October 22, 2010 (Spectrum; Juan Williams; Future of TV)
"The main reason mainstream media is under siege is because on major story after major story, they got it wrong."
-- Jeff Cohen, Park Center for Independent Media
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2010
A busy agenda today http://bit.ly/99VybM
SPECTRUM/WIRELESS
NTIA Identifies Federal Spectrum For Reallocation
Unleashing America's Invisible Infrastructure
Mobile Broadband: The Benefits of Additional Spectrum
White House 'Pleased' With FCC Spectrum Plans
McDowell on FCC's Spectrum Agenda
Kerry Aide: No Consensus, No Incentive Auctions
Politics Matter: Verizon Picks West Virginia for LTE Launch
Lifted by the Cloud: Visions of Cloud-Enhanced Accessibility
How the Cloud Can Enable Shared Phones For Millions
INTERNET/BROADBAND
Cable may double Internet access bills
AT&T, Critics urge FCC to forget Network Neutrality
Why Wait on Washington, Waxman or Wu to Protect the Internet? The States Can Break the Stalemate
Three different takes on rural broadband deployment
Sel-te's Inferno Where Winning Broadband Stimulus $$ Can Be Its Own Special Hell
Horner, Dayton, Emmer on Minnesota's broadband role
Bringing ultra high-speed broadband to Stanford homes
Online booking causes tax war
ACCESSIBILITY
CGB and WTB Release Advanced Services Accessibility Public Notice
Lifted by the Cloud: Visions of Cloud-Enhanced Accessibility
How Will Video Descriptions Affect TV Stations?
TELEVISION
How $50 million in donations led KCET to split from PBS
The Future of Television & The Digital Living Room
Is Netflix at the Mercy of Big Cable?
NJ State Senator Wants Retransmission Impasse Refund
Most Americans still watch TV in real time
Intel: Don't Make TVs Into PCs
CONTENT
Public Knowledge Tells FCC It Must Prevent Harm To Future Programming Competition
Television broadcasters block Google TV
Is Netflix at the Mercy of Big Cable?
Groups, Firms Push For Action On Online IP Bill
POLICYMAKERS
FCC's Technological Advisory Council
LABOR
Groups Urge the FCC to Reinstate Collection of Equal Employment Opportunity Data
JOURNALISM
Juan Williams' firing is hard to justify
Fox Commentators Call For NPR funding To Be Cut
Colbert-Stewart rally raises question: Where is journalism headed?
Mortgages, Science and Religion
MEDIA AND ELECTIONS
Broadcasters caught in political crossfire
Ads bombard airwaves in gubernatorial races
Which Election 2010 race has run the most TV ads? Not the one you'd expect
A Favorite Villain in Election Ads: New York
Top Corporations Aid Chamber of Commerce Campaign
Political Ad's Message To Latinos: 'Don't Vote'
GOPers Have More 'Fans' Than Dems
COMMUNITY MEDIA
These headlines presented in partnership with:
Public libraries: the perfect public service
Fixing our media hypnosis
Will library have money to buy books?
A different kind of community
Protect the library
MORE ONLINE
Defense cyber chief downplays need to resolve lines of authority
Uncle Sam Wants YOU to Help Track Social Media in Government
Survey reveals school leaders' opinions on 21st-century skills
Challenges Seen in Moving to Multimedia Textbooks
Blumenthal seeks better planning for Stage 2
Canada project aims to track BlackBerry traffic
Smart21 Communities of 2011
SPECTRUM/WIRELESS
NTIA FINDS SPECTRUM
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Juliana Gruenwald]
The head of the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration said that his agency has recommended that 115 megahertz of spectrum now controlled by some federal agencies be reallocated for commercial mobile broadband use. During a speech at the Federal Communications Bar Association, NTIA Director Lawrence Strickling said the recommendation is included in a report for freeing up spectrum that is being reviewed by Obama administration officials. The plan is aimed at helping the administration meet a five-year goal, included in the FCC's national broadband plan, for freeing up 500 megahertz of spectrum for wireless broadband technologies. Director Strickling said the report, which will provide more detail on freeing up spectrum to meet the administration's goal, is working its way through the interagency evaluation process and would be released "soon." If the NTIA recommendations are accepted, it will be up to the FCC to implement them, Strickling noted. After the speech, Strickling told reporters that "more and more" federal spectrum users will have to find new ways to share spectrum, saying the days when big chunks of prime spectrum could be auctioned off for commercial use are gone. He also stressed the need for research and development into ways to make better use of existing spectrum.
100 megahertz is held by the Department of Defense and used primarily for radar systems for naval vessels.
15 megahertz is held by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and used for weather balloons and satellites.
benton.org/node/43889 | CongressDaily
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UNLEASHING AMERICA'S INVISIBLE INFRASTRUCTURE
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski]
Speaking at the Federal Communications Commission's Spectrum Summit, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said: One of the most important components of the National Broadband Plan is that it recognizes how central wireless broadband is to our future. Mobile has tremendous potential to grow our global economy, opening new markets for U.S. businesses. More than 90 percent of the world's population has access to mobile networks. Our invisible infrastructure also supports breakthrough tools to improve education and health care such as ever-updating e-readers that can replace outdated textbooks, and remote monitoring devices that help diabetes patients track their glucose levels. But we are at an inflection point. The explosive growth in mobile communications is outpacing our ability to keep up. If we don't act to update our spectrum policies for the 21st century, we're going to run into a wall - a spectrum crunch - that will stifle American innovation and economic growth and cost us the opportunity to lead the world in mobile communications. Spectrum is finite. Demand will soon outpace the supply available for mobile broadband. This is not the first time I've said this. And it won't be the last. The coming spectrum crunch is a vital strategic and economic issue for our country, and a vital consumer issue since increased congestion will lead to growing consumer frustration with their mobile devices. It's clear: We are standing at a crossroads. We are looking at two potential futures. If we act thoughtfully and execute on a strategic vision to ensure the highest and best use of this precious national resource, we can drive billions of dollars in private investment, fueling world-leading innovations, creating millions of new jobs, and enabling endless new products and services that can help improve the lives of all Americans. If we don't, we will put our country's economic competitiveness at risk, and squander the chance we now have to lead the world in mobile. The choice is clear: We have to pick the path that promises jobs and economic growth, innovation and opportunity. We must close the spectrum gap.
benton.org/node/43888 | Federal Communications Commission
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THE BENEFITS OF ADDITIONAL SPECTRUM
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: ]
This detailed technical and economic forecast of mobile broadband market trends details the looming spectrum crunch in a concrete, data-driven fashion. Some of the key findings in the white paper are:
Within the next five years, the spectrum deficit is likely to approach 300 megahertz.
This spectrum crunch will be driven by significant growth of mobile broadband traffic, on the order of 35 times recent levels.
Mobile broadband growth is likely to outpace the ability of technology and network improvements to keep up by an estimated factor of three.
Meeting this need may create $120 billion in spectrum value, with hundreds of billions more in total value to the economy.
benton.org/node/43887 | Federal Communications Commission | read the report | FCC blog | CongressDaily | GigaOm
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VERIZON PICKS WEST VIRGINIA
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: Stacey Higginbotham]
Verizon said it will roll out its new 4G wireless network in Charleston, West Virginia before the end of this year, making the municipality one of 38 cities where the nation's largest carrier plans to deploy begin deploying its Long Term Evolution network technology before the close of the year. Verizon will host a press conference next week with Sen Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), but the news is more style than substance. So far, the Verizon release is short on details such as when the network will roll out: it may be the first announced but not the first deployed. However, for a rural state the news is still worth noting. For those of you wondering why West Virginia is receiving such an honor, Se. Rockefeller is the chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Technology, the committee that oversees telecommunications regulations. He has the influence to make Verizon's life difficult and as the senator of a heavily rural state, he's pushed for better broadband access and competition.
benton.org/node/43882 | GigaOm
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LIFTED BY THE CLOUD
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Press release]
The Federal Communications Commission, the Coleman Institute for Cognitive Disabilities, and Raising the Floor, an international coalition of individuals and organizations who promote Internet accessibility for people with disabilities, launched a challenge to the public to submit short multimedia presentations on their visions of how cloud computing can create new opportunities for people with disabilities. The Coleman Institute for Cognitive Disabilities will award $1,000 for the best presentation that addresses the interests of people with cognitive disabilities, and Raising the Floor will award $1,000 for the best presentation that addresses the interests of people in developing countries. The challenge will run from October 22, 2010, to May 1, 2011. Submissions will be accepted at any point during that time period. Public voting will occur on Challenge.gov from May 2-31, 2011. The winner of this voting will be recognized as "the popular choice."
benton.org/node/43880 | Federal Communications Commission
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SHARING PHONES IN THE CLOUD
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: Kevin Tofel]
For residents in emerging countries, where income can be under a dollar per day, a handset purchase is considered a luxury. Dual SIM handsets from Nokia and others are targeted for these specific markets, allowing two people to share the same phone. That's one solution, but it pales in scope next to what Movirtu offers with its MX Share platform, which leverages the cloud to make millions of mobiles potentially sharable among a number of different people. With MX Share, subscribers purchase airtime minutes, services and their own phone number, even if they have no phone. Using either a pay phone or someone else's handset, a subscriber can log-in to their phone account to place prepaid calls, send text messages or check voicemail. No special handset or other hardware is required. Essentially, the model is similar to sharing a computer through multiple accounts; sign in to get your data and use the device. The key difference is that the account management enabling handset use is handled in the cloud, not on the individual device. Discovery likens the approach to using web-based email, another communications method that people can use on practically any web-connected computing device.
benton.org/node/43853 | GigaOm
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
CABLE INTERNET BILLS
[SOURCE: New York Post, AUTHOR: Claire Atkinson]
Cable subscribers should brace for ballooning Internet bills. A new report suggests that cable companies will have to double charges for Internet service if "cord cutting" -- opting to watch shows online instead of through traditional TV -- catches on with consumers. According to Morgan Stanley media analyst Ben Swinburne, a plethora of Web-enabled TVs and other Internet viewing options are making it easier for consumers to cancel their cable. For instance, Internet-connected TV sets offer consumers the ability to access not only traditional TV but also movies on Apple's iTunes, Google's YouTube and TV networks' own Web sites. Already, programmers including Time Warner's TNT and TBS, are creating apps for Google TV, a new service that is incorporated into Sony's Web-connected TV set. If a "material" number of households cut the cord, Swinburne said cable and satellite-TV providers will have to make up for the lost profits -- most likely by jacking up the cost of the broadband services they provide alongside cable packages. Swinburne said the migration to the Web will also push cable and satellite operators to offer more flexible pricing based on broadband consumption.
benton.org/node/43863 | New York Post
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RURAL BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT
[SOURCE: Connected Planet, AUTHOR: Joan Engebretson]
[Commentary] The Rural Broadband Alliance, a small telco group created a couple of months ago with the specific goal of pushing for changes in the National Broadband Plan, has released a paper to support its agenda, arguing, among other things, that the Federal Communications Commission should not eliminate rate of return (ROR) regulation. The National Broadband Plan proposed eliminating the ROR system because it offers no incentive for small telcos to reduce their costs. But Lehman offered an interesting rebuttal. "One cost-reducing incentive the small telcos have is that the managing director may be sitting at the lunch table in a small town next to the largest customers or owners," he said.
Considering that most small telcos already have deployed broadband, perhaps the biggest question for those telcos moving forward is what level of universal service support they should expect if policymakers move ahead in implementing the reforms proposed in the National Broadband Plan. Frontier Communications CEO Maggie Wilderotter noted that typically it's the last 8% of a service area that's tough or unprofitable to serve. She argued that only carriers that have deployed broadband to 88% or 90% of a territory should be eligible to receive funding.
The FCC has been promoting 4G wireless service as an alternative to landline offerings such as DSL or fiber to the premise for delivering broadband to unserved areas. The FCC also has noted that for the highest-cost areas, satellite-based service may be the most economical option. Chuck McCown, CEO pro tempore of Beehive Telephone Company, a small telco serving remote areas of Utah and Nevada, said he is not worried that policymakers might shift funding away from companies like Beehive and toward satellite service because satellites are not a suitable replacement for landline service because they have greater latency.
benton.org/node/43881 | Connected Planet
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GOOGLE AND STANFORD TEAM UP
[SOURCE: Google, AUTHOR: James Kelly]
Google is teaming with Stanford University to build an ultra-high speed broadband network to the university's Residential Subdivision, a group of approximately 850 faculty- and staff-owned homes on campus. Through this trial, Google plans to offer Internet speeds up to 1 gigabit per second -- more than 100 times faster than what most people have access to today. The plan is to start breaking ground in early 2011. To be clear, this trial is completely separate from Google's community selection process for Google Fiber, which is still ongoing. Google's ultimate goal is to build to at least 50,000 and potentially up to 500,000 people, and we still plan to announce our selected community or communities by the end of the year. Stanford's Residential Subdivision -- the first "beta" deployment to real customers -- will be a key step towards that goal. Google'll be able to take what we learn from this small deployment to help scale our project more effectively and efficiently to much larger communities. Why did Google decide to build at Stanford? Most important was Stanford's openness to us experimenting with new fiber technologies on its streets. The layout of the residential neighborhoods and small number of homes make it a good fit for a beta deployment. And its location -- just a few miles up the road from Google -- will make it easier for Google engineers to monitor progress.
benton.org/node/43864 | Google
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ONLINE TAX WAR
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Charisse Jones]
The last time you went on vacation or hit the road for work, chances are you scanned the hotel bill but barely gave the taxes that were tacked on a thought. Yet those taxes, paid for occupying a hotel room, are at the root of battles being waged in courts across the U.S. between online travel booking sites and cities and states that say they're not getting their fair share. The crux is whether occupancy taxes should be based on the discounted rate online companies such as Expedia and Orbitz negotiate with and pay to hotels, or the higher, retail room rate actually paid by guests. Online travel companies pocket the difference as their fee. The discrepancy over the proper tax amount has led some local governments to rewrite ordinances and to at least 40 lawsuits filed by those on both sides of the issue. Government officials say cities are losing an estimated $1 billion a year in revenue that would go toward promoting tourism and in some cases, paying for schools, law enforcement and other municipal services. Those dollars are especially important during the current economic downturn, some say, when treasuries are lean and every penny counts. Online travel companies, meanwhile, have taken their case to Capitol Hill, where they're lobbying for federal legislation that would declare that the taxable amount should not include their fees or income.
benton.org/node/43890 | USAToday
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ACCESSIBILITY
ADVANCED SERVICES ACCESSIBILITY
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Karen Peltz Strauss, Elizabeth Lyle]
The Federal Communications Commission's Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau and the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau released a Public Notice that seeks comment on some of the key provisions of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010, which the President signed into law on October 8, 2010. The law's provisions are designed to ensure that individuals with disabilities have access to emerging Internet Protocol-based communication and video programming technologies in the 21st Century. The PN seeks comment on the requirement in Section 716 of the Act that service providers of advanced communications services and manufacturers of equipment and software used with those services ensure that their equipment and services will be accessible to people with disabilities, unless not achievable. The FCC is required to promulgate rules implementing this provision within one year of enactment. Given the tight statutory deadline, the PN seeks to build a record as quickly as possible to aid the Commission in its rulemaking. The PN also seeks initial comment on ways to implement new recordkeeping obligations imposed by new Section 717 on entities subject to Sections 255, 716, and 718. In addition, this Notice seeks comment on the obligation imposed by new Section 718 on manufacturers and service providers to provide access to Internet browsers in telephones used with public mobile services by blind or visually-impaired individuals. Comments are due November 22 and reply comments are due December 7.
benton.org/node/43856 | Federal Communications Commission | read the Public Notice
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HOW WILL NEW LAW AFFECT STATIONS?
[SOURCE: TVNewsCheck, AUTHOR: Harry Jessell]
Within six years, the Federal Communications Commission will require that television stations in the top 60 US markets provide video descriptions on primetime programming so that TV shows are more fully accessible by the blind and other visually-impaired people. The descriptions of characters, scenes and action are inserted between the dialog of shows. TV stations should be able to pass through the extra audio channel containing the video descriptions without much trouble. However, some stations may face additional expenses in upgrading their switching and infrastructure. But Eric Small, the founder and chief technology officer of Modulation Sciences, cautions that there are other potentially costly elements in the new law, namely requirements for audible emergency alerts and closed captions on programming streamed on the Internet. Just what they mean for broadcasters won't be known until the FCC writes its implementing rules.
benton.org/node/43875 | TVNewsCheck
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TELEVISION
BP GRANT LED TO KCET SPLIT FROM PBS
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Scott Collins]
In 2004, KCET-TV, the PBS affiliate in Los Angeles, enjoyed what seemed like a stroke of unimaginable good fortune. Like most public television stations, KCET struggled for funding, but in that year it began raking in generous grants for preschool programming that would eventually total $50 million. The gifts were the largest in the station's history, and the programs, "A Place of Our Own" and its Spanish-language companion, "Los Ninos en Su Casa," went on to win Peabody and local Emmy awards and later aired on PBS stations nationwide. The oil giant BP had kicked in half the money, and in gratitude KCET bosses renamed their historic Sunset Boulevard soundstage BP Studios. But over the next few years, the golden egg hatched an albatross — one that directly led to KCET's surprising announcement earlier this month that it would exit PBS effective Jan. 1, thus leaving the nation's second-largest media market without a flagship public television station and marking the first defection of a major market station from the national network. As BP was grappling last summer with the Gulf of Mexico oil spill that badly tarnished its reputation, the unintended aftermath of its charitable giving had already begun to engulf PBS and the West Coast pillar of its national system. Under the network's complicated dues structure, which operates similar to a progressive tax, KCET would eventually see its dues to PBS soar more than 40%, from $4.9 million to nearly $7 million annually, in wake of the new grants. The irony of the windfall is that even though it left the station flush with money, KCET could use none of it to settle its account with PBS. The grants came with the stipulation they could not be used for such administrative costs. And around the time the higher payments came due, KCET's major funding streams began drying up amid the tumbling national economy.
benton.org/node/43891 | Los Angeles Times
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FUTURE OF TV
[SOURCE: Both Sides of the Table, AUTHOR: Mark Suster]
[Commentary] Nobody can predict 100% what the future of television will be so I won't pretend that I know the answers. But I do know that it will form a huge basis of the future of the Internet, how we consume media, how we communicate with friends, how we play games and how we shop. Video will be inextricably linked to the future of the Internet and consumption between PCs, mobile devices and TVs will merge. Note that I didn't say there will be total "convergence" but I believe the services will inter-operate. The digital living room battle will take place over the next 5-10 years, not just the next 1-2. But with the introduction of Apple TV, Google TV, the Boxee Box & other initiatives it's clear that this battle will heat up in 2011. The following is a framework for understanding the issues. This is where the digital media puck is going. 1) "Over the Top" video distribution, 2) Attempts at "moving up the stack", 3) The "second screen", 4) Content bundling, 5) Torso TV, 6) YouTube meets the television, 7) Content discovery new metaphors, 8) Gaming & TV, 9) Social media meets digital content, 10) The changing nature of content & the role of the narrative.
benton.org/node/43866 | Both Sides of the Table
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DON'T MAKE TVs IN PCs
[SOURCE: Fast Company, AUTHOR: Austin Carr]
Between Google and Apple TV and a slew of Internet-enabled televisions hitting shelves this holiday season, it's only a matter of time before the keyboard replaces the remote control. Right? Not according to Intel Fellow, and Most Creative anthropologist Genevieve Bell, who, after spending years studying consumer habits, believes the PC isn't taking over the TV. "Do you want to live in a world where your TiVo says, I'm terribly sorry, before you can see this next show, I have to defrag myself? Or the next time your set-top box says, I know we're in the middle of the playoffs but I need new drivers--no content view until downloaded?" Bell said. "People don't want their televisions to turn into a computer. People actually love their televisions because it turns out they're nothing like computers. They are not demanding--televisions don't require you to enter passwords!" Since coming to this conclusion, Intel has entirely changed its direction. Now, the company is focused on bringing the Internet to television in a way that's TV-friendly, meaning it doesn't interrupt the experience with the regular junk and clutter of most operating systems. "The right answer was not: Intel will liberate the computer lurking inside of every TV, which was our next point of strategy," Bell explained. Rather, Intel wants to bring the Web to TVs in the same way it was brought to the mobile space.
benton.org/node/43851 | Fast Company
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CONTENT
PREVENTING HARM TO PROGRAMMING COMPETITION
[SOURCE: Public Knowledge, AUTHOR: Press release]
Fox's decision to cut off access to its online programming to Cablevision subscribers shows that "the current generation of dominant content and content delivery networks are trying to control the next," Public Knowledge told the Federal Communications Commission. The incident shows that programmers "are willing and able to limit their online content only to ISPs (Internet Service Providers) who are willing to 'pay to play,'" PK said, citing cases of NBC blocking Olympics coverage, the "TV Everywhere" scheme and Hulu blocking of Boxee, Kylo and Google TV." While these types of actions are not "network neutrality" as precisely understood because they were conduct inflicted on an ISP rather than by an ISP, the actions "could threaten the integrity of the open Internet as much as anti-competitive behavior by telecommunications providers. Accordingly, incidents such as these should be investigated by the FCC, FTC, Justice Department, or other agencies, according to their jurisdiction," PK said. PK said that the FCC must address the issue on two levels. One level is the Comcast purchase of NBC, which could generate "more, and more damaging, retransmission consent and online video disputes." On a second, broader level, PK said the FCC has to "address the overall problem of media consolidation that allows a single commercial dispute between two companies to deprive millions of consumers of programming and impacts the evolution of the open Internet ecosystem." The FCC has allowed consolidation in programming, broadband and video-distribution markets on the theory that the Internet would provide competition to existing systems.
benton.org/node/43852 | Public Knowledge | read the letter | MediaPost
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NETWORKS BLOCK GOOGLE TV
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Alexei Oreskovic, Yinka Adegoke, Jennifer Saba, Sue Zeidler]
Walt Disney, NBC Universal and CBS block their shows from Google's new Web TV service, throwing a wrench into the company's plans to expand from computers to the living room. News Corp is also considering blocking access to shows on its Website, but a decision has not yet been made. "Everybody knows the lock that Google has on Internet traffic in terms of advertising. If you take that model and you extend it to the television, suddenly Google's power becomes enormous in the advertising space and the broadcasters don't like that idea," said Gartner analyst Van Baker.
benton.org/node/43858 | Reuters
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GROUPS URGE ACTION ON IP BILL
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Juliana Gruenwald]
A group of 40 companies and business groups wrote Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) to push for action on his legislation aimed at cracking down on online piracy and counterfeiting. The coalition urged Sen Leahy to push for Senate approval of the legislation when Congress returns in mid-November for a lame-duck session after the November midterm elections. The legislation would give the Justice Department new authority to file a civil action against a domain name linked to a website trafficking in illegal copyrighted content or counterfeit goods. Under the bill, the company that sold the domain name registration to the website could be forced to revoke the domain name of the site if it is being used for copyright infringement or counterfeiting. The Judiciary Committee was set to mark up the bill in late September but postponed action on the measure when the Senate recessed for the midterm elections.
benton.org/node/43855 | CongressDaily
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POLICYMAKERS
FCC'S TECHNOLOGICAL ADVISORY COUNCIL
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Press release]
The Federal Communications Commission announced the formation of the Technological Advisory Council. The Council, comprised of a diverse array of leading technical experts, will help the FCC to identify important areas of innovation and develop informed technology policies supporting America's competitiveness and job creation in the global economy.
Tom Wheeler, Managing Director, Core Capital Partners, will serve as Chairman of the Council. Wheeler previously served as the CEO of the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association and has founded multiple companies offering cable, video and voice communications services. Doug Sicker, Chief Technologist of the FCC, will work with the TAC Chairman in developing its work program. Walter Johnston, Chief of the Electromagnetic Compatibility Division, will serve as the Designated Federal Officer. Julius Knapp, Chief of the Office of Engineering and Technology will serve as the Alternate Designated Federal Officer.
The TAC will consider and advise the Commission on a variety of topics, many of which will build on the ideas and recommendations in the National Broadband Plan, such as how broadband communications can be part of the solution for the delivery and cost containment of health care, for energy and environmental conservation, for education innovation and in the creation of jobs. Other topics may include the evolution of broadband networks and devices and their implications, spectrum management, research and development in broadband and other communications areas, and how to promote innovation and investment. The first meeting of the Council will be November 4th. [more at the URL below]
benton.org/node/43884 | Federal Communications Commission
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LABOR
COLLECTING EEO DATA
[SOURCE: National Hispanic Media Coalition, AUTHOR: ]
More than three dozen organizations filed a letter calling on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reinstate collection of equal employment opportunity, or "EEO", data. The letter was submitted in support of National Hispanic Media Coalition's (NHMC) reply comment filed in mid-September.
From 1970 through 2000, every broadcast station was required to report the number of employees in each of nine job categories by race and gender. Members of the public could gain access to this data by visiting the station and looking at the public file or by going to FCC headquarters. The FCC used this data to compile annual "trend reports" tracking the aggregate percentage of people of color and women employed in each job category. Although the Commission decided to reinstate this data collection in 2004, that decision has never been implemented. [more at the URL below]
benton.org/node/43850 | National Hispanic Media Coalition
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JOURNALISM
NPR FIRES JUAN WILLIAMS
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: James Rainey]
[Commentary] It would be an understatement to say that National Public Radio's firing of analyst Juan Williams for his comments about Muslims has created a furor. Commentators across the political spectrum have slammed the radio network. Internet message boards have been jammed. Cable TV and talk radio cannot get enough. Appearing on Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor" Monday night, Williams said he worries when he sees people in "Muslim garb" get on an airplane. "I think, you know, they're identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims," he said. "I get worried. I get nervous." By Wednesday afternoon, NPR had tossed aside the longtime contributor and analyst, saying he had violated ethics rules that prohibit its contributors from showing their personal biases or even going on shows "that encourage punditry and speculation rather than fact-based analysis." Never mind that Williams also talked, in the same interview, about the need to rise above anti-Muslim bigotry. Forget that NPR has not cracked down on its other analysts who, if sometimes more artful and circumspect, have offered their opinions to other news outlets. By acting precipitously, NPR has given aid and comfort to its enemies who would portray it as a ready accomplice of the political left. The loudest are now demanding Congressional hearings and a cut-off of federal funding.
benton.org/node/43898 | Los Angeles Times | NPR Ombudsman | WSJ | op-ed - Emilio Karim Dabul | WP - editorial | op-ed - Reuel Marc Gerecht | Washington Post | CSM | LATimes editorial | USAToday
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COLBERT-STEWART RALLY AND JOURNALISM
[SOURCE: The Christian Science Monitor, AUTHOR: Gloria Goodale]
[Commentary] If you thought the "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear " coming up on Oct. 30 in Washington was just a date for some good laughs and maybe hot entertainment, think again. It is also shaping up as yet another event in the ongoing dialogue about where journalism is headed in the brave world of new media, where points of view are welcome. National Public Radio deemed the rally a political event and reminded reporters to not attend unless they were covering the event. Huffington Post co-founder Arianna Huffington then weighed in, blasting NPR's position as archaic and untenable in today's world. These days, transparency - not what she calls a "false objectivity" - is the new guiding star for journalism. Jeff Cohen, founding director of the Park Center for Independent Media at Ithaca College in New York and founder of the media watchdog organization Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR), says Stewart and Colbert are doing more to cultivate the democratic spirit when they poke fun at leadership than the mainstream media is doing in their reports. "I've been scrutinizing the media for decades, and I would say it is a rough time for traditional media but great for journalism," Cohen says. "The main reason mainstream media is under siege is because on major story after major story, they got it wrong," says Cohen. "It's not because reporters marched in Washington," he says. "It's because of the botched reporting in the run-up to the Iraq invasion and the totally missed financial crisis. The independent new voices have blossomed because of their content failures."
benton.org/node/43897 | Christian Science Monitor, The
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MEDIA AND ELECTIONS
BROADCASTERS CAUGHT IN CROSSFIRE
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Gregory Korte]
Candidates facing blistering attacks from television and radio ads are fighting back by demanding that stations take down ads that contain false claims. Station owners and their lawyers said they're seeing more demands that they take down ads, often threatening lawsuits or complaints to the Federal Communications Commission. "Each year it gets to be a bigger and bigger problem, and that's just a function of ads are getting more and more aggressive, and more money is coming in from non-candidate groups," said David Oxenford, a Washington attorney who represents broadcasters and who is the editor of BroadcastLawBlog.com. Although political ads are generally protected by the First Amendment, protests can succeed in blunting the attacks. The Federal Communications Commission doesn't keep statistics but "is not seeing an increase in political advertising complaints," said Janice Wise, an FCC spokeswoman. She said the FCC has never taken action against a license for the content of ads. But Oxenford said threats of action -- lawsuits or FCC complaints -- have risen steadily.
benton.org/node/43896 | USAToday
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TOP CORPS FUNDING CHAMBER CAMPAIGN
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Eric Lipton, Mike McIntire, Don Van Natta Jr]
Prudential Financial sent in a $2 million donation last year as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce kicked off a national advertising campaign to weaken the historic rewrite of the nation's financial regulations. Dow Chemical delivered $1.7 million to the chamber last year as the group took a leading role in aggressively fighting proposed rules that would impose tighter security requirements on chemical facilities. And Goldman Sachs, Chevron Texaco, and Aegon, a multinational insurance company based in the Netherlands, donated more than $8 million in recent years to a chamber foundation that has been critical of growing federal regulation and spending. These large donations -- none of which were publicly disclosed by the chamber, a tax-exempt group that keeps its donors secret, as it is allowed by law -- offer a glimpse of the chamber's money-raising efforts, which it has ramped up recently in an orchestrated campaign to become one of the most well-financed critics of the Obama administration and an influential player in this fall's Congressional elections. They suggest that the recent allegations from President Obama and others that foreign money has ended up in the chamber's coffers miss a larger point: The chamber has had little trouble finding American companies eager to enlist it, anonymously, to fight their political battles and pay handsomely for its help.
benton.org/node/43892 | New York Times
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