BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2010
FCC Chairman Genachowski to Make a major announcement on Student Connectivity at "Learning and Growing in the Digital Age" event today http://bit.ly/dCK4cX (see more below)
More on today's agenda http://bit.ly/cyzudi
INTERNET/BROADBAND
Europe calls for global Internet treaty
The world gets a national broadband plan
Italy Operators Reach Broadband Deal
Internet Service Upgrade Coming to Poor and Rural Schools
More hotels offer 2-tiered wireless Internet access
Private-Equity Firm Buys Internet Brands
Internet Radio May Threaten Terrestrial Drive-Time
PIRACY
Bipartisan bill would ramp up anti-piracy enforcement online
Hollywood sounds alarm as streaming video websites enable a new wave of piracy
PRIVACY
Google Gets a Privacy Deadline
SPECTRUM/WIRELESS
4G Coalition Stumps For D Block Auction
Soldiers show some ingenuity during tests of next-generation radios
JOURNALISM
Fake news flourishes under the feds' noses
MEDIA & ELECTIONS
Election ads on track to outpace 2008 spending
Digital Spend in Midterm Elections Trumped by TV
POLICYMAKERS
Commissioner Clyburn Hires Dad's Aide to Lead Her Office
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
Google Reports on Government Requests and Censorship
Google Says Its Web Search Service Partially Blocked in China
STIMULUS
Spending Stimulus Dollars Surprisingly Hard
MORE ONLINE
Does the Digital Classroom Enfeeble the Mind?
Administration slashes two more huge IT projects
Sezmi Raises $17.3 Million
EUROPE CALLS FOR GLOBAL INTERNET TREATY
[SOURCE: Computerweekly.com, AUTHOR: Mark Ballard]
Europe has proposed a global Internet treaty to protect the Internet from political interference and place into international law its founding principles of open standards, network neutrality, freedom of expression and pluralistic governance. The draft law was compared to the 1967 Outer Space Treaty as the Council of Europe presented it to web luminaries from around the world at the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Vilnius, Lithuania, this week. Dignitaries warned that governments were threatening the Internet with fragmentation by bringing it under political control. The proposed Internet Treaty would require countries to sustain the technological foundations that made the network of networks possible. The proposed law would also require global co-operation in the protection of critical Internet infrastructure. It would similarly preserve the multi-stakeholder system of governance that has forced governments to subordinate their desires to regulate the net to forums that give an equal voice to engineers and representatives of commercial and civil society. The treaty would make the system of Internet governance overseen by ICANN adhere to international human rights law. The treaty's principles would furthermore uphold rights to freedom of expression and association and require states to preserve "human dignity" and the "free and autonomous development of identity" on the Internet.
benton.org/node/42351 | ComputerWeekly.com
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ITU BROADBAND PLAN
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Matthew Lasar]
The United Nation's International Telecommunications Union has released a broadband plan for the world. "In this brave new world of 'digital opportunity', we believe the burning issue is what price will be paid by those who fail to make the global, regional, national and local choices for broadband inclusion for all—choices which must be made sooner rather than later," the "Outcomes" section of ITU's world Broadband Report warns. ITU estimates that there are now over 1.8 billion Internet users and over five billion mobile device subscribers, most located in the developing world. All governments should build upon this to extend broadband to half the world's population by 2015, the organization says (the current human population of the globe is getting close to 7 billion folks, by the way). In an accompanying press statement, the survey asks global leaders to make broadband access a "basic civil right." "Broadband is the next tipping point, the next truly transformational technology," declares ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun Touré. "It can generate jobs, drive growth and productivity, and underpin long-term economic competitiveness. It is also the most powerful tool we have at our disposal in our race to meet the Millennium Development Goals, which are now just five years away."
benton.org/node/42356 | Ars Technica
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ITALIAN FIBER PROJECT
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Giada Zampano]
Italian telecommunications operators have reached an agreement on technical aspects to build a high-speed broadband network, paving the way to a final deal for the creation of a countrywide fiber-optic infrastructure. Deputy Minister for Communications Paolo Romani said Sept 17 that the telecom operators had agreed on the technical model for the transition to fiber from the current copper network, which may support different types of technologies. Minister Romani added that the next step will be a public consultation on existing fiber-optic infrastructure in Italy and investment plans to develop it. The Italian government and the main telecom operator have long debated the best way to expand access to high-speed broadband across the country, as Italy lags behind the rest of Europe in broadband penetration. But questions over financing and former monopoly Telecom Italia SpA's refusal to share control over its key fixed-line network have delayed Italy's broadband plans.
benton.org/node/42343 | Wall Street Journal
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E-RATE ORDER EXPECTED THURSDAY
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Edward Wyatt]
The Federal Communications Commission is expected on Sept 23 to approve an overhaul of the $2.25 billion E-Rate program, which subsidizes Internet service for schools and public libraries, to give schools more options for faster Internet service, allow for community Internet service and to begin pilot programs for digital textbooks. The proposed E-Rate order would allow schools and libraries to use federal funds to lease unused local communication lines -- known as dark fiber -- to connect to the Internet, a potentially faster and lower-cost connection than currently offered through many local telecommunications companies. The commission also is expected to approve a pilot program that supports off-campus wireless Internet connections for use with mobile learning devices, like digital textbooks. That would allow schools to update their textbooks more frequently and save students from having to carry back-breaking loads of textbooks home each night.
benton.org/node/42362 | New York Times
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INTERNET RADIO
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: Erik Sass]
While actual penetration remains fairly low, Internet radio poses at least a hypothetical threat to traditional radio listening in cars, according to a new national survey of 2,141 radio listeners, including cell-phone-only respondents, conducted from August 10-25 by Mark Ramsey Media and VIP Research. MRM and VIP found that 34% of those surveyed said they would listen less to traditional local broadcast radio stations -- long the dominant drive-time medium for advertisers -- if they had access to Internet radio in their car. The proportion that would listen less to traditional radio was even higher among young adults ages 18-24, at 42%, and among fans of alternative music, at 50%. On a positive note, respondents were less likely to "give up" radio than other media and devices, with 5.3% saying they would give up radio compared to 39.1% for game consoles, 15.3% for iPods or MP3 players, 14.2% for DVRs, 12.9% for DVDs, and 5.9% for TV. However, these results may simply reflect the fact that there is no cost savings associated with forgoing free broadcast TV or radio.
benton.org/node/42354 | MediaPost
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PIRACY
ANTI-PIRACY BILL
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Gautham Nagesh]
A bipartisan bill unveiled Sept 20 would make it easier for the Justice Department to shut down websites that traffic pirated music, movies and counterfeit goods. Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee including Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Sen Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) introduced the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act, which would create an expedited process for DoJ to shut down websites providing pirated materials. "Each year, online piracy and the sale of counterfeit goods costs American businesses billions of dollars, and result in hundreds of thousands of lost jobs," said Sen Leahy. "Protecting intellectual property is not uniquely a Democratic or Republican priority -- it is a bipartisan priority." The other sponsors are Sens. Herb Kohl (D-WI), Arlen Specter (D-PA), Charles Schumer (D-NY), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Evan Bayh (D-IN) and George Voinovich (R-Ohio). The bill will be added to the agenda for the Committee's Sept 23 business meeting.
Public Knowledge welcomed the bill, but raised concerns -- about troubling political and technical implications, particularly as it attempts to extend U.S. control over the worldwide Internet addressing system; about establishing an Internet black list of sites that the Justice Department thinks are 'pirate' sites but against which it hasn't taken action; about the vague definitions of what constitutes an infringing site and of the level of proof needed."
benton.org/node/42345 | Hill, The | Public Knowledge
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PRIVACY
GOOGLE GETS PRIVACY DEADLINE
[SOURCE: Fast Company, AUTHOR: Austin Carr]
Google has a fleet of camera-equipped cars prowling the streets of every major metropolis, snapping endless rounds of photographs for its Street View mapping service. The next time one rolls by, watch out--it could be "accidentally" capturing more than just the front of your house. Back in May, German officials launched a criminal investigation into the company's Street View cars, and found they had been scanning unsecured Wi-Fi networks and collecting private user data--small bits personal information, accessed websites, and email messages. Google admitted to inadvertently collecting more than 600 gigabytes worth of personal data, but said it was due to a programming error. German prosecutors weren't satisfied. (Neither was the FTC, which also opened an investigation.) Today, the government set a deadline: Develop new guidelines for data collection or face government regulation. After hours of talks Monday between consumer protection agents, interior minister Thomas de Maiziere said that unless Google voluntarily adopted new policies, Germany would begin legislation to enforce privacy guidelines on Google and other Internet companies.
benton.org/node/42350 | Fast Company
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SPECTRUM/WIRELESS
D BLOCK AUCTION LOBBYING
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Coalition for 4G in America, which includes Clearwire, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile, will be making their case on Capitol Hill for auctioning spectrum in the D block. Former Motorola Chief Technology Officer Dennis Roberson will hold briefings on the House and Senate side about why the coalition thinks an auction is the way to go. The D block is the spectrum the Federal Communications Commission tried to auction to create a public-private partnership to build a national, interoperable public safety network. It failed to draw the FCC's minimum bid. The FCC has made re-auctioning that spectrum, which 4G supports, part of its national broadband plan. It would not mandate a public-private partnership, but would require the winning bidder to make that 10 MHz of spectrum available for public safety in an emergency. But Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, has introduced a bill that would put the spectrum directly in the hands of public safety.
benton.org/node/42341 | Broadcasting&Cable
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NEXT-GEN RADIOS
[SOURCE: nextgov, AUTHOR: Bob Brewin]
Contractors might have developed the advanced battlefield communications systems the Army is testing, but it was soldiers who adapted the technology to fit requirements only a warrior on the front lines would know, the kind of ingenuity that harkens back to the Civil War. This month, soldiers are testing the new Rifleman Radio, an advanced handheld, software-based device the service believes will provide a generational leap in the way troops communicate on the battlefield. The radio, part of the Joint Tactical Radio System program, has been built for the data-rich environment that soldiers now operate in and is designed to send and receive data-rich images and to provide different ways to communicate, including chat room-like venues, to quickly exchange intelligence. So far during the two week, $12 million exercise that is scheduled to finish Sept. 28, soldiers had to devise a workaround to some of the inherent shortcomings of Rifleman Radio. For example, the extent of its reception is only about 3 miles. That range isn't enough to cover the 350 square miles that make up the exercise area inside White Sand's sprawling 3,200-square-mile base, which runs from north of El Paso, Texas, to south of Socorro, NM. To boost coverage, soldiers applied the simple rule that the higher an antenna, the longer its range, and they hung one of the devices from a blimp, or aerostat, and sent it up several thousand feet so it hovered over the exercise area.
benton.org/node/42353 | nextgov
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JOURNALISM
FAKE NEWS
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: James Rainey]
A look at the federal government's flimsy and fitful crackdown on news outlets and experts that fob off public relations drivel as news. The public has gotten pitch-drunk from relentless salesmanship, on Twitter, Facebook, blogs and even their favorite sitcoms and reality shows. TV news producers have to fill airtime with staffs a fraction the size they were just a few years ago. Federal regulators speak loudly but carry a small stick -- seldom invoking regulations that let them punish television outlets that don't disclose paid promotions. A couple of public interest outfits demonstrated more than four years ago how dozens of TV stations flimflammed the public by presenting video news releases from advertisers as if they were unbiased expert testimonials, but complaints brought by the Center for Media and Democracy and Free Press, a partner public interest group, have not been resolved, at least as far as anyone knows. It is hard to tell exactly what the Federal Communications Commission has done on the matter. Eric Bash, associate bureau chief in the FCC's Enforcement Bureau, said he assumed the fail-to-disclose complaints could be pending. But rules prohibit discussing ongoing investigations. And the rules might also preclude discussing complaints that had been tossed out. The only antidote might be bringing more attention to broadcasters who produce fake news. The audience has had its fill of this sub rosa salesman, hasn't it? Or has the news just sunk to meet our increasingly low expectations?
benton.org/node/42346 | Los Angeles Times
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MEDIA & ELECTIONS
ELECTION SPENDING
[SOURCE: Hollywood Reporter, AUTHOR: Katy Bachman]
Political advertising goes into high gear this week: Money will be flying and inventory at TV stations will be tight. Three-quarters of the $3 billion expected windfall will be spent in the next seven weeks, Evan Tracey, president of Kantar Media's Campaign Media Analysis Group, told broadcasters at last week's TVB Forward conference in New York. Ad spending for this year's midterm political season is already pacing $160 million above the same period in 2006, and the final tally is likely to best the general election in 2008. "It's the most competitive political environment I've ever seen," Tracey said. Just about every media segment will see increases this year, led by local TV, with radio and cable also being up. Digital and social media will also be on the rise, but at a slower pace.
Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. said Monday it expects its television stations to bring in less money from political advertising than previously forecast. The Hunt Valley broadcaster said it expects about $9 million in political advertising for the third-quarter ending Sept. 30. That is down from the $9.5 million in political advertising forecast previously. With two weeks remaining in the quarter, Sinclair's stations have brought in about $7.7 million from political ads, the company said.
benton.org/node/42355 | Hollywood Reporter | Baltimore Business Journal
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ONLINE CAMPAIGN AD SPENDING
[SOURCE: MediaWeek, AUTHOR: Mike Shield]
According to Borrell & Associates, political spending on digital media should double this year vs. 2008, reaching $44.5 million. Despite that hefty growth rate, "that's really not much," said Kip Cassino, Borrell's vp of research. Some estimates place digital spending at 1 percent of total political media dollars. "There's more of it, but it's still a fraction," said Evan Tracey, president, campaign media analysis group, Kantar Media. "Spending has just not developed this year," said Ted Utz, managing director of the local rep firm Petry Digital. Utz said his company works with around 10 top political ad agencies. "They are staffed up and poised to place digital money, and it's been really anemic. [Media plans are] just sitting there." Perhaps the biggest factor holding back digital spending is political consultants' love affair with TV, which, according to Cassino, gets two of every three dollars spent in this arena. TV has a long track record of getting people elected, particularly in local congressional races, where a candidate might be running "for the 10th or 11th term," said Cassino. "So they hand digital planning to the kid who comes in as a volunteer." Also, while consultants recognize the Web's fund-raising power, many still aren't buying the idea that banner ads drive votes.
benton.org/node/42340 | MediaWeek
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POLICYMAKERS
STAFF CHANGES FOR FCC COMMISSIONER CLYBURN
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Press release]
Federal Communications Commissioner Mignon L. Clyburn has appointed Dave Grimaldi to be Chief of Staff and Media Legal Advisor in her office. Grimaldi succeeds Acting Chief of Staff Angela ("Angie") Kronenberg, who will continue as Wireline Legal Advisor to Commissioner Clyburn.
Since June 2009, Grimaldi has served as Senior Counsel to House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-SC) where he specialized in technology and telecommunications, foreign affairs, and finance regulation. Prior to joining Congressman Clyburn's staff, Grimaldi counseled corporate, financial and non-profit clients as Senior Counsel with The Raben Group, and for two years served as Legislative Counsel to Representative Ed Towns (D-NY) where he assisted the Congressman with his duties as a member of the House Commerce Committee.
benton.org/node/42339 | Federal Communications Commission
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GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
TRANSPARENCY REPORT
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Claire Cain Miller]
On Sept 21, Google is expected to introduce a new tool called the Transparency Report. It publishes where and when Internet traffic to Google sites is blocked, and the blockages are annotated with details when possible. For instance, the tool shows that YouTube has been blocked in Iran since the disputed presidential election in June 2009. The Transparency Report will also be the home for Google's government requests tool, a map that shows every time a government has asked Google to take down or hand over information, and what percentage of the time Google has complied. Google introduced it in April and updates it every six months. Government requests could be court orders to remove hateful content or a subpoena to pass along information about a Google user. The data in the Transparency Report is not published in real-time and is raw -- for instance, it does not differentiate whether a site is inaccessible because a government blocked service or because a cable was cut.
benton.org/node/42361 | New York Times
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STIMULUS
STIMULUS SPENDING
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Louise Radnofsky]
When Obama Administration officials were selling the idea of a huge federal stimulus program to buoy the US economy, they talked about a plan that would get money into the economy quickly. Instead, spending stimulus dollars fast has turned out to be surprisingly hard. The stimulus package, which has a current estimated price-tag of $814 billion, had three components. One was tax breaks for individuals and companies. Another was aid to states to fund unemployment benefits, Medicaid and schools. Nearly all this money has been spent. The third element was around $230 billion in funding for infrastructure projects ranging from road repaving to modernizing the electric grid. This was to be the most visible element of the job creation effort. Federal agencies have designated recipients for around 80% of the funds, but paid out only about a third of them to date. The result is that the Obama Administration is struggling to convince skeptical voters that the stimulus was effective. Among respondents to a Wall Street Journal/ NBC News poll in August, 30% thought the plan had "made things better," 30% thought it had "made things worse" and 40% said it was "too soon to tell" or had no opinion. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that the stimulus lowered the jobless rate by between 0.7 percentage point and 1.8 percentage points during the second quarter of 2010, compared with what the rate otherwise would have been. But for voters, those figures are being dwarfed by the actual jobless rate of 9.6% in August.
benton.org/node/42360 | Wall Street Journal | WSJ - High Speed Rail
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