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US BROADBAND MARKET ON THE DECLINE
[SOURCE: InformationWeek, AUTHOR: Richard Martin]
The United States is falling further behind other developed countries in broadband network deployment. According to statistics released in April by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the United States ranked 15th among the OECD's 30 member countries in broadband deployment at the end of 2006. That's three spots below the United States' place on the list a year earlier, and signs point to a continuing decline: The country ranks 20th in the growth rate of broadband penetration. So dismal is the progress that the Federal Communications Commission has launched an inquiry into the state of the U.S. broadband market, focusing on the question of "net neutrality" -- whether big carriers and service providers are prioritizing voice and data traffic for some customers at the expense of others. Against this backdrop, expectations for wireless broadband are high. Wireless broadband is seen as a "third pipe" -- in addition to DSL and cable TV -- into homes and businesses, as a way to spark competition between incumbents and new entrants that leads to new services, and as a way get the United States on par with other countries in overall broadband availability.
http://www.informationweek.com/shared/printableArticle.jhtml?articleID=1...
http://www.informationweek.com/shared/printableArticle.jhtml?articleID=199701926
DEMOCRATS HAVE AN EARLY LEAD ... IN THE WEB 2.0 RACE
[SOURCE: AdAge, AUTHOR: Abbey Klaassen]
Even Republican supporters concede that the Democrats have the upper hand in Web 2.0, which has become the Democratic version of talk radio. It's an issue that has been the subject of recent debate, naturally, around the blogosphere. A big part of the problem, according to Rob Bluey, director of the Center for Media and Public Policy at the Heritage Foundation and a contributor to RedState.com, is that Republican bloggers are more interested in being pundits than activists. The right, perhaps, views the web too much as an extension of its broadcast domination.
http://adage.com/article?article_id=116938
http://adage.com/article?article_id=116938
MUCH ADO ABOUT DOUBLECLICK
[SOURCE: BusinessWeek, AUTHOR: Catherine Holahan]
There was little doubt that the Federal Trade Commission would thoroughly investigate Google's planned acquisition of DoubleClick. Google's undisputed dominance of Web searches and the related $8 billion search-advertising market all but guaranteed scrutiny of any move capable of extending the search titan's online influence. The fact that DoubleClick places ads for many of the leading Web publishers made a government inquiry inevitable, say antitrust experts. But, there's even less doubt that the FTC will eventually sign off on the $3.1 billion deal. Even some who see red flags in the transaction don't seriously think it will be blocked. "We are not foolish enough to think the FTC will say you can't buy DoubleClick," says Jeff Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy. His group is nonetheless concerned over the combination of the leading aggregator of information on who's searching for what on the Web with a company that tracks Web surfing behavior to help advertisers measure the effectiveness of their ads. Putting the two companies together leaves consumers' privacy at risk, Chester says. And he's hoping the scrutiny by Uncle Sam will result in some conditions placed on the transaction.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2007/tc20070529_360181...
Much Ado About DoubleClick
REALITY, NOT RHETORIC, ON FISA
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Rep Silvestre Reyes (D-TX)]
[Commentary] The congressional testimony this month by former deputy attorney general James Comey called into question the accuracy of everything I had heard before about the so-called Terrorist Surveillance Program. According to Comey, in the spring of 2004 President Bush authorized a program of domestic surveillance even though his acting attorney general was so concerned about the surveillance that he could not in good faith "certify its legality." I believe it was the administration's cumbersome, uncoordinated process and not the statutory requirements that led the president to authorize an end-run around FISA. The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence will hold hearings on this issue next month and will focus on the following important questions: 1) What surveillance activities has President Bush authorized under the NSA surveillance program disclosed in December 2005? What was the legal basis for these activities, and how did those activities change since the inception of the program? What activities are occurring today? 2) How does the current FISA system operate? Can this system be improved? 3) Are current legal authorities adequate for tracking terrorist communications, or are changes to the law required? 4) Do current and proposed legal authorities adequately protect the Fourth Amendment rights of Americans?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/29/AR200705...
(requires registration)
Reality, Not Rhetoric, On FISA
HUGO CHAVEZ VERSUS RCTV
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Bart Jones]
[Commentary] Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's refusal to renew the license of Radio Caracas Television might seem to justify fears that Chavez is crushing free speech and eliminating any voices critical of him. But the case of RCTV has been caught up in a web of misinformation. While one side of the story is getting headlines around the world, the other is barely heard. In 1998 RCTV, controlled by members of the country's fabulously wealthy oligarchy including chief Marcel Granier, tried to help out the democratically elected leader from office. RCTV's most infamous effort to topple Chavez came during the April 11, 2002, coup attempt against him. For two days before the putsch, RCTV preempted regular programming and ran wall-to-wall coverage of a general strike aimed at ousting Chavez. A stream of commentators spewed nonstop vitriolic attacks against him — while permitting no response from the government. Then RCTV ran nonstop ads encouraging people to attend a march on April 11 aimed at toppling Chavez and broadcast blanket coverage of the event. When the march ended in violence, RCTV and Globovision ran manipulated video blaming Chavez supporters for scores of deaths and injuries. After military rebels overthrew Chavez and he disappeared from public view for two days, RCTV's biased coverage edged fully into sedition. Thousands of Chavez supporters took to the streets to demand his return, but none of that appeared on RCTV or other television stations. RCTV News Director Andres Izarra later testified at National Assembly hearings on the coup attempt that he received an order from superiors at the station: "Zero pro-Chavez, nothing related to Chavez or his supporters…. The idea was to create a climate of transition and to start to promote the dawn of a new country." Would a network that aided and abetted a coup against the government be allowed to operate in the United States? The U.S. government probably would have shut down RCTV within five minutes after a failed coup attempt — and thrown its owners in jail. Chavez's government allowed it to continue operating for five years, and then declined to renew its 20-year license to use the public airwaves. It can still broadcast on cable or via satellite dish.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-jones30may30,1,53...
(requires registration)
* Venezuela's last opposition station on notice
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-fg-venez30may30,1,6...
* Venezuela Stations Under Fire
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6447164.html?rssid=193
Hugo Chavez versus RCTV
MEXICO'S JOURNALISTS FEEL HEAVY HAND OF VIOLENCE
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Manuel Roig-Franzia]
Mexico is now the second deadliest country in the world for journalists after Iraq. More than 30 journalists have been killed in the past six years in Mexico. As more reporters die, journalism itself is suffering. A newspaper in Sonora said last week that it was temporarily shutting down because of attacks and threats by criminal gangs. Top editors at the two largest newspapers in Monterrey, Milenio and El Norte, said in interviews that they no longer ask crime reporters to dig deeply on their stories. At risk is the vibrancy of the free press in Mexico's still developing democracy. President Felipe Calderón has called the intimidation of journalists "an unacceptable situation," promised to protect journalists and discussed possible legislation to achieve that goal. But reporters keep dying and news media offices keep getting attacked.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/29/AR200705...
(requires registration)
* Severed Head Left At Doorstep Of Mexican Daily
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_con...
Mexico's Journalists Feel Heavy Hand of Violence
NEWSPAPER ONLINE AD GROWTH SLOWS -- AS PRINT REVENUE KEEPS SKIDDING
[SOURCE: Editor&Publisher, AUTHOR: Jennifer Saba]
Newspaper online advertising revenue growth is starting to slow, according to the most recent data from the Newspaper Association of America. In Q1, advertising spending for newspaper Web sites increased 22.3% to $750 million compared to the same period last year. In the first quarter of 2006, newspaper online ad revenue advanced 34.9% to $613 million. However, online advertising revenue makes up more of total ad revenue in Q1 versus the same period a year ago. In Q1 of this year, online advertising expenditures represent 7.1% of total ad revenue versus 5.5% for Q1 2006. Newspaper print advertising revenue fell sharply in Q1, down 6.4% to $9.8 billion. The growth realized with online advertising revenue did not push up total ad spending. Combined, print and online advertising revenue declined 4.8% to $10.6 billion in Q1.
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_con...
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=…
SAN FRANCISCO EDITOR QUITS IN WAKE OF STAFF CUTS
[SOURCE: Bloomberg, AUTHOR: Vivek Shankar]
Robert Rosenthal, managing editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, has resigned two weeks after the newspaper announced a plan to cut 25 percent of newsroom jobs. Rosenthal said he was leaving "without rancor or acrimony," the Chronicle said yesterday in a statement. The resignation comes at a time when the Hearst Corp. newspaper is cutting about 80 union-covered and 20 management positions, out of about 400 newsroom jobs. The cuts are an effort to curb costs.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/29/AR200705...
(requires registration)
* The decline of news
[Commentary] The Chronicle's announcement earlier this month that 100 newsroom jobs will be slashed in the coming weeks in the face of mounting financial woes represents just the latest chapter in a tragic story of traditional journalism's decline.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2007/0...
San Francisco Editor Quits in Wake of Staff Cuts
TRIBUNE CO REDRAWS NEWSPAPER MANAGEMENT CHART
[SOURCE: Crain's Chicago Business]
As it prepares to go private, Tribune Co. redrew its newspaper organization chart Tuesday so more executives report directly to CEO Dennis FitzSimons. Los Angeles Times Publisher David Hiller and Robert Gremillion, who now oversees four newspapers, report to Mr. FitzSimons. Mr. Gremillion, who has been publisher of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, becomes executive vice president in charge of the Fort Lauderdale-based paper, the Baltimore Sun, Hartford Courant and Orlando Sentinel. Both men previously reported to Tribune Publishing President Scott Smith, who also has been publisher of the Chicago Tribune since last fall. The number of papers under Mr. Smith’s direct supervision will fall from five to two: the Chicago Tribune and Newsday in New York. He’ll also continue to run Tribune’s syndication and national ad sales units.
http://chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=25162
http://chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=25162
COPPER LANDLINES GONE BY 2013
[SOURCE: TelephonyOnline, AUTHOR: Ed Gubbins]
The copper “last mile” line to the house won’t exist in six years, according to Tom Evslin, co-founder of Internet service provider AT&T Worldnet and voice-over-IP wholesaler ITXC. "By 2012 [there will be] no more reason to use our landlines -- so we won’t,” Evslin said. “I don’t think the copper plant will last past 2012. The problem is the cost of maintaining and operating it when it has very few subscribers. Obviously [it’s] a huge problem for AT&T and Verizon. And an important social issue as well.” Evslin pointed to a study showing the percentage of homes with landline phones declining from about 96% to 94% between 1998 and 2003 while cell phone penetration jumped from 36% to 63%. Those trends have probably accelerated since then, he argued. By 2012, copper landlines will have been replaced by WiFi-enabled mobile phone services like the one T-Mobile will roll out nationwide this summer, Evslin wrote. Such services will highlight the superiority of mobile phones over land lines in consumers’ minds: mobile phones are more capable (with built-in cameras, directories and address books, etc.) and less expensive.
http://telephonyonline.com/home/news/copper_landlines_gone_052507/
Copper landlines gone by 2013