BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2012
FCC's Emergency Access Advisory Committee meets today http://benton.org/calendar/2012-09-14/
WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
House Commerce Committee Continues its Review of the Use of Federal Spectrum
FCC Plans Work on PCAST Spectrum Recommendations - press release
FCC: FirstNet just needs to ask for 700 MHz public-safety spectrum
Mobile users to carriers: 'Give me my unlimited data'
Verizon, AT&T steer iPhone 5 buyers to their shared data plans [links to web]
Will LTE buckle under the iPhone 5's weight?
FCC Seeks Input on Device Interoperability in Spectrum NPRM
The Hard Truth about LTE Mobile Broadband Deployments - AT&T press release [links to web]
Innovation ensures Apple meets demand
Apple vs. Samsung: Who owns smart phones? - analysis [links to web]
INTERNET/BROADBAND
No Cybersecurity Executive Order, Please - op-ed
Building 180 fiberhoods -- construction order and signups - press release
FCC defends its "trojan horse" approach to network neutrality [links to web]
The shape of the Internet has changed: It now lives on the edge [links to web]
Netflix exec: Canada’s broadband caps “almost a human rights violation” [links to web]
PRIVACY
Google Finally Adds Do-Not-Track Support in Latest Test Version of Chrome [links to web]
CONTENT
Photos and Videos as Social Currency Online - research
The Whole Story - Social Networking - The Hierarchy of Devices
Should Google be censoring videos just because they are linked to violence? [links to web]
Netflix exec: Canada’s broadband caps “almost a human rights violation” [links to web]
ADVERTISING/MARKETING
Facebook Outperforming Google in Ad Revenue From Browsing [links to web]
Nielsen To Extend Metrics To Mobile, Online Ratings 'Accurate' [links to web]
Email Subscribers Not Fully Engaged With Marketing Programs [links to web]
ESPN, Aided by Arbitron and comScore, to Follow the Audience Wherever It Goes [links to web]
@InvisibleObama Was Quick Twitter Thinking by Digital Ad Executive [links to web]
Burke: NBC Is Leaving $1 Billion on the Table [links to web]
ELECTIONS AND MEDIA
Fossil Fuel Industry Ads Dominate TV Campaign
FEC Poised to Approve Low Rates for Wireless Political Donations
TELECOM
Chinese telecom giants call espionage claims 'unsubstantiated'
Proposed Fourth Quarter 2012 Universal Service Contribution Factor – 17.4% - public notice [links to web]
POLICYMAKERS
FCC Seeks Nominations for Nine Board Member Positions On The Universal Service Administrative Company Board of Directors - public notice
STORIES FROM ABROAD
Apple wins preliminary sales ban on Motorola phones and tablets in Germany
Two new surveys shed light on trust and circulation of British press [links to web]
MORE ONLINE
The iPhone Stimulus - analysis [links to web]
Netflix exec: Canada’s broadband caps “almost a human rights violation” [links to web]
Hanoi Web Crackdown Hits Blogs; Foreign Firms Fret
WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
HOUSE SPECTRUM HEARING
[SOURCE: House of Representatives Commerce Committee]
The House Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, chaired by Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR), held a hearing to examine the use of federal spectrum. Experts from the Department of Defense, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and the communications industry provided input on how to make spectrum that is currently allocated to the federal government available for the private sector and consumers, specifically focusing on the merits of relocating and sharing federal spectrum to create additional resources and meet growing demands.
Everybody agreed that spectrum sharing should be on the table, or part of the puzzle, or a tool in the toolkit, and that, at least theoretically, clearing spectrum was preferable to sharing in the abstract. But as a practical matter, given the growing demand and the need to get spectrum as swiftly as possible, Democrats tended to put more stock in sharing as a key part of the strategy. Republicans suggested it should be studied, but was more of a fallback position, and should not be premised on cost and time estimates of clearing spectrum that were not based on independent analysis and could be overestimated.
NTIA has estimated that it will cost $18 billion and take 10 years to clear 95 MHz of beachfront spectrum now used by the Department of Defense and other federal agencies, an assertion an NTIA official repeated at the hearing, though conceding that number was a starting point rather than something set in stone. NTIA has said recently that sharing needs to be an important part of the equation, a point seconded by the president's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology in a recent report, though one not yet signed off on by the president.
Mark Goldstein, director of physical infrastructure issues for the GAO, said that some of the info NTIA used to make that cost/time estimate was not accurate, and that the system it used for gathering it would not change for several years. GAO has recommended the NTIA improve its spectrum data collection.
Republicans expressed skepticism about the feasibility of spectrum sharing. "Spectrum sharing may hold potential in the future for some spectrum bands where clearing is impossible or we have certainty that the cost of relocation exceeds the value of the spectrum," Chairman Greg said. "I am not ready to accept the opinion that 'the norm for spectrum use should be sharing' today. That’s simply not good enough." Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-CA) also argued that spectrum clearing is preferable to sharing. "Unfortunately, the Administration seems willing to settle only for spectrum sharing – and in my opinion, has based that strategy on incomplete analysis," she said. "Spectrum sharing is an important piece of the puzzle, but by no means the only solution."
benton.org/node/134362 | House of Representatives Commerce Committee | Broadcasting&Cable | The Hill | GAO testimony | NTIA
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FCC PLANS WORK ON PCAST SPECTRUM RECOMMENDATIONS
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Press release]
Federal Communications Commission Julius Genachowski announced that the FCC will, by the end of the year, initiate formal steps to implement the key recommendations of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) report, including small cell use in the 3.5 GHz band. Freeing up spectrum in this band will add 100 megahertz to our nation’s wireless broadband networks.
benton.org/node/134353 | Federal Communications Commission
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FCC READY FOR FIRSTNET
[SOURCE: Fierce, AUTHOR: Tammy Parker]
The Federal Communications Commission is ready to transfer the license for 700 MHz broadband public-safety spectrum to the First Responder Network Authority, as soon as the FCC receives a formal request for it. In a largely administrative order, the FCC noted that FirstNet's Board has now been appointed and is in a position to request the license. "Accordingly, we are prepared to take the ministerial step of granting a new license to FirstNet under a new call sign as soon as possible after FirstNet informs the Bureau that it has been established in accordance with the terms of the Public Safety Spectrum Act and submits a request for the license specified by Section 6201 of the Public Safety Spectrum Act," said the commission. The Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, passed in February 2012, established FirstNet to oversee the construction and operation of the nationwide public-safety LTE network as licensee of both the existing public safety broadband spectrum--763-769/793-799 MHz--and the spectrally adjacent 700 MHz D Block spectrum--758-763/788-793 MHz.
benton.org/node/134352 | Fierce
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GIVE ME MY UNLIMITED DATA
[SOURCE: Fortune, AUTHOR: Peter Suciu]
While number one and two mobile carriers Verizon Wireless and AT&T have adopted tiered plans for wireless data, T-Mobile and Sprint have opted to stick with so-called "all-you-can-eat" options for customers. And unlike older so-called "unlimited" plans, which tended to be anything but truly "unlimited," T-Mobile claims its new plan won't throttle down speeds or place any caps on data usage.
This is just the latest move from the major mobile carriers, with each looking to draw customers with promises of either shared data or unlimited data, not to mention various options for unlimited talk time and texting. But are the carriers actually asking their respective consumers what they want, or does that even matter? Overall, consumers seem less than enthused when it comes to shared data plans (when several different devices all eat from the same data trough, so to speak). According to a recent Parks and Associates study, 40% of mobile phone users would actually rather switch mobile carriers than use a shared mobile data plan. Some 38% of respondents in the survey suggested that they would voluntarily adopt a shared data plan but not switch providers for it. And just 10% said they'd choose a shared plan if it was the only way of sticking with their current provider.
benton.org/node/134341 | Fortune
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WITH IPHONE BUCKLE LTE?
[SOURCE: The Verge, AUTHOR: Chris Ziegler]
LTE is fast — fast enough for a phone, fast enough for a mobile hotspot. That's partly because LTE is inherently a faster, better, more efficient technology, but it's also because of the obvious: it hasn't been graced with a worldwide phenomenon like the iPhone. Apple waited a generation with the iPhone until LTE was sufficiently mature to integrate it, and Cupertino is undoubtedly hoping that holding off has given the networks a chance to settle — another nationwide Verizon data outage will affect not just Verizon customers, but Apple customers as well. There’s no way of knowing whether AT&T, Verizon, or — in the handful of markets where it's live, Sprint — is best prepared to handle this launch. Ironically, AT&T's HSPA+ network will almost certainly begin to speed up as its customers upgrade to the iPhone 5 and offload usage to the LTE network. In the long term, carriers will siphon off 3G capacity and use it to augment the newer technology — just as they're beginning to do with 2G today — but for now, it's back to the age-old equation of supply and demand. Or in Apple's case, crushing, unprecedented demand.
benton.org/node/134355 | Verge, The
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FCC SEEKS INPUT ON DEVICE INTEROPERABILITY
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
According to sources inside and outside the Federal Communications Commission, the draft rulemaking proposal on spectrum incentive auctions seeks input on whether and how to put device interoperability conditions on the sale of reclaimed lower 700 MHz broadcast spectrum. The FCC put such conditions on auction of reclaimed upper 700 MHz spectrum reclaimed in the first DTV transition, which Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) pointed out in a Hill hearing on mobile apps led to the rise of Android. One source said the NPRM asks questions that address interoperability concerns, but that the goal is for the spectrum to be device-interoperable.
benton.org/node/134347 | Broadcasting&Cable
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APPLE INNOVATION
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Tim Bradshaw, Daniel Thomas]
Apple’s new iPhone may have disappointed some who were hoping for a more revolutionary new device, but some analysts argue that the biggest innovation is not in the smartphone itself – it is in the manufacturing and distribution network the group has put in place to satisfy pent-up demand at launch. Apple has spent more than $7 billion on capital expenditure this year, analysts say, much of it in building manufacturing capability and preparing for faster shipments to more countries than at previous iPhone launches.
benton.org/node/134369 | Financial Times
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
CYBERSECURITY EXECUTIVE ORDER
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Sen John McCain (R-AZ), Sen Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Sen Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)]
[Commentary] The Obama administration is readying plans to tighten the government's grip on the Internet. The White House is preparing an executive order on cybersecurity that unilaterally imposes more mandates and regulations on the private economy. Cybersecurity is a priority, but anything less than a strong information-sharing bill, based on policies that enhance national security and the economy, will fall short. The Senate needs to follow the lead of the House and pass a bipartisan bill that includes clear authority to do so, and provides liability protections to allow the private sector and government to better share cyber-threat information. Today, sharing is significantly constrained because of legal hurdles. These include antitrust laws that preclude companies from working together to prevent cyber threats, and statutory limitations on when and what kind of information can be shared with government. Companies must first check with their lawyers before sharing information for fear of litigation, not just from customers or shareholders but from federal and state governments as well. The net impact is that critical cyber-threat information is not shared in a timely manner or worse, not shared at all. Any government measures on cybersecurity will have a significant impact on the country's security and economic welfare. Skirting congressional action by issuing an executive order is neither appropriate nor effective. The democratic process ensures that Congress and the president work together, while listening to all those affected by their actions, to find the solution that's in the best interests of the American people. We call on the president to follow this process and work with Congress to pass sound cybersecurity legislation.
benton.org/node/134371 | Wall Street Journal
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GOOGLE FIBER NEIGHBORHOODS ANNOUNCED
[SOURCE: Google, AUTHOR: Kevin Lo]
After tallying some last-minute pre-registrations, we have confirmed that 180 fiberhoods throughout Kansas City will be wired with ultra-high-speed Google Fiber. We’re really excited about this for a few reasons. First, it means that residents in 89% of Kansas City, Kan. and central Kansas City, Mo. fiberhoods will be able to get brand new, next-generation Fiber connected to their home. One gigabit connectivity will have an immediate impact on our users—the web will be faster, TV will be clearer, and uploading and downloading will be super speedy. Not only that, but we fully expect that gigabit speeds will lead to a wave of online innovation, led by Kansas City. We plan to install Google Fiber for our first customer in Hanover Heights within the next few weeks, and then we’ll move on to other fiberhoods on the Kansas side. On the Missouri side, the first fiberhood to get service will be Crown Center.
benton.org/node/134354 | Google | approximate construction schedule
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CONTENT
ONLINE SOCIAL CURRENCY
[SOURCE: Pew’s Internet & American Life Project, AUTHOR: Lee Rainie, Joanna Brenner, Kristen Purcell]
46% of internet users post original photos and videos online they have created themselves and 41% curate photos and videos they find elsewhere on the internet and post on image-sharing sites. Women are more likely than men to use Pinterest, while Instagram and Tumblr attract equal shares of men and women. A nationally representative phone survey by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project finds that:
46% of adult internet users post original photos or videos online that they themselves have created. We call them creators.
41% of adult internet users take photos or videos that they have found online and repost them on sites designed for sharing images with many people. We call them curators.
Overall, 56% of internet users do at least one of the creating or curating activities we studied and 32% of internet users do both creating and curating activities.
benton.org/node/134351 | Pew Internet & American Life Project
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SOCIAL NETWORKING AND DEVICES
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: Mike Bloxham]
The latest release of USA TouchPoints (2012.2) is made up of two waves of data. The most recent of these waves shows continued overall growth in social networking among all adults 18-64. It also breaks down average weekly reach by device.
With a weekly reach of 40% (equivalent to the weekly reach of DVR viewing – USA TouchPoints 2012.2), social media across all platforms continues to exert a hold on an ever-broader base of the adult population.
The computer dominates among the specific devices used for social networking with a weekly reach of 33%, more than double social networking via Mobile Phone. The use of social networking apps stands at 12% and social networking via the mobile Internet delivers 11% weekly reach.
Perhaps more surprising is the size of the gap between mobile phones and tablets for social networking –- both apps and the internet on the tablet deliver 3% weekly reach for social networking among adults 18-64.
All will continue to grow, but both mobile phone and tablet are likely to show faster rates of growth over the coming year than computers as penetration of smartphones and tablets and social networking platforms continue to invest in the mobile space.
benton.org/node/134350 | MediaPost
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ELECTIONS AND MEDIA
FOSSIL FUELED ADS
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Eric Lipton, Clifford Krauss]
When Barack Obama first ran for president, being green was so popular that oil companies like Chevron were boasting about their commitment to renewable energy, and his opponent, Sen John McCain (R-AZ), supported action on global warming. As President Obama seeks re-election, that world is a distant memory. Some of the mightiest players in the oil, gas and coal industries are financing an aggressive effort to defeat him, or at least press him to adopt policies that are friendlier to fossil fuels. And the president’s former allies in promoting wind and solar power and caps on greenhouse gases? They are disenchanted and sitting on their wallets. This year’s campaign on behalf of fossil fuels includes a surge in political contributions to Mitt Romney, attack ads questioning Obama’s clean-energy agenda, and television spots that are not overtly partisan but criticize administration actions like new air pollution rules and the delay of the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada.
benton.org/node/134370 | New York Times
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FEC AND TEXTED DONATIONS
[SOURCE: National Journal, AUTHOR: Adam Mazmanian]
In a move that will likely open text-message-based campaign contributions to AT&T customers, the Federal Election Commission has issued an advisory opinion allowing for wireless carriers to process political donations at a low rate. The decision is politically significant because AT&T is the only nationally unionized wireless carrier, and it offers discounts to union members. While both presidential campaigns are accepting text-message donations via custom shortcodes, the donation channel has not received that much publicity. This could change, at least where Democratic candidates are concerned: On Sept 12, the left-leaning campaign-technology firm NGP VAN announced a partnership with Revolution Messaging to process text-message-based contributions for campaigns.
benton.org/node/134366 | National Journal
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TELECOM
HOUSE HEARING ON HUAWEI, ZTE
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Jennifer Martinez]
Executives for Huawei and ZTE fiercely denied allegations that their companies have ties to the Chinese government and their products pose a national security risk to American infrastructure. At a House Intelligence Committee hearing open to the public, the executives told lawmakers that their software and telecommunications equipment do not include any back doors that would allow third parties to spy on their customers, and touted their companies' high cybersecurity standards. The committee is in the final stages of an investigation into the two companies' alleged connections with the Chinese government and whether their telecommunications equipment could be used to conduct espionage against American companies and infrastructure.
benton.org/node/134348 | Hill, The | WashPost | The Hill
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POLICYMAKERS
FCC SEEKS USAC BOARD NOMINEES
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Public Notice]
The Federal Communications Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau seeks nominations for the following board member positions on the Board of Directors of the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC). The positions are currently vacant or will soon become vacant.
Representative for incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) (other than Bell Operating Companies) with annual operating revenues in excess of $40 million (position formerly held by D. Michael Anderson).
Representative for interexchange carriers with more than $3 billion in annual operating revenues (position formerly held by Rex Knowles).
Representative for schools that are eligible to receive discounts (position currently held by Dr. Anne Bryant).
Additionally, the Bureau seeks nominations for the following board member positions, which had terms that expired on December 31, 2011:
Representative for ILECs (other than Bell Operating Companies) with annual reporting revenues of $40 million or less (position currently held by Geoff Fleiss).
Representative for competitive local exchange carriers (position currently held by Joseph Gillan).
Representative for low income consumers (position currently held by Ellis Jacobs).
Representative for rural health care providers that are eligible to receive to receive supported services pursuant to (position currently held by Peter Kragel).
Representative for interexchange carriers with annual operating revenues of $3 billion or less (position currently held by Carolyn Ridley).
Representative for schools that are eligible to receive discounts pursuant to (position currently held by Brian Talbott).
benton.org/node/134344 | Federal Communications Commission
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STORIES FROM ABROAD
APPLE WINS MOTOROLA BAN IN GERMANY
[SOURCE: IDG News Service, AUTHOR: Loek Essers]
Apple won a preliminary sales ban on Motorola phones and tablets in Germany when the regional court of Munich ruled that Motorola infringes on a touchscreen-related patent, a spokeswoman for the court said. Apple sued Google-owned Motorola Mobility for infringing on its "list scrolling and document translation, scaling, and rotation on a touchscreen display" patent, said Stefanie Ruhwinkel, spokeswoman for the Munich court. The patent is also known as the "overscroll bounce" or "rubber band" patent and allows pages, documents or photos on touchscreen devices to scroll past their boundaries and bounce back when users release their fingers from the screen. The Munich court ruled that Motorola Mobility infringes on the patent with its smartphones and tablet computers, said Ruhwinkel. Infringing devices include the Motorola Milestone XT720, the Motorola Defy, the Motorola Atrix and Motorola Xoom, which all use the Android OS.
benton.org/node/134339 | IDG News Service
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BLOGS IN VIETNAM
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: James Hookway]
Vietnam's leaders are stepping up their campaign against critical blogs, ordering government investigators to arrest the operators of three websites at a time when global Internet companies are growing more worried about doing business in the tightly policed country. A government statement named three blogs that allegedly posted articles accusing the government of corruption and human-rights abuses, describing the blogs as being part of a "wicked plot of the hostile forces"—a term often used to describe advocates of democratic reforms. Two of the three sites vowed to continue.
benton.org/node/134363 | Wall Street Journal
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