BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for WEDNESDAY JUNE 25, 2008
Headlines is going on a break. We will return MONDAY JULY 7. have a great, safe holiday.
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
Those DEMs and the FISA Update
Election-year spying deal is flawed, overly broad
Surveillance law won't do enough to protect privacy
INTERNET/BROADBAND
Universal Service, Broadband and the Death Star
Coalition seeks federal nudge for broadband
Study Calls for 1G Broadband in US
Baller: McCain and Obama Should Issue Joint Statement on Broadband
CWA Claims Credit for FCC Data Order, But Ignores Local Company Data
National Tech Policy: Which Way Forward?
ICANN: Meddling with DNS poses security problem
ELECTIONS & MEDIA
McCain and the Internets
McCain's Campaign Funding Hypocrisy: Why Are the Media Looking the Other Way?
Ten Things Obama Can Do With All That Money
ADVERTISING
Markey: Wait on Online-Ad-Service Technology
Crafting TV Ads for the Digital Age
One Man, One Long List, No More Web Ads
MEDIA OWNERSHIP
NAB Seeks Removal of Cross-Ownership Provision
Sinclair to Buy Raycom Station for $85M
Bloggers: Big Media Is Watching
BROADCASTING
Digital TV Switch Needs Bill Cosby
Study: 91% of Hispanics Aware of DTV Transition
Study: TV Not Hurt by Increased Online Time
QUICKLY -- House Approves 911 VoIP Bill; More states say phones and driving don't mix; Public Invited to Review FCC Strategic Plan
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
THOSE DEMS AND THE FISA UPDATE
[SOURCE: Benton Foundation, AUTHOR: Kevin Taglang]
On Friday, the House passed "the most significant revision of surveillance law in 30 years," and the Senate is expected to soon follow suit. House leaders insisted the bill was a "compromise" with conservatives, but as the New York Times noted, it was actually "a major victory for the White House after months of dispute." While progressives succeeded in forcing the White House to accept some important concessions, the deal fails to give the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court the authority to protect law-abiding Americans from being spied on by their government. It also essentially shields telecoms from civil lawsuits and almost certainly ensures that the approximately 40 lawsuits that have been filed against telecoms for complying with the administration's illegal spying will be dismissed. Although both were absent from Washington and did not participate in the negotiations, Sens Barack Obama (D-IL) and John McCain (R-AZ) on Friday offered qualified approval of the compromise. Dennis McDonough, a foreign policy adviser to the Obama campaign, said that the legislation is acceptable to Sen Obama because the United States Inspector General will ensure accountability. On March 14 of this year the House passed an amendment that rejected retroactive immunity for phone carriers and ninety-four House Democrats voted in favor of this measure -- rejecting immunity -- then changed to vote in favor of the June 20 House bill -- approving immunity. MAPLight.org's research department compiled PAC campaign contributions from Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint and correlated them with the voting records of all House members who voted on last weeks FISA bill. Here are the findings: 1) $8,359 to each Democrat who changed their position to support immunity for Telcos (94 Dems), 2) $4,987 to each Democrat who remained opposed to immunity for Telcos (116 Dems), 3) 88 percent of the Dems who changed to supporting immunity (83 Dems of the 94) received PAC contributions from Verizon, AT&T, or Sprint during the last three years. "Campaign contributions bias our legislative system, said Newman. On Tuesday, Sens Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Russ Feingold (D-WI) announced the will "oppose efforts to end debate on this bill as long as it provides retroactive immunity for the telecommunications companies that may have participated in the President's warrantless wiretapping program, and as long as it fails to protect the privacy of law-abiding Americans."
http://benton.org/node/14924
ELECTION-YEAR SPYING DEAL IS FLAWED, OVERLY BROAD
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Editorial staff]
[Commentary] The skids are greased. President Bush and the candidates who want his job, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain, are all on board. As early as today, the Senate will begin voting on new rules governing how spy agencies intercept phone calls and e-mails between suspected terrorists overseas and people in the USA. The compromise is meant to quell the storm that erupted after Bush's warrantless wiretapping program was revealed in 2005. So does the bipartisan support mean it's a good deal? Not really. Among this latest measure's defects: 1) In loosening surveillance rules for overseas targets (intelligence officials wouldn't even need to show that they're suspected of terrorism), the program relies on the government's good intentions to preserve the rights of innocent Americans who get swept into government data banks as a byproduct. History suggests that relying on government discretion is a very bad bet. 2) It seeks to block future presidential lawbreaking by stating that this legislation is the only legal framework for such surveillance. But the original 1978 law said the same thing, which didn't stop Bush from ignoring it after Sept. 11, 2001. 3) It effectively would grant retroactive immunity to phone companies that cooperated with the president's illegal plan and now face about 40 lawsuits. A federal court must grant the protection as long as it finds that the president asked for the wiretapping and that the attorney general asserted it was legal -- which they did. The compromise, which passed the House by a substantial margin last week, isn't all bad. It requires an official account of what happened when Bush circumvented the law, requires a warrant for Americans being targeted overseas and sets up ongoing monitoring to keep the overall program on track. But the bottom line is that the president didn't need to ignore the law in the first place. The secret court that oversees the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act routinely grants 99.98% of the warrants the administration asks for, even after surveillance has begun. The nation would benefit if Congress held the president closer to these minimal safeguards, rather than writing him a bigger blank check.
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20080625/edit25.art.htm
SURVEILLANCE LAW WON'T DO ENOUGH TO PROTECT PRIVACY
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Editorial staff]
[Commentary] The Bush administration's widespread use of eavesdropping without a warrant angered civil libertarians when it was revealed in 2005 and sparked a clash with congressional Democrats, who since have tried to shore up the U.S. right to privacy. Finally, a compromise has been reached - but it does not do nearly enough to protect innocent Americans from fishing expeditions in the name of homeland security. The legislation also lets phone and Internet companies off the hook for assisting illegal snooping in the past. It would allow a federal district court to dismiss some 40 lawsuits filed over the release of customer data as long as the companies can document that government officials assured them the wiretapping was authorized by the president. That's about as thin a fig leaf as you can get. If the lawsuits are dismissed, Americans will never know the extent of the government's wrongdoing. And if the FISA update becomes law, future presidents will have little reason not to follow Bush's example.
http://www.siliconvalley.com/opinion/ci_9689064
INTERNET/BROADBAND
UNIVERSAL SERVICE, BROADBAND AND THE DEATH STAR
[SOURCE: Benton Foundation, AUTHOR: Kevin Taglang]
Ed Markey (D-MA), the Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, held a hearing exploring the core principles of universal service, which historically has provided a baseline level of affordable voice telecommunications service to everyone in the United States, in light of the rise of Internet-based broadband communications technologies and the changing marketplace. He said it was time to begin a "conversation about what we believe universal service should be in the 21st Century. This will allow us to effectively manage both the imposition of fees as well as justify the eligibility and purpose of disbursements." He wanted to begin with questions: what level of service should be supported for rural consumers? Should the supported services include just plain old telephone service or broadband, wireline or wireless service too? If competition fails to achieve affordability for a particular service in a rural community, should extremely wealthy rural consumers be subsidized or should the program be targeted to assure affordability for non-wealthy consumers in some way? For low income consumers in non-rural areas, should their supported service or services be comparable to the level of service provided to rural consumers? How should Congress or the FCC adjust the program for rural health care? What about the future of the e-rate? House Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell said, "Broadband is the communications platform of the future. Any successful universal service program for the future must account for this reality. Universal service is about access and affordability. A proper universal service program should ensure access and affordability in places and situations where market forces cannot or do not. Properly targeting universal service support must ensure consistency, efficiency, and fairness." Chairman Dingell said Congress, not the Federal Communications Commission, is better suited to make the tough political choices on how best to reform the system. Rep Mike Doyle (D-PA) may grab all the headlines saying, "Generally, I think the Universal Service Fund needs to be blown up like the Death Star." He continued, "We need to completely reform the Fund by moving away from subsidizing telephone service and instead put our money toward the broadband future. For now, I'll call this needed reform Universal Service 2.0."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/24/AR200806...
* Chairman Markey
http://markey.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3406
* Chairman Dingell
http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_110/110st180.shtml
* Universal Service Fund should be "blown up" like Death Star (ars technica)
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080624-universal-service-fund-sho...
* George Lucas: Free Broadband for Schools (Broadcasting&Cable)
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6572807.html?rssid=193
* U.S. must reform telecom services fund Congress told (Reuters)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/24/AR200806...
* George Lucas Calls for 'Third Internet' (PC Mag)
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2321610,00.asp
COALITION SEEKS FEDERAL NUDGE FOR BROADBAND
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Anick Jesdanun]
Vint Cerf and Federal Communications Commission member Jonathan Adelstein joined forces Tuesday in renewing calls for the U.S. government to more actively expand broadband service. They and other members of a new coalition promised hearings across the country and set up a Web site at InternetForEveryone.org to outline principles such as universal access and competition to ensure lower prices and faster Internet connection speeds. But the group offered few specifics, including any proposed legislation. Josh Silver, executive director of the Free Press advocacy group, said that given the complexities of broadband policy, the new coalition was focusing instead on raising awareness and establishing ideas for the next administration to consider. Other members of the coalition include leading Internet scholars Lawrence Lessig and Jonathan Zittrain; Michael Winship, president of the Writers Guild of America-East, which recently battled Hollywood over online rights; and Robin Chase, co-founder of the Zipcar automobile-rental service.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080624/ap_on_hi_te/broadband_policy
* New group makes broadband a national priority (C|Net News.com)
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9976522-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=...
STUDY CALLS FOR 1G BROADBAND IN US
[SOURCE: PCWorld, AUTHOR: Grant Gross]
The U.S. should aim for 100M bps (bits per second) of broadband available to all U.S. residents by 2012 and 1G bps by 2015 in order to catch up to other countries that are moving forward with broadband rollouts, recommends a study released Monday. The study, by the Baller Herbst Law Group, also calls on the U.S. to create a national broadband strategy that helps state programs bring broadband to underserved areas. Neither private industry nor government programs alone can build the broadband networks needed for the U.S. to compete globally in the coming years, said Jim Baller, founder of Baller Herbst and the study's co-author. The e-NC Authority, a state program in North Carolina focused on broadband rollout, commissioned the study, and many of Baller's recommendations are focused on how North Carolina can get broadband to the 16 percent of the state's residents who don't yet have it. Among the recommendations: Grants to broadband providers, communities working together to finance broadband networks and funding for new broadband competitors. Several speakers at a forum accompanying the study's release said other states can learn from North Carolina's broadband efforts. The state has used a combination of state, nonprofit and other funding to bring broadband to its rural areas, and in January, it awarded a US$1.2 million grant to help bring broadband to four rural counties. But speakers at Monday's event said the U.S. government needs to step forward and help bring broadband to rural areas across the nation.
http://benton.org/node/14921
BALLER: MCCAIN AND OBAMA SHOULD ISSUE JOINT STATEMENT ON BROADBAND
[SOURCE: BroadbandCensus.com, AUTHOR: William Korver]
Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama should issue a statement underscoring the consensus between Republicans and Democrats on the importance of broadband in the United States, says Jim Baller. Such a statement would illustrate that the federal government is seriously reevaluating its current broadband policy no matter who assumes the White House on January 21, 2009. Both candidates have solid solutions to improve the current broadband situation in the U.S., said Baller, of the Baller Herbst Law Group which represents municipalities that seek to offer broadband as an alternative to incumbent telecommunications and cable companies. He has also promoted the notion of a national broadband strategy. Baller said that the average high-speed service in the U.S. ranged between one and nine megabits per second (8 Mbps), versus countries in Europe and Asia that now average 100 Mbps, and that aim to reach one gigabit (1 Gbps) within the next few years. The US cannot afford to continue to build schools complete with inadequate broadband services, Baller said. Yet he said that 98 percent of North Carolina schools have the wrong kind of broadband: one that is already obsolete.
http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?p=56
CWA CLAIMS CREDIT FOR FCC DATA ORDER, BUT IGNORES LOCAL COMPANY DATA
[SOURCE: BroadbandCensus.com, AUTHOR: Drew Clark]
[Commentary] Over at the Communications Workers of Americas blog, Speed Matters, the union claimed credit for the Federal Communications Commissions recent order requiring broadband companies to provide the FCC with more information, including data about availability by Census tract. However, although it is possible that the FCCs broadband data collection will be improved, the public is not likely to benefit from any improvements. CWA makes no mention of the fact that the FCC will continue to shield the names of the broadband providers that offer service in a particular ZIP code or Census tract. BroadbandCensus.com criticized the FCC for its failure to change this policy. The current policy limits consumers and citizens ability to benefit from local broadband information. Also, with regards to speeds, the CWA post appears to misstate what the FCC required. The FCC order does not require either the carriers or agency to engage in speed tests about actual broadband performance. It only requires that carriers say what they currently offer. The FCC document has a further notice section, in which the agency asks for comments on whether, and how, it should conduct information about delivered speed[s]. BroadbandCensus.com seeks to provide the public with information about local broadband availability, competition, speeds and prices. In order to make this information as useful to the public as possible, BroadbandCensus.com believes that the names of the companies that provide broadband and the speeds and prices at which they actually deliver service must also be made available as part of any serious effort to map out the state of broadband in America.
http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?p=57
NATIONAL TECH POLICY: WHICH WAY FORWARD?
[SOURCE: BroadbandCensus.com, AUTHOR: Drew Bennett]
What would you do as part of a new administration to impact tech policy on day 1 in 2009? Vint Cerf would get rid of the [Federal Communications Commission] and get Congress to work. Erick Schonfeld of TechCrunch would start with an IP bill of rights. Alec Ross, who advises Sen Barack Obama (D-IL), would appoint a Chief Technology Officer. Josh Silver, co-founder of Free Press, would use the Presidential bully-pulpit to explain issues of digital policy to Americans (and open up White Spaces, protect muni-broadband, institute Network Neutrality, and support broadband deployment using the Universal Service Fund). Claudio Prado, who has served in the Ministry of Brazil, would work on explaining tech policy to the rest of his government and make sure every Ministry understands what Peeracy is (note: its a peer to peer movement and pirates are not allowed). Josh Silver sums it up in four words: fast, affordable, open Internet. For Alec Ross, tech policy should aim to create a citizen-centered government. Claudio Prado would simply like to see a tech policy that empowers people while Erick Schonfeld demands that technologies and policy contribute to better, more efficient governance.
http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?p=62
ICANN: MEDDLING WITH DNS POSES SECURITY PROBLEM
[SOURCE: InfoWorld, AUTHOR: Peter Sayer]
The interception of Internet traffic to snoop on phone calls or track surfers' behavior is a hot topic -- but what's keeping members of ICANN's Security and Stability Advisory Committee up at night is the interception of traffic to and from sites that don't even exist. They explained why in a session at ICANN's public meeting. There are still a few possible domain names out there that have not yet been registered, and if you accidentally type one of them into your browser's address bar, you ought to receive an error message from the Domain Name System (DNS) signalling that the domain does not exist. What happens to those error messages is of concern to SSAC's members, who advise on the security and integrity of the domain name systems that the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) coordinates. Some ISPs (Internet service providers) and domain name registrars see the error messages as a missed opportunity to "help" their customers find the site they are looking for -- and to make a little money on the side. They do this by intercepting the error messages and modifying them to point to a Web site that they control, typically carrying advertisements related to the domain name typed.
http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/06/24/Meddling_with_DNS_poses_securi...
ELECTIONS & MEDIA
MCCAIN AND THE INTERNETS
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Katharine Seelye]
Having admitted he's a computer "illiterate," Sen John McCain (R-AZ) held a town hall Tuesday night via telephone. Mark Soohoo, McCain's deputy e-campaign director, drew guffaws at an Internet conference in New York when he tried to dig his candidate out of a techno black hole. Its a mistake to assume John McCain has no knowledge of this, Soohoo said during a panel discussion with the Internet strategists of some other presidential campaigns. You don't necessarily have to use a computer to understand how it shapes the country, he said. Tracy Russo, who worked for John Edwards, as an Internet strategist, responded, "You actually do, suggesting that a person gains a certain frame of reference from being online. Andrew Rasiej, a Democrat and founder and executive producer of the Personal Democracy Forum, which was holding the conference, said later that Sen McCains lack of familiarity with computers and the Internet shows he doesn't understand how the world works and that he doesn't understand what it would mean to be president. McCains relationship with the Internet also stands in stark contrast to that of his opponent, Sen Barack Obama (D-IL), whose campaign has made expert use of the Internet for fund-raising and organizing and recently surpassed the 1-million mark of friends on Facebook. (Sen McCain has fewer than 200,000.)
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/24/mccain-and-the-internets/
(requires registration)
* Internet Campaign Directors on What Worked and What Didn't in 2008 (BroadbandCensus.com)
http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?p=53
* McCain Camp Downplays E-Factor In Face Of Obama's Online Onslaught (OnlineMediaDaily)
http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.san&s=85...
MCCAIN'S CAMPAIGN FUNDING HYPOCRISY: WHY ARE THE MEDIA LOOKING THE OTHER WAY?
[SOURCE: Huffington Post, AUTHOR: Arianna Huffington]
The mainstream media's overheated response to Sen Barack Obama's decision to opt out of the public campaign finance system is a textbook example of journalists protecting Sen John Mccain (R-AZ) and his bald-faced hypocrisy. Amidst all the attacks on Obama's "flip-flop," how much have you read in the MSM about the fact that McCain has "completely reversed himself" on public financing -- and is currently breaking the law on a daily basis, making a mockery out of a campaign finance system he helped create? Indeed, as Media Matters points out, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the CBS Evening News, NBC's Nightly News, Fox News' Special Report, and CNN all dutifully reported McCain's claims about Obama without mentioning McCain's campaign finance chicanery.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/mccains-campaign-fundin...
TEN THINGS OBAMA CAN DO WITH ALL THAT MONEY
[SOURCE: AdAge, AUTHOR: Evan Tracey]
Having opted out of public funding for his run for president, how can Sen Barack Obama spend all the money he's raising? 1) Hire every available Democratic media consultant (and, thus, unify, the Democratic message). 2) Buy a lot of radio and cable ads in swing states. 3) Target the sports talk radio demographic both locally and nationally. 4) Buy ads on college football, the Ryder Cup, Major League Baseball playoffs and, yes, the NFL. 5) Run 60-second ads. 6) Make blockbuster web videos. 7) Buy TV ads in all 50 states the day after the Democratic National Convention. 8) Look into buying ad space from skywriters, pump-top TV, rooftops near airports, elevators screens, cellphones, mall kiosks. 9) Make "live" political ads.
http://adage.com/campaigntrail/post?article_id=127917
ADVERTISING
MARKEY: WAIT ON ONLINE-AD-SERVICE TECHNOLOGY
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
House Telecommunications & Internet Subcommittee Chairman Ed Markey (D-MA) has told cable operators and other broadband providers to hold off implementing ad-service technology similar to what Charter Communications was planning to use from online-ad network NebuAd. Chairman Markey and other members of his subcommittee wrote Charter last month asking it to hold off on the NebuAd partnership until concerns about online privacy were addressed. He praised Charter Tuesday for deciding to delay plans to "track the Web sites visited by their customers and disclose this sensitive the data to an ad firm." But Rep Markey went beyond that to advise other broadband providers to follow suit. "Given the serious privacy concerns raised by the sophisticated ad-serving technology Charter Communications planned to test-market," he added, "I am pleased to hear that the company has decided to delay implementation of this program, which electronically profiled individual consumer Web usage. I urge other broadband companies considering similar user-profiling programs to similarly hold off on implementation while these important privacy concerns can be addressed.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6572966.html?rssid=193
CRAFTING TV ADS FOR THE DIGITAL AGE
[SOURCE: AdAge, AUTHOR: Brian Steinberg]
Marketers are already scrambling to figure out how best to adjust their 30-second TV spots for viewing via the web and on iPod screens. But as the nation prepares for the big shift from analog to digital TV on Feb. 17 next year, what could be a major conundrum has opened up for advertisers who love to make use of the wider high-definition screen. While traditional TV sets have for decades featured a 4:3 screen-size proportion, high-definition sets and the programming created for them have a much more rectangular 16:9 scope. Thus, ads crafted for high-definition broadcasts that show up on standard-definition sets could have their right and left sides digitally sliced off. Cries of concern are already surfacing in certain corners of the ad business, particular the creative side. "You work really hard to make the film look beautiful within the frame, and then somebody changes the frame on you," said Andy Langer, chief creative officer at Omnicom Group's Roberts & Tarlow agency. "They won't look as good, and they may not be as effective," he added. The move to digital frees up frequency for wireless broadband, not to mention police and fire communications. It also allows broadcasters to offer more high-definition programming and additional channels of content. But it also creates the potential for an "ad squeeze": Many living rooms, basements and bedrooms will still contain the older TV sets that aren't capable of showing high-definition ads in all their glory. Of the nation's approximately 113 million TV households, only 46 million have sets capable of receiving high-def content, a number that is expected to grow to only 55 million by the end of 2009, according to Forrester Research.
http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=127958
ONE MAN, ONE LONG LIST, NO MORE WEB ADS
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Peter Whoriskey]
A machinist and self-described "blue-collar guy" in his mid-50s from upstate New York, Rick752, as he's known online, spends most nights upstairs in his den assembling a list of Internet ad sites and related data. That work, dubbed EasyList, enables millions of Web surfers to filter and freeze out nearly all advertising that would otherwise appear on their screens. Yet the effort to block millions of Internet ads, while drawing raves from users, is feared by some who say that if it continues to grow in popularity, it could threaten the financial underpinnings of much of the Web, where publishers are largely dependent on advertising.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/24/AR200806...
(requires registration)
MEDIA OWNERSHIP
NAB SEEKS REMOVAL OF CROSS-OWNERSHIP PROVISION
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The National Association of Broadcasters is trying to get a provision removed from a House Federal Communications Commission appropriations bill that would prevent it from implementing its relaxation of the newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership ban. NAB president David Rehr sent letters to all of the members of the House Appropriations Committee asking them to oppose the provision, which was approved last week by the Appropriations Committee's Financial Services Subcommittee.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6573077.html?rssid=193
SINCLAIR TO BUY RAYCOM STATION FOR $85M
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: ]
Sinclair Broadcast Group announced Tuesday that it will buy the assets of WTVR, the CBS affiliate in the Richmond-Petersburg (VA) market, from Raycom Media for $85 million. If the sale is approved, Sinclair will own 59 TV stations around the country.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6572824.html?rssid=193
BLOGGERS: BIG MEDIA IS WATCHING
[SOURCE: BusinessWeek, AUTHOR: Peter Burrows]
The Associated Press unleashed a firestorm in the blogosphere earlier this month when it demanded that a political site take down AP content it said violated copyrights. Bloggers cried foul, saying the AP's move threatened the free flow of information over the Web. The furor abated a few days later when the AP tempered its demands. But the dustup between the AP and bloggers was just an early skirmish in what's likely to become a protracted war over how and where media content is published online. On one side are bloggers and other Web sites eager to ensure continued access to information. On the other are media companies intent on controlling or cashing in on the dissemination of their stories, videos, and other digital media. One reason: For the first time, content owners are able to track exactly where and how their words and images show up, thanks to an emerging class of technology called content recognition systems.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jun2008/tc20080625_325222...
BROADCASTING
DIGITAL TV SWITCH NEEDS BILL COSBY
[SOURCE: TVPredictions.com, AUTHOR: Phillip Swann]
[Commentary] Meredith Attwell Baker is the acting head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the Commerce Department unit responsible for overseeing next year's transition to digital signals. is the acting head because the previous official who headed the NTIA, John Kneuer, resigned last year "to pursue new opportunities." Asst Sec Baker has said she wants to resign, too, but her replacement, Neil Patel, has yet to be confirmed by the Senate -- in fact, the Senate hasn't even scheduled a hearing yet on Patel's nomination. So, eight months from the transition date -- February 17, 2009 -- the federal government's effort is being led by an unknown acting agency head who wants to leave her job as soon as possible. Is there any wonder that many industry analysts believe the Digital TV transition is doomed? The federal government needs a high-profile person to head the educational aspects of this program, someone who can communicate how to prepare for the switch in simple terms. And someone who will instantly command respect from minorities and older residents -- the groups that surveys indicate are most clueless about the switch. While many people would fit the bill, one name jumps out: Bill Cosby.
http://www.tvpredictions.com/baker062408.htm
STUDY: 91% OF HISPANICS AWARE OF DTV TRANSITION
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The vast majority of broadcast-only Hispanic TV households are aware of the digital-TV transition, up from less than one-third of those households that were aware of the transition last fall. That is according to a new study from the National Association of Broadcasters, which found that 91% of Hispanic households getting their free TV via rooftop or indoor antennas knew about the upcoming DTV switch, compared with 31% in a similar study in September 2007.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6573056.html?rssid=193
STUDY: TV NOT HURT BY INCREASED ONLINE TIME
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Alex Weprin]
According to a new study by GroupM, people are spending more time online, from a mean average of 27 minutes in 2005 to 46 minutes next year. However, that time spent surfing the Web did not appear to come at the expense of traditional forms of media, such as television. Rather, the study suggested that people are multitasking or carving out time to use both new and old media.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6572841.html?rssid=193
QUICKLY
HOUSE APPROVES 911 VOIP BILL
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Linda Haugsted]
The House of Representatives has given final approval to a bill supported by providers of voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) services that will ease consumer access to 911 emergency services. The bill, dubbed the New and Emerging Technologies 911 Improvement Act of 2008, was previously approved by the House in November 2007 and this month by the unanimous consent of the Senate. The latter vote sent the bill back to the House for concurrence. The bill mandates that VoIP users be granted interconnection to incumbents, with VoIP providers gaining access at the same rates, terms and capabilities granted to cellular phone service providers.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6572930.html?nid=4262
MORE STATES SAY PHONES AND DRIVING DON'T MIX
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Michelle Kessler]
California will become the largest state to ban unlimited cellphone use by drivers. The law prohibits drivers under 18 from talking on the phone, and it requires older drivers to use a hands-free headset. A similar law goes into effect the same day in Washington state. Legislation has already been passed in New York, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere and more laws are pending. What's a chatty driver to do?
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20080625/tech_cellcar.art.htm
PUBLIC INVITED TO REVIEW FCC STRATEGIC PLAN
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
The Federal Communications Commission announced that the public is welcome to review and comment on a draft of its revised Strategic Plan for 2009-2014. The revised draft Strategic Plan is a "work in progress" that is complete enough to allow review and comment on the strategic direction the Commission intends to follow in the coming years. Commenters are asked to focus specifically on: 1. The strategic direction proposed in the document as embodied in the general goals and objectives; 2. Providing additional contextual information not covered in the document's text; and 3. The means and strategies that the Commission should undertake to accomplish its goals. Those wishing to review the revised draft plan can find it on the Commission's website at: http://www.fcc.gov/omd/strategicplan. Comments should be sent to walter.boswell@fcc.gov no later than July 24, 2008.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-08-1472A1.doc
