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Headlines, Satellite
With vintage satellites still in orbit, sales are grounded
Submitted by Benton Foundation on December 1, 2008 - 8:35amLast updated: December 1, 2008 - 8:35am
This month, a satellite resembling a shiny spinning drum and orbiting 21,156 miles above Earth celebrated its 41st birthday, astounding engineers and scientists, some of them the children of those who built it.
New Set Buyers Believe HD Signals Come With DTV Transition
Submitted by Benton Foundation on November 25, 2008 - 8:53pmLast updated: November 25, 2008 - 8:53pm
New buyers of high-definition TVs still are laboring under the misperception that the sets will deliver enhanced signals along with the digital TV transition next year, or feel they can't afford HD subscriptions after the initial outlay for the television, according to a newly released survey from Frank N.
Justice Department Issues Report on Competitive Developments in Video, Voice Telephone and Broadband Services
Submitted by Benton Foundation on November 19, 2008 - 10:03pmLast updated: November 19, 2008 - 10:04pm
The Department of Justice issued a report on competitive developments in the telecommunications industry. The report is the result of a Telecommunications Symposium hosted by the Department on Nov. 29, 2007.
Addressable Ads Could Reinvigorate TV
Submitted by Benton Foundation on November 17, 2008 - 8:38amLast updated: November 17, 2008 - 8:39am
Rather than bombarding millions of TV viewers with the same ads for things many of them may not be looking to buy, marketers could in the next two to three years send different ads to different households -- making certain, for example, that Procter & Gamble wouldn't have to pay for Pampers ads watched by a couple with no wee tykes and General Motors wouldn't have to show ads for its Hummer vehicles to a house full of Prius enthusiasts.
NFL Seeks Balance in Cable Fray
Submitted by Benton Foundation on November 12, 2008 - 8:34amLast updated: November 12, 2008 - 8:34am
This week the National Football League's definition of the New England Patriots' home market will shrink, even though the team has represented New England for nearly four decades, including markets such as Springfield, Burlington, and Hartford, where the Patriots nearly moved a decade ago.
Commercial satellites alter global security
Submitted by Benton Foundation on November 7, 2008 - 8:49amLast updated: November 7, 2008 - 8:49am
The secretive National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is rushing to get the latest, high-definition satellite photos of Afghanistan into the hands of US ground troops as they ramp up operations in the country's tangled terrain.
FCC Denies Fox Affiliate Waiver for Digital Signal-Strength Test
Submitted by Benton Foundation on November 3, 2008 - 9:29pmLast updated: November 3, 2008 - 9:30pm
The Federal Communications Commission has denied a request from Flint (MI) Fox affiliate WSMH-DT Flint for another waiver of the FCC's digital signal-strength test. As of Oct. 31, satellite companies could test that strength, and deliver an out-of-market Fox affiliate to viewers in WSMH's market who do not get a sufficiently strong signal from that station.
Martin names Navin and Margie Co-Chairs of 2011 World Radiocommunication Conf Advisory Committee
Submitted by Benton Foundation on October 29, 2008 - 7:58pmLast updated: October 29, 2008 - 7:59pm
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin has appointed Thomas Navin and Paul Margie as Co-Chairs of the FCC's Advisory Committee for the 2011 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-11). This Committee will be tasked with providing advice, technical analyses, and specific recommendations on matters relating to the WRC-11.
'Take TV Off the Air,' Says NAF's Calabrese
Submitted by Benton Foundation on October 25, 2008 - 5:49pmLast updated: October 25, 2008 - 5:50pm
Michael Calabrese, director of the foundation's Wireless Future Program, said policymakers should "Take TV off the air" in a few years because smart radio technology is ready to provide wireless broadband without interference.
The Importance of Over-the-Air Television Viewers
Submitted by Benton Foundation on October 19, 2008 - 6:55pmLast updated: October 20, 2008 - 7:13pm
The advent of over-the-air digital television will also reshape the relationship between broadcasting and multichannel providers — cable and satellite operators — in ways that will not be fully understood for sometime long past the Feb.

