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[Commentary] The bipartisan Congressional Budget Office ran the numbers and calculated the impact the "emergency" defunding of National Public Radio measure would have on government spending: “No effect.” Five minutes after acting on this budgetary emergency, House Republicans voted to continue the war in Afghanistan -- which costs about $10 billion. Per month. They then flew home for a vacation.
During the debate over Afghanistan, cost was no object. “War is expensive and it should not be measured in the cost of money,” said Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas). But the 0.0001 percent of the budget going to NPR was a fiscal emergency. “It’s about saving taxpayer money,” proclaimed Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), the Republican floor leader. But this was undercut by freshman Rep. Rich Nugent (R-FL), who argued that “to compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves in is sinful and tyrannical.” Tyrannical? “We are not trying to harm NPR,” he added. “We are actually trying to liberate them from federal tax dollars.” Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), in his speech, complained that NPR’s “programming often veers far from what most Americans would like.” He said NPR was being targeted because it advocates “one ideology.” And everybody knows what ideology that is. It’s the ideology of Click and Clack, from Car Talk.
The NPR ‘emergency’
[Commentary] The bill to defund National Public Radio is almost certainly a loser. But, in politics , every fight — particularly a high profile one like this — amounts to an opportunity.
And both sides are already hard at work trying to take advantage of the NPR kerfuffle. Republicans are using it to placate their wayward base while Democrats are trying to raise money from — you guessed it! — their base from the controversy. A look at polling on NPR reveals a deep partisan chasm with the base of the Democratic party largely supportive of it and the base of the Republican party, well, not. The Republican base has long detested NPR, believing it to be a liberal-aligned media outlet that is being funded (in part) by the government. Trying to get rid of it then — particularly in the wake of the controversy that led to the resignation of the organization’s president — kills two birds with one stone. It sends a very clear signal to the GOP political base that the establishment is on its side while simultaneously keeping a campaign promise to shrink the size of government. Democrats, too, welcome the NPR fight politically as it gives them a chance to stand with their own base — casting Republicans as extremists interested in pushing their political agenda at all costs — not to mention raise money.
In politics, there are plenty of lose-lose propositions for the two parties. But, the fight over NPR’s funding mechanism is a rare occasion where both sides may wind up on the winning side. For Republicans, the fight energizes their base and unites the straying tea party element of the GOP behind the establishment. For Democrats, the debate is a fundraising boon not to mention a way to rally their somewhat listless base in advance of the 2012 election.
What the NPR fight is really about
Freshman Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI) said he believes a bill aimed at blocking federal funds to National Public Radio is unconstitutional, which is why he voted "present."
"The bill's treatment of NPR is arguably unconstitutional and definitely violates the rule of law," he said. "The bill is arguably unconstitutional because it likely is a bill of attainder. Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution prohibits Congress from passing bills of attainder. The idea behind the bill of attainder ban is that Congress shouldn't enact laws meant to punish particular persons or entities, because the proper way to punish a wrongdoer is after the accused has been given a chance to defend himself at trial in a court." Rep Amash has said he would vote "present" whenever he sees the legislation as unconstitutional, when not enough time has been allowed to consider a bill or when he has a personal conflict of interest related to a bill.
Rep Amash opposes taxpayer funding for NPR, but explained his opposition in a statement to Fox News by noting that the bill voted on would not save a dime of taxpayer money:
"The federal government does not subsidize NPR directly. Instead, the government funds the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a government entity, which has discretion to provide funding to whichever private radio producers it chooses. H R 1076 does not actually save taxpayer dollars; it merely blocks CPB from exercising its discretion to send funding to NPR. The funds CPB does not send to NPR under the bill are returned to CPB to be spent subsidizing other private radio producers. I offered an amendment in the Rules Committee to require that any funds not sent to NPR be redirected to pay down the deficit, but the amendment was ruled out of order. Therefore, public broadcasting will not see any reduction in federal funding even if this bill becomes law."
Rep Amash cites unconstitutionality as reason for 'present' vote on NPR bill GOP Congressman: NPR Defunding ‘Does Not Actually Save Taxpayer Dollars’ (Think Progress)
North Carolina lawmakers aiming to stop cities from building their own broadband networks decided to allow public comments the next time they consider the latest effort by telecom companies to keep local governments out of the business.
The House Finance Committee will hear from the public March 23 as it reviews legislation that would sharply restrict the chances for municipalities to step in when cable and phone companies decide not to build high-speed Internet systems in lightly populated areas. Opponents say telecom companies aren't extending super-fast Internet at reasonable prices, and that keeps smaller communities behind in the wired world of commerce. "They don't want to provide these services in a lot of areas because it's expensive, and they don't want municipalities to offer these services. That's an unlevel playing field for our citizens," said Rep. Deborah Ross (D). Legislation unveiled March 17 was changed to ease the rules for communities in which at least half the households have no access to high-speed Internet except through a satellite provider. Another change ensures the new rules don't affect the municipal networks already established in Wilson, Salisbury, Morganton and Iredell County, which have borrowed to build their systems.
NC communities deemed unprofitable for broadband fight for right to build their own networks
By two votes, a committee of state lawmakers exempted Salisbury (NC) from a proposed law that would restrict city-owned broadband networks like Fibrant.
But an error in the way the amendment was written may force NC Rep. Harry Warren (R-Rowan) to reintroduce the measure March 23, when the Finance Committee resumes debate on the bill. “We will try to get that passed next week,” Rep Warren said. But he added it’s not yet clear if the committee must vote again on the measure, which would exempt Salisbury and four other cities with existing broadband networks from House Bill 129. The amendment passed 15 to 13.
NC Broadband Exemption would protect Fibrant
JPMorgan Chase & Co. and its hedge fund partner will break federal rules limiting media ownership if they win the right to reorganize bankrupt publisher Tribune Co., a lawyer said.
JPMorgan and Angelo Gordon & Co. have built stakes in newspaper and broadcast companies that have come out of bankruptcy in recent years, Mark Prak, a lawyer who lobbies the US Congress and the Federal Communications Commission on behalf of television broadcasters, said in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Delaware. "They will violate the FCC media ownership rules," Prak said. "The interest they have will complicate reorganization." Prak was testifying on behalf of Aurelius Capital Management LP, which is opposing a reorganization plan for Chicago-based Tribune sponsored by JPMorgan and Angelo Gordon. Aurelius is sponsoring its own plan. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Kevin J. Carey must decide which of the two plans to approve.
JPMorgan Stake in Tribune to Violate FCC Rule, Lawyer Claims
The number of attacks against federal networks increased nearly 40 percent last year, while the number of incidents targeting U.S. computers overall was down roughly 1 percent for the same period, according to a new White House report to Congress on federal computer security.
"Malicious code through multiple means," such as phishing and viruses, "continues to be the most widely used attack approach," Office of Management and Budget officials wrote. Phishing scams lure victims with fake e-mails apparently from legitimate organizations, such as banks, that instruct them to submit sensitive information, including passwords, on phony websites. In fiscal 2010, federal agencies reported 41,776 cyber incidents vs. 30,000 attacks in 2009, the year the Conficker worm installed malicious software on millions of home, business and government computers. To deal with the growing cyber threat, information technology managers gradually are changing the way they monitor security by installing scanners that automatically detect abnormalities in real time, noted the latest report on agencies' compliance with safeguards codified under the 2002 Federal Information Security Management Act. OMB submitted the annual report to Congress on Feb. 28 and published it online this month.
Cyberattacks against federal networks were up 40 percent in 2010 Report to Congress on the Implementation of The Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (read the White House report) Report: Cyber-attacks against federal agencies up 40 percent (The Hill)
[Commentary] Changing customer pricing via data caps in a way that could impact other value chain players might be a network neutrality route-around. It might even be anti-competitive. It also might just be a first salvo in a longer term play that will have over-the-top players, like Netflix, sharing in those network costs via CDN fees or pass-along Quality-of-Service bundles, etc. That’s why they call it a value * chain * in the first place: revenue AND costs flow across it and every player is interlinked, ideally to the benefit of all.
When it comes to that digital value chain, the reality is that service providers need to find a healthy position in today’s larger network, services and content delivery marketplace. They can't afford to be dumb pipe providers, but they also don't want to follow the death march of content providers – for instance, Blockbuster or Borders or MySpace – that failed to evolve and protect themselves as new digital players took their spot in the food chain. Which brings us back to Netflix. If it had stuck to its DVD rental roots, where would it be now? Instead, it evolved into streaming and, in news this week, is looking to invest $100 million or more to buy original programming that would allow it to become an online alternative to HBO. Evolve or die. You can't blame AT&T and its brethren – though surely most will – for grasping that it faces the same reality, and acting on it. We'll see how the company’s customers (including me), its competitors –and, just possibly, regulators and lawmakers – react.
Netflix, AT&T DSL caps, 4G, net neutrality, and more…a personal journey
The Vice President announced that Shailagh Murray will serve as his Communications Director, starting next month. She succeeds Jay Carney, who was appointed by the President to be the White House Press Secretary.
Murray comes to the Vice President’s office as a veteran journalist, most recently at the Washington Post. Shailagh Murray became a Capitol Hill correspondent for the Washington Post in 2005. She has written extensively about fiscal policy, health care reform, and national security issues, including the Iraq war debate, while also covering the 2006, 2008 and 2010 elections. From 1999 to 2005, she covered Congress and politics for the Wall Street Journal's Washington, DC, bureau. Previously, she was a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal in Prague and Brussels from 1992 to 1999. A native of Buffalo, New York, Shailagh grew up in Virginia and is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia and Northwestern University. Murray joins the Vice President’s communications office, which includes Press Secretary Elizabeth Alexander, Deputy Press Secretary Amy Dudley and Assistant Press Secretary Liz Allen.
Vice President Biden Announces New Communications Director
Licensed psychologists, clinical social workers and mental-health facilities would qualify for some of the $19 billion in federal payments for clinicians and medical centers that adopt and use qualifying electronic health-record systems, under newly proposed legislation.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) has introduced a bill that would add psychologists, clinical social workers, community mental-health centers, mental-health treatment facilities, psychiatric hospitals and substance abuse treatment facilities to the list of healthcare providers eligible to receive payments through the program. That incentive program, established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, offers payments to qualifying recipients for the meaningful use of eligible EHR systems. Mental-health clinicians and facility operators, including substance-abuse treatment professionals, have pushed to be included in the program since its enactment. Psychiatrists already are eligible to participate.
Bill would expand EHR program to more mental-health workers