December 2005

DIGITAL TV TRANSITION LEGISLATION PASSES
House Passes Compromise Digital TV Plan
GOP Leaders Agree to $41.6 Billion Spending Cut
Republican Senators Push Their DTV Bill

CHILDREN & MEDIA
FCC Delays Kids Rule Kick-In
Ten Things Wrong with Television
Not All in the Family: Pols Likely to Press Indecency
Wyden Wants More From Cable
Family Tiering Gets Technical
Keeping Cable Diverse

TELECOM & INTERNET
New Telecom Bill Spurs Industry Split
At FCC, Broadband Access Is Chief Issue
Rural Living, but With Access to High-Speed Internet Service
High-Speed Internet Over Power Lines Could Serve Millions
Small Internet Retailers Are Using Web Tools to Level the Selling Field

QUICKLY -- Stations Hit For Filing Flaws; TV Station Uses Public Workers in=
=20
Promos; FTC Nominees Confirmed; Planted PR Stories Not News to Military;=20
Gannett Acquiring Second Duopoly; Adelphia Finds Cable Merger a Tangled=20
Web; Satellite Radio Is Approaching a Secure Orbit; Guidelines Set on=20
Software Property Rights

DIGITAL TV TRANSITION LEGISLATION PASSES

HOUSE PASSES COMPROMISE DIGITAL TV PLAN
[SOURCE: Reuters]
The House of Representatives on Monday approved legislation to complete the=
=20
country's transition to new, higher-quality digital television by February=
=20
17, 2009. Under a deal negotiated by Republicans in the Senate and House, a=
=20
$1.5 billion fund would be created to help some consumers buy converter=20
boxes so existing analog television signals do not go dark when the=20
transition is finished. Congress is eager for broadcasters to give up the=
=20
analog airwaves, some of which will be auctioned for commercial wireless=20
service, a sale that could bring in billions of dollars which could plug=20
the government budget deficit.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=3DtechnologyNews&sto...
D=3D2005-12-19T115847Z_01_FLE943102_RTRUKOC_0_US-CONGRESS-DIGITALTV.xml
* See House vote on S. 1932 (passed 212-206) at:
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll670.xml
See also:
GOP Leaders Agree to $41.6 Billion Spending Cut
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Jonathan Weisman and Shailagh Murray]
Rushing to get out of town for the holidays, House and Senate GOP leaders=
=20
agreed yesterday to a five-year budget plan for cutting spending for=20
Medicaid and other entitlement programs by $41.6 billion. The legislation=
=20
will also set a hard date for the end of analog TV broadcasting in the US=
=20
and provide subsidies for digital to analog converter boxes for US=20
consumers. The House moved toward early-morning votes on the bill. The=20
pre-dawn showdown would hide the House votes from public view, a maneuver=
=20
that leaders have used all year on difficult votes. Republican leaders=20
hailed the agreements as proof that they were finally getting a handle on=
=20
the federal budget after a five-year binge of new spending and tax cuts=20
that turned record budget surpluses into a stream of massive deficits. The=
=20
budget accord would cut less than one-half of 1 percent from a projected=20
$14.3 trillion in federal spending over the next five years. Depending on=
=20
the outcome of negotiations over as much as $60 billion in tax cuts, the=20
savings in spending could vanish.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/18/AR200512...
1093.html
(requires registration)
* Congressional Leaders Agree to $42 Billion in Budget Cuts
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/19/politics/19cong.html
* Leaders in Congress OK Cuts to Budget
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-na-congress19dec19,1,5...
534.story?coll=3Dla-headlines-frontpage

REPUBLICAN SENATORS PUSH THEIR DTV BILL
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Five Senate Republicans, four on the Senate Commerce Committee, have=20
written committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) to urge him to stick with=
=20
that committee's version of the DTV transition bill when he conferences=20
with the House Commerce Committee leadership on a reconciled bill. Due to=
=20
Senate rules preventing legislating on appropriations bills, the Senate=20
version is a stripped-down bill that deals only with the setting of a hard=
=20
date and the setting up of a funding mechanism to pay for digital converter=
=20
boxes for viewers with analog sets that would otherwise not work after the=
=20
transition. Sens George Allen (R-VA), Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), Kay Bailey=
=20
Hutchison (R-TX), Gordon Smith (R-OR) and Norm Coleman (R-MN) don't want=20
the bill that returns from conference to include "extraneous" DTV-related=
=20
provisions, including one that would allow cable to convert its signal from=
=20
HDTV to standard DTV or digital to analog. "Complicated policy issues such=
=20
as these merit extensive review in committee. We urge you to oppose=20
additional digital television provisions beyond the hard date," they wrote.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6292347?display=3DBreaking+Ne...
referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
* Letter to Sen Stevens and Senate Republican Leadership
http://www.nab.org/newsroom/pressrel/121605_Senate_DTV_Letter.pdf
* Diverse Group of High-Tech Leaders Urge Lawmakers To Finalize DTV=20
Legislation: Leading Trade Associations, Consumer Groups Call On Congress=
=20
To Push 'Hard Date' Across Finish Line
http://www.ntca.org/ka/ka-3.cfm?content_item_id=3D3904&folder_id=3D522
* See a comparison of the House and Senate bills at:
http://www.benton.org/index.php?q=3Dnode/860

CHILDREN & MEDIA

FCC DELAYS KIDS RULE KICK-IN
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
As expected, the FCC has extended the effective date of some of its new=20
children's TV rules so it can consider a deal announced Dec.15 between kids=
=20
TV activists and TV programmers. The rule, which deals with minimum quotas=
=20
of kids programming and limits on commercial matter, had been slated to=20
take effect Jan. 1 but will now not kick in until 60 days after the FCC=20
rules on petitions to reconsider, including the new deal. "We find that the=
=20
public interest is served by delaying the effective date of the new rules=
=20
to permit the Commission to act on the petitions for reconsideration and to=
=20
afford broadcasters and cable operators additional time to come into=20
compliance with the revised children=92s television requirements," the=20
commission wrote, "as such requirements may be modified on reconsideration.=
=20
The effective date is extended until 60 days after publication in the=20
Federal Register of the Commission=92s order on reconsideration."
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6292311.html?display=3DBreaki...
News&referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
* FCC Order
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-05-211A1.doc
* Children=92s Advocates Reach Agreement With Broadcast And Cable Industry=
=20
Over Kids=92 Digital TV Rules
http://www.childrennow.org/newsroom/press_releases/childrens_advocates_r...
h_agreement.html

TEN THINGS WRONG WITH TELEVISION
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John M. Higgins]
Linda Ellerbee asked kids what's wrong with television. What did they say?=
=20
1) Too many commercials. 2) Local TV news that is too violent.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6292300?display=3DNews&referral=
=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

NOT ALL IN THE FAMILY: POLS LIKELY TO PRESS INDECENCY
[SOURCE: MediaWeek, AUTHOR: Todd Shields]
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) predicted that=20
cable's move to offer family tiers would negate the need for indecency=20
enforcement legislation. Others say mandates are needed. =93This is not the=
=20
industry we need to have choose what is appropriate=94 for a family package=
,=20
said Lanier Swann, director of government relations for Concerned Women for=
=20
America. Parents Television Council, Swann and others are pushing =E0 la=20
carte choice: letting consumers buy only the channels they want. They have=
=20
a powerful ally in FCC Chairman Kevin Martin. He quickly said he is=20
=93pleased=94 with the family tiers proposal. But at the same time, agency=
=20
lawyers are searching telecom law for authority to require =E0 la carte.=20
Chairman Martin pointedly noted that he wants cable =93and satellite=94 to=
=20
offer parents more tools. And key lawmakers want to call broadcasters to=20
heel. =93Now that cable has stepped up to the plate, the Senate should foll=
ow=20
suit and move the House-passed=94 indecency bill that steeply hikes indecen=
cy=20
fines, said Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), chair of the House telecommunications=
=20
subcommittee.
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=3D100...
0124

WYDEN WANTS MORE FROM CABLE
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), who has been pushing a bill to mandate a family=
=20
cable tier, promised on the Senate floor Friday that he would be back,=20
pushing that bill again, if the entire cable industry does not follow the=
=20
lead of the six companies that announced such tiers this week. Read his=20
floor statement at the URL below.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6292369?display=3DBreaking+Ne...
referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
* Wyden Wonders About Tier Buy-Through
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6292362.html?display=3DBreaking+News
(requires subscription)

FAMILY TIERING GETS TECHNICAL
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Glen Dickson]
A look at the technical challenges cable operators face delivering family=
=20
tiers. Speaking at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing, National Cable &=20
Telecommunications Association President Kyle McSlarrow acknowledged that=
=20
there are =93a host of technical issues=94 involved with introducing family=
=20
tiers and companies will likely have different solutions to launching the=
=20
tiers. Bigger complications await operators with cable systems that are not=
=20
yet converted to digital. Digital channels can be easily arranged into a=20
programming block that would be accessible only to subscribers with a=20
digital set-top box. The main way to limit subscriber access to =93offensiv=
e=94=20
analog channels is through the use of addressable analog set-tops or by=20
trapping, which employs a simple signal filter located outside the=20
subscriber's home in order to block signals. Using trapping to create a=20
separate family tier might require operators to remap a number of analog=20
channels and would also necessitate service calls to install the equipment=
=20
at subscriber homes. Some analog channels might need to be duplicated in a=
=20
family-friendly digital tier, which is a waste of bandwidth. But major=20
operators that, like Comcast, have created =93digital simulcast=94 systems =
are=20
already rebroadcasting the analog basic channels in compressed digital=20
form, so this would not be an issue for them.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6292174?display=3DTechnology&...
erral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
* Tiers for Fears
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
A recap of cable's plan to offer "family tier" pricing -- and reaction from=
=20
family viewing advocates.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6292170?display=3DNews&referral=
=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

KEEPING CABLE DIVERSE
[SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle, AUTHOR: Rep Loretta Sanchez (D-CA)]
[Commentary] Imagine a world where the government decreed newspapers out of=
=20
existence and required, instead, that you buy your news stories from=20
individual reporters. Hard to contemplate such an Orwellian norm in=20
modern-day commerce? Well, perhaps not. If the chairman of the Federal=20
Communications Commission and special interests get their way, a similar=20
heavy-handed government rule, known as a la carte regulations, would apply=
=20
to the cable television industry. Under the guise of giving parents the=20
right to decide on "family-friendly" programming, that rule would require=
=20
consumers to pay a charge for every cable television channel they watch.=20
But by imposing a new pay-per channel government regulation --=20
unprecedented in the annals of government regulation of television content=
=20
-- the feds would be throwing the baby out with the bathwater, killing=20
small programmers and dousing consumers with rate-increases. The FCC should=
=20
abandon a la carte regulations and instead let the cable industry model=20
continue to give audiences the reasonably priced, diverse programming they=
=20
seek.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/chronicle/archive/2005...
/16/EDGK6G8VHQ1.DTL

INTERNET

NEW TELECOM BILL SPURS INDUSTRY SPLIT
[SOURCE: Technology Daily, AUTHOR: Drew Clark]
On Thursday, Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) introduced the Digital Age=20
Communications Act to update the nation=92s telecom laws and the bill gaine=
d=20
quick reaction. The key controversy is over the universal service fund; the=
=20
bulk of the USF subsidizes telephone service in rural areas. The Baby Bells=
=20
want to cap the size of the fund and change the rules for how money for it=
=20
is raised. Rural companies -- including more than 1,000 smaller members of=
=20
U.S. Telecom -- are wary of big changes. Sen DeMint's bill would make=20
dramatic changes to existing telecom law. The legislation would replace=20
prescriptive FCC regulatory rules with a competition-oriented,=20
quasi-antitrust agency. Rural carriers are not pleased with the DeMint=20
bill. In addition to capping the USF at $3.65 billion -- about half its=20
current $7 billion level, the bill would direct the FCC to devise a system=
=20
of performance-based block grants to states. Sen DeMint's bill is an almost=
=20
word-for-word replication of the Digital Age Communications Act, model=20
legislation drafted by the Progress and Freedom Foundation -- a free=20
market-oriented think tank. Sen DeMint's bill could force a general=20
rethinking of telecom legislation. "It is going to help shift the debate to=
=20
where it should be, a new act that is centered around whether competition=
=20
in the marketplace actually exists," said Randolph May, PFF's director of=
=20
communications policy studies.
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-XHPX1134767108404.html
* USTelecom Expresses Grave Concerns with DeMint Telecom Legislation
http://www.ustelecom.org/news_releases.php?urh=3Dhome.news.nr2005_1216
* PFF Leaders Praise DeMint Telecom Bill
http://www.pff.org/news/news/2005/121505demint.html
* Track the bill's progress at:
http://www.benton.org/index.php?q=3Dnode/939

AT FCC, BROADBAND ACCESS IS CHIEF ISSUE
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: James S. Granelli]
For FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, the key to delivering the future of=20
telecommunications is a high-speed, or broadband, network available to=20
everyone. Getting affordable broadband service to every household must be=
=20
the commission's top priority, he says. In this interview Chairman Martin=
=20
touches on 1) Indecency: "I'm anxious to see the details of [family tier]=
=20
proposals. 2) A la carte cable pricing: "I think the goal was to give=20
parents some additional tools to control that content that's coming into=20
their homes." 3) Media ownership: "[W]hat the commission is going to need=
=20
to do is go through a proceeding to change some of the rules, but do so in=
=20
a way that hopefully addresses the concerns of the 3rd Circuit a little=20
more directly. The decision actually upheld, for example, the commission's=
=20
removal of the prohibition on newspapers owning broadcast properties. It=20
said the commission was right, the landscape had changed significantly. But=
=20
it didn't think that our new rule of how much you could own was=20
appropriate. So we're going to have to find what the right balance is."
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-martin19dec19,1,42084...
story?coll=3Dla-headlines-pe-business
(requires registration)
* FCC Chief: No Action Needed Now on Net neutrality
[SOURCE: Reuters 12/14, AUTHOR: ]
There is no immediate need for the FCC to adopt rules protecting consumers=
=92=20
ability to surf anywhere on the Internet, Chairman Kevin Martin said last=
=20
week. Concerns have been raised by lawmakers and content companies about=20
Internet providers like cable or telephone companies blocking customers=20
from surfing sites in favor of preferred content or services, but Chairman=
=20
Martin said there have not been widespread complaints so far. =93I'm hesita=
nt=20
to adopt rules that would prevent anti-competitive behavior where there=20
hasn't been significant evidence of a problem,=94 he said. =93That doesn't =
mean=20
people don't have a lot of concern about potential problems, but there=92s =
a=20
significant difference between potential problems and problems that occur,=
=94=20
he said.
http://www.freepress.net/news/12912

RURAL LIVING, BUT WITH ACCESS TO HIGH-SPEED INTERNET SERVICE
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Katie Zezima]
Gov. John E. Baldacci is leading an initiative to bring wireless Internet=
=20
service to 90 percent of Maine communities that meet a population threshold=
=20
(five people per square mile) by 2010. Gov Baldacci, who announced the=20
initiative, Connect Maine, last January, is also pledging universal=20
cellphone coverage by 2008. Part of Mr. Baldacci's inspiration for the=20
project came from his own experience driving around the state and losing=20
cellphone coverage, said Kurt Adams, counsel to Gov Baldacci. Details are=
=20
still being worked out. The state has nearly completed a program mapping=20
out cellphone and broadband dead zones, and a task force of=20
telecommunications company representatives, business owners and others will=
=20
deliver recommendations to Gov Baldacci by the end of the month. While the=
=20
price of outfitting Maine with broadband service is still being determined,=
=20
it will cost roughly $55 million to build enough cell towers to cover the=
=20
state, Mr. Adams said. Phone and cable companies have not expanded=20
broadband service outside the state's large towns because they see no=20
profit from such an investment; large areas still lack cable television=20
service altogether. The same is true with cellular towers; coverage has=20
been difficult because the state's 1.2 million residents are widely=20
dispersed, and DSL, the phone companies' broadband technology, requires=20
users to be within about three miles of a central office. Rather than=20
underwrite the entire effort, the state will most likely use a combination=
=20
of measures that could include tax incentives, direct subsidies to=20
companies and grants to municipalities, those involved with state=20
technology efforts said. The state is also exploring use of the federal=20
government's Universal Service Fund to help pay for the effort.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/19/technology/19maine.html?pagewanted=3Dall
(requires registration)

HIGH-SPEED INTERNET OVER POWER LINES COULD SERVE MILLIONS
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Dionne Searcey dionne.searcey( at )wsj.com=
=20
and Rebecca Smith]
Current Communications Group LLC and TXU Electric Delivery plan to offer=20
high speed Internet access over electric power lines to over two million=20
customers in Texas by the end of 2006. Current's rollout to a wide swath of=
=20
customers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and elsewhere in Texas is a sign=20
that the technology is more than a fad. The service will be offered in=20
TXU's traditional utility territory in North Texas, which has overlap with=
=20
areas now served by Time Warner and Charter Communications as well as AT&T=
=20
and Verizon Communications, which are spending billions of dollars to=20
upgrade their networks with fiber. Under the terms of the agreement, TXU,=
=20
the biggest utility company in Texas, will sign a 10-year contract for $150=
=20
million to use Current's technology to get instantaneous alerts about=20
outages and to gather information about its electrical system. The=20
technology eventually could be used to read meters and even to remotely=20
shut off or turn on power, eliminating utility jobs. There are regulatory=
=20
hurdles since the transmission and distribution systems that form the=20
backbone are regulated assets and utilities must seek approval to use them=
=20
in this new way. Texas became the first state this year to pass a law=20
permitting utility holding companies to set up separate concerns, funded=20
with shareholder dollars, that would make the investments and reap the=20
rewards, insulating utility customers from a possible costly boondoggle.=20
But in most states, utilities would be expected to share profits or savings=
=20
with rate payers, reducing incentive for utilities to pursue a broadband=20
strategy. Top officials at the Federal Communications Commission have=20
expressed support for such power-line services because they could expand=20
the availability of high-speed Internet access to rural communities that=20
the big providers ignore because of the cost of establishing service in=20
areas with low concentrations of users. In suburban Washington, D.C.,=20
Current has set up a home to conduct demonstrations of its power-line=20
broadband. Among the 5,000 people who have visited include FCC chairman=20
Kevin Martin, former FCC chairman Michael Powell, Richard Russell,=20
technology adviser at the White House and members of Congress.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113496015165026111.html?mod=3Dtodays_us_...
ketplace
(requires subscription)

SMALL INTERNET RETAILERS ARE USING WEB TOOLS TO LEVEL PLAYING FIELD
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Bob Tedeschi]
Of the $26 billion in sales that are projected for Internet retailers this=
=20
holiday season, about 45 percent will go to small retailers, according to=
=20
Forrester Research, up from 42 percent last year. Even so, with revenues=20
starting to flatten at eBay, the site so many of them use to market their=
=20
wares, some analysts doubt they will ever be able to break through the 50=
=20
percent mark.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/19/technology/19ecom.html?pagewanted=3Dall
(requires registration)

QUICKLY

STATIONS HIT FOR FILING FLAWS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The FCC has proposed to fine another handful of stations for failure to=20
keep their public files up to date. The FCC has begun cracking down on=20
paperwork requirements, particularly failures to record compliance with the=
=20
children's television rules, but such record-keeping errors have so far not=
=20
been sufficiently egregious, when taken with other measures of=20
public-service performance, to threaten any license renewals. FCC=20
Commissioner Michael Copps, for one, has complained that the FCC is too=20
easy on licensees, essentially letting them send a postcard and get eight=
=20
new years.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6292076?display=3DBreaking+Ne...
referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

TV STATION USES PUBLIC WORKERS IN PROMOS
[SOURCE: Durham News & Observer, AUTHOR: Anne Blythe]
A Durham (NC) TV station is planning to promote its news team's ability to=
=20
cover live news by faking it. WTVD ABC-11 has been staging fire, foul=20
weather and other news events across the city, shooting advertisements for=
=20
its news operation that not only put its Eyewitness News team at contrived=
=20
scenes but also have taxpayers footing the bill for on-duty firefighters=20
and other emergency workers to give the ads a realistic flair.
http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/378594.html

FTC NOMINEES CONFIRMED
On Saturday, the full Senate approved the nominations of two Federal Trade=
=20
Commissioners: William Kovacic for a term of seven years from September 26,=
=20
2004 and J. Thomas Rosch to be a Commissioner for the term of seven years=
=20
from September 26, 2005.
[SOURCE: US Senate]
http://commerce.senate.gov/newsroom/printable.cfm?id=3D249915

PLANTED PR STORIES NOT NEWS TO MILITARY
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Mark Mazzetti and Kevin Sack]
In contrast to assertions by military officials in Baghdad and Washington,=
=20
interviews and Lincoln Group documents show that the information campaign=
=20
waged over the last year was designed to cloak any connection to the U.S.=
=20
military. military officials in Iraq were fully aware that a Pentagon=20
contractor regularly paid Iraqi newspapers to publish positive stories=20
about the war, and made it clear that none of the stories should be traced=
=20
to the United States, according to several current and former employees of=
=20
Lincoln Group, the Washington-based contractor.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-na-infowar18dec18,1,68...
51.story?coll=3Dla-headlines-frontpage
(requires registration)
* Tomlinson Pans Paying for Pro-Military Stories
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Former CPB Chairman Ken Tomlinson is outraged -- outraged! -- to learn that=
=20
the US military is trying to manipulate the media. That's his job, after al=
l.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6292078?display=3DBreaking+Ne...
referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

GANNETT ACQUIRING SECOND DUOPOLY
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Allison Romano]
Gannett Co. cut a deal Thursday to acquire the UPN affiliate in Denver and=
=20
form a duopoly with its highly rated NBC affiliate KUSA. It also owns WJXX=
=20
Jacksonville, Fla., an ABC affiliate, and WTLV Jacksonville, an NBC outlet.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6292014?display=3DBreaking+Ne...
referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

ADELPHIA FINDS CABLE MERGER A TANGLED WEB
[SOURCE: Scripps Howard News Service 12/16, AUTHOR: Joyzelle Davis]
World media domination through video distribution chokepoints? Oy, what a=
=20
headache! And the papervork. A look at Adelphia's challenges making sure=20
the deal to sell assets to Comcast and Time Warner meets with Federal Trade=
=20
Commission, Federal Communications Commission, bankruptcy court and local=
=20
franchise approval. A person could get complicated.
http://www.shns.com/shns/g_index2.cfm?action=3Ddetail&pk=3DADELPHIA-12-1...

SATELLITE RADIO IS APPROACHING A SECURE ORBIT
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Eric Taub]
The mainstreaming of satellite radio, XM and Sirius hope, is just around=20
the corner. A new generation of portable satellite radio receivers - many=
=20
being heavily marketed this holiday season - has helped to raise consumer=
=20
interest. The smaller devices make it possible for subscribers to listen in=
=20
the house and even while walking down the street. Later in 2006, new=20
devices are to enable XM to be played through a wide variety of home=20
entertainment systems. For now, satellite radio's most important market=20
remains the automobile. Typically, customers ordering a new car with a=20
satellite radio receiver also get several months of free service. XM, which=
=20
holds the advantage in the auto market, has exclusive distribution=20
agreements with GM, Honda and Hyundai. Toyota is to offer factory-installed=
=20
XM radios beginning next year. And by 2007, XM is to be the exclusive=20
provider to Nissan. Sirius has exclusive agreements with BMW,=20
DaimlerChrysler, Ford and some Ford-owned manufacturers, as well as Mazda=
=20
and Mitsubishi. Some automakers offer both satellite services as options.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/19/business/media/19satellite.html
(requires registration)

GUIDELINES SET ON SOFTWARE PROPERTY RIGHTS
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Steve Lohr]
To remove obstacles to joint research, four leading technology companies=20
and seven American universities have agreed on principles for making=20
software developed in collaborative projects freely available. An=20
announcement is expected today.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/19/technology/19research.html?pagewanted=...
ll
(requires registration)
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Communications-related Headlines is a free online news summary service=20
provided by the Benton Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted Monday through=
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Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments,=
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policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are=20
factually accurate, their often informal tone does not always represent the=
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tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang=20
headlines( at )benton.org -- we welcome your comments.
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