June 2013

Cox Extends Connect2Compete Program to Virginia

Cox Communication launched the Connext2Compete initiative in Virginia at a ribbon cutting ceremony in Fairfax County attended by Fairfax County Board of supervisors chairman Sharon Bulova, Federal Communications Commission acting chairwoman Mignon Clyburn, Connect2Compete CEO Zach Leverenz, and representatives from LULAC and Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington.

Connect2Compete is a national not-for-profit initiative aimed at extending broadband access to families with children (K-12) participating in the National Free Lunch program, by offering discounted high-speed Internet service. Families that qualify will be eligible for high-speed Internet service for $9.95 per month, a free modem and free professional installation. The expansion to Virginia follows a successful pilot of the program; the C2C program is modeled after a broadband adoption program Cox started in Santa Barbara (CA) in 2002. Cox announced its national rollout of the program in April.

Here’s what Europe’s network neutrality law would look like

Network neutrality advocates may not be pleased with proposed legislation from Europe’s digital chief, Neelie Kroes. She laid out her plans at a meeting on “guaranteeing competition and the open internet in Europe.” Here’s a breakdown:

One size may not fit all — Internet service providers (ISPs) should be able to offer connections with guaranteed quality of service, with regular subscribers getting a “best efforts internet”.
Transparency — People signing up to internet packages should be clearly told what is included, what is not, and what speed they can expect.
Easier switching — It must be easier to switch provider. Barriers including “excessive charges, modem hire or email addresses” will be “removed”.
No blocking/throttling — ISPs and carriers will not be able to deliberately degrade or block services that rival their own, such as VoIP or messaging services.

A Dispute Over Restrictions in a US Auction of Airwaves

In the mobile high-speed Internet market, the Obama Administration believes it may be necessary to limit competition in order to promote it.

That paradox sums up a brewing fight over whether the two largest cellphone companies — AT&T and Verizon Wireless — will be allowed to participate without restrictions in the planned auction of new airwaves for wireless broadband next year. The Administration’s antitrust team urged the Federal Communications Commission in April to develop auction rules that ensure that T-Mobile US and Sprint, the two smaller nationwide mobile carriers, are able to buy some of the prime airwaves and better compete nationally with the two larger companies. The suggestion that some auction participants could get favored treatment has spawned a dispute involving corporate lobbyists, academics and members of Congress on both sides of the debate. Some television and radio broadcasters have weighed in against auction limits while consumer advocates and some big companies that use mobile broadband in their operations have backed such limits.

Whatever the FCC decides will have huge implications on the ability of American consumers to inexpensively use the Internet from their smartphones, tablets and other portable devices. It could also affect how much money will be available to build a nationwide communications network for first responders, a plan that has been on the drawing board since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Verizon hits back in network neutrality case

The courts should not defer to the Federal Communications Commission on its claim that it has the power to regulate network neutrality, Verizon wrote in a court filing.

The company was responding to an earlier filing from the FCC that claimed a recent Supreme Court case bolsters the agency's net-neutrality rules. The Supreme Court ruled last month that agencies should be given deference to interpret their own jurisdiction if a law is ambiguous. The company was responding to an earlier filing from the FCC that claimed a recent Supreme Court case bolsters the agency's network neutrality rules. The Supreme Court ruled last month that agencies should be given deference to interpret their own jurisdiction if a law is ambiguous. "The core issue in this case is whether any substantive provision of the Communications Act authorizes the FCC’s sweeping regulation of the Internet," Verizon wrote. "The agency’s inability to identify any specific authority for these rules ... is fatal."

Sinclair Buys 6 Titan Television Stations

Sinclair Broadcast Group has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase the stock and broadcast assets of four television stations owned by Titan Television Broadcast Group (TTBG) for $115.35 million.

Sinclair also will assume TTBG agreements to provide sales and other services to two other stations. The TTBG stations are located in three markets and reach 1% of US TV households. Completion of the transaction is subject to the customary closing conditions, including FCC approval and antitrust clearance.

The TTBG stations to be owned and operated, programmed or to which sales services will be provided, are:

KMPH Fresno, Calif. (Fox) DMA 55
KFRE Fresno, Calif. (CW) DMA 55
KPTM Omaha, Neb. (Fox) DMA 75
KXVO Omaha, Neb. (CW) DMA 75
KMEG Sioux City, Iowa (CBS) DMA 147
KPTH Sioux City, Iowa (Fox) DMA 147

Public Television Stations to Consolidate Broadcasting Operations

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) has awarded a $7 million grant to the Digital Convergence Alliance (DCA), comprising 11 public television stations that serve communities in Florida, Georgia, Texas, and Illinois, to combine their operations into a single master control location.

Specifically, CPB’s grant will allow the DCA to establish a Network Operating Center, resulting in lower direct costs and a projected savings of more than $20 million over 10 years. The members of the Digital Convergence Alliance currently include: WJCT (Jacksonville, Fla.); WFSU (Tallahassee, Fla.); WEDU (Tampa, Fla.); WUCF (Orlando, Fla.); WBCC (Cocoa Beach, Fla.); WFSG (Panama City, Fla.); WPBT (Miami, Fla.); WPBA (Atlanta, Ga.); WTTW (Chicago, Ill.); WILL (Urbana, Ill.); and KERA (Dallas, Texas). The DCA selected Jacksonville, Florida, as the location for the Network Operating Center and contracted with JCT Services, Inc. to manage the operation.

The Fire Island Voice Link Solution

Recently, there has been some opining regarding Verizon New York and New Jersey’s deployment of Verizon Voice Link services to Fire Island and parts of New Jersey, where our communications network suffered devastating damage.

In addition to unlimited nationwide calling, Verizon Voice Link also offers key features like Call Waiting, Call Forwarding (includes no answer/busy transfer), 3-Way Calling, Voice Mail (*86), 411, Caller ID (with Return Call *69), and Caller ID Block. More importantly Verizon Voice Link offers the same E911 capabilities as traditional wireline service. All of this is offered at a price no higher than what customers were paying for their wireline service. Sandy was a terrible tragedy. Our managers and technicians worked tirelessly and expeditiously to ensure that we restored communications capabilities to our customers in a timely and efficient manner. We will continue our efforts to provide all of our customers with superior service and the best technologies. To be clear, since the immediate aftermath of the storm, Verizon has communicated regularly with its customers, as well as local, state and federal policymakers regarding our restoration plans. We have attended many civic meetings and have installed Verizon Voice Link demonstration units for customers to try. Our decision to deploy this innovative solution has been well communicated both through these meetings as well as in the media. In addition, as part of our ongoing communications with the Federal Communications Commission, we have been working with the FCC for some time on filing the appropriate discontinuance filings and other notices for the affected services.

As Social Media Sites Thrive, Advertisers Seek More Control of Their Brand

As social media sites pursue advertising in a bid for new revenue, they are finding that they must simultaneously create a safe space for the advertisers they attract. With the money, they are discovering, comes responsibility.

Facebook learned that the hard way last week. After failed attempts to get the social network to remove pages glorifying violence against women, feminist activists waged a digital media campaign that highlighted marketers whose ads were found alongside those pages. Nissan and several smaller advertisers temporarily removed their ads from the site. Amid mounting public pressure, Facebook acknowledged that its systems to identify and remove such content had not worked effectively and promised to improve those processes. The company began removing the pages in question. The episode underscored a conundrum for social media sites forged from the philosophy that free speech should thrive on the Internet: will they be able control content created by their users, so that advertisers are not embarrassed by material beyond their control?

UK considers stepping up Internet blocking

Should governments block websites that spread hardline ideology but don’t explicitly advocate violence—like the ones likely read by the Tsarnaev brothers, the alleged Boston Marathon bombers, or the two men being held for allegedly attacking a British soldier in Woolrich?

This is an idea that Theresa May, Britain’s home secretary, has floated in the wake of the fatal knife and machete attack earlier this month on off-duty soldier Lee Rigby, and it’s an idea under serious consideration by a task force headed by Prime Minister David Cameron. “There is no doubt that people are able to watch things through the Internet which can lead to radicalization,” May told the BBC. ”We need to see if we should be doing more; we need to see if there are additional steps we should be taking to prevent radicalization.” Her suggested remedy is a three-pronged approach: ban more organizations and Muslim schools that the government believes are inciting hate; block extremist websites, and revive the Communications Data Bill, which would which would require Internet service providers and mobile companies to keep records of every user’s browsing activities, email correspondences, and texts for 12 months.

Government says Apple conspiracy raised prices

Apple and major publishers conspired in a scheme to fix prices on e-books, costing consumers hundreds of millions of dollars, a U.S. Justice Department attorney argued during the first day of a marquee antitrust trial.

In April 2010, when Apple launched its online bookstore, prices jumped 50%, Justice Department lawyer Lawrence Buterman said during his opening statement for the government. "This dramatic price increase was no accident," Buterman said. "Apple knowingly and actively participated in a scheme to raise e-book prices." Apple's attorney, however, launched into a vigorous defense, saying the government was drawing "sinister inferences" from out-of-context, misquoted e-mail excerpts. Orin Snyder, said Apple merely helped bring innovation to a broken e-book market, and engaged in no conspiracy to fix prices. Consumers ultimately benefited, he said.

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