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Ars Technica
Today's Quote 06.25.08
Submitted by Benton Foundation on June 25, 2008 - 8:02am"Generally, I think the Universal Service Fund needs to be blown up like the Death Star."
-- Rep Mike Doyle (D-PA)
Study: consumers lust after high-speed broadband, not HDTV
Submitted by Benton Foundation on June 20, 2008 - 7:44amBroadband services and speeds are ranked higher than any other "new" service when it comes to their importance to consumers. New survey results from Pike & Fischer Broadband Advisory Services show that while HDTV and digital phone service were important to some consumers, high-speed data came out ahead of the rest.
AT&T: termination fees ultimately a great deal for consumers
Submitted by Benton Foundation on June 16, 2008 - 7:57amThose early termination fees (ETFs) that consumers pay for switching cell phones in mid-contract are a great deal, an attorney for AT&T told the Federal Communications Commission. "ETF-backed term contracts give customers the ability to lower their monthly charges and upfront handset costs in exchange for their promise to pay monthly charges for the life of the contract or alternatively to pay the ETF in lieu of the remaining charges."
Clearwire promises a fully-open,
Submitted by Benton Foundation on June 12, 2008 - 9:16pmSprint Nextel and Clearwire are promising that their new WiMAX network will support both open access and wholesale access and that it will reach 140 million people by the end of 2010.
Cable: deregulation good for consumers; Ars: like heck it is
Submitted by Benton Foundation on June 12, 2008 - 7:56amAccording to the cable industry, if the last 10 years have taught us anything, it's that the cable industry in the US is focused on openness, innovation, and customer satisfaction; but if we can't keep the government's knuckleheaded regulators out of our cable lines and off our Internet, cable's nearly absurd level of innovation will be throttled down more effectively than BitTorrent uploads on Comcast's network.
FCC sends mixed messages on free broadband wireless service
Submitted by Benton Foundation on June 8, 2008 - 7:59pmSupporters of the great crusade to build a nationwide, smutless, free broadband service may be a bit confused after last weeks's contradictory press statements and actions by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin.
Epic fail: FCC gives Tucson a "failing station" TV duopoly
Submitted by Benton Foundation on June 3, 2008 - 8:03pmCongratulations to the Journal Broadcasting Group, the latest media company to hop across the Federal Communications Commission's not very deep limits on television duopolies. Journal has won the right to own two TV stations in the Tucson, Arizona market, and to allow one to pretty much operate the other.
Report: young adults most clueless about Digital TV switch
Submitted by Benton Foundation on June 2, 2008 - 7:20amAs the Federal Communications Commission revs up efforts to promote the impending digital TV transition, a new report suggests that the overwhelming majority of Americans will sail smoothly through the switch.
Civil rights groups blast à la carte cable
Submitted by Benton Foundation on June 2, 2008 - 7:19amFifteen prominent civil rights groups are taking a conspicuous swing at Federal Communications Commission Chair Kevin Martin's proposals for a wholesale based à la carte cable system. The idea, if implemented, would deliver "a crushing blow to channels targeting minority communities," they charge in a May 29th FCC filing.
FCC cracks down on Universal Service Fund cheats
Submitted by Benton Foundation on May 20, 2008 - 8:53pmThey rigged bidding auctions for contracts to sell computers to school libraries. They created bogus companies and billed the government for hundreds of thousands of dollars. They got school administrators to buy equipment on the false premise that funding for the gear had been secured.
