This week's agenda includes 1) telecom mergers, 2) the E-rate, 3) Internet=
=20
telephone services, 4) Obscenity and 5) telecom reform legislation. For=20
upcoming media policy events, see http://www.benton.org/calendar.htm
JOURNALISM
Under Bush, a New Age of Prepackaged TV News
The State of the News Media 2005
Apple Can Seek Sources of Articles
Hands Off the Web, Bloggers and Lawmakers Say
Can Papers End the Free Ride Online?
Poll: Most Americans want More Open Government
The Ten O'Clock News
LOBBYING/OWNERSHIP
The Media Lobby
GE, Disney Battle Time Warner, Comcast Over Digital Television
CONTENT
Target: Pay TV's Wild Side
Stevens Floats Cable Ratings, Tiering System
CREW Labels Legislators Porn Hypocrites
The New Content Commissars
FTC, HHS Convene Self-Reg Powwow
Kids TV's Health Kick
The Great Kids Debate
Everything Old Is New Again
TELECOM
Report Proposes Reforming Telecommunications Regulation
Europe, U.S. Separated by Telephone Cultures
For Telecoms in Europe, Turf Battles Are Escalating
Cellphone use Booms, Despite uneven Service
Burke: Comcast Not Blocking VoIP Foes
QUICKLY -- Powell to Join Aspen Institute; Staff Changes at FCC; Clearing=20
up the HDTV picture; Training Closed Captioners; Internet taxes; James=20
Kennedy's Christian Media Crusade
JOURNALISM
UNDER BUSH, A NEW AGE OF PREPACKAGED TV NEWS
Under the Bush administration, the federal government has aggressively used=
=20
a well-established tool of public relations: the prepackaged,=20
ready-to-serve news report that major corporations have long distributed to=
=20
TV stations to pitch everything from headache remedies to auto insurance.=20
In all, at least 20 federal agencies, including the Defense Department and=
=20
the Census Bureau, have made and distributed hundreds of television news=20
segments in the past four years, records and interviews show. Many were=20
subsequently broadcast on local stations across the country without any=20
acknowledgement of the government's role in their production.
[SOURCE: New York Times 3/13, AUTHOR: David Barstow & Robin Stein]
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/13/politics/13covert.html?
(requires registration)
THE STATE OF THE NEWS MEDIA 2005
In a 617-page report, the Project for Excellence in Journalism found=20
that 73 percent of the stories on Fox News covering the Iraq war last year=
=20
included the opinions of the anchors and journalists reporting them. By=20
contrast, 29 percent of the war reports on MSNBC and 2 percent of those on=
=20
CNN included the journalists' own views. The report found that "Fox is more=
=20
deeply sourced than its rivals," while CNN is "the least transparent about=
=20
its sources of the three cable channels, but more likely to present=20
multiple points of view." The project describes cable news reporting as=20
pretty thin compared with the ABC, NBC and CBS evening newscasts. Only a=20
quarter of the cable stories examined contained two or more identifiable=20
sources, compared with 49 percent of network evening news stories and 81=20
percent of newspaper front-page stories. This, says the study, is in part=20
because cable leans heavily on live reports, 60 percent of which are based=
=20
on only a single identifiable source ("the White House said today," etc.).=
=20
What's more, cable news is far more one-sided than other media outlets,=20
with only a quarter of the stories involving controversy making more than a=
=20
passing reference to a second point of view. By contrast, says the report,=
=20
the network morning shows, PBS and newspaper front pages were more than=20
three times as likely to contain a mix of views.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Howard Kurtz]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32631-2005Mar13.html
(requires registration)
See --
* The State of the News Media 2005 at:=20
http://www.stateofthemedia.org/2005/index.asp
* Report: Non-traditional media gain ground, consumers:=20
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/life/20050314/d_mediamix14.art.htm
* Study Warns of Junk-News Diet:
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-media14mar14,1,7...
44.story?coll=3Dla-news-a_section
APPLE CAN SEEK SOURCES OF ARTICLES
Judge James P. Kleinberg of California superior court in Santa Clara County=
=20
denied a request by a trio of online "bloggers," who operate Web sites=20
devoted to Apple news and rumors, to block Apple from obtaining documents=20
that might reveal who was leaking confidential company information. The=20
bloggers -- Monish Bhatia, Kasper Jade and Jason O'Grady -- published=20
articles late last year on several Web sites, including PowerPage and=20
AppleInsider, about an Apple device code-named Asteroid designed to link=20
musical instruments with Apple software. Apple is seeking e-mail messages=20
and other documents related to the Apple product from Nfox.com, the e-mail=
=20
service provider for PowerPage. The case has attracted intense interest=20
because the bloggers have argued that they are journalists, and should be=20
protected under federal and state laws from having to reveal their sources=
=20
of information. In his ruling, Judge Kleinberg said the journalistic status=
=20
of the bloggers, in essence, doesn't matter. Instead, he accepted Apple's=20
argument that the stories contained trade secrets that, in effect, were=20
stolen property, not unlike a physical item such as a laptop containing=20
confidential information.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Nick Wingfield nick.wingfield( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB111057284957077375,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_marketplace
(requires subscription)
Also see --
* Apple should think differently about blogger suits:=20
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/technology/11110787.htm
HANDS OFF THE WEB, BLOGGERS AND LAWMAKERS SAY
In separate letters on Friday, Democratic lawmakers and Internet=20
commentators urged the Federal Election Commission to make sure that=20
political Web sites that serve as focal points for political discussion --=
=20
like Wonkette.com and Freerepublic.com -- don't have to comply with=20
campaign-finance rules.
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Andy Sullivan]
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=3DinternetNews&storyID=3D7...
22
See also --
* Liberal Bloggers Reaching Out to Major Media
Traditional journalists largely ignored bloggers when they emerged, but=20
have begun to take note of their influence as online commentators assumed=20
roles in news stories like the flaws in the report by "60 Minutes=20
Wednesday" on President Bush's National Guard service and the comments by=20
the former CNN chief, Eason Jordan, about the military's treatment of=20
journalists in Iraq. Now a group of bloggers is trying to use old-fashioned=
=20
telephone conference calls to share their ideas with newspaper and=20
television journalists.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Jonathan Glater]
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/14/technology/14blog.html
(requires registration)
CAN NEWSPAPERS END FREE RIDE ONLINE?
Newspaper Web sites have been so popular that at some newspapers, including=
=20
The New York Times, the number of people who read the paper online now=20
surpasses the number who buy the print edition. But even though consumers=20
are willing to spend millions of dollars on the Web when it comes to music=
=20
services like iTunes and gaming sites like Xbox Live, when it comes to=20
online news, they are happy to read it but loath to pay for it.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Katharine]
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/14/business/media/14paper.html
(requires registration)
POLL: MOST AMERICAN WANT MORE OPEN GOVERNMENT
A new poll conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs for Sunshine Week found that=20
more than half of Americans say government should provide more access to=20
its records. Even more -- 70% -- are either =93somewhat concerned=94 or=
=93very=20
concerned=94 about government secrecy. Nearly as many said access to public=
=20
records was =93crucial=94 to good government.
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Robert Tanner, Associated Press]
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20050314/a_sunshine14.art.htm
For more on Sunshine Week see:=
http://www.sunshineweek.org/sunshineweek/about
THE TEN O'CLOCK NEWS
While it is relatively easy to find old sitcoms and variety programs in a=20
variety of media formats, it is somewhat difficult to find news broadcasts=
=20
that may be of seminal interest to any number of researchers, including=20
historians or other social scientists. Working with funds provided by the=20
Institute of Museum and Library Services, this collection created by the=20
WGBH Media Archives and Preservation Center includes video clips of these=20
original newscasts which date from 1974 to 1991. The collection focuses on=
=20
news stories which relate directly to Boston's African-American community=20
and may be browsed by categories such as personal name or geographic=20
location. Some of the topics covered by these video clips include the=20
desegregation of the Boston public school system, race relations in the=20
city, and interviews with such notable African-American leaders as Julian=20
Bond and Andrew Young.
http://main.wgbh.org/ton/
LOBBYING/OWNERSHIP
THE MEDIA LOBBY
A big story that has hushed the notebooks of reporters, the waxing of=20
columnists and the demands of editorials is the story of how the media is=20
entangled and interconnected with politicians (its supposed regulators)=20
corporate interests and, binding them all together: lobbyists. The simple=20
fact is, objective journalists are not supposed to be proactive on issues,=
=20
which is the definition of lobbying. "It is the subject of the least=20
journalistic scrutiny," says Peter Hart of the media watchdog Fairness &=20
Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR). Asking a media outlet to report on its parent=
=20
company's lobbying expenditures and the goals associated with such=20
spending, gives new meaning to "conflict of interest." Considering other=20
options, such as one medium reporting on another's lobbying interests,=20
would only invite scrutiny, which is called, in an economist's terms,=20
collusion. And so the story goes unreported in mainstream media as if, it=20
is not only unimportant, it is nonexistent.
[SOURCE: AlterNet, AUTHOR: Alexander Lynch]
http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/21477/
See also --
* Gannett Gains Approval To Buy Publisher
The Justice Department's antitrust division has closed a review of=20
Gannett's purchase of HomeTown Communications Network. The purchase of the=
=20
Michigan-based community newspaper publisher gives the nation's largest=20
news chain a tighter grip in suburban markets in Michigan and Ohio.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Associated Press]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB111076015204378214,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_marketplace
(requires subscription)
GE, DISNEY BATTLE TIME WARNER, COMCAST OVER DIGITAL TELEVISION
As the battle over digital TV must-carry moves to Congress, a look at the=20
competing interests of broadcasters -- like General Electric and Walt=20
Disney -- and cable operators -- Comcast and Time Warner. The battle=20
illustrates the shifting balance of power within the television industry.=20
In the past, the broadcasters have largely gotten their way on Capitol=20
Hill, defeating efforts to charge them for use of digital spectrum and=20
blocking bills that would have required them to offer cut-rate or free time=
=20
to political candidates. The fight over the digital channels may be the=20
biggest challenge yet to the broadcast industry's clout, said James=20
Thurber, director of American University's Center for Congressional and=20
Presidential Studies in Washington. "The marketplace is giving cable=20
television much more power than it had in the past; it means the broadcast=
=20
people have less power,'' Thurber said. "It is always more difficult for=20
Congress to act than to delay, and to affirmatively act in favor of this=20
issue is going to be difficult'' when there are other issues on the agenda=
=20
like Social Security and taxes.
[SOURCE: Bloomberg, AUTHOR: Jonathan D. Salant jsalant( at )bloomberg.net]
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=3D10000103&sid=3DaCuGiuSfIYq0&refer=
=3Dus
CONTENT
TARGET: PAY TV'S WILD SIDE
With newly appointed Attorney General Alberto Gonzales making the=20
prosecution of obscenity cases a priority for the Justice Department, cable=
=20
and satellite operators face a looming threat to their estimated $800=20
million in revenues from adult entertainment. But the landscape of cable=20
and satellite programming itself-- from the bawdy humor on Comedy Central=20
to the softcore fare on late-night HBO and Cinemax -- is also subject to=20
attack as Congress contemplates revising the rules that have essentially=20
given pay TV carte blanche to show anything, at any time.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Bill McConnell]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA510326?display=3DNews&referra...
SUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
STEVENS FLOATS CABLE RATINGS, TIERING SYSTEM
In a new proposal, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens=20
(R-Alaska) said Friday that he is looking to the cable industry to rate=20
programming for indecent content and perhaps segregate that content on=20
separately purchased tiers. Sen Stevens said it would be acceptable for him=
=20
if the cable industry crafted the system that could then be codified in law=
=20
-- noting that this is what happened in the movie industry. =93We ought to=
=20
find some way to say, =91Here is a block of channels,=92 -- whether it=92s=
=20
delivered by broadband, by VoIP [voice over Internet protocol], by whatever=
=20
it is, to a home -- =91that is clear of the stuff you don't want your=20
children to see,=92=94 Sen Stevens said. He Stevens is planning to move his=
=20
cable legislation in committee when the Senate returns from the Easter=20
recess in the first week in April.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA510317.html?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA510318?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
CREW LABELS LEGISLATORS PORN HYPOCRITES
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington is labeling 15 members=
=20
of Congress as hypocrites for waging public campaigns against pornography=20
while taking campaign contributions from cable companies, hotel chains and=
=20
phone companies that profit from X-rated entertainment. According to CREW,=
=20
the top recipient of "porn profits" is House Telecom Chairman Fred Upton=20
(R-MI), whose campaign received $56,000 from companies that earn some=20
portion of their revenue from adult entertainment. Others include Sens.=20
John McCain (R-AZ), $46,000, and Sam Brownback (R-KS), $17,000, who will=20
preside over a Judiciary Committee on prosecuting obscenity Wednesday.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Bill McConnell]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA510261?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
THE NEW CONTENT COMMISSARS
[Commentary] At a time when the Bush administration is paying pundits to=20
toe the party line while an unchecked FCC has embarked on a program of=20
fining content on an ad hoc basis, the last thing the American media needs=
=20
is more regulation by a few self-appointed moral arbiters who don't even=20
seem to understand the technology =96 or the content =96 they appear intent=
on=20
banning.
[SOURCE: Center for American Progress, AUTHOR: Eric Alterman]
http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=3DbiJRJ8OVF&b=3D446251
FTC, HHS CONVENE SELF-REG POWWOW
The Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Health and Human=20
Services will hold a two-day conference in Washington, D.C., this summer to=
=20
discuss media self-regulation of the marketing of food and beverages. FTC=
=20
Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras announced the conference in a speech Friday=
=20
to the Consumer Federation of America. Majoras said the initiative will=20
"take a snapshot of the current state of food and beverage marketing to=20
children, review existing self-regulatory efforts, and discuss best=20
practices by companies." The workshop is in response to a childhood=20
obesity study by the Institute of Medicine that called for such a=
conference.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA510073?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
KIDS TV'S HEALTH KICK
Kids cable networks have a new message for their young viewers: It is cool=
=20
to be fit. As the debates on healthful eating, children's obesity and=20
responsible advertising rage in Washington and with nervous advertisers on=
=20
Madison Avenue, kids TV networks are trying to tackle the issue as well.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Allison Romano and Anne Becker]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA510327?display=3DSpecial+Repo...
eferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
THE GREAT KIDS DEBATE
How are Latino children best served by television programming -- by=20
primarily English-speaking shows like Dora the Explorer, Maya & Miguel and=
=20
Mucha Lucha or by Spanish-language kids shows. The answer is up for debate.=
=20
About 40% of all Latinos are under the age of 21 versus 30% for the general=
=20
population. In 2002 a survey found that Hispanic kids ages 2 to 11 spent=20
about 80% of their time watching English-language programming.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: George Winslow]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA510087.html?display=3DSpecial+Repo...
eferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN
Marketers are reviving yesterday's beloved characters -- from Looney Tunes=
=20
to Strawberry Shortcake, to Care Bears, Clifford the Big Red Dog and Thomas=
=20
the Tank Engine -- to rekindle fond memories from adults -- and win the=20
hearts of today's kids.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Paige Albiniak]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA510332.html?display=3DSpecial...
ort&referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
TELECOM
REPORT PROPOSES REFORMING TELECOMMUNICATIONS REGULATION
The Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program (C&S) issued a new=20
report last week suggesting the need for statutory or regulatory reform in=
=20
the telecommunications sector, focusing specifically on rural=20
telecommunications, universal service and inter-carrier compensation=20
issues. The report summarizes the recommendations of 31 leading=20
telecommunications industry experts from business, government, finance and=
=20
academia. Authored by North Carolina State University professor Robert M.=20
Entman, the report found general agreement that the technological advances=
=20
and marketing of telecommunications have outstripped the current regulatory=
=20
scheme. Proposing a major revision of the Communications Act, the report=20
suggests that the competition among broadband DSL, cable modems and other=20
players such as wireless broadband providers will render much of the=20
current regulation unnecessary. As a first step in the revision process,=20
participants suggested an interim transitional scheme toward deregulation=20
of basic telecommunications, revising the current method for universal=20
service subsidies, and changing the way regulators look at rural=20
communications.
[SOURCE: Aspen Institute Press Release]
http://www.aspeninstitute.org/index.asp?bid=3D20343&i=3D87
Reforming Telecommunications Regulation
https://www.aspeninstitute.org/AspenInstitute/files/ccLibraryFiles/FILEN...
000000001502/TelecomReport.pdf
EUROPE, US SEPARATED BY TELEPHONE CULTURES
Europeans and Americans differ in the way they use telephones -- in part=20
because of decisions made by regulators. Americans talk more. Europeans=20
give out their cell phone number and put them on their business cards.=20
Americans traditionally have paid to receive mobile phone calls and tend to=
=20
be less free about giving out cell phone numbers. American mobile=20
subscribers get an allotment of minutes for a monthly fee and competition=20
led to packages offering free nationwide calls nights and weekends.=20
Europeans buy more limited packages -- especially geographically. Europeans=
=20
buy their own phones and easily switch phone companies or numbers by=20
swapping tiny SIM card chips. So travelers sometimes buy inexpensive SIM=20
cards to use abroad, receiving calls for free on a new, local number.
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: David Lawsky]
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=3DLJ2TOVTXS2PUMCRBAE...
Y?type=3DtechnologyNews&storyID=3D7884988
FOR TELECOMS IN EUROPE, TURF BATTLES ARE ESCALATING
Across Europe, phone companies are challenging one another outside of their=
=20
home bases - Telecom Italia in France and Germany, for instance, and BT=20
Group of Britain in Italy and Spain. This month, their gradual push abroad=
=20
could get a jump start as Tiscali, the financially troubled Italian=20
Internet service provider, seeks to sell its French unit.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Eric Sylvers]
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/14/business/worldbusiness/14telecom.html
(requires registration)
CELLPHONE USE BOOMS, DESPITE UNEVEN SERVICE
By the end of 2004, the number of wireless subscribers in the USA surpassed=
=20
180.5 million, up 21.7 million from 2003, according to estimates to be=20
unveiled today by CTIA, the wireless trade association. In sheer numbers,=20
that makes 2004 the second-highest-growth year for the industry. Annual=20
wireless-service revenue topped $102 billion. The wireless industry kicks=20
off its annual convention in New Orleans today.
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR:Edward C. Baig]
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20050314/2b_wireless14.art.htm
Also see --
* New Orleans to host annual cell phone expo:=20
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/technology/11129516.htm
BURKE: COMCAST NOT BLOCKING VOIP FOES
Comcast chief operating officer Steve Burke said Friday that the cable=20
company does not and will not block competing voice-over-Internet-protocol=
=20
providers from serving its cable-modem customers. According to a published=
=20
report, Vonage -- a leading non-facilities-based VoIP provider with more=20
than 500,000 customers -- is complaining that a cable company is blocking=20
access.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA510260.html?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
QUICKLY
POWELL TO JOIN ASPEN INSTITUTE
The Aspen Institute announced Friday that Michael Powell, outgoing chairman=
=20
of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), is to become senior fellow=
=20
of the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program for a three-month=
=20
period effective upon his departure from the FCC. Powell is the third=20
consecutive FCC Chairman to join the Aspen Institute following his=20
chairmanship. He will advise the Communications and Society Program on=20
leadership, communications policy, and program activities and operations.=20
Judith Mann will also move from the FCC to the Institute as Powell=92s=20
confidential assistant. You may contact Chairman Powell through Ms. Mann at=
=20
judy.mann( at )aspeninstitute.org or 202-736-1492.
[SOURCE: Aspen Institute Press Release]
http://www.aspeninstitute.org/index.asp?bid=3D20532&i=3D87
STAFF CHANGES AT FCC
FCC Chairman Michael K. Powell named Robert Pepper to be Acting Chief of=20
the Commission's Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis (OSP),=20
effective March 14, 2005. Pepper is the Commission's Chief of Policy=20
Development, a position he has held since March 2003. As Chief, Policy=20
Development, Pepper is responsible for providing strategic advice to the=20
Chairman and Commissioners on industry and policy developments,=20
particularly on issues that cut across traditional industry and=20
institutional boundaries as a result of technological developments and=20
convergence. Among other responsibilities, he co-chairs the Commission's=20
Internet Policy Working Group. In addition, Chairman Powell announced that=
=20
Linda Blair will return to her position as Deputy Chief of the Enforcement=
=20
Bureau. Blair has been serving as Acting Chief of OSP on an interim basis=20
since October 2004. Finally, John Muleta, Chief of the Wireless=20
Telecommunications Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission, has=20
announced his plans to leave the Commission at the end of March 2005.
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-257359A1.doc
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-257340A1.doc
CLEARING UP THE HDTV PICTURE
Consumers return more HDTV sets than analog sets -- mainly because the=20
picture quality they see in the store does not match what they see when=20
they get it home. Find out why.
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Richard Shim ]
http://news.com.com/Clearing+up+the+HDTV+picture/2100-1041_3-5609311.htm...
g=3Dnefd.top
LEGISLATION TO AID TRAINING OF REALTIME WRITERS
The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation today=20
approved by voice vote the "Training for Realtime Writers Act" (S. 268),=20
introduced by Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and co-sponsored by Senators=20
Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Gordon Smith (R-OR), Jay Rockefeller (D-WV),=20
Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), and Bill Nelson (D-Florida). The legislation: 1)=20
Authorizes a new grant program that would encourage the training of closed=
=20
captioners. Under FCC rules, all English language television broadcasts=20
must be captioned by 2006 and Spanish language broadcasts by 2010, 2)=20
Authorizes funding levels at $20 million per year for fiscal years=20
2006-2009, 3) Targets grant awards for use in supporting curriculum=20
development, student recruitment, scholarships, training, distance=20
learning, and job placement. Funding would not supplant current federal and=
=20
non-federal funds obtained by the grantee. The Committee accepted an=20
amendment by Sen. John Sununu (R-NH) that placed the program under the=20
jurisdiction of the Commerce Department broadly as opposed to the National=
=20
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) specifically (as=20
outlined in the original bill), established a firm sunset date of 2009 for=
=20
the program, determined a specific authorization level of $20 million for=20
fiscal years 2006-2009, and set an administrative cost cap of 5%.
[SOURCE: US Senate Press Release]
http://commerce.senate.gov/newsroom/printable.cfm?id=3D233238
NET TAXES? NOT OVER MY DEAD BODY!
An interview with Rep Chris Cox (R-CA), a leading advocates for lower taxes=
=20
in Congress. He championed the Internet Non-Discrimination Act, which=20
shielded e-commerce from taxation by local and state governments.
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: ]
http://news.com.com/Net+taxes+Over+my+dead+body/2008-1082_3-5611753.html...
=3Dnefd.ac
James Kennedy's Christian Crusade
A look at Dr D James Kennedy's expansive media empire.
http://www.mediatransparency.org/recipients/coralridge.htm
--------------------------------------------------------------
Communications-related Headlines is a free online news summary service=20
provided by the Benton Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted Monday through=20
Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments,=20
policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are=20
factually accurate, their often informal tone does not always represent the=
=20
tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang=20
(headlines( at )benton.org) -- we welcome your comments.
--------------------------------------------------------------