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This Notice of Solicitation of Applications announces that the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2011 for the Rural Broadband Access Loan and Loan Guarantee program (the Broadband Program), subject to the availability of funding. This notice is being issued prior to passage of a final appropriations act to allow potential applicants time to submit proposals and give the Agency time to process applications within the current fiscal year. RUS will publish a subsequent notice identifying the amount received in the final appropriations act, if any.
At this time, the agency estimates that approximately $700 million may be available for loans from prior appropriations; however, Congress is presently reviewing budget authority across the Federal government in an attempt to reduce government debt. As a result, expenses incurred in developing applications will be at the applicant’s own risk. In addition to announcing the application window, RUS announces the minimum and maximum amounts for broadband loans for the fiscal year. Moreover, the agency is concurrently publishing a interim rule that will revise the current Broadband Program regulations at 7 CFR part 1738, as necessitated by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (the 2008 Farm Bill).
Applications under this NOSA will be accepted immediately, subject to the requirements of the interim regulation published concurrently with this NOSA.
RUS Seeks Applications for Rural Broadband Access Loans and Loan Guarantees
Sen Mike Lee (R-UT) wants a congressional hearing to examine whether Google has run afoul of antitrust laws.
In a letter to Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI), the chairman of a Senate antitrust panel, Sen Lee said that Google's dominance of the Internet search arena prompts the "need for vigorous antitrust oversight and enforcement in this area." In his letter, Sen Lee said he wants the panel to focus on Google's acquisition of personal data through its myriad online products to ensure it is obeying privacy rules. He also questioned the company's push to make inroads in the travel search market. Sen Lee noted in the letter that his state is home to a number of burgeoning tech companies and as a result, it has a "significant interest in preserving open competition in this important area of our economy."
Two Utah-based online companies that have had run-ins with Google, 1800 Contacts and Overstock.com, contributed to Lee's campaign. “There is absolutely zero connection” between the campaign contributions and the senator's actions, a spokesman for Lee said.
Tea Party senator presses for 'vigorous' oversight of Google
[Commentary] The Federal Communications Commission plan to reclaim a big block of broadcast spectrum is the most critical issue facing broadcasters in the past three decades. So it's perplexing that broadcasters chose this time to shut down MSTV, their longtime spectrum policy lobby, and to diss the National Association of Broadcasters's top technology executive. Those moves raise the stakes in NAB's hiring of a new EVP of technology. The right person keeps broadcasting in the game. The wrong person puts it on the same grim road as newspapers.
NAB Needs to get Spectrum Act Together
Long the darling of the technology community, Google had carefully cultivated an image of corporate responsibility with its “Don't Be Evil” motto and its mission “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” But in recent years, the company has distanced itself not only from the motto but also the principles behind it, say experts who monitor its business practices. And members of Congress are noticing.
In recent months, they've criticized Google for its proposed acquisition of an online travel-reservations company; a privacy breach involving the collection of unsecured wireless data; and its short-lived effort to circumvent tough new Internet regulations. “There is an awareness that Google just isn't exactly the warm, fuzzy, cuddly, little start-up that everybody loved [and] that we thought it was,” said John Simpson, director of the Inside Google project for Consumer Watchdog, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit and fierce critic of the company. “It’s such an all-pervasive force in everyone’s lives that it’s coming under scrutiny -- and deservedly so.” Google’s presence in Washington has never been stronger. Even though it didn't have a DC office until 2008, the company spent nearly $5.2 million on federal lobbying last year, according to the nonprofit Center for Responsive Politics. That amount dwarfs the $2.2 million that Yahoo spent last year and puts Google in a money chase with Microsoft, which shelled out $6.9 million.
Google's Tarnished Chrome
Yet more reason for competitive tension between Netflix and HBO comes from the fourth-quarter pay-TV subscriber numbers out from SNL Kagan, which shows a fourth consecutive quarter of decline for HBO. The pay-TV giant is still far ahead of the pay-TV pack, with 28.2 million. And if it’s any consolation, the 3Q-4Q drop of 75,000 subs was the smallest yet in a tough 2010 for HBO, which lost a total of 1.6 million subscribers over the course of the year. The timing couldn't be worse given the huge leap Netflix made in its own fourth-quarter tally. It grabbed an additional 7.7 million subs to shoot past the 20 million mark. That’s more than even Showtime and Starz, which in 4Q finished with healthy gains that took them to 19.5 million and 18.1 million, respectively.
Netflix Narrows Subscriber Gap With HBO
A new association has formed to push for regulations on mobile broadband providers. The Mobile Internet Content Coalition (MICC) is pushing for "fair competition and unencumbered access" for content on the wireless Internet.
The group has begun talking with the Federal Communications Commission, including in introductory meetings with the chairman and commissioner staffs. The group may push for the FCC to extend all of its net-neutrality regulations to wireless connections, according to MICC executive director Amanda Antico-Majkowski. It is still sorting out its legislative and regulatory agenda. Still, Antico-Majkowski insists that MICC is not a "net neutrality" group.
Insisting it's not a network neutrality group, mobile coalition pushes for broader rules
Soon after Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski announced a plan to move forward on network neutrality rules, Rep Darrell Issa (R-CA) questioned whether the White House was too involved in the effort.
Rep Issa, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, wrote to the FCC in 2009 to ask whether the Obama Administration "had knowledge and potentially contributed to crafting these regulations." In a letter released by the FCC on March 10, Issa also noted that President Obama and Genachowski simultaneously announced plans to pursue net neutrality on Sept. 21, 2009. "Alone, the timing of this announcement went unnoticed, but in light of the recent media reports, questions have arisen surrounding the coordination and involvement of the White House in crafting the proposed regulations," he said. Rep Issa alleged that private participation by the White House would represent a violation of disclosure rules and a breach of the independent nature of the FCC. In particular, he wanted to know if former White House advisor and staunch net-neutrality advocate Susan Crawford had spoken to the FCC about the rules. Responding in late February, Chairman Genachowski defended the commission for communicating with the White House. The law "does not prohibit communications between commissioners and commission and staff and members of the administration," he said, arguing that disclosure standards were not violated. "The commission's office of the general counsel is not aware of any potential violations of the ex parte rules in connection with the subject matter in your letter," he said.
Chairman Issa to FCC: Did the White House write the network neutrality rules? Letter (Rep Issa) Letter (Chairman Genachowski) Genachowski: No Known Ex Parte Violations In Net Neutrality Rulemaking (Broadcasting&Cable) Issa Questioned White House Involvement In Net Neutrality Rules (National Journal)
The Federal Communications Commission has contacted Japanese officials to offer any help on the telecommunications front in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami there.
"We have reached out to our regulatory contacts in Japan," said FCC International Bureau spokesman Tom Sullivan. "We are working with the State Department and the National Telecommunications & Information Administration to consider what assistance we might be able to provide." What can the U.S. government do? In the Haiti earthquake, the FCC took a proactive role, said Sullivan, including providing technical assistance on emergency communications as well as passing along offers of help from private industry. He pointed out that Japan is a different situation, with a robust communications system. "They are very well prepared for a situations like this. But, nevertheless we would be able to offer expertise should they need help." Sullivan said that the international bureau could serve as a contact point for anyone in industry seeking information on whether and how they might be able to help. "We're not asking industry for help," he said, but said that given the FCC's international contacts with Japan, "should anyone have a desire to help, we can be a point of contact at the FCC that they can reach out to."
FCC Reaches Out to Japanese Officials
Early results of a new Horowitz Associates study show that almost a third of urban consumers (31%) watch TV content via PCs, mobile, over the top devices or other alternative platforms each week and that Hispanic, Black and Asian urban consumers are particularly heavy uses of these platforms.
The research firm's annual State of Cable and Digital Media - Multicultural Edition 2011 study found that almost half of Asian urban consumers (41%) watch TV content on alternative platforms each week, as do 37% of Hispanic and 36% of Black urban consumers, versus 25% of White non-Hispanic urban consumers. On computers or laptops, 35% of Asians report viewing TV content at least once a week, compared to 22% among Hispanics, 17% of Blacks and 15% among white urban audiences. This usage is also adding up to significant time. The study found that those who use alternative platforms for TV spend, on average, 15% of their viewing time on a platform other than traditional TV. That viewing is in addition to time devoted to digital TV platforms such as DVRs and VOD. The study also found that penetration of video-enabled mobile devices such as smartphones, iPhones, iPads and gaming gadgets increased from 35% in 2010 to 46% in 2011.
Blacks, Hispanics Heaviest Mobile TV Users
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski told House Republicans that the FCC is keeping the broadband reclassification/'Title II' docket open, is that he sees it as a potential aide to Congress and private industry.
Another reason he did not mention is that the FCC frequently keeps dockets open for years. In fact, it has moved recently to close some of the older and inactive ones. Genachowski's observation came in a letter March 7 in response to questions from House Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI). One of the issues for House Republicans critical of the FCC's new network neutrality regulations is the fact that the docket proposing reclassifying Internet access as a Title II telecommunications service remains open. That reclassification was considered a nonstarter by industry members who negotiated with the FCC on a compromise network neutrality order.
Chairman Genachowski: 'Title II' Docket a Potential Aide to Congress