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August 2011

OMB Signals Continuity During CIO Transition

Don't expect major changes in the government's IT shop when Vivek Kundra, the nation's first official chief information officer, steps aside for his successor Steven VanRoekel.

Both men stressed that no major policy shifts were in the offing in a meeting with reporters last week and federal Chief Performance Officer Jeffrey Zients, who oversees the CIO's office, joined the chorus, saying the transition was not about "radical changes," but about "continued execution and getting proven results." As the transition approaches, the full machinery of the Office of Management and Budget chimed in with a memo from OMB Director Jack Lew to all agency heads describing the future role of the agency CIO. The contents of the memo itself are decidedly unexceptional -- essentially echoing a planned evolution in the job's responsibilities from policymaking to IT portfolio management outlined nine months ago in Kundra's 25 Point Implementation Plan to Reform Federal IT, the master document of his tenure, and in statements the outgoing CIO has made ever since.

The document's intent and timing, though, seem clear: this is not the time to re-think Kundra's IT reform plan but to double down on carrying it out.

Tribune’s Reported Android Tablet Plan A Head-Scratcher

It’s not clear why a publishing company like Tribune would think it has a chance to build an iPad competitor when companies that live and breathe consumer electronics have been having so much trouble accomplishing that themselves. But for some reason Tribune executives are working on a free or low-cost Android tablet that would be distributed along with subscriptions to its newspapers, according to a report. CNN wrote that the tablet is more of a concept than an actual product at this point, but it’s believed to be a serious project. The idea would be to partner with a wireless carrier on a data plan and try to court new subscribers or re-up existing subscribers by giving away the tablet.

Malay Payola?

[Commentary] A firm called FBC -- short for FactBased Communications -- is simultaneously taking government contracts for public relations work and producing content for the BBC, CNBC and CNN. That content included softball interviews with clients like the leaders of Malaysia, whose records might have drawn harder coverage. BBC and CNBC dropped the contract after a blog that focuses on the region started asking questions. CNN, for now, is standing by a host who may still own part of FBC.

The future of news? Four different sources weigh in

It is no secret that the news industry is struggling in the midst of our digital revolution. But what exactly is happening? How are these changes affecting our communities? And what should be done to make sure that people are getting the information they need?

This summer, four different reports that address these questions have been released (a fifth, by the New America Foundation, will be out shortly). These reports come from different sources—a British weekly news magazine, the U.S. government, an educational institution, and a non-profit—so they bring different perspectives and ideas to the table. But many themes, like the need for innovation and collaboration, recur. While these reports vary widely, taken together, a bigger picture starts to emerge. Yes, traditional media is undergoing major upheaval, and not every news organization is going to survive—in fact, many have already folded. But the same digital technologies that are disrupting the industry also provide incredible opportunities for reinvention and ingenuity. The solutions proposed in the reports above—collaboration, improved journalism education, digitization, and increased participation from non-profits—offer opportunities for the journalists who are willing to be flexible and iterate alongside the revolution.

Survey reveals docs' perceptions of EHRs as potential buyers, users

Meaningful use remains the strongest driver to implement electronic health records for physicians, according to a new survey that finds both potential EHR buyers and current users valuing the technology, but with substantially different perceptions and expectations.

Sage Healthcare Division, a developer of electronic health records for medical practices across North America, worked with Forester to conduct a survey among physicians nationwide in an effort to examine perceptions and determine attitudes toward these systems. The sample included both physicians using EHR and those in the market for the technology. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of potential cost savings, benefits of these systems to small and mid-sized practices and to find any intangibles of using EHRs, such as physicians providing care from multiple locations or helping physicians have more time away from the office because of increased mobility and connectivity. The survey findings indicated that meaningful use incentives are still one of the strongest drivers for most physicians (64 percent) to implement EHR technology, but for 32 percent of those who are in the market for EHRs, insufficient capital is still a key challenge to the switch. The survey found that EHR users said they measure their success through reporting and tracking healthcare outcomes (64 percent) and error reduction (62 percent), but those who have yet to purchase EHR responded they would measure EHR success through increased revenue (74 percent) followed by reporting and tracking healthcare outcomes (60 percent). Also, current EHR users are more aware of additional benefits than those who haven’t implemented the technology yet and expected achievements with EHR are stronger for those who have already purchased the solution.

In Turkey, Proposed Internet Filters Stir Protests

Faced with criticism at home and abroad, Turkey has decided to delay new Internet restrictions that were due to take effect this month. The government also has reduced the number of filters, which it says will target adult content.

Critics call the filters another blow to freedom of expression. Scores of Turkish journalists are already in jail, and thousands more are under investigation. The issue is clouding Turkey's reputation as a model for the region. For months now, Turks have been protesting the government's plan to force Internet users to choose from among a list of filtering packages designed to block certain unspecified websites. Some of the largest demonstrations were held in May.

GAO: State leaving security holes unplugged

Government watchdogs have found holes in a project designed to plug vulnerabilities in computer networks and systems at the State Department, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The program, called iPost, was created to provide continuous monitoring of information security risks within the department's IT infrastructure, GAO said. "But it does not provide a complete view of" those risks. State officials use iPost risk scores to identify and prioritize vulnerability mitigation.

GAO noted progress in iPost implementation but flagged shortfalls. The system:

  • Addresses Windows hosts but not other IT assets on its major unclassified network.
  • Covers a set of 10 scoring components that includes many, but not all, information system controls that are intended to reduce risk.
  • Assigns a score for each identified security weakness, although State could not demonstrate the extent to which scores are based on risk factors such as threat, impact, or likelihood of occurrence that are specific to its computing environment."

GAO recommended State "(1) implement procedures to consistently notify senior managers at sites with low security grades of the need for corrective actions, in accordance with department criteria, and (2) develop, document, and implement a continuous monitoring strategy."

Legal Considerations in e-Rulemaking

The Administrative Conference of the United States adopted four recommendations at its Fifty-fourth Plenary Session. Electronic rulemaking and video hearings are addressed by one recommendation each.

Recommendation 2011–1 "Legal Considerations in e-Rulemaking" recommends that agencies:

  • consider using content analysis software to reduce the need for agency staff to spend time reading identical or nearly identical comments,
  • provide timely, online access to all studies and reports upon which they rely,
  • implement appropriate procedures for the handling of confidential, trade secret, or other protected information,
  • consider the potential need to revise Privacy Act notices and recordkeeping schedules to accommodate e-Rulemaking, and
  • replace paper files with electronic records in the rulemaking docket and in the record for appellate review.

Recommendation 2011–4 ‘‘Agency Use of Video Hearings: Best Practices and Possibilities for Expansion" encourages agencies, especially those with a high volume of cases, to consider the use of video teleconferencing technology for hearings and other administrative proceedings. The recommendation sets forth factors agencies should consider when deciding whether to use video teleconferencing and best practices for the implementation of this technology.

Nextgov reports the recommendations say Federal agencies should make more of an effort to post translations of proposed new regulations on their websites for non-English speakers -- provide text-only versions of the proposals to make them more accessible to citizens with low-bandwidth Internet and more compatible with software that translates Web pages into audio for the blind.

Search and e-mail still top the list of most popular online activities

Search and email remain the two online activities that are nearly universal among adult Internet users, as 92% of online adults use search engines to find information on the Web, and a similar number (92%) use email.

Since the Pew Internet Project began measuring adults’ online activities in the last decade, these two behaviors have consistently ranked as the most popular, even as new platforms, broadband and mobile devices continue to reshape the way Americans use the Internet and web. Even as early as 2002, more than eight in ten online adults were using search engines, and more than nine in ten online adults were e-mailing. Perhaps the most significant change over that time is that both activities have become more habitual. Today, roughly six in ten online adults engage in each of these activities on a typical day; in 2002, 49% of online adults used email each day, while just 29% used a search engine daily.

August 9, 2011 (Hispanic Media; AT&T/T-Mobile; Verizon)

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for TUESDAY, AUGUST 9, 2011

FCC Meeting today http://benton.org/node/47197


TELEVISION
   For Latinos, A Smut Alert - editorial
   Telemundo plans to increase local news programming
   Hispanic Media Disconnect
   Wisconsin Recall Gets Record Spending in ‘First Battle’ of 2012 Election
   30% Of U.S. Homes Have Net-Connected TV Device [links to web]
   How The BBC Is Quietly, Confidently Shaping The Future Of TV [links to web]
   The Cable TV Access Crisis [links to web]
   Local TV Stations, Newspaper Sites Slammed By Users [links to web]

LABOR
   Verizon Strike, Day 2
   Tech Industry Remains Poster Child for Success, Despite Economic Woes

SPECTRUM/WIRELESS
   Spectrum Legislation Tops List of Tech Leftovers Awaiting Congress This Fall
   FCC to combine reviews of AT&T's Qualcomm, T-Mobile deals
   Verizon Wireless Falls Flat in Response to Free Press App-Blocking Complaint - press release
   AT&T Cracks Down on Free Tethering and Hotspots
   T-Mobile "Direct Carrier Billing" Program Could Leave Consumers Vulnerable - press release
   Virgin Mobile Takes On AT&T's T-Mobile Acquisition
   Interference Unlocks Faster Mobile Data
   Lack of Innovation in LTE Pricing Models, Report Finds

HEALTH
   Official: Meaningful Use Program Has Given Out $400M in Incentive Pay
   Electronic records no panacea for health care industry [links to web]
   Study: Facebook use correlates with narcissism in teens [links to web]

CONTENT
   Network effects: Social media’s role in the London riots
   Local TV Stations, Newspaper Sites Slammed By Users [links to web]
   Publishing Gives Hints of Revival, Data Show [links to web]

NEWS FROM THE FCC
   Additional Questions About Lifeline/LinkUp - public notice
   2011 E-Rate Capped at $2.29 Billion - public notice [links to web]
   FCC's Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council - public notice
   FCC Chairman Announces Challenge.gov Competition Winners - press release

JOURNALISM
   Conservatives vs. Good Journalism: The Continued Contamination of The Washington Post - analysis

POLICYMAKERS
   Groups Call for Scientists to Engage the Body Politic
   Cary Sherman takes over as CEO of RIAA [links to web]

STORIES FROM ABROAD
These headlines presented in partnership with:

   India's Tech Sector Braces for Slowdown
   Britain Takes New Tack in Piracy Fight
   India wants special monitoring access for Twitter, Facebook
   Virgin Media claims TiVo is changing viewing habits

MORE ONLINE
   Ad Industry Holds Course In Face Of S&P U.S. Downgrade [links to web]

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TELEVISION

FOR LATINOS, A SMUT ALERT
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Esther Cepeda]
[Commentary] Here’s one thing that every Hispanic person in the United States should do this week: face up to the violent, sexist and homophobic smut that gets pumped out over the airwaves through Spanish-language television and radio shows. If you care about the well-being of the U.S. Latino community, your time will be well-spent by going to YouTube to watch a short, bilingual video recently produced by the California-based organizations La Clinica de La Raza, the Bay Area Video Coalition and ZeroDivide, an organization leveraging the digital technologies that Latinos have so lovingly embraced to benefit low-income and underserved Hispanic communities. It illustrates how the raunchy content that gets pumped into Hispanic households and workplaces through Spanish-language media harms the very communities such media claim to help.
Commentators on the video universally said that now is the time for Spanish-language media to take responsibility for how this over-the-top programming promotes violence in the Latino community. True. But they won't do that until all Hispanics take responsibility for recognizing what a drain these types of shows are on the community -- and either demand that they be changed, or simply turn them off.
benton.org/node/85682 | Washington Post | La Clinica de La Raza
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TELEMUNDO TO EXPAND LOCAL NEWS
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Tim Kenneally]
Telemundo is about to get mucho mas grande in the local-news department. The Spanish-language network announced that it will boost its local news and public-affairs programing by 25 percent, in an initiative that will be completed by January 2012. The expansion, which began with the revival of the daily, two-hour news broadcast "Buenos Dias Los Angeles" on KVEA in June, will pick up speed in September, with the launch of monthly, locally-produced public-affairs programs in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, Chicago, Denver, Dallas and Phoenix. Among the additional programing: Twice-nightly, locally-produced newscasts on Telemundo's Denver station KDEN, and "Buenas Dias Houston," which will be based on the "Buenas Dias Los Angeles" format of local, national and world news, coupled with weather, traffic and segments of interest to Hispanic viewers. Both are expected to launch next month. Overall, Telemundo's new programs will account for more than 1,000 hours of additional news and public-affairs programing annually.
benton.org/node/85850 | Reuters
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HISPANIC MEDIA DISCONNECT
[SOURCE: AdWeek, AUTHOR: Anthony Crupi]
Spanish-language broadcasters raked in a record $2.15 billion in 2011-12 upfront commitments, but executives at Univision and Telemundo believe that many marketers are still guilty of undervaluing the Hispanic TV marketplace. Despite earning bragging rights as the only broadcasters to post ratings gains this year, the two rivals are all but segregated from the English-language broadcasters. Not only are Univision and Telemundo’s respective upfront presentations pushed to the margins of the mid-May schedule, but both nets are obliged to wait for the Big Five to wrap up their business before they can begin engaging with buyers. (The Hispanic nets nailed down the last of their upfront deals in late July, a good seven weeks after ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, and The CW finished writing deals.) Univision hauled in $1.75 billion in early commitments for the upcoming TV season, and while that’s nothing to sneeze at -- to put the number in perspective, it’s more or less the same amount NBC took in during its upfront sellathon -- media spend on Hispanic TV remains disproportionately slight.
benton.org/node/85924 | AdWeek
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WISCONSIN RECALL
[SOURCE: Bloomberg, AUTHOR: Tim Jones, Marie Rohde]
The political balance of power in Wisconsin may shift today as voters in six state Senate districts decide whether to recall a half-dozen Republicans and add fuel to attempts to oust first-term Governor Scott Walker. Spending on the recall campaigns, aimed at six Republicans Aug 9 and two Democrats Aug. 16, may almost triple the combined cost of all 115 state legislative races in 2010, according to the nonpartisan Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. Costs may approach $40 million, the group said. The record number of recall elections has disrupted a normally apolitical Wisconsin summer, with Republican and Democratic interest groups -- most from outside the state -- spending tens of millions of dollars in television and radio ads that mirror the nation’s political divisions. Spending estimates are rising. Political interest groups registered with the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, the state’s elections bureau, reported $14.2 million in spending as of yesterday. At least $14 million in additional spending has come from unregistered groups for television ads and other efforts, said Michael Buelow, research director for the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.
benton.org/node/85926 | Bloomberg
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LABOR

VERIZON STRIKE, DAY 2
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR:]
A standoff between Verizon Communications Inc. and about 45,000 of its employees entered a second day of strikes with no apparent end in sight. Candice Johnson, a spokeswoman for the Communications Workers of America, said Verizon had been canceling bargaining sessions on August 7 and August 8 as the company's collective bargaining agreement with its eastern U.S. landline employees expired, setting the strike and picket lines into motion. "Verizon workers are waiting for management to demonstrate that it's ready to bargain," Johnson said. "In fact, we're looking for Verizon to stop canceling bargaining sessions that have been scheduled." Workers involved in the strike come from Verizon's landline division in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C., and are represented by two unions -- the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers unions. At the center of the dispute between the nation's largest telecommunications company and the workers is the issue of benefits and who should pay for them -- particularly when it comes to healthcare coverage. Verizon said that most of its union-represented employees "pay nothing for health insurance premiums" and that the company "is proposing that its union-represented employees pay a portion of their health care premiums, much like the majority of other Verizon employees." The reason Verizon says it's asking for the striking workers to make the concessions is due to a decade of its landline business losing customers as consumers have turned to mobile phones or packages from cable providers that bundle landlines with TV service.
benton.org/node/85841 | Los Angeles Times
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TECH INDUSTRY AND JOBS
[SOURCE: National Journal, AUTHOR: Josh Smith]
Innovation is often tough to define and even tougher to produce, but amid all the fiscal doom and gloom, technology companies still say they have the right stuff to get the U.S. economy back on track. Representatives from Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, AT&T, Accenture, Siemens, and other companies joined President Obama at an event on August 5 to announce new efforts to help military veterans find jobs. “Today’s announcement brings people, companies, and agencies together to increase the impact we can have on helping the job situation,” Curt Kolcun, Microsoft’s vice president for the U.S. public sector, said in a telephone interview afterward. Microsoft pledged to provide 10,000 technology training and certification packages to veterans. “All jobs require some kind of tech skills … and I think this is an opportunity relative to tech jobs in the United States,” Kolcun said. AT&T, for example, launched two new online programs designed to help veterans transfer their military skills to jobs at the wireless company.
benton.org/node/85688 | National Journal
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SPECTRUM/WIRELESS

SPECTRUM LEGISLATION THIS YEAR?
[SOURCE: National Journal, AUTHOR: Juliana Gruenwald]
Although Congress managed to clear the most pressing task from its decks by voting to raise the debt limit, lawmakers left a full plate of tech issues to deal with when they return in early September, including spectrum legislation, privacy, online piracy and taxes on mobile-phone services.
Chief among those issues is legislation that would free up more spectrum to meet surging demand for wireless broadband technologies and also create a national public-safety broadband network. The Senate Commerce Committee approved such legislation in June, and Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR), chairman of the House Commerce Committee's Communications and Technology Subcommittee, floated a draft proposal last month. Senate Commerce Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) wants to get his bill through Congress before the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which exposed deep problems with the communications systems used by emergency first responders. An effort to attach a version of spectrum legislation to the debt-ceiling legislation enacted failed. “Despite that setback, I will continue to fight to make sure that by the 10th anniversary of 9/11, we have this bill signed into law,” Chairman Rockefeller said. While the prospects of passing legislation by that date appear slim, at least three possible avenues exist: moving it through the regular congressional process, attaching it to a package of 2012 appropriations measures that Congress will likely consider this fall, and adding it to the deficit-reduction measure that the joint select committee established by the debt-ceiling deal is expected to craft by Thanksgiving.
Privacy is another big challenge left unfinished. Congressional committees have looked at issues ranging from the privacy of mobile phones to the tracking of users on the Web to notification requirements following a cyberattack that involves the loss of consumers' personal data. And movie studios, record companies, software makers, and other copyright owners are pushing legislation that would curb online piracy on foreign websites.
benton.org/node/85689 | National Journal
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FCC COMBINES AT&T REVIEWS
[SOURCE: Politico, AUTHOR: Brooks Boliek]
The Federal Communications Commission decided to combine its review of AT&T’s attempt to buy rival T-Mobile for $39 billion with a smaller deal in which AT&T is attempting to purchase the wireless licenses currently held by Qualcomm. In a letter issued by the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, the FCC concluded that there is enough evidence that the impact of the two deals is related and that they will be considered at the same time. A coalition of public interest groups pushed the agency to consolidate the two reviews in late April, arguing that the two deals in tandem give too much market power to AT&T. Free Press, Media Access Project, Public Knowledge, Consumers Union and the Open Technology Initiative of the New America Foundation argued that the two deals have a multiplier effect. Cincinnati Bell Wireless, MetroPCS Communications, NTELOS, the Rural Cellular Association, the Rural Telecommunications Group and Sprint Nextel also asked for the combined review for similar reasons.
benton.org/node/85933 | Politico | National Journal
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VERIZON RESPONDS TO FREE PRESS COMPLAINT
[SOURCE: Free Press, AUTHOR: Press release]
Verizon Wireless submitted its response to Free Press’ complaint about the carrier's decision to block subscribers from accessing "tethering" applications on their 4G phones. Verizon Wireless called for dismissal of the complaint, as it tried to avoid responsibility for its decision to restrict customers' ability to use the applications and devices of their choosing on its LTE network. In June, Free Press filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission alleging that Verizon Wireless's actions to remove tethering applications from the Android Market were a violation of the license conditions for the spectrum on which Verizon operates its network. Free Press Policy Director Matt Wood said, "Verizon Wireless's arguments in favor of blocking don't hold water. Its decision to block tethering applications is an anti-consumer practice that chills innovation and punishes subscribers who already pay a lot for data. It also violates specific license obligations that Verizon Wireless agreed to when it used the public airwaves to build its 4G mobile broadband business."
benton.org/node/85932 | Free Press
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AT&T TETHERING
[SOURCE: PCWorld, AUTHOR: Jared Newman]
AT&T is putting the boot down on customers who tether their smartphones or turn them into Wi-Fi hotspots without paying extra for the service. 9to5Mac heard from several readers who are being kicked off their unlimited data plans for using free tethering apps such as MiWi for jailbroken iPhones or PDANet for Android handsets. AT&T is reportedly sending notices to these customers, informing them their plans will switch automatically to a $45 per month DataPro plan on August 11. The carrier discontinued its $30 unlimited data plan last summer, but allowed existing subscribers to be grandfathered in. An AT&T representative wouldn't confirm the hard cut-off date to 9to5Mac, but did acknowledge that it's now cracking down on free tethering. The carrier started sending ultimatums to customers earlier this year, but with a lovely passive-aggressive tone. ("We've noticed your service plan may need updating," the letters began.) AT&T isn't the only carrier that's taking a hard stance against free tethering. Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, and AT&T have all strong-armed Google into hiding free tethering apps from the Android Market--but only on smartphones sold by those carriers.
benton.org/node/85822 | PCWorld
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T-MOBILE DIRECT CARRIER BILLING
[SOURCE: Consumers Union, AUTHOR: Press release]
Earlier this month, T-Mobile announced that it will soon launch a new service that will enable its customers to purchase digital content using their smartphone, PC, or tablet and bill it to their phone accounts. T-Mobile's announcement is just the latest development in emerging mobile payment services that raises concerns about whether consumers will be protected from fraud or merchant mistakes, according to Consumers Union. According to T-Mobile, its "Direct Carrier Billing" service will enable customers to make purchases without "the need to manually enter credit card information." Instead, these purchases will appear on their monthly T-Mobile bill. Unfortunately, mobile payment charges that appear directly on a customer's cell phone bill don't enjoy the same statutory protections consumers currently get when making payments using a credit card or debit card. Federal law currently offers protection to consumers in the event that their credit card or debit card is lost, stolen or misused. Credit cards provide the strongest protections that help limit a consumer's liability, while debit cards provide some, but not all, of these protections. If mobile payment transactions are linked to credit cards or debit cards, then consumers are entitled to the same guaranteed federal protections that apply when a credit card or debit card is used directly in a transaction. Mobile charges linked to other forms of payment don't enjoy any of these legal protections. If the mobile payment charge appears on the customer's cell phone bill, the product might escape consumer protections entirely unless the contract provides them. Consumers Union's review of T-Mobile's current customer contract found that those protections were lacking.
benton.org/node/85821 | Consumers Union | The Hill | Connected Planet
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VIRGIN TAKES ON AT&T/T-MOBILE
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: Aaron Baar]
Virgin Mobile USA is turning its manufactured celebrity spokescouple into a pair of attack dogs taking on the impending acquisition of T-Mobile by AT&T in a new advertising campaign breaking this week. In a new set of television commercials, Virgin Mobile's "Sparah," a manufactured celebrity couple intended to attract tabloid coverage, encounters a T-Mobile lookalike in the company's signature all-white setting, calling the place "boring." The T-Mobile lookalike agrees the set is boring, and it will only become more so when the company is taken over by AT&T, "who ranks last in customer service." After an AT&T representative appears (a balding man in an ill-fitting suit), Sparah asserts that T-Mobile's customers could switch to Virgin Mobile, while the setting shifts to a nightclub party. After preaching a value message about Virgin Mobile and Android phones, the scene cuts to the faux T-Mobile spokeswoman being aggressively hit on by the AT&T representative and saying, "I'm contractually obligated to enjoy this."
benton.org/node/85902 | MediaPost
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MORE ON DIDO
[SOURCE: Technology Review, AUTHOR: Tom Simonite]
While demand for wireless data grows exponentially, the supply of available radio spectrum remains stubbornly fixed. A new technology could get more from that precious resource by turning a conventional piece of engineering wisdom on its head. "Every other wireless system up to now has avoided interference," says Steve Perlman, founder of technology incubator Rearden Labs, based in San Francisco. "This embraces it." Perlman's team is testing a new kind of wireless network that he says can fit thousands of times more data into the same amount of radio spectrum as a conventional one. The approach is known as DIDO, for distributed input distributed output, and is currently being tested around Palo Alto, California, and in rural Texas. DIDO involves intentionally combining signals from multiple transmitters, exploiting interference to create a bubble of crystal-clear reception around every user. Each signal that leaves an individual transmitter is incomprehensible until it encounters, and interferes with, other DIDO signals near a device connected to the network. This approach removes the need to share bandwidth, says Perlman, because each bubble covers a small area and can occupy all the spectrum available to the network. The size and shape of the bubbles varies depending on the number of antennas broadcasting to a device, says Perlman. Designing radio signals that will interfere with one another in just the right way takes complex mathematics and careful coordination among the different DIDO transmitters.
benton.org/node/85685 | Technology Review
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LTE PRICING MODELS
[SOURCE: cellular-news, AUTHOR: Ian Mansfield]
Operators that offer high-speed mobile broadband technology LTE are failing to deliver innovative pricing models, according to Ovum. In a new report, the telecoms analyst firm claims that there is a lack of new and innovative LTE tariffs, which is a missed opportunity for operators given that LTE is a new service in the eyes of consumers. Nicole McCormick, Ovum senior analyst and author of the report, commented: "We looked at the LTE pricing strategies of operators in Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the US, and were disappointed with our findings. "LTE provides operators with the opportunity to experiment with new and innovative pricing models, which allows them to find the best way of deriving revenues from the premium service. "However, most operators have not grasped this opportunity. Instead, LTE tariffs in the regions Ovum analyzed are dominated by unlimited offerings and large data buckets, which can be problematic." According to the report, unlimited data plans for LTE can present significant problems for operators, especially if they are accompanied by a lenient fair usage policy.
benton.org/node/85825 | cellular-news
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HEALTH

MEANINGFUL USE DISBURSEMENTS
[SOURCE: iHealthBeat, AUTHOR: ]
A Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) official announced that Medicare and Medicaid have distributed a combined total of about $400 million in meaningful use incentive payments. During a meeting of the Health IT Policy Committee, Robert Tagalicod -- director of CMS' Office of eHealth Standards and Services -- said that about 77,000 health care providers have registered for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs. Twenty-three states have opened their Medicaid EHR incentive programs for registration. Tagalicod noted that more than 3,500 health care providers already have received incentive payments through Medicaid. In addition, Tagalicod noted that 100 hospitals and 2,383 eligible health care providers have attested to meeting the meaningful use requirements under the Medicare EHR incentive program. However, Tagalicod said that 137 health care providers attested unsuccessfully. He did not provide a reason for the failed attestation.
Under the 2009 federal economic stimulus package, health care providers who demonstrate meaningful use of certified electronic health records can qualify for Medicaid and Medicare incentive payments.
benton.org/node/85853 | iHealthBeat
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CONTENT

SOCIAL MEDIA IN LONDON'S RIOTS
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: Mathew Ingram]
In the wake of a controversial police shooting, Britain’s capital city has been rocked by two straight days of widespread rioting and looting. As with previous riots — such as those in Vancouver, British Columbia following the Stanley Cup final — everyone seems to be looking for a culprit, with some blaming Twitter and Facebook, and others pinning the violence on BlackBerry and its instant messaging abilities. But that’s a little like blaming individual trees for the forest fire. As we've pointed out before with respect to the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, these are just aspects of our increasingly real-time, mobile and connected lives, and that can be an incredibly powerful force for both good and bad. Although they are completely different in important ways, there are also some interesting similarities between the riots in London this weekend and the uprisings in Egypt’s Tahrir Square. Both were triggered by the death of a man whom some believed was unfairly targeted by the authorities. In Britain, it was Mark Duggan — a 29-year-old father of four shot dead after being stopped by the police — and in Egypt, it was Khaled Said, a 28-year-old businessman who was pulled from an Idknternet cafe and beaten to death by security forces. Both deaths also led to the creation of Facebook pages that became the focus of a social-media effort that ultimately fueled the protests.
benton.org/node/85904 | GigaOm | FastCompany
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NEWS FROM THE FCC

LIFELINE/LINKUP
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Public Notice]
Based on the current record in its Lifeline/LinkUp proceeding, the Federal Communications Commission has identified four issues in particular that merit further inquiry: designing and implementing a Lifeline/Link Up broadband pilot program to evaluate whether and how Lifeline/Link Up can effectively support broadband adoption by low-income households; limiting the availability of Lifeline support to one discount per residential address; revising the definition of Link Up service, as well as the possible reduction of the $30 reimbursement amount for Link Up support; and improving methods for verifying continued eligibility for the program. The FCC seeks further comment focused on these areas. Comments are due August 26; reply comments are due September 2.
benton.org/node/85839 | Federal Communications Commission
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COMMUNICATIONS SECURITY, RELIABILITY, AND INTEROPERABILITY COUNCIL
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Public Notice]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski has appointed members to the Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council. On March 18, 2011, pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the FCC renewed the CSRIC charter for a period of two years, through March 18, 2013.5 Under the charter, CSRIC’s duties may include:
Developing and recommending best practices and actions the FCC can take that promote reliable 9-1-1, E9-1-1, and Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) service.
Determining and making recommendations on whether and how NG9-1-1 can be extended to other N-1-1 services to ensure their reliability and cost-effective deployment.
Identifying and recommending to the FCC a set of best practices to make communications networks, including broadband networks and VoIP systems, more secure, resilient, and defendable from Internet-based attacks.
Developing recommendations for actions the FCC could consider to promote the development of a broadband-based, next generation alerting system that leverages advanced technologies and the Internet, including social media platforms, to distribute emergency alerts and warnings to the public.
Identifying and recommending to the FCC actions to improve the functioning of the national security/emergency preparedness priority services programs: Government Emergency Telecommunications Service; Telecommunications Service Priority; and Wireless Priority Service.
Making recommendations with respect to such additional topics as the FCC may specify.
[more at the URL below]
benton.org/node/85833 | Federal Communications Commission
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FCC CHALLENGE WINNERS
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Jordan Usdan]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski announced the winners of the agency’s latest contest on Challenge.gov, a competition for scientists and software developers to engage in innovative research and create useful apps that further the understanding of Internet connectivity and network science. The Open Internet Challenge sought to encourage the development of innovative and functional applications that provide users with information about the extent to which their fixed or mobile broadband Internet services are consistent with the open Internet. The research component of the challenge sought academic papers that analyze relevant Internet openness measurements, techniques, and data. The challenge was designed to encourage and reward the creation innovative and useful research.
The three winning teams were recognized at a ceremony with remarks by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. The winning teams also presented their apps and research to the FCC . The three winning teams are University of Michigan & Microsoft Research; School of Computer Science, Georgia Institute of Technology; and The ICSI (International Computer Science Institute) Netalyzr Project.
MobiPerf, Mobile Network Measurement System, University of Michigan & Microsoft Research
MobiPerf (official website http://mobiperf.com) is a lightweight and accurate mobile network measurement tool designed to collect anonymous network measurement information directly from mobile end users. It runs on Android, iOS, and Windows Mobile devices and completes within 2-3 minutes. Users are able to obtain a rich set of basic network information (e.g., the device’s IP address as seen by the server and the network type such as HSDPA), network performance information (e.g., downlink/uplink throughput), as well as a set of more advanced network properties including network policies (e.g., cellular ISPs’ port blocking and NAT policies).? MobiPerf helps identify the bottleneck network behavior for resource constrained mobile platforms as well as expose both the performance and energy impact of mobile network policies on end users.
Detecting ISP Traffic Discrimination and Traffic Shaping, School of Computer Science, Georgia Institute of Technology
The research proposes methods that enable Internet users to detect two aspects of openness. First, an active probing method called “Differential Probing” or DiffProbe, to detect whether an access ISP is deploying delay or loss discrimination against some of its customer flows. The basic idea behind DiffProbe is to compare the delays and packet losses experienced by two flows: an application flow of interest and a probing flow. The paper describes the statistical methods that DiffProbe uses, a novel method to identify scheduling, evaluation experiments, and a few real-world tests at major access ISPs. Second, the work presents methods for active and passive detection of traffic shaping in ISPs. The active tool, ShaperProbe, enables users to detect whether their ISP is shaping traffic, and to estimate the extent of shaping. ShaperProbe is hosted as a free, open source, service on M-Lab. The paper presents traffic shaping data from users of the tool since 2009 (from about one million runs), and showcases studies of four large ISPs. The passive tool detects and estimates application-specific traffic shaping by looking at an ongoing TCP connection on the user’s machine.
Netalyzr: Illuminating The Edge Network, The ICSI (International Computer Science Institute) Netalyzr Project
This paper presents Netalyzr, a network measurement and debugging service that evaluates the functionality provided by people’s Internet connectivity. The design aims to prove both comprehensive in terms of the properties it measures and easy to employ and understand for users with little technical background. Netalyzr is structured as a signed Java applet (which users access via their Web browser) that communicates with a suite of measurement-specific servers. Traffic between the two then probes for a diverse set of network properties, including outbound port filtering, hidden in-network HTTP caches, DNS manipulations, NAT behavior, path MTU issues, IPv6 support, and access-modem buffer capacity. In addition to reporting results to the user, Netalyzr also forms the foundation for an extensive measurement of edge-network properties. To this end, along with describing Netalyzr’s architecture and system implementation, it presents a detailed study of 130,000 measurement sessions that the service has recorded between June 2009 and September 2010.
benton.org/node/85684 | Federal Communications Commission | The Hill
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JOURNALISM

CONSERVATIVES VS GOOD JOURNALISM
[SOURCE: Center for American Progress, AUTHOR: Eric Altman]
[Commentary] In last week’s column I examined the transparent attempt by conservative Washington Post blogger Jennifer Rubin to try to exploit her own false assumptions about the alleged Islamic identity of the Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik to push a bigger budget for the Pentagon and The Post’s willingness to allow her ill-informed speculation/accusation to stand for a 24-hour period. The controversy has now expanded into Post Ombudsman Patrick B. Pexton’s column. In it, Pexton, while attempting to offer some context for the incident, ends up simply throwing up his hands and saying, in effect: “Conservative ‘opinion’ does not need to be true; it does not need to adhere to the traditional journalistic standards of this or any other conservative newspaper. It merely needs to keep conservatives happy.” Pexton’s defense of Rubin represents yet another step in the inexorable decline of a no-longer-great newspaper, under pressure not only from the collapse of its business model and reliance on the shady business practices of its parent company, but also its inability to stand up to conservative pressure groups seeking to “work the refs” and, in the process, undermine careful, truthful journalism.
benton.org/node/85823 | Center for American Progress
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POLICYMAKERS
   Groups Call for Scientists to Engage the Body Politic

CALL FOR SCIENTISTS TO ENGAGE
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Cornelia Dean]
When asked to name a scientist, Americans are stumped. In one recent survey, the top choice, at 47 percent, was Einstein, who has been dead since 1955, and the next, at 23 percent, was “I don't know.” In another survey, only 4 percent of respondents could name a living scientist. While these may not have been statistically rigorous exercises, they do point to something real: In American public life, researchers are largely absent. Trained to stick to the purity of the laboratory, they tend to avoid the sometimes irrational hurly-burly of politics. For example, according to the Congressional Research Service, the technically trained among the 435 members of the House include one physicist, 22 people with medical training (including 2 psychologists and a veterinarian), a chemist, a microbiologist and 6 engineers. Now several groups are trying to change that. They want to encourage scientists and engineers to speak out in public debates and even run for public office. When it comes to global warming and a host of other technical issues, “there is a disconnect between what science says and how people perceive what science says,” said Barbara A. Schaal, a biologist and vice president of the National Academy of Sciences. “We need to interact with the public for our good and the public good.”
benton.org/node/85928 | New York Times
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STORIES FROM ABROAD
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INDIA'S TECH SECTOR BRACES FOR SLOWDOWN
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Dhanya Ann Thoppil]
India's technology sector is bracing for a potential slowdown in growth after the historic U.S. credit downgrade over the weekend, which heightened fears of a double-dip recession in the largest outsourcing market and sparked a sell-off in IT stocks. Indian technology companies earn more than 80% of their revenue from the U.S. and Europe. Coupled with a full-blown debt crisis looming over Europe, the Standard & Poor's downgrade of the U.S. debt rating is raising concerns of a return to the recessionary times of 2008, when the local software industry bore the brunt of lower spending by cash-strapped clients. The Bombay Stock Exchange technology index closed 4.3% lower Monday, leading the 1.8% downfall in the broader Sensex. The downgrade may lead to a slowdown in business in the immediate term, Shami Khorana, president of the Americas division of HCL Technologies Ltd., said late Sunday. Clients in the U.S. might feel cost pressures immediately and go slow in their spending decisions, Mr. Khorana added.
benton.org/node/85918 | Wall Street Journal
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BRITAIN TAKES NEW TACK IN PIRACY FIGHT
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Eric Pfanner]
Britain plans to legalize something that many of its citizens have been doing already, perhaps unaware that they were breaking the law: copying music or movies from compact discs or DVDs onto other storage devices, like iPods. The government said that it planned to legalize so-called format-shifting as part of a broad overhaul of the country’s copyright laws aimed at bringing them up to speed with digital technology and the fight against piracy. Across much of the rest of Europe, format-shifting has long been permitted. “We can’t carry on saying that businesses should embrace technology but then not allow consumers to use everyday technology to play works they’ve paid for,” said Vince Cable, the business secretary.
benton.org/node/85916 | New York Times
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INDIA WANTS SPECIAL MONITORING ACCESS FOR TWITTER, FACEBOOK
[SOURCE: Computerworld, AUTHOR: John Ribeiro]
India's communications ministry has been asked by the home ministry to monitor social networking websites such as Twitter and Facebook amid fears that the services are being used by terrorists to plan attacks. The request suggests that the Indian government is trying to broaden the scope of its online surveillance for national security. Telecommunications service providers in India provide facilities for lawful interception and monitoring of communications on their network, including communications from social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter, in accordance with their license agreements, Milind Deora, the minister of state for communications and IT, told Parliament, according to the country's Press Information Bureau.
benton.org/node/85913 | ComputerWorld
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VIRGIN MEDIA CLAIMS TIVO IS CHANGING VIEWING HABITS
[SOURCE: Cable.Co.Uk, AUTHOR: Nigel Adie]
Virgin Media has noted a "marked shift" in the way its subscribers are tracking down their favourite stations and shows. According to the cable company's latest study into entertainment trends, 25 per cent of channel views made by its TiVo customers did not start from the electronic programme guide (EPG). Instead of browsing the EPG, the TiVo service allows viewers to find what they want to watch by using the intelligent search feature, which brings up suggested content as they type in their preferences. Other digital platforms rely solely on the EPG for navigation.
benton.org/node/85911 | cable.co.uk
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