September 11, 2012 (FCC urges court to uphold network neutrality rules)
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2012
September 10-14 is Lifeline Awareness Week 2012
PRIVACY
NTIA Cancels Sept 19 Privacy Meeting - public notice
Company Says It, Not FBI, Was Hacking Victim
Sniffing open Wi-Fi networks is not wiretapping, judge says [links to web]
Voice: To Track, or Not to Track - op-ed [links to web]
Proving Web Targeting Actually Works [links to web]
EDUCATION
Survey: Parents, Teachers Believe Broadband Boosts Performance
INTERNET/BROADBAND
FCC urges court to uphold network neutrality rules
Google Fiber will hit 89% of neighborhoods, some poor areas miss out
How Kansas City taxpayers support Google Fiber - analysis
Sen Collins: Congress should continue work on cybersecurity despite executive order
WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
Young Adults and Teens Lead Growth Among Smartphone Owners - research [links to web]
Telcos at crossroads in data boom era [links to web]
New iPhone: Carrier Cash Cow?
Sometimes, One Little Phone Can Have a Big Impact on the Economy
The FAA Flip-Flop on Electronics Continues - analysis [links to web]
CONTENT
That was fast: Amazon is already discounting e-books [links to web]
Kids reading fewer websites, more e-books [links to web]
Twitter adopts new targeting method for advertisers [links to web]
TELEVISION
Cable industry needs to stop its noise over law on loud TV ads - analysis
Analysts: Retransmission Revenues Growing Faster Than Expected [links to web]
WTTW to be a founding member of Florida Joint Master Control Venture - press release [links to web]
ELECTIONS AND MEDIA
Real-Time Sharing of Obama and Romney Ads Up to Election Day [links to web]
JOURNALISM
5 lessons learned: Improving civic engagement through a local news site [links to web]
Knight Lab: Media’s Digital Silos Must End [links to web]
HEALTH
Will the Affordable Care Act Help Telehealth Flourish? [links to web]
OWNERSHIP
Will 3-D Printing Lead to a New Wave of Piracy? [links to web]
Emerging Tribune Company more a TV powerhouse than newspaper owner [links to web]
Tribune Company creditor loses appeal to halt reorganization [links to web]
LOBBYING
Lobby group rebrands for fight against AT&T and Verizon [links to web]
New Coalition to Push FCC for Spectrum Interoperability [links to web]
POLICYMAKERS
President Obama nominates GOP law professor to FTC [links to web]
STORIES FROM ABROAD
UK Ministers broker deal to allow 4G peace talks [links to web]
Telcos at crossroads in data boom era [links to web]
Indie Filmmakers Feel Heavy Hand of Beijing [links to web]
PRIVACY
NTIA CANCELS MEETING
[SOURCE: National Telecommunications and Information Administration]
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration has canceled the privacy multistakeholder meeting previously scheduled for September 19, 2012. Stakeholders have organized four briefings. The briefings are scheduled for September 13, 2012, September 14, 2012, September 19, 2012, and September 28, 2012. Stakeholders should contact the relevant organizers for more information, or to suggest subjects or questions that might be covered at the briefings.
benton.org/node/134105 | National Telecommunications and Information Administration
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BLUE TOAD
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Nicole Perlroth]
An Orlando (FL) company said that it — not the Federal Bureau of Investigation — was the source of a file hackers posted online that contained a million identification numbers for Apple mobile devices. The company, BlueToad, which works with thousands of publishers to translate printed content into digital and mobile formats, said hackers had breached its systems more than a week ago and stolen the file. A few days after the file appeared online, the company realized it matched the stolen information, said Paul DeHart, BlueToad’s chief executive.
benton.org/node/134094 | New York Times | WSJ | GigaOm | The Hill
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EDUCATION
BROADBAND AND EDUCATION
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
According to a poll from the Leading Education by Advancing Digital (LEAD) Commission, teachers and parents say schools should be doing more to improve access to technology in education, with access to the Internet high on the list. The vast majority of parents and teachers said they would rather spend money on Internet-connected digital devices than the same amount on text books. More than half of teachers (61%) and about the same percentage of parents (63%) polled said they thought that the country was "behind the curve" when it came to public school use of technology. Other findings include:
82 percent of teachers and 71 percent of parents believe a greater use of technology would be helpful in connecting learning inside and outside of the classroom
89 percent of teachers and 76 percent of parents would choose to spend $200 per student for an Internet-connected device over $200 per student for new science textbooks
82 percent of teachers believe that they are not receiving the necessary training to use technology to its fullest potential in the classroom
95 percent of teachers and 90 percent of parents believe that home access to high-speed Internet gives students a big or moderate advantage when it comes to classroom performance.
The study was released in advance of a symposium at Stanford that will discuss the study findings and include Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski, Education Secretary Arne Duncan and others talking about current barriers to and opportunities of high-tech classrooms.
benton.org/node/134104 | Broadcasting&Cable
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
FCC DEFENDS NETWORK NEUTRALITY RULES
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Brendan Sasso]
The Federal Communications Commission urged a federal appeals court to uphold its network neutrality order, one of the signature achievements of Chairman Julius Genachowski's tenure. In a 121 page filing, the FCC called Verizon's challenge to the rules "baseless" and argued that it acted within its legal authority when it enacted the rules in late 2010. The FCC’s network neutrality regulations prohibit Internet service providers from blocking or discriminating against legitimate websites. Verizon has sued the FCC, arguing that the agency is trying to fix a problem that doesn't exist. The company asked the court to overturn the rules on the grounds that they are "arbitrary and capricious." But in its filing, the FCC argued that network neutrality is critical for protecting an open and vibrant Internet. "A service provider could prevent an end user from accessing Netflix, or the New York Times, or even this Court’s own website, unless the website paid the provider to allow customer access," the FCC warned. The agency said that without the rules, "the next Google or Facebook might never begin." The FCC argued that companies like Verizon, which offer voice and video services in addition to broadband Internet, have an incentivize to block competing websites like Skype or Netflix.
benton.org/node/134139 | Hill, The | read the filing
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GOOGLE FIBER HITS 89%OF NEIGHBORHOODS
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Jon Brodkin]
Signing up for Google Fiber isn't simply a matter of scheduling an installation appointment. Google divided up the two Kansas Cities (Missouri and Kansas) into 202 "fiberhoods" of about 800 homes each, and asked residents to preregister and plunk down a $10 fee to express their interest. To qualify, neighborhoods had to reach goals of anywhere between 5 percent and 25 percent of residents signing up. Google announced that it has closed preregistration, with 180 out of the 202 fiberhoods meeting their goals. People living in one of these neighborhoods can sign up starting September 13. For $70 per month, residents can get Gigabit Internet, and for $120 per month, they can get Gigabit Internet service plus TV. There's even a "free" Internet tier with 5Mbps down and 1Mbps up. The free tier requires a one-time construction fee of $300 or 12 monthly payments of $25, but Google guarantees the free service for seven years. Affluent areas signed up much more quickly than poor ones.
benton.org/node/134085 | Ars Technica | Google | Multichannel News
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KANSAS CITY AND GOOGLE FIBER
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Timothy Lee]
It's true that the Google Fiber project hasn't developed the way many liberal groups wanted it to. But it's important not to gloss over the fact that Kansas City's support for Google's network went well beyond deregulation to outright corporate welfare. It's hardly an example of the free market in action. Fred Campbell, a former FCC official who now hangs his hat at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, writes, “Google received stunning regulatory concessions and incentives from local governments, including free access to virtually everything the city owns or controls: rights of way, central office space, power, interconnections with anchor institutions, marketing and direct mail, and office space for Google employees. City officials also expedited the permitting process and assigned staff specifically to help Google. One county even offered to allow Google to hang its wires on parts of utility poles—for free—that are usually off-limits to communications companies.” Indeed, the agreement between Google and Kansas City, MO, specifies that the city will "make space available to Google in City facilities for the installation of Google’s Central Office equipment and for additional network facilities," will "provide power necessary for Google’s equipment at City locations," and "will not charge Google for such space, power, or related services." Obviously, offering free (e.g. taxpayer-subsidized) power and rack space goes well beyond "regulatory concessions."
benton.org/node/134083 | Ars Technica
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CONGRESSIONAL ACTION ON CYBERSECURITY?
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Jennifer Martinez]
Although the White House is drafting an executive order on cybersecurity, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) argues that Congress shouldn't abandon its efforts to pass legislation that would better protect the United States from cyberattacks. Sen Collins was a key co-sponsor of a sweeping cybersecurity bill by Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) that failed to pass the Senate in August. The momentum around cybersecurity legislation in Congress weakened after Senate Republicans blocked Lieberman's bill, but Collins believes lawmakers should still forge ahead and get a bill done this year. "Given the threat, I understand the administration’s desire to act, but an executive order should not be a substitute for legislative action," Sen Collins said. "I am deeply disappointed that the Senate failed to pass our bipartisan bill before the August recess, but it remains imperative that this Congress address this issue. "An executive order could send the unintended signal that congressional action is not urgently needed,” she added.
benton.org/node/134093 | Hill, The
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WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
IPHONE AS CASH COW?
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Anton Troianovski, Spencer Ante]
Apple is expected to introduce the next iPhone model on September 12, setting the stage for a critical test of wireless carriers' efforts to bend the economics of the popular device to their advantage. At stake is how profits in the wireless industry get divvied up and to what degree the carriers reap a return on investments in their newest networks. In just a half a decade, the iPhone has become one of the most important influences on carriers' profits, and its influence is growing. Carriers like AT&T and Verizon Wireless pay huge sums for the device and then sell it to their subscribers for much less, a profit-damping subsidy that sends billions of dollars in wealth to Apple. Their subscribers, meanwhile, have increasingly been waiting for new iPhones to be released before upgrading their devices. The carriers have fought back this year, introducing new upgrade fees to reduce the cost of subsidizing all those new iPhones. But the biggest impact could come from new data plans debuting this summer, which should squeeze more money from subscribers hooked on the new phone's faster data speeds.
benton.org/node/134136 | Wall Street Journal
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IPHONE AND THE ECONOMY
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Sudeep Reddy]
The next iPhone, which Apple plans to unveil this week, could do something the White House, Congress and Federal Reserve have struggled to do: boost the U.S. economy. Sales of the new iPhone could add between a quarter and a half of a percentage point to the annualized rate of economic growth in the fourth quarter, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.'s chief U.S. economist Michael Feroli estimates. That could help cushion the sluggish U.S. economy from other risks in the final months of the year.
When the iPhone 4S became widely available last October, he writes, over half of the 0.8% increase in the nation's so-called core retail sales—which exclude autos, gasoline and building materials—came in the categories of online sales and computer and software sales. The two categories together had their largest monthly increase on record. He estimates the sales growth was due to the iPhone, which boosted overall GDP growth by a fifth to a 10th of a percentage point. The new iPhone launch will be even bigger than that, he says, making the latest estimate "reasonable."
benton.org/node/134135 | Wall Street Journal
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TELEVISION
CABLE AND THE CALM ACT
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: David Lazarus]
[Commentary] A new federal law intended to keep TV commercials from bursting your eardrums won't take effect until Dec. 13. But the cable industry already is trying to water it down. The National Cable & Telecommunications Association, an industry group, has submitted a petition to the Federal Communications Commission asking for an exemption from the CALM Act for "promotional material." What's that mean? Think about the end of a show or a movie, when your screen gets taken over by what's basically a commercial for an upcoming program. There are frequently explosions or gunfire or people yelling at one another. This is deliberate. All that hullabaloo is meant to get your attention and deter you from changing the channel. A quiet promo is a failed promo. The cable industry is trying to distinguish between the new law's regulation of commercial advertisements and a network's own promos. As written, the law makes no such distinction. It's pretty simple: The CALM Act says TV viewers are entitled to watch programs without having to grab for the remote every few minutes because of noisy ads. It doesn't say that some ads can be louder than others. It says all ads have to be at roughly the same volume as the program they're riding along with. And promos count as ads. Congress has spoken. The American people have spoken. Time for the cable industry to shut up and listen.
benton.org/node/134132 | Los Angeles Times
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