Benton Contributes to New Report, Toward Equity of Access, on Libraries and the Digital Divide
Submitted by benton on Fri, 02/25/2005 - 09:36February 25, 2004
February 25, 2004
MEDIA & GOVERNING
White House Press Room as Political Stage
Confessions of a Payola Pundit
Why Your Broadband Sucks
Lafayette Hits Snag in Fiber Build
AT THE FCC
FCC Investigates 'No Power' Low Powers
San Diego TV Station Vows to Fight 'Fine-Crazy' FCC
FCC Upholds Infinity Phone Fine
Tech Firms Want New FCC Box Rule
OWNERSHIP
Viacom Reports a Big Quarterly Loss
Qwest, Revising Its Bid, Puts MCI Board on Spot
Sinclair Shareholders Drop Suit Over Kerry Documentary
INTERNET
Rapid Growth in Online News Consumption
'Digital Divide' Narrowing Fast, World Bank Says
QUICKLY -- The Couch-Potato Censor; Lawmakers Promise Action on Identity=20
Theft; In the Know; Weapons of Mass Deception; Broadband over Powerlines
MEDIA & GOVERNING
WHITE HOUSE PRESS ROOM AS POLITICAL STAGE
Once the clubby preserve of big-name newspapers and networks, the White=20
House briefing room has lately become a political stage where a growing=20
assortment of reporters, activists and bloggers function not only as=20
journalists but as participants in a unique form of reality TV. Jeff Gannon=
=20
has attracted a lot of attention. He never received a White House press=20
pass because he lacks a congressional pass, which is one of the=20
requirements for permanent clearance into the White House. Instead, like=20
other reporters without permanent credentials, he gained access to the=20
White House briefing room by getting a daily press-office clearance through=
=20
security. Before such clearance is granted, security officials do a fast=20
check based on the petitioner's date of birth and Social Security number.=20
White House officials and Mr. Gannon himself say he used his real name=20
rather than his pseudonym to get his clearance. Lesser-known reporters have=
=20
traveled a similar path to get inside the White House bubble; the WSJ gives=
=20
them their 15 mins.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Christopher Cooper=20
christopher.cooper( at )wsj.com and John D. McKinnon john.mckinnon( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110929763947364024,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_marketplace
(requires subscription)
See also --
* An Identity Crisis Unfolds in a Not-So-Elite Press Corps
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-whpress25feb25,1...
1001.story?coll=3Dla-news-a_section
* Before Gannon: New Book Spotlights White House Press Corps Incidents
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_con...
_id=3D1000817436
* Capital Games: Problems With Gannongate?
http://www.thenation.com/capitalgames/index.mhtml?bid=3D3&pid=3D2219
plus http://www.thenation.com/capitalgames/index.mhtml?bid=3D3&pid=3D2196
CONFESSIONS OF A PAYOLA PUNDIT
What happens when a progressive journalist gets called on the carpet for=20
taking money from an institution he covers? Conservative media outlets are=
=20
hammering Ian Williams for a fee he received from the UN to discredit the=20
Armstrong Williams scandal. Here is his response in a MediaChannel=
exclusive.
[SOURCE: MediaChannel.org, AUTHOR: Ian Williams]
http://www.mediachannel.org/views/dissector/affalert328.shtml
WHY YOUR BROADBAND SUCKS
[Commentary] City leaders stepping in to provide cheap broadband when the=20
market hasn't? What's next -- providing street lights when private=20
interests don't? This sort of insanity is raging across the US today.=20
Pushed by lobbyists, at least 14 states have passed legislation similar to=
=20
Pennsylvania's that blocks municipal Internet networks. Lessig says he's=20
always wondered what almost $1 billion spent on lobbying state lawmakers=20
gets you. Now we're beginning to see. He concludes: City and state=20
politicians should have the backbone to stand up to self-serving lobbyists.=
=20
Citizens everywhere should punish telecom toadies who don't. Backwater=20
broad=ADband has been our fate long enough. Let the markets, both private=
and=20
public, compete to provide the service that telecom and cable has not.
[SOURCE: Wired, AUTHOR: Lawrence Lessig lawrence_lessig( at )wiredmag.com (You=20
saw him on West Wing, but didn't he look like the guy from Taxi?)]
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.03/view.html?pg=3D5
LAFAYETTE HITS SNAG IN FIBER BUILD
On Wednesday, a state district judge ruled that the Lafayette Utilities=20
System (LUS) must follow a different portion of state law to issue $125=20
million in bonds to pay for its planned fiber-optic telecommunications=20
business. The ruling opens the door for a special election to decide=20
whether the LUS can borrow the money necessary to fund the project. The=20
utility system, which built a fiber network to service its utilities=20
business, has been offering wholesale bandwidth services to at least 11=20
Internet service providers, and providing retail broadband services to city=
=20
agencies, since 2002. Now the LUS wants to expand this network, and provide=
=20
residents and businesses with cable, phone and high-speed Internet services=
=20
over fiber connections into homes and businesses.
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Marguerite Reardon]
http://news.com.com/Lafayette+hits+snag+in+fiber+build/2100-1034_3-55893...
tml?tag=3Dnefd.top
AT THE FCC
FCC INVESTIGATES 'NO POWER' LOW POWERS
Following up on a Center for Public Integrity report released yesterday,=20
the FCC is investigating a California company -- MS Communications --=20
holding more than 200 low-power-TV licenses nationwide since 2000, but not=
=20
yet on the air with any of them. License holders are expected to be on the=
=20
air within three years or risk losing the license, and the FCC says MS has=
=20
reported to it that its stations are on the air. The FCC has sent a letter=
=20
to MS asking it to explain the reports of its dark stations, and expects a=
=20
reply by March 1. The owner of MS, Mark Silberman, says he had planned to=20
launch wireless cable nets in underserved areas, but has never broadcast=20
more than a test pattern on any of them, citing "regulatory changes and=20
other factors," intervened.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA506487?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
KUSI VOWS TO FIGHT 'FINE-CRAZY' FCC
Two San Diego TV stations were none too happy to fined yesterday by the FCC=
=20
for not providing closed captioning in their coverage of a devastating fire=
=20
in 2003. KUSI-TV San Diego owner Michael McKinnon vowed to fight the fine=20
saying the station was able to caption 80%-90% of its three days of=20
reporting. "The complaint was that we didn't totally closed-caption? We=20
were happy to see the reporters get out alive." McKinnon points out that=20
the station was understaffed as it was, with half of his employees at home=
=20
trying to save their property, including the GM, who was on his roof with a=
=20
hose. "This was a disaster, not an inconvenience," he said.=20
Closed-captioning requirements don't kick in fully until 2006, he said,=20
"and we are working toward that."
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA506322?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
FCC UPHOLDS INFINITY PHONE FINE
The Federal Communications Commission Thursday upheld a $4,000 fine against=
=20
Infinity Broadcasting's WBLK(FM) Buffalo (NY), levied for a telephone=20
conversation that was broadcast without the caller's knowledge or consent,=
=20
a violation of FCC rules. In an appeal, Infinity argued that it had taken=20
remedial action and the fine should be reduced or eliminated as had those=20
for some other stations. The company also argued that the FCC was wrong to=
=20
use an earlier forfeiture notice Infinity had never paid for a different,=20
similar, offense to rebut Infinity's claims that it had no prior=20
violations. On the first point, the Commission countered that Infinity's=20
remedial actions came after it was cited, while others had taken action=20
before. On the second point, the FCC argued that it had simply used the=20
facts of the previous unpaid forfeiture order to suggest that the telephone=
=20
broadcast was not an isolated incident.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA506382?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
TECH FIRMS WANT NEW FCC BOX RULE
An array of technology firms, including major computer and TV-set=20
manufacturers, is pressing federal regulators to enforce new set-top-box=20
rules against the cable industry. =93The time has come to end consumers=92=
=20
exclusive reliance on [set-top boxes] provided by their cable company. In=20
fact, it=92s long overdue,=94 Hewlett-Packard Co. executive vice president=
=20
Shane Robinson said in a Feb. 17 letter to the FCC. In a separate letter,=20
H-P joined 11 other companies, including Sharp Electronics Corp. and Dell=20
Inc., in urging the FCC to reject cable=92s proposal that the agency should=
=20
eliminate the ban or postpone its effective date by 18 months.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA506380.html?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
OWNERSHIP
VIACOM REPORTS A BIG QUARTERLY LOSS
Viacom took an $18 billion goodwill write-down (the difference between the=
=20
purchase price of a company and the fair value of its assets) on its radio=
=20
and outdoor advertising units in the fourth quarter, an acknowledgement of=
=20
difficult business conditions confronting both industries. Radio has been=20
one of the biggest drags on Viacom's earnings for the past several years, a=
=20
result of an industry-wide slump dating to the end of 2001. Revenue growth=
=20
in the industry, which reached double digits in the late 1990s, slowed to=20
zero last year, according to the Radio Advertising Bureau. Radio ad revenue=
=20
is being hurt both by shrinking audiences, as people switch to alternatives=
=20
like satellite radio and cellphones, and increased competition for ad sales=
=20
from cable systems and the Internet. Last year radio industry revenues were=
=20
about $20 billion, estimated the Radio Advertising Bureau. Viacom is=20
looking to sell as many as 40 of its 185 radio stations. Outdoor=20
advertising has also suffered from weak industry growth in the U.S., and=20
Viacom's outdoor unit has been further hurt by losses on pricey transit=20
contracts signed during the dot-com boom. Radio and outdoor together=20
account for about 23% of Viacom's operating income.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Joe Flint joe.flint( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110532953284421399,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_page_one
(requires subscription)
See also --
USAToday:=20
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20050225/1b_viacom25.art.htm
NYTimes: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/25/business/media/25viacom.html
LATimes:=20
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-viacom25feb25,1,49994...
tory?coll=3Dla-headlines-pe-business
B&C:=20
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA506312?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
QWEST, REVISITING ITS BID, PUTS MCI BOARD ON SPOT
Qwest has offered MCI a new bid of $8 billion while also promising a=20
quicker payout to shareholders and has downside protection on the stock=20
portion of the bid from declines in Qwest's share price. Qwest says a=20
tie-up with MCI will bring significant cost savings. The bid puts the MCI=20
board on the spot -- it already accepted a lower bid from the financially=20
stronger Verizon. The pressure on the board is high. There already have=20
been at least four lawsuits filed by MCI shareholders, and several other=20
major holders also have expressed unhappiness with MCI's agreement with=20
Verizon. The battle over who will control MCI could become a test case for=
=20
how boards behave in this frenzied merger-and-acquisition environment.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Almar Latour almar.latour( at )wsj.com and=
=20
Jesse Drucker jesse.drucker( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110927937646963462,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_money_and_investing
(requires subscription)
See also --
WashPost:=
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51930-2005Feb24.html
USAToday:=20
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20050225/1b_qwest25.art.htm
NYTimes: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/25/business/25phone.html
LATimes:=20
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-qwest25feb25,1,406473...
ory?coll=3Dla-headlines-pe-business
SINCLAIR SHAREHOLDERS DROP SUIT OVER KERRY DOCUMENTARY
After Sinclair announced last Fall it planned to run a program titled=20
"Stolen Honor," which critics claimed featured unfair portrayals of John=20
Kerry, a controversy ensued that led Sinclair's stock price to tumble and=20
prompted several shareholders to claim that Sinclair was hurting their=20
investment by getting mired in the hotly contested presidential race. But=20
the shareholder suit was withdrawn Wednesday after the Baltimore-based=20
company filed a motion that noted that none of the claims made in the=20
original lawsuit had come to pass.
[SOURCE: TVWeek, AUTHOR: Jay Sherman]
http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=3D7352
(requires free registration)
INTERNET
RAPID GROWTH IN ONLINE NEWS CONSUMPTION
A national study conducted by washingtonpost.com in partnership with=20
Nielsen/NetRatings and Scarborough has found that a rapidly growing number=
=20
of Americans are increasing their use of online sources for news and=20
information at the expense of other media. In the twelve months ending=20
December 2004, 47% of respondents to a survey reported significantly=20
increasing their usage of online media for news and information. In=20
contrast, traditional media showed modest gains with radio at 16%,=20
television at 18%, newspapers at 12% and magazines at 15%. Users cited=20
24-hour availability, ability to multi-task while browsing, breaking news,=
=20
easy ability to search and free access as the top reasons for preferring to=
=20
get their news online. The study also shows that online users of news and=20
information can be grouped into separate behavioral segments based on their=
=20
unique media choices. 1) The largest group, Wired, comprises 39% of online=
=20
users and the group for whom the Internet is essential for daily news and=20
information. The group uses the Internet as their primary source for news=20
and information, spending an average of 24 hours per week online, more than=
=20
8 hours more than any other medium. 2) The second largest group, Disengaged=
=20
(34%), shows a lack of interest in hard news on any medium and primarily=20
uses the Internet as an entertainment resource.For more see=20
http://www.washingtonpost.com/onlinenews
[SOURCE: WashingtonPost.com Press Release]
http://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/myPRNJ.jsp?profileid=3D1112624&resour...
=3D2884978
'DIGITAL DIVIDE' NARROWING FAST, WORLD BANK SAYS
As some 1,700 international experts gathered in Geneva to prepare for the=20
United Nations's World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), the World=
=20
Bank said in a report that telecommunications services to poor countries=20
were growing at an explosive rate. Half the world's population now enjoys=20
access to a fixed-line telephone, the report said, and 77 percent to a=20
mobile network -- surpassing a WSIS campaign goal that calls for 50 percent=
=20
access by 2015. The United Nations hopes that widening access within the=20
developing world to technology such as mobile phones and the Internet will=
=20
help eradicate poverty and build stable democracies. Poorer countries,=20
particularly from Africa, are expected to repeat calls in Geneva Friday for=
=20
a "Digital Solidarity Fund" to help finance the infrastructure they say is=
=20
needed to close the perceived technology gap.
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Thomas Atkins]
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=3D3J2YMIEUNXAEQCRBAE...
Y?type=3DtechnologyNews&storyID=3D7731166
QUICKLY
THE COUCH-POTATO CENSOR
[Editorial] Raise your hand if you wouldn't mind paying a few extra bucks=20
for a device that promises to zap obscenity, nudity, over-the-top violence=
=20
and whatever else you don't want the kids to see while watching a DVD in=20
the living room. Imagine =97 no more awkward moments when the plot=20
unexpectedly tumbles into the bedroom, where the actors start shouting=20
words that George Carlin still can't whisper on broadcast television.
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-ed-filter25feb25,1,3...
9.story?coll=3Dla-news-comment
(requires registration)
LAWMAKERS PROMISE ACTION ON IDENTITY THEFT
Several Democratic lawmakers said they would introduce legislation to limit=
=20
the activities of data profilers, who sell Social Security numbers and=20
other consumer information to business and government clients. Sen. Arlen=20
Specter (R-PA) said his Senate Judiciary Committee would hold hearings,=20
while the Rep Joe Barton, Chairman of the House of Representatives Energy=20
and Commerce Committee, said his staff was conducting an investigation.
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Andy Sullivan]
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=3D3J2YMIEUNXAEQCRBAE...
Y?type=3DtechnologyNews&storyID=3D7733328
IN THE KNOW
The latest bi-monthly update from Public Knowledge is now available online.=
=20
Items include: Broadcast Flag Oral Argument Held, Next Case Up: Grokster,=
=20
Keeping Watch on Open Access, Bollier=92s Book Gets Good Reviews, Love=
Letter=20
(Hate Mail?) from PFF =AD the sequel, PK=92s RSS Feeds.
http://www.publicknowledge.org/news/intheknow/newsletter.2005-02-24.5094...
62
Upcoming Event: Weapons of Mass Deception
UPCOMING EVENT: WEAPONS OF MASS DECEPTION
In Iraq, there were two wars being fought simultaneously -- one with armies=
=20
of soldiers, bombs and a fearsome military force, the other alongside it=20
with cameras, satellites, armies of journalists and propaganda techniques.=
=20
One war was rationalized as an effort to find and disarm WMD, Weapons of=20
Mass Destruction; the other was carried out by even more powerful WMD,=20
Weapons of Mass Deception. On Wednesday, March 2, 2005, from 6 =AD 9 p.m.,=
=20
the Center for American Progress will launch a new progressive film series,=
=20
REEL Progress, with a screening of WMD: Weapons of Mass Deception, a=20
100-minute nonfiction film. The film explores this story with the findings=
=20
of media insider-turned-outsider, former network journalist Danny=20
Schechter, who is one of America's most prolific media critics. The event=20
will be moderated by Mark Lloyd, senior fellow at the Center for American=20
Progress, and will feature Schechter along with Eric Alterman, senior=20
fellow at the Center for American Progress, and Dr. Steven Kull, director=20
of the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of=20
Maryland School of Public Policy.
http://www.kintera.org/htmlcontent.asp?cid=3D43038
POWERING THE BROADBAND MARKET IN 2005 AND BEYOND: VIEWS ON THE EMERGENCE OF=
=20
BROADBAND OVER POWER LINE TECHNOLOGY (BPL)
Is 2005 the year of BPL? This New Millennium Research Council (NMRC) white=
=20
paper seeks to further explore key issues surrounding the provision of=20
broadband Internet service over power lines (BPL), focusing on BPL=92s=20
prospects for success in providing widespread residential and commercial=20
broadband services. The NMRC has compiled a picture of the BPL industry to=
=20
provide a basis for discussion among industry experts and watchers.
http://www.newmillenniumresearch.org/archive/bpl_report022405.pdf
--------------------------------------------------------------
...and we are outta here. Have a great weekend.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Communications-related Headlines is a free online news summary service=20
provided by the Benton Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted Monday through=20
Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments,=20
policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are=20
factually accurate, their often informal tone does not always represent the=
=20
tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang=20
(headlines( at )benton.org) -- we welcome your comments.
--------------------------------------------------------------
MEDIA & SOCIETY
Social Security Withholding PR Documents
Adelstein Says Media Mergers Deserve More Scrutiny than Telecom
Adelstein Fears Uproar Over Analog Cutoff
FCC Fines 3 TV Stations for Violating Closed Caption Rules
Black History and Ads Don't Mix, Activists Say
Adelphia Nixes Triple-X
INTERNET
Ads Embedded in Online News Raise Questions
Online Ad Spending Hits New High
Groups Send Letters to States in Support of Municipal Broadband
Wireless's New Hookup
The Latest Initiative in Congress: Blogging
TELECOM
FCC Finds That AT&T Unlawfully Avoided Paying Universal Service and
Access Fees On Its Prepaid Calling Cards
European Telecoms Are Leading Push For Convergence
Qwest Moves Closer To New Bid for MCI
Consumer Groups Call for Hearings on Telecom Merger Wave
QUICKLY -- Airwaves for All; LA Radio Market; Clear Channel, Stern end=20
Legal Dispute; Is Cablevision for Sale?; FCC's Digital Must Carry Decision=
=20
Released
MEDIA & SOCIETY
SOCIAL SECURITY WITHHOLDING PR DOCUMENTS
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) claims that the=
=20
Social Security Administration is withholding documents regarding its $1.8=
=20
million contract with PR firm Fleischman-Hillard and possibly information=20
on other contracts. CREW filed requests for documents in January after the=
=20
Department of Education confirmed that it paid TV commentator and columnist=
=20
Armstrong Williams $240,000 to promote the Bush Administration=92s No Child=
=20
Left Behind program. CREW then filed FOIA requests with Social Security and=
=20
21 other federal agencies to learn whether they had similar contracts to=20
promote White House initiatives. The Freedom of Information Act requires=20
federal agencies to respond to FOIA requests within 20 days, but SSA has=20
not responded to CREW=92s request. CREW charges that the Social Security=20
Administration, which is obligated to act independently of White House=20
legislative initiatives, has been using taxpayer dollars to push the Bush=20
Administration=92s controversial plan to let workers invest a portion of=20
their Social Security contributions on Wall Street.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Bill McConnell]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA505968?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
ADELSTEIN SAYS MEDIA MERGERS DESERVE MORE SCRUTINY THAN TELECOM
Media mergers need to be held to a higher level of scrutiny than telecom=20
acquisitions, FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein told reporters at a news=
=20
conference Wed. =93It has a direct impact on our free exchange of ideas and=
=20
on our very democracy. The other mergers have impacts on our marketplace,=94=
=20
he said. Until there is certainty in the marketplace of the impact on=20
mergers, no more mergers or waivers should be granted unless the companies=
=20
prove that what they=92re doing is serving the public interest, Commissioner=
=20
Adelstein said. =93It=92s so important that we don't allow any additional=20
mergers to take place until we know the broader impact on the media=20
industry and the
people who rely on that for a diversity of ideas.=94
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Tania Panczyk-Collins, Edie Herman]
(Not available online)
ADELSTEIN FEARS UPROAR OVER ANALOG CUTOFF
Consumers left without television service due to a poorly planned=20
digital-TV transition would react harshly, Federal Communications=20
Commission member Jonathan Adelstein said Wednesday. The FCC has a plan,=20
currently on hold, that calls for ending the digital-TV transition Dec. 31,=
=20
2008. House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman Joe Barton (R-TX) favors=
=20
Dec. 31, 2006, and he is close to introducing a bill that may include that=
=20
date. But Commissioner Adelstein shares the view with some on Capitol Hill=
=20
that Congress and the FCC need to ensure that 73 million analog-TV sets=20
(including 45 million in homes that do not subscribe to cable and=20
satellite) do not go dark once analog-TV service is turned off. =93I think=
if=20
there is a cutoff of analog service, we=92re going to have an amazing uproar=
=20
from the public if there is not really a lot of effort made to prepare the=
=20
public and give them the tools they need to be able to receive television=20
signals in their homes,=94 Commissioner Adelstein told reporters
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA506167.html?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
FCC FINES 3 TV STATIONS FOR VIOLATING CLOSED CAPTION RULES
For the first time, the FCC proposed to fine three San Diego TV stations a=
=20
total of $65,000 for violating the Commission=92s emergency closed=
captioning=20
rules. McGraw-Hill, licensee of KGTV (Ch. 10, ABC); Midwest TV, licensee of=
=20
KFMB-TV (Ch. 8, CBS); and Channel 51, licensee of KUSI-TV (Ch. 51, UPN)=20
were each fined for their coverage of a wildfires emergency in San Diego in=
=20
2003. The wildfires caused loss of life, injuries and extensive property=20
damage, the FCC said. The stations failed to make accessible, in a timely=20
manner, to persons with hearing disabilities emergency information that=20
they provided aurally in their programming, the Commission said. As video=20
programming distributors, the stations are required to provide the deaf=20
with the same access to such information that they provide to listeners=20
either through a method of closed captioning or by using another method of=
=20
visual presentation, such as crawls or scrolls on the screen.
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Tania Panczyk-Collins]
(Not available online)
See the Notices --
Midwest Television:=20
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-05-455A1.doc
Channel 51 of San Diego:=20
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-05-456A1.doc
McGraw-Hill Broadcasting Company:=20
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-05-457A1.doc
Additional coverage --
* B&C:=20
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA506005?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
BLACK HISTORY AND ADS DON'T MIX, ACTIVISTS SAY
Advertisements tout laxatives, cars, even yoga classes under the guise of=20
paying homage to African American history. Educators and some civil rights=
=20
activists say they are bothered by what they consider exploitation of a=20
season meant to honor the contributions of black Americans. But marketing=20
experts say the trend is not surprising in a nation that once considered=20
draping advertising banners across the base of the Statue of Liberty.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Avis Thomas-Lester]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48571-2005Feb23.html
(requires registration)
ADELPHIA NIXES TRIPLE-X
X and XX are OK, but XXX is getting nixed on Adelphia Communications cable=
=20
systems. The Los Angeles Times reported Feb. 2 that the company had=20
broadened that lineup to include XXX-rated films, but after receiving=20
criticism, Adelphia will change course again. Adult films are among the=20
most profitable products cable and satellite TV operators sell. They earn=20
relatively low profit margins on their basic plans, but keep 80%-90% of the=
=20
money from adult programming sales.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Jim Finkle]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA505973?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
INTERNET
ADS EMBEDDED IN ONLINE NEWS RAISE QUESTIONS
Using an online news article's words as ads poses new questions for=20
reporters and their publishers, said Aly Col=F3n, who teaches ethics at the=
=20
Poynter Institute, a journalism education organization. The biggest risk,=20
he said, may be turning off readers. "If we want to be taken seriously for=
=20
the work that we do as journalists, we should try to devise a way of=20
presenting our material so the users, the readers, know that we are first=20
and foremost about the news," he said. Forbes.com recently experimented,=20
but dropped the practice citing reporters' unease. But the New York Post=20
has started linking ads to article text.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Nat Ives]
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/24/business/media/24post.html
(requires registration)
ONLINE AD SPENDING HITS NEW HIGH
Research by PricewaterhouseCoopers for the Internet Advertising Bureau=20
finds that Internet advertising grew to a new high of $2.7 billion in the=20
fourth quarter of 2004. Estimates for all of 2004 online revenue totaled=20
just under $9.6 billion -- a 32% increase over the $7.3 billion spent in=20
2003. That tops the biggest previous ad spend year until now -- the dot-com=
=20
boom year 2000 when annual ad revenue reached $8.1 billion. The fourth=20
quarter of 2004 spiked nearly 24% over the same quarter in 2003, when it=20
was $2.2 billion. And, the total online ad spend is 17% higher than it was=
=20
in the third quarter of 2004, when it was $2.3 billion. The estimated ad=20
spend total is reached by surveying and aggregating 2004 fourth-quarter=20
data from the top 15 online ad sellers.
[SOURCE: AdAge, AUTHOR: Kris Oser]
http://adage.com/news.cms?newsId=3D44383
GROUPS SEND LETTERS TO STATES IN SUPPORT OF MUNICIPAL BROADBAND
A group of 67 national organizations, community networking projects, and=20
regional, state and local groups from across the U.S. sent a letter in=20
support of community Internet and municipal broadband to states considering=
=20
banning such services. =93The signatories to this letter oppose any state or=
=20
federal policies that would impose a blanket ban or significant impediment=
=20
to any city, county or state entity from providing broadband services to=20
their citizens,=94 the letter said. The signatories called on all states=20
considering such legislation to =93reject it as harmful to the interests of=
=20
their citizens.=94 The letter rebutted the municipal broadband opponents=92=
=20
argument of governments monopolizing broadband or discriminating against=20
competing private networks. =93Every signatory to this letter agrees that=20
federal, state and local policies should encourage deployment of broadband=
=20
networks in a competitive and technologically neutral manner,=94 the letter=
=20
said: =93The reality has been that local governments only spend money to=20
build systems when they believe a need exists, and that these local systems=
=20
encourage private companies to deploy and invest in competitive systems.=94
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Susan Polyakova]
(Not available online)
See also --
* Citizens' Group Defends Rights Of Cities To Build; Networks
[SOURCE: Technology Daily, AUTHOR: Drew "Don't call me Crew" Clark]
http://www.drewclark.com/
* Profiles of Municipal and Community Broadband Networks
[SOURCE: New America Foundation, AUTHOR: Ben Scott, Free Press and Naveen=20
Lakshmipathy, Kartik Ramachandran, and Matt Barranca, New America=
Foundation]
http://www.newamerica.net/Download_Docs/pdfs/Doc_File_2245_1.pdf
WIRELESS'S NEW HOOKUP
Thanks in part to a whimsically named wireless connection technology called=
=20
ZigBee, homes, PCs, automobiles, and even certain branches of government=20
may all function very differently in the not-too-distant future. ZigBee is=
=20
a new networking standard that allows a variety of low-power devices to=20
communicate over an unregulated portion of the radio spectrum. It stands to=
=20
join a crowded wireless technology field that already includes cell-phones,=
=20
Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and others. But unlike those other standards, ZigBee can=20
run for years on inexpensive batteries, eliminating the need to be plugged=
=20
into electrical power. Hence, it holds huge promise in such areas as energy=
=20
conservation, home automation and agriculture. Although ZigBee's underlying=
=20
radio-communication technology isn't revolutionary, it goes well beyond=20
single-purpose wireless devices, such as garage door openers and "The=20
Clapper" that turns light on and off. It allows wireless two-way=20
communications between lights and switches, thermostats and furnaces,=20
hotel-room air-conditioners and the front desk, and central command posts.=
=20
It travels across greater distances and handles many sensors that can be=20
linked to perform different tasks.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: William M. Bulkeley=20
bill.bulkeley( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110920408888362616,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_marketplace
(requires subscription)
THE LATEST INITIATIVE IN CONGRESS: BLOGGING
Blogging, the Web-based craft of diary-keeping and commentary, is taking=20
root on Capitol Hill. The nonprofit Congressional Management Foundation,=20
which helps educate Congress on running its business, says at least four=20
members -- Representatives Mike Pence (R-Indiana), Mark Kirk (R-IL), and=20
Katherine Harris (R-Fla), and Senator Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT) -- have taken=
=20
up the task on a continuing basis. (Others have used temporary blogs to=20
document trips, said Brad Fitch, the foundation's deputy director.) The=20
Congressional bloggers praise the power, popularity and potential of=20
blogging, citing it as one of the most frequently visited parts of their=20
Congressional Web sites. While popular political blogs like Wonkette, MyDD=
=20
and Daily Kos serve as an alternative to traditional news sources and allow=
=20
their authors to purvey commentary, Congressional blogs are extremely tame.=
=20
In many cases, staff members -- not the legislators themselves - post=20
entries, and they rarely link to other blogs, as most blogs do.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Brian Wingfield]
http://tech.nytimes.com/2005/02/24/technology/circuits/24cong.html
(requires registration)
TELECOM
FCC FINDS THAT AT&T UNLAWFULLY AVOIDED PAYING UNIVERSAL SERVICE & ACCESS=20
FEES ON ITS PREPAID CALLING CARDS
Bad AT&T. Bad. Bad. Bad. The Federal Communications Commission today found=
=20
that AT&T unlawfully avoided paying millions of dollars of universal=20
service contributions and other fees related to a long-distance calling=20
card service marketed by the company. The Commission rejected an assertion=
=20
by AT&T that its practice of inserting advertisements in the calling card=20
service transformed it into an unregulated "information service" not=20
subject to universal service assessments. The advertisements are=20
incidental to the underlying telecommunications service offered to the=20
cardholder, the Commission found, and do not change the regulatory status=20
of the service. The Commission ordered AT&T to file revised universal=20
service contributions forms for the entire period that AT&T has provided=20
its calling card service. In its November 2004 filings with the Securities=
=20
and Exchange Commission, AT&T reported that it had avoided $160 million in=
=20
universal service contributions on the card since 1999.
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-256921A1.doc
* Text of Order:=20
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-05-41A1.doc
Statements from Commissioners --
* Powell: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-05-41A2.doc
* Copps: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-05-41A3.doc
* Adelstein:=
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-05-41A4.doc
* Reaction from Senate Commerce Committee:
http://commerce.senate.gov/newsroom/printable.cfm?id=3D232531
In a related story, the FCC is fining Zoo.com $20,000 for not making=20
universal service contributions for prepaid long distance service.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-05-449A1.doc
More coverage --
* WashPost:=
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48740-2005Feb23.html
* WSJ:=20
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110920354500762586,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_page_one
* USAToday:=20
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20050224/2b_fcc24.art.htm
EUROPEAN TELECOMS ARE LEADING PUSH FOR CONVERGENCE
Many companies are working on dual-mode handsets that can easily switch=20
between fixed-line networks and cellphone networks, depending on which is=20
more accessible. After technical glitches that delayed the project by about=
=20
a year, British fixed-line operator BT Group plans to launch its service=20
with the new handsets, dubbed Bluephone, this spring in conjunction with=20
mobile-phone company Vodafone Group. If successful, it could spur U.S.=20
carriers to follow suit. European operators have been chipping away at the=
=20
idea of convergence in other ways. In the fall, Swiss telecom company=20
Swisscom began selling a card that plugs into a laptop PC to provide=20
broadband access via a Wi-Fi hotspot when a customer is, for example,=20
waiting in a hotel lobby. The hotspot provides a wireless connection over a=
=20
short distance to reach the fixed-line network. If the customer leaves the=
=20
hotel and hops into a cab, the card maintains the same broadband=20
connection, but this time through a connection with an advanced cellular=20
network.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Gabriel Kahn gabriel.kahn( at )wsj.com,=20
Serena Saitto serena.saitto( at )dowjones.com & Cassell Bryan-Low=20
cassell.bryan-low( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110920088394362526,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_marketplace
(requires subscription)
QWEST MOVES CLOSER TO NEW BID FOR MCI
Expect a modified bid for MCI from Qwest as early as today. A rising number=
=20
of shareholders are urging MCI to consider any new Qwest bid. Yesterday,=20
Elliot Associates LP, which owns about 2.72 million MCI shares, said in a=20
letter to MCI's board that it was displeased with the proposed Verizon deal=
=20
(Verizon won with a lower bid than Qwest) and wants MCI to consider any=20
subsequent bid by Qwest.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Almar Latour almar.latour( at )wsj.com ]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110921238181362848,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_money_and_investing
(requires subscription)
See also --
* Qwest Displays Tenacity in MCI Bid
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-qwest24feb24,1,360597...
ory?coll=3Dla-headlines-pe-business
CONSUMER GROUPS CALL FOR HEARINGS ON TELECOM MERGER WAVE
Citing the acceptance of a lower bid and the unique competitive threat of=20
the proposed Verizon-MCI merger, two of the nation=92s largest consumer=20
groups sent A letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee calling for=20
immediate investigations into the merger wave in the telecommunications=20
industry.Text of letter available at the URL below.
[SOURCE: Consumers Union]
http://www.consumersunion.org/pub/core_telecom_and_utilities/001888.html...
e
QUICKLY
AIRWAVES FOR ALL (2nd item)
A new report to be released today by the Center for the Public Integrity, a=
=20
nonpartisan research group, found that MS Communications LLC holds licenses=
=20
to operate 203 low-power television stations around the country, the=20
second-largest collection of such licenses after the state of Alaska. But=20
MS Communications has yet to broadcast any programming. Mark Silberman, the=
=20
company's managing partner, says he wants to offer service in underserved=20
areas, but he has been unable to due to regulatory uncertainty at the FCC.=
=20
"It's the uncertainty and they keep changing the rules," he said. He said=20
that many of the channels his licenses are for could be used for other=20
purposes, so he has had to find new markets with less potential=20
uncertainty. "I've been working on this for 13 years. I'm 72 and I've made=
=20
no progress."
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Ann Grimes]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110919790726662457,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_marketplace
(requires subscription)
* Two-hundred Channels and Nothing on -- Literally
http://www.publicintegrity.org/telecom/report.aspx?aid=3D602&sid=3D200
FCC RULES MAY FORCE INDIE 103.1 FM TO CHANGE ITS TUNE
Although Los Angeles radio station Indie 103.1 is owned by Entravision=20
Communications, a Santa Monica-based Spanish-language media company, it=20
went on the air 14 months ago under a so-called joint sales agreement with=
=20
Clear Channel, the largest radio station operator in the U.S. and the owner=
=20
of eight stations in the L.A. market. Under the joint sales agreement,=20
Clear Channel's advertising staff sold time on Indie 103.1 at rates lower=20
than those offered by the region's dominant rock powerhouse, KROQ-FM=20
(106.7), which is owned by Infinity Broadcasting. Clear Channel's=20
salespeople also pitched ad time in bundled deals with its other stations,=
=20
such as KIIS-FM (102.7) and KBIG-FM (104.3). Revised Federal Communications=
=20
Commission regulations redefine joint sales agreements in such a way that=20
Indie 103.1 constitutes Clear Channel's ninth station in the market, and=20
federal media rules bar any company from owning more than eight. Clear=20
Channel will end the agreement April 1. Rolling Stone magazine has dubbed=20
Indie 103.1 "America's coolest commercial station."
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR:Geoff Boucher]
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-indie24feb24,1,408475...
ry?coll=3Dla-headlines-pe-business
(requires registration)
CLEAR CHANNEL, STERN DROP SUITS
Last June, Howard Stern sued Clear Channel seeking $10 million in licensing=
=20
fees he said Clear Channel should have paid him after it dropped his radio=
=20
show in February amid indecency concerns. He also said Clear Channel=20
violated the terms of its contract by not notifying him that it was=20
dropping the show. Clear Channel, of San Antonio, countersued for $3=20
million in July, saying Mr. Stern violated the contract by not conforming=20
to federal decency standards. The suits were filed in U.S. District Court=20
for the Southern District of New York. But both sides now say "No blood, no=
=20
foul;" they have asked the court to drop both cases with prejudice, meaning=
=20
they can't refile their suits. Neither side is admitting wrongdoing.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110921553953862914,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_marketplace
(requires subscription)
IS CABLEVISION ON THE BLOCK?
With the sale of Rainbow DBS=92 satellite assets, a recent ownership=20
restructuring with News Corp and a high stock price, speculation continues=
=20
that Cablevision may be for sale.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Mike Farrell]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA505991.html?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
See also --
* Dolan: Cablevision Considering Sale of Rainbow Channels
http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=3D7348
The FCC released the Dual and Multicast Carriage Issues Report and Order
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-05-27A1.doc
--------------------------------------------------------------
Communications-related Headlines is a free online news summary service=20
provided by the Benton Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted Monday through=20
Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments,=20
policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are=20
factually accurate, their often informal tone does not always represent the=
=20
tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang=20
(headlines( at )benton.org) -- we welcome your comments.
--------------------------------------------------------------
MEDIA & SOCIETY/CONTENT
The Unreality of War
Just $7.95 a Month and You're Free to Turn Movies Into Pablum
Hinchey Wants Media-Manipulation Hearing
Court Questions FCC's Broadcast Flag Rules
TELECOM/CABLE
SBC, AT&T Say Bell Breakup Doesn't Work
Time Warner's Phone Service Shows Cable's Growing Clout
Study: New Services Boosting Revenue
Verizon Pushes Calif. Entry Bill
Cablevision, News Shuffle Sports Holdings
ISPs Urge Court to Open Cable Lines
Broad Coalition Supports Community Internet and Municipal Broadband
FROM THE BLOG-O-SPHERE
MEDIA & SOCIETY/CONTENT
THE UNREALITY OF WAR
[Editorial] For some PBS viewers last night, war is heck. Fearful of being
hit with stiff Federal Communications Commission indecency fines, PBS
distributed a censored copy of a report chronicling US soldiers charged
with keeping Iraq's main highway open. This country is awash in reality TV,
except from the war front, where real-life portrayals are most needed. It's
a shame that "Frontline" has become the latest casualty in an increasingly
ugly culture war waged by conservative zealots eager to hijack the
airwaves. They are succeeding in large measure because the government
enforces an overly vague definition of "indecency." When indecency is in
the eye of the beholder, the FCC can be easily cowed by a campaign of
intimidation from the outside. FCC rules should not only be clarified but
loosened. At a time when viewers can watch racier fare on hundreds of cable
channels, courts should revisit the old rationale for limiting
broadcasters' 1st Amendment rights in the first place -- the notion that
the airwaves are a scarce public resource.
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Staff]
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-ed-fcc23feb23,1,6658...
(requires registration)
JUST $7.95 A MONTH AND YOU'RE FREE TO TURN MOVIES INTO PABLUM
[Commentary] Congress has mixed up a poison pill of a bill, and Hollywood
could wind up having to swallow it. For some time now, the movie business
has demanded protection against the bootleg DVDs that pick its pockets for
millions. The bill the Senate sent to the House this month would imprison
pirates who furtively Camcorder new films and sell the copies. Yet the same
bill protects screener software that can steal not just a crummy copy of a
movie but the essence of the movie itself. The software comes in many
varieties; ClearPlay, out of Utah, the best known, is prepared to Lysol out
the icky bits in more than 1,000 films. This is a techno-version of
storming into a library and tearing out pages you don't approve of, or
rewriting them to your liking. American parents and pols are infantilizing
the culture, turning every movie into day care for their kids.
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Patt Morrison]
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-morrison23feb23,1...
(requires registration)
HINCHEY WANTS MEDIA-MANIPULATION HEARING
Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) is calling for a Congressional investigation
into the Administration's manipulation of the media citing Armstrong
Williams and online "journalist" Jeff Gannon as examples. Over the weekend,
Rep. Hinchey went as far as speculating that Karl Rove was the source of
bogus National Guard documents that blew up a CBS 60 Minutes story on
President Bush's service in the guard.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA505846?display=Breaking+News&...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
COURT QUESTIONS FCC'S BROADCAST FLAG RULES
A federal appeals court on Tuesday sharply questioned whether the Federal
Communications Commission has the authority to ban certain types of digital
TV receivers, including peripheral cards, starting in July. Two of the
three judges on the District of Columbia Circuit panel said the FCC never
received permission from Congress to undertake such a sweeping regulation,
which is intended to encourage the purchase of digital TV receivers that
curb Internet distribution of over-the-air broadcasts of programming such
as movies and sports. "You're out there in the whole world, regulating. Are
washing machines next?" asked Judge Harry Edwards. Quipped Judge David
Sentelle, "You can't regulate washing machines. You can't rule the world."
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Declan McCullagh]
http://news.com.com/Court+questions+FCCs+broadcast+flag+rules/2100-1030_...
Additional coverage --
B&C:
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA505848?display=Breaking+News&...
Multichannel:
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA505738.html?display=Breaking+News&...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
See also --
Court Hears Challenge to DTV Content Protection Rule
A Federal court today hears a challenge to the "broadcast flag" rules
designed to deter widespread copying of digital TV broadcasts. The rules
require that after July 2005 all devices handling broadcast digital
programs must obey certain content protection standards. The lawsuit by a
range of public interest groups argues the FCC did not have the authority
to create such broad rules, which impact computers and the Internet as well
as TVs.
[SOURCE: Center for Democracy and Technology]
http://www.cdt.org
CDT Flag Primer, December 16, 2003:
http://www.cdt.org/copyright/031216broadcastflag.pdf
TELECOM/CABLE
SBC, AT&T SAY BELL BREAKUP DOESN'T WORK
SBC and AT&T filed their merger applications today with the Federal
Communications Commission and the Department of Justice. Facing competition
from cable's Internet-based phone service, the two companies say they won't
be able to compete because neither can "assemble a true nationwide
end-to-end broadband network." With companies increasingly bundling
services to provide "triple plays" of voice, TV and Internet broadband,
customers no longer want individual offerings, the applicants
maintain. The two companies are seeking approval from regulators for a $16
billion deal in which SBC would acquire AT&T. The Justice Department's
antitrust division would have to agree with the companies that the deal
wouldn't reduce competition in the telecommunications market, and the FCC
would have to weigh the more broadly defined "public interest." The two
telcos also claim national security may be at stake if the sale doesn't go
through. That might lead to a foreign company buying AT&T, which the
application states "the (U.S.) government heavily depends (on) for national
security and other needs."
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Ben Charny]
http://news.com.com/SBC%2C+AT38T+say+Bell+breakup+doesnt+work/2100-1037_...
TIME WARNER'S PHONE SERVICE SHOWS CABLE'S GROWING CLOUT
The speed with which Time Warner has moved with new Internet technology to
provide phone service underscores why traditional phone companies are
rushing these days to add services such as TV -- and to bulk up by merging.
That's because local-phone providers are starting to face their most
serious competitors yet for local service. While consumers notice little
difference between traditional phone setups and Internet calling, to cable
companies the new technology means the difference between taking months,
rather than years, to complete a rollout. And the lower cost allows them to
establish a new revenue stream for a relatively small investment.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Peter Grant peter.grant( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110911979986161539,00.html?mod=todays...
(requires subscription)
STUDY: NEW SERVICES BOOSTING REVENUE
Cable operators are seeing their average revenue per unit (ARPU) rise
largely due to new digital-cable services -- HDTV, video-on-demand,
digital-video recorders, high-speed data and telephony -- according to a
survey from In-Stat (a sister company to Multichannel News). A total of 50
systems were surveyed, representing a mix of operator sizes and market
locations. Of those, 78% reported increases in ARPU over the past 12
months, and the respondents reported that more than 90% of their
subscribers now have access to digital-cable services.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA505836.html?display=Breaking+News&...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
VERIZON PUSHES CALIFORNIA ENTRY BILL
As expected, Verizon Communications has proffered a bill in California that
will ensure that the telephone company may move into the cable business
there but only be required to serve communities already within its
telephony footprint. Under the bill, local franchises would contain the
same PEG-access (public, educational and government) requirements as the
incumbent's pact. But unlike the incumbents -- which were often required to
build out in a specified time frame -- the state bill would allow
competitive franchisees to build out "within a reasonable time," a term
that is not defined. The bill did not specify that telcos would pay
franchise fees, but it noted that local governments may impose additional
terms. Local governments would be required to approve or deny a competitive
franchise within six months of application unless a delay was caused by the
franchise applicant.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Linda Haugsted]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA505737.html?display=Breaking+News&...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
CABLEVISION, NEWS SHUFFLE SPORTS HOLDINGS
Cablevision Systems (60%) and News Corp. (40%) share the ownership of
Regional Programming Partners and are restructuring to give each more
control of certain assets. In what the parties are labeling as "a generally
tax-free exchange of assets," Cablevision, once the restructuring is
complete, will own 100% of Madison Square Garden and its assets, notably
the arena itself; the Theater at Madison Square Garden; sports teams the
New York Knicks, the New York Rangers and the New York Liberty; Radio City
Music Hall; MSG Network; and Fox Sports Net (FSN) New York. Additionally,
Cablevision will own 100% of FSN Chicago and continue to hold 50% of FSN
New England -- Comcast Corp. holds the remainder. For its part, News Corp.
will own 100% of FSN, as well as FSN Ohio, FSN Florida and National
Advertising Partners. Following the restructuring, News Corp. will assume
management of both FSN Ohio and FSN Florida and continue its management of
FSN and NAP. Finally, Cablevision and News Corp. will continue to maintain
their 60% and 40% respective stakes in FSN Bay Area
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Mike Reynolds]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA505562.html?display=Breaking+News&...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
Also in --
WSJ:
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110908230256160801,00.html?mod=todays...
ISPs URGE COURT TO OPEN CABLE LINES
The Supreme Court should reject the Federal Communications Commission's
conclusion that cable companies do not have to share their high-speed-data
networks with competing Internet-service providers, ISPs told the Court
Tuesday. In the brief, the ISPs told the Supreme Court that the law
requires cable to open its lines and that cable's decision to bundle
transmission and content did not insulate cable-modem service from
open-access requirements. The Court is scheduled to hear the case March 29.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA505853.html?display=Breaking+News&...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
BROAD COALITION SUPPORTS COMMUNITY INTERNET AND MUNICIPAL BROADBAND
In an open letter released today, more than 60 national, state and local
organizations - representing hundreds of thousands of Americans - declared
their support for allowing municipalities and other public entities to
deploy broadband systems. The letter opposes the campaign by incumbent
telephone and cable providers to push legislation through numerous state
legislatures that would either ban or make it more difficult for
municipalities to deploy broadband systems. "We call on all states
considering such legislation to reject it as harmful to the interests of
their citizens," the letter declares. Municipal broadband systems provide a
necessary means of bringing broadband to many rural communities and poorer
urban neighborhoods that lack broadband access or have only one provider.
Without the possibility of municipal deployment, these communities will
continue to suffer as businesses and residents move to better-connected areas.
[SOURCE: Media Access Project/Free Press]
http://www.freepress.net/news/release.php?id=49
See letter at:
http://www.freepress.net/communityinternet/letter.pdf
See also --
The Times Sees No Evil
http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/21328/
FROM THE BLOG-O-SPHERE
Where's the Press?
The latest media and political scandal involving a pseudo reporter at White
House press conferences raises deeper questions, writes Danny Schechter.
How do we explain the silence of the media lambs who watched but did not
expose or protest being infiltrated by a partisan propagandist?
[SOURCE: MediaChannel.org]
http://www.mediachannel.org/views/dissector/affalert327.shtml
DVD Sales Only Possible After Networks Take Over Production of Shows?
Puh-leeeze!
Brooks Barnes had a remarkable -- and remarkably skewed -- take on the
structure of the TV industry in yesterday's Wall Street Journal. He
describes the increasing sales of DVDs of TV programs, and that those sales
may give another season of life to shows that are "on the bubble." He then
reaches out to make this observation: "The DVD option wouldn't have been
possible without a 1993 Federal Communications Commission ruling relaxing
ownership rules for TV shows." Huh? What? Not true. There is no link
between selling a TV program to DVD and whether a network or an independent
producer owns a TV show. The FCC rules that were eliminated, known as the
Financial Interest and Syndication Rules (FISR), prevented broadcasters
that distributed TV programs over their networks from producing and owning
those programs. Why this rule? Because if the networks that own the
distribution "choke point" -- one of the few national broadcast networks --
can produce and own their own shows, then independent producers will be out
of business. No business can be dependent for its success on making a sale
to the same company that's competing with it. With the end of FISR, the
networks that control distribution are able now to demand (most in the biz
say "extort") ownership of shows from independents, as in "we like your
show, now turn it to over to us, or else it won't get on our
schedule." Independent production has effectively ended, except for a few
long established hold outs like Carsey Werner -- which is exploring a sale.
This has nothing to do with sales of TV show DVDs. Consider the
syndicating of a TV show for later repeat viewings on another network,
broadcast or cable. We all know that TV shows were syndicated before the
end of FISR and shows are still syndicated after the end FISR. Same with
DVD sales. All that changed with the end of FISR was between independent
and network, who owns the program and controls that sale to DVD or
syndication. When it's the network that both makes the content and
distributes it, the American public does not receive the "widest possible
dissemination of information from diverse and antagonistic sources" which
is its First Amendment right, per the Supreme Court. Just as in the
examples in the 2 prior posts concerning cable. This "cause and effect"
statement, that DVD sales of TV shows are only possible after the
elimination of FISR, accompanied by this positive spin, as if DVD sales are
a public benefit of eliminating FISR, is just wrong.
[SOURCE: Center for Creative Voices in Media]
http://creativevoices.typepad.com/blog/
Comcast to Snuff Indie/Rival Networks?
Comcast, after buying up Sony and MGM film content via its role in the
purchase of MGM, is now using its own content to compete with independent
and non-Comcast cable nets. Independent TV program producers could not
stay in business selling their programs to the broadcast network
"gatekeepers" that controlled access to the audience, after those same
networks were allowed by the FCC to become the indies' competitors and
produce their own shows. Unsurprisingly, the networks only broadcast the
shows they produced, running the indies out of business, including some of
the best TV producers around. Now, according to Daily Variety, using the
content it now owns, Comcast is poised to try the exact same tactic --
using its role as cable "gatekeeper" to the nearly 30 percent of American
cable homes it controls to dominate and/or destroy independent cable
networks by favoring its own content.
[SOURCE: Center for Creative Voices in Media]
http://creativevoices.typepad.com/blog/
--------------------------------------------------------------
Communications-related Headlines is a free online news summary service
provided by the Benton Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted Monday through
Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments,
policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are
factually accurate, their often informal tone does not always represent the
tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang
(headlines( at )benton.org) -- we welcome your comments.
--------------------------------------------------------------
For upcoming media policy events, see http://www.benton.org/calendar.htm
TELEVISION
Enemies Sharpen Their Knives
Hammer In The House
Life Goes On, Sans Multicast
Running Out of Air
Network News Slowing HDTV Conversion
New Hope on TV's 'Bubble'
Bertelsmann Unit Plans Pay-TV Move
Regulation Machinations
100 Top Local Cable Systems
MEDIA & SOCIETY
Time for Bush to Define 'Independent Press'
An Incomplete Grade
Test of Decency Rules Likely
Who Framed Buster Rabbit? The Fallout Continues
News Media Grope for the Right Formula
TELECOM
Telecom Shootout
The Telephonosaurus
In Tiny Towns, New Call Options Shake Up an Old Phone System
Chokepoint: You Pay for Deregulation
Telecom Suppliers, Pick a Partner
INTERNET
UN Panel Aims to End Internet Tug of War by July
High-Tech Tension Over Illegal Uses
More Americans have Home Computer Networks
FROM THE BLOG-O-SPHERE
QUICKLY
TELEVISION
ENEMIES SHARPEN THEIR KNIVES
The National Association of Broadcasters has built a record of near
invincibility on Capitol Hill under the leadership of President Eddie
Fritts. But lawmakers on Capitol Hill and public advocates vowed to make
Fritts' last year on the job a painful one by crushing NAB's top
legislative goal: guaranteeing TV stations cable carriage for each of the
multiple channels that going digital allows them to offer. NAB's
predicament is partly a result of intensified public scrutiny following
uproars over media consolidation and indecency. Also, broadcasters are
sitting on a valuable slice of communications spectrum that Congress
desperately wants to reclaim for new technologies. As the digital cable
carriage debate moves to Congress, the NAB is hopeful of a victory. Fritts
predicts Congress and the NAB will work out a package deal giving
broadcasters multicasting-carriage rights in return for a firm deadline for
going all-digital and returning their old analog channels to the
government. Fritts counters barbs about broadcasters' lack of political
coverage and dismissed the Lear study as unfair. "The question isn't
whether we serve the public interest but whether we do it the way these
groups want it done."
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Bill McConnell]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA505337?display=News&referral=...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
HAMMER IN THE HOUSE
The House could vote before summer on legislation designed to complete --
by the end of 2006 -- television broadcasters' digital transition, a
proposal endorsed by the cable industry, opposed by TV broadcasters and
feared by plenty of lawmakers who envision brigades of angry consumers
charging up Capitol Hill. The bill will likely include hard date for the
termination of analog broadcasting, coupled with a program that would
subsidize set-top boxes for homes that rely solely on free, over-the-air
broadcasting. The Government Accountability Office estimated in a report
Thursday that converter-box subsidies alone would cost between $460 million
and $10.6 billion, depending on set-top prices, whether Congress limits the
subsidy to low-income households and whether Congress allowed cable and
satellite homes to participate. The GAO also found that 48% of homes that
are broadcast-only have annual incomes below $30,000, while 29% of cable
and satellite homes had incomes below that level. It also found that
minorities rely solely on broadcast more that whites do.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA505415.html&referral=SUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
LIFE GOES ON, SANS MULTICAST
Having lost the digital must carry vote at the FCC, what's next for
broadcasters? 1) On Capitol Hill, broadcasters are lobbying Congress to
overturn the FCC decision, but it's unclear whether stations will need to
surrendered their analog spectrum on a specific date in order obtain
expanded cable carriage rights. 2) USDTV Inc. repeated last week it is
about 30 days away from announcing that major TV station groups plan to
take control of the company, which pools DTV spectrum in a market to
provide a low-cost, bare-bones wireless cable service for $19.95 a
month. 3) Paxson Communications is considering asking the FCC to permit TV
stations to use another modulation besides 8 VSB (vestigial sideband) in
order to use excess capacity for new, non-video services.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA505420.html?display=Top+Stories&re...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
RUNNING OUT OF AIR
As the TV business converts to digital technology, stations can broadcast a
primary video feed and have spare capacity for another three to five
channels. TV stations could then pool their spare capacity to create a mini
wireless cable system. Subscribers with a special set-top box could see a
dozen or so cable channels -- plus all the local digital-broadcast
services, even if they don't have a high-priced digital TV. Sounds like a
great way to compete with cable and satellite, right? But a year after two
industry executives announced plans to help broadcasters make this use of
digital technology, their proposals are floundering. Networks aren't
convinced that this broadcast wireless cable is the answer. Network
executives say NBC is willing to toss in a couple of stations but no money.
CBS is riveted on offering more HD, not me-too cable. ABC is hesitant but
more receptive since its Moviebeam movies-on-demand venture has stalled out.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John M. Higgins]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA505351.html?display=News&refe...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
NETWORK NEWS SLOWING HDTV CONVERSION
Veteran telecom lawyer Thomas Gibbon told the Society of Satellite
Professionals International last week that one major hurdle to the
transition to digital TV is the networks' reluctance to do news programing
in high definition (HDTV). "There will be some important worldwide news
event that somebody is going to broadcast in HD and that HD news coverage
is going to galvanize the world's attention to such an extent that
broadcast executives, commercial advertisers and viewers are going to
demand that the news goes HD," Gibbon forecasted. "At that point, the
conversion to HD will be fully completed." Although he's unsure of when the
transition will occur, he said "it's going to be a lot faster than anyone
is predicting right now." ABC does special event coverage in HDTV, but CBS
and NBC do not use the technology yet.
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Andrew Noyes, Tania Panczyk-Collins]
(Not available online)
NEW HOPE ON TV's 'BUBBLE'
Audience size still matters a lot in prime-time network television. But now
other factors are influencing the cancellation decision. DVDs have become
such a gold mine -- profit margins reach 50% -- that broadcasters are
increasingly open to the idea of keeping a ratings-challenged show on the
air, especially one with a fanatical core of fans, in order to generate
more episodes to sell later on DVD. Other nascent income streams --
on-demand services, and downloadable episodes sold on the Internet like
songs -- also are giving consumers more direct power in programming
decisions. So forget writing letters, says James Webster, senior associate
dean at Northwestern University's School of Communication. "Show networks
how wide your wallet opens," he advises. The DVD option wouldn't have been
possible without a 1993 Federal Communications Commission ruling relaxing
ownership rules for TV shows. For the first time in decades, big
broadcasters were allowed to have a financial stake in prime-time shows on
their schedules. The ruling led to a flurry of mergers, with each of the
Big Four networks now linked with a studio. Before the ruling, back when
networks could air only shows produced by outsiders, they cared only about
selling ads. The show's value in the aftermarket, such as profits from
syndicated reruns, didn't matter to them. But now that networks own a
portion or all of the shows they air, outside producers frequently grumble
that network-owned shows have a different barometer of success. Network
chiefs insist they don't get paid to program with the financial interests
of their sister studios in mind. But a network executive who can figure out
how to keep a struggling show on the air to help the company's studio make
more money can win gold stars with the corporate bosses.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Brooks Barnes brooks.barnes( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110903087731660353,00.html?mod=todays...
(requires subscription)
BERTELSMANN UNIT PLANS PAY-TV MOVE
Using a mix of subsidies and political pressure, a number of European
countries including Germany, Italy, the U.K. and France, have been prodding
broadcasters and viewers to switch from analog systems to digital
television, which offers a crisper picture and more channels. The result,
analysts say, will be a fragmented television market similar to what has
evolved in the U.S., where the growth of cable and satellite forced the
once-dominant broadcast networks to compete with scores of niche channels.
To avoid losing viewers in a more splintered market, RTL Group, which
operates a network of 31 television channels spanning 10 European
countries, wants to supplement its free-TV offerings with pay channels. The
success of the plan, which could cement RTL Group's position as Europe's
top broadcaster, is crucial to the future Bertelsmann. RTL Group generates
more than 40% of Bertelsmann's profit and is its biggest division. In
Germany, public broadcaster ARD overtook RTL as the country's most-viewed
channel last year. The recent resurgence of the public broadcasters has
raised the hackles of RTL Group and ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, Germany's
other major commercial broadcaster. Both companies complain that public
channels have an unfair advantage because they are allowed to supplement
the mandatory monthly subscription fees from viewers with advertising.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Matthew Karnitschnig
matthew.karnitschnig( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110894972423659875,00.html?mod=todays...
(requires subscription)
REGULATION MACHINATIONS
Phone giants SBC and Verizon have announced plans to invest billions to
upgrade their networks so they can offer video services to compete with
cable operators. But before the video war can actually begin, a bigger and
potentially more important battle is being fought over the very rules of
engagement. The telecos want to avoid working out franchise agreements with
local municipalities, arguing that their video offerings are just add-ons
to existing services. Local franchise fees will also cut into the "already
marginal returns" projected for video. But the worst impact would be the
"more democratic build-out" that cities would demand, rather than those
proposed by telcos, which want the ability to decide when and where to
build. Specifically, they'd like to limit their build to their current
telephone-service boundaries. City officials support greater competition
but want to retain local-enforcement authority. They fear cable and
telephone companies will reach an accord and share their political clout in
Congress to end all franchising.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Linda Haugsted]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA505310.html?display=Special+Report...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
100 TOP LOCAL CABLE SYSTEMS
Broadcasting&Cable and Multichannel News have published their annual list
of the top cable systems in the US.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: George Winslow]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA505352?display=Supplement&ref...
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA505353?display=Supplement&ref...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
MEDIA & SOCIETY
TIME FOR BUSH TO DEFINE 'INDEPENDENT PRESS'
[Commentary] At the same press conference at which Jeff Gannon/Guckert
lobbed his now famous softball to President Bush, the President also
answered questions about the Administration's paying reporters for positive
coverage, as the Education Department did with Armstrong Williams. "There
needs to be a nice independent relationship between the White House and the
press," President Bush said. The question is where Guckert fits into all
this. True, the White House didn't pay him for coverage, we assume. But how
exactly does he, and pseudo-reporters like him, qualify as journalists and
help create the "nice independent relationship" the President says he
seeks? Guckert's Talon News is essentially a "news" mouthpiece for a
conservative advocacy website called GOPUSA - that's GOP, as in Grand Old
Party. The editor in chief of Talon is president of GOPUSA. On the
conservative website Free Republic, Guckert called on others who use the
site to demonstrate at Kerry headquarters during the presidential campaign.
And many of his stories contained verbatim repeats of White House press
releases. Guckert crossed the line from having a bias to being a
propagandist and party activist. Online he was a White House ditto-machine
masquerading as reporter, and in the pressroom he was a safe place for
Scott McClellan to go when the White House press secretary needed a
lifeline during televised briefings. It may be time for the White House to
define some terms for all of us. What does a "nice independent
relationship" with the press really mean? It's easy to see how people like
Guckert fit with the "nice" part (at least from the White House
perspective); it's the "independent" part that's not clear.
[SOURCE: Christian Science Monitor, AUTHOR: Dante Chinni, Pew Project for
Excellence in Journalism]
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0222/p11s01-codc.html
AN INCOMPLETE GRADE
[Editorial] Broadcasting&Cable responds to the Lear Center study released
last week that finds that only 8% of more than 4,333 station newscasts
surveyed contained even one story about a local political race. B&C
contends that the study did not look at enough stations or enough of their
newscasts. The publication acknowledges that "some stations don't do enough
campaign coverage while making a boatload of money on campaign
commercials." But, it contends, the entire industry is being tarred by just
the few stations and times studied.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA505408?display=Opinion&referr...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
Lear researcher Martin Kaplan responds: "The time period for the month of
stories captured was 5:00 pm to 11:30 pm. This period was not chosen by
the researchers; it was picked by the industry itself. In the 1998 report
of the Gore Commission, a body co-chaired by CBS head Leslie Moonves,
broadcasters themselves chose the 5:00 pm to 11:30 pm time period, in the
month before an election, as the daypart for demonstrating their voluntary
commitment to meet the public interest obligation to cover
campaigns. Eleven markets of varying sizes were included in the 2004
study; they account for 23 percent of the nation's television viewers. The
2004 findings were consistent with the 2002 study of 122 stations in the
top 50 markets and the 2000 study of 74 stations in 58 markets. If the
industry or its apologists wants all stations, all markets and all dayparts
studied, it should make itself accountable to the public by disclosing its
news programming content online, and it should call on regulators to
conduct such studies. Maybe it should even fund them."
TEST OF INDECENCY RULES LIKELY
As Congress seeks to boost broadcast indecency penalties at least tenfold
to as much as $500,000 an incident, the industry is planning a legal
challenge in hopes of getting the Federal Communications Commission to more
clearly define what indecency is. Broadcasters haven't brought a major
indecency or obscenity case since 1978, when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld
the FCC's authority to issue indecency fines. That case involved a Pacifica
radio station's airing in 1973 of comedian George Carlin's "Seven Words You
Can Never Say on Television" routine. FCC officials currently define
broadcast indecency as "patently offensive" material that depicts "sexual
or excretory organs or activities." Shows that are aired between 6 a.m. and
10 p.m., when children are likely to be in the broadcast audience, are
subject to enforcement. The legal challenge will focus on NBC's airing of
Bono's sexual expletive during an acceptance speech at the 2003 Golden
Globe awards show and the $1.18 million in fines levied in October against
Fox affiliates for airing a racy program called "Married by America." Fox
appears to want to challenge the idea that broadcasters can be treated
differently from other media.
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Jube Shiver Jr]
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-indecency22feb22,1,74...
(requires registration)
WHO FRAMED BUSTER RABBIT? THE FALLOUT CONTINUES
Barney Frank has fired off a scathing letter to Education Secretary
Margaret Spellings addressing a letter she sent to the head of PBS last
month in which she condemned a "Buster" episode because it showed actual
children who live with their lesbian moms. The letter let Secretary
Spellings know "how deeply I resent your profoundly degrading comments
about me and millions of other Americans." It continues: "You have said
that families should not have to deal with the reality of the existence of
same-sex couples, and the strong implication is that this is something from
which young children should be shielded. I am a gay man who has had strong
emotional relationships with men, and in each instance part of the joy of
that relationship has been sharing it with members of my extended family."
This includes 10 nieces, nephews and great-nephews, which, Frank said,
gives him firsthand experience of the effect learning of same-sex
relationships has on small children. "What I have experienced, directly
contrary to the basis on which you have condemned us as being unfit for
young eyes, bears out the song from 'South Pacific,' 'You've Got to Be
Taught to Hate,." Frank noted that no one, not even Spellings, has
suggested that anything particularly intimate was shown in the episode, "so
it is apparently simply the fact that two women love each other and live
together that you find so shocking that it is not fit to be broadcast."
Meanwhile, CPB and PBS are covering their tracks over the events that led
up to the censorship of Buster. CPB has no funds in the "Buster" series,
noted CPB President and CEO Kathleen Cox, and "I did not have any
conversation with [PBS President Pat Mitchell] where I was weighing in one
way or the other. She in passing mentioned the Buster situation some weeks
ago.... We have weekly calls where we talk about a lot of things, and I at
that point in time understood she and [WGBH President] Henry Becton were
going back and forth as to what appropriate edits there might be."
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Lisa de Moraes]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33612-2005Feb17.html
(requires registration)
NEWS MEDIA GROPE FOR THE RIGHT FORMULA
[Commentary] For better or worse, the one-size-fits-all media era is now
history. In the future, readers and viewers will be able to get only the
news and features they really want at a price they are willing to pay for
them. For those who are satisfied with a quick overview of the news, and
easily accessible data on everything from bowling scores to stock prices,
they'll find it free in newspapers and Web sites and TV channels supported
by advertisers seeking large audiences and low costs per reader for
reaching them. And those who need or want the most comprehensive and
sophisticated kind of news products, in print or video, will have to spend
a dollar a day or more to get a customized package delivered to their homes
or made available through their computers or cable modems. The advertising
supporting such higher-end products will be more expensive, and there's
likely to be less of it. It will take years of experimentation, involving
companies of all sizes and vintages, for the news media to refine the new
models and settle into a sustainable new structure. No doubt great fortunes
will be made or lost in the process. But in the end, I suspect, our
industry, like most others, will come to be dominated by a handful of
national and super-regional news organizations that can offer readers and
advertisers a full range of differently priced news products through a
variety of media.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Steven Pearlstein]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33670-2005Feb17.html
(requires registration)
TELECOM
TELECOM SHOOTOUT
[Editorial] Telecom mergers are coming fast and furious these days, marking
the "end of the Al Gore-Reed Hundt 'managed competition' model for
telecommunications. And that's good news for consumers." The marketplace
would have long ago done away with long distance companies if regulators
had just stayed out of the way. Antitrust paranoids will fret that large
business customers could be hurt by the consolidation. But the national
networks of MCI and AT&T aren't duplicated by Verizon and SBC, making these
combinations more vertical than horizontal. The number of business-grade
networks isn't reduced, and business customers would still have an array of
choices. And anyway -- as any pundit will tell you today -- "the real
competition today is between cable and phone companies." The only potential
barrier to this flurry of pro-consumer competition is the talk in Congress
of reopening the nightmare of the 1996 Telecom Act. With so much ferment in
the industry, tinkering with the law now might freeze everyone in place as
companies wait for the politicians to act. Nevertheless, new Senate
Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens is calling for a major rewrite of
the act to consider whether, among other things, Internet telephony should
be regulated, contribute to the universal service fund that subsidizes
rural customers, and be taxed by states. Those are three excellent ways to
quell innovation and scare off investment capital. On the regulatory front,
meanwhile, President Bush's pick to replace FCC Chairman Michael Powell has
become even more important. Mr. Powell's deregulatory initiatives --
especially his efforts to roll back the network sharing rules -- have
helped lay the groundwork for the current spurt of creative consolidation.
Mr. Hundt taught us how much havoc the wrong bureaucrat can wreak. Choose
wisely, Mr. President.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110903441749860453,00.html?mod=todays...
See also --
Qwest Sets Its Sights Anew on MCI
Expect a new bid for MCI from Qwest this week.
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110903203891660396,00.html?mod=todays...
(requires subscription)
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/22/business/22phone.html
THE TELEPHONOSAURUS
[Commentary] Does the telecommunication industry have a future? There is
some money to be made in owning and managing the national data pipes. Phone
companies could be the leaders in exploiting the new wireless technologies
such as WiMax, except for the reluctance to cannibalize their existing
business, which is always a problem for incumbents. One advantage they
have, because of size and geographic reach, is that they can provide
seamless connection to the Internet whatever device the consumer has,
wherever he goes. Customers don't care how the bits get to them -- all they
care about is cost and functionality. If these carriers focused on
providing Web-tone with the same reliability that we expect from a
traditional telco (99.999% availability) they would be offering a service
that no one else can replicate. Telco's biggest competitors in the
enterprise market will likely be IBM, Accenture and increasingly Asian
service providers offering high quality, reliable service and tools, and
ongoing assistance to extract maximum value from information and
communications tools. On the consumer end, the future is in managements of
home networks.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Don Tapscott]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110902664738560248,00.html?mod=todays...
(requires subscription)
IN TINY TOWNS, NEW CALL OPTIONS SHAKE UP AN OLD PHONE SYSTEM
The notion of universal phone service dates back to the early 1900s.
Theodore Vail, then president of American Telephone & Telegraph Co.,
convinced President Woodrow Wilson the newly invented telephone would catch
on quicker if the country adopted a nationwide system similar to the one
used for mail. At the time, a number of companies were building phone
networks around the country, but the systems weren't connected. Allowing
one company to consolidate these networks as part of a
government-sanctioned monopoly would create uniformity, Mr. Vail argued. He
declared his vision "one system, one policy, universal service." But the
introduction of wireless and Internet-based telephone services are testing
the web of subsidies that have helped keep telephone service affordable in
isolated towns around the country. In the coming year, the Universal
Service Fund (USF) will spend some $3.6 billion subsidizing the price of
phone service to rural areas where the cost is high. That amount is
increasing in part because wireless companies are seeking more
disbursements from the fund as they push into rural areas. While wireless
companies paid about $1.8 billion into the USF in 2003, the industry
received only about $175 million out of it. But that number jumped to $323
million in 2004 as some 144 wireless companies became eligible for
government subsidies for service offered to rural customers. That number is
expected to exceed $440 million in 2005, FCC officials say. Congress will
begin a reform of universal service this year.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Anne Marie Squeo
annemarie.squeo( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110902655249160243,00.html?mod=todays...
(requires subscription)
CHOKEPOINT: YOU PAY FOR DEREGULATION
[Editorial] The dual waves of mergers and deregulation that are reshaping
the telecommunications industry add up to bad news for consumers' wallets.
Increasingly, consumers are faced with just two choices for their
high-speed Internet, telephone and television needs: the cable company and
the phone company. Most economists understand that two is not enough
competition to keep prices down and service quality up.
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/opinion/10932329.htm
TELECOM SUPPLIERS, PICK A PARTNER
[Commentary] The massive wave of consolidation ripping through the
telecommunications industry presents a huge problem for the outfits that
design and build its equipment. After recent mergers are completed analysts
and industry observers expect to see the combined companies spending less
on networks and other core technologies. That means suppliers, too, face a
major consolidation -- and a struggle to survive. "Companies will perish on
their own or they will consolidate," says Wojtek Uzdelewicz, a telecom-gear
analyst at Bear, Stearns & Co. "They have no choice." A handful of winners
already has emerged in the four key telecom equipment markets: wireless
equipment, wireless handsets, wireline equipment, and equipment based on
Internet Protocol, known as IP. The remaining players are on shaky ground,
and will need to consider finding partners that can help to expand the
product portfolios and revenue bases they will need to survive.
[SOURCE: BusinessWeek, AUTHOR: Roger O. Crockett and Steve Rosenbush]
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/feb2005/tc20050217_2974_t...
INTERNET
UN PANEL AIMS TO END INTERNET TUG OF WAR BY JULY
A U.N.-sponsored panel aims to settle a long-running tug of war for control
of the Internet by July and propose solutions to problems such as cyber
crime and email spam. The panel, set up in December 2003, will lay
groundwork for a final decision to be taken in Tunis in November at a
U.N.-sponsored World Summit on the Information Society, where global
control of the world wide web may be decided. Right now, the most
recognizable Internet governance body is a California-based non-profit
company, the International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
(ICANN). But developing countries want an international body, such as the
U.N.'s International Telecommunication Union (ITU), to have control over
governance -- from distributing Web site domains to fighting spam.
[SOURCE: Reuters]
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=7690529
HIGH-TECH TENSION OVER ILLEGAL USES
How should courts view technologies that have beneficial uses but also are
heavily used for illegal acts? Next month, the U.S. Supreme Court is
scheduled to hear arguments on whether a file-sharing service named
Grokster should be held liable for the millions of people around the world
who use it to illegally trade music, movies and software. The entertainment
industry is asking the court to rule that even though Grokster itself does
not engage in stealing files, the service is responsible because it is
predominantly used for theft and has done nothing to try to stop that use.
The prospect that the court might adopt this legal reasoning is sending
shudders through the technology and consumer electronics communities.
Hundreds of existing products could be threatened, they say. And they fear
that new products, and early funding, will die in the crib if the gear
might be co-opted by people wishing to use it improperly.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Jonathan Krim]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42401-2005Feb21.html
(requires registration)
MORE AMERICANS HAVE HOME COMPUTER NETWORKS
Internet users in households with multiple computers are increasingly
turning to home networks to manage their computing and online surfing at
home. According to a Pew survey last month, 46% of homes with more than one
computer said they had a home network of some sort. Among those networked
at home, half (52%) have wireless networks with the rest using cables to
network their homes. Fueling the growth in home networks appears to be
broadband and the use of laptop computers. Americans are building more
sophisticated computer environments at home in the quest for more mobility
and flexibility in their household Internet experience.
[SOURCE: Pew Internet & American Life Project, AUTHOR: John Horrigan]
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/p/1048/pipcomments.asp
FROM THE BLOG-O-SPHERE
New York Times Swings Late, and Misses
The freshest news on the digital frontier may be the advent of Community
Internet -- low-cost, high-speed broadband services provided by municipal
governments and community groups via local networks. But don't tell it to
The New York Times' James Dao, who allowed himself to be spun by the
coin-operated Cato Institute without revealing the money behind their message.
[SOURCE: MediaCitizen, AUTHOR: Tim Karr]
http://mediacitizen.blogspot.com/2005/02/new-york-times-swings-late-and-...
See also --
Rizzo Digs Big Into A Black Hole
http://www.riedelcommunications.blogspot.com/
The Hoisting of PBS' Head
Welcome to the Bush II era of media intimidation. This new political front
is turning "the chill that has already descended over our nation's media
into a deep freeze." But some media are suffering the cold worse than
others, which raises questions about selective targeting by
"conservo-drones" out to score political points against their nemeses in
the "liberal media," while awarding others with a pass.
[SOURCE: MediaCitizen, AUTHOR: Tim Karr]
http://mediacitizen.blogspot.com/2005/02/hoisting-of-pbs-head.html
Brent Gloats, Lawmakers Cower, Democracy Suffers
The passage last week of the Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2005 is
due in large to the Parents Television Council's uncanny ability to
leverage the latest prime time "wardrobe malfunction" to mobilize hundreds
of thousands of letter writers. The resulting onslaught of email has
Congresspeople and FCC bureaucrats running for cover, in an apparent
inability to recall that document upon which our nation was built.
Certainly none in the majority were willing to stick their neck out on
behalf of our First Amendment and risk the wrath of the PTC, the American
Family Association and other blinkered zealots who rein over the chill
political climate that now pervades the Beltway.
[SOURCE: MediaCitizen, AUTHOR: Tim Karr]
http://mediacitizen.blogspot.com/2005/02/brent-gloats-lawmakers-cower-de...
Center for Creative Voices in Media Blog
Recent posts on: 1) Comcast using its own content to compete with
independent and non-Comcast cable nets. 2) the president of Americans for
Tax Reform called out many of his fellow right-wingers who want government
to regulate personal behavior and the content of movies, television and
music. 3) Tape delaying the Oscars.
[SOURCE: Center for Creative Voices in Media]
http://creativevoices.typepad.com/blog/
QUICKLY
Spectrum Wars
Generations ago, broadcasters got the right to use the airwaves -- now
worth billions of dollars -- for free. Ever since, they have used heavy
lobbying and political friendships to stave off rivals. But as the digital
age unfolds, change is in the air. (A long article -- worth the read to put
into perspective the battle over US airwaves.)
[SOURCE: National Journal's Technology Daily, AUTHOR: Crew Clark]
http://nationaljournal.com/about/njweekly/stories/2005/0218njsp.htm
A look at the 154 programs President Bush's FY06 budget would reduce or
eliminate.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42369-2005Feb21.html
Most stations would see their regulatory fees climb between 7% and 14%,
according to rates proposed by the FCC. Under the FCC proposed rates, for
instance, the 61 VHF stations in markets sized 11-25 would pay $44,675 per
station, up 7.2% from 2004.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA505273.html?display=Breaking+...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
Federal Trade Commission Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras has named Jeffrey
Schmidt deputy director of the bureau of competition, where his job will
include helping to oversee merger investigations and to prepare enforcement
recommendations.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA505389.html?display=Breaking+...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
Charles D. Gray, Executive Director of the National Association of
Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), confirmed press reports that
NARUC President Marilyn Showalter would be stepping down as President upon
leaving her position as of early March as Chairwoman of the Washington
State Utilities and Transportation Commission.
http://www.naruc.org/displayindustryarticle.cfm?articlenbr=24342
--------------------------------------------------------------
Communications-related Headlines is a free online news summary service
provided by the Benton Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted Monday through
Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments,
policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are
factually accurate, their often informal tone does not always represent the
tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang
(headlines( at )benton.org) -- we welcome your comments.
--------------------------------------------------------------
MEDIA & SOCIETY
The White House Stages Its 'Daily Show'
Schieffer Brothers' New Jobs Won't Strain Bonds, They Say
Sinclair Broadcast: The Puppetmasters
Kids Say the Darndest, Most Stalinist Things
Obey Asks Why Government Should Still Fund Public Broadcasters
PBS Under Fire for Editing Iraq War Documentary
Postcard from Buster: 'Send Money'
DIGITAL TELEVISION
Hard Questions on DTV Hard Date
Digital Broadcast Television Transition: Estimated Cost of
Supporting Set-Top Boxes
TELEVISION
A la Carte Reframed as 'Cable Choice' in Market Test
Sinclair Goes Digital and Multiples
QUICKLY -- Philadelphia's Big Dig; Qwest Plans to Revise Bid For MCI;
Newspapers Embrace the Net; NY Times to buy About.com; Praise for Fritts;
New Publication: Peer-to-Peer Networking and Digital Rights Management
MEDIA & SOCIETY
THE WHITE HOUSE STAGES ITS 'DAILY SHOW'
For Sunday's NY Times, Rich takes a long look at the Jeff Gannon story: "A
real newsman borrowed a technique from fake news to deliver real news about
fake news in prime time." At least six "journalists" have now been found to
be propagandists on the payroll of either the Bush Administration or a
barely arms-length ally while simultaneously appearing in print or
broadcast forums that purport to be real news. Even now, we know that the
fake news generated by the six known shills is only a small piece of the
Administration's overall propaganda effort. And we know that the
President's public events -- including press conferences -- are scripted.
It is a brilliant strategy. When the Bush administration isn't using
taxpayers' money to buy its own fake news, it does everything it can to
shut out and pillory real reporters who might tell Americans what is
happening in what is, at least in theory, their own government. Paul Farhi
of The Washington Post discovered that even at an inaugural ball he was
assigned "minders" -- attractive women who wouldn't give him their full
names -- to let the revelers know that Big Brother was watching should they
be tempted to say anything remotely off message. The inability of real
journalists to penetrate this White House is not all the White House's
fault. The errors of real news organizations have played perfectly into the
administration's insidious efforts to blur the boundaries between the fake
and the real and thereby demolish the whole notion that there could
possibly be an objective and accurate free press.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Frank Rich]
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/20/arts/20rich.html
(requires registration)
SCHIEFFER BROTHERS' NEW JOBS WON'T STRAIN BONDS, THEY SAY
Tom Schieffer was recently nominated by President Bush - his friend and
former business partner in the Texas Rangers baseball team - to be
ambassador to Japan, and Bob Schieffer, the longtime host of "Face the
Nation" on CBS, will soon become interim anchor of "CBS Evening News." Will
this affect CBS News coverage of Japan-US relations? No problem, the
brothers say. CBS News executives say Bob's connections to the Bush
administration through his brother -- including the fact that Bob got to
know the future president well during "dozens" of baseball games that he
attended with him, before Mr. Bush was even governor of Texas -- played no
role in his being tapped to succeed Dan Rather.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Jacques Steinberg & David Sanger]
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/18/business/media/18CBS.html
(requires registration)
SINCLAIR BROADCAST: THE PUPPETMASTERS
What's driving the Sinclair news cycle? Some employees say the company is
pulling strings based on its -- and its executives' -- financial and
political interests.
[SOURCE: Alternet.org, AUTHOR: Paul Schmelzer]
http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/21278/
KIDS SAY THE DARNDEST, MOST STALINIST THINGS
[Commentary] A new survey found that a majority of high schoolers think
newspapers should not be allowed to publish without government approval.
And almost one in five said that Americans should be prohibited from
expressing unpopular opinions. Maher looks into the face of the post-9/11
generation and fears he'll be out of work soon.
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR:Bill Maher, entertainer]
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-maher18feb18,1,59...
(requires registration)
OBEY ASKS WHY GOVERNMENT SHOULD STILL FUND PUBLIC BROADCASTERS
At a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services,
Education hearing Thursday, Ranking Democrat David Obey (WI) criticized
public broadcasters' programming as losing its uniqueness and its sharp
edge. "I really wonder why we should continue to support funding for you. I
don't see much more good that's happening with public broadcasting. I think
years from now you will look a hell of a lot more like commercial TV." The
Corporation for Public Broadcasting requested a $430 million advance
appropriation for FY 2008, a $30 million increase over FY 2007. The
increase is "critical" for stations challenged by new technologies and
related fiscal demands, CPB President Kathleen Cox said. PBS President
Pat Mitchell said that without more funds PBS wouldn't be able to provide
one-hour news programs and
shows such as Frontline. But Rep Obey cut Mitchell off before she could
finish her statement, saying, "Broadcasters are providing less substance
and more fluff." The hearing comes after the Bush Administration sought no
advance appropriation for CPB. The CPB is forward funded two years. The
budget proposed cutting $10 million from the FY 2006 appropriation, thus
funding CPB at its FY 2005 level of $390 million. The budget recommended
that the CPB be allowed to use up to $30 million for the digital transition
and up to $52 million for public TV's interconnection from the general
appropriation.
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Tania Panczyk-Collins]
(Not available online)
PBS UNDER FIRE FOR EDITING IRAQ WAR DOCUMENTARY
Another day, another criticism of PBS editorial decisions. The producers of
a "Frontline" documentary about U.S. combat troops in Iraq on Thursday
criticized a PBS decision to send member stations an edited satellite feed
of the program that cut out profanity used by soldiers. Boston station
WGBH, which produced "A Company of Soldiers," says PBS is overreacting to
the FCC's indecency crackdown. PBS, a private nonprofit media enterprise,
has also taken the highly unusual step of demanding that stations showing
an unedited version of the program sign a legal waiver indemnifying PBS and
the producers in the event of any fines or legal actions. While mindful of
local pressures, the "Frontline" producers argue that PBS is missing an
opportunity to stand up for an important principle. The public broadcaster
should "stand firm" for the "principle of editorial independence," the
producers wrote in a statement to general managers, program directors and
communication directors. "Editorial decisions should be free of influence
by the government."
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR:Scott Collins]
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-pbs18feb18,1,219...
(requires registration)
See also --
NYTimes: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/18/business/media/18pbs.html
POSTCARD FROM BUSTER: 'SEND MONEY'
Since no press is bad press (if they spell your name right), the producers
of "Buster" are trying to capitalize on the cartoon's newfound notoriety
renewing their call for national corporate sponsorships for the show. (Hey,
maybe the WNBA?) National sponsors will get two 15-second spots in each
show ( a total of 1,040 on-air spots per year). But wait, there's more!
They also will get series artwork and promotional items, the right to use
the series' logos in their ads and tune-in promos, corporate logos on the
shows' web sites, spots and logos on home video releases and a chance to
insert coupons into the boxes, and even Arthur and Buster costumes for
company events. Buster is majority funded through a DOE Ready to Learn
grant, though DOE appeared ready to rethink that funding after getting wind
of a Buster episode that featured a pair of lesbian-headed families. PBS
chose not to distribute that episode, but WGBH aired it anyway, as did a
number of other stations. WGBH applied for a second season of Buster
funding from DOE, but it has yet to hear back.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA505042?display=Breaking+News&...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
* On FOX News Channel's The O'Reilly Factor, host Bill O'Reilly compared
Buster's visit to the Vermont families with lesbian parents to visiting "a
bigamy situation in Utah" or "an S&M [sadism and masochism] thing in the
East Village [of New York City]." O'Reilly also stated that PBS President
Pat Mitchell "washed her hands like Pontius Pilate" regarding PBS' decision
to not distribute the episode.
[SOURCE: Media Matters for America]
http://mediamatters.org/items/200502170007
DIGITAL TELEVISION
HARD QUESTIONS ON DTV HARD DATE
The House Telecommunications Subcommittee (Commerce) Thursday held a
hearing on what it would take to limit the costs and political damage of
setting a hard date for the cut-off of analog television signals. The
committee is considering legislating a hard date for the giveback of analog
spectrum. Currently, the date is Dec. 31, 2006, or when 85% of houses in a
market are equipped to receive a digital signal, whichever is later. The
FCC has recommended allowing cable and satellite to convert digital signals
to analog and count those homes as digital-ready so that that 85% trigger
could be reached sooner. Otherwise, it argues, the conversion could take
decades. Broadcasters are concerned that downconverting to analog would
deny viewers the super-fine pictures that are the value-added of DTV and
for which they have spent big bucks to deliver. Commerce Committee
Chairman Barton pledged Thursday to "in the near future" introduce his bill
establishing a hard date, which he would prefer to be the current soft date
of Dec. 31, 2006. The ranking Democrat on the Subcommittee, Rep Ed Markey
(MA), asked each of the four hearing witnesses whether a Dec. 31, 2006,
hard deadline was even possible. A representative from the General
Accounting Office said "yes," as did an executive of Korean equipment
manufacturer LG Electronics, who said they could make the equipment
"available and affordable." The TV broadcaster on the panel said "no way"
while a rep from cable said "yes."
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA504905?display=Breaking+News&...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
See testimony of Jim Yager, Chief Executive Officer, Barrington
Broadcasting On Behalf of the National Association of Broadcasters & The
Association for Maximum Service Television
http://www.nab.org/Newsroom/PressRel/speeches/021705DTVHouseTestimony.htm
Watch the hearing on your computer:
http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/ram/02172005_tele.ram
DIGITAL BROADCAST TELEVISION TRANSITION: ESTIMATED COST OF SUPPORTING
SET-TOP BOXES
To spur the digital television transition, some industry participants and
experts have suggested that the government may choose to provide a subsidy
for settop boxes, which can receive digital broadcast television signals
and convert them into analog signals so that they can be displayed on
existing television sets. The three primary means through which Americans
view television signals are over the air (19% or 21 American households
receive TV this way), cable (57% or 64 million households), and direct
broadcast satellite (19%/22 million households). On average, over-the-air
households are more likely to have lower incomes compared to cable and DBS
households. While 48% of over-the-air households have incomes under
$30,000, roughly 29% of cable and DBS households have incomes less than
that level. Also, 6% of over-the-air households have incomes over $100,000,
while about 13% of cable and DBS households have incomes exceeding
$100,000. If a subsidy for set-top boxes is only needed for over-the-air
households, the General Accounting Office estimates that its cost could
range from about $460 million to about $2 billion, depending on the price
of the set-top boxes and whether a means test -- which would limit
eligibility to only those households with incomes lower than some specified
limit -- is employed. If cable and satellite subscribers also need new
equipment , the cost of providing the subsidy could range from about $1.8
billion to approximately $10.6 billion. (GAO-05-258T)
[SOURCE: General Accounting Office, AUTHOR: Mark L. Goldstein, Director,
Physical Infrastructure Issues]
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-258T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d05258thigh.pdf
Additional coverage --
TVWeek http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=7329
(requires free registration)
TELEVISION
A LA CARTE REFRAMED AS 'CABLE CHOICE' IN MARKET TEST
RCN and PrairieWave are test marketing a plan to allow subscribers more
choice in cable channels, in an effort to satisfy consumer demand for "a la
carte." But the companies are calling the experiment "cable choice" in a
deliberate shift away from the term "a la carte" to separate it from the
debate that fueled failed legislative efforts last year. The companies are
taking advantage of their digital systems and, if successful, could be a
model for voluntary "a la carte." Consumer groups, which mounted a strong
lobbying campaign for mandatory a la carte during the last Congress, view
this effort as a good start. The Parents TV Council is mounting a coalition
to draw together both conservative and liberal voices on the issue and is
expected to launch its nationwide campaign at the end of this month or
early in March
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Anne Veigle]
(Not available online)
SINCLAIR GOES DIGITAL AND MULTIPLIES
Sinclair Broadcast Group, the company that has repeatedly tried to force
its conservative political agenda into the homes of millions of television
viewers, is now forging a deal with the nation's largest cable company that
would allow Sinclair to increase -- by over 500 percent -- the number of
channels on which it can broadcast its "news" content.
[SOURCE: MediaChannel.org, AUTHOR: Tim Karr]
http://www.mediachannel.org/views/dissector/affalert325.shtml
QUICKLY
PHILADELPHIA'S BIG DIG
[Commentary] Rizzo compares Philadelphia's vision of building a city-wide
Wi-Fi hotspot to Boston's "Big Dig," the "most expensive public works
project in U.S. history" which is $13 billion over budget and 6 years
overdue. Up-front costs for Wi-Fi networks are deceptively low, he writes,
making it easy to get a municipal government on the budgetary hook at
first. But once so hooked, the costs mount. Sheer maintenance will cost
annually a minimum of 10 percent of the initial up-front costs, according
to most experts. Further, many engineers estimate that an astounding 60
percent of the equipment requires replacement or upgrading every three to
five years. He thinks officials are underestimating build-out costs as well
as much-needed network redundancy, customer service, antihacking security
measures, billing and other administrative costs. For universal access to
broadband, Rizzo favors reform of the universal service fund: "Rather than
subsidizing old-school narrow-band technologies with fees imposed on all
carriers, we should modernize our policy to ensure universal and affordable
broadband with a host of marketplace incentives and by promoting
competition among carriers."
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Frank Rizzo, Councilman, City of Philadelphia]
http://news.com.com/Philadelphias+Big+Dig/2010-1071_3-5579848.html?tag=n...
QWEST PLANS TO REVISE BID FOR MCI
The Verizon purchase of MCI is far from a done deal. Qwest Communications
said yesterday it plans to make a revised bid for MCI. Qwest last bid beat
Verizon's by more than $1 billion, but MCI voted to go with Verizon
instead. Qwest is now appealing to MCI's board asking them to reconsider
the vote. Under the MCI-Verizon agreement, Qwest would have to pay a $200
million breakup fee if it supplanted Verizon.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Yuki Noguchi and Ben White]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32801-2005Feb17.html
(requires registration)
See also --
WSJ:
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110867754654058148,00.html?mod=todays...
USAToday: http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20050218/qwest18.art.htm
LA Times:
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-qwest18feb18,1,485116...
NEWSPAPERS' NET CORRECTION
[Commentary] The model for online news sites is to get a scoop and publish
it on the Internet ASAP. Readers like it, and the print competitors hate
it. Many print media executives largely ignored the Internet, apparently
hoping it would just go away. Despite the opportunity to make their
businesses more profitable, the brass worried about cannibalizing their own
print model. Although many companies invested in the Internet, it
definitely was a sidelight business. Now the print media giants are
changing their tune--albeit it more from a defensive than offensive
posture. Stuck with stagnant growth and under pressure from Wall Street,
these companies are taking their biggest plunge yet into the Internet pool.
This year will no doubt go down as a time when Internet and print media
companies danced like never before.
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Jeff Pelline]
http://news.com.com/Newspapers+Net+correction/2010-1071_3-5581727.html?t...
NY TIMES TO BUY ABOUT.COM FOR $410 MILLION
The New York Times Co. on Thursday said it will buy online information
portal About.com for $410 million from publisher Primedia as it looks for
new ways to advertise itself online. About.com provides consumers who
search its database with information on topics including health, finances,
food and travel. Primedia bought About.com for $690 million in stock in
late 2000, as it worked to meld its traditional publishing business with
online media. But the publisher struggled to steer About.com through the
Internet downturn.
[SOURCE: Reuters]
http://news.com.com/N.Y.+Times+to+buy+About.com+for+410+million/2100-103...
PRAISE FOR FRITTS
I come to praise Caesar, not bury him. But in DC, its hard to tell the two
apart. Consumer Electronics Association President and CEO Gary Shapiro
Thursday credited outgoing National Association of Broadcasters president
Eddie Fritts with turning the NAB into one of the town's most powerful
lobbies. But he also pointed out that NAB had failed to secure digital
multicast must-carry, and to chide broadcasters for not standing up to the
FCC on indecency. House Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton (R-TX) also
spoke well of Fritts saying that although he may not have won all his
battles, he had fought them in a way that "left doors open on both sides of
the aisle."
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton ]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA504995?display=Breaking+News&...
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA504916?display=Breaking+News&...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
PEER-TO-PEER NETWORKING AND DIGITAL RIGHTS MANAGEMENT: HOW MARKET TOOLS CAN
SOLVE COPYRIGHT PROBLEMS
[SOURCE: Cato Institute, AUTHOR: Michael A. Einhorn and Bill Rosenblatt]
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=3670http://www.cato.org/pub_d...
--------------------------------------------------------------
...and we're outta here. Have a great weekend.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Communications-related Headlines is a free online news summary service
provided by the Benton Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted Monday through
Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments,
policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are
factually accurate, their often informal tone does not always represent the
tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang
(headlines( at )benton.org) -- we welcome your comments.
--------------------------------------------------------------
For upcoming media policy events, see http://www.benton.org/calendar.htm
BROADCASTING/CABLE
Coalition Moves TV Public Interest Battle to Hill
House Raises Penalties for Airing Indecency
Parents Control Kids, TV Doesn't
Upton: Congress Might Address Multicasting
Radio Changes its Tune
MEDIA & POLITICS
Bush Administration Blurs Media Boundary
Conservatives and Rivals Press a Struggling PBS
PBS Chief: 'Buster' Didn't Boot Her
Broadcasters Seek a New Voice
INTERNET
Philadelphia Hopes for a Lead in the Wireless Race
Unbound Down Under
Probe Looks at Possible Web-Phone Blockage
Grants Help 131 Rural and Minority Public Radio Stations
Enhance Local Internet Services
Broadband PCS Spectrum Auction Closes, raising over $2 Billion
QUICKLY -- Why We Care about SpongeBob; Qwest & MCI; Telecom Mergers & Job=
=20
Market; FTC Approves MGM Purchase of Mandalay; New Report on Broadband over=
=20
Power Lines
BROADCASTING/CABLE
COALITION MOVES TV PUBLIC INTEREST BATTLE TO HILL
Broadcasters=92 failure to win multicast must-carry rules at the FCC=
provides=20
an opening to get public interest broadcasting laws adopted in Congress,=20
said members of the Public Interest, Public Airwave Coalition Wednesday.=20
The group already has found some =93sympathetic ears=94 on both sides of the=
=20
aisle, said Meredith McGehee,
Media Policy Program Director at the Campaign Legal Center. The coalition=20
is seeking rules that would require broadcasters to air 3 hours per week of=
=20
local, civic and electoral affairs programming between 7 a.m. and 11:35=20
p.m. on their principal channel, with at least 50% between 5 p.m. and 11:35=
=20
p.m. At least 75% of the programming would have to be first run on=20
non-principal channels. =93What we=92re really focused on is getting this=20
information to adult Americans where they=92re watching television,=94=
McGehee=20
said. The coalition criticized broadcasters for their unwillingness to=20
embrace public interest obligations during the run-up to the FCC vote on=20
multicast must-carry. Now that the fight has moved to Capitol Hill, they=20
hope broadcasters will be more willing to compromise. =93NAB has already=
been=20
working the Hill desperately for multicast must carry -- that=92s the=20
political landscape we want to take advantage of.=94
(As part of the PIPAC effort, the Benton Foundation release the "Citizen=92s=
=20
Guide to the Public Interest Obligations of Digital Television=
Broadcasters,"
a practical, hands-on guide for citizens who care about television=92s role=
=20
in their lives and want to maximize the public benefits that come from the=
=20
public=92s airwaves. Find the guide at www.benton.org)
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Anne Veigle]
(Not available online)
See more comments from Meredith McGehee at:
http://www.campaignlegalcenter.org/attachment.html/Kaplan+press+conferen...
df?id=3D1331
HOUSE RAISES PENALTIES FOR AIRING INDECENCY
In a 389-38 vote, the House passed legislation intended to raise the=20
maximum indecency fines for broadcast stations and performers from $32,500=
=20
and $11,000, respectively, to $500,000. It also toughens enforcement by=20
requiring the FCC to act more swiftly on complaints and makes one indecency=
=20
fine a factor in license renewals and three an automatic trigger for a=20
license revocation hearing. The $500,000 is a maximum, and the bill also=20
allows the FCC to take into account various factors in deciding on a fine=20
amount, including ability to pay, size of market, or whether the=20
broadcaster had or should have had knowledge of the violation or had any=20
control over it.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA504633.html?display=3DBreakin...
ws&referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
Additional coverage --
* TVWeek: http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=3D7321
* Wall Street Journal:=20
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110858074258356683,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_personal_journal
* WashPost:=
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30651-2005Feb16.html
* USAToday:=20
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20050217/a_capcol17.art.htm
* LA Times:=20
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-indecency17feb17,1,11...
0.story?coll=3Dla-headlines-pe-business
* White House Backs Smut Bill
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA504620?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
* Broadcasters Hammered on Hill
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA504488?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
In a related story...
The Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday postponed its planned hearing on=20
obscenity enforcement. No new hearing date was given.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA504706.html?display=3DBreakin...
ws&referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
REACTION --
* Creative Voices in Media:
=
http://www.creativevoices.us/php-bin/news/showArticle.php?id=3D108&PHPSE...
D=3Df694297090f7df5640838c3d12a1533a
http://creativevoices.typepad.com/blog/
* AFTRA: http://www.aftra.org/legislative/docs/indecency_alert.htm
* Heritage Foundation: http://www.heritage.org/Research/Regulation/wm666.cfm
PARENTS CONTROL KIDS, TV DOESN'T
[Commentary] Children have no business watching racy TV programming. So=20
whose fault is it when they do? Politicians say it's Hollywood's fault.=20
Hollywood says it's the parents' fault. Parents say it's the politicians'=20
fault for not stopping Hollywood. Harrop says the problem isn't that the=20
programming is available on TV; it's that kids are watching. And parents=20
have tools to control what their children watch. First there's the V-chip.=
=20
It lets adults block certain programming based on one of eight ratings.=20
Second, parents can remove TVs from kids' rooms. Parents can keep better=20
track of TV viewing when it takes place in the family room. And as a last=20
resort -- parents can always "smash the television set."
[SOURCE: Christian Science Monitor, AUTHOR: Froma Harrop]
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0217/p09s02-coop.html
UPTON: CONGRESS MIGHT ADDRESS MULTICASTING
Congress would consider new cable-carriage rights for digital-TV stations=20
if private negotiations fail to produce results, House Telecommunications=20
and the Internet Subcommittee chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said Wednesday.=
=20
Rep Upton said he hoped that cable and broadcasters would conclude a=20
multicast-carriage deal akin to the one recently announced between the=20
National Cable & Telecommunications Association and the Association of=20
Public Television Stations. Cable operators currently voluntarily carry the=
=20
digital signals of more than 500 digital-TV stations, largely HDTV=20
programming. The United States has 1,366 commercial TV stations, according=
=20
to the FCC. Currently, 20.5 million households rely exclusively on free,=20
over-the-air broadcasting. Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) has said that lawmakers=
=20
would be committing political suicide if broadcast-only consumers were=20
harmed by an abrupt cutoff of analog-TV service.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA504727.html?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
RADIO CHANGES ITS TUNE
The radio business may be undergoing its biggest shakeup ever. So many new=
=20
digital technologies are beckoning to its traditional listeners that it's=20
hard to know what radio _is_ anymore. It's no longer limited to the=20
airwaves, thanks to cable TV's music offerings, the Internet, and one day,=
=20
perhaps, cellphones. It's not strictly live because online "podcasters" and=
=20
others let you download music to play at your convenience. About the only=20
thing that really separates radio listening from, say, uploading music to=20
an iPod is that on radio, someone else plays deejay. That spells upheaval=20
for the industry. But for consumers, the result looks mostly positive: more=
=20
choices of programs and more control over when they can hear them.
[SOURCE: Christian Science Monitor, AUTHOR:Gregory M. Lamb]
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0217/p14s02-stct.html
MEDIA & POLITICS
BUSH ADMINISTRATION BLURS MEDIA BOUNDARY
First came video "news releases" produced by the Bush administration using=
=20
a TV news format. Then came three conservative columnists who got big=20
paychecks from federal agencies. Now, there's Jeff Gannon (not his real=20
name), a journalist (maybe) who gained surprisingly easy access to the=20
president, only to lob a sympathetically slanted question. Taken together,=
=20
these recent controversies suggest that the Bush administration may be=20
pushing that craft of message management into new territory - and testing=
=20
the limits of presidential public relations. Since President Bush took=20
office, contracts for public relations work with the federal government=20
have jumped from $39 million to $88.2 million last year, according to a=20
report by Democratic staff of the House Government Reform Committee. These=
=20
contracts cover everything from promoting the newly revised food pyramid to=
=20
funding major initiatives from schools to Social Security. In a preemptive=
=20
move last month, senior House Democrats called on the White House to halt=20
"use of propaganda" to push the president's plan to create private or=20
personal accounts in Social Security. Democrats are requesting all=20
materials created for radio, TV, or newspapers and other venues to promote=
=20
the plan.
[SOURCE: Christian Science Monitor, AUTHOR: Gail Russell Chaddock]
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0217/p01s01-uspo.html
(requires registration)
See also --
Commentator Caught Up in Controversy Tries to Move On
[SOURCE: New York Times]
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/17/politics/17williams.html
(requires registration)
CONSERVATIVES AND RIVALS PRESS A STRUGGLING PBS
Public television is suffering from an identity crisis, executives inside=20
the Public Broadcasting Service and outsiders say, and it goes far deeper=20
than the announcement by Pat Mitchell that she would step down next year as=
=20
the beleaguered network's president. Some public television executives said=
=20
that running PBS was a thankless job, and that managing a far-flung network=
=20
composed of independent fiefs around the country was a particularly=20
daunting assignment. They also said they were facing larger issues that=20
would challenge any executive, like increased competition from the cable=20
industry. Corporate underwriters have been less willing to finance PBS=20
programs, which has left the network increasingly dependent on Washington,=
=20
where Republicans criticize its programming as elitist and liberal. PBS=20
hopes to relieve some of the pressure by creating a huge endowment from the=
=20
proceeds of reselling the spectrum used by its stations when they trade=20
their current broadcast positions for new high-definition stations later in=
=20
the decade. But that will take persuading the same Congressional and=20
administration officials who have objected to its programming. Lobbyists=20
for public television stations are supporting legislation that would put=20
some of the money in a trust fund for public television. Senator=20
Christopher J. Dodd, a Connecticut Democrat sponsoring the legislation=20
along with Senator Olympia J. Snowe, Republican of Maine, has called for=20
the trust fund to be administered by an independent agency following the=20
sort of procedures used by the National Science Foundation and the National=
=20
Institutes of Health. But criticism is not just coming from the right: "I'm=
=20
concerned that PBS is so desperate for funding and support from the=20
Republican-dominated Congress that they're willing to sell their legacy,"=20
says Jeffrey Chester, the executive director of the Center for Digital=20
Democracy and a longtime advocate of more money for public television..=20
"They could forgo their historic mandate to do cutting-edge programming and=
=20
replace it with Bush-administration-friendly educational content."
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: John Tierney and Jacques Steinberg]
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/17/business/media/17pbs.html
(requires registration)
* LA Times: PBS, Fighting for Relevance, Loses Its Chief
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-na-pbs17feb17,1,719086...
ory?coll=3Dla-headlines-frontpage
* Communications Daily reports that more people are satisfied with PBS=20
programming than that offered by commercial broadcasters, according to a
Roper Media poll commissioned by PBS. The study found that 38% of the 1,000=
=20
respondents are =93very satisfied=94 with PBS
programming. PBS also beat network broadcasters as the most trusted source=
=20
for news and public affairs programs. A majority (52%) said federal funding=
=20
for PBS was too low, and most believe PBS funds are well spent. PBS ranked=
=20
2nd behind the military as the most valuable service taxpayers get.
[SOURCE: Communications Daily]
(Not available online)
PBS CHIEF: 'BUSTER' DIDN'T BOOT HER
The controversy over Buster visiting a family with two mothers is not --=20
not, she repeats -- the reason PBS President Pat Mitchell will step down=20
after her current contract expires in 2006. She insists that she told the=20
PBS board when she signed her current three-year pact that it would be her=
=20
last. She has a big agenda for the 15 months -- bolstering sources of=20
sustainable funding and expediting the transition to digital television.=20
Mitchell has managed to antagonize both liberals and conservatives since=20
late last month with her fluid position on the recent "Buster" episode. In=
=20
each episode of the children's educational series, funded in part by the=20
Department of Education's Ready to Learn initiative, Buster meets actual=20
people who teach him about things that are special in their state. In the=20
controversial episode, he is taught about farm life and maple sugaring in=20
Vermont, by young children from two families that each have two mothers.=20
Vermont offers civil unions to gay couples. In other episodes, Buster has=20
met Mormons in Utah, the Hmong in Wisconsin, people from the Gullah culture=
=20
in South Carolina, an Orthodox Jewish family and a Pentecostal Christian=20
family.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Lisa de Moraes]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31087-2005Feb16.html
(requires registration)
* USAToday:=
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/life/20050217/d_pbs17.art.htm
* LA Times: PBS, Fighting for Relevance, Loses Its Chief
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-na-pbs17feb17,1,719086...
ory?coll=3Dla-headlines-frontpage
BROADCASTERS SEEK NEW VOICE
National Association of Broadcasters president Eddie Fritts has formally=20
announced his intention to retire. After more than 20 years of leading=20
broadcasters=92 primary trade group, Fritts notified board members today=
that=20
he wants a search for a successor to begin. Among the successes NAB cites=20
under Fritts are passage of the 1992 Cable Act and the 1996=20
Telecommunications Act; passage of legislation that rolled back an FCC=20
low-power FM initiative; elimination of the fairness doctrine, and passage=
=20
of legislation allowing satellite companies to deliver local TV stations.=20
Media Access Project President Andrew Schwartzman took issue with the=20
"success" label on rolling back LPFM. Calling it an example of what is=20
wrong with NAB, he said "This service should be embraced as a farm team=20
for the next generation of broadcasting, and not fought off as an infidel."=
=20
Mr. Schwartzman, frequently on opposite sides of Fritts on broadcast=20
issues, said of the resignation, "While we disagreed with the NAB many more=
=20
times than we agreed with them, I value Eddie Fritts' constant commitment=20
to civility and willingness to try to settle our differences."
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Bill McConnell]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA504491.html?display=3DBreakin...
ws&referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
More coverage --
* Broadcasters Seek a New Voice (2nd item)
When Edward O. "Eddie" Fritts came to Washington in 1982 to become the top=
=20
lobbyist for the broadcast industry, then-Sen. Bob Packwood (R-OR) snarled,=
=20
"The NAB can't lobby its way out of a paper bag." Twenty-three years later,=
=20
Fritts has built the NAB into one of the nation's most powerful lobbies.=20
Fritts expects a new president to be picked in six to eight months. After=20
he leaves, he will be set to make even more than his annual NAB salary and=
=20
benefits, estimated at $1 million. Fritts says that he will either form his=
=20
own consulting firm or join a large political firm, buy into some broadcast=
=20
companies and "serve on a board or two." "I learned early on you've got to=
=20
keep your head down," Fritts said. "They use live ammo here."
Washington Post:=20
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30727-2005Feb16.html
* LATimes: "The one thing we've been able to convince policymakers of," he=
=20
said, "is free, over-the-air broadcasting is still very important in=20
today's society to consumers."
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-fritts17feb17,1,57767...
tory?coll=3Dla-headlines-pe-business
(requires registration)
* Multichannel News:=20
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA504490.html?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
* TVWeek: http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=3D7317
* NAB Press Release:=20
http://www.nab.org/Newsroom/PressRel/Releases/021605Fritts.htm
* Communications Daily reports that the NAB was $2.86 million in the red=20
for fiscal 2004 ended March 31.
INTERNET
PHILADELPHIA HOPES FOR A LEAD IN THE WIRELESS RACE
City officials in Philadelphia envision a seamless mesh of broadband=20
signals that will enable the police to download mug shots as they race to=20
crime scenes in their patrol cars, allow truck drivers to maintain Internet=
=20
access to inventories as they roam the city, and perhaps most important,=20
let students and low-income residents get on the net. Experts say the=20
Philadelphia model, if successful, could provide the tipping point for a=20
nationwide movement to make broadband affordable and accessible in every=20
municipality. From tiny St. Francis (Kansas) to tech-savvy San Francisco,=20
more than 50 local governments have already installed or are on the verge=20
of creating municipal broadband systems for the public. But Philadelphia's=
=20
plan has prompted a debate over who should provide the service, and whether=
=20
government should compete with private industry, particularly in=20
hard-to-reach rural areas or low-income urban communities.=20
Telecommunications and cable companies say that municipal Internet networks=
=20
will not only inhibit private enterprise, but also result in poor service=20
and wasted tax dollars. They have mounted major lobbying campaigns in=20
several states to restrict or prohibit municipalities from establishing=20
their own networks.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: James Dao]
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/17/technology/17wired.html?hp&ex=3D110870...
&en=3Df1e64f65642d068d&ei=3D5094&partner=3Dhomepage
(requires registration)
UNBOUND DOWN UNDER
Wireless broadband is attractive because it typically offers Internet=20
linkups almost anywhere within its coverage range, which can be an entire=20
metropolitan area. That's different from the popular Wi-Fi networks, which=
=20
provide service only within a range of a few hundred feet at "hot spots"=20
inside coffee shops, hotels, airports and homes. Wireless broadband also=20
often works inside a moving car or train, unlike Wi-Fi. Most consumers use=
=20
wireless broadband as a replacement for fixed-line broadband in their=20
homes, such as digital-subscriber line services purchased from phone=20
companies. But many also like the convenience of being able to move the=20
modem from home to other sites. And people who relocate frequently also can=
=20
take the modem with them, saving the trouble of canceling an old Internet=20
account and signing up for a new one. In Australia, the government sold off=
=20
radio spectrum for such services relatively cheaply. Privately held=20
Personal Broadband snapped up its license in 2001 for only about US$7.5=20
million. In Europe, by contrast, many phone companies paid billions to=20
governments for third-generation cellphone licenses, allowing them to=20
introduce phones and other devices with high-speed Web access. Now, some=20
analysts wonder if those hefty fees were worth it, and if wireless=20
broadband can offer some of the same services more efficiently and cheaply.=
=20
Some wireless-broadband operators are also gearing up to offer regular=20
voice service over their Internet networks, just as some cable-TV companies=
=20
in the U.S. are offering newfangled voice over Internet protocol phone=
service.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Rebecca Buckman=20
rebecca.buckman( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110858206160156717,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_marketplace
(requires subscription)
PROBE LOOKS AT POSSIBLE WEB-PHONE BLOCKAGE
Federal regulators launched an investigation into whether a rural phone=20
company blocked access to Vonage, an Internet-phone service that was=20
competing for the phone company's customers, a situation that highlights a=
=20
major, potential problem as phone and cable companies control an array of=20
communications services. The situation became public earlier this week when=
=20
Prof. Larry Lessig of Stanford Law School, an advocate of Internet freedom,=
=20
mentioned Vonage's problem at an industry conference in Boulder, according=
=20
to a technology Web site called www.advancedIPpipeline.com. According to an=
=20
article on the Web site, FCC Chairman Powell, who was attending the=20
conference, said, "We're very actively on this case and we're taking it=20
pretty seriously."
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Anne Marie Squeo=20
annemarie.squeo( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110860446864257325,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_marketplace
(requires subscription)
Additional coverage --
Wash Post:=
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31082-2005Feb16.html
GRANTS HELP 131 RURAL AND MINORITY PUBLIC RADIO STATIONS ENHANCE LOCAL=20
INTERNET SERVICES
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting will award Internet Service=20
Acquisition Grants to help 131 rural and minority public radio stations=20
enhance their listener and community service via the Web. CPB is investing=
=20
a total of $3 million over the next three years in the grant program.=20
Approximately 200 grantees with rural and/or minority status are eligible=20
for $5,000 per year for the next three years. Under the terms of the grant=
=20
program, eligible stations could receive a maximum of $15,000.
[SOURCE: Corporation for Public Broadcasting Press Release]
http://www.cpb.org/programs/pr.php?prn=3D397
BROADBAND PCS SPECTRUM AUCTION CLOSES, RAISING OVER $2 BILLION.
The Federal Communications Commission's auction of broadband Personal=20
Communications Services (PCS) licenses ended on Tuesday, raising gross=20
revenues of $2,253,802,000 and, after applying bidding credits, total net=20
revenue of $2,043,230,450. Pending the remaining steps in the application=
=20
process, this auction marks the completion of an important chapter in=20
putting these spectrum licenses to work for the American public. This=20
auction included spectrum returned to the Commission through its recent=20
settlements in bankruptcy litigation, including the settlement with=20
NextWave Communications reached last April and other license cancellations.
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-256841A1.doc
QUICKLY
WHY WE CARE ABOUT SPONGEBOB -- WHY YOU SHOULD CARE ABOUT UCC ADS
[Commentary] Over the past few weeks, hundreds of Bloggers have linked to=20
the United Church of Christ story about our unequivocal welcome to=20
SpongeBob. James C. Dobson=92s, founder of Focus on the Family, has attacked=
=20
SpongeBob and other cartoon characters for their tolerance towards families=
=20
headed by same sex partners has brought national attention to an issue that=
=20
thousands of Americans experience in a very personal way =AD they don't feel=
=20
welcome =AD in their places of worship and in their communities. The attack=
=20
on SpongeBob and the refusal of the networks to run UCC's ad is the same=20
issue - do we live in an inclusive society where diversity is embraced or=20
have we as a society turn people away? The SpongeBob debate is a great way=
=20
to draw attention to the issue, but real battles are happening within=20
agencies like the FCC that regulate the airwaves. We need to make sure that=
=20
the voices of you who agree are also allowed to be heard. So please, keep=20
on Blogging about SpongeBob, but also join us in writing to the FCC to make=
=20
sure that the public airwaves are accessible not just to those who advocate=
=20
intolerance, but to those who advocate inclusiveness.
[SOURCE: Accessible Airwaves, AUTHOR: Rev. Robert Chase]
http://www.accessibleairwaves.org/
QWEST RELEASES PROPOSAL DETAILS FOR SPURNED BID TO ACQUIRE MCI
MCI received an bid from Qwest before accepting a offer to be purchased by=
=20
Verizon. But Qwest isn't sure it is done fighting for the long distance=20
company. Qwest released details of the proposed terms of its spurned bid=20
for MCI , saying it was seeking to "eliminate any public confusion" about=20
the terms of the offer. Qwest said that the total effective value of its=20
bid to MCI shareholders, including $1.60 a share in dividends, was about $8=
=20
billion -- more than $1 billion above Verizon's offer. There have been=20
concerns voiced from some MCI shareholders that the company turned down a=20
higher offer from Qwest.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110859489217656995,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_money_and_investing
(requires subscription)
Also in --
WashPost:=
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30967-2005Feb16.html
TELECOM MERGERS AS A WINDOW ON JOB MARKET
Four years ago, the telecom industry had the dubious distinction of leading=
=20
the nation in layoffs. Now, it looks as if the industry, in the midst of a=
=20
major consolidation, could be one of the top job cutters again. But this=20
time, employment specialists don't think the job prospects for all those=20
supervisors, engineers, accountants, and personnel specialists will be as=20
bleak. Unlike 2001, those out of work won't be fighting for jobs with=20
unemployed dotcomers. The layoffs also come at a time when the economy is=20
growing, not in recession. And online bulletin boards report they have job=
=20
postings for people in the business.
[SOURCE: Christian Science Monitor, AUTHOR: Ron Scherer]
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0217/p02s01-usec.html
(requires registration)
FTC Approves MGM Purchase of Mandalay
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-rup17.11feb17,1,98210...
ory?coll=3Dla-headlines-pe-business
REPORT OF THE BROADBAND OVER POWER LINES TASK FORCE
State regulators have been looking at issues raised by the provision of=20
high-speed Internet access of power lines. On Tuesday they released a=20
report will their initial findings.
[SOURCE: National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners]
http://www.naruc.org/displayindustryarticle.cfm?articlenbr=3D24314&start...
=3D1
http://www.naruc.org/associations/1773/files/bplreport_0205.pdf
--------------------------------------------------------------
Communications-related Headlines is a free online news summary service=20
provided by the Benton Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted Monday through=20
Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments,=20
policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are=20
factually accurate, their often informal tone does not always represent the=
=20
tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang=20
(headlines( at )benton.org) -- we welcome your comments.
--------------------------------------------------------------
February 16, 2005 As part of the Public Interest, Public Airwaves Coalition, the Benton Foundation released the Citizen's Guide to the Public Interest Obligations of Digital Television Broadcasters at a press conference on broadcasters' performance and the need for new standards.
For upcoming media policy events, see http://www.benton.org/calendar.htm
BROADCASTING
Broadcasting Reform Legislation Introduced
Localism Key to 'Must-Carry' Battle
The Politics of the Transition to Digital Television
NRB Pans 700mHz Plan
Radio Gets Low Ratings from Marketers, Agency Planners
TELECOM
With Ma Gone, Baby Bells Get New Clout
Mergers Raise Concerns Over Internet Access
Calling For Real Competition
Megamergers May Push Others to Seek Partners
Telecom Deals may take Cable Companies Off the Hook
FCC Fee Defeat Looms for AT&T
CONTENT
House to Vote on TV-Indecency Bill
Political Web ads may be Curtailed
Music Sharing Goes Legal On Web Radio
Viacom Seeks to Rejigger AIDS Ads
It's Clear that Homophobia is Reason for Ad's Rejection
Guidelines for Limiting Children's Access to Inappropriate Content
Via Wireless Services
QUICKLY -- Handicapping the race for FCC Chairmanship; FCC Regulatory Fees;
Laurels for Giving the Internet Its Language; Garage door openers near
military bases; Cell phones on planes
BROADCASTING
BROADCASTING REFORM LEGISLATION INTRODUCED
At a press conference held Tuesday to announce the findings of a study on
broadcasters' coverage of the 2004 election cycle, Sen John McCain (R-AZ)
announced the introduction of the "Localism in Broadcasting Reform Act of
2005." The legislation would reduce the license term for broadcasters from
eight years to three years, thereby requiring broadcasters to provide the
FCC with information every three years on why their license should be
renewed. Additionally, the bill would require the full Federal
Communications Commission to review five percent of all license and renewal
applications, and would command broadcasters to post on their Internet
sites information detailing their commitment to local public affairs
programming. The bill also calls for the FCC to complete its open
proceeding on whether public interest obligations should apply to
broadcasters in the digital era. "I believe this legislation is a step in
the right direction," Sen McCain said. "It will have a small impact on
those stations that are currently meeting their public interest
obligations, but it should have a large impact on those citizens whose
local broadcaster is not meeting its obligation to serve the local
community. I refuse to believe that the "public interest" is served by
three minutes of campaign coverage and a 12 second sound bite from a
candidate during a half-hour local news program. Citizens deserve more from
their local broadcaster."
[SOURCE: Senate, AUTHOR: Sen John McCain (R-AZ)]
http://mccain.senate.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=NewsCenter.ViewPressReleas...
* Sen McCain, in part, was reacting to a new study on the performance of
broadcasters in covering the 2004 election. See that research at:
http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?native_or_pdf=pdf&id_doc...
* The National Association of Broadcasters believe the study is flawed. See
the NAB's response at:
http://www.nab.org/Newsroom/PressRel/statements/021505_LearCenterResearc...
*FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein said, "This study cries out for the
need for stronger public interest obligations to make all broadcasters
reach a higher level of accountability."
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-256801A1.doc
* See additional coverage --
- Broadcasting&Cable:
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA504364?display=Breaking+News&...
- Multichannel News:
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA504367.html?display=Breaking+News&...
- TVWeek: http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=7307
LOCALISM KEY TO 'MUST-CARRY' BATTLE
Television station owners, feeling squeezed by what they see as a double
indecency standard that favors cable, the potentially devastating
implications for advertising revenue occasioned by the digital video
recorder, and other factors, say they need regulatory help on one front or
another. Either give us digital must-carry, they say, and let us expand
that way, or let us get bigger through cross-ownership of newspapers and TV
stations or the control of three stations in one market. The FCC sought to
allow the latter options nearly two years ago, but a federal appeals court
blocked those rules and tossed them back to the Commission to reconsider.
Whatever happens, broadcast television is still going to be around, says
Bill Carroll, director of programming at ad sales representation firm Katz
Television Group. "We seem to be a pretty resilient industry, and we seem
to find ways to adapt to the changing environment, and if history is a
gauge, we'll find a way. Many viewers are not able to distinguish between
cable and broadcast, because it often comes into their homes via cable or
satellite. But if the essential information that they count on was not
there, they'd become very aware of the impact and the import of having a
local station as part of the mix."
[SOURCE: MarketWatch, AUTHOR: David B. Wilkerson]
http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7BF58BB4DA-77D8-451E-9E3...
(registration required)
THE POLITICS OF THE TRANSITION TO DIGITAL TELEVISION
A look at key issues in the transition to digital-only TV broadcasting in
the US including: 1) subsidizing poor and elderly consumers so that the
analog broadcasts
can be turned off (thus freeing spectrum for other uses); 2) working out
the relationships between over-the-air broadcasters on one hand and cable
and satellite service providers on the other via "must carry" rules in a
fair and equitable manner; 3) allowing consumers to purchase add-on
services without being forced to purchase unnecessary equipment from
service providers ("plug and play"); 4) protecting the intellectual
property rights of content producers without violating the rights of
consumers to engage in "fair use" of content; and 5) maintaining the
important role of local broadcasters in providing local political
information to citizens.
[SOURCE: Indiana University, AUTHOR: Professor Jeffrey Hart]
http://www.indiana.edu/~globalm/pdf/techconf.pdf
NRB PANS 700MHZ PLAN
At its annual meeting in Anaheim, National Religious Broadcasters
association is calling on the Federal Communications Commission to rethink
its plan to reclaim channels in the 700-MHz band for emergency
communications, and it wants Congress to step in to establish an
"equitable" digital-TV-transition plan. The 700mHz band is home to a number
of religious broadcasters, and the group says the FCC plan will "cause
consumer disruption and detrimentally affect the cultural dialogue." The
group is also considering how to weigh in on the broadcast indecency debate
now in Congress. The House will vote on its version of a bill today.
Finally, the group also called for Hollywood to treat faith more fairly.
NRB cited a Parents Television Council study that found religion was
regularly dissed on prime time TV. PTC President Brent Bozell gave
attendees a personal walk-through of the study, which was released last month
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA504260?display=Breaking+News&...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
RADIO GETS LOW RATINGS FROM MARKETERS, AGENCY PLANNERS
The second phase of an advertiser-perception study released last week at
the Radio Advertising Bureau's 2005 Conference found that marketers and
media-planning agencies rated radio's audience measurement, schedule
integrity and accountability below those of broadcast TV, cable,
newspapers, magazines and the Internet. The interest in attracting national
ad dollars comes at a time when local advertising has been fueling radio's
revenue. While local radio advertising grew 3% in 2004 and makes up 80% of
radio's advertising, national spending remained flat and presents the most
room to grow in 2005. Some of the radio industry's recommendations for
reducing the gap in accountability perception included: offering more
detailed, accurate ratings and a faster system of letting advertisers know
when ads ran; improving schedule integrity; and electronic invoicing, to
speed up verification of when ads were played.
[SOURCE: AdAge, AUTHOR: Abbey Klaasen]
http://adage.com/news.cms?newsId=44322
TELECOM
WITH MA BELL GONE, BABY BELLS GET NEW CLOUT
Rep Joe Barton (R-TX), the Chairman of the House Commerce Committee, want
to pass a bill this summer that would create regulatory parity for cable
companies and telephone companies as they provide the same services.
Although it is tough to guess the future in telecom, BT Group Chief
Executive Ben Verwaayen describes three grand "convergences" now in
progress. The first is the convergence of local, long-distance and wireless
telephone services -- which will be well under way if the latest batch of
mergers is approved. The second is the convergence of data and telephone
services, which, with the advent of Internet-based telephone services, is
on its way, too. The third will be a convergence of networks, such as the
cable and telephone networks, with services, including telephone, data and
television. The trick for lawmakers and regulators is to allow for change
while protecting key constituencies. The purchase of long distance
companies by Baby Bells does not only remove competitors from the playing
field, it removes some players who vie for the hearts and voters of federal
policymakers. That could make it easier for the Baby Bells to achieve their
long-cherished goal of getting Congress to eliminate much of the regulation
those companies now face. And that, in turn, could help the Baby Bells
prevail in their battle with cable companies to become the ultimate
providers of broadband Internet services to households. Cable companies are
building up their lobbying forces in Washington, too. They have some
powerful allies. States and cities are likely to oppose deregulation, for
fear their residents may face higher rates from the newly merged telephone
companies. They also will argue that a "level playing field" should give
them the power to regulate telephone companies, just as they now have power
to regulate cable.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Alan Murray]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110851066133755840,00.html?mod=todays...
(requires subscription)
See also --
* To Meet the Threat From Cable, SBC Rushes to Offer TV Service
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Almar Latour almar.latour( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110850903330355785,00.html?mod=todays...
(requires subscription)
MERGERS RAISE CONCERNS OVER INTERNET ACCESS
On the surface, the frenzy of telecommunications mergers in the past few
weeks raises relatively clear-cut questions for lawmakers and regulators
who will be weighing the deals: Will consumers and businesses be harmed if
long-distance choices disappear when AT&T and MCI are swallowed by
telephone giants SBC and Verizon? In many parts of the country, the mergers
would mean that two of the top three providers of long-distance telephone
service are combining, leaving one overwhelmingly dominant player.
Ordinarily, such corporate marriages have trouble getting approved. But
several experts said they expect as many questions to be raised about
whether the phone giants would gain too much power over access to the
Internet, especially for large businesses.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Jonathan Krim]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27724-2005Feb15.html
(requires registration)
CALLING FOR REAL COMPETITION
[Commentary] Over the next several years, an expensive and high-stakes
lobbying and legal war will be fought over the following questions: is the
public best served by allowing companies to monopolize the services that
run over the networks they have built? Or should the companies be required
to allow competitors access to certain parts of their networks, at a
reasonable price, to ensure a more competitive market? The first battle in
this war is likely to be the antitrust review of the SBC's proposed
purchase of AT&T and Verizon's of MCI. Regulators have one last chance to
create genuine competition among phone companies. As a condition for
approving their purchases of companies they were supposed to compete
against, SBC and Verizon should be required to negotiate a contract
allowing each to hook into the other's local network on reasonable terms.
In addition, whatever deal they come up with would have to be offered to
the other two Baby Bells, Qwest and BellSouth. This process wouldn't
immediately require the Baby Bells to compete on one another's turf, as
they promised to do in the past and promptly forgot about. But once the
Baby Bells finish locking up the traditional phone markets in their home
territory, which they are well on the way to doing, they will probably have
no choice but to go elsewhere to meet growth targets. These agreements
would open the door to such competition.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Steven Pearlstein pearlsteins( at )washpost.com]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27725-2005Feb15.html
(requires registration)
MEGAMEGERS MAY PUSH OTHERS TO SEEK PARTNERS
The creation of two dominant telecom titans -- SBC-AT&T and Verizon-MCI --
marks a seismic shift in the telecom industry. It will likely force other
players to seek partners in the next one to three years, some experts say.
They could include the two other Bell companies, Qwest and BellSouth, as
well as smaller phone rivals, equipment suppliers and cable companies. Some
say Qwest and BellSouth are destined to be swallowed by SBC and Verizon.
BellSouth and Qwest might not have the deep pockets to take on cable
giants. Also, SBC and Verizon plan to use their new long-distance units to
target big corporate customers in their territories. Meanwhile, much
smaller phone companies such as XO Communications and Broadwing, will
likely face new pressure from SBC and Verizon in the market for
small-to-midsize business customers. They could merge with each other or
with cable companies that need telecommunications assets to enter the
corporate market. SBC and Verizon will no longer need the networks of
wholesale long-distance providers, such as WilTel and Level 3. They, too,
could be snapped up by cable companies. Finally, the two megamergers leave
fewer customers for equipment suppliers such as Lucent Technologies and
Nortel Networks. They could seek to combine.
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Paul Davidson]
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20050216/telecom16.art.htm
TELECOM DEALS MAY TAKE CABLE COMPANIES OFF THE HOOK
Verizon and SBC terrified many cable and satellite executives last year
when the two phone companies said they'd spend billions to compete for
television customers. Each promised a full array of TV channels and
state-of-the-art services, including video on demand. But the entrenched
providers may get at least a temporary reprieve now that Verizon announced
plans to buy MCI, after SBC's agreement to acquire AT&T. Several analysts
say the mergers will make it hard for the two telecom companies'
managements to devote the attention, and possibly the resources, needed to
quickly turn themselves into video powers. The telecom companies must cut
deals with cable channels, local TV stations and the studios that supply
movies and other shows for video on demand. In addition, the phone
companies may need licenses from thousands of local franchise boards.
Verizon and SBC want lawmakers to streamline the process. But the mergers
could hurt that effort.
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: David Lieberman]
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20050216/cable16.art.htm
FCC FEE DEFEAT LOOMS FOR AT&T
The Federal Communications Commission is prepared to tell AT&T Corp. that
it can't withhold certain long-distance fees and rural phone subsidy
payments on its prepaid calling card. The decision could open up AT&T to
demands for hundreds of millions of dollars in back payments from other
carriers and administrators of the Universal Service Fund, which provides
subsidies for rural areas, schools and libraries. By its own tally, AT&T
has withheld a total of about $340 million in access fees -- charges paid
to other carriers to connect calls -- and $160 million in universal service
fees.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110851661400656037,00.html?mod=todays...
(requires subscription)
CONTENT
HOUSE TO VOTE ON TV-INDECENCY BILL
The House is scheduled to vote on HR310 today. The bill would raise maximum
fines to $500,000 per offense for the broadcast of indecent programming.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA504134.html?display=Breaking+News&...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
POLITICAL ADS MAY BE CURTAILED
The Federal Election Commission plans to begin reviewing next month whether
the Internet should continue to enjoy its privileged status as exempt from
some of the stricter dictates of a 2002 campaign finance law. In September
U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ruled that the FEC's "exclusion
of Internet communications from the coordinated communications regulation
severely undermines" purposes of campaign finance reform law. At the heart
of the dispute is the vague wording of the 2002 law, which regulates
political advertising coordinated with political campaigns that appears on
"any broadcast, cable or satellite communication, newspaper, magazine,
outdoor advertising facility, mass mailing or telephone bank to the general
public, or any other form of general public political advertising." In
2002, the FEC concluded that portion of the law did not extend to the
Internet. Because Congress included the Internet and the World Wide Web
elsewhere in the statute, the omission was intentional, the FEC reasoned.
But Kollar-Kotelly disagreed.
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Declan McCullagh]
http://news.com.com/Political+Web+ads+may+be+curtailed/2100-1024_3-55774...
MUSIC SHARING GOES LEGAL ON WEB RADIO
Peer-to-peer radio way seem to be a legal way to share music online. Like
the file-sharing services that have drawn the ire of record labels, P2P
radio helps people swap free music with each other. But instead of
downloading songs to their PC desktops, users can create playlists of their
favorite music and, with a few clicks of the mouse, "broadcast" them over
the Internet to fellow users . People can also search for music by artist
or by genre, but not by specific song title. When "broadcasters" aren't
online, neither are their "radio stations." P2P radio companies pay annual
fees and royalties to nonprofit groups such as SoundExchange Inc. and the
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, or Ascap, which pass
royalties along to copyright holders based on the service's estimated range
of listeners.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Vauhini Vara vauhini.vara( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110851022683155825,00.html?mod=todays...
(requires subscription)
VIACOM SEEKS TO REJIGGER AIDS ADS
The announcement last week of a rare and potentially virulent strain of HIV
showed that the virus that causes AIDS remains an elusive and dangerous
enemy. With that in mind, Viacom is weighing changes to a public-awareness
campaign aimed at encouraging HIV testing and reducing the stigma of the
disease. The campaign, called KNOW HIV/AIDS (the logo uses colors to also
read as NO HIV/AIDS), uses airtime on Viacom networks such as MTV,
Nickelodeon and Black Entertainment Television to target those at
particularly high risk for contracting the disease: young people and
minorities. By year end, Viacom says, it will have donated $600 million of
television and radio airtime and outdoor-ad space to the campaign, which it
launched in 2003. Under the campaign, about 100 public-service
announcements have been produced for TV, radio and billboards. The ads run
in slots that Viacom reserves for public service announcements. In
addition, about 40 broadcast shows and cable programs have incorporated
HIV/AIDS themes into episodes.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Christopher Windham
christopher.windham( at )wsj.com ]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110851342753155955,00.html?mod=todays...
(requires subscription)
IT'S CLEAR THAT HOMOPHOBIA IS REASON FOR AD'S REJECTION
[Commentary] In rejecting United Church of Christ ads, NBC and CBS are
guilty of censorship and of insensitivity to the considerable suffering of
homosexuals. No doubt, the networks fear a right-wing backlash.
[SOURCE: Accessible Airwaves, AUTHOR: Rev. William Sloane Coffin]
http://www.accessibleairwaves.org/
GUIDELINES FOR LIMITING CHILDREN'S ACCESS TO INAPPROPRIATE CONTENT VIA
WIRELESS SERVICES
FCC Wireless Bureau Chief John Muleta has written a letter to CTIA (the
wireless lobby) President Steve Largent about access to adult content by
minors on mobile devices. Muleta asks for help educating parents about
their options with regard to content access by minors -- letting parents
know that they can block access to pay-per-call voice services and access
to the mobile Internet through their children's handsets; informing parents
of the types of content that children will have access to through download
services; and ensuring that parents are aware of the different types of
services to which their children will have access. He asks the lobby
organization to consider whether the availability of adult content via
mobile devices warrants changes to CTIA's carrier code of conduct to
promote industry self-regulation. Finally, he encourages CTIA to examine
the efforts that are being made by both government and industry in other
countries to address the issue.
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Wireless Bureau Chief
John Muleta]
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-256795A1.pdf
Additional coverage --
Broadcasting&Cable:
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA504248.html?display=Breaking+...
Multichannel News:
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA504365.html?display=Breaking+News&...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
QUICKLY
HANDICAPPING THE RACE FOR FCC CHAIRMANSHIP
[Commentary] Sure, the conventional wisdom is that FCC Commissioner Kevin
Martin will be tapped by President Bush to be the agency's new chairman.
But his voting record has made him an unreliable ally of deregulation and
the high-tech industry. That's why some advocacy groups are backing a
dark-horse candidate: Peter Pitsch, who's currently an Intel lobbyist.
Pitsch was chief of staff to the FCC chairman in the late 1980s and has
spent years navigating the obscure byways of telecommunications policy on
behalf of the world's largest chipmaker, where he's director of
communications policy. Right now he's trying to convince Congress that TV
broadcasters should return a chunk of spectrum real estate to the public
for use by new Wi-Fi-like wireless services. Pitsch also is deeply involved
with the VON Coalition, which seeks to keep 1930s-era telecommunications
laws away from Internet telephony. Whoever succeeds Chairman Michael Powell
will wield tremendous influence during a period that promises to be very
disruptive. Congress is considering rewriting the 1996 Telecommunications
Act to address Internet telephone service -- a process that would, if
history is any indication, dump all the implementation details in the FCC's
lap. Video is another huge area for regulatory rethinking. The next FCC
chairman also will have the chance to do something that Chairman Powell
never did, or perhaps never could, which is to downsize the FCC.
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Declan McCullagh]
http://news.com.com/Handicapping+the+race+for+FCC+chairmanship/2010-1037...
FCC REGULATORY FEES
The FCC released for comment (by March 8) a proposal for collecting
$280,098,000 in regulatory fees for Fiscal Year (FY) 2005. These fees are
mandated by Congress and are collected to recover the regulatory costs
associated with the Commission's enforcement, policy and rulemaking, user
information, and international activities. Multichannel News reports that
cable operators are expected to pay 72 cents per subscriber -- or $46.8
million total -- to help fund the Federal Communications Commission for the
next 12 months.
[SOURCE: FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION]
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-05-35A1.doc
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA504325.html?display=Breaking+News&...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
LAURELS FOR GIVING THE INTERNET ITS LANGUAGE
The Association for Computing Machinery plans to announce Wednesday that
Vinton G. Cerf and Robert E. Kahn will receive the 2004 A. M. Turing Award,
widely considered to be the computing field's equivalent of the Nobel Prize.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Katie Hafner]
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/16/technology/16internet.html
(requires registration)
Your garage door opener may not work if you live close to a military base.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-05-424A1.doc
The FCC released its plan to examine the ban on using cellular phones on
airborne aircraft.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-04-288A1.doc
--------------------------------------------------------------
Communications-related Headlines is a free online news summary service
provided by the Benton Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted Monday through
Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments,
policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are
factually accurate, their often informal tone does not always represent the
tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang
(headlines( at )benton.org) -- we welcome your comments.
--------------------------------------------------------------
MEDIA & POLITICS
Local Politics Garners Less TV Coverage
NAB Asks FEC to Give Broadcasters LUR Flexibility
MEDIA POLICY
Hot Properties
Smulyan Would Consider TV-Business Exit
At PBS, a Fragile State of Balance
Buffcasters Claim Brownback Rebuff
Imminent Replacements at FCC Could Impact Television Content,
Pro-Family Leaders Say
TELECOM
Regulators Now Must Weigh Two Tangled Telecom Deals
Telecom Is Getting Another Behemoth
NCTA Seeking Phone Subsidies for Cable
Vonage Complains to FCC of Calls Being Blocked
Battling the 'Sock Puppets'
NEW RESOURCES
Mobilizing Our Resources
A Compendium of Public Communications Initiatives
QUICKLY -- Rulemaking On DTV Tuner Phase-In; Reality Show Suicide;
Protecting DVDs from Piracy; Julie Andersen New APTS Board Chair
MEDIA & POLITICS
LOCAL POLITICS GARNERS LESS TV COVERAGE
More coverage of a new study from Annenberg's Lear Center and the NewsLab
at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. In the four-week run-up to the
November elections, almost two-thirds (64%) of all TV stations surveyed
carried at least one campaign news story. That was up significantly from a
2002 study that pegged that number at 44%, but much of that increase was
attributed to the presidential race in 2004. More than half of local TV
newscasts surveyed contained stories on the presidential race, while only
8% covered a local race, the study said. The average length of a campaign
story was 86 seconds, but that was more than three times as much time as
was devoted to the war in Iraq -- 25 seconds. The study found that there
was 12 times more coverage of sports and weather than local races. Looking
at Seattle, where the Governor's race turned on a few handfuls of votes out
of millions, the study found that only 5% of the broadcasts had a story on
the governor's race. For comparison purposes, the study said there were 14
times as much time devoted to teasers and bumper music for the local news
as there was to stories on the governor's race. See
http://www.benton.org/calendar.htm for info on a press event around this
research today.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA503886?display=Breaking+News&...
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA503968.html?display=Breaking+...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
* USAToday: Local politics garners less TV coverage
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20050215/a_localpolitics15.art...
If you'd rather read the study that read about it, see:
http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?native_or_pdf=pdf&id_doc...
In a related item, the E. W. Scripps Company's broadcast television station
group says it made 1,682 minutes of free airtime available to 198
candidates for local, state and federal offices during the 2004 election
campaigns. "We believe that making airtime available to responsible
candidates is a fundamental responsibility that we have as trusted stewards
of the public airwaves," a company executive said.
http://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/myPRNJ.jsp?profileid=1112624&resource...
NAB ASKS FEC TO GIVE BROADCASTERS LUR FLEXIBILITY
Last week, NAB filed comments with the Federal Election Commission in
response to a draft opinion by FEC staff regarding political broadcasting.
The FEC is considering the question whether a broadcaster can charge a
political candidate the lowest unit rate (LUR), even after the candidate
has aired a political ad that violates the "stand-by-your-ad" disclosure
requirements of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA), and
therefore is no longer "entitled" to the LUR under BCRA. In our comments,
NAB sought to educate the FEC on how broadcasters determine both commercial
and political ad rates, and explained that requiring broadcasters to
pre-screen political ads to make sure they comply with BCRA would be
inappropriate and impractical.
[SOURCE: National Association of Broadcasters]
http://www.nab.org/xert/corpcomm/newsletters/tvtoday/2005/021405/LURflex...
MEDIA POLICY
HOT PROPERTIES
The Tribune Company and Media General are expected to petition the FCC to
waive the broadcast-newspaper cross-ownership ban for markets where the
companies own newspapers and TV stations. In July 2001, the FCC ordered
News Corp. to divest a Secaucus, N.J. TV station within two years in
exchange for the agency's approval to buy 10 TV stations from Chris-Craft
Industries Inc. for $5.4 billion. News Corp., which owns the New York Post
in the New York City market, never carried through with the divestiture,
anticipating that the agency would eliminate its cross-ownership
prohibition. When it became clear that relief was not imminent, News Corp.
opted to file a petition to permanently extend its waiver with the FCC. A
source close to News Corp. says the company expects the commission to allow
it to continue owning the TV station, WWOR-TV, until the agency determines
whether the newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership prohibition will continue.
The measure will be considered as part of the FCC media ownership rewrite,
which could take as little as six months or as long as four years. But Mark
Cooper, research director at Washington-based advocate group Consumer
Federation of America, says the court argued that the FCC did not properly
justify removal of the provision. He argues that the agency should not
provide News Corp. with a permanent waiver and instead work on crafting a
new set of media rules.
[SOURCE: The Deal, AUTHOR: Ron Orol]
http://www.thedeal.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=TheDeal/TDDArtic...
SMULYAN WOULD CONSIDER TV-BUSINESS EXIT
Emmis Communications Corp. Chairman and CEO Jeff Smulyan would consider
selling his TV-station properties, worth $1 billion, if the industry's
competitive position against cable does not improve, according to A.G.
Edwards & Sons analyst Michael Kupinski. Smulyan is urging broadcasters to
pool their digital spectrum and offer consumers a blend of HDTV programming
from TV stations and 30-50 cable networks for $25 per month. Consumers
would need to purchase $99 set-top boxes. Smulyan told Kupinski that if
TV-station owners don't rally around his wireless-cable plan and fail to
get cash from cable, he would exit the TV business at some point.
Broadcasters' failure to get multicast must-carry from the FCC might induce
TV stations to give pay TV services a closer look.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA504086.html?display=Breaking+News&...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
AT PBS, A FRAGILE STATE OF BALANCE
After deciding not to distribute a children's television show featuring a
family with two mothers, PBS is facing tough criticism from natural allies
on the left. "I'd expect them to be more understanding," says PBS President
Pat Mitchell. "The sad thing is, the people who want to see public
television get better resources are hardly helping by participating in this
kind of debate." Mitchell emphasizes that PBS has and will continue to
cover gay issues, including gay parenting, in prime-time programming,
saying that "children's programming has its own set of principles and
standards." An internal review for children's programming is already
underway. The goal now is to turn what happened with the "Buster" episode
"into a positive," Mitchell said. Critics on the left want to see more
backbone. According to Jeff Chester, executive director of the Center for
Digital Democracy, PBS has been "so finely attuned now to the whims of the
administration they didn't need to be told" to pull the "Buster" episode.
"It's a scary way to control content in a democracy," said children's
programming advocate Peggy Charren, referring to the Department of
Education's letter. Charren serves on the board of WGBH-TV, the PBS station
that produced "Buster." "What's been lost is the idea that public
broadcasting should operate independent of political pressure," said Peter
D. Hart, a public opinion analyst and FAIR's activism director.
See http://www.pbs.org/aboutpbs/news/20050210_editorialstandardsreview.html
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Lynn Smith]
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-et-pbs14feb14,0,252973...
Communications Daily reports that Mitchell will leave next year at the end
of her current contract.
BUFFCASTERS CLAIM BROWNBACK REBUFF
Oh, to be able to write Headlines as fun as B&C's, alas...
Lobbyists for the adult entertainment industry voiced their anger
explicitly after learning that a Senate committee had no plans to invite
them to a hearing examining legal options for combating obscenity. "Once
again, the adult entertainment industry -- the clear target of the hearing
-- was neither invited nor notified of the hearing, and attempts to provide
witnesses friendly to the adult industry were rebuffed by subcommittee
officials, complained the Free Speech Coalition in a press release Monday.
The coalition asked members to submit comments to the committee so that
"objective and professional written testimony" will be inserted into the
public record and to ensure that lawmakers are "aware of all sides of this
very important issue." The coalition, the porn industry lobby, was left off
the witness list for the Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing Wednesday, in
which legal scholars will give their take on a recent court decision
exonerating producers of a pornographic movie in which there are
simulations of women raped and killed.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Bill McConnell]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA504092?display=Breaking+News&...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
See information about the hearing at:
http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearing.cfm?id=1387
IMMINENT REPLACEMENTS AT FCC COULD IMPACT TELEVISION CONTENT, PRO-FAMILY
LEADERS SAY
Saying outgoing FCC Chairman Michael Powell has not done enough to fight
broadcast indecency, conservatives are promoting current Commissioner Kevin
Martin as chairman. Writes Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research
Council, "This is an historic opportunity and one that the FRC team won't
let slip away. I have been working on this for some time, making calls and
sending letters to key U.S. Senators and Congressmen urging them to let
President Bush know we want appointments to the FCC who will enforce
indecency law. I have weighed in at the White House also." Brent Bozell,
president of the Parents Television Council, would also like to see
Commissioner Martin replace Chairman Powell. "American families deserve
more from the FCC in protecting our children from overtly indecent
content," Bozell said in a statement. "Chairman Powell's departure gives
President Bush an opportunity to appoint a Chairman who actually believes
in and who will enforce the federal laws regarding broadcast indecency."
[SOURCE: Baptist Press]
http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org/bpnews.asp?ID=20111
TELECOM
REGULATORS NOW MUST WEIGH TWO TANGLED TELECOM DEALS
The Justice Department and the Federal Communications Commission will have
to study the competitive impact of two big telecom acquisitions (SBC-AT&T &
Verizon-MCI) on eachother other. While regulators aren't likely to derail
either deal, they could require the companies to divest themselves of more
operations. The two transactions involve the top four players in the market
for business-phone customers. AT&T is the nation's leading provider of
these services, expected to have taken in about $24.5 billion in revenue
for 2004 from this operation, compared with $20.3 billion for SBC. MCI
comes in third with about $18.3 billion from this market and Verizon is
fourth with $15.2 billion. So a critical element in the regulators' reviews
will be what large business customers have to say about their phone rates
with the loss of AT&T and MCI. "Complaints from customers are infinitely
more persuasive with antitrust enforcers than complaints from competitors,"
said Donald Baker, a Washington antitrust attorney. If both deals are
approved, that essentially will create a situation in which there are just
two choices for many customers -- a shrinking of competition that antitrust
officials generally frown upon. Unlike the residential market, where
wireless and cable companies increasingly are being seen as reliable
alternatives to the regional Bell giants, business customers continue to
rely largely on wired phone services. The pair of deals appears to sound
the death knell for the long-distance industry, increasingly sidelined as
Washington legislators and regulators came to see phone competition coming
from cable television, mobile phones and even electric utilities. Recent
court and FCC decisions have been predicated on this argument, leaving
companies like AT&T and MCI at a disadvantage since they lack connections
to individual homes and small businesses.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Anne Marie Squeo
annemarie.squeo( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110842821930154696,00.html?mod=todays...
(requires subscription)
* With Huge Proposed Mergers, the Regulatory Maze Ahead for a Recast FCC
"This is definitely a case of Michael Powell getting what he asked for in
every conceivable way," said Reed E. Hundt, a former chairman of the agency
in the first years of President Bill Clinton's administration. "Ironically,
Michael has also made his successor the potentially most powerful FCC
chairman in history."
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/15/business/15regs.html?hp&ex=1108530000&...
(requires registration)
TELECOM IS GETTING ANOTHER BEHEMOTH
A series of mergers has transformed the communications marketplace in the
space of five months, producing a handful of giants capable of delivering
an all-in-one package of phone and Internet services to businesses and
consumers alike. The flurry of activity comes as the telephone industry
faces new competition from cable television companies such as Comcast --
which recently announced plans to offer phone service -- and a
constellation of upstarts selling service over the Internet. Analysts said
the deals, which require regulatory approval, could slow the cutthroat
price wars that have eviscerated balance sheets but have been such a boon
to consumers. The biggest phone companies are now largely regional goliaths
that dwarf their competitors -- and that can provide an extensive array of
services.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Yuki Noguchi]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22406-2005Feb14.html
(requires registration)
See also --
* MCI snubs Qwest, takes Verizon up on $6.7B offer (USAToday)
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20050215/verizonmcicov15.art.htm
* MCI Takes Low Bid (LATimes)
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-verizon15feb15,1,2540...
* MCI Rewrote The Rulebook
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24573-2005Feb14.html
(requires registration)
* After a Year of Frenzied Deals, Two Telecom Giants Emerge
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110837919715653920,00.html?mod=todays...
* What About the Customers?
Consumer advocates say the merger trend will especially hurt low-income
consumers who can't afford the "bundles" of TV, phone and high-speed
Internet services that cable and phone companies are offering, which
typically cost more than $100 a month. And consumers aren't able to
subscribe to discounted phone-over-Internet services unless they already
have a broadband Internet connection, which can cost up to $50 a month from
a cable or phone provider. "The only place there's competition is at the
very high end of the market," said Janee Briesemeister, a senior analyst at
Consumers Union.
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110842513064154601,00.html?mod=todays...
(requires subscription)
* See similar take in USAToday:
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20050215/consumers15.art.htm
* Phone Mergers Seen as a Curb on Price Wars
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/15/business/15verizon.html
Reactions to the deal:
HearUsNow.org: http://www.hearusnow.org/index.php?id=444
Consumers Union:
http://www.consumersunion.org/pub/core_telecom_and_utilities/001850.html...
Communications Workers of America:
http://www.cwa-union.org/news/PressReleaseDisplay.asp?ID=480
NCTA SEEKING PHONE SUBSIDIES FOR CABLE
The National Cable & Telecommunications Association is calling on the
Federal Communications Commission to change rules that govern the universal
service program's "High Cost Fund" so that cable companies are not
automatically excluded from receiving subsidies designed to keep phone
service affordable in rural areas. In a letter to the Commission, the NCTA
explained that cable companies can't obtain eligible telecommunications
carrier (ETC) status and qualify for funding because many state regulators
reserve ETC status for companies that provide service throughout the state.
able operators only offer service within their franchise areas.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA503818.html?display=Breaking+News&...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
VONAGE COMPLAINS TO FCC OF CALLS BEING BLOCKED
Internet telephone service provider Vonage has told Federal Communications
Commission officials that it has evidence an Internet service provider
owned by a telephone company has been blocking its service, affecting a
couple of hundred customers. Internet service providers are able to block
Vonage calls by refusing data from certain ports, similar to the methods
used to control unwanted e-mail. FCC Chairman Michael Powell said Monday
that the Commission was "actively on this case and we are taking it pretty
seriously." The FCC could take enforcement action against carriers if they
are found to have engaged activities that violate anti-competition laws,
said Chairman Powell.
[SOURCE: Reuters]
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=WFAKCZKRWRSZKCRBAEOC...
BATTLING THE 'SOCK PUPPETS'
A growing number of American cities and towns are queuing up municipal
wireless networks to provide affordable and fast Internet access to
residents. But they're facing increasing opposition from telecom industry
players who seek to consolidate their control over the "last mile" of
broadband access to American homes.
[SOURCE:MediaCitizen]
http://mediacitizen.blogspot.com/2005/02/battling-sock-puppets.html
NEW RESOURCES
MOBILIZING OUR RESOURCES: HOW NATIONALLY-FOCUSED MEDIA POLICY GROUPS CAN
HELP ORGANIZERS BUILD THE BASE
Media policy lobbyists, lawyers, researchers and other public-interest
advocates who want to strengthen grassroots organizing efforts will find
specific bullet-point recommendations in this report, drawn from interviews
with leaders of eighteen local and national media-activist organizations.
CIMA has produced this report as part of ongoing efforts to support
strategic connections among groups working to change media policy and
practice. Many of the interviews were conducted within an investigation we
did for Consumers Union to help inform the development of their new website
www.HearUsNow.org.
CIMA: Center for International Media Action is a nonprofit organization
that seeks to help advocates, organizers, researchers and funders work
together for media systems that serve social justice and human rights.
For a pdf copy of the report (10 pages), please contact:
cima( at )mediaactioncenter.org
A COMPENDIUM OF PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS INITIATIVES
Washington, DC lawyer Jim Baller is compiling a compendium of public
communications initiatives to help educate federal, state and local
legislators and officials, businesses, institutions, the financial
community, the media, and the public about the relationship between public
broadband initiatives and the well-being of our localities and our country.
And he's asking for help. He's looking for 1) public communications
projects that played an important role in enabling a community to attract
new businesses or retain and expand existing ones; 2) detailed examples of
how the lack of advanced communications infrastructure hampered communities
in attracting new businesses or resulted in the loss existing ones; 3)
examples of how public communications systems have enabled local businesses
to operate in new ways or made them more productive or profitable; and 4)
comparisons of public and private systems in local communities. Contact Jim
at jim( at )baller.com
QUICKLY
FCC OPENS RULEMAKING ON CE REVISIONS TO DTV TUNER PHASE-IN
The FCC launched a formal rulemaking to consider the consumer electronics
industry's request that it move up the deadline by which all TV sets with
25-36" screens must have ATSC tuners. CEA and the Consumer Electronics
Retailers Coalition (CERC), in a joint petition, had asked that the July
2006 date by which all 25-36" receivers must have the DTV tuners be
moved to March 2006 and that the July 2005 date by which half the sets
must be ATSC-capable be eliminated. The groups say the 50% phase-in
schedule was "antithetical" to the purpose of the DTV tuner mandate, which
was to increase market demand for TV sets with built-in ATSC reception
capability.
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Paul Gluckman]
(Not available online)
See the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (Dkt No. 05-24) at
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-05-17A1.doc
See also --
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA503970?display=Breaking+News&...
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA503972.html?display=Breaking+News&...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
CONTESTANT ON NBC REALITY SHOW COMMITS SUICIDE
A contestant in "The Contender" a new NBC reality series about boxing
scheduled to start next month, committed suicide yesterday in Philadelphia,
network executives said last night. NBC executives said that the show would
go on as planned, starting March 7. The suicide recalls an incident that
almost derailed "Survivor," producer Mark Burnett's first hit reality show
and the one that ignited the reality trend in American television. A
contestant in the first version of the show, which was made for Swedish
television and was not produced by Mr. Burnett, committed suicide after he
was the first person voted off the island. The incident stirred concerns
about the risks of reality television, and led Mr. Burnett to conduct
extensive psychological tests on his contestants.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Bill Carter]
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/15/business/media/15reality.html
(requires registration)
NEW STEPS TO PROTECT DVDs IN PIRACY WAY
Macrovision Corp. today plans to unveil technology that it claims can block
97% of the DVD-copying software that pirates use without interfering with a
DVD's playability or picture quality. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company
is just the first of several firms expected to roll out new anti-copying
technology that has been years in the making. The main challenge has been
finding a way to alter discs without rendering them unplayable on the more
than 200 million DVD players already in homes around the world. For
Hollywood studios, the technology could help wring even more revenue from
DVDs, which have become a leading source of profit. According to
Macrovision, unauthorized DVD copying costs the studios about $1 billion
out of the $27.5 billion that analyst firm Screen Digest estimated they
collected from worldwide DVD sales and rentals last year.
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR:Jon Healey]
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-dvd15feb15,1,1759392....
(requires registration)
The Board of Trustees of the Association of Public Television Stations
(APTS) recently elected Julie Andersen, Executive Director of South Dakota
Public Broadcasting, to serve as Chairman of the APTS Board.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Communications-related Headlines is a free online news summary service
provided by the Benton Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted Monday through
Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments,
policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are
factually accurate, their often informal tone does not always represent the
tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang
(headlines( at )benton.org) -- we welcome your comments.
--------------------------------------------------------------
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