20
ceiling will remain in place only until the=20
agency enacts far reaching reforms on the USF=20
program. But it is unclear when that will happen,=20
given the chaotic nature of the Commission's=20
decision making process on this issue. Most=20
analysts agree that the USF has to move from=20
subsidizing conventional telephone service to=20
helping extend broadband use to the nation's=20
low-income and rural consumers. The Benton=20
Foundation, among other groups, has been pushing=20
this issue for some time. The nonprofit argues=20
that a general transition to VoIP telephony would=20
save consumers billions of dollars in the long=20
and even short run. Benton calls for the FCC to=20
establish a five-year timetable from analog to=20
digital telephony=97"with a hard analog shut off=20
date." This would be similar to the impending DTV=20
transition deadline of February 17, 2009.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080504-fewer-phones-more-broadban...
cc-struggling-to-fix-usf.html
INTERNET/BROADBAND
HOUSE HEARING SET ON INTERNET FREEDOM PRESERVATION ACT
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
On Tuesday, the House Telecommunications &=20
Internet Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the=20
Internet Freedom Preservation Act (HR 5353),=20
which could put some more teeth in the Federal=20
Communications Commission's guidelines on network=20
nondiscrimination, the issue that prompted the=20
Network Neutrality and, more recently,=20
network-management debates. Witnesses will=20
include National Cable & Telecommunications=20
Association president Kyle McSlarrow, Free Press=20
policy director Ben Scott, USTelecom president=20
Walter McCormick and Mitch Bainwol, chairman of=20
the Recording Industry Association of America The=20
bill was introduced by Subcommittee Chairman Ed=20
Markey (D-MA) in February in the wake of various=20
complaints against cable operators and telephone=20
companies for their network-management practices.=20
The result has been more hearings, on the Hill=20
and at the FCC, on an issue that dominated=20
telecommunications debate in the last Congress.=20
The Markey bill would essentially enshrine the=20
FCC's four network-nondiscrimination principles=20
into law, although in language general enough to=20
be open to regulatory discretion. It would also=20
direct the FCC to assess the state of access to=20
broadband services, including via a series of=20
summits with plenty of prior public notice.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6557066.html?rssid=3D193
* For more on the hearing see http://www.benton.org/node/10734
* For more on HR 5353 see http://www.benton.org/node/9186
WHY THE 'RIGHT' GETS NET NEUTRALITY WRONG
[SOURCE: Public Knowledge, AUTHOR: Art Brodsky]
[Commentary] What do conservatives have against=20
Network Neutrality? Most congressional=20
Republicans oppose the idea of giving consumers=20
freedom on the Internet. They take shelter in=20
their anti-government, anti-regulation rhetoric,=20
preferring to allow Internet freedom to apply to=20
the corporations which own the networks=20
connecting the Internet to consumers, rather than=20
to consumers themselves. There could, of course,=20
be a larger discussion about the meaning of=20
=93conservative=94 and Republican, and whether the=20
two are synonymous. At the heart of the=20
opposition is the =93mythology of the market,=94 that=20
once government =93got out of the way,=94 new=20
technologies emerged. The argument against Net=20
Neutrality really goes off-track when it gets=20
into the nature of private property, the state of=20
competition, and the effect of regulation. That=92s=20
more than one track to be thrown off of, so it=92s=20
quite the disaster scene. We may need CSI: Telecom to sort it all out.
http://www.publicknowledge.org/node/1545
http://www.publicknowledge.org/node/1544
INTERNET SAYS: 'ME WANT COOKIE'
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: L. Gordon Crovitz]
[Commentary] Today's controversial cookies are=20
the small text files that track where people go=20
online. Web sites do a poor job of explaining how=20
and why this information is used, even as details=20
about our lives are increasingly knowable online.=20
Risks to privacy make this a race between smarter=20
self-regulation on the Web and threatened new=20
regulation by the Federal Trade Commission.=20
People involved in building the Web are rightly=20
proud of the openness of the digital culture.=20
Most consider that cookies cause no harm and are=20
key to the growth of the Internet, but many Web=20
users feel left in the dark about how information=20
about them is used and not used. Unless people=20
can be reassured, there is a real risk that some=20
day soon we'll find the untested hands of regulators in the cookie jar.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120994540824466285.html?mod=3Dtodays_us_...
nion
(requires subscription)
MEDIA OWNERSHIP
ALL EYES ON YAHOO FOR ALTERNATE DEAL ON MICROSOFT
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Michele Gershberg]
Yahoo faced growing pressure on Sunday to find an=20
alternative strategy to a $47.5 billion takeover=20
offer from Microsoft after the software maker=20
walked away over a major disagreement on price.=20
Yahoo was likely to push for an advertising=20
partnership with Web search leader Google that=20
should help boost its operating performance in=20
the near term, sources familiar with the matter=20
said. It is also still pursuing a deal with=20
another Internet media and advertising major,=20
such as Time Warner Inc's AOL. The expectation=20
that Yahoo Chief Executive Jerry Yang has another=20
strategy up his sleeve could help mitigate a=20
steep descent for the company's shares on Monday,=20
but he will face angry questions from shareholders if nothing materializes.
http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSN0228397020080504
* Microsoft Drops Bid for Yahoo
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2008/tc2008053_759938....
?campaign_id=3Drss_tech
* Microsoft=92s Failed Yahoo Bid Risks Online Growth
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/05/technology/05soft.html?ref=3Dtodayspaper
* After Deal Dies, Yahoo Weighs Its Next Move
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/05/technology/05yahoo.web.html?ref=3Dtoda...
aper
* Giving Up on Yahoo, Microsoft Rethinks Its Internet Options
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120990343342465453.html?mod=3Dtodays_us_...
e_one
* Throughout Microsoft Talks, Yahoo Appeared Unwilling to Sell
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/04/AR200805...
1731.html
* Microsoft drops Yahoo, looks ahead
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20080505/1b_yahoo05.art.htm
* How the 'no deal' went down for Microsoft-Yahoo
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20080505/3b_msoft-yahoo-side....
.htm
* Yahoo may not have heard the last of Microsoft
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-microsoft5-2008may05,...
08313.story
* Yahoo under pressure after deal collapse
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/fccd005a-1a05-11dd-ba02-0000779fd2ac.html
* Google's shadow hung over Microsoft-Yahoo deal
http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/05/05/Google-shadow-hung-over-Micros...
-Yahoo-deal_1.html
MURDOCH WON'T RAISE BID FOR NEWSDAY
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Seth Sutel]
Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., which had appeared=20
close to a deal to buy Newsday, doesn't plan to=20
raise its bid for the Long Island newspaper=20
despite a higher offer from Cablevision Systems.=20
Cablevision's offer of $650 million bested=20
Murdoch's $580 million price, as well as an offer=20
of equal value from New York Daily News owner=20
Mortimer Zuckerman. It wasn't clear whether=20
Zuckerman would respond to Cablevision's higher=20
offer. The competitive bidding for Newsday is=20
good news for its owner Tribune Co., which took=20
on an additional $8.2 billion in debt in December=20
when it became a privately held company.=20
Tribune's new CEO Sam Zell had initially said he=20
wanted to keep the company largely intact, but=20
later decided to entertain offers for Newsday=20
following a steep drop-off in advertising=20
revenues at the company. Like Newsday,=20
Cablevision is also based on Long Island and has=20
about 3 million cable TV customers in the New=20
York region. It also has a local cable news=20
channel, Madison Square Garden, and several cable=20
networks including AMC and IFC.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080502/newsday_sale.html?.v=3D2
BROADCASTING/CABLE
LOCALISM DIVIDES RELIGIOUS GROUPS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Federal Communications Commission's proposals=20
for increasing public interest reporting=20
requirements and other steps to promote broadcast=20
localism have drawn a flood of comments from=20
understandably worried broadcasters. But they=20
have also revealed a potential new battleground=20
in this issue: a schism between religious groups.=20
On one side of the faith divide over the=20
proposals are the Conference of Catholic Bishops=20
and the United Church of Christ, which support=20
some form of new licensing guidelines tied to a=20
fast-tracked renewal process. On the other is the=20
National Religious Broadcasters, which represents=20
some 1,400 members, primarily radio and TV=20
stations. Evangelical in nature but=20
nondenominational in makeup, the NRB argues the=20
proposals could =93strangle=94 Christian media and=20
create an =93official orthodoxy=94 on what is acceptable local programming.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6557189.html
MAKING LOCALISM ILLOGICAL
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John M. Pelkey, Daniel J. Margolis]
[Commentary] Two attorneys for broadcaster=20
Broadcast Co. of America (BCA) argue again the=20
Federal Communications Commission's proposed=20
rules to promote localism. The most eye-catching=20
proposal made by the FCC in the Localism Notice=20
for Proposed Rulemaking is the proposal to=20
require each broadcaster to construct and operate=20
a main studio in each of its communities of=20
license. So if, for example, the broadcaster were=20
licensee of five stations in a market and each of=20
those stations had a different community of=20
license, it would be required to construct and=20
operate five separate main studios. Coupled with=20
the FCC's policy requiring each studio to be=20
staffed by two full-time employees, the=20
broadcaster could be required to expend more than=20
a million dollars per year in operating expenses,=20
plus the costs of construction. Given the current=20
state of the broadcast industry and the economy,=20
such a result would be catastrophic.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6557193.html
THIS IS ONLY A TEST: VEGAS STATION SIMULATES ANALOG SHUTOFF
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: P.J. Bednarski, Glen Dickson]
KVBC Las Vegas conducted a simulation of what=20
will happen at the stroke of midnight on Feb. 17,=20
2009, when full-power stations across the U.S.=20
cease broadcasting in analog. During each of the=20
station's seven daily newscasts on May 2, the=20
station stopped feeding its normal programming=20
into its studio-to-transmitter link and instead=20
ran a brief clip of simulated static. Overlaid on=20
the fuzzy screen was a graphic instructing=20
befuddled viewers to call 888-DTV-2009 or=20
DTVanswers.com, the industry's official sources=20
for information on the transition. The simulated=20
blackouts, which included footage of an actual=20
cable being pulled, began with Friday's 5 a.m.=20
newscast. KVBC anchors explained to viewers that=20
those who could still see them after they "pulled=20
the plug" have nothing to worry about come=20
February 2009 -- those who got only white snow,=20
however, need to act now to make their sets DTV-ready.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6557252.html?rssid=3D193
ACA KEEPS PRESSURE ON FCC REGARDING NEWS CORP CONDITIONS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The American Cable Association, the lobbying=20
organization for small and mid-sized cable=20
operators, again asked the Federal Communications=20
Commission to deny News Corp.'s effort to get out=20
from under conditions the FCC put on the company=20
when it bought DirecTV. This time, the ACA argued=20
that the company "manipulated Commission=20
processes to suppress scrutiny of a key issue in=20
the Liberty [Media]/DirecTV transaction." The FCC=20
Feb. 25 approved the sale of DirecTV to Liberty.=20
News Corp. petitioned the FCC March 11 to lift=20
the conditions. The company said its sale of=20
DirecTV to Liberty justified lifting the=20
conditions that required it to submit to=20
commercial arbitration in cable-operator=20
program-access complaints about negotiations for=20
regional sports networks or retransmission-consent talks.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6556914.html?rssid=3D193
CABLE OPERATORS SEEK TO BROADEN MARTIN PLAN
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
Charter Communications, Mediacom Communications,=20
and Cequel Communications want Federal=20
Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin=20
to broaden his proposal designed to give small=20
cable operators relief from rules mandating the=20
duplicative carriage of some local TV signals.=20
Martin=92s plan, announced in early April at the=20
American Cable Association=92s annual DC summit,=20
included relief for cable systems with 552 MHz of=20
capacity or less. Last week, the three cable=20
companies said relief should also include systems=20
with up to 5,000 subscribers or =93some other=20
threshold deemed suitable.=94 The scope of Martin=92s=20
proposal should expand, the MSOs said, because=20
they and other cable operators have systems with=20
750 MHz of capacity that have not been upgraded=20
to digital and do not have the subscriber base to justify doing so.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6556996.html?nid=3D4262
SEZMI MAY BE ON TO SOMETHING, SEZ ME
[SOURCE: tvnewsday, AUTHOR: Harry A. Jessell]
[Commentary] Sezmi, the latest wireless cable=20
scheme involving broadcast spectrum, cable=20
networks, Internet access and a big, honkin' DVR=20
could just work if stations don't decide to keep=20
all their digital space for diginets or mobile.=20
Backed with $17.5 million in venture capital, the=20
company is now trying to put together the pieces=20
that it needs to begin trials in three markets=20
later this year. It needs spectrum from=20
broadcasting, distribution deals from cable=20
networks and marketing help from ISPs. That=20
represents a lot of work. But the proposed Sezmi=20
service possesses a few elements that its=20
ill-fated predecessors did not and they could=20
make all the difference. First, the Sezmi box not=20
only connects to a smart antenna to receive the=20
local TV stations and cable networks off air, but=20
also to the Internet so that subscribers can tap=20
into the VOD movies and TV shows that the studios=20
and networks are making available as well as the=20
blizzard of videos on YouTube and elsewhere.=20
Second, the Sezmi box will contain a super DVR=20
with one terabyte of storage. That means that it=20
can record much of what it receives off the air=20
or finds on the Web and have it ready when you=20
are. Finally, Sezmi is promising a smart=20
interface that will help subscribers sort through=20
it all and organize it so they will always have=20
their favorites right at their fingertips.
http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2008/05/02/daily.6/
QUICKLY
FCC'S MCDOWELL IS KEVIN MARTIN'S LOYAL OPPONENT
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
A Q&A with Republican Federal Communications=20
Commission Commissioner Robert McDowell. He=20
concedes he has differed from FCC Chairman Kevin=20
Martin on a number of issues lately, but his=20
divergent points of view on some issues don't=20
indicate a larger rift between the two. The=20
independent-minded commissioner cautions against=20
a heavy regulatory hand on the Internet, and=20
takes issue with new broadcast localism proposals=20
that have broadcasters worried. He believes the=20
FCC already has the authority to keep the=20
Internet open, and says broadcasters are already=20
programming to their communities and don't need=20
the government to exhume old rules. Commissioner=20
McDowell, who says he thinks DTV transition is on=20
track for a smooth switchover, talks about the=20
analog shut-off and other issues including Network Neutrality.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6557245.html?rssid=3D193
ON THE BRINK
[SOURCE: The Economist, AUTHOR: ]
America's Audit Bureau of Circulations reported=20
that for the 530 biggest dailies, average=20
circulation in the past six months was 3.6% lower=20
than in the same period a year earlier; for=20
Sunday papers, it was 4.6% lower. Ad revenues are=20
plunging across the board: by 22.3% at Media=20
General, for example. In 2007 total newspaper=20
revenues fell to $42.2 billion, not to be sniffed=20
at, certainly, but a lot less than the peak of=20
$48.7 billion in 2000. Much of this decline is=20
being blamed on the rise of the Internet, which=20
offers free, round-the-clock coverage, and which=20
has provided a new, better home for classified=20
advertising, once the bedrock of most newspapers'=20
revenue. But some of the fall in revenues is=20
actually due to the economic slowdown in America,=20
and especially in the housing market, which=20
contributes a large slice of classified=20
advertising. The credit crunch has also come at a=20
bad time for a group of new newspaper owners, who=20
used loans that were readily available until last=20
summer to buy their way into the business, but=20
must now be having second thoughts.
http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=3D11294258
AMAZON.COM SUES NY OVER NEW ONLINE SALES TAX
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Anne Broache]
As expected, Amazon.com is hitting back at New=20
York over a new law requiring online retailers to=20
collect sales taxes from customers residing in=20
that state. In a complaint filed on April 25,=20
Amazon asked the New York State Supreme Court to=20
declare the recently passed law "invalid, illegal, and unconstitutional."
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9934188-7.html?part=3Drss&subj=3Dnews&tag=
=3D2547-1_3-0-5
SCRAP LOOMS OVER RADIO WAVES
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Andrew Parker, Sarah Laitner]
Europe=92s leading mobile phone operators on Monday=20
set themselves on a collision course with=20
television broadcasters by making a pitch to=20
secure a big chunk of the =93digital dividend=94=20
radio =ADspectrum. A report commissioned by=20
Vodafone, Telefonica and Orange calls for the=20
mobile operators to be allocated 25 per cent of=20
the spectrum, or radio waves, made available by=20
the switchover from analogue to digital=20
television. The report, written by Spectrum Value=20
Partners, a consulting firm, claims that giving=20
mobile operators access to the digital dividend=20
spectrum could be worth up to =80165bn ($255bn,=20
=A3129bn) to consumers and companies. Auctions of=20
the ultra high frequency spectrum previously used=20
for analogue television could also raise billions=20
of euros for European governments.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/7086cb96-19f4-11dd-ba02-0000779fd2ac.html
(requires subscription)
--------------------------------------------------------------
Communications-related Headlines is a free online=20
news summary service provided by the Benton=20
Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted Monday=20
through Friday, this service provides updates on=20
important industry developments, policy issues,=20
and other related news events. While the=20
summaries are factually accurate, their often=20
informal tone does not always represent the tone=20
of the original articles. Headlines are compiled=20
by Kevin Taglang headlines( at )benton.org -- we welcome your comments.
--------------------------------------------------------------