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TELEVISION
FCC Announces Agenda for 12/11 Media Ownership Hearing in Nashville
In Changing their Wording, NBC Shapes Public Thinking
Pediatricians' TV Policy Statement Draws Praise
FCC: RFD-TV Disqualified for Carriage on DBS Channels
TELECOM
McDowell Plans To Consult Virginia Bar On Participation In Merger Review
Markey Says McDowell Should Abstain
Telecom regulation: High water mark
Phone data privacy bill gets a final push
Inside the GAO FCC/Telecommunications Act Study
Cell phone customers still miffed over dropped calls
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
Iran's Web Crackdown Shows Ease Of Government Internet Censorship
TELEVISION
FCC ANNOUNCES AGENDA FOR 12/11 MEDIA OWNERSHIP HEARING IN NASHVILLE
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
The FCC's media ownership hearing in Nashville next week will include
to panel discussions -- one on Issues Affecting the Music Recording
Industry and one on Nashville Market Overview and Issues Affecting
Broadcasters and Independent Programmers. Four hours of public
comments are scheduled. Former FCC Commissioner (and current Benton
Foundation board member) Henry Rivera will moderate.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-268805A1.doc
IN CHANGING THEIR WORDING, NBC SHAPES PUBLIC THINKING
[SOURCE: Baltimore Sun, AUTHOR: David Zurawik]
[Commentary] That so-called dinosaur, network TV news, let forth a
loud roar last week. Who knew a fossil could make so much noise? The
bellowing began Monday when NBC announced that it had decided to call
the conflict in Iraq a civil war. Before 24 hours had passed,
discussions about what constitutes a civil war was being debated on
Capitol Hill, parsed on the front pages of newspapers nationwide and
discussed on TV and radio talk shows. "Even if network news is a
dinosaur, it still has a huge audience - an aggregate that can be
matched nowhere else in the media - and that's a fact often
overlooked," said Marquette University Prof Philip M. Seib, author of
Going Live: Doing the News Right in a Real-Time Online World. "The
lesson of the week is an unmistakable reminder that national
broadcast networks can still have a profound effect on political
discourse in this country in a way that no single newspaper, with the
possible exception of the New York Times, can hope to have."
http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/tv/bal-ae.eye03dec03,0,6989473...
PEDIATRICIANS' TV POLICY STATEMENT DRAWS PRAISE
[SOURCE: TVWeek, AUTHOR: Ira Teinowitz]
Monday's policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics
regarding limiting kids ads is drawing a call for action from Sen Tom
Harkin (D-Iowa) and FCC Commissioner Michael Copps. Sen Harkin, who
has been the biggest Senate critic of food marketing to kids,
commended the academy, calling its policy statement "an important
step in recognizing that we must take action now to curb the growing
obesity epidemic among kids, to improve nutrition and eating habits,
and do more to discourage alcohol and tobacco use." Commissioner
Copps said, "I look forward to working with America's pediatricians
to coming up with ways to limit the harm that television and radio
advertising inflict on our nation's youth. When the nation's experts
on child health speak with such a clear voice, the FCC and government
must take heed."
http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=11171
(requires free registration)
FCC: RFD-TV DISQUALIFIED FOR CARRIAGE ON DBS CHANNELS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The FCC has concluded that satellite program distributor RFD-TV does
not qualify as a nonprofit or noncommercial entity and thus cannot
qualify for carriage on DBS channels set aside for public interest
programming, at least while it continues to air a cattle auction
show. The FCC granted a petition for declaratory ruling filed by
competitor Farm Journal, which argued that RFD-TV was unfairly
getting the protected set-aside status when it was in fact a
commercial enterprise. Farm Journal had been joined by Media Access
Project, which also asked the Commission to declare RFD a commercial
service. The FCC in its ruling Monday said that RFD-TV did not
qualify because of its carriage of a commercial livestock auction
with which it has an ongoing relationship. The FCC did not rule on
various other shows Farm Journal alleged contained ads for for-profit
ventures, but said it could still take those up "at a later date."
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6396980.html?display=Breaking...
TELECOM
MCDOWELL PLANS TO CONSULT VIRGINIA BAR ON PARTICIPATION IN MERGER REVIEW
[SOURCE: Technology Daily, AUTHOR: David Hatch]
FCC and industry sources say a decision is imminent from FCC General
Counsel Sam Feder on whether or not Commissioner Robert McDowell can
vote on the AT&T/BellSouth merger. But before deciding on his final
course of action, Commissioner McDowell plans to consult with the
Virginia Bar. A green light from Feder would give McDowell
two-and-a-half weeks to review the matter in advance of a possible
vote at the FCC's Dec. 20 public meeting, although the timing of the
vote could slip. FCC observers believe that FCC Chairman Kevin Martin
is moving now to ensure approval of the merger before Democrats take
control of Congress in early January. The next scheduled FCC meeting
is December 20. Commissioner McDowell, who is thought to have his
eyes on the FCC chairmanship in the future, previously has voiced
concern about violating conflict-of-interest guidelines. Gigi Sohn,
president of the watchdog group Public Knowledge, said "It is
unseemly to try to force the commissioner to violate the ethical
constraints not only of the commission but of the Virginia Bar as well.
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-JMJU1165265993207.html
MARKEY SAYS MCDOWELL SHOULD ABSTAIN
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Soon to be Democratic House Telecommunications Subcommittee Chairman
Ed Markey (D-MA) says he thinks FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell
should abstain from voting on the AT&T/Bell South merger, even if he
can. "If the FCC General Counsel takes action to compel Commissioner
McDowell's participation," Rep Markey said Monday in a statement, "I
strongly urge Commissioner McDowell to announce his intention to vote
to abstain as a matter of principle." Calling a possible general
counsel decision to clear Commissioner McDowell for the vote an
"extraordinary notion for an independent, impartial regulatory
agency," Rep Markey said the commissioners should conclude their
review without a vote from McDowell, but not without "significant,
enforceable consumer and competitive safeguards."
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6397087?display=Breaking+News
* See Rep Markey's statement:
http://markey.house.gov/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=2418&Itemi...
* Markey: McDowell Should Abstain on Merger
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6397091.html?display=Breaking+News
* Congressman balks at FCC move on BellSouth merger OK
http://www.ajc.com/services/content/business/stories/2006/12/04/1204bizb...
TELECOM REGULATION: HIGH WATER MARK
[SOURCE: BusinessWeek, AUTHOR: Steve Rosenbush]
[Commentary] "The most important question, I think, is whether the
regulatory climate for telecom reverts to the "pro-competition"
outlook of the mid-90s. That led to the Telecom Act and the late '90s
telecom boom, but also to subsequent bust. The bust ended when the
major telecom players were allowed to consolidate. The growth in
wireless and broadband has been indisputable in recent years, and I
argue that the laissez fare attitude toward telecom consolidation has
promoted innovation and broadband. It's too late to undo the telecom
deals of the last few years, but the FCC and Congress could change
the climate by forcing the big telecom players to resolve commercial
disputes by through binding arbitration with their rivals. The other
crucial issue is whether the telecom companies will be allowed to
charge big bandwidth users such as Google a premium for handing
video. I see little merit in forcing companies to accept baseball
style arbitration, although the arguments for and against net
neutrality are complex, and both sides need to be considered. Telecom
companies won't continue to invest in broadband if they believe that
third parties such as Google will derive all the benefit. But
slapping huge premiums on Internet access could choke off innovation
on the Internet, which is the last thing anyone wants or needs. Going
forward, it's hard to imagine an issue that will have a greater
impact on the economy."
http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/dealflow/archives/2006/12/telecom...
PHONE DATA PRIVACY BILL GETS A FINAL PUSH
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Peter Kaplan]
U.S. lawmakers on Monday mounted a final effort to pass legislation
this year to ban the use of deceptive methods to obtain consumers
telephone records. The legislation is aimed at stopping the practice
of impersonating people to obtain their telephone records, also known
as pretexting. Democrats and Republicans sought a deal that would
clear the way for the Senate to approve the measure before the
Republican-led 109th Congress draws to a close, likely at the end of
this week, Senate leadership aides said. The legislation was approved
earlier this year by the House of Representatives. Both chambers need
to pass it so it can be sent to President George W. Bush to sign into
law. If the 109th Congress expires before a final agreement is reach
on the legislation, lawmakers would have to begin anew on the effort
after the 110th Congress convenes on January 4 under the control of Democrats.
http://today.reuters.com/News/newsArticle.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID...
* Congress prepares to wrap up unproductive year
Ridiculed as the "do-nothing" 109th U.S. Congress, the Senate and
U.S. House of Representatives on Monday begin a brief session to wrap
up whatever work they can, install a new defense secretary and
approve money to prevent a shutdown of government services. The
Republican-led Congress will meet only for about another week before
drawing to a close -- as lawmakers prepare for the new 110th Congress
set to convene on January 4 under Democratic control. Having been
blown out in the November 7 elections, Republican lawmakers are
getting ready to hand over to Democrats some major unfinished
business, led by what to do about the increasingly unpopular Iraq
war. Republicans are also leaving unfinished long-term government
funding legislation, and appear unlikely to decide whether to extend
popular tax credits that expired at the end of 2005.
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID...
INSIDE THE GAO FCC/TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACT STUDY
[SOURCE: Lasar's Letter on the FCC, AUTHOR: Matthew Lasar]
The United States Government and Accountability Office (GAO) chose an
innocuous enough title for their just released report on voice and
data competition: "FCC Needs to Improve Its Ability to Monitor and
Determine the Extent of Competition in Dedicated Access Services."
But that opening won't stop readers from interpreting the study as a
devastating critique of the Federal Communication Commission's
implementation of Telecommunications Act of 1996, or from seeing it
as a historical analysis of a series of practices and policies that,
in the end, have failed to deliver competitive telecom access to big
cities in the United States. The GAO report includes an appendix with
FCC Managing Director Anthony Dale's response to the study, which was
not positive. "The GAO Draft Report," Dale wrote on November 13th,
"appears to imply the need for a return to price control policies
that the Commission abandoned in 1999 during the previous
Administration." Dale also suggested that a more rigorous analysis of
competition than the FCC's colocation system would require an
"extremely narrow" focus. " . . . the GAO study seems to suggest that
at least each individual building and perhaps each floor of a
building needs to be considered a separate market," Dale argued, an
approach that he says the FCC could not implement. But the GAO
rejects the charge that the agency advocates a return to price
controls, and urges the FCC to seek better data on the industries
that it regulates.
http://www.lasarletter.net/drupal/node/249
CELL PHONE CUSTOMERS STIFF MIFFED OVER DROPPED CALLS
[SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle, AUTHOR: Ryan Kim]
Despite spending billions of dollars to improve its networks and
offer more products and features, the cell phone industry is falling
behind in delivering the kind of reliable service that meets consumer
expectations. A survey in the January issue of Consumer Reports shows
customer satisfaction largely unchanged for the last five years. The
survey found overall customer satisfaction was at 66 out of 100, down
one point from last year and virtually unchanged since the surveys
started in 2002. The results put the cell phone industry below
sectors like hotels and insurance and in the same league as cable TV
and computer tech support.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/04/BUGAJMN7N41.DTL
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
IRAN'S WEB CRACKDOWN SHOWS EASE OF GOVERNMENT INTERNET CENSORSHIP
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Christopher Rhoads
christopher.rhoads( at )wsj.com]
Iran's campaign to shutter popular Web sites and curtail text-message
traffic reflects the growing ability of governments to control online
content inside their national borders. The crackdown is part of a
broader offensive against what authorities consider immoral Western
culture. It has targeted Web sites including Amazon.com, publicly
edited online encyclopedia Wikipedia.com, movie Web site imdb.com and
online video-sharing portal YouTube.com, among others. Some of these
sites are working again, but the clampdown is consistent with a
tightening of online content in Iran dating back two years. The
blockage isn't airtight, as more-savvy Internet users in the country
have access to software and other measures that allow them to get
around government restrictions, Internet experts say. It is uncertain
how long the restrictions will last. Iran is one of a host of nations
that have taken steps to limit access to the Internet or control what
users can see in cyberspace. Others that have taken such steps
include China, Cuba and North Korea. Tehran's recent actions are
noteworthy given the country's flourishing and relatively free
Internet culture in recent years. Iran has an estimated 7.5 million
users, up from 250,000 six years ago. A lively blogosphere emerged in
recent years, as state control of the country's traditional print
media increased.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116528658477840719.html?mod=todays_us_pa...
(requires subscription)
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Happy Birthday, Isaiah!
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Communications-related Headlines is a free online news summary
service provided by the Benton Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted
Monday through Friday, this service provides updates on important
industry developments, policy issues, and other related news events.
While the summaries are factually accurate, their often informal tone
does not always represent the tone of the original articles.
Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang headlines( at )benton.org -- we
welcome your comments.
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