BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2013
On Friday -- The Technology of Privacy and the Emergency Access Advisory Committee http://benton.org/calendar/2013-01-11/
AGENDA
FCC blames phone companies for derecho 911 outages
Why you should care about CES — even if you don’t want to
INTERNET/BROADBAND
Gangnam Bandwidth, American Style - op-ed
Sen Wyden lays out tech policy roadmap for 2013 – Freedom to Compete
Data Caps Undermine the Freedom to Compete - analysis
How the TV Business Got Rich Off the Thing That Was Going to the Kill It: The Internet - analysis
Is Broadband Internet Access a Public Utility?
West Virginia broadband effort narrowed
USDA Highlights 2012 Investments to Build Stronger Rural Communities - press release [links to web]
WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
FCC Effort to Increase Wi-Fi Speeds and Alleviate Wi-Fi Congestion - press release
FCC’s Genachowski Cites Need for Additional Spectrum [links to web]
President Clinton at CES: The World Needs More Smartphones And Fewer Guns
In Clearwire Gambit, Spectrum Is the Prize
Kaplan -- FCC Should Not Rush Auction [links to web]
Verizon says LTE now touches 89% of the population [links to web]
FM Radio on Cellphones, Long Sought by Broadcasters, Comes to Sprint [links to web]
Do People Actually Shop on Phones? The Answer is Decidedly Yes [links to web]
Apple, Facebook, Microsoft to start app privacy initiative [links to web]
OWNERSHIP
New AT&T Report on Net Neutrality Highlights ‘Failure in Corporate Citizenship’ Say Investors - press release
CONTENT
Will 2013 be the year copyright reformers hit back?
Tech firms, lawmaker slam patent trolls, push for copyright reforms [links to web]
Online radio will start serving ads based on your web browsing [links to web]
Study: Consumers Don't Fully Understand Social Media, Search [links to web]
TELEVISION
How the TV Business Got Rich Off the Thing That Was Going to the Kill It: The Internet - analysis
Al Jazeera in America [links to web]
TiVo's Rogers: Pay TV Industry Faces 'Digital Cliff' [links to web]
Is Aereo a thrifty pay-TV option or a fix in search of a problem? [links to web]
TELECOM
USTA Petition: Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers are Non-Dominant in the Provision of Switched Access Services - public notice
VIOLENCE AND MEDIA
Survey Says: Parents Concerned About Media Violence
NAB, NCTA in White House Violence Talks
FX President Calls for More Gun Control, Calls Out First-Person Shooter Games [links to web]
White House Responds to Petition to Deport Piers Morgan [links to web]
HEALTH
ONC delves into patients' privacy concerns [links to web]
CYBERSECURITY
Business leaders press for better information-sharing about cyber threats
Cyberwar in Iran Comes Home to U.S. Banks. Is Anyone Surprised? - analysis [links to web]
Cyber Attack Could "Fatally Compromise" British Government: Report [links to web]
Cyber security in 2013: How vulnerable to attack is US now? [links to web]
Blunting the Cyber Threat to Business - op-ed [links to web]
POLICYMAKERS
Obama’s Second Term Cabinet
President Pushed to Nominate Woman as Next FCC Chair
STORIES FROM ABROAD
Censored Newspaper Returns to Publication Amid Struggles
Censorship makes China look ridiculous - editorial [links to web]
China debating opening telecoms market
Mobile users pay price for digital divide
Google's Eric Schmidt calls for open Internet in North Korea [links to web]
Cyber Attack Could "Fatally Compromise" British Government: Report [links to web]
Improving the Evidence Base for Information Security and Privacy Policies - research [links to web]
MORE ONLINE
Helpful emergency gadgets for seniors [links to web]
Pakistan Authorities Promise To Lift YouTube Ban Once Firewall Is In Place [links to web]
AGENDA
DERECHO REPORT
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Roger Yu]
Telephone companies' failure to provide sufficient backup power and monitor networks properly directly contributed to "large-scale" outages of communications at 911 call centers during the derecho storm last June, according to a report expected to be released by the Federal Communications Commission. As one of the most destructive storms in U.S. history moved rapidly across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions, 77 emergency call centers, serving more than 3.6 million customers in six states, lost phone connections, including information on call locations, the report says. Along with the report's findings, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski will also "propose measures to improve reliability of the existing 911 networks," including providing adequate backup power and on-site audits, improving monitoring and ensuring that phone companies better alert 911 centers of outages.
benton.org/node/143061 | USAToday | B&C | Bloomberg
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WHY YOU SHOULD CARE ABOUT CES
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Hayley Tsukayama]
The 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas may have only kicked off this week, but chances are there are already some people who are sick of hearing about every new gadget that may, possibly, hit the market in the next decade. Yes, CES gets a bad rap these days — and there are a lot of reasons why. Major companies pull out of the show to set their own announcement agendas (see: Apple, Microsoft). And many of the show’s “hot products” of the year don’t always pan out in the real world (see: ultrabooks), have super limited appeal, or simply never come out at all. In many ways, CES has earned its reputation as a disconnected confab and echo chamber. So, why bother with it at all? It’s not an easy answer, particularly if you’re not one of those people who fall in love with a new gadget every month. But CES, with all its flaws, is still a bellwether for the technology industry and worth watching , particularly as personal technology becomes more important in daily life. On a high level, the very criticisms of CES — that it’s a hardware show in a software world, that it needs star companies to make it interesting— are indicative of shifts in the industry at large.
benton.org/node/142957 | Washington Post
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
GANGNAM BANDWIDTH, AMERICAN STYLE
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Blair Levin, Ellen Satterwhite]
[Commentary] Surrounded by next generation flexible displays and the next big tech toys at the 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show, former President Bill Clinton made this observation: South Korea is now number one in the world for computer download speeds, and the U.S. has fallen to number 15. “Our speeds are one-fourth of theirs, and we have fallen off the map,” Clinton said. But just announced a plan to bring gigabit service to a dozen of its neighborhoods. Over 100,000 Seattle residents, as well as health care and educational institutions, will have access to world-leading speeds. Not only is the scale of Seattle’s effort impressive, the path it took — smart policies involving rights of way management and dark fiber — can be replicated by other communities that wish to control their own bandwidth destiny. Not every community has Seattle’s assets, particularly the strong information, communications, apps development economy and committed local leaders like Mayor McGinn. But Seattle has created a model that every community can follow in improving the environment for the private investment necessary to create a new generation of American broadband leadership. Mr. Friedman proposed a $20 billion fund to bring gigabit connectivity to 200 American cities, arguing that these networks would lead to “a ‘melt-up’ in the United States economy.” While, unfortunately in our view, such a program may not be in the realm of the politically achievable, ironically, it might be the actions of individual cities to catalyze such networks that leads to the kind of growth, debt reduction, and surplus that could enable the federal government to once again consider big programs to drive growth and American economic leadership. And this is the kind of policy innovation America deserves.
benton.org/node/143006 | Wall Street Journal
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WYDEN’S FREEDOM TO COMPETE
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Jennifer Martinez]
Sen Ron Wyden (D-OR) is working on legislation with Sen Al Franken (D-MN) that would stiffen antitrust laws so major Internet service providers like Comcast and Verizon are prevented from discriminating against Web content that competes with their own services. Speaking at the International CES show in Las Vegas, Sen Wyden said the bulk of consumers only have one or two Internet service providers (ISPs) to choose from and the market lacks competition. The Federal Communications Commissions' network neutrality order that was adopted last year did not go far enough, he argued, because wireless Internet connections are not fully subject to the rules. Sen Wyden also called on Congress to do an analysis on software patents' contribution to the economy. He said software changes too rapidly to put a patent on it for 20 years¬ — a lifetime by Silicon Valley standards. Also on Wyden's policy roadmap for the year: He plans to push his legislation on broadband data caps. He also called for a rewrite of privacy rules that govern online communications, adding that the documents people leave laying on their tables at home have more privacy protections than the ones they store in the cloud.
benton.org/node/142975 | Hill, The | Sen Wyden | AdWeek | Public Knowledge
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DATA CAPS UNDERMINE THE FREEDOM TO COMPETE
[SOURCE: Public Knowledge, AUTHOR: Michael Weinberg]
[Commentary] Sen Ron Wyden (D-OR) unveiled his Freedom to Compete agenda. This is an important step towards protecting and encouraging competition online. While there are many encouraging parts of the Senator’s speech, this post will focus on one: data caps. Public Knowledge has been concerned about data caps for some time. Fundamentally, these concerns flow from the fact that data caps incentivize ISPs to monetize scarcity, can be used anti-competitively, discourage experimentation online, and can cause users to over-pay and under-use their internet connection. While there are certainly ways that data caps could be implemented reasonably, thus far we have not seen very much evidence of that type of implementation. We are glad to see Senator Wyden recognize that data caps impose costs on consumers and innovators. Their benefits are much harder to nail down. Monthly caps are an extraordinarily inefficient way to handle momentary network congestion (assuming that congestion exists at all). They are a similarly opaque way to implement a price discrimination strategy that actually helps consumers understand their connection needs. Data caps can also create a disincentive for ISPs to invest in their networks. The assumption at the core of data caps is that bits are in dangerously short supply. Every dollar invested in the network increases its capacity and undermines the structure of the cap. Robust networks are expensive to build and can easily support high caps (if they are justified at all). Aging networks have already been paid for and may only be able to support low caps. An ISP with low caps and an aging network has little incentive to pay to invest in a network that will also undermine profits flowing from low caps. Caps also increase the cost of experimentation online, thereby chilling innovation and disadvantaging new entrants. When sent a link to a new video, app, or online experience, a capped user must ask herself “do I have space under my cap?” before clicking. Oftentimes, this question will also be “what am I doing now that I am willing to forgo in order to try this new thing?” If the answer is “No” and “Nothing,” as it often will be, the link will go unclicked and the user will not have a chance to try the new thing. This is not a recipe for online innovation and change. Finally, data caps are a recipe for over-payment and under-use.
benton.org/node/142974 | Public Knowledge | Sen Wyden
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CABLE AND THE INTERNET
[SOURCE: The Atlantic, AUTHOR: Derek Thompson]
What's going on? The Internet was supposed to make traditional companies poor. Instead, the Internet is making them rich. "We heard stories about how cable was doomed by the Internet as early as 2003," says Craig Moffett, an analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein. "It has finally dawned on investors that, not only was that never a realistic concern, but also, the Internet has turned out to be a boon for both distributors and content companies." To understand why the Internet hasn't destroyed cable, ask yourself: Where do you get your Internet? It's probably from the same people selling you TV. Since 2005, total cable industry revenue is up 50% -- and two-thirds of that increase came from selling something that wasn't television. For the most part, it was Internet. Cable companies like Comcast and Time Warner Cable sell broadband at ridiculously high margins. When you compare the total cost and profit of selling TV versus selling Internet, it's clear to Moffett that pay TV "has represented less than half of [cable's] business for more than a year." While cable has made Internet a second business, content companies have treated the Internet as a second window. Even as they demand more money from cable operators for the right to carry their channels to households, media companies have also made a killing selling their shows to companies like Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, and Apple.
benton.org/node/143004 | Atlantic, The
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BROADBAND A PUBLIC UTILITY?
[SOURCE: Time, AUTHOR: Sam Gustin]
Should broadband Internet service be treated as a basic utility in the United States, like electricity, water, and traditional telephone service? That’s the question at the heart of an important and provocative new book by Susan Crawford, a tech policy expert and professor at Cardozo Law School. In Captive Audience: The Telecom Industry and Monopoly in the New Guilded Age, released by Yale University Press, Crawford argues that the Internet has replaced traditional phone service as the most essential communications utility in the country, and is now as important as electricity was 100 years ago. “Truly high-speed wired Internet access is as basic to innovation, economic growth, social communication, and the country’s competitiveness as electricity was a century ago,” Crawford writes, “but a limited number of Americans have access to it, many can’t afford it, and the country has handed control of it over to Comcast and a few other companies.” Because the U.S. government has allowed a small group of giant, highly profitable companies to dominate the broadband market, Crawford argues, American consumers have fewer choices for broadband service, at higher prices but lower speeds, compared to dozens of other developed countries, including throughout Europe and Asia. “In Seoul, when you move into an apartment, you have a choice of three or four providers selling you symmetric fiber access for $30 per month, and installation happens in one day,” Crawford said. “That’s unthinkable in the United States. And the idea that the country that invented the Internet can’t get online is beyond my imagination.”
benton.org/node/143003 | Time | The Huffington Post
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WV BROADBAND PROJECT
[SOURCE: Charleston Gazette, AUTHOR: Eric Eyre]
A $126.3 million federal stimulus project was intended to bring high-speed fiber-optic Internet connections to public facilities across West Virginia, but state officials are now mostly selecting sites that already have fiber and delivering routers instead. The state designated 175 new sites as "community anchor institutions" that will receive upgraded Internet service. Only seven of those sites will get high-speed fiber cable. All facilities will get new routers. "Due to the amount of time required for environmental assessments and fiber builds, we determined that we would limit most of the additional sites to 'router-only' so that we could complete the build on time," said Diane Holley-Brown, a spokeswoman for the state Office of Technology. The latest list of 175 replacement sites includes mostly schools, community and technical colleges, and Marshall University, which will receive 10 routers for buildings on its Huntington campus. Holley-Brown said the National Telecommunications & Information Administration, the federal agency overseeing the grant funds, has approved West Virginia's plans to pick sites that already have fiber and deliver routers to them.
benton.org/node/143001 | Charleston Gazette
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WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
FCC EFFORT TO INCREASE WI-FI SPEEDS AND ALLEVIATE WI-FI CONGESTION
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Press release]
While speaking at the 2013 International CES, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski announced that the FCC will soon kick-off a government-wide effort to increase speeds and alleviate Wi-Fi congestion at major hubs, such as airports, convention centers and large conference gatherings. In addition, this would also increase speed and capacity for Wi-Fi in the home where multiple users and devices are often on the network at the same time. This will increase and free up the unlicensed spectrum available for ultra-high-speed, high-capacity Wi-Fi - known as “Gigabit Wi-Fi” - by up to 35 percent. This effort will enable higher data speeds and greater capacity – most notably, improved HD video distribution capability. Chairman Genachowski said that the FCC will take the first steps next month to unleash up to 195 megahertz of spectrum in the 5 gigahertz band. This would be the largest block of unlicensed spectrum to be made available for expansion of Wi-Fi since 2003. Because the 5 gigahertz band is already used for other purposes by both federal and non-federal users, the effort will require significant collaboration with other federal agencies. Chairman Genachowski committed the Commission to move expeditiously to complete the proceeding.
benton.org/node/142997 | Federal Communications Commission | ars technica | B&C
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CLINTON AT CES
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Mike Isaac]
It was a bit of a head-scratcher to see former president Bill Clinton on the Samsung keynote roster at CES 2013. Obviously it had to do with star power and pulling in audience attention, but I was curious to see how Samsung would tie in the president’s cameo. Surprise — part of his appearance actually made sense. Since leaving office, Clinton has been a major proponent of aiding the developing world, especially in disaster- and poverty-stricken nations like Haiti. That’s where the Samsung pairing comes in. The South Korean conglomerate sells hundreds of millions of smartphones globally each year and has been one of the leaders in the race to dominate the low end of Android-powered mobile devices. Efforts to get those phones into the hands of people in impoverished rural areas, Clinton said, should be a priority in world humanitarian efforts. For many, the cellphone is the first — and only — point of entry to having a bank account, or to standardize commodity food prices across their particular region.
benton.org/node/142972 | Wall Street Journal
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CLEARWIRE SPECTRUM
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Anton Troianovski, Shalini Ramachandran, Anupreeta Das]
Dish Chairman Charlie Egan’s attempt to snatch wireless provider Clearwire out of the hands of its current merger partner, Sprint Nextel, is just his latest move in a long chess match. The endgame: to get access to the spectrum and network assets needed to deliver wireless service and even video over the air. At first glance, Dish's proposal to buy Clearwire is a head-scratcher. Sprint already owns half of the company and has a tangle of contractual rights that pose steep obstacles for any outsider trying to do a deal. But people close to Mr. Ergen said his main interest is rights to some of the airwaves, or spectrum, controlled by Clearwire. Even if Sprint succeeds in acquiring Clearwire, Ergen could benefit if his unsolicited bid pushes Clearwire to sell him some of its spectrum or leads Sprint to bring him into a network-sharing partnership.
benton.org/node/143059 | Wall Street Journal
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OWNERSHIP
AT&T REPORT ON NETWORK NEUTRALITY
[SOURCE: Trillium Asset Management, AUTHOR: Press release]
A new report by AT&T Inc. summarizing the company’s positions on network neutrality/open Internet principles highlights a “worrisome failure in corporate citizenship” and raises significant concerns about AT&T’s long-term commitment to open Internet principles that benefit the American economy and all consumers, according to a group of AT&T investors. The report was issued by AT&T December 2012 in response to a proposal by shareholders concerned about the company’s current open Internet policies for wireless networks, which comprise the fastest-growing segment of the Internet. In 2011 wireless constituted about half of AT&T revenue; the company has projected that its mobile data traffic will grow more than eight times in the five-year period ending in 2016. “We believe open Internet policies help drive the economy, encourage innovation and reward investors,” the investors said in their proposal. “An open Internet also has particular importance for minority and economically disadvantaged communities, which rely on wireless more than other demographic groups.” AT&T’s response to the shareholders was noted in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission but not otherwise publicized by the company. Following AT&T’s action, shareholders informed the SEC that their proposal requesting a report has been withdrawn.
Jonas Kron, Senior Vice President, Director of Shareholder Advocacy & Corporate Engagement at Trillium Asset Management, noted that AT&T’s position on open Internet for wireless amounted primarily to complying with existing federal regulations – which, in fact, provide huge exemptions from oversight for wireless networks. Other shortcomings of the report:
AT&T does not mention a recent and widely-publicized controversy concerning alleged violations of federal regulations involving the blocking of Apple’s FaceTime wireless application. The FaceTime episode raises significant questions about AT&T’s willingness to be forthright with the public and its ability to manage risk.
AT&T fails to discuss reports of an increasing number of consumer complaints about discrepancies in how much data AT&T wireless customers are using and being charged for.
There do not appear to be adequate protections to ensure that AT&T does not act as a gatekeeper to innovation, especially with regard to new wireless services and applications. Innovation without the permission of incumbents has been the basis of the Internet becoming an engine of economic growth. AT&T needs to go the extra mile to ensure that innovators are free to develop the next important technology.
benton.org/node/142947 | Trillium Asset Management
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CONTENT
COPYRIGHT IN 2013
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Joe Mullin]
It's a post-SOPA world. But the question is, what does that mean for the future? Content companies used to getting their way on Capitol Hill got humbled last January when an unprecedented wave of public protest shut down the SOPA and PIPA proposals that would have regulated online copyright. Now that the public has been awakened to the issue, those interested in a more balanced copyright system are thinking over their strategy. "Everything is on the table, including copyright terms," said Gigi Sohn, the president of Public Knowledge, speaking at a panel at CES 2013. "Let's put it to those who want greater, longer, stronger CR enforcement... why shouldn't we have some balance? Let's turn the clock back and think about the original need for copyright." This year, says Sohn, will be the year "we push our own, affirmative, agenda."
benton.org/node/142989 | Ars Technica
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TELECOM
USTA PETITION: INCUMBENT LOCAL EXCHANGE CARRIERS ARE NON-DOMINANT IN THE PROVISION OF SWITCHED ACCESS SERVICES
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Public Notice]
The Federal Communications Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau seeks comment on a petition that urges the FCC to alter policies in response to the ongoing technological transition of voice networks. On December 19, 2012, the United States Telecom Association filed a petition requesting that the FCC declare that incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) “are no longer presumptively dominant when providing interstate mass market and enterprise switched access services.” Comments are due February 25, 2013; reply comments are due March 12, 2013. All
pleadings are to reference WC Docket No. 13-3.
benton.org/node/142971 | Federal Communications Commission
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VIOLENCE AND MEDIA
PARENTS AND MEDIA VIOLENCE
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
On the eve of a scheduled meeting between major media trade group heads and Vice President Joe Biden, Common Sense Media and the Center for American Progress released a study in which 77% of parents said kids’ access to media violence -- TV shows, movies, video games -- contributes to a culture of violence in the US. That is even more than said their access to guns (75%) was a contributing factor. The study also found that 88% of parents don't want ads for violent games, TV shows and movies to air during programs watched by large numbers of children. Common Sense has been pushing the networks not to air such ads in sports broadcasts, for example.
benton.org/node/143052 | Broadcasting&Cable
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WHITE HOUSE VIOLENCE TALKS
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Julie Pace]
Less than a month after a horrific elementary school shooting, the White House is fighting to keep the momentum for new gun legislation amid signs it's losing ground in Congress to other pressing issues. Among White House meetings planned for this week is one on Jan 10 during which Vice President Joe Biden will meet with representatives from the entertainment industry, including National Association of Broadcasters President Gordon Smith, National Cable and Telecommunications Association President Michael Powell, Motion Picture Association of America President Chris Dodd, Comcast EVP David Cohen and representatives of the National Association of Theatre Owners and the Directors Guild of America. On Jan 9, Vice President Biden heard personal stories of gun violence from representatives of victims groups and gun-safety organizations as he drafts the Obama administration's response to the shooting at a Connecticut elementary school. He pledged that action would be taken. President Barack Obama wants Vice President Biden to deliver policy proposals by the end of the month. President Obama has vowed to move swiftly on the package, which is expected to include legislative proposals and executive action.
benton.org/node/142962 | Associated Press
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CYBERSECURITY
BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE AND INFORMATION SHARING
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Jennifer Martinez]
The Business Roundtable, which represents the chief executives of top U.S. companies, unveiled a proposal that's aimed at boosting the security of American companies' computer infrastructure against cyberattacks from hackers. The group is calling for Congress to pass legislation aimed at improving the sharing of information about malicious source code and other cyber threats between government and industry so companies can thwart cyberattacks in real-time. Business Roundtable President John Engler said improving information-sharing — rather than implementing top-down regulations — is key to preventing hackers from siphoning companies' valuable intellectual property or attacking their computer systems. The trade association stresses that information-sharing legislation needs to include liability protection for companies so they're protected from legal action after sharing cyber-threat data with the government. The legislative framework also needs to include antitrust and freedom of information protections for businesses so they don't suffer legal and financial repercussions for sharing cyber-threat data with the government and their corporate peers.
benton.org/node/142958 | Hill, The
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POLICYMAKERS
THE NEW CABINET
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Amie Parnes]
Attorney General Eric Holder, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki will stay in their positions in President Obama’s second term. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis is resigning. Sec Solis was a four-term congresswoman representing southern California, and was the first Hispanic woman to serve in the U.S. Cabinet. Sec Solis becomes the fifth member of the Cabinet to announce that she intends to leave in Obama's second term, joining Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Environmental Protection Agency Director Lisa Jackson. Her resignation will likely intensify pressure on the White House to consider diversity in the remainder of its Cabinet appointments. Obama's last two appointments — Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) and former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) — are white men. And Obama is expected to nominate White House chief of staff Jack Lew to be Treasury secretary as soon as this week.
benton.org/node/143009 | Hill, The | The Hill – Solis
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A WOMAN AS FCC CHAIR?
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Women's Media Center, co-founded by Jane Fonda, is urging President Barack Obama to nominate a woman as the next chair of the Federal Communications Commission. Current FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has not announced his departure, but there’s a great deal of speculation he will step down. "In its nearly 80-year history, the FCC has never had a female chair. Appointing a woman is not just a symbolic step. The next FCC chair should promote diversity and increase competition in telecommunications and in media," said WMC President Julie Burton. The center was founded by Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan, and Gloria Steinem to "make women visible and powerful in the media."
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/491260-President_Pushed_to_Nomi...
Women's Org Urges Obama to Name a Woman as Next FCC Chair (Variety)
benton.org/node/143007 | Broadcasting&Cable | Variety
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STORIES FROM ABROAD
SOUTHERN WEEKEND
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Edward Wong, Jonathan Ansfield]
Propaganda officials in the southern province of Guangdong have agreed to loosen some controls over an embattled newspaper whose struggle against censorship has galvanized free-speech advocates across China, according to journalists at the newspaper. But the paper’s weekly Thursday edition went to press late partly because of internal disputes over content, one senior editor said. The agreement was part of a compromise in which reporters and editors who had said they would strike continued to work to put out the newspaper, Southern Weekend, also known as Southern Weekly. It is an iconic liberal publication that has regularly challenged Communist Party officials and policies but has come under tighter control in recent years, particularly since the summer. The publication delay was due in part to a disagreement between the newspaper’s leadership and employees over whether to publish an editorial defending the newspaper and letters of support from readers, the senior editor said. The leadership chose not to publish the editorial or the letters in an effort to calm the crisis, he said.
benton.org/node/143048 | New York Times | WSJ | LATimes
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CHINA OPENING TELECOMS MARKET?
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Daniel Thomas]
China has opened up the prospect of private sector competition in its national mobile telecoms market, with a consultation about whether major state-controlled carriers should be allowed to sell some of their spectrum holdings to other groups. The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said that it was looking for views on proposals to allow the three state-backed groups to begin reselling spectrum that could be used for rival telecoms services. The mobile market in the country, the biggest in the world by subscribers, is divided up into three groups – China Telecom, China Unicom and China Mobile . China Telecom and China Unicom also operate fixed-line businesses. In a statement, the ministry said that this was part of the state council’s desire to “encourage and guide the healthy development of private investment”, which could be the first step towards a wider liberalization. The ministry said that it would solicit public opinion until February 6. If the trial were to proceed, private companies would be allowed to buy spectrum and offer services under their own brands to consumers.
benton.org/node/143045 | Financial Times
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DIGITAL DIVIDE IN EUROPE
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Daniel Thomas]
Mobile users pay up to 10 times more to use smartphones in European Union countries that lack an independent “challenger” telecoms group outside the large, dominant pan-European operators, according to research. Across the eurozone, there is a wide range of prices being charged for the same voice and data plans, according to Rewheel, a Helsinki-based independent strategic advisory group. It found European markets that lack what regulators call the “maverick” – a discounter that tends to set the lower end of prices – are much higher priced. The Rewheel study shows that markets lack price competition even when one of the larger pan-European groups – such as Vodafone, France Telecom and Telefónica – are the smallest operators, and concludes that further in-market consolidation in Europe would likely yield higher prices for consumers.
benton.org/node/143043 | Financial Times
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