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  2. November 2010

November 2010

Attacks on 'Network Neutrality' Hurt Internet Growth

[Commentary] There's a fight going on over a crucial part of our national future. The outcome will determine whether America maintains what for many of our industries is the crucial foundation for our economic growth, which means jobs for New Mexico and the nation.

It is about the Internet and whether federal policy will continue promoting a first-class system capable of handling the increasing demands we place on it. Those in favor of this include the nation's largest labor unions, manufacturers, experts who helped create the Internet and civil rights advocates who rightly demand better, faster, more affordable broadband access to heal the Digital Divide. The Internet is the foundation for much of our future prosperity. This is no time to tie it down in pointless regulation just to satisfy the fundraising needs of a fringe group that doesn't understand the economic harm that would come from what they propose.

[Carnes is president of the Songwriters Guild of America]

Copps: FCC Will Fight for Net Neutrality

It is the Federal Communications Commission's job to enforce network neutrality, Commissioner Michael Copps told hundreds of New Mexicans at the National Hispanic Cultural Center on Tuesday, and the agency will fight to do so.

Network neutrality is the principle that all content on the Internet should be treated equally, and that Internet service providers cannot discriminate between different types of content, according to Save the Internet.com, a coalition that helped organize the event. "The Internet was born on openness, it flourished on openness and it depends on openness for its continued success," Commissioner Copps said.

The town hall meeting, which organizers said drew more than 400 people, was live-streamed on savetheinternet.com, formed by a coalition that contends that cable and telephone companies want to act as "gatekeepers," deciding which sites load quickly and which don't, and imposing taxes. It was aimed at minority groups like Latinos and Native Americans. Commissioner Copps said the FCC will continue to fight to enforce net neutrality. The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in spring ruled the FCC does not have authority to censure cable companies that interfere with Internet traffic.

Copps Speaks to National Congress of American Indians

Speaking to the National Congress of American Indians on Nov 17, Federal Communications Commission member Michael Copps noted the FCC's recent work with Tribal Governments to bring Native communities access to the enabling communications technologies necessary to prosper in the 21st Century.

He announced that on March 3, 2011, the Federal Communications Commission will convene a Tribal Issues Commission Meeting in Washington, DC, focusing exclusively on the issues that matter to Indian Country. The event will immediately follow NCAI's Executive Council Winter Session. The Chairman and other Commissioners will be in attendance and will examine ways-through our regulatory and other processes-to identify and remove the barriers to deployment of services on and near Tribal lands.

GAO Finds EHRs promote better care

Health care delivery in the United States often lacks coordination and communication across providers and settings. This fragmentation can lead to poor quality of care, medical errors, and higher costs. Providers have formed integrated delivery systems (IDS) to improve efficiency, quality, and access. The Health Care Safety Net Act of 2008 directed GAO to report on IDSs that serve underserved populations--those that are uninsured or medically underserved (i.e., facing economic, geographic, cultural, or linguistic barriers to care, including Medicaid enrollees and rural populations).

In October 2009, GAO provided an oral briefing. In this follow-on report, GAO describes (1) organizational features IDSs use to support strategies to improve care; (2) approaches IDSs use to facilitate access for underserved populations; and (3) challenges IDSs encounter in providing care, including to underserved populations. IDSs in GAO's sample reported that using electronic health records (EHR), operating health insurance plans, and employing physicians all support strategies to improve patient care. An EHR contains patient and care information, such as progress notes and medications. Some IDSs said that using EHRs supports their patient care strategies such as care coordination, disease management, and use of care protocols by increasing the availability of individual patient and patient population data and by improving communication among providers. IDSs also reported that operating a health insurance plan can support patient care strategies by providing to the IDS both financial resources, such as savings from reducing avoidable hospitalizations for health insurance plan members, and data on plan members.

(GAO-11-49)

Defense Needs to provide More HIT Info

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 directed the Department of Defense (DOD) to submit a report to congressional defense committees on improvements to the governance and execution of its health information management and information technology (IT) programs to support medical care within the military health system.

DOD submitted its report to the appropriate House and Senate committees in June 2010. The act also directed GAO to assess the report and DOD's plan of action to achieve its goals and mitigate risks in the management and execution of health information management and IT programs. Specifically, GAO's objective was to determine whether DOD addressed the reporting requirements specified in the defense authorization act. To do this, GAO reviewed the report submitted by DOD, and analyzed it against the reporting requirements, prior GAO work examining DOD's health IT issues, DOD guidance, and industry best practices.

DOD addressed 6 of the 10 reporting requirements included in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010. For example, it reported on its capability to meet the requirements for joint interoperability--the ability to exchange electronic patient health data--with the Department of Veterans Affairs. The department also reported on its capability to carry out necessary governance, management, and development functions of health information management and IT systems. The department partially addressed the remaining 4 requirements, which pertained to identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks, as well as reporting on estimated resources required to optimally support health care IT and planning corrective actions to remedy shortfalls that DOD identified. For example, the department had identified and assessed risks, but the report did not fully disclose these risks or the meaning of the department's assessment. Also, the report did not fully identify the staff and funds needed, nor did it fully identify the organizations responsible and accountable for accomplishing risk mitigation activities. If not corrected, incomplete reporting to address these requirements could impede congressional oversight of the department's planned improvements. GAO is recommending that DOD report additional details to address shortcomings in 4 requirements, including risk identification and assessment, risk mitigation planning, and corrective action planning.

In comments on a draft of this report, DOD concurred with GAO's recommendation and described actions it is taking to address it.


Public Knowledge
January 13th, 2011
http://worldsfairuseday.org/

This January, World's Fair Use Day will return with another day-long celebration of remix culture, creativity and innovation. The second annual World's Fair Use Day will take place on January 13th, 2011 at the Washington Post Conference Center in downtown Washington D.C. During the next few weeks, we'll be making plenty of exciting announcements, so stay tuned to the WFUD website. In the meantime, here's a preview of a few folks who will be speaking at WFUD 2011:

  • DJ, activist and academic Kevin Driscoll
  • Larry Oji and David Lloyd of OverClocked Remix
  • Tim Hwang, co-founder of ROFLcon, The Awesome Foundation and The Web Ecology Project
  • DJ, attorney, activist and academic DJ Ripley

November 17, 2010 (Wiretaps; Retransmission)

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2010

Television Viewers, Retransmission Consent, and the Public Interest http://bit.ly/9FISFZ (Previews under Television below)


INTERNET/BROADBAND
   FBI Seeks Wider Wiretap Law for Web
   The Impact of Broadband Speed and Price on Small Business
   Network neutrality in neutral
   Internet Bandwidth Prices Falling -- For Wholesalers, not Consumers
   Pennsylvania Launches Broadband Map
   Online advertising to balloon to $50 billion
   FEMA asks newly elected lawmakers to promote their widgets
   Online Travel Sites Lobby Congress To Block Google-ITA deal

PRIVACY
   Commerce Dept weighs privacy policy guidelines

TELEVISION
   Comcast: NBCU Deal Would Be $290M Net Gain For Consumers
   Carey: Retransmission Modifications Could Imperil Free News, Sports, Entertainment
   Cable Operators Claim Current Rules Favor Broadcasters
   TV Station Groups Enjoy Political Ad Windfall
   Unwrap a new way to watch TV

WIRELESS
   16 Months Later -- Google Voice for the iPhone

POLICYMAKERS
   Rep Upton Announces Bid For House Commerce Chair
   Ramer, Pryor Elected to CPB Leadership Posts
   Patrick Butler to Head APTS
   Google, Facebook, Microsoft huddle with GOP transition chairman and Treasury official
   Hlibok to Head FCC's Disability Rights Office

JOURNALISM
   Up for audit: 'Checkbook journalism' and the news groups that buy big stories

CYBERSECURITY
   US sees "huge" cyber threat in the future

HEALTH
   Less than 10% of Hospitals can meet meaningful use

RESEARCH
   Digital Keys for Unlocking the Humanities' Riches
   Tech-savvy put explosion of data to work

STORIES FROM ABROAD
These headlines presented in partnership with:

   Is high-speed Internet a human right?
   The Perils of Digital Diplomacy
   OECD sees dangers in NBN haste
   Ofcom Targets Early 2012 for UK Spectrum Auction
   BT warns of challenge to Ofcom fees ruling
   US Courts Afghans Through Television
   J:COM to add mobile TV to cable offering
   Tele2 and Telenor Sweden launch LTE
   German cable operator successfully trials 1Gbps over cable TV network
   Agcom confirms new unbundling rates

MORE ONLINE
   Phone books may become (white) pages of the past

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INTERNET/BROADBAND

EXPANDING WIRETAPPING LAW
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Charlie Savage]
The Federal Bureau of Investigation wants to expand a 1994 law, the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, to impose regulations on Internet companies. The law requires phone and broadband network access providers like Verizon and Comcast to make sure they can immediately comply when presented with a court wiretapping order. Law enforcement officials want the 1994 law to also cover Internet companies because people increasingly communicate online. An interagency task force of Obama administration officials is trying to develop legislation for the plan, and submit it to Congress early next year. The Commerce Department and State Department have questioned whether it would inhibit innovation, as well as whether repressive regimes might harness the same capabilities to identify political dissidents, according to officials familiar with the discussions. Under the proposal, firms would have to design systems to intercept and unscramble encrypted messages. Services based overseas would have to route communications through a server on United States soil where they could be wiretapped.
benton.org/node/45129 | New York Times
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NEW SBA REPORT
[SOURCE: Small Business Administration, AUTHOR: ]
The availability, speed and price of broadband services vary significantly between metro area and rural businesses, according to a study released today by the SBA Office of Advocacy. The study found that when prices are held constant, rural small businesses get less service compared with metro small businesses. When services are held constant, rural small businesses pay higher prices than metro small businesses. The Office of Advocacy was directed to conduct this study by Congress under the Broadband Data Improvement Act (Public Law 110-385 Section 105). The study surveyed small businesses to evaluate their options to broadband services. The study finds that small businesses want both competition and choice in the broadband service market. They see com­petition as key to innovation, customer service, and lower prices. The survey data demonstrate that, in most cases, the small business Internet market does not provide this competition or choice to small businesses from or price perspective. The report also examined local service and pricing. A case study comparing the prices paid by small businesses and residential Internet consumers in Minnesota and Tennessee found that small business Internet customers pay two to three times more than what residential Internet customers pay for equivalent speeds, irrespective of the com­munity under analysis.
benton.org/node/45117 | Small Business Administration | read the report | research summary | National Journal
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NETWORK NEUTRALITY IN NEUTRAL
[SOURCE: TheDeal.com, AUTHOR: Chris Nolter]
After midterm elections, Julius Genachowski's already-Gordian dilemma of how to restore the Federal Communications Commission's authority over broadband has become even more difficult. The FCC's online jurisdiction has been cloudy since a federal appellate court undercut its ability to enforce so-called net neutrality and other Internet rules in the spring. As he sought a legal fix, Genachowski has had to balance concerns and complaints of public advocates, broadband providers, online search companies, members of Congress and others. If Genachowski presses on with his third way against House leadership, there could be repercussions. After the last midterm elections, House Democrats held oversight hearings on the stewardship of FCC Chairman Kevin Martin. Democrats prodded the FCC commissioners on a range of issues. Genachowski and his colleagues could face similar scrutiny from House Republicans. The Obama administration came to Washington with grand plans to expand broadband networks, narrow the digital divide and create infrastructure for a new generation of online entrepreneurs. The elections have provided still another test for the administration, which must choose between commitment to principle and political expediency.
benton.org/node/45088 | TheDeal.com
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WHOLESALE INTERNET PRICES FALLING
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: Om Malik]
The price of Internet bandwidth continues to fall -- not for consumers, but at the wholesale level. Prices for wholesale Internet bandwidth -- the kind that is sold to content providers such as Google, Yahoo, Facebook, Netflix and Internet service providers -- are declining at a steady clip. The service provided is known as IP transit. Data released by research firm Telegeography shows that prices for IP transit are declining even as international traffic volumes are growing at more than 60 percent annually.
benton.org/node/45087 | GigaOm
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PA BROADBAND MAP
[SOURCE: Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development, AUTHOR: Press release]
The Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development unveiled a new tool for identifying the availability and speed of broadband connections throughout the state. The interactive broadband map gives policy makers and state officials a snapshot of where broadband service exists and which areas still need access. The map will become part of a national broadband map that the US Department of Commerce plans to launch in February. A $7.3 million grant from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act paid for the map, which will be updated semi-annually.
benton.org/node/45110 | Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development | see the map
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OPPOSITION TO GOOGLE-ITA
[SOURCE: National Journal, AUTHOR: Eliza Krigman]
In its ongoing effort to try to block Google's acquisition of ITA Software, a coalition of online travel sites sent a letter to every member of Congress warning against the negative repercussions that merging the two companies could have on consumers. "This combination threatens to enable Google to dominate online flight and travel search, which can reduce the quality of travel information available to consumers, increase advertising costs, and result in higher airfares," according to the letter from the Fair Search coalition, which includes Expedia, Hotwire, TripAdvisor, KAYAK and Travelocity. ITA, which makes travel technology software, provides the backend flight search technology for American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, Continental Airlines, Bing, Kayak, and Orbitz and others. With Google's dominance in the search market overall, travel search competitors fear they will be squeezed out of the marketplace. "We believe that Google should not be allowed to enter a market in a way that simultaneously undermines the ability of other competitors to provide quality products to consumers and continue to innovate themselves," the coalition said.
benton.org/node/45122 | National Journal
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PRIVACY

DRAFT PRIVACY RECOMMENDATIONS LEAKED
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Cecilia Kang]
The Commerce Department has drafted broad recommendations for Internet privacy oversight in a widely anticipated report that could set the stage for tighter regulation of Web firms. Among its 10 policy recommendations, the report calls for strengthening the Federal Trade Commission's rule-making powers and enacting legislation requiring Internet companies to inform customers of data breaches. The report, prepared by the Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration -- which advises the White House on communications policy ­ also recommends voluntary codes of conduct for Web firms and advertisers, an idea that has drawn sharp criticism from privacy advocates. "The Commerce Department is more interested in protecting companies collecting data than consumers," said Jeffrey Chester, executive of the Center for Digital Democracy, a public interest group. The report recommends legislation that establishes a "baseline privacy framework" for the Internet and advertising industry. The draft specifically calls for baseline principles on fair data collection practices on the Web. It questions whether the FTC should have expanded authority to create rules to implement Internet privacy legislation. The report also calls on the White House to review the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), in which companies such as Microsoft want to include privacy protections for cloud computing and location-based services.
benton.org/node/45086 | Washington Post | see summary of the draft
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TELEVISION

COMCAST PREDICTS $290 MILLION WINDFALL FOR CONSUMERS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Countering a recent study promoted by small cable operators, Comcast says its proposed merger with NBC Universal will result in $290 million worth of consumer benefits, not the $2.4 billion cost to consumers alleged in a study by the American Cable Association. Comcast researchers Mark Israel and Michael Katz say the ACA study understates the deal's cost savings, ignores data, provides no basis for the conditions ACA is proposing on the deal, and lacks credible evidence of any horizontal competitive harms. They say pricing models used in the ACA study are unsubstantiated. ACA President Matthew Polka said in a statement: "After almost a year of first producing and then revising its economic arguments to justify government approval of this transaction, Comcast is surprising no one by again revising its arguments for why this deal is not harmful to the American consumer."
benton.org/node/45114 | Broadcasting&Cable
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CAREY: RETRANS COULD ENDANGER FREE TV
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
According to a copy of his prepared testimony, News Corp. President Chase Carey will tell a Senate Subcommittee that if the government modifies retransmission consent laws, local news on broadcast TV could be eliminated and high-value sports and entertainment content will migrate from broadcasting to cable. He says retransmission is going through "growing pains" because broadcasters are, for the first time, seeking cash for their high-value, highly-rated content, just as cable channels have been doing all along. He says claims that broadcasters are seeking 100% increases is true: "Any increase over zero is a 100% increase." Carey plans to tell the legislators that Fox is asking a "more than fair" price for its stations given that some cable channels "command as much as $4 and $5 per sub." He points out that Fox has an average 8 million viewers per night in primetime -- "more than the top three cable channels combined." He says the comparison holds beyond price to "any comparison based on the quality and quantity of unique programming offered [or] the amount invested in programming," citing shows like Glee, House, The Simpsons and American Idol. He says Fox is asking several times less than cable channels that have a fraction of broadcast ratings. He concedes that the two weeks when Fox was off Cablevision systems during its recent retrans impasse caused pain "primarily to viewers." But he says that had the FCC stepped in to try to force the parties hands, "Cablevision would not have come back to the bargaining table, and we likely would still not have a contract in place. But Carey suggests the dominoes would not stop falling with the impact on Fox or retrans deals. He says the real harm to consumers--the "30 million Americans who rely exclusively on over-the-air television"-- would result from government intervention and the resulting impact on the broadcast business model. "[I]f we can't sell our content for a price that allows us a fair return on our investment, we will no longer be able to invest in the high quality content that viewers enjoy," he warns.
benton.org/node/45085 | Broadcasting&Cable
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CABLE THINKS RETRANS TILTED TOWARDS BROADCASTERS
[SOURCE: National Journal, AUTHOR: Eliza Krigman]
According to testimony to be delivered Nov 17 at a Senate subcommittee hearing, cable operators will hammer the point that current federal laws advantage broadcasters in programming carriage negotiations. Under the Cable Act, broadcasters can insist that cable operators include their programming under a "must carry" provision, or they can choose to negotiate a price for an operator's right to retransmit their signal. Historically, broadcasters elected "must carry," but in recent years, networks have increasingly opted to negotiate a price for their signal. Unstable ad revenue and ownership of premium content--such as the popular Fox shows "Glee" and "American Idol"--have made carriage-fee negotiations a more attractive option for broadcasters. Cable firms will take issue with the local monopolies granted to broadcasters that prevent cable operators from negotiating with more than one broadcast channel in a given market. Such exclusive rights were given to broadcasters to protect local programming that may not be commercially viable in a free market.
benton.org/node/45084 | National Journal | B&C - Cablevision | B&C - Time Warner
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POLITICAL AD WINDFALL
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: David Goetzl]
Eighty percent of the $3 billion spent on political advertising went for spot TV. With stations in Las Vegas and Phoenix, Meredith posted a record amount of political ad dollars this election season. The $33.2 million for its 12 stations blew away its intake in the presidential run of 2008, and nipped the $32.6 million it garnered four years ago. The Sinclair group took in about $42 million -- 2% above 2008. Sinclair has a CW-MyNetworkTV duopoly in Las Vegas. Meredith has the Fox station in the Nevada market that had Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid spending liberally to hold onto his seat. In Phoenix, Meredith's CBS affiliate was positioned to benefit from Sen. John McCain efforts to stay in office.
benton.org/node/45121 | MediaPost
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OVER-THE-TOP BOXES
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Jefferson Graham]
Watch what you want to, when you want to. And because the Internet is so vast, you can find virtually anything you're interested in online — Spanish guitar performances, cooking demos, silly videos, artsy student films — and enjoy it from the comfort of your bed or couch on a flat-screen TV in high-definition, instead of on a small computer screen. You don't have to ditch cable to enjoy one of the Web TV set-top boxes. Instead, you can use the box to complement what you currently get on TV. Missed the latest episode of Fox's Glee and don't want to wait for the rerun in January? Rent it for a buck via Amazon on Roku or iTunes on Apple TV. Already paying monthly for Netflix? Why wait for the discs to arrive? With Apple TV, Roku, Google TV, Boxee and Western Digital's new WD TV Live Hub, you can access Netflix's library on your set. Installation for most of the boxes is simple: Just power them up and plug an HDMI cable from the back of the unit into the TV.
benton.org/node/45125 | USAToday
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WIRELESS

GOOGLE VOICE HITS IPHONE
[SOURCE: TechCrunch, AUTHOR: MG Siegler]
The wait is over. The Google Voice application is now available for the iPhone. As you're probably well aware, this app has had quite the contentious history. Google originally submitted it to the App Store about a year and a half ago. But 16 months ago, Apple decided they weren't going to accept it. Not only that, other third-party apps with Google Voice functionality were pulled from the App Store as well. While Apple and Google were both silent on the issue at first, the government got involved and both sides were made to disclose at least part of their stance on the app, their relationships with carriers, and the relationship with each other. Apple's stated stance was that they didn't like the Google Voice app because it was too similar to the functionality of their own built-in calling system on the iPhone. They also said that they hadn't rejected the app, just that they were still considering it for approval. BS or not, Apple controlled their own App Store, and there was little Google could do. The decided to build a web app for Google Voice instead. But this past September, Apple, perhaps pushed by the governmental inquiries, decided to ease up on many of their strict App Store rules. This led to third-party Google Voice apps being allowed back into the App Store.
benton.org/node/45109 | TechCrunch
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POLICYMAKERS

UPTON FOR COMMERCE CHAIR
[SOURCE: National Journal, AUTHOR: Juliana Gruenwald]
In a letter to House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), who is expected to be the next speaker of the House, Rep Fred Upton (R-MI) formally announced his bid to chair the House Commerce Committee when Republicans take control of the House in the 112th Congress. Rep Upton touted his work as both chairman and ranking member on three Commerce Committee subcommittees: Oversight, Communications and Energy, where he currently serves as the top Republican. He noted his work in passing legislation to curb indecency on television and targeting online predators. "My vision for the Energy and Commerce Committee is a conservative agenda that focuses on cutting spending, removing the regulatory burden, restoring freedom, keeping government accountable through rigorous oversight, and jobs," Rep Upton wrote. "We are going to take a coordinated approach that involves other committees and our conference, and focuses on an aggressive communications strategy that effectively articulates our message to the American people."
benton.org/node/45111 | National Journal | The Hill
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CPB LEADERSHIP
[SOURCE: Corporation for Public Broadcasting, AUTHOR: Press release]
The board of directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) elected Bruce Ramer and David Pryor to serve one-year terms as chairman and vice-chairman, respectively. [much more at the URL below]
benton.org/node/45112 | Corporation for Public Broadcasting
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BUTLER TO HEAD APTS
[SOURCE: TVNewsCheck, AUTHOR: ]
The board of the Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) has named Patrick Butler as its new president and chief executive officer. Butler retired as senior vice president of the Washington Post Co. in December 2008 after 18 years managing the company's public policy, new business development and special corporate projects. [much more at the URL below]
benton.org/node/45123 | TVNewsCheck
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TECH AND POLICYMAKERS DISCUSS AGENDA
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Sara Jerome]
Government affairs executives from some of the nation's leading technology companies met with top officials from both parties at an off-the-record summit at TechNet's Washington (DC) offices. Top policy officials from Google, Facebook, Cisco, Microsoft and nearly 40 other companies convened with GOP Transition Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) and Gene Sperling, counselor to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. Their summit included remarks from Sperling and Walden and focused on the tech sector's usual concerns, including high-skilled immigration, taxes and how to move toward policies that spur job creation and innovation.
benton.org/node/45124 | Hill, The
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HLIBOK TO HEAD FCC'S DISABILITY RIGHTS OFFICE
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: ]
Gregory Hlibok, currently an attorney in the Federal Communications Commission's Disability Rights Office (DRO) in the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, has been named to head that office. Hlibok has been instrumental on a wide array of disability matters in DRO since 2001. He is known nationally for his role as spokesperson for the Deaf President Now movement in 1988, which led to the selection of Gallaudet University's first deaf president. Gallaudet is the world's only university serving primarily deaf and hard of hearing students. At the FCC, he has taken the lead in several key rulemaking proceedings on telecommunications access for people with disabilities, including new initiatives on the National Broadband Plan. In addition to its new duties in implementing the new 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act, the Disability Rights Office has responsibility for a variety of disability-related telecommunications matters, including telecommunications relay service (TRS), access to telecommunications equipment and services by persons with disabilities, access to emergency information, and closed captioning. DRO also provides expert advice and assistance to other Bureaus and Offices, consumers, and industry, in order to support the Commission's goal of increasing the accessibility of communications services and technologies for persons with disabilities
benton.org/node/45077 | Federal Communications Commission | The Hill
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JOURNALISM

CHECKBOOK JOURNALISM
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Paul Farhi]
At first it was only supermarket tabloids like the National Enquirer that did it. While the "respectable" media shunned the practice, the Enquirer developed a long and proud tradition of "checkbook journalism," paying sources for such sensational exclusives as a photo of Elvis Presley in his coffin or "revelations" about Donald Trump by his ex-housekeeper. But thanks to heightened competition for the next big "get," journalism's Thou-Shalt-Not-Pay commandment has lately been taking a beating. News and gossip sites that paid for information have broken some of the biggest and most sensational recent stories. TV news divisions have joined in, spurring an arms race to buy big stories. Mainstream news organizations have long been reluctant to pay for information for a few simple reasons. One is practical: Paying for stories can get expensive. The other, more important consideration is the perception that paying sources poisons the credibility of both the source and the news organization. "When you pay for a story, you're making a contract with the person who supplies it and that means you're no longer acting independently," says Hagit Limor, the president of the Society of Professional Journalists, which prohibits the practice in its code of ethics. "People will say anything in pursuit of money. The public should assume you're reporting something because it's true, not because someone received money to say it."
benton.org/node/45127 | Washington Post
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CYBERSECURITY

CYBER THREATS
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Phil Stewart]
The United States faces a major threat in the future from cyber technologies that will require civil-military coordination to shield networks from attack, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said. "I think there is a huge future threat. And there is a considerable current threat," Sec Gates said. "And that's just the reality that we all face." The Defense Department estimates that over 100 foreign intelligence organizations have attempted to break into US networks. Every year, hackers also steal enough data from US government agencies, businesses and universities to fill the Library of Congress many times over. Sec Gates said the U.S. military had made considerable progress protecting its own sites and was working with its private-sector partners "to bring them under that umbrella." But how to allow Pentagon know-how to be applied to protecting domestic infrastructure can be tricky for legal reasons, including fear of violating civil liberties.
benton.org/node/45113 | Reuters
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HEALTH

HOSPITALS NOT READY FOR MEANINGFUL USE
[SOURCE: ModernHealthcare.com, AUTHOR: Joseph Conn]
Fewer than 1 in 10 hospitals is prepared to meet most of the meaningful-use requirements to qualify for federal subsidy payments for electronic health-record systems under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, according to a survey by HIMSS Analytics, the market analysis arm of the Chicago-based Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. This data point was drawn from an ongoing survey by HIMSS Analytics that included 687 hospitals. The questioning was begun before the final rule on meaningful use was released in July, fixing the number of core and so-called "menu" requirements at 14 and 10 respectively. Thus the HIMSS Analytics survey report includes responses on 12 of the 14 core measures and eight of the 10 menu requirements, according to a news release. Only 9.6% of hospitals participating in the survey indicated that they are capable of meeting the 12 core measures, according to the report.
benton.org/node/45076 | ModernHealthcare.com
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RESEARCH

DATA AND THE HUMANITIES
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Patricia Cohen]
A history of the humanities in the 20th century could be chronicled in "isms" -- formalism, Freudianism, structuralism, postcolonialism -- grand intellectual cathedrals from which assorted interpretations of literature, politics and culture spread. Members of a new generation of digitally savvy humanists argue it is time to stop looking for inspiration in the next political or philosophical "ism" and start exploring how technology is changing our understanding of the liberal arts. This latest frontier is about method, they say, using powerful technologies and vast stores of digitized materials that previous humanities scholars did not have. These researchers are digitally mapping Civil War battlefields to understand what role topography played in victory, using databases of thousands of jam sessions to track how musical collaborations influenced jazz, searching through large numbers of scientific texts and books to track where concepts first appeared and how they spread, and combining animation, charts and primary documents about Thomas Jefferson's travels to create new ways to teach history. This alliance of geeks and poets has generated exhilaration and also anxiety. The humanities, after all, deal with elusive questions of aesthetics, existence and meaning, the words that bring tears or the melody that raises goose bumps. Are these elements that can be measured?
benton.org/node/45128 | New York Times
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DATA AND BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Byron Acohido]
Analyzing large sets of data to rev up business operations is as old as arithmetic. But two big variables have changed. First, the sheer volume of data amassed over the past decade is not just unprecedented, it's mind-boggling. This year the amount of digital information created and replicated is expected to hit an astounding 1.2 zettabytes. That's 1 trillion gigabytes, enough data to fill a stack of DVDs reaching from Earth to the moon and back, according to researcher IDC. That number will approach 35 zettabytes by 2020; picture a stack of DVDs reaching halfway to Mars. Second, the general populace has become tech savvy. Most people are at ease surfing the Internet and using mobile devices. Combine the two variables, and you find business intelligence exploding on several fronts.
benton.org/node/45126 | USAToday
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STORIES FROM ABROAD
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IS BROADBAND A HUMAN RIGHT?
[SOURCE: Globe and Mail, AUTHOR: Iain Marlow]
A Q&A with telecom consultant Laura Bradley. More and more of modern life is moving online. And governments, including Canada's, have begun to look at how they can ensure everyone in the country has access to a secure, high-speed Internet connection in an era where everything is moving online -- from interactions with friends and family to government and medical services. In a country the size of Canada, which also has a dispersed population, that is no easy task. Large Internet service providers have built huge wireless broadband networks and the government is finishing up with a $225-million broadband strategy. But many communities are still left without affordable and high-quality connections -- and could be stranded for many more years. In some cases, municipal politicians have become so frustrated that they have embarked on campaigns to fund their own networks.
benton.org/node/45108 | Globe and Mail
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PERILS OF DIGITAL DEMOCRACY
[SOURCE: Fast Company, AUTHOR: Neal Ungerleider]
These days, the buzz at the State Department is all about Civil Society 2.0 ­ the idea that the United States can help non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society organizations (CSOs) prosper through judicious use of technology and the Internet. Civil Society 2.0 projects have names like Random Hacks of Kindness and Tech@State. But one well-known international relations wonk believes Civil Society 2.0 will actually empower repressive regimes. Tufts University's Daniel Drezner is a popular blogger at Foreign Policy magazine and a prominent expert on international politics. In a recent article published in The Brown Journal of World Affairs, Drezner puts forth the case that social networking actually helps repressive regimes once, say, the heady days of protests in the streets of Tehran come to an end.
benton.org/node/45107 | Fast Company
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OECD WARNING FOR AUSTRALIA
[SOURCE: The Australian, AUTHOR: Annabel Hepworth]
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development is urging Australia's government to slow down the rollout of its $43 billion high-speed broadband network, warning that the project is installing a public monopoly that could choke off the development of better Internet technologies. Instead, OECD is suggesting a more gradual approach would allow a better assessment of the costs and potential benefits associated with the National Broadband Network. In a new report, the OECD said the government had adopted a "picking-the-winner strategy" on the NBN that could hinder the development of "as yet unknown, superior technological alternatives". The report also found "substantial financial uncertainties" with the massive project - which is expected to have $26bn worth of equity funding from the government -- and cautioned that it may not be the most cost-effective strategy.
benton.org/node/45106 | Australian, The | International Business Times
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UK SPECTRUM AUCTION SCHEDULED
[SOURCE: Bloomberg, AUTHOR: Jonathan Browning]
UK telecommunications regulator Ofcom said an auction for additional spectrum will start in the first quarter of 2012, with licenses to be issued in the second quarter. Ofcom will publish the auction consultation process and proposals in February 2011.
benton.org/node/45078 | Bloomberg
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COURTING AFGHANS THROUGH TV
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Maria Abi-Habib]
In a country where police are often known for drug use, bribe-taking and bungled operations, one elite squad stands out -- well-trained officers who protect the weak, effortlessly take out would-be suicide bombers and also look good in tank tops. They are the fictional police unit of "Eagle Four," the first of several television shows funded by the U.S. government as part of a strategy to galvanize Afghans behind their security forces. The show's first episodes debuted in recent weeks on Tolo TV, one of Afghanistan's largest stations. Tolo will follow up in the spring with "Birth of an Army," a reality show that follows recruits from their first training missions to their battles with insurgents. The US-backed shows are part of a broad allied effort to counter a Taliban propaganda offensive against coalition and Afghan forces, a push that runs parallel to the surge of forces on the ground. TV is seen as an effective way for the US to spread its message to Afghanistan's largely young and illiterate population. A cop show appeals to the core demographic: impressionable young men.
benton.org/node/45119 | Wall Street Journal
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FBI Seeks Wider Wiretap Law for Web

The Federal Bureau of Investigation wants to expand a 1994 law, the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, to impose regulations on Internet companies.

The law requires phone and broadband network access providers like Verizon and Comcast to make sure they can immediately comply when presented with a court wiretapping order. Law enforcement officials want the 1994 law to also cover Internet companies because people increasingly communicate online. An interagency task force of Obama administration officials is trying to develop legislation for the plan, and submit it to Congress early next year.

The Commerce Department and State Department have questioned whether it would inhibit innovation, as well as whether repressive regimes might harness the same capabilities to identify political dissidents, according to officials familiar with the discussions. Under the proposal, firms would have to design systems to intercept and unscramble encrypted messages. Services based overseas would have to route communications through a server on United States soil where they could be wiretapped.

Digital Keys for Unlocking the Humanities' Riches

A history of the humanities in the 20th century could be chronicled in "isms" -- formalism, Freudianism, structuralism, postcolonialism -- grand intellectual cathedrals from which assorted interpretations of literature, politics and culture spread. Members of a new generation of digitally savvy humanists argue it is time to stop looking for inspiration in the next political or philosophical "ism" and start exploring how technology is changing our understanding of the liberal arts.

This latest frontier is about method, they say, using powerful technologies and vast stores of digitized materials that previous humanities scholars did not have. These researchers are digitally mapping Civil War battlefields to understand what role topography played in victory, using databases of thousands of jam sessions to track how musical collaborations influenced jazz, searching through large numbers of scientific texts and books to track where concepts first appeared and how they spread, and combining animation, charts and primary documents about Thomas Jefferson's travels to create new ways to teach history. This alliance of geeks and poets has generated exhilaration and also anxiety. The humanities, after all, deal with elusive questions of aesthetics, existence and meaning, the words that bring tears or the melody that raises goose bumps. Are these elements that can be measured?

Up for audit: 'Checkbook journalism' and the news groups that buy big stories

At first it was only supermarket tabloids like the National Enquirer that did it. While the "respectable" media shunned the practice, the Enquirer developed a long and proud tradition of "checkbook journalism," paying sources for such sensational exclusives as a photo of Elvis Presley in his coffin or "revelations" about Donald Trump by his ex-housekeeper.

But thanks to heightened competition for the next big "get," journalism's Thou-Shalt-Not-Pay commandment has lately been taking a beating.

News and gossip sites that paid for information have broken some of the biggest and most sensational recent stories. TV news divisions have joined in, spurring an arms race to buy big stories. Mainstream news organizations have long been reluctant to pay for information for a few simple reasons. One is practical: Paying for stories can get expensive. The other, more important consideration is the perception that paying sources poisons the credibility of both the source and the news organization.

"When you pay for a story, you're making a contract with the person who supplies it and that means you're no longer acting independently," says Hagit Limor, the president of the Society of Professional Journalists, which prohibits the practice in its code of ethics. "People will say anything in pursuit of money. The public should assume you're reporting something because it's true, not because someone received money to say it."

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