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Buried in the Obama Administration's list of recommendations for Congress to improve intellectual property enforcement is an endorsement of the "performance right," which would require radio stations to pay royalties to musicians and performers for playing their music.
Currently stations are only required to pay songwriters, though the recording industry has pushed for years for stations to pay performance rights as they do in other nations. White House IP enforcement czar Victoria Espinel said aside from the issue of basic fairness, the current law makes it difficult to enforce U.S. copyrights in other nations. Espinel said in many cases foreign government collect royalties from domestic radio stations that should go to American performers, but because of the way the law is written the governments don't have to turn over the funds. "Until the loophole in our law is closed, we won't have the ability to enforce our rights in other countries," Espinel said.
White House: Performance right is issue of "basic fairness"
The Senate Commerce Committee will begin debate March 16 on consumer online privacy as one of the panel's key members works on legislation that would require firms to tell consumers more, and offer more choices, about what information is being collected about them.
Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz and Lawrence Strickling, administrator of the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration, are among those scheduled to testify. Strickling is likely to give the Obama administration's backing for privacy legislation by Congress, according to several sources following the issue. Collared at a conference sponsored by the Direct Marketing Association, NTIA Associate Administrator Daniel Weitzner would not comment on whether the Administration would come out in support of privacy legislation.
Senate Taking Early Lead In Privacy Debate
Though having a small share of multichannel TV service universe, telco-based video services could triple globally in five years, according to one report. A new survey from Pyramid Research said IPTV (Internet-Protocol Television) subscriptions will reach 131.6 million globally by year-end 2015. Currently, the company estimates that worldwide IPTV subscriptions were 46.2 million at the end of 2010. At that pace, the business will see a 23% compounded growth rate per year. Much of this is coming from big growth in Asia, especially the single-fastest and biggest market: China. The Cambridge, Mass.-based researcher says China is on pace to surpass France as the largest IPTV market by the end of 2011.
Forecast: IPTV Subs Will Hit 131M By 2015
In what would position Netflix as an even bigger threat to the major cable players, the company might soon offer original programming. The streaming TV and movie powerhouse has reportedly outbid networks from HBO to AMC for the rights to the David Fincher and Kevin Spacey series House of Cards. Nellie Andreeva reports that while negotiations are still ongoing, Netflix has offered to commit to two seasons of the drama series in a deal that could be worth more than $100 million. With a shift toward original content, Netflix is taking a dramatic turn away from the company's original direction -- a direction restated to investors as recently as late January, when Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said the company would not venture toward original programming.
Netflix to Offer Original Content: Change of Heart for CEO Reed Hastings?
NoChokePoints Coalition -- a broad-based group of consumer and public interest groups, competitive providers, educational organizations and trade groups -- filed research findings at the Federal Communications Commission estimating that reform of the high-speed broadband market known as “special access” would increase national output by as much as $37.7 billion and create as many as 176,000 new jobs across the U.S. economy, 70 percent of them in industries that rely on these connections to run their businesses. The study was commissioned by Sprint.
Public Knowledge President Gigi Sohn said, "This study from the NoChokePoints Coalition should persuade the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) at last to take up the issue cutting the rates for special access."
Special Access Reform Would Increase US Economic Output By Up To $37 Billion Statement (Public Knowledge)
This issue brief examines how mobile technology can be used to advance coverage goals. The report focuses especially on the capacity of mobile technology to reach and expand health coverage among traditionally underserved communities, who have less broadband access to the Internet at home. It discusses the potential of mobile devices to function as outreach tools and as a new means of applying for and renewing coverage, as well as submitting forms, receiving reminders, and paying premiums. The brief also highlights key challenges to maximizing the potential of mobile technology in this sphere and policy steps that could help to address them.
Mobile Technology: Smart Tools to Increase Participation in Health Coverage
The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) released an EdTechNext report, titled “Flexible Mobile Platforms,” which explores the fundamentals of mobile devices for schools – from their education potential to the pros and cons of student- vs. school-owned devices.
The report also details four components of mobile learning that factor into technology planning and decision making, and highlights how some school districts are successfully leveraging mobile devices. Education technology leaders looking for guidance on how to strategically integrate mobile devices into the education technology infrastructure will find this report very valuable. It is designed as a resource to outline the key factors that should be taken into consideration, and is part of CoSN’s efforts to maximize thought leadership on this issue.
This report outlines the potential educational benefits of mobile devices, including increased student engagement and achievement, increased competency in 21st century skills, and extended time for learning, among many others. According to the report, these benefits can be realized and mobile learning initiatives can be successful if districts and schools take into account the four components of mobile learning platforms – user devices, network access, software and learning environments and e-content.
The CoSN report also details the pros and cons of student- vs. school-owned mobile devices device. For example, regarding school-provided smartphones, the pros include device consistency and controlling network access in school, while the cons include the expense of 3G and 4G data plans and the need for schools to maintain a robust Wi-Fi infrastructure, among others. In addition, the report provides a comprehensive list of major mobile devices with their features and operating systems, and data network technologies and carriers – all aimed at providing educators with critical information needed for technology planning and decision making.
CoSN Releases Flexible Mobile Platform Report
The National Federation of the Blind claims that Google Apps lacks required features for blind people and wants the US government to investigate whether schools that adopt the email and collaboration suite run afoul of civil rights laws.
The NFB is asking the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division to probe whether New York University and Northwestern University are discriminating against blind employees and students through their use of Google Apps' Education edition. Specifically, the NFB alleges that Google Apps applications like Gmail, Calendar, and Docs contain "significant accessibility barriers" for blind people using screen access technology, which converts the contents of the computer screen into synthesized speech or Braille.
National Federation of the Blind Slams Google Apps Complaint: Google programs hard for blind students (Associated Press)
[Commentary] Despite fanfare regarding the end of exclusivity for the Apple iPhone with the launch of a CDMA version, the reality is that many carriers are still unable to attain certain devices. While the majority of current subscribers now have access to the once-exclusive iPhone, because AT&T and Verizon have been allowed to create a duopoly in the wireless industry, from a competition standpoint, AT&T and Verizon are the only two carriers with access to the device. Translation: Less than 2 percent of domestic wireless carriers have access to one of the nation’s most coveted devices. Just as the iPhone is not the only smartphone on the market, it is also not the only device that is unavailable to consumers. Due to exclusive handset arrangements, consumers are left to choose between robust coverage where they live or the latest hot device they desire.
Congress and the FCC must act immediately to end exclusive device arrangements and restore interoperability to the wireless market. It is my hope that they do so before this growing problem gets worse, and while the other 98 percent of carriers are able to stay in business.
[Berry is President & CEO of the Rural Cellular Association]
How to Bring More Handsets to More Carriers
Senate Commerce Committee
March 17, 2011
10:30am
Witness List
The Honorable John P. Holdren
Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy
Executive Office of the President
The Honorable Patrick D. Gallagher
Director, National Institute of Standards and Technology
U.S. Department of Commerce
The Honorable Subra Suresh
Director
National Science Foundation
Dr. Waleed Abdalati
Chief Scientist
NASA