For upcoming media policy events, see http://www.benton.org/calendar.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. Headlines are compiled by=20
Kevin Taglang (headlines( at )benton.org) -- we welcome your comments.
BROADCASTING
Self-Censorship In Broadcasting Seen as Rising
Web TV Is Changing The Way Programming Is Watched and Sold
CABLE
Against =E0 la Carte
Some in Cable Scorn Gore Plan
ACCESSIBILITY
VoIP Disability Access Issues
Frustrating Signs at the FCC
QUICKLY
Costly Growth for the Bells
The 'Dot Kids' Internet Domain: Protecting Children Online
Stall on Gallagher Nomination Hurting Effectiveness Abroad
BROADCASTING
SELF-CENSORSHIP IN BROADCASTING SEEN AS RISING
In the wake of FCC rulings and legislation making its way through Congress,=
=20
broadcasters are self-censoring their content. "If you're asking if there=20
has been overcaution on the part of broadcasters today, I think the answer=
=20
is yes," said Jeff Smulyan, the chairman and chief executive of Emmis=20
Communications, which owns 16 television stations and 27 radio stations in=
=20
Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and other cities. "Everyone is going to err=
=20
on the side of caution. There is too much at stake. People are just not=20
sure what the standards really are." If the bills moving through Congress=20
become law, at stake are both much higher fines for broadcasters, but also=
=20
their licenses. FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps, who has been one of the=
=20
strongest critics of media companies, acknowledged that some broadcasters=20
appeared to be overreacting. But, he said, "I applaud the effort at self=20
policing." He also disputed the notion that the FCC's standards on=20
indecency were too vague. "I think most of the things we're dealing with=20
right now are pretty clear, from the standpoint of being indecent," he=20
said. "There's enough stuff out there that shouldn't be on."
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Jacques Steinberg]
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/10/business/media/10FCC.html?hp
(requires registration)
WEB TV IS CHANGING THE WAY PROGRAMMING IS WATCHED AND SOLD
The movie and TV industries are starting to see the Internet as a new way=20
to sell programming that has already aired on TV. The quality of video on=20
people's PCs is not great yet, but as networks grow faster and easy-to-use=
=20
Internet-aware devices are sold for the living room, the role of the=20
Internet in TV will only grow. Think about getting "West Wing" without=20
having to deal with Comcast -- or even NBC. "It would be the video analog=20
of getting your music directly from the artist. You wouldn't even need a=20
TiVo, because the whole world would be your TiVo," Gomes writes. Policy=20
decisions will help shape this future. Cable companies sell us both=20
Internet signals and TV programming. Maybe, says Timothy Wu, a University=20
of Virginia law professor who has studied the issue, we should insist they=
=20
not downgrade their Internet signal as a way of protecting their cash-cow=20
TV business.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Lee Gomes]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB108414174945606228,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_marketplace
(requires subscription)
CABLE
AGAINST A LA CARTE
Cable lobbyists have a special mission this week -- kill a la carte pricing=
=20
mandates. Rep. Nathan Deal (R-GA) has an amendment to legislation renewing=
=20
satellite companies' right to carry broadcast channels that the Commerce=20
Committee is expected to pass along this week. The amendment would give=20
satellite companies EchoStar and DirecTV permission to sell individual=20
basic pay-TV channels, a practice no programmer allows today, instead=20
requiring carriage of a full complement of basic networks. Although the=20
amendment does not have much chance of passing, the cable lobby is applying=
=20
a full-court press to make sure it does not happen -- so that, down the=20
line, a similar measure is not passed applying to cable. EchoStar has=20
endorsed the measure, insisting the strategy would give it a competitive=20
edge. DirecTV, whose parent News Corp owns cable networks, is opposed.=20
Republican leaders are lobbying against the amendment.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Bill McConnell ]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA416235?display=3DTop+of+the+Week
(requires subscription)
Also, worrying that "pure" a la carte could threaten public, educational=20
and government channels, the Alliance for Community Media will be talking=20
to lawmakers to include =93protective language=94 for noncommercial PEG=20
channels. =93In their efforts to find ways to protect consumers, Congress=
can=20
not leave community media out in the cold. PEG access is a vital=20
resource... that must be protected when the laws change,=94 says ACM's=
Bunnie=20
Riedel.
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Brigitte Greenberg]
(Not available online)
SOME IN CABLE SCORN GORE PLAN
There's not a lotta love between former Vice President Al Gore and the=20
cable industry. As a senator, Mr. Gore attacked cable TV distributors as=20
gougers and monopolists, coined the phrase "Cable Cosa Nostra" and compared=
=20
then-industry leader John Malone to Darth Vader. So it is no surprise to=20
read quotes like this: "It's very ironic that the same guy who tried to=20
blow-torch the industry now wants our help," said one executive for a=20
leading cable operator. "He won't get any help from me." But others are=20
seeing Mr. Gore's attempts to launch a new cable channel as an opportunity=
=20
for the industry: Mr. Gore has an armada of political connections in=20
Washington that no other cable newcomer could match and some cable=20
operators are agreeing to continue to carry Mr. Gore's network in exchange=
=20
for his political support. The commitments for carriage that Mr. Gore has=20
won have translated into financial backing from Wall Street.
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR:Sallie Hofmeister]
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-gore10may10,1,6752823...
ry?coll=3Dla-headlines-pe-business
ACCESSIBILITY
VoIP DISABILITY ACCESS ISSUES
FCC Chairman Michael Powell is urging the disabled community to get=20
involved now with Internet telephony (VoIP) to ensure that solutions for=20
the disabled are not just "bolted on at the end," but considered from the=20
beginning. Speaking at the Commission's Solutions Summit last Friday, FCC=20
Commissioner Michael Copps said, "Making sure that IP services are=20
accessible to everyone=94 is a =93chief=94 challenge to be addressed by the=
FCC.=20
"It=92s the right thing to do. But that=92s not just my interpretation. It=
=92s=20
the law. So, let=92s put that front-and-center. Let's be certain we do=20
everything we can to ensure that we live up to the mandate of functional=20
equivalency as IP services flood the communications landscape."
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Susan Polyakova]
(Not available online)
FRUSTRATING SIGNS AT THE FCC
A look at the FCC's regulation of video-relay service (VRS). This free,=20
public, on-demand telecommunication service allows two-way live=20
videoconferencing with a sign interpreter, who then contacts the hearing=20
party via a standard phone line. The interpreter relays the conversation to=
=20
a deaf caller in sign language. The system is much more effective for deaf=
=20
callers than typing conversations into a text-based telephone (TTY). Title=
=20
IV of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires equal telecom=20
access for the deaf, everywhere, including the workplace. But according to=
=20
the FCC, VRS can be used only for phone calls between parties in two=20
different locations -- so coworkers under the same roof cannot use the=20
system. The FCC says the deaf should schedule an interpreter to come to=20
their offices instead. That is a costly and inconvenient solution.
[SOURCE: BusinessWeek, AUTHOR: Suzanne Robitaille]
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2004/tc2004057_8783_tc...
htm
QUICKLY
COSTLY GROWTH FOR THE BELLS
Facing an approximate 4% drop in their wireline phone business, the Baby=20
Bells are looking for new revenue streams like high speed Internet access.=
=20
Digital subscriber lines (DSL) service is growing faster than ever and the=
=20
Bells are bundling access with content from Yahoo! and Microsoft. The phone=
=20
companies are also bundling DSL service with local and long distance phone=
=20
service. But these bundles worry analysts who see profit margins being=20
squeezed by consumer discounts.
[SOURCE: BusinessWeek, AUTHOR: Todd Rosenbluth, Standard & Poor's=
Securities]
http://www.businessweek.com/investor/content/may2004/pi2004057_0898_pi04...
m
THE 'DOT KIDS' INTERNET DOMAIN: PROTECTING CHILDREN ONLINE
The House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet last week=20
held a hearing on establishing the ".kids.us" Internet domain. The Federal=
=20
Bureau of Investigation (FBI) considers online child pornography and child=
=20
sexual exploitation to be the most significant cyber crime problem=20
confronting the FBI that involves crimes against children. The Dot Kids Act=
=20
required the National Telecommunications and Information Administration=20
(NTIA) to amend its contract with NeuStar to establish a child-friendly=20
space. NTIA was also required to oversee the development of kids.us in=20
accordance with specific content, enforcement and registration=20
obligations. The law also directed NTIA to publicize the availability of=20
the new domain and educate parents regarding the use of the kids.us domain=
=20
in combination with blocking and filtering technologies. In the eight=20
months since the creation of the kids.us space, over 1,700 domain names=20
have been registered in kids.us, such as Crayola.kids.us, Hasbro.kids.us,=20
Lego Land.kids.us, CuriousGeorge.kids.us, and=20
Yahooligans.kids.us. Currently, kids.us is home to thirteen active=20
websites. These websites showcase information about arts and=20
entertainment, computers and technology, sports and recreation, science and=
=20
government, and much more.
See the URL below for documents related to this hearing.
[SOURCE: House of Representatives]
http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/Hearings/05062004hearing1262/hearing...
STALL ON GALLAGHER NOMINATION HURTING EFFECTIVENESS ABROAD
Titles matter, *Acting* Assistant Secretary Michael Gallagher said last=20
week and former agency heads agree. The Senate's failure to act on his=20
confirmation as head of the NTIA costs Dir Gallagher diplomatic points with=
=20
officials from other countries. Dir Gallagher said the problem is the=20
biggest he meets with counterparts from other major nations. =93The=20
difficulty comes from the larger, more-established counties, not so much=20
the smaller ones,=94 he said. =93Any audience they get with a senior=
government=20
official, they feel very honored, very privileged... In the countries that=
=20
have a longer relationship with our country, that have a bigger economy,=20
that have more established bureaucracies around the issues we work with --=
=20
those are the ones where it has an impact.=94
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Howard Buskirk]
(Not available online)
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