For upcoming media policy events, see http://www.benton.org/calendar.htm
PUBLIC BROADCASTING
Subcommittee Restores Ready To Learn Funds
PBS Seeking 'Balance=92 Across Program Schedule, Says Mitchell
CPB IG To Investigate Harrison Hiring
DIGITAL TELEVISION
Broadcasters Support Hard DTV Date, NAB Tells Senate Hearing
Links to Testimony Delivered to Senate Commerce Committee
- Consumers Union
- New America Foundation
- National Association of Broadcasters
- National Cable & Telecommunications Association
- Consumer Electronics Association
- American Cable Association
Snider's 'Speak Softly' Speaks Loudly
INTERNET/BROADBAND
Pulling the Plug on Local Internet
The United States Of Broadband
JupiterResearch Estimates Municipal Wi-Fi Project Costs
at $150,000 per Square Mile
Keeper of Expired Web Pages Is Sued
Enhanced In-Air Internet Surveillance Sought
Software Helps Musicians and Fans Find Each Other
QUICKLY -- Prometheus Project Alert on Low Power Radio; Time for a Digital=
=20
Age Communications Act; Picture Fuzzy for Video Franchise Bills; Local=20
Telephone Competition; Textbooks give way to digital curriculum; The CBS=20
Evening Blog; Coalition Seeks to Define Spyware; The Coming (Cognitive)=20
Radio Revolution
PUBLIC BROADCASTING
SUBCOMMITTEE RESTORES READY TO LEARN FUNDS
A key Senate committee will vote Thursday on restoring nearly $100 million=
=20
in public broadcasting funds, including money for kids shows and the=20
digital transition, which were cut by the House from noncommercial stations=
=20
for fiscal 2006. The bill also would provide $400 million in advance=20
funding for fiscal 2008. The full Senate Appropriations Committee is=20
expected Thursday to approve a budget deal already given a thumbs-up by the=
=20
panel's Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and=20
Related Agencies. The subcommittee voted to include $25 million for Ready=
=20
to Learn, the program that funds educational TV shows like Sesame Street,=
=20
Postcards From Buster and Clifford the Big Red Dog, as well as $40 million=
=20
in funds for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's replacement of its=
=20
satellite interconnection program and $35 million to help stations=20
construct digital broadcasting towers and studios.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Bill McConnell]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA625298?display=3DBreaking+New...
eferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
PBS SEEKING 'BALANCE' ACROSS PROGRAM SCHEDULE, SAYS MITCHELL
Speaking at the summer TV Critics Press Tour, PBS President Pat Mitchell=20
said that public television seeks balance in its overall programming, not=
=20
within each show. She noted that 80% of the American public sees no bias in=
=20
PBS programming. "The balance question is not just about political balance.=
=20
And this is what worries me. You cannot program by political equivalency."=
=20
She said people always act as if an issue has only two sides and "that's=20
not true. We will provide as many different perspectives as we can. And our=
=20
standards require producers to make sure they are accurate; their=20
conclusions are transparent and that they are reliable. But we do present=
=20
points of view." The challenge for public TV, she said, is "the=20
transparency issue -- when we are expressing an opinion we make sure it's=
=20
labeled as such." On recent efforts in Congress to cut funding for public=
=20
broadcasting, Mitchell said, "The debate took us by surprise. People ask,=
=20
'Why not just get rid of federal money? It's such a battle even in the best=
=20
of times. It's only 15% of the budget.' But to us that's a lot of money."=
=20
But more than the money, she said, there's principle. "In a democracy there=
=20
should be an entity you should invest public money in. The same way that=20
even if you go to private school, you still invest in public schools. Now=
=20
more than ever America needs a strong public broadcaster."
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Valerie Milano]
(Not available online)
* Mitchell Backs CPB Investigations
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA625311?display=3DBreaking+New...
eferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
* PBS finds resilience in crises
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/life/20050713/pbs13.art.htm
* Broadcast Officials Hopeful After Panel Backs Funding Bill
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-cpb13jul13,1,619...
1.story?coll=3Dla-news-a_section
* Scrutiny of Broadcast Agency Chief Intensifies
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/12/AR200507...
1678.html
(requires registration)
* Mitchell Backs CPB Investigations
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA625311?display=3DBreaking+New...
eferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
CPB IG TO INVESTIGATE HARRISON HIRING
According to Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND), the Corporation for Public=20
Broadcasting's inspector general has agreed to investigate the selection=20
process for new CPB President Patricia Harrison. Sen Dorgan had asked=20
Inspector General Kenneth Konz on June 29 to look into CPB Chairman Kenneth=
=20
Tomlinson's role in "installing" his choice of former Republican National=
=20
Committee Co-chair Harrison, who has been in the job for a week. The=20
investigation will be rolled into another ongoing IG investigation into=20
whether CPB's expenditure of $14,000 for an outside consultant to look into=
=20
bias on noncom shows and the hiring of lobbyists to argue against changes=
=20
in CPB board composition were appropriate.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA625153?display=3DBreaking+New...
eferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
DIGITAL TELEVISION
BROADCASTERS SUPPORT DTV HARD DATE, NAB TELLS SENATE HEARING
The Senate Commerce Committee held two hearings Tuesday o the transition to=
=20
digital television broadcasting. The headline grabber was the=20
commitment by the National Association of Broadcasters to support 2009 as=
=20
the hard date for completing the transition. Committee Chairman Ted Stevens=
=20
(R-Alaska) said he would ask the Congressional Budget Office to review its=
=20
study of the revenue potential of a spectrum auction and its thoughts on=20
the hard date, given budget implications. "We have basis for change in this=
=20
bill," Sen Stevens said, due not only to budget matters but also urgency=20
voiced by Sens. Rockefeller (D-WV) and McCain (R-AZ) and others over=20
releasing spectrum for public safety uses. A DTV bill is in draft, with=20
details to be nailed down within weeks based on testimony at the hearings=
=20
yesterday. Sen Stevens also voiced support for an accelerated mandate for=
=20
TV manufacturers requiring all sets as soon as possible have a DTV tuner=
=20
chip built in to minimize disruption to consumers when analog service dies.
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Anne Veigle, Paul Gluckman]
(Not available online)
* Barton Committed to Work With Senate on Setting DTV Hard Deadline
[SOURCE: House of Representatives Commerce Committee]
http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/News/07122005_1587.htm
* Prospects High For DTV Hard Date, Subsidy
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA624974?display=3DBreaking+New...
eferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
* Broadcasters accept new deadline for digital TV signals
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20050713/2b_digitaltv_13.art.htm
* Broadcasters Agree to Go All Digital
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-dtv13jul13,1,570584.s...
y?coll=3Dla-headlines-pe-business
(requires free registration)
* NAB Commits to DTV Hard Date
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA625290.html?display=3DBreaking+News
* Digital TV switch suggested for 2009
http://news.com.com/Digital+TV+changeover+suggested+for+2009/2100-1028_3...
85519.html?tag=3Dnefd.lede
* Diverse Interests Embrace =91Hard Date=92 For Digital Television Transiti=
on
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-RNFX1121114024955.html
* At Hearing, Differences Arise On Allocation Of Analog Spectrum
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-VQHM1121200459069.html
LINKS TO TESTIMONY DELIVERED TO SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE
* DIGITAL TV TRANSITION COULD HURT CONSUMERS
Consumers must receive all the potential benefits from the transition to=20
digital television =96 and not be stuck with out-of-pocket costs for the=20
switch - two prominent consumer groups told a congressional panel Tuesday.=
=20
Consumers Union and the Consumer Federation of America outlined four=20
specific areas of concern that must be addressed by Congress prior to the=
=20
digital transition in prepared remarks before the Senate Commerce, Science=
=20
and Transportation Committee.
To ensure the outcome is the former not the latter, any legislation that=20
this Committee takes up on the digital transition must: 1) Ensure that=20
consumers do not bear the direct costs of the transition by providing=20
consumers with full compensation for the costs of converter boxes for all=
=20
of their over-the-air-only sets. 2) Promote market competition, rather than=
=20
consolidation, by setting aside a portion of the 108MHz of reclaimed=20
spectrum for new entrants and smaller existing market players, particularly=
=20
in the area of broadband wireless. 3) Provide for unlicensed, or=20
open-market, use of either the reclaimed or digital spectrum by both=20
commercial and non-commercial entities to foster universal, affordable=20
access to wireless broadband Internet. 4) Prevent further concentration of=
=20
local media markets in a post-transition digital environment by prohibiting=
=20
broadcasters from holding two television licenses or owning a newspaper in=
=20
the same market.
[SOURCE: Consumers Union]
http://www.consumersunion.org/pub/core_telecom_and_utilities/002491.html...
re
Read full text of testimony:
http://www.hearusnow.org/fileadmin/sitecontent/Gene_Kimmelman_DTV_Testim...
_7-12-05.pdf
* Broadcast to Broadband: Completing the Digital Television Transition Can=
=20
Jumpstart Affordable Wireless Broadband
Michael Calabrese, Vice President & Director, Wireless Future Program, New=
=20
America Foundation
http://www.newamerica.net/Download_Docs/pdfs/Doc_File_2460_1.pdf
* NAB President and CEO Edward O. Fritts Testimony Before Senate Commerce=
=20
Committee on DTV Transition
http://www.nab.org/Newsroom/PressRel/testimonies/071205DTVTransition.htm
* NCTA President and CEO Kyle McSlarrow Testimony
Before Senate Commerce Committee on Digital TV Transition
http://www.ncta.com/pdf_files/McSlarrow%20DTV%20Testimony%207-12-05.pdf
* CEA's Shapiro Testifies on the Need for a hard Deadline for Analog=20
Termination
http://www.ce.org/press_room/press_release_detail.asp?id=3D10787
* Testimony from American Cable Association
http://www.americancable.org/news/hill_testimony/SenateFullDTVTestimony-...
205.pdf
SNIDER'S 'SPEAK SOFTLY' SPEAKS LOUDLY
A Broadcasting&Cable critique of New America Foundation scholar J.H.=20
Snider's latest book, Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick. The book=20
examines a familiar complaint: broadcasters wielded the "extremely powerful=
=20
stick" of Washington lobbying to obtain free spectrum for digital=20
television, thus ripping off taxpayers to the tune of tens of billions of=
=20
dollars. This cost has two parts, Snider argues. First, awarding TV=20
stations a temporary second channel at no charge to facilitate the digital=
=20
transition was a lost revenue opportunity: the channels weren't auctioned=
=20
off. Second, wireless companies were withheld from the action. Snider has=
=20
done a terrific job chronicling the political history of the 1997 law that=
=20
instigated the still-underway DTV transition. Snider's account of backroom=
=20
congressional wheeling and dealing makes for a better read than Joel=20
Brinkley's seminal book on the DTV transition, Defining Vision, which often=
=20
reads like transcripts of the endless rounds of industry Grand Alliance=20
meetings that set DTV's technical specs. Adding to the value of Snider's=20
work are the appendices listing in an easy-to-search format the National=20
Association of Broadcasters' lobbying activities during negotiations over=
=20
the DTV law and a chronology of "Advanced TV" industrial policy=20
developments and other battles over launching DTV.
[SOURCE: B&C Beat]
http://www.bcbeat.com/?q=3Dnode/415
INTERNET/BROADBAND
PULLING THE PLUG ON LOCAL INTERNET
[Commentary] Pete Sessions, a Texas member of the House, believes in=20
states' rights. But he also thinks that there are situations so extreme=20
that Congress must slap down state and local government initiatives. One=20
such case: localities that offer citizens free or low-cost Internet=20
service. Idealists may view extending high-speed Internet as a boon to=20
education, an economic shot in the arm and a vital component in effective=
=20
emergency services. Rep Sessions (who once worked for telecom giant SBC)=20
sees it as local-government meddling in the marketplace -- "trying to pick=
=20
winners and losers," he says -- and thus justifies federal meddling to stop=
=20
elected officials from giving their constituents a stake in the 21st=20
century. Cable and telco companies argue that taxpayer-funded competition=
=20
makes the marketplace unfair (ironic, since those firms owe their dominance=
=20
to government-granted monopolies). Then they claim that cities are too=20
unsophisticated to pull off such projects (so why are they worried?). They=
=20
fund think tanks that churn out white papers with titles like "Municipal=20
Networks: The Wrong Solution." And they are racking up successes -- 14=20
states so far have passed laws that constrain localities in muni Wi-Fi=20
efforts. In Pennsylvania, only a grass-roots protest from Philadelphians=20
forced the legislature to exempt the city from its bill -- but elsewhere in=
=20
the state, cities and towns can't proceed on plans unless they offer the=20
deal first to the phone companies, which can stall for years before=20
deciding. The fight isn't over. As people learn what's at stake, they are=
=20
less likely to tolerate efforts that make it illegal for local officials to=
=20
serve them. Tech companies like Dell are beginning to exert lobbying=20
pressure on the other side. And Sens. John McCain and Frank Lautenberg=20
responded to the Sessions bill by introducing the Community Broadband Act,=
=20
which stops states from banning muni Wi-Fi. Those yearning for affordable=
=20
broadband -- or any at all -- should let their representatives know which=
=20
bill they prefer. And if you live in Colorado, Florida, Pennsylvania or any=
=20
other state where legislators have roadblocked cheap wireless, you might=20
check out whether your local rep supported the telcos -- or you.
[SOURCE: Newsweek, AUTHOR: Steven Levy]
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8524609/site/newsweek/
* Up the Broadband Creek Without a Signal
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/broadbandless.html
THE UNITED STATES OF BROADBAND
[Commentary] The FCC's answer to anti-competitive practices -- which have=
=20
left two-thirds of American households without broadband connections -- is=
=20
to reward the cable and telephone industry dinosaurs with sweetheart=20
policies that make a mockery of the free market and undercut any serious=20
commitment to solving our technology woes. New FCC Chairman Kevin Martin=20
took to The Wall Street Journal op-ed page recently, touting U.S. advances=
=20
in high-speed Internet services and claiming speedy broadband deployment to=
=20
be his =93highest priority.=94 But while Chairman Martin pays lip service t=
o=20
=93universal, affordable broadband,=94 his policy prescriptions promise to=
=20
stifle competition, hinder innovation and eliminate consumer choice. His=20
pledge to do away with =93undue regulation=94 in the broadband market will=
=20
leave behind a government-sanctioned duopoly that promises higher prices,=
=20
slower speeds and lousy service.
[SOURCE: TomPaine.com, AUTHOR: Ben Scott and Craig Aaron, Free Press]
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/20050711/the_united_states_of_broadband.p=
hphttp://www.tompaine.com/articles/20050711/the_united_states_of_broadband=
.php=20
JUPITERRESEARCH ESTIMATES MUNICIPAL WI-FI PROJECT COSTS $150,000 PER SQUARE=
=20
MILE
A new JupiterResearch report estimates that the average cost of building=20
and maintaining a municipal wireless network is $150,000 per square mile=20
over five years. According to the report, roughly 50 percent of current=20
initiatives will fail to breakeven even if the benefit of the initiative is=
=20
assumed to be $25 per user per month. The analysts say the market research=
=20
report was motivated by a paucity of unbiased analysis for stakeholders=20
assessing the merits of government involvement in broadband wireless=20
networks based on Wi-Fi. The report examines at the character of current=20
projects across the U.S., estimates the associated costs, and identifies=20
the benefit opportunities. "Because the benefits of municipal wireless=20
networks are inherently difficult to measure, and because it is too early=
=20
to look at outcomes, examining breakeven thresholds provides the best=20
reference point for decision-makers," stated Jay Horwitz, Senior Analyst at=
=20
JupiterResearch.
[SOURCE: Tekrati]
http://www.tekrati.com/T2/Analyst_Research/ResearchAnnouncementsDetails....
?Newsid=3D5423
* Municipal Wireless: Partner to Spread Risks and Costs While Maximizing=20
Benefit Opportunities
http://www.jupiterresearch.com/bin/item.pl/research:vision/625/id=3D9640...
eywords1=3DMunicipal+Wireless:+Partner
* Open Source, Open Architecture, Muni-Wireless Costs. AKA -- How=20
Non-Proprietary Wireless is More Cost Effective
http://www.saschameinrath.com/node/168
KEEPER OF EXPIRED WEB PAGES IS SUED BECAUSE ARCHIVE WAS USED IN ANOTHER SUIT
The Internet Archive was created in 1996 as the institutional memory of the=
=20
online world, storing snapshots of ever-changing Web sites and collecting=
=20
other multimedia artifacts. Now the nonprofit archive is on the defensive=
=20
in a legal case that represents a strange turn in the debate over=20
copyrights in the digital age. Beyond its utility for Internet historians,=
=20
the Web page database, searchable with a form called the Wayback Machine,=
=20
is also routinely used by intellectual property lawyers to help learn, for=
=20
example, when and how a trademark might have been historically used or=20
violated. Last week Healthcare Advocates sued the Internet Archive, saying=
=20
the access to its old Web pages, stored in the Internet Archive's database,=
=20
was unauthorized and illegal. The lawsuit, filed in Federal District Court=
=20
in Philadelphia, seeks unspecified damages for copyright infringement and=
=20
violations of two federal laws: the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and=20
the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Tom Zeller Jr]
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/13/technology/13suit.html
(requires registration)
ENHANCED IN-AIR INTERNET SURVEILLANCE SOUGHT
Federal law enforcement agencies are seeking enhanced surveillance powers=
=20
over Internet service on airplanes, an effort to shape an emerging=20
technology to meet the government's concerns about terrorism. Authorities=
=20
want the ability to intercept, block or divert e-mail or other online=20
communication to and from airplanes after obtaining a court order. Internet=
=20
providers would have to allow government monitoring within 10 minutes of a=
=20
court order being granted, be able to electronically identify users by=20
their seat numbers and be required to collect and store records of the=20
communications for 24 hours. Such capabilities would go far beyond the=20
government's current ability to monitor Internet traffic on land.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Jonathan Krim]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/12/AR200507...
1435.html
(requires registration)
SOFTWARE HELPS MUSICIANS AND FANS FIND EACH OTHER
Technology is giving musicians a more efficient way to find their=20
audiences. New software pushes independent artists' songs through the=20
Internet to the people with matching tastes, exposing their music to the=20
people most likely to become fans. One example is Change.TV Inc.'s Indy, a=
=20
program that downloads songs to users' computers based on how they rate the=
=20
tracks they receive. Another is IRate radio, a similar program being=20
developed collaboratively online. Their approach recalls the "push" craze=
=20
from the 1990s, led by PointCast, which pushed personalized news programs=
=20
to customers through the Internet. PointCast was a hot commodity for a few=
=20
years, only to be felled by slow delivery and management problems. The new=
=20
crop has at least two notable advantages over its predecessors: faster=20
Internet connections for its users and more powerful technology for=20
tailoring programs to the audience. Indy and IRate start by downloading to=
=20
their users' computers a number of songs that artists have agreed to=20
distribute for free online. Each time the programs run, they download more=
=20
songs for users to play and rate on a scale from one to five stars. The=20
ratings help the software match each user to others who have parallel likes=
=20
and dislikes. Once a match has been made, the software sends people songs=
=20
that others with similar tastes have rated highly. This process, called=20
collaborative filtering, "is really a very human thing," said Ian Clarke,=
=20
chief technology officer of Change.TV. "It's not some magic computer=20
deciding what people are going to like. It's an intelligent way to identify=
=20
people who have similar tastes to the tastes you have and suggesting things=
=20
to you that those people like."
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Jon Healey]
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-indy13jul13,1,4847695...
ory?coll=3Dla-headlines-pe-business
(requires free registration)
QUICKLY
PROMETHEUS PROJECT ALERT ON LOW POWER RADIO
On July 7th, the FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking asking a=20
number of important questions about the future of the Low Power FM (LPFM)=
=20
radio service. This is the most important opportunity for you to comment=
=20
on the direction of LPFM since the service was implemented 5 years ago.
Comments are due on August 8th, reply comments due August 22. You can use=
=20
Prometheus' handy comment filing tool
http://www.prometheusradio.org/comments_fcc.shtml to skip some of the=20
drudgerous parts of the FCC's electronic comment filing system at the FCC.
If you have any questions, email petri( at )prometheusradio.org, or check out=20
http://www.prometheusradio.org.
Find the text of the rulemaking here:
http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/audio/FCC-05-75A1.doc
Prometheus positions on many of these issues are here:
http://www.prometheusradio.org/fourteenandahalfways.pdf
A list of questions drawn from the rulemaking is here:
http://www.prometheusradio.org/questions_on_NPRM.pdf
TIME FOR A DIGITAL AGE COMMUNICATIONS ACT
[Commentary] Here's the problem: Even while technology forces changes in=20
the marketplace, the 1996 Act's regulatory regime continues to act as a=20
drag on investment in new networks and on innovation in new services.=20
Services are classified based on technofunctional constructs that no longer=
=20
make sense in a digital world in which a bit is a bit is a bit. What should=
=20
be done? A group of academic and think tank scholars brought together under=
=20
the auspices of The Progress and Freedom Foundation recently proposed that=
=20
Congress adopt a radically different framework as part of a new=20
communications law--call it a new Digital Age Communications Act. Under the=
=20
new paradigm, the FCC's actions, like the Federal Trade Commission's, would=
=20
be governed by an unfair competition standard. The FCC's decisions would be=
=20
tied to jurisprudential principles grounded in market-oriented competition=
=20
analysis. There would be a presumption that economic regulation of=20
communications markets is unnecessary, absent circumstances that=20
demonstrate the existence of a threat of market power that poses a=20
substantial and nontransitory threat to consumer welfare. The new framework=
=20
would also change the rulemaking authority that the FCC enjoys today.=20
Before prescribing regulations, the agency would be required to show by=20
clear and convincing evidence that marketplace competition is not adequate=
=20
to protect consumer welfare and that the benefits to consumers and to=20
competition of a new regulation outweigh the costs. Rules would sunset five=
=20
years from the date they become effective, unless the agency demonstrates=
=20
they continue to be necessary. Under the new competition-based standard,=20
the FCC's focus would shift to protecting consumers, rather than=20
competitors, which too often in the past has been its preoccupation. The=20
reasoning offered in support of regulatory mandates would have to be more=
=20
rigorous than that customarily employed by the agency. If it followed the=
=20
new law's dictates, the FCC would find itself meeting more success in=20
court. If it ignored the new market-oriented standard, it would be easier=
=20
for courts more quickly to bring the agency into compliance with the=20
statutory mandate.
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Randolph J. May, Progress & Freedom=20
Foundation]
http://news.com.com/Time+for+a+Digital+Age+Communications+Act/2010-1071_...
785159.html?tag=3Dnefd.ac
PICTURE FUZZY FOR VIDEO FRANCHISE BILLS
The Video Choice Act, of which there is a House and a Senate version, would=
=20
exempt telephone companies from having to get local video franchises before=
=20
they offer TV service. The bills were introduced June 30, and both are=20
awaiting hearings. Those might be long waits as the chairman of the House=
=20
and Senate committees decide whether to take up the legislation of roll it=
=20
into broader reforms of US telecom law. Should the video franchising=20
legislation become part of a larger bill, the bill will take longer to make=
=20
its way through Congress -- which won't help telco TV players.
[SOURCE: Light Reading, AUTHOR: Mark Sullivan]
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=3D77072
LOCAL TELEPHONE COMPETITION
A long time ago (1996), in a galaxy far, far away (Washington, DC), an=20
elite group of men and women (Congress) changed a nation's=20
telecommunications laws promising competition in the local telephone=20
market. That idealistic era has passed away, along with its dreams. But the=
=20
Federal Communications Commission still tracks that elusive goal. On July=
=20
8, the FCC released new data on local telephone service competition in the=
=20
United States. The FCC found that: 1) At the end of 2004, end-user=20
customers obtained local telephone service by utilizing approximately 145.1=
=20
million incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) switched access lines, 32.9=
=20
million competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC) switched access lines,=20
and 181.1 million mobile wireless telephone service subscriptions. 2)=20
Nationwide, mobile wireless telephone subscribers increased 8% during the=
=20
second half of 2004 from 167.3 million to 181.1 million. For the full=20
twelve-month period ending December 31, 2004, mobile wireless subscribers=
=20
increased by 15%. 3) At least one CLEC was serving customers in 78% of the=
=20
nation's zip codes at the end of 2004. About 97% of United States=20
households resided in these zip codes. Moreover, multiple carriers=20
reported providing local telephone service in the major population centers=
=20
of the country. 4) Total CLEC end-user switched access lines increased by=
=20
3% during the second half of 2004, from 32.0 million to 32.9 million lines.=
=20
5) About 18.5% of the 177.9 million total end-user switched access lines=20
(or 32.9 million lines) were reported by CLECs at the end of December 2004,=
=20
compared to 17.8% (or 32.0 million lines) in June 2004. 6) CLECs reported=
=20
19.8 million (or 15%) of the 132.1 million lines that served residential=20
and small business end users and 13.1 million (or 29%) of the 45.9 million=
=20
lines that served medium and large business, institutional, and government=
=20
customers.
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-259890A1.doc (press=
=20
release)
http://www.fcc.gov/wcb/iatd/recent.html (report)
TEXTBOOKS GIVE WAY TO DIGITAL CURRICULUM
The march from textbooks to computerized content began to look a little=20
more inevitable this week as educators in Arizona and Tennessee edged=20
closer to the all-digital curriculum. In Tennessee, a private partnership=
=20
formed by educators, a web designer, a lawmaker, and a history buff=20
launched a web site to help schools fill the gap in state history=20
instruction left a few years ago when Nashville ended mandatory state=20
history courses for middle schools. Out West, the transition was moving=20
even more swiftly. The Vail (AZ) School District announced its Vail High=20
School in Tucson will become the state's first all-wireless, all-laptop=20
public school this fall. The 350 students at the school will not have=20
traditional textbooks. Instead, they will use electronic and online=20
articles as part of more traditional teacher lesson plans. But the move to=
=20
laptops is not cheap. The laptops cost $850 each. The fast-growing district=
=20
expects to have 750 students at the high school eventually. A set of=20
textbooks runs about $500 to $600
[SOURCE: eSchool News]
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryts.cfm?ArticleID=3D5781
THE CBS EVENING BLOG
As part of an ambitious attempt to revive CBSNews.com with a broad array of=
=20
free video news produced just for its Web site, CBS said yesterday that it=
=20
would also introduce a Web log to comment on CBS newscasts, whether=20
broadcast or online. To be written by Vaughn Ververs, who had been the=20
editor of The Hotline, a Web site covering politics, the Web log, to be=20
called Public Eye, will assemble questions from viewers and criticism from=
=20
various sources, and immediately bring in reactions from the CBS newsroom.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Saul Hansell]
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/13/business/media/13cbs.html
(requires registration)
* CBS Revamps Web Site To Gain Ground Online
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB112117686449283323,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
us_marketplace
* Can the future of TV be seen on the Web?
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/life/20050713/d_cover13.art.htm
COALITION SEEKS TO DEFINE SPYWARE, SOLICITS PUBLIC COMMENT
A group of anti-spyware software companies and consumer advocates today=20
opened an important public comment period on the definition of spyware and=
=20
related questions. The Anti-Spyware Coalition -- which includes the world's=
=20
largest makers and distributors of anti-spyware software -- recommends a=20
standardized approach for defining spyware and settling disputes between=20
software vendors and anti-spyware companies. The coalition also offers=20
spyware safety tips for consumers. CDT convened the coalition in April to=
=20
build consensus on how to define spyware and other unwanted software and to=
=20
foster a dialogue between the anti-spyware industry and consumer groups.=20
The public comment period will last until August 12.
[SOURCE: Center for Democracy and Technology]
http://www.antispywarecoalition.org/
See also:
* Spyware: The threat of unwanted software programs is changing the way=20
people use the Internet
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/160/report_display.asp
THE COMING (COGNITIVE) RADIO REVOLUTION... AKA THE FCC AS REGULATORY OSTRICH
What happens when software defined radios become common-place? What happens=
=20
when open source, freely available products like GNU Radio become known?=20
What happens when every single Internet user has access to technologies=20
that allow for user defined, frequency hopping tranceivers to be bought for=
=20
under $50?
[SOURCE: SaschaMeinrath.com]
http://www.saschameinrath.com/node/166
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7-5! Don't blame me; vote for more Cubs next year!
--------------------------------------------------------------
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.
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