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The Federal Communications Commission enacted a set of rules governing the sale and deployment of wireless signal boosters, devices consumers use to improve cell phone signals. More than 2 million of these devices are in use across the country, and until now consumers who bought them could just turn them on and let them work their magic. Not anymore. Anyone who buys one of these devices from now on must seek the permission of carriers. Even the 2 million devices already in use must be turned off immediately unless their owners register them. For practical purposes, there is a good chance you could keep using that device without getting any threatening legal letters. But technically, the FCC could issue fines to customers who fail to comply, said Public Knowledge Legal Director Harold Feld.
FCC orders 2 million people to power down cell phone signal boosters
Three independent, brick-and-mortar bookstores have filed a lawsuit against Amazon and the big six publishers, claiming that they are violating antitrust laws by collaborating to keep small sellers out of the e-book market.
In a lawsuit filed in Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York, the Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza and Posman Books, both based in New York, and Fiction Addiction, based in South Carolina, alleged that they and other small bookstores were being deliberately forced out of the digital market as a result of agreements between the big publishers and Amazon. At the heart of the lawsuit is the idea that the top publishers signed secret contracts with Amazon that allowed them to code their e-books in such a way that the books could only be read on an Amazon Kindle device or a device with a Kindle app. The booksellers are pushing for open-source coding that would allow readers to buy e-books from any source and download them on any device. They argue that the proprietary coding compels consumers who own Kindles or tablets with Kindle apps to buy e-books only from Amazon. The lawsuit states that the publishers have no similar contracts with independent booksellers. It also notes that Apple once used similar exclusive coding, known as DRM, in the music business, but that after a series of legal challenges, all music available on iTunes was made DRM-free.
Independent Booksellers Sue Amazon and Publishers Over E-Books
New York Times Co. is formally exploring a sale of the Boston Globe, its only remaining business outside the core New York Times media brand.
The publisher is working with Evercore Partners as an adviser for a sale. The company intends to focus its strategy and investment on the Times brand. The Times newspaper now makes more money from readers than advertisers, helped by its online subscription program, which now has more than 640,000 paying customers. The Times made $781 million in circulation sales last year, leaving out an extra week, an 11 percent increase over the previous year. That compares with a 7.4 percent decline in ad revenue to $700 million for the same period. The Boston Globe, by contrast, still relies primarily on ad dollars. The Globe, which also owns regional newspaper Worcester Telegram & Gazette, reported a 7.8 percent drop in ad revenue last year minus the extra week to $183 million. That compares with a 1.7 percent decline in circulation sales to $155.1 million in the same period. The newspaper’s online subscription program has about 28,000 paying subscribers, 8 percent more than it did at the end of September. Times Co. tried to sell the Globe as recently as 2009 to bidders including an investor group led by Stephen Taylor, a member of the family that sold the Globe to Times Co. in 1993 for $1.1 billion, according to a person with direct knowledge of the previous sale process.
New York Times Co. Puts Boston Globe Up for Sale
While some industry observers predict the TV industry is on the cusp of a massive, Internet-fueled disruption, business-consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers does not expect consumers to abandon pay TV services en masse for at least the next five years, according to a new report.
Not only is the sky not falling, PwC says, but the rise of smartphones and tablets will generate incremental advertising revenue and boost engagement for the TV industry rather than drive so-called “cord cutting.” “Even though some consumers are cutting the cord, reducing their subscriptions or not subscribing when starting a new home, the impact to the pay TV industry over at least the next five years will be minimal,” PwC said in the report. The firm continued, “Traditional TV viewing is still popular, ubiquitous TV content-on-the-go packages are becoming commonplace, TV advertising dollars continue to grow, and there are limitations such as content discovery issues with [over-the-top] services that need improvement.”
Cord-Cutting Will Be Minimal Over Five-Plus Years: PwC
The Supreme Court heard arguments about whether Virginia may permit only its own citizens to make requests under the state’s freedom of information act.
The justices appeared to differ about whether such a restriction was sensible, but they seemed largely united that it did not run afoul of the Constitution. The case, McBurney v. Young, No. 12-17, was brought by Roger Hurlbert, a California man who collects property records for commercial clients, and Mark McBurney, a Rhode Island man who once lived in Virginia and who sought information concerning child support payments. They sued when Virginia refused to comply with their requests under the law. Virginia appears to be one of only three states that discriminate against requests for information from noncitizens. Its law contains an exception for representatives of newspapers and magazines with circulation in Virginia and of radio and television stations that broadcast there. It does not address Internet publications.
Justices Eye Limitations on Offering Information
[Commentary] Another day, another embarrassment for California Public Utilities Commission President Michael Peevey.
The latest revelation from the state Legislative Analyst's Office is that an audit of the PUC's budgeting process found "significant weaknesses." The analyst also uncovered "cases of fiscal mismanagement in which accounting records for certain funds were misrepresented and incorrect." Under Peevey's leadership, or lack thereof, the PUC has utterly failed at its primary mission of regulating the state's utilities, and ensuring safe, reliable service and prudent use of ratepayer funds. It's a mystery why Gov. Jerry Brown (D-CA) keeps Peevey in this post. The commission's failures undermine trust in state government. Peevey should have stepped down years ago, after a blue-ribbon panel investigating the San Bruno gas pipeline explosion blistered the PUC's culture and practices. The panel demanded that both PG&E and the PUC "confront and change elements of their respective cultures to assure the citizens of California that public safety is the foremost priority."
There is no evidence this has happened at the PUC. And now, besides failing to ensure public safety, it appears it can't account for trillions -- yes, trillions -- in ratepayers' money. What can Brown be waiting for?
State audit of California PUC destroys trust in leadership
Over the last year, elite American universities have raced to stake out a place in the new world of free online courses — and now, universities around the globe are following suit.
This week, the two largest ventures providing what are known as MOOCs — massive open online courses — are announcing new partnerships with leading universities in Canada, Mexico, Europe, China, Singapore, Japan and Australia, and signing additional American universities. Coursera, founded by two Stanford University computer professors, is adding 29 universities — including École Polytechnique in France, the National University of Singapore, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and National Autonomous University of Mexico — to its current 33 partners. Meanwhile, edX, a nonprofit venture started by Harvard and M.I.T., is doubling its university partners to 12, adding Rice University, the Australian National University, Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland and, in Canada, McGill and the University of Toronto.
Universities Abroad Join Partnerships on the Web More elite universities offer free online courses (AP)
Just £2.3 billion has been raised from the sale of UK airwaves needed to carry superfast 4G mobile services – much less than the £3.5 billion estimated proceeds that had been factored into the government’s accounts for this year.
A fiercely contested auction among Britain’s leading mobile operators failed to ignite prices for the spectrum that can be used to carry 4G services, which are several times faster than existing 3G signals. The £2.3 billion raised by selling spectrum to five groups – Vodafone, EE, O2, 3 and BT – falls at the lower end of analysts’ estimates and is only a 10th of the £22.5 billion raised through the auction of 3G bandwidth at the height of the dotcom boom in 2000. The end of the auction means that full superfast mobile services will finally be launched in Britain after a five-year wait, but there will still be questions asked of the Treasury.
4G sale falls short of forecasts by £1.2 billion 4G shortfall raises questions over Osborne’s deficit pledge (FT - deficit pledge) Don’t blame Ofcom if 4G price isn’t right (FT – don’t blame Ofcom)
The Federal Communications Commission took the first steps to unleash significant additional spectrum to accelerate the growth and expansion of new Wi-Fi technology that can offer faster speeds of one gigabit per second or more, increase overall capacity, and reduce congestion at Wi-Fi hot spots.
The FCC proposed to make up to 195 megahertz of additional spectrum in the 5 GHz band (a 35% increase) available to unlicensed wireless devices. It also proposed to create a more flexible regulatory environment, and to streamline existing rules and equipment authorization procedures for devices throughout this band. The proposed modifications would provide access to additional contiguous spectrum with consistent technical requirements, allowing unlicensed devices to use wider bandwidth channels, leading to faster speeds. Importantly, the initiation of this proceeding also carries out the course of action prescribed by the Middle Class Tax Relief and Jobs Creation Act of 2012 for expanding spectrum for unlicensed use.
FCC Acts to Significantly Increase Spectrum Available for Unlicensed Devices in the 5 GHz Band
The Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences Foundation is a non-profit organization drummed up by a handful of tech billionaires.
The prize aims to spur innovation in the field of science research and is backed by tech luminaries including Russian entrepreneur and venture capitalist Yuri Milner, who reached out to Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Google co-founder Sergey Brin months ago to talk about launching the foundation. Art Levinson, Apple chairman and former CEO of Genentech, will act as the chairman of the board for the foundation. The first round of prize recipients includes 11 scientists from a range of research disciplines, including studies in genetics, cancer research and neural behavior. Each of the 11 prize winners will receive a $3 million award for their work, and Brin, Zuckerberg, Milner and the rest of the sponsors have agreed to a five-year commitment to awarding prizes.
Update:
Zuckerberg, Milner, Brin and Other Tech Titans Donate Millions to Science Meet The 11 Scientists Getting $33 Million From Mark Zuckerberg, Sergey Brin, And The Silicon Valley Elite (Fast Company)