September 2010

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2010

POLICYMAKERS
   The FCC's September Agenda: A Genachowski Relaunch?

NETWORK NEUTRALITY/RECLASSIFICATION
   The Struggle for What We Already Have
   FCC and Title II: All Options Said To Be Still On Table

INTERNET/BROADBAND
   US Broadband Starts To Speed Ahead
   Verizon's 10, 15 Mbps DSL service is great if you can actually get it

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
   9 Years After 9/11, Public Safety Radio Not Ready

LABOR
   Once a Dynamo, the Tech Sector Is Slow to Hire

OWNERSHIP
   Justice Dept Inquiry Zeroes In on Google-ITA Deal
   Texas Launches Antitrust Probe Of Google
   For Comcast-NBCU, Charity Begins at the FCC

PRIVACY
   Google settles Buzz privacy lawsuit
   Google trimming Its Privacy Policies
   New lawsuit to challenge laptop searches

TELEVISION/RADIO
   If TV's Far-Sighted, It Will Serve the Blind
   Indecency Ball Could Soon Be in Supreme's Court
   Hispanic TV Homes Jump to 40% This Season
   Performance Rights Act: Additional Costs for Broadcast Radio Stations; Additional Revenue for Record Companies, Musicians
   Gov. Christie pushes bill to convert New Jersey Network into independent entity

CYBERSECURITY
   Council on Foreign Relations: US must take lead on securing cyberspace
   NIST Releases Guidelines for Smart Grid Cyber Security

TELEPHONY
   FCC Telephone Competition Report
   Can you hear me now? Of course; I'm on a land line

HEALTH
   With Beacons lit, ONC prepares support network

STORIES FROM ABROAD
   US told EU to hide ACTA from public
   Indian Wireless Firm's Tower Deal Scrapped
   Fidel Castro, Internet junkie
   Google Loses German Court Ruling Over YouTube Videos

MORE ONLINE
   Appeasing the Google Gods

Recent Comments on: Cell phone bills fell 50% in last ten years

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POLICYMAKERS

GENACHOWSKI REDUX?
[SOURCE: Public Knowledge, AUTHOR: Harold Feld]
[Commentary] The September 2010 Federal Communications Commission meeting agenda restore some faith in FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. The proposed orders on the agenda combined with the FCC quietly telling M2Z to give up hope of getting any spectrum for its proposed free-with-a-pay-tier broadband service, show a new willingness for Chairman Genachowski to do something he hasn't done yet but desperately needed to do: say "no" to people who will squawk ­ loudly. At the same time, this isn't some Hollywood-esque reversal where suddenly everything is radically different and Genachowski comes out of his corner like Rocky. Chairman Genachowski has chosen his issues and opponents for this first round with care, while deferring the much tougher action on network neutrality until at least after the election. But while I may find this frustrating (and, I think, the wrong thing to do both as a matter of substance and a matter of politics), there is a huge difference between "I think you're wrong on this issue" and "you are totally mishandling the job of being an FCC Chairman."
benton.org/node/41438 | Public Knowledge
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NETWORK NEUTRALITY/RECLASSIFICATION

NETWORK NEUTRALITY
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Joe Nocera]
[Commentary] For something that seems so simple and straightforward, "net neutrality" has sure created one big mess. Net neutrality, of course, is the principle that Internet service providers should not be allowed to favor some Internet content over other content by delivering it faster. Really, who could be against such a thing? President Obama came out for net neutrality during his presidential campaign. Julius Genachowski, his former law review colleague and basketball buddy, who helped him arrive at that campaign position, is now the chairman of the Federal Communication Commission. Right-thinking public interest groups, like Public Knowledge are fierce, unyielding proponents of net neutrality, viewing its goodness as obvious. Google professes to be a champion of net neutrality. So does Skype. Even the Internet service providers say they favor it. And yet, here we are, a year and a half into the Obama presidency, and net neutrality is no closer to being encoded in federal regulation than it was when George W. Bush was president. Then again, maybe the current snarl isn't such a bad thing. Consumers have come to expect an open Internet, and companies will violate net neutrality at their peril. That is just the way the Internet has evolved. But don't spread that around, O.K.? With so many hours spent on this thing, who really wants to admit that it's much ado about very little?
benton.org/node/41451 | New York Times
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ALL TITLE II OPTIONS ON THE TABLE
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Network neutrality stakeholders are split over whether the Federal Communications Commission's Title II reclassification proposal will be put on the back burner while the FCC seeks more comment on its network neutrality rulemaking proposal, but a senior FCC official suggests the burner is still hot. Asked whether the comment requests precludes action on Title II, the official, speaking on background, said: "All options remain on the table." Those include FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski's so-called "Third Way" proposal of reclassifying broadband transmissions under some Title II common carrier regulations but not applying the rest, imposing the full-blown Title II framework, and keeping broadband under the more lightly regulated Title I information services regime. Vetting those options was prompted by a federal appeals court decision that the FCC had not justified its authority to enforce its Internet openness guidelines against Comcast for blocking BitTorrent file uploads.
benton.org/node/41437 | Broadcasting&Cable
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INTERNET/BROADBAND

US BROADBAND STARTS TO SPEED AHEAD
[SOURCE: Forbes, AUTHOR: Sanjiv Ahuja]
[Commentary] US mobile data usage is expected to increase by 4,000% in the next four years. US broadband connection speed, however, is ranked a mere 18th in the world. These numbers, combined with already strained network capacity, paint a bleak picture of America's "Information Superhighway" as a traffic-jammed dirt road. While there are several factors that contribute to the nation's disappointing position in broadband access, a closer look at the issues presents a real opportunity for the US to restore its rightful place as the world's leader in technology and innovation. Expanding wireless broadband to every part of the U.S. will have a more far-reaching and profound impact on all Americans. Increasing the capabilities and availability of mobile broadband will eliminate bandwidth bottlenecks and open up new worlds for those whose only disadvantage is location. Mobile broadband will enable someone with limited access to higher education to remotely pursue a Master's degree, and patients to receive remote diagnoses from their doctors. Just as important--and especially so during these challenging economic times--mobile broadband will empower individuals, businesses and entrepreneurs to be creative, innovative and competitive. A vibrant new class of entrepreneurs is already emerging that is building new devices and developing applications to run on them; expanding mobile broadband network access will open the door to even more industry participation. [Sanjiv Ahuja is chairman and chief executive officer of LightSquared]
benton.org/node/41432 | Forbes
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VERIZON'S SERVICE GREAT, IF YOU CAN GET IT
[SOURCE: Fierce, AUTHOR: Sean Buckley]
Verizon this week introduced new 10 and 15 Mbps DSL speed tiers in its non-FiOS markets in what could be seen as another defensive play against cable. Residential and SMB customers that reside outside of a Verizon FiOS territory were pretty much relegated to the lower speed 4-7 Mbps with a whopping 768 Kbps upload. Basically, the new offerings take advantage of Verizon's deployment of ADSL2+ throughout its respective markets. Even though the Verizon speed tiers are competitively priced, they aren't without their catches. Although the new offerings are competitively priced at $49.99, if you want standalone DSL, well, you have to pay an extra $10 price of $59.99. The baseline dual-play SMB package runs $89.99 a month with a two-year agreement and $99.99 without a contract. But the bigger limitation, when you peel back the onion a bit further, is the actual availability of the service. Given the physical limitations of copper facilities if you live beyond the 7,000 foot mark, the reality is well, you're out of luck.
benton.org/node/41427 | Fierce
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EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS

PUBLIC SAFETY RADIO
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Edward Wyatt]
The inability of most firefighters and police officers to talk to each other on their radios on Sept. 11, 2001, at the World Trade Center -- one of the most vexing problems on that day nine years ago -- still has not been completely resolved. The problem, highlighted in the 9/11 Commission Report, was seen again in 2005 after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Public safety officers from different jurisdictions arrived at the scene of those disasters only to find that, unable to communicate with each other by radio, they had to resort to running handwritten notes between command centers. Despite $7 billion in federal grants and other spending over the last seven years to improve the ability of public safety departments to talk to one another, most experts in such communications say that it will be years, if ever, before a single nationwide public safety radio system becomes a reality. In the meantime, public safety and homeland security officials have patched together voice networks in some regions, including New York, that link commanders at various agencies.
benton.org/node/41449 | New York Times
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LABOR

TECH SECTOR SLOW TO HIRE
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Catherine Rampell]
For years the technology sector has been considered the most dynamic, promising and globally envied industry in the United States. It escaped the recession relatively unscathed, and profits this year have been soaring. But as the nation struggles to put people back to work, even high-tech companies have been slow to hire, a sign of just how difficult it will be to address persistently high joblessness. While the labor report released last week showing August figures provided mildly positive news on private-sector hiring, the unemployment rate was 9.6 percent. The disappointing hiring trend raises questions about whether the tech industry can help power a recovery and sustain American job growth in the next decade and beyond. Its tentativeness has prompted economists to ask "If high tech isn't hiring, who will?"
benton.org/node/41450 | New York Times
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OWNERSHIP

JUSTICE REVIEWS GOOGLE DEAL
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Amir Efrati, Thomas Catan]
The Justice Department is trying to determine whether Google would gain too much sway over the online travel industry by acquiring ITA Software Inc., which powers the Web's most popular airline-ticket search and booking sites. The merger investigation is at an early stage, but according to people familiar with the situation, Justice antitrust authorities are focusing on two potential areas of concern: whether rivals would continue to have access to ITA's data and whether Google would unfairly steer Web searchers to its own travel services. Several players in the online travel industry said they are expressing concerns to government lawyers in hopes of spurring them to challenge Google's deal to buy ITA. They said Google would instantly become the new gateway for finding airfares and could promote its travel search engine over other sites' search engines, among other things.
benton.org/node/41448 | Wall Street Journal
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TEXAS GOOGLE PROBE
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Juliana Gruenwald]
Google revealed Sept 3 that Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is conducting an antitrust probe of the Internet firm, focusing on whether the company manipulates its search results. The probe appears similar to one launched by the European Union, which is investigating similar claims made by Google competitors, including the British price comparison site Foundem, which filed a complaint with the EU against Google earlier this year. According to Google Deputy General Counsel Don Harrison, Abbott has asked for information about Foundem as well as SourceTool, a business-to-business search engine owned by TradeComet, and price comparison site myTriggers, which claims its business has suffered because Google reduced its ad quality ratings, Harrison said in a blog post. Google defended its search results saying they are based on providing the most relevant and useful search results and ads for users. "Given that not every Web site can be at the top of the results, or even appear on the first page of our results, it's unsurprising that some less relevant, lower quality Web sites will be unhappy with their ranking," Harrison added. He also alleged that Microsoft may have a connection to the companies that have complained that Google has engaged in anti-competitive practices. A Microsoft spokesman declined to comment on the allegation but in the past the company has denied any link to other firms' complaints against Google.
benton.org/node/41443 | CongressDaily | AP
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COMCAST AT FCC
[SOURCE: The Wrap, AUTHOR: Johnnie Roberts]
Comcast is hoping that federal regulators are, like Comcast itself, in a giving mood. To reinforce a $100-million blitzkrieg of 80-plus lobbyists and an untold numbers of PR spinmeisters, the cable giant is counting on its charitable ties to cherry-blossom festivals and small-town baseball leagues to help win consent for its proposed $30 billion merger with NBC Universal. And in a bit of a role reversal, the company in some cases has gone hat-in-hand to solicit the support of its philanthropic beneficiaries. During its almost year-long charm offensive to favorably sway regulators, Comcast has deployed its army of professional influencers to capture support of influential national organizations, ranging from the Chamber of Commerce and Urban League to the Boys and Girls Clubs, who marshalled their local and state branches. Comcast also secured big-name endorsements by high profile public officials, including Govs. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-California), David Paterson (D-New York) and Ed Rendell (D-Pennsylvania). But as the merger-approval marathon heads into the final stretch, the heartfelt sentiments of homespun beneficiaries of Comcast's philanthropy could prove to be crucial.
benton.org/node/41430 | Wrap, The
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PRIVACY

GOOGLE SETTLES PRIVACY LAWSUIT
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Dan Levine]
Google has settled a lawsuit alleging privacy violations in connection with its Buzz social networking service. Launched in February, Buzz initially used an individual's email contacts from Google Gmail to build a social network of Buzz contacts that the rest of the world could see. Google acted quickly to change the settings so that contacts were kept private by default. To settle the proposed class action brought by a Gmail user, Google will set aside $8.5 million for attorneys fees and donations to organizations focused on Internet privacy. In addition, "the settlement requires that Google undertake wider public education about the privacy aspects of Buzz."
benton.org/node/41424 | Reuters
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GOOGLE TRIMMING PRIVACY POLICIES
[SOURCE: Google, AUTHOR: Mike Yang]
Long, complicated and lawyerly -- that's what most people think about privacy policies, and for good reason. Even taking into account that they're legal documents, most privacy policies are still too hard to understand. So we're simplifying and updating Google's privacy policies. To be clear, we aren't changing any of our privacy practices; we want to make our policies more transparent and understandable. As a first step, we're making two types of improvements:
1) Most of our products and services are covered by our main Google Privacy Policy. Some, however, also have their own supplementary individual policies. Since there is a lot of repetition, we are deleting 12 of these product-specific policies. These changes are also in line with the way information is used between certain products—for example, since contacts are shared between services like Gmail, Talk, Calendar and Docs, it makes sense for those services to be governed by one privacy policy as well.
2) We're also simplifying our main Google Privacy Policy to make it more user-friendly by cutting down the parts that are redundant and rewriting the more legalistic bits so people can understand them more easily. For example, we're deleting a sentence that reads, "The affiliated sites through which our services are offered may have different privacy practices and we encourage you to read their privacy policies," since it seems obvious that sites not owned by Google might have their own privacy policies.
benton.org/node/41425 | Google | TechDailyDose
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LAPTOP SEARCHES
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Ellen Nakashima]
Criminal defense lawyers, press photographers and a university student are challenging the Obama administration's search policy permitting officers at U.S. borders to detain travelers' laptop computers and examine their contents even without suspecting the traveler of wrongdoing. In a federal lawsuit to be filed Tuesday in the Eastern District of New York, the plaintiffs allege that the Department of Homeland Security policy violates constitutional rights to privacy and free speech. At issue is the government's contention - upheld by two federal appeals courts - that its broad authority to protect the border extends to reviewing information stored in a traveler's laptop, cellphone or other electronic device, even if the traveler is not suspected of involvement in criminal activity. In the government's view, a laptop is no different than a suitcase.
benton.org/node/41447 | Washington Post
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TELEVISION/RADIO

TV SERVING THE BLIND
[SOURCE: TVNewsCheck, AUTHOR: Harry Jessell]
[Commentary] If you have your sight and you've never listened to video description service for the blind, you ought to. You soon realize what a wonderful enhancement it is to TV programming for the millions of Americans with little or no sight. They can follow the plots, "see" the characters and get all the jokes. When Congress gets back from its summer recess, it is expected to send legislation to the president directing the FCC to impose rules requiring broadcasters to provide a video description service.
The proposed rules are modest, initially requiring only network O&Os and affiliates in the top 25 markets to provide four hours a week of described programming. Stations in smaller markets will have to provide some level of service over 10 years. But broadcasters and the Hollywood producers that work for them shouldn't wait for the FCC and they shouldn't take their time in rolling out the service. They should embrace the service and provide descriptions on as many of their shows as they can as quickly as they can. They should go way beyond what Congress and the FCC are asking. They should do it because it elevates their status as good corporate citizens, because it underscores broadcast television as the unique and democratic medium that serves everybody and because it is the right thing to do.
benton.org/node/41444 | TVNewsCheck
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INDECENCY ENFORCEMENT
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
If the Third Circuit Court of Appeals upholds the Federal Communications Commission's indecency ruling against the Janet Jackson/Justin Timberlake reveal in the 2004 Super Bowl, the Supreme Court will almost have to resolve the constitutional issues around FCC indecency enforcement. "You never want to lose," says veteran indecency attorney John Crigler, a partner with Garvey Schuber Barer. But Crigler also believes a Jackson victory for the FCC would supply the court with a clear invitation to take the case. At stake is broadcasters' ability to push the envelope to keep up with the cable competition, or sometimes just to be able to show a statue on Antiques Roadshow without covering up the naughty bits. The FCC already argues that the Fox decision is a split from the Supreme Court's support in the Pacific case for a contextual approach to indecency enforcement. If Jackson comes down in broadcasters' favor, the FCC will almost certainly appeal the decision, and the court could agree.
benton.org/node/41445 | Broadcasting&Cable
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40% OF US TELEVISION HOMES ARE HISPANIC
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Marisa Guthrie]
With results of the 2010 Census expected to show a significant increase in the Hispanic population, Nielsen has been busy re-aligning its demographic meter. The television measurement company estimates that 40% of U.S. television homes this season will be Hispanic households. That's an increase of 3.07%, or nearly 400,000 Hispanic homes season-to-season. It also outpaces overall household gains season-to-season (0.87%) by more than three to one. A modest increase in African-American and Asian households is also expected this season.
benton.org/node/41435 | Broadcasting&Cable
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PERFORMANCE RIGHTS ACT
[SOURCE: Government Accountability Office, AUTHOR: Mark Goldstein]
Congress is considering legislation, the proposed Performance Rights Act (H.R. 848), that would expand copyright protection for the public performance of sound recordings. The proposed act would require AM/FM radio stations that broadcast music to pay a royalty, and this royalty would be distributed to the copyright holder, performers, and musicians. This report addresses 1) the benefits received by the recording and broadcast radio industries from their current relationship, 2) the possible effects of the proposed act on the broadcast radio industry, and 3) the possible effects of the proposed act on the recording industry. If broadcast radio stations with revenues of $1.25 million or more pay a royalty based on a percentage of station revenues, every 1 percentage point would cost the broadcast radio industry $101 million per year. GAO also estimated that with a 2.35 percent rate, the 25 percent of stations with revenues of $1.25 million or more would pay over 90 percent of the total royalties. According to broadcast industry stakeholders, these costs could lead some stations to reduce staff, switch to a nonmusic format, or discontinue operations. However, assuming a 2.35 percent royalty rate, GAO estimated that 56 percent of performers would receive $100 or less per year, and fewer than 6 percent of performers would receive $10,000 or more per year in royalties from airplay in the top 10 markets. (GAO-10-826)
benton.org/node/41428 | Government Accountability Office
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ENDING NEW JERSEY PUBLIC TELEVISION
[SOURCE: Star-Ledger, AUTHOR: Peggy McGlone]
Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) submitted legislation Sept 2 designed to end the state's four decades of support for the public television network, NJN, by year's end. The Governor's plan calls for the Treasurer, by Nov. 1, to take inventory of the network's assets and find the best way to complete a sale or transfer of them, . The bill requires this step be and the list shared with the public broadcasting authority and the Legislature. It also calls for the Treasurer to negotiate directly with an existing public broadcasting outlet and to accept proposals for the sale or transfer. The administration says it wants to make sure the "successor to NJN can fulfill the responsibilities of maintaining a New Jersey-focused public broadcasting operation." Gov Christie's 2011 budget passed in June cut NJN's direct state aid to $2 million and called for the state's $11 million subsidy (for salaries, and buildings) to end as of Jan. 1, 2011.
benton.org/node/41431 | Star-Ledger
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CYBERSECURITY

US MUST TAKE CYBERSECURITY LEAD
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Gautham Nagesh]
The United States must take a stronger international leadership role in securing cyberspace, including holding other countries accountable for their citizens' actions online, according to a new report from the Council on Foreign Relations. Report author and CFR international affairs fellow Robert Knake argues the United States must push back against China, Russia and other countries that are seeking to establish tightly-controlled versions of the Internet in order to combat cybercrime, industrial espionage and cyber warfare. Knake argues the plethora of threats online makes state control of the Web seem increasingly attractive to Western nations, which is why the U.S. should champion openness, innovation and limited government intervention. "These attributes make the network flexible, so that new uses can be developed rapidly, and scalable, so that millions of new users and devices can be connected each year, expanding the free flow of ideas and the reach of international commerce," Knake writes. "Addressing problems of security in cyberspace at the expense of these attributes would not serve U.S. national interests."
benton.org/node/41436 | Hill, The
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TELEPHONY

FCC RELEASES NEW LOCAL TELEPHONE COMPETITION DATA.
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: ]
The Federal Communications Commission today released the second Local Telephone Competition report to be based on comprehensive information about subscribership to interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service as well as more traditional telephone lines. The report summarizes data collected by FCC Form 477 as of June 30, 2009. Interconnected VoIP service represents an important and rapidly growing part of the U.S. voice service market. Interconnected VoIP service enables voice communications over a broadband connection and allows users both to receive calls from, and place calls to, the public switched telephone network, like traditional phone service. Providers of the service include companies like Vonage as well as cable and telephone companies that own their own networks. Report highlights include:
In June 2009, there were 133 million traditional switched access lines in service and 23 million interconnected VoIP subscriptions in the United States, or about 157 million wireline retail local telephone service connections in total. Of these, 93 million were residential connections and 64 million were business connections.
Interconnected VoIP subscriptions increased by 10% during the first six months of 2009 (from 21 million to 23 million subscriptions) and switched access lines decreased by 5% (from 141 million to 133 million lines) for a combined decrease of 3% (from 162 million to about 157 million total wireline retail local telephone service connections).
Of the 157 million total connections in service at mid-year 2009, 47% were residential switched access lines, 38% were business switched access lines, 13% were residential interconnected VoIP subscriptions, and 2% were business interconnected VoIP subscriptions.
Of the 157 million total connections, 44% were residential lines and 28% were business lines owned by incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs), while 16% provided non-ILEC residential service, and 12% provided non-ILEC business service.
Of the 93 million wireline residential connections, 73.1% were ILEC switched access lines, 20.7% were non-ILEC interconnected VoIP subscriptions, 5.5% were non-ILEC switched access lines, and 0.6% were ILEC interconnected VoIP subscriptions.
benton.org/node/41434 | Federal Communications Commission | read the report
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HEALTH

ONC PREPARES SUPPORT NETWORK
[SOURCE: GovernemntHealthIT, AUTHOR: Mary Mosquera]
Even as the Office of the National Coordinator named Cincinnati and Detroit as its final two "Beacon" communities, it was already at work on measures designed to share the findings and successes of the health IT test centers among rank-and-file clinics and medical practices. These include a revised Web site where the 17 Beacon grant winners, as well as newly chartered health IT regional extension centers and state-sponsored health information exchanges can share their experiences, according to national coordinator Dr. David Blumenthal. ONC is also in discussions with the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation to increase the number of health IT-related communities-of-practice, collaborations of the kind that will be set up by the Health IT Research Center, a national clearinghouse of research and lessons from those taking first steps at going digital. ONC's aim is to compile and make available a collection of real-world best practices, Dr Blumenthal said.
benton.org/node/41433 | GovernemntHealthIT
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STORIES FROM ABROAD

US TOLD EU TO HIDE ACTA FROM PUBLIC
[SOURCE: EurActiv.com, AUTHOR: ]
The United States is behind the wall of secrecy surrounding global trade talks to combat counterfeiting, say EU policy sources, who claim that American officials are refusing to let their European counterparts publish the draft agreement online. American officials blocked European attempts to publish the latest draft of the global Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) on an EU website after a Washington-based round of negotiations in August. The European Commission, which has been feeling the heat from lobby groups and the European Parliament for greater transparency in the negotiations, debriefed MEPs on the August negotiations September 1. MEPs have been demanding to see the full negotiating text as they will be asked to give ACTA their consent in a vote later this year.
benton.org/node/41429 | EurActiv.com
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RELIANCE DEAL SCRAPPED
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Ameya Karve, Kenan Machado]
Reliance Communications Ltd.'s plan to merge the telecom-tower assets of its Reliance Infratel Ltd. with telecom-infrastructure company GTL Infrastructure Ltd. was scrapped Sept 6, dealing a blow to the fund-raising and debt-reduction efforts of the Indian wireless carrier. But the companies didn't say why they couldn't stitch together a deal that would have created an independent tower entity with an enterprise value of at least 500 billion rupees, or about $10.76 billion, with more than 80,000 towers. Reliance Communications said it is in talks with "strategic and financial investors" for a similar transaction aimed at reducing its $6.2 billion debt. Reliance Communications owns 95% of Reliance Infratel.
benton.org/node/41440 | Wall Street Journal | FT
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FIDEL CASTRO
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Editorial staff]
[Commentary] Fidel Castro is back from the dead (his words) and has been reincarnated as an Internet junkie. Not only is he a prolific blogger on Cuba's online Granma newspaper but, it turns out, the 84-year-old greybeard consumes 200 to 300 news items a day on the Web and is fascinated by the WikiLeaks site, with its trove of 90,000 formerly secret U.S. documents on military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The "resuscitated" revolutionary is smaller and shakier than he was before the intestinal illness that prompted him to hand power to his younger brother in 2006, but no less verbose. He spoke with the editor of the Mexican newspaper La Jornada for five hours, during which he raved about the profound impact of the Web. "Do you know what this means, comrade?" he asked, like some sort of Rip Van Winkle waking up in the 21st century. The Internet, he said, "has put an end to secrets.... We are seeing a high level of investigative journalism, as the New York Times calls it, that is within reach of the whole world."
benton.org/node/41439 | Los Angeles Times
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GOOGLE LOSES CASE IN GERMANY
[SOURCE: Bloomberg, AUTHOR: Jann Friedrich Bettinga, Ragnhild Kjetland]
Google's YouTube video service lost a Hamburg court ruling over copyrighted video material that was posted online without permission for rebroadcast. YouTube may be liable for damages involving material shown in violation of copyright law, the Hamburg Regional Court said. The court said in the statement that the case applies to three recordings by singer Sarah Brightman.
benton.org/node/41426 | Bloomberg
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