June 2013

Broadcasters are missing out on a ton of data–it’s time to take TV online

[Commentary] Steven Spielberg and George Lucas made a big commotion at a talk recently when the two predicted the imminent “implosion” of the film industry due to the changing nature of theatrical distribution. I believe a similar phenomenon awaits the broadcast TV industry, unless companies start making aggressive moves.

Rather than fighting cord-cutting and unbundling and making a weak effort with TV Everywhere, the top brass should be looking at putting their full broadcast TV channels online – with no restrictions. Certainly they have done a decent job offering their shows on demand via Netflix and Hulu. But outside of a recent ABC trial and certain sports broadcasts, watching live broadcast channels online still requires that you have a paid cable TV subscription in order to view. Not only does the data show that huge audiences are streaming video online, the broadcast channels are missing a unique chance to use their live channels on the internet to take their business to the next level.

Here are three game-changing benefits TV content producers and broadcasters could realize by finally putting live channels online:

Much better social integration
Big data on the fly
New business models

[Salmi is CEO of live video education platform creativeLIVE.]

US Charges Snowden in Security-Leak Case

US prosecutors have filed criminal charges against National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden and asked Hong Kong authorities for his provisional arrest, kicking off what is expected to be a lengthy process to seek his transfer to the US.

A one-page criminal complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Alexandria (VA) accused Snowden of theft of government property and willful communication of classified communications intelligence to an unauthorized person. Snowden has said he leaked documents exposing NSA surveillance programs, sparking a world-wide debate about U.S. antiterrorism tactics. He is believed to be in hiding in Hong Kong. A US official said that Washington has sent Hong Kong a formal request for Snowden's provisional arrest, which will start the legal process in the Chinese territory to transfer him to the US.

Dish May Cast a Wider Net

Having abandoned efforts to buy Sprint Nextel, Dish Network's next move may be to resurrect merger talks with satellite rival DirecTV or re-engage wireless carrier T-Mobile US, analysts said.

Facebook glitch exposes info of 6M users

Facebook says a glitch may have exposed portions of the personal contact information, such as e-mail addresses or phone numbers, of roughly 6 million users.

Facebook says the bug is tied to uploading contact lists or address books, which are used in creating friend recommendations. Facebook says the bug has been fixed, and no other personal or financial information was compromised. Also, the social network says they have found no proof the glitch is being used maliciously.

Lawmakers skip NSA briefing to attend Paris air show

Two lawmakers skipped a recent high-level briefing on National Security Agency (NSA) snooping so they could go to the Paris Air Show. Six lawmakers actually attended the show last weekend but one of them, Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), was able to attend the briefing, according to his office, and catch an evening flight to France, demonstrating it was possible to attend a briefing on a major political issue and still join the plush codel. Sens. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and Richard Shelby (R-AL) missed the 2:30 p.m. session to catch an afternoon flight from Dulles International Airport.

FCC Enforces Hearing Aid Compatibility Rules To Benefit Consumers With Hearing Disabilities

The Federal Communications Commission’s Enforcement Bureau settled two wireless hearing aid compatibility investigations involving Airadigm Communications, Inc. dba Airfire Mobile, and TeleGuam Holdings, LLC, successor-in-interest to Pulse Mobile, LLC.

The settlements include voluntary payments of more than one-half million dollars as well as conditions designed to ensure future compliance. The hearing aid compatibility rules ensure that individuals with hearing loss can fully access advanced wireless phone service without excessive feedback or noise. The settlements will directly aid consumers in rural communities and in the U.S. territory of Guam, where the two companies do business. Consistent with previous FCC actions in this area, the consent decrees require the companies to implement robust compliance plans that include new operating procedures, comprehensive training of employees and agents, and periodic reporting requirements. The companies will also make sizeable voluntary contributions to the U.S. Treasury ($260,000 from Airadigm and $280,000 from TeleGuam Holdings).

Project Loon: Google’s biggest obstacle isn’t technology. It’s politics

The balloon-powered network know as Loon may be one of Google’s famed moon shots, but the biggest issues facing the project are grounded right here on Earth.

This won’t just be a major technological feat for Google. It will be a huge political undertaking. If Loon is going to be a success it’s going to have to wade deeply into the morass of global international relations. Google wants to build a network that knows no borders. Not only does Google want to implement it in every country with an underserved internet population, but the network itself will be stateless, coasting from continent to continent. Google will have some control over where these balloons go by navigating the wind currents, but as Google shows in its Loon videos, its eventual plan is to set them loose in the sky, letting them follow the west-east stratospheric winds around the world. Since Loon will use radios, it will have to use spectrum, which is tightly regulated by the world’s governments. It can’t just use any old spectrum either. It will have to convince hundreds of different regulators to agree on a unified band or ride over an existing one.

Companies Tout Plans for Nationwide Wireless Using Low-Power TV Spectrum

Something is going on in the traditionally sleepy low-power TV market. Exactly what isn’t totally clear — but what is clear is that it has very little to do with traditional LPTV broadcasting and a lot to do with mobile broadband.

A consortium of LPTV station owners has applied to the Federal Communications Commission to sell 52 LPTV stations, including seven construction permits, to a company called Landover Wireless. According to the Landover Wireless website, the company already has acquired “hundreds” of licenses in the 500-600 MHz band and continues to “aggressively acquire” spectrum in the secondary market with the goal of obtaining nationwide coverage. The company said it seeks “opportunities to partner with independent telcos and fiber network operators to develop a wireless overlay strategy for both fixed and mobile wireless broadband.” Potentially the company would allow small telcos to use its spectrum to build wireless infrastructure and would offer the fiber network operators some incentive to provide backhaul facilities. It’s not clear what the company means by “overlay strategy.”

Spotlight on NTIA: Jim McConnaughey, Chief Economist

National Telecommunications and Information Administration Chief Economist Jim McConnaughey is, as one would expect from an economist, passionate about economics and its use in public policy.

Yet, McConnaughey’s first job out of college as a junior-level economist at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was more serendipity than strategic career planning. McConnaughey said he sought a job at the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) but due to a misunderstanding was given a phone number to call about an opening at the FCC. He quickly realized his mistake but was intrigued by the work the FCC was engaged in at the time, which included an in-depth look at the Bell System’s monopoly of the U.S. phone market – a probe that eventually helped lead to its breakup. His nine-year stint at the FCC cemented his interest in communications policy issues. After leaving the FCC in 1983, McConnaughey went to work as the research manager at a public policy consulting firm, where he co-authored two books and testified in rate cases. After six years he wanted to return to the government. He eventually landed at NTIA as its senior economist, working on a variety of issues including universal service, competition, and regulatory reform and has remained with the agency for 24 years.

Google Reader's end hatches better Feedly service

[Commentary] On July 1, we say goodbye to Google Reader, a handy tool for bringing headlines and articles from your favorite websites into a single place.

With Reader, I've been able to see at a glance all the updates from various news services, blogs and company websites I follow. Although many of these items relate to work, I have added a few fun topics, too, including news on Antarctica and a daily dose of passive aggressive notes that people send each other. I have spent a lot of time curating Reader, so I'm not keen on seeing it die. Fortunately, there's an afterlife. Google has made it easy to move your list of sites you follow, known as feeds, to another service. And many of those rival services have made it easy to accept those feeds, especially after Google said in March that it would retire Reader. Reader's demise comes as little surprise. Google says usage has declined since Reader made its debut in 2005. RSS feeds — for really simple syndication — used to be a popular way to keep track of multiple websites without having to visit each and every one. Content comes to you, through readers such as Google Reader. More recently, though, Twitter and Facebook have performed a similar role in discovering content.

Benton

Search