July 2, 2009 (Broadband Stimulus, Mapping NOFAs Released)
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for THURSDAY JULY 2, 2009
The FCC's meeting begins at 11:30 Eastern this morning (see http://www.benton.org/node/25149).
Headlines will return after the holiday weekend -- see you Monday July 6, 2009.
THE STIMULUS
Biden Announces Availability of the $4 Billion in Recovery Act Loans and Grants to Increase Broadband Access and Adoption
NTIA Unveils Program to Help States Map Internet Infrastructure
The Good News and the Bad News In The Stimulus News
FCC To Seek More Public Input on Broadband Plan
USDA Broadband Program Exempted from "Buy American", too
First Lady Obama announces $851M in grants for community health centers
INTERNET/BROADBAND
Can the Free Market Provide Broadband for Everyone?
A Roundtable on the End of Scarcity, Open Architecture, and the Future of Broadband Competition Policy
CYBERSECURITY
Defend America, One Laptop at a Time
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
China's "Green Dam" Overflows and Bursts
FEC Web Site and Internet Communications Improvement Initiative
PRIVACY
Facebook to Offer New Features to Allow Users to Control Privacy of Information
Industry Tightens Its Standards for Tracking Web Surfers
JOURNALISM
Does Race Play a Role in Coverage? Black Reporters on the Beat of Michelle Obama
Is Twitter the news outlet for the 21st century?
Gannett Memo Lays Out 1400 Layoffs, Restructuring
SPECTRUM
Senate Commerce Committee to Markup Radio Spectrum Inventory Act Next Week
MORE ONLINE
Facebook's 'Click-Through Activism' Broad but Fleeting
Gainers Rare Among TV Groups In '08
DTV Unready Homes Drop to 1.7 Million
Projections Show Retrans Fees Increasing to $1.2B by 2011
BIA Chief Calls For Change in Cross Ownership Rules
Students want more online learning
THE STIMULUS
BIDEN ANNOUNCES AVAILABILITY OF THE $4B IN RECOVERY ACT LOANS AND GRANTS TO INCREASE BROADBAND ACCESS AND ADOPTION
[SOURCE: The White House]
Vice President Joe Biden announced the availability of $4 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act loans and grants to help bring broadband service to un-served and underserved communities across America. This is the first round of Recovery Act funding aimed at expanding broadband access to help bridge the technological divide and create jobs building out Internet infrastructure. Vice President Biden was joined by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski and Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper at Seneca High School in Wattsburg (PA), the first stop on the President's National Rural Tour. NTIA and RUS will be accepting applications for loans, grants and loan/grant combinations to be awarded by each agency under a single application form. This collaborative approach will ensure that the agencies' activities are complementary and integrated, make the best use of taxpayer funds and make it easier for applicants to apply for funding. This is the first of three rounds of funding the Agriculture and Commerce Departments will provide. Vice President Biden also announced that Commerce and USDA officials will host public workshops in July to share information about the funding availabilities and the application process. Forums will be held in Boston, Mass.; Charleston, W.Va.; Minneapolis, Minn.; Memphis, Tenn.; Lonoke, Ark.; Birmingham, Ala.; Billings, Mont.; Albuquerque, N.M.; and Los Angeles, Calif. Applications will be accepted beginning July 14, 2009, through 5:00 p.m. EDT on August 14, 2009. The complete details of this Notice of Funding Availability are available at http://www.broadbandusa.gov "Today's announcement is a first step toward realizing President Obama's vision of a nationwide 21st-century communications infrastructure one that encourages economic growth, enhances America's global competitiveness and helps address many of America's most pressing challenges," said Vice President Biden.
http://benton.org/node/26241
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NTIA UNVEILS PROGRAM TO HELP STATES MAP INTERNET INFRASTRUCTURE
[SOURCE: National Telecommunications and Information Administration, AUTHOR: Press release]
The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced details of a grant program to fund collection of state-level broadband data, as well as state-wide broadband mapping and planning, which will assist NTIA in creating a national broadband map. This initiative aims at providing consumers with better information on the broadband services available to them and inform efforts to increase broadband availability nationwide. The State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program is a competitive, merit-based matching grant program that implements the joint purposes of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Broadband Data Improvement Act (BDIA). The Program will provide approximately $240 million in grants to assist states or their designees to develop state-specific data on the deployment levels and adoption rates of broadband services. These data, including publicly available state-wide broadband maps, will also be used to develop the comprehensive, interactive national broadband map that NTIA is required by the Recovery Act to create and make publicly available by February 17, 2011. The national broadband map will publicly display the geographic areas where broadband service is available; the technology used to provide the service; the speeds of the service; and broadband service availability at public schools, libraries, hospitals, colleges, universities, and public buildings. The national map will also be searchable by address, and broadband service providers will have the option to make their identity available. NTIA's grant awards can also include funding for state broadband planning. Planning projects may include, for example, efforts to identify barriers to broadband adoption in a state and creation of local technology planning teams. Awardees will be required to provide at least 20 percent non-federal matching funds toward project costs. While the BDIA mandates that each state may have only a single, eligible entity perform the mapping, each state's applicant will be carefully evaluated under the standards described in NTIA's Notice of Funds Availability. If an applicant does not meet the program standards, it will not receive funding and NTIA may perform the necessary broadband data collection.
http://benton.org/node/26242
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THE GOOD NEWS AND THE BAD NEWS IN THE STIMULUS NEWS
[SOURCE: PublicKnowledge, AUTHOR: Art Brodsky]
[Commentary] The rules of the road for the $7.2 billion broadband stimulus package hit a lot of high notes, putting public policy in favor of an open and non-discriminatory Internet front and center for projects that would bring the Internet to unserved and underserved areas. The mapping portion is more of a disappointment. On the bright side, the plan for the broadband map calls for a lot more detail than has been reported previously, if the confidentiality portions of the program don't ruin it. On the other side, the special-interest legislation that started the whole mapping craze has fulfilled its ultimate purpose. Sen Dick Durbin's (D-IL) legislation wasn't called the "Connect the Nation Act" for nothing. This was the bill that mandated that only non-profits could receive mapping grants because Connected Nation, a group that exists to protect information submitted by telephone and cable companies, is a non-profit and wrote the bill. And it's wired deeply into many states. Our cautionary tale goes into it in more detail of how Durbin's bill became the gift that kept on giving. The challenge for the government now will be to rescue the data plan from the clutches of the people who want to game the system.
http://benton.org/node/26243
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FCC TO SEEK MORE PUBLIC INPUT ON BROADBAND PLAN
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski indicated that the FCC host national discussions across the country as well as online on the National Broadband Plan. The FCC is currently receiving written public comment through July 21; FCC must present the plan to Congress by Feb. 17, 2010.
http://benton.org/node/26244
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USDA BROADBAND PROGRAM EXEMPTED FROM "BUY AMERICAN", TOO
[SOURCE: Department of Agriculture, AUTHOR: ]
The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) is hereby granting a limited waiver of the Buy American requirements of ARRA Section 1605 with respect to certain broadband equipment that will be used in projects funded under the Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP). This action permits the use of certain essential components of a modern broadband infrastructure.
http://benton.org/node/26239
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FIRST LADY ANNOUNCES $851 MILLION IN GRANTS FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS
[SOURCE: HealthcareITNews, AUTHOR: Molly Merrill]
First Lady Michelle Obama announced the release of $851 million in grants to Community Health Centers. The Recovery Act Capital Improvement Program (CIP) grants will support the construction, repair and renovation of more than 1,500 health center sites nationwide. More than 650 centers will use the funds to purchase new equipment or health information technology systems, and nearly 400 health centers will adopt and expand the use of electronic health records.
http://benton.org/node/26231
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
CAN THE FREE MARKET PROVIDE BROADBAND FOR EVERYONE?
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Stacey Higginbotham]
[Commentary] Only 2 percent of the world lives in a country where broadband penetration has exceeded 80 percent, according to a report from TeleGeography. The report noted that worries over broadband saturation are really only appropriate in 10 countries out of the 127 the firm tracks, and the US isn't even one of those saturated markets. There are 36 countries where broadband providers serve less than 5 percent of the population. So while there's concern in the U.S. cable and telecommunications industries over growth in their fixed line businesses, what we really should be pondering is whether or not the low-hanging fruit of fixed-broadband access has been plucked, and if so, how do we get broadband to the rest of the world? The government can subsidize a wired infrastructure much like Australia's government is doing today with its $31 billion investment in fiber, or providers can focus on wireless if it's not cost-effective to build out wired broadband.
http://benton.org/node/26240
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A ROUNDTABLE ON THE END OF SCARCITY, OPEN ARCHITECTURE, AND THE FUTURE OF BROADBAND COMPETITION POLICY
[SOURCE: Information Technology & Information Foundation, AUTHOR: Robert Atkinson, Phil Weiser]
On May 5, 2009, the Silicon Flatirons Center and the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF) brought together leading individuals from the telecommunications industry, academia, and public interest community to discuss the state of broadband competition policy. The discussion touched on a number of topics, which fell under the broad questions of what policy goals should guide broadband policy and what institutional strategies are best positioned to advance them. The roundtable left three questions on the table for further discussion. First, as to the nature of broadband competition, the level of competition and the role of next generation wireless networks were questions about which the participants either remained uncertain or had different opinions. Second, the roundtable participants did not achieve consensus on the optimal nature of network management. Finally, there was no consensus on what strategy should be used to guarantee that broadband providers continue to provide robust and growing levels of basic best efforts access to the public Internet.
http://benton.org/node/26232
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CYBERSECURITY
DEFEND AMERICA, ONE LAPTOP AT A TIME
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Jack Goldsmith]
[Commentary] Our economy, energy supply, means of transportation and military defenses are dependent on vast, interconnected computer and telecommunications networks. These networks are poorly defended and vulnerable to theft, disruption or destruction by foreign states, criminal organizations, individual hackers and, potentially, terrorists. Acknowledging such threats, President Obama recently declared that digital infrastructure is a "strategic national asset," the protection of which is a national security priority. One of many hurdles to meeting this goal is that the private sector owns and controls most of the networks the government must protect. This is a dangerous state of affairs, because the firms that build and run computer and communications networks focus on increasing profits, not protecting national security. They invest in levels of safety that satisfy their own purposes, and tend not to worry when they contribute to insecure networks that jeopardize national security. This is a classic market failure that only government leadership can correct.
http://benton.org/node/26250
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GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
CHINA'S "GREEN DAM" OVERFLOWS AND BURSTS
[SOURCE: The Huffington Post, AUTHOR: Leslie Harris]
[Commentary] Chinese Internet users won an important victory this week when the Chinese government indefinitely delayed implementation of the widely condemned "Green Dam" filtering mandate. For Internet and technology companies now facing censorship and surveillance demands around the world, the lesson out of China blows up the conventional wisdom that there is nothing that companies can do when China makes unreasonable demands that risk user rights. Instead of asking " how high" when told to "jump," the big lesson is that push back can work if companies are willing to collaborate on a strategy to resist such demands and if democratic governments are prepared to put their weight behind that resistance. The second piece of conventional wisdom that the Green Dam fiasco swept away was the view that the only Internet companies like Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft faced Internet human rights challenges and that the rest of the sector didn't have to think about these issues when entering new markets or launching new products services in risky places. Now, the broader technology industry surely understands that software and hardware manufacturers are at risk of becoming the target of repressive laws intended to limit users' online freedom.
http://benton.org/node/26229
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FEC WEB SITE AND INTERNET COMMUNICATIONS IMPROVEMENT INITIATIVE
[SOURCE: Federal Election Commission, AUTHOR: ]
The Federal Election Commission has adopted an initiative to seek public comment on how to improve all aspects of how the Commission discloses information to the public on its Web site and through the use of Internet communications. The FEC has never before sought formal public comment on the means by which the Commission discloses information to the public. As part of these efforts, the Commission is seeking written comments and will conduct a public hearing on ways the Commission can improve how it communicates to the public using the Internet and, specifically, how it can improve its Web site to ensure that the FEC Web site is a state-of-the-art resource for disclosure of information to the public including (1) disclosure of campaign finance data, (2) information about Federal campaign finance laws, and (3) the actions of the Commission. Comments must be received on or before July 21, 2009. A public hearing will be held on Wednesday and Thursday, July 2930, 2009.
http://benton.org/node/26228
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PRIVACY
FACEBOOK TO OFFER NEW FEATURES TO ALLOW USERS TO CONTROL PRIVACY OF INFORMATION
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Jenna Wortham]
Facebook's biggest asset — its population of more than 200 million users — is also part of its Achilles' heel. As more people join and connect with more people they know, the chances grow that one's embarrassing photographs from a night of carousing might be seen by the wrong person. To help remedy this, the company is testing new controls that will allow members to specify which groups or individuals are able to see each text update, photo or video they post on the site. For now the new features are available only to a limited number of users, but the company said it planned to provide them eventually to everyone on the site. The changes are part of Facebook's effort to simplify its privacy settings, which had ballooned to more than six pages and 40 different options. The company said that fewer than a quarter of its users regularly adjusted privacy settings, so it planned to condense them into a single, easy-to-navigate page.
http://benton.org/node/26249
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INDUSTRY TIGHTENS ITS STANDARDS FOR TRACKING WEB SURFERS
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Stephanie Clifford]
In an effort to fend off federal regulation, major trade groups in the advertising industry have announced stricter guidelines on how their members use and collect online data. In a report to be released Thursday, a consortium of the trade groups intends to address a growing concern in Washington and among consumer advocates that people are being tracked too much online, with information about their Web surfing, shopping habits and overall interests being collected for advertising purposes. The report, "Self-Regulatory Principles for Online Behavioral Advertising," reflects several of the commission's suggestions from February. The principles are meant to go into effect in 2010, affecting the more than 5,000 companies that belong to the sponsoring organizations.
http://benton.org/node/26248
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JOURNALISM
DOES RACE PLAY A ROLE IN COVERAGE? BLACK REPORTERS ON THE BEAT OF MICHELLE OBAMA
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Howard Kurtz]
[Commentary] A number of beat reporters following First Lady Michelle Obama are African American women. Perhaps this gives them a richer cultural understanding of Obama as a trailblazer. Indeed, most write with enthusiasm, in some cases even admiration, about the first lady as a long-awaited role model for black women. But if their bosses hoped these staffers would receive special access, some secret-handshake entry into the East Wing -- or even a casual wave at a health clinic -- they were mistaken, at least thus far. None of the beat writers has been granted an interview since the inauguration. Instead, they must piece together a mosaic from glimpses of Obama, who has a limited public schedule and a staff that fiercely guards her privacy and her image. Whether racial and gender identification produces a gauzier, more favorable portrayal of Obama is perhaps too early to judge. After all, no one raises questions when an Irish American male reporter covers a pol named Murphy. And with her carefully crafted focus on her children, affordable fashion and such reduced-fat apple pie issues as healthy eating, Obama has done little to warrant sharp criticism.
http://benton.org/node/26246
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IS TWITTER THE NEWS OUTLET FOR THE 21ST CENTURY?
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Jake Coyle]
The extraordinary amount of news coverage the mainstream media has recently devoted to Twitter has led some to think the press is in love with the 3-year-old microblogging service. But it's a jealous love. Twitter's constantly updating record of up-to-the-minute reaction has in some instances threatened to usurp media coverage of breaking news. It has also helped many celebrities, athletes and politicians bypass the media to get their message directly to their audience. Make no mistake about it, Twitter has in many ways been a boon to the media. It's one more way a story might go viral and it's arguably the best way for a news outlet to get closer to its readership. Most outlets now have a presence on Twitter with a feed directing readers to their Web sites. But even in an Internet world that has for years eroded the distance between media and consumer, Twitter is a jolt of democratization to journalism. To date, the most salient, powerful example of Twitter's influence has been Iranian protesters using the service (among many other methods) to assemble marches against what they feel has been an unjust election.
http://benton.org/node/26245
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GANNETT MEMO LAYS OUT 1400 LAYOFFS, RESTRUCTURING
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: ]
Newspaper publisher Gannett Co. plans to cut 1,400 jobs in the next few weeks, about 3 percent of the work force, as it faces a prolonged slump in advertising revenue. The move follows a 10 percent cut at Gannett last year.
http://benton.org/node/26233
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SPECTRUM
SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE TO MARKUP RADIO INVENTORY ACT NEXT WEEK
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Senate Commerce Committee has slated a July 8 markup for the Radio Spectrum Inventory Act. The bill was introduced by Communications Subcommittee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) back in March. It would give the FCC and National Telecommunications & Information Administration, which manages government spectrum, 180 days to report back to Congress with an inventory of the spectrum they manage and how it is being used. That would include how much unlicensed use is allowed, how much spectrum is being used in each band, including the TV and radio bands.
http://benton.org/node/26235
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