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COALITION PUSHES FOR US BROADBAND PLAN
[SOURCE: InfoWorld, AUTHOR: Grant Gross]
Fifty-four organizations, including Amazon, Google, and TiVO, have called on the U.S. government to create a national broadband policy, saying there's no plan now in place focused on providing affordable access for all residents. The Open Internet Coalition, in a letter to Congress sent Thursday, said the U.S. government needs to adopt new measures to ensure universal affordable access to broadband, net neutrality and increased competition in the broadband market. The letter is the first step in a concerted effort coalition members will make to push broadband legislation in Congress, members said. Last month, some of the coalition's members called for open access requirements in upcoming spectrum auctions at the Federal Communications Commission. Increased access to the Internet is vital to U.S. economic growth, said the letter to Congress. "Now is the time to give this goal the urgency it deserves," the letter said. "As broadband networks become more and more integral to our economic and social life, we are reaching a tipping point where legislation is no longer simply welcome -- it is imperative." Not everyone agrees with the coalition's goals, particularly its call for Network Neutrality or open access on broadband networks. Large broadband providers like Verizon and AT&T have opposed efforts to pass a net neutrality law that would prohibit providers from blocking or slowing Web content from competitors. Such a law, the companies say, would limit their business plans and would discourage them from building fast new networks.
http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/05/24/Coalition-pushes-for-US-broadb...
Coalition pushes for U.S. broadband plan
INOUYE INTRODUCES BROADBAND DATA BILL
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) introduced a bill that would require the FCC to collect better data on the rollout of broadband. The bill -- the Broadband Data Improvement Act (S. 1492) -- would require the FCC to reconsider its current 200 kilobit broadband standard, create a new "second generation broadband figure for speeds capable of delivering HD video, require the FCC to report broadband availability by nine-digit zip codes so that it could more precisely pinpoint who was and wasn't getting the service, and require an annual, rather than periodic, inquiry into deployment. The bill would also provide $40 million in yearly grants to match state investment in identifying barriers to broadband adoption. The House last week held a hearing on a draft of a similar bill.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6446448.html?rssid=193
* Senate Democrats Want Better Broadband Data
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6446465.html?rssid=196
* Chairman Inouye's press release
http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Det...
AIRWAVES AUCTION SHOULD AIM TO FOSTER NEW BROADBAND CHOICES
[SOURCE: Center for Democracy & Technology]
A substantial portion of soon-to-be-available public airwaves should be allocated to promote new competitive alternatives for general-purpose broadband Internet service, CDT said in comments filed this week with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC is facing a momentous decision over what to do with valuable wireless spectrum in the 700 MHz band that is being returned by broadcasters as part of the switch from analog to digital television signals. CDT believes that allocating substantial spectrum to broadband with preconditions for neutrality and wholesale access will be the best way to foster competition and innovation on the newly available airwaves.
CDT Comments: FCC Spectrum Auction: http://www.cdt.org/speech/net-neutrality/20070523fcc-spectrum.pdf
* Public Interest Groups Want FCC To Create Wireless Broadband Competition
http://feeds.publicknowledge.org/~r/publicknowledge-main/~3/119298414/962
DINGELL, MARKEY WANT TO SEE FCC'S DTV PLAN
[SOURCE: tvnewsday]
House Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-MI) and Telecom Subcommittee Chairman Ed Markey (D-MA) sent a letter to the FCC urging it to submit to Congress -- by June 11 -- its plan for educating the public about the upcoming digital television transition that will take effect on Feb. 17, 2009. They said that without adequate consumer education, millions of consumers may see their analog TV sets go dark. The chairmen noted that the FCC is the lead agency for educating consumers about the digital television transition and instructed the agency to immediately implement a national consumer education campaign using its extensive resources and expertise. In doing so, the chairmen expressed additional concerns over the FCC's lack of progress in educating consumers about the transition.
http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2007/05/24/daily.10/
* Text of letter
http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_110/FCC.052407.Martin.ltr.DTV.pdf
Dingell, Markey Want to See FCC's DTV Plan
MAY 31 FCC OPEN MEETING AGENDA
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
The Federal Communications Commission will hold an Open Meeting on Thursday, May 31, 2007, which is scheduled to commence at 9:30 a.m. in Room TW-C305, at 445 12th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. The Commission will consider recommendations submitted by the Independent Panel Reviewing the Impact of Hurricane Katrina on Communications Networks; a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking concerning wireless Enhanced 911 location accuracy and automatic location identification for interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services; the Emergency Alert System; Telecommunications Relay Services; cable wiring; and carriage of broadcast signals on cable and satellite TV systems. Audio/Video coverage of the meeting will be broadcast live with open captioning over the Internet from the FCC's Audio/Video Events web page at www.fcc.gov/realaudio.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-273285A1.doc
May 31 FCC Open Meeting Agenda
GROWING THE 'PRIVATE' CLUB
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Orit Gadiesh & Hugh MacArthur]
Private equity is becoming a benchmark of performance for CEOs and boards of directors. Boards are asking themselves, "What would we do differently if we were privately held?" The answer is a lot. Public-company shareholders are often passive or cast votes by dumping shares. And public companies are constrained by Sarbanes-Oxley, which can slow down or hamper fixes needed for the mid-to-long haul. Private-equity shareholders -- particularly those from top firms, like Blackstone -- behave like active owners. They understand the companies they own and drive them to address problems more rapidly while investing more deeply in attractive longer-term initiatives. What does this mean? For one, private-equity firms invest with a thesis for improving performance in a realistic, but aggressive time frame -- three-to-five years. Compare that with public companies' quarterly earnings scramble and a sense within public companies that each business they own will be a permanent part of the corporate portfolio. For another, the best private-equity firms test their investment thesis hard after the deal closes with a detailed plan of where and how to build value. Their plans often include a few simple metrics -- e.g., cash, market and operating measures -- and top fund professionals frequently review and revise these plans with management. They swiftly move unproductive assets off the balance sheet. And finally, they compensate managers strictly on results.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118005241817814142.html?mod=todays_us_op...
(requires subscription)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118005241817814142.html?mod=todays_us_opinion
TRIBUNE CO'S CLIMB TO GOING PRIVATE GETS STEEPER
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Serena Ng serena.ng@wsj.com]
Tribune Co.'s prolonged and tortuous undertaking to sell itself isn't getting any easier. The newspaper and television concern cleared a hurdle yesterday by completing a tender offer for half of its shares, but to do so it had to commit to borrowing terms that could make its life more difficult in the months ahead. On April 2, Tribune said it would take itself private in a two-stage $8.2 billion deal backed by real-estate magnate Sam Zell. The deal, financed almost entirely by debt, isn't expected to close until late this year. To fund the tender offer that is the first stage of the buyout, and to refinance some existing debt, Tribune last week sold more than $7 billion in loans to debt investors. Even in today's easy- money atmosphere, the company's bankers had a tough time pushing the deal through. The bankers ended up forgoing roughly a third of about $120 million in fees to get the deal done. Tribune ended up agreeing to pay higher interest rates than planned on most of the debt. It also agreed to pay down a chunk of the loans within two years, rather than the seven-year term it sought. The moves raise questions about the company's ability to service its debt load while navigating the deteriorating newspaper business.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118001663047013412.html?mod=todays_us_mo...
(requires subscription)
* Foundation to tender all of its Tribune Co. shares
Tribune Co.'s second-biggest shareholder, the Robert R. McCormick Tribune Foundation, disclosed in a regulatory filing Thursday that the non-profit foundation intends to tender all of its 28 million Tribune Co. shares -- representing an 11.6 percent stake in the media company -- in Tribune's current $34-a-share tender offer.
http://feeds.chicagotribune.com/~r/chicagotribune/business/~3/119417149/...
* Judge Won't Stop Sam Zell Deal For Tribune Co.
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_con...
NCTA: DON'T BAN CABLE FROM FCC AUCTION
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
The Federal Communications Commission should reject arguments that cable operators need to be excluded for competitive reasons from an upcoming auction of old broadcast-TV airwaves, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association said in an FCC filing late Wednesday.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6446245.html?rssid=196
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6446245.html?rssid=196
PHILADELPHIA WIRELESS INTERNET PROJECT ADVANCES
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Jon Hurdle]
Philadelphia has finished testing its wireless Internet project, setting the stage for America's biggest citywide Wi-Fi network that will also offer access to low-income households, officials said on Thursday. The city government this week approved results from a 15-square-mile test zone where people can access the Internet for $21.95 a month or $9.95 if they qualify for low-income assistance. Access is free in parks and other outdoor spaces, and for people participating in community programs such as employment training or housing assistance. By the end of this year, Philadelphia will have wireless Internet access throughout its 135 square miles.
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN2436904820070524
Philadelphia wireless Internet project advances
E-MAIL REPLY TO ALL: 'LEAVE ME ALONE'
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Mike Musgrove]
The supposed convenience of electronic mail, like so many other innovations of technology, has become too much for some people. Swamped by an unmanageable number of messages -- the volume of e-mail traffic has nearly doubled in the past two years, according to research firm DYS Analytics -- and plagued by annoying spam and viruses, some users are saying "Enough!" Those declaring bankruptcy are swearing off e-mail entirely or, more commonly, deleting all old messages and starting fresh. E-mail overload gives many workers the sense that their work is never done, said senior analyst David Ferris, whose firm, Ferris Research, said there were 6 trillion business e-mails sent in 2006. "A lot of people like the feeling that they have everything done at the end of the day," he said. "They can't have it anymore." So some say they're moving back to the telephone as their preferred means of communication.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/24/AR200705...
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E-Mail Reply to All: 'Leave Me Alone'