November 2007

A busy telecom policy week is a-coming, see=20
http://www.benton.org/event/2007/12/07/week/all/all/1

AT THE FCC
A kick in the eye from the FCC
30% Cable-Ownership Cap May Make FCC=92s Dec. 18 Meeting Agenda
Martin Proposes Inquiry Into Product Placement Policies
FCC OKs Troubled Clear Channel TV Deal
FCC Grants Must-Carry to WRNN-DT

SPECTRUM
Why Google isn't playing to win the wireless auction

INTERNET/BROADBAND
EFF Releases Reports and Software to Spot Interference with Internet Traff=
ic
As ISPs choke file-sharing, users look elsewhere
Net neutrality may not resolve BitTorrent v. Comcast
The Internet economy: Towards a better future
Schwarzenegger backs digital moves

CONTENT
Ad targeting improves as Web sites amass more data on consumer habits
Facebook Retreats on Online Tracking
Facebook Seeks Removal Of Documents From Web
Appeals Court Voids Agreement to Pay Freelancers for Work Published on the=
Web
News Web sites seek more search control
New York TV Station Takes Chance on Liquor Ads

ELECTIONS AND MEDIA
Edwards, Obama on Political Reform, Communications Policy

QUICKLY -- APTS to Bring DTV-Education Campaign=20
to Libraries; Sprint Is Said to Reject Offer by Investors and SK Telecom

AT THE FCC

A KICK IN THE EYE FROM THE FCC
[SOURCE: Seattle Times, AUTHOR: Editorial staff]
[Commentary] A kick in the eye. That is what a=20
proposed change to media-ownership rules feels=20
like. Contrary to statements from Federal=20
Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin=20
that couch the proposal as a compromise, it is=20
bad policy that helps only media conglomerates.=20
The only compromise will be from corporations=20
figuring out how to add more news outlets in an=20
attempt to meet the bottom-line journalism=20
demanded by Wall Street. Media reformers,=20
consumer groups and parts of the press oppose the=20
plan because it allows for cross-ownership of a=20
newspaper and broadcast station in the nation's=20
20 largest media markets. The plan is made more=20
dangerous because the commission could grant=20
waivers outside the proposed criteria. The=20
public's interest was obviously not considered.=20
Had it been, Martin would have taken time to=20
digest the six media-ownership hearings, which=20
wrapped up in Seattle =97 four days before Martin=20
announced his plan with an op-ed in The New York=20
Times. That leaves the politicians. Martin seems=20
to be trying to position his plan as a compromise=20
for Congress. Expect Martin to favorably compare=20
his rule changes to what the FCC passed in 2003,=20
which were swatted aside by a federal appellate court.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2004043234_compe...
.html?syndication=3Drss

30% CABLE-OWNERSHIP CAP MAY MAKE FCC'S DEC 18 MEETING AGENDA
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin=20
Martin circulated a list of items on the agenda=20
for the agency=92s Dec. 18 public meeting that=20
includes a vote to cap the size of cable=20
companies. This doesn't mean that it will=20
necessarily make the official agenda, however,=20
which won't be released until one week before the=20
meeting. The possible agenda items were drawn=20
from among the 100-plus items that have been on=20
circulation to the other commissioners for a vote=20
for more than six months. In fact, the 30% cap=20
proposal dates back from at least March, when an=20
FCC aide identified it as one of dozens of items=20
sent to the commissioners by the chairman.=20
Comcast, the nation's largest cable operator,=20
currently reaches about 27% of all multichannel=20
video subscribers, but that will likely go down a=20
half million or so subs after it unwinds a=20
partnership with Insight Communications.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6506392.html
* Comcast Unhappy With Martin=92s Cable Cap
=93Against the backdrop of these decisions that=20
have strengthened the hands of our Bell=20
competitors, it is unthinkable that the=20
government would constrain the ability of cable=20
companies like Comcast to compete with these=20
colossal companies that have virtually unlimited=20
financial resources,=94 Comcast executive vice=20
president David Cohen said. =93AT&T alone has a=20
market capitalization of $231 billion -- larger=20
than the entire cable industry combined.=94
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6506418.html?rssid=3D196
* Comcast Protests FCC=92s Effort to Reimpose Coverage Cap
http://www.tvweek.com/news/2007/11/comcast_protests_fccs_effort_t.php
* Round 2 set in FCC versus cable fight (Associated Press)
http://www.newsobserver.com/1573/story/801809.html
* FCC Plan Could Limit Expansion of Comcast
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119639689311409261.html?mod=3Dtodays_us_...
e_one

MARTIN PROPOSES INQUIRY INTO PRODUCT PLACEMENT POLICIES
[SOURCE: TVWeek, AUTHOR: Ira Teinowitz]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin=20
J. Martin is proposing his agency vote in=20
December to open a formal inquiry into the=20
adequacy of product placement disclosures. Also=20
on the docket is whether changes in FCC rules are=20
needed in light of growing integration of product=20
branding messages into programming. A vote on the=20
inquiry is part of the tentative agenda for the=20
full meeting of FCC commissioners Dec. 18. That=20
meeting already is slated to consider a change in=20
media-ownership rules that could let newspapers=20
and broadcasters buy each other, at least in the=20
top 20 markets, and rule changes that could allow=20
TV stations to lease one of their multicast=20
signals to minority broadcasters. Ad groups said=20
Thursday that no changes are warranted to=20
existing FCC rules. =93There is quite a bit of=20
misinformation and misunderstanding surrounding=20
the very term =91product placement,=92=94 said Adonis=20
Hoffman, general counsel of the American=20
Association of Advertising Agencies. =93Today, the=20
opportunities for advertisers to advance brands=20
in multiple media platforms and formats are not=20
limited to what we all grew up with. But just=20
because there are new forms does not mean there=20
is something inherently sinister going on. It=20
goes against logic for any advertiser to hide its=20
message, no matter where or how it appears. The=20
fact that a product appears embedded in=20
noncommercial content should not be cause for=20
alarm, provided there is ample opportunity during=20
the credits for acknowledgement.=94
http://www.tvweek.com/news/2007/11/martin_proposes_inquiry_into_p.php
(requires free registration)
* FCC May Examine Product-Placement Rules
http://adage.com/madisonandvine/article?article_id=3D122304

FCC OKs TROUBLED CLEAR CHANNEL TV DEAL
[SOURCE: tvnewsday, AUTHOR: Harry A. Jessell]
The FCC late Thursday conditionally approved the=20
sale of Clear Channel Communications=92 TV station=20
group to Providence Equity Partners. But Clear=20
Channel confirmed three weeks ago that=20
Providence's interest in completing the $1.2=20
billion deal has been waning and that it may pull=20
out, despite a $45 million breakup penalty.=20
Providence has interests in two other TV station=20
groups, Univision and Freedom Communications. The=20
FCC conditioned its grant of the deal on=20
Providence/Newport coming into compliance with=20
duopoly restrictions in eight markets within six=20
months of the closing of the deal. The deal=20
involves 35 full-power TV stations and associated=20
low-power and Class A stations and translators.=20
Seven of the eight problem markets involve=20
combinations of Univision and Clear Channel=20
stations. The FCC said that Newport could either=20
spin off its stations in the markets or=20
Providence could divest its interest in=20
Univision. The eighth market is Jacksonville,=20
Fla., where Clear Channel has two stations, WTEV=20
and WAWS. FCC rules prohibit common ownership of=20
two of the four top-rated stations in markets the size the Jacksonville.
http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2007/11/29/daily.11/
* FCC Order
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-07-201A1.doc
* Commissioner Copps: "No one should be under any=20
illusion that Clear Channel's sale of its 35=20
full-power television stations strikes a blow for=20
de-consolidation. After this transaction closes=20
and all divestitures have occurred, Providence=20
Equity Partners will have attributable interests=20
in a whopping 86 television stations and 99 radio=20
stations in the United States, as well as=20
interests in media companies around the world=20
such as MGM studios (largest shareholder), Yes=20
Network, Hallmark Channel, and Warner Music=20
Group. You will search this Order in vain,=20
however, for any mention of the scope of=20
Providence's holdings or how they potentially=20
affect our public interest analysis."
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-07-201A2.doc

FCC GRANTS MUST-CARRY TO WRNN-DT
[SOURCE: TVB Television Broadcast, AUTHOR: Deborah D. McAdams]
WRNN-DT has won a petition with the FCC that will=20
extend the must-carry coverage of its digital=20
signal in the New York market. The commission=20
today denied an appeal from Cablevision, the=20
affected cable carrier, to review WRNN=92s=20
application to modify its markets to include=20
Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island. WRNN=20
is an indie station based in Rye Brook (NY)=20
branded =93Regional News Network,=94 but the=20
programming schedule also includes a raft of=20
infomercials. The must-carry order was granted in=20
part because Verizon picked up the station in the=20
same area 15 months ago and created what was=20
termed =93historical carriage.=94 FCC Commissioners=20
Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein dissented on=20
the must-carry order, saying the claim of=20
historical carriage was inadequate, and that the=20
station didn't carry as much local Long Island programming as it claimed.
http://televisionbroadcast.com/articles/article_1929.shtml
* FCC Order
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-07-151A1.doc
* Commissioners Copps and Adelstein
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-07-151A2.doc

SPECTRUM

WHY GOOGLE ISN'T PLAYING TO WIN WIRELESS AUCTION
[SOURCE: Techland, AUTHOR: Yi-Wyn Yen]
[Commentary] Google may play the part of a=20
serious bidder, but the company isn't necessarily=20
looking to become the next national wireless=20
provider, according to analysts and telecom=20
experts. The U.S. consumer mobile market is=20
already saturated, they say, and Google=92s=20
inexperience combined with the complexity of=20
building and managing a new wireless network=20
makes winning the Federal Communications=20
Commission=92s Jan. 24 700 MHz auction too costly a=20
proposition. The consensus on the Street is that=20
Google is unlikely to bid to win. So why would=20
Google even go through the motions of bidding?=20
Here=92s why: In July, Google persuaded the FCC to=20
require the winner of the 700 MHz C-block auction=20
to open its airwaves to any device and=20
application. If no company notifies the FCC of an=20
intent to bid by the Dec. 3 deadline, the auction=20
will be reset without Google=92s rules and the=20
eventual winner of the highly-coveted spectrum=20
could run a closed network. And the search giant=20
does want to change the rules of the game in the=20
wireless market. Google would like to see mobile=20
Internet rival web access on PCs and laptops. The=20
more consumers move their PC-based search habits=20
onto cell phones, the bigger the opportunity the=20
company has to benefit from mobile advertising.=20
And thus Google=92s move to create the Open Handset=20
Alliance and the Android mobile platform for=20
software services. Certainly, it won't need to=20
build out tens of thousands of cell towers across=20
the nation to make that happen.
http://techland.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2007/11/29/why-google-isnt-playing...
-win-the-wireless-auction/?section=3Dmoney_technology
* Google ready to bid on mobile airwaves: report
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN2925934120071130
-- See Also --
Verizon Wireless' Neutrality 'Offer' is Neutered
VERIZON WIRELESS' NEUTRALITY 'OFFER' IS NEUTERED
[SOURCE: Network Computing, AUTHOR: Frank Bulk]
[Commentary] Verizon Wireless wants to curry=20
consumer favor, and what it's offering with its=20
'Any Apps, Any Device' is really no gift at all.=20
It's not offering anything that it isn't doing=20
today or that's accessible to consumers.
http://www.networkcomputing.com/article/printFullArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=
=3D5GKPHH5WNIYDMQSNDLRSKHSCJUNN2JVN?articleID=3D204300952=20

INTERNET/BROADBAND

EFF RELEASES REPORTS AND SOFTWARE TO SPOT INTERFERENCE WITH INTERNET TRAFFIC
[SOURCE: Electronic Frontier Foundation]
In the wake of the detection and reporting of=20
Comcast Corporation's controversial interference=20
with Internet traffic, the Electronic Frontier=20
Foundation (EFF) has published a comprehensive=20
account of Comcast's packet-forging activities=20
and has released software and documentation=20
instructing Internet users on how to test for=20
packet forgery or other forms of interference by=20
their own ISPs. Protocol-specific discrimination=20
gives ISPs a tremendous amount of power over the=20
kinds of new applications and services that can=20
be deployed by innovators and competitors. To the=20
extent that practices like those employed by=20
Comcast change the "end-to-end" architecture of=20
the Internet, those practices jeopardize the=20
Internet's vibrant innovation economy.
http://www.eff.org/press/archives/2007/11/28

AS ISPs CHOKE FILE-SHARING, USERS LOOK ELSEWHERE
[SOURCE: InfoWorld, AUTHOR: Jeremy Kirk]
As ISPs constrict file-sharing services such as=20
BitTorrent, new data shows that users are moving=20
to file-hosting Web sites to avoid slow=20
downloads. The services let users upload a file=20
and then share a link, called a direct download=20
link, in e-mails and Web forums for others to=20
download the content. Most sites offer a free=20
service with limits and subscriptions that allow=20
more frequent downloads. The reason users are=20
turning to file-hosting services is that many=20
ISPs are restricting how fast people can download=20
files through P-to-P services like eMule and=20
BitTorrent. Although estimates vary by region,=20
P-to-P traffic comprises between 50 percent and=20
90 percent of all Internet traffic, iPoque said.=20
The glut of movies, music, and other content=20
jamming the networks causes performance problems=20
for other applications that need a certain amount=20
of bandwidth in order to function properly, such=20
as Skype's VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) application.
http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/11/29/ISPs-choke-file-sharing_1.html

NET NEUTRALITY MAY NOT RESOLVE BITTORRENT V COMCAST
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Anne Broache]
Comcast's recent efforts to throttle file=20
transfers using the BitTorrent protocol have led,=20
perhaps predictably, to a renewed call for=20
Congress to enact stiff Net neutrality laws. But=20
even some supporters of new laws--meaning=20
enacting antidiscrimination regulations aimed at=20
broadband providers--are now reluctantly=20
conceding that the proposals that have been=20
circulating in Congress for more than a year may=20
not do much to stop Comcast. (The company has=20
been sabotaging some peer-to-peer file transfers,=20
which dramatically slows them down, although the=20
file tends to be delivered eventually.) Carole=20
Handler, a partner at the law firm Foley &=20
Lardner in Los Angeles who has written about Net=20
neutrality and is now in favor of such=20
regulations, says "the language is such that=20
there is definitely some wiggle room in both=20
bills." Handler was referring to bills that have=20
been considered, but not approved, by both the=20
Senate and the House of Representatives. Harold=20
Feld, senior vice president for the Media Access=20
Project, which lobbies for Net neutrality laws,=20
is also skeptical about whether Rep. Ed Markey's=20
legislation would do much. If Comcast announced,=20
"'We are absolutely going to prohibit=20
peer-to-peer on our network or even manage our=20
network so when we reach some unspecified=20
capacity restraint, we're going to start messing=20
with everybody's BitTorrent uploads, but it'll be=20
totally random...' that is arguably permissible=20
under the Markey bill," Feld said.
http://www.news.com/Net-neutrality-may-not-resolve-BitTorrent-v.-Comcast...
00-1028_3-6220802.html?tag=3Dnefd.lede

THE INTERNET ECONOMY: TOWARDS A BETTER FUTURE
[SOURCE: OECD Observer, AUTHOR: Susanne Huttner]
Can you remember life before the Internet? Though=20
quite a new technology, already a world without=20
the web has become as unthinkable for many of us=20
as a world without telephones. But what of the=20
future? Can the benefits of this extraordinary=20
technology be multiplied, and how can the=20
thornier challenges be met? The Future of the=20
Internet Economy will be the subject of the first=20
OECD ministerial meeting ever to be hosted in=20
Asia. Taking place 17-18 June 2008 in Seoul,=20
Korea, it will examine the implications of the=20
rapid growth in the use of the Internet for our=20
economies and societies and the policies needed for continued growth.
http://www.oecdobserver.org/news/fullstory.php/aid/2330/The_Internet_eco...
y:_Towards_a_better_future_.html

SCHWARZENEGGER BACKS DIGITAL MOVES
[SOURCE: Variety, AUTHOR: Marc Graser]
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) said=20
the state needs more digital infrastructure.=20
Rollout of broadband throughout California will=20
help create 1.8 million jobs and $132 billion in=20
payroll over the next decade, Gov Schwarzenegger=20
said Tuesday before a panel discussion sponsored=20
by the USC Annenberg School for Communication's=20
Center for the Digital Future. The governor will=20
present his digital plans next month in a report=20
compiled by a broadband task force. Gov=20
Schwarzenegger's goal to have the state's=20
residents connect to the Internet via high-speed=20
lines were part of an overall view of=20
California's need to spend more on infrastructure=20
-- from improving roads to water distribution.
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117976590.html?categoryid=3D1009&cs=3D1

CONTENT

AD TARGETING IMPROVES AS WEB SITES AMASS MORE DATA ON CONSUMER HABITS
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Anick Jesdanun]
Behavioral targeting, commonly accomplished by=20
depositing tiny data files on personal computers=20
to keep track of surfing patterns, is opening up=20
a privacy debate. From the perspective of Web=20
sites and advertisers, though, behavioral=20
targeting can bring to the rest of the Internet=20
some of the relevancy Google Inc. and others=20
successfully mined for billions of dollars with=20
text-based search ads. Although behavioral=20
targeting isn't right for all advertisers, it has=20
become increasingly important as companies try to=20
break through the clutter. The research company=20
eMarketer projects that spending on behavioral=20
targeting will nearly double to $1 billion next=20
year and hit $3.8 billion by 2011. Targeting has=20
been around as long as there has been=20
advertising. Automakers promote themselves in car=20
magazines. Political campaigns send mail to=20
likely voters. As advertising moved to the=20
Internet, ads for diapers clung to parenting=20
sites. With search came contextual targeting =97=20
the ability to target messages even more=20
precisely based on search terms or keywords=20
appearing in articles. Behavioral targeting=20
brings capabilities to sites without good or=20
reliable keywords =97 for example, a=20
social-networking profile that touches on dozens=20
of hobbies and interests at once. The concept has=20
been around for years, but enough Web sites are=20
now participating that advertisers can still=20
reach a sizable group even if they target narrowly.
http://www.apexchange.com/pages/oneup_rss.aspx?id=3D0da04fc91eaa49c5a843...
0487c4e14%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20&links=3DTECHNOLOGI,USABL,M11D29Y200=
7&uh=3DYDNHSjC1oSO8BXjXEUBrmeswiv%2fL4AtVjFK96kr77zeNFmX0i0gjeX%2fe2bsaT7Ki=
&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=3D1

FACEBOOK RETREATS ON ONLINE TRACKING
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Louise Story and Brad Stone]
Faced with its second mass protest by members in=20
its short life span, Facebook, the social=20
networking Web site, is reining in some aspects=20
of a controversial new advertising program.=20
Within the last 10 days, more than 50,000=20
Facebook members have signed a petition objecting=20
to the new program, which sends messages to=20
users=92 friends about what they are buying on Web=20
sites. The members want to be able to opt out of=20
the program completely with one click, but=20
Facebook won't let them. Late yesterday the=20
company made an important change, saying that it=20
would not send messages about users=92 Internet=20
activities without getting explicit approval each=20
time. MoveOn.org Civic Action, the political=20
group that set up the online petition, said the move was a positive one.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/30/technology/30face.html?ref=3Dtodayspaper
(requires registration)
* Feeling Betrayed, Facebook Users Force Site to Honor Their Privacy
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/29/AR200711...
2503.html
(requires registration)
* Facebook adds safeguards on purchase data
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-facebook30nov30,1,374...
5.story?coll=3Dla-headlines-pe-business
* Facebook alters notifications after privacy furor
http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSN2925736120071130

FACEBOOK SEEKS REMOVAL OF DOCUMENTS FROM WEB
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Vauhini Vara vauhini.vara( at )wsj.com]
Facebook Inc. filed two legal motions aiming to=20
force an independent magazine to take down from=20
its Web site documents related to a suit over the=20
social-networking site's origins. Early=20
yesterday, Facebook's lawyers notified 02138, an=20
independent magazine geared at Harvard alumni, of=20
two separate emergency motions seeking the=20
removal of the documents from its online edition.=20
The lawsuit -- ConnectU Inc. v. Facebook Inc. --=20
was filed in September of 2004 by three Harvard=20
graduates who hired Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's=20
founder and chief executive, while he was a=20
student to help develop a social-networking site.=20
The plaintiffs allege Mr. Zuckerberg later stole=20
their idea to build his own site, Facebook. This=20
week, 02138 published an article detailing the=20
legal dispute, along with several court=20
documents, including Mr. Zuckerberg's college=20
application and excerpts from his personal online=20
journal. Facebook contends the documents were sealed by the court.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119637963043708691.html?mod=3Dtodays_us_...
ketplace
(requires subscription)

APPEALS COURT VOIDS AGREEMENT TO PAY FREELANCERS FOR WORK PUBLISHED ON THE =
WEB
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Richard Perez-Pena]
A federal appeals court yesterday threw out a=20
hard-fought agreement between publishers and=20
freelance writers to pay the writers for=20
electronic reproduction of their work. In a=20
2-to-1 decision, an appellate panel ruled that=20
the courts had no jurisdiction over the copyright=20
dispute and that a lower court erred in accepting=20
the writers=92 lawsuit and approving the=20
settlement. People on both sides of the dispute=20
said it was unclear what would happen next =97=20
whether the decision would be appealed, a new=20
suit filed, or a new agreement negotiated.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/30/business/media/30copyright.html?ref=3D...
ayspaper
(requires registration)

NEWS WEB SITES SEEK MORE SEARCH CONTROL
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Anick Jesdanun]
Leading news organizations and other publishers=20
have proposed changing the rules that tell search=20
engines what they can and can't collect when=20
scouring the Web, saying the revisions would give=20
site owners greater control over their content.=20
Top search companies now voluntarily respect a=20
Web site's wishes as stated in a document known=20
as "robots.txt," which a search engine's indexing=20
software, called a crawler, knows to look for on=20
a site. Under the existing 13-year-old=20
technology, a site can block indexing of=20
individual Web pages, specific directories or the=20
entire site. Some search engines have added their=20
own commands to the rules, but they're not=20
universally observed. The Automated Content=20
Access Protocol proposal, unveiled Thursday by a=20
consortium of publishers at the global=20
headquarters of The Associated Press, seeks to=20
have those extra commands - and more - apply=20
across the board. With the ACAP commands, sites=20
could try to limit how long search engines retain=20
copies in their indexes, for instance, or tell=20
the crawler not to follow any of the links that appear within a Web page.
http://www.newsobserver.com/1595/story/799961.html

NEW YORK TV STATION TAKES CHANCE ON LIQUOR ADS
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Stuart Elliott]
Almost six years after NBC ended an experiment to=20
bring the first liquor commercials onto national=20
broadcast network television, the flagship=20
station it owns, WNBC-TV in New York, has started=20
running such spots. The decision is a small but=20
significant sign of changing attitudes toward=20
advertising of products that many consider=20
contentious. From 1948 until 1996, no TV station=20
or network accepted liquor ads although distilled=20
spirits were advertised in newspapers, magazines=20
and billboards. Today, hundreds of television=20
stations and networks carry commercials for=20
distilled spirits. But the four biggest broadcast=20
networks, including NBC, do not. They remain=20
skittish about critics who contend that opening=20
television =97 still the most powerful advertising=20
medium =97 to the marketers of distilled spirits=20
will more readily expose those pitches to children and teenagers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/30/business/media/30adco.html?ref=3Dtoday...
per
(requires registration)

ELECTIONS AND MEDIA

EDWARDS, OBAMA ON POLITICAL REFORM, COMMUNICATIONS POLICY
[SOURCE: Midwest Democracy Network]
The Midwest Democracy Network (MDN) =AD a=20
nonpartisan alliance of 20 civic and public=20
interest groups from Illinois, Michigan,=20
Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin =AD released former=20
U.S. Senator John Edwards=92 and U.S. Senator=20
Barack Obama=92s full and unedited responses to a=20
detailed questionnaire on federal political and=20
government reform issues. The questionnaire, sent=20
to all the Republican and Democratic presidential=20
candidates on September 11, covers campaign=20
finance, government ethics, communications=20
policy, election laws, voting rights, and=20
congressional redistricting. The MDN=20
questionnaire represents the most ambitious=20
effort this year by the nation=92s civic community=20
to provide the presidential candidates with a=20
forum for discussing political reform. Both=20
Edwards and Obama expressed support for=20
regulatory and legislative efforts to clarify the=20
public interest obligations of broadcasters,=20
including adoption of new license processing=20
guidelines that would encourage digital=20
broadcasters to (1) air a certain minimum number=20
of hours of qualifying civic and/or=20
election-related programming each week and (2)=20
file periodic reports with the Federal=20
Communications Commission detailing how stations=20
are meeting this and related guidelines
http://www.midwestdemocracynetwork.org/
* Press release
http://www.midwestdemocracynetwork.org/MDNNationalrelease.php

QUICKLY

APTS TO BRING DTV-EDUCATION CAMPAIGN TO LIBRARIES
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Association of Public Television Stations=20
will and the American Library Association are=20
joining forces to launch a grassroots outreach=20
effort to educate consumers about the=20
rapidly-approaching digital television=20
transition. The campaign will likely include=20
joint programming and events at libraries. One=20
such event might be a show-and-tell demonstration=20
of the DTV converter boxes that analog-only TVs=20
will need to receive broadcast-TV pictures after February 2009.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6506254.html?rssid=3D193
* APTS press release
http://www.apts.org/archive/pressreleases/APTS-and-ALA-Grassroots-DTV-in...
ative.cfm

SPRINT IS SAID TO REJECT OFFER BY INVESTORS AND SK TELECOM
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Laura Holson and Andrew Ross Sorkin]
Sprint Nextel has rejected an offer from=20
Providence Equity Partners and SK Telecom of=20
South Korea to replace management and invest $5=20
billion in the company. Providence and SK=20
Telecom, along with Timothy M. Donahue, the=20
company=92s former executive chairman, sent a=20
three-page letter to James H. Hance Jr.,=20
nonexecutive chairman of Sprint=92s board, asking=20
to meet to discuss an offer that would install=20
Mr. Donahue as the new chief executive. In the=20
letter on Nov. 10, the two companies wrote that=20
they would address the "key operating challenges=20
facing=94 Sprint and significantly cut costs by=20
jointly purchasing handsets and examining network=20
infrastructure. The board declined to meet with them.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/30/business/30sprint.html?ref=3Dtodayspaper
(requires registration)
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...and we are outta here. Have a great weekend.
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Communications-related Headlines is a free online=20
news summary service provided by the Benton=20
Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted Monday=20
through Friday, this service provides updates on=20
important industry developments, policy issues,=20
and other related news events. While the=20
summaries are factually accurate, their often=20
informal tone does not always represent the tone=20
of the original articles. Headlines are compiled=20
by Kevin Taglang headlines( at )benton.org -- we welcome your comments.
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