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The average African-American viewer watches nearly seven hours of television daily, almost 2.5 more hours per day than the average viewer in the U.S., according to the new Nielsen report, African-Americans: Still Vital, Still Growing.
This fact should pique the attention of marketers and advertisers alike, particularly considering that, in 2012, the African-American population in the U.S. reached almost 43 million and continues to grow at more than one-and-a-half times the pace of the general population. Between generations, however, TV viewership among African-Americans is deeply incongruent. African-American Baby Boomers (45-64 years old) spend 7 hours and 53 minutes daily watching live TV, while their younger Generation Y counterparts (18-34 years old) spend almost two-and-a-half hours less time viewing live content (5H:12M). This divide makes sense when you consider the myriad new and ever-expanding viewing options that the traditionally more tech-savvy Gen Y has, at their fingertips.
African-American Millenials Consume Less TV Than Their Boomer Elders
As the largest wireless provider in the United States, Verizon isn't exactly known for championing the principles of an "open" network. So when speculation arose this week that Verizon's GSM-unlocked iPhone 5 was forced by Federal Communications Commission rules surrounding the 700MHz spectrum that it uses for its LTE service, the notion made sense: by all accounts, allowing subscribers to use the phone with any GSM carrier in the world is not something that Verizon would encourage of its own accord.
Verizon, like other American carriers, has agreements in place with specific operators worldwide that lock its subscribers into profitable global roaming plans; customers in good standing can typically call to have their phones fully unlocked after some period of time. The reality has barely moved the "open" needle, however. Because the rules only apply to a single block of spectrum in a complicated mishmash of bands (and blocks within bands) employed by Verizon and other US carriers, its potency as an enforceable policy has often been called into question. So the question remains: if Verizon isn't being compelled by a healthy fear of the FCC, why is its iPhone 5 unlocked? "They're not going to lose anyone to AT&T," notes The Verge's Nilay Patel. "I think Verizon just doesn't [care]." And without consistent government enforcement of what was once seen as groundbreaking regulation, it's hard to see what might make them care in the future.
Why is Verizon's iPhone 5 unlocked? Don't thank Google or the FCC
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski said that he is on the side of car service Uber in its struggle to avoid local Washington (DC) regulations.
"There’s a debate right now in Washington about rules that could discourage the innovative on-demand car service company Uber. Not hard to guess which side I’m on — I’m on the side of innovation," Chairman Genachowski said in a speech in Washington on broadband policy. He said federal and local regulators play a vital role in protecting consumers and encouraging investment, but that they should use a "light touch" and not erect roadblocks to innovation. Uber is a mobile app that lets users order a ride from a nearby sedan. The D.C. Taxicab Commission is urging the City Council to impose tough regulations on the service.
FCC chief takes Uber's side in battle with DC Council
In a speech Sept 25, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski did what I’m beginning to think of as the “Julius shuffle”, where he takes two steps forward calling for innovation, competition and better broadband and then fails to deliver with policies that might enrage the major wireline and wireless Internet service providers. But the fundamental question to ask after his speech and ahead of the close of a comment period on how the FCC measures broadband in the U.S. is: what will the new broadband math look like?
Chairman Genachowski seemed to admit that the National Broadband Plan’s goal to cover 100 million homes with speeds of 100 Mbps or more by 2020 is a pretty low bar. Now he is calling for faster speeds because when compared with the rest of the world 100 Mbps is fairly middle of the road. He called for faster broadband and lauded the creation of faster gigabit networks being built in Kansas City by Google and the creation of an all fiber-to-the-home network in Chattanooga (TN). But because he’s still doing the “Julius shuffle” he stopped short of calling on cable companies and telcos to deploy gigabit networks. He also called for higher-capacity pipes so everyone in a multi-person home could download video or partake of high speed internet services, but didn’t mention issues like data caps which could stifle such household use of HD video. Finally he called for ubiquitous broadband that would incorporate mobile and wireline access.
Is the FCC planning to propose some new broadband math? Remarks (Chairman Genachowski) Genachowski: Consumers Need Sufficient 'Monthly' Broadband Capacity (B&C)
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski reiterated the agency's vision for broadband in the United States, and defended its role in preserving and promoting free markets.
The chairman's message is a familiar one: he's been pushing the National Broadband Plan for some time, which aims to bring fast and affordable internet to all Americans. Chairman Genachowski says that while the US has come a long way in recent years to deploy fast and affordable broadband, the country faces real challenges in meeting its goals and staying competitive globally. So the question remains: how will the FCC take action on its well-known plans? Chairman Genachowski highlighted the need for "capacity, ubiquity," and "speed" in broadband markets, emphasizing their effects on innovation and the role of the US as an international leader — but he says there's still work to be done in keeping the US competitive.
FCC chairman says we need faster Internet sooner, defends role as a 'cop on the beat' Remarks (Chairman Genachowski) Genachowski: Consumers Need Sufficient 'Monthly' Broadband Capacity (B&C)
The Federal Communications Commission has yet to comment on AT&T's decision to limit FaceTime over cellular connections, but FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski suggested that the agency would review complaints about the service.
He said that he couldn't comment specifically on AT&T at this time, but that if a good-faith effort to resolve the issue "doesn't lead to a resolution and a complaint is filed, we will exercise our responsibilities and we will act." But the FCC shouldn't be waiting long to receive a formal complaint: Internet and network neutrality advocates responded swiftly to AT&T's actions, claiming that the FCC's Open Internet rules clearly prohibit arbitrarily limiting a service like FaceTime over specific networks. And recently, several of these groups notified AT&T of their intent to file a formal complaint with the FCC over FaceTime blocking — they say AT&T's actions harm its customers, especially for those with disabilities and families overseas.
FCC will review objections to AT&T's FaceTime blocking, 'exercise our responsibilities' if necessary
For those of us who remember such things as a 1200-baud data connection over a hissy, dial-up phone line, this may be hard to digest, but here it is: The “high-speed” part of “high-speed data” hardly matters anymore.
What matters is capacity and throughput. Fast is fast, and fast is nearly ubiquitous in North America. When was the last time you complained about a slow connection (hotel rooms excluded)? When was the last time a reboot of the modem didn’t fix it? The marketing of data services, from the days of the dial-up telephone modem to now, uses speed as the basis for greatness. 1200 baud, 2400 baud, 9600 baud, all the way up to today’s offerings of 100 Gigabits per second and higher. But there comes a time when the speed gains just aren’t noticeable anymore. At some point — let’s say 50 Mbps, like several operators now offer as a high-end tier — it’s difficult to discern whether that Web page really loaded any faster.
Why Broadband Speed Matters Less and Less
Three groups representing black, Hispanic, and Asian-Pacific Americans in Congress are calling on the Federal Communications Commission to ensure that a proposal aimed at freeing up spectrum from broadcasters for use by wireless carriers will not affect consumers' access to over-the-air television.
The heads of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus wrote FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski about the commission's efforts to implement legislation, passed by Congress in February, that authorizes "incentive auctions." These new auctions are aimed at enticing TV broadcasters to give up some of their spectrum for use by wireless operators, who say they need more spectrum to meet their customers' growing demand for wireless broadband technologies. The FCC is expected to vote on a proposed rulemaking Friday that would begin the process of setting up the incentive auctions. The lawmakers urged the FCC to ensure that broadcasters that decide to stay in business are not harmed in the relocation process that will be required to clear swaths of spectrum to auction from TV stations that choose to give up their airwaves. The lawmakers echoed a message from broadcasters, who pushed Congress to include protections in the incentive auction legislation for stations that decide not to participate.
Lawmakers to FCC: Do No Harm With Incentive Auctions Minority lawmakers warn FCC not to disrupt local TV in auctions (The Hill) Congressional Tri-Caucus Tells FCC to Protect TV Stations (B&C) Low-Power TV Defended in High Places (TVNewsCheck)
Registering to vote is considered a rite of passage for most Americans, and now Facebook is giving users the opportunity to commemorate the event on its social networking site. Facebook gave users the ability to add when and where they registered to vote on their profile's timeline. There's also a box included in the feature where users can add a story about why they decided to register to vote. For people who haven't registered yet and want to, Facebook included a link to their state election authorities in the new feature.
Facebook lets users announce voter registration
Just back from the Radio Television Digital News Association's annual conference in Ft. Lauderdale (FL), newly installed chairman Vince Duffy says he has set specific goals for the group – increasing membership by at least 25%, beefing up its role as an advocate for journalists and providing more industry training. “I warned [the other board members] that this would be their task,” says Duffy. “And no one said no.” “Our challenge is to continue to provide the quality of news we have done in the past at a faster pace and with fewer resources,” he says. “It’s what the audience demands.”
New RTDNA Chair Sets Aggressive Agenda