A WRANGLE AFTER DEMOCRATS SHUN FOX AS DEBATE PLATFORM
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Noam Cohen]
A full year and a half ahead of the presidential election, the Fox News Channel has suddenly become an issue in the campaign, even as the network tries to cover that campaign. A Democratic candidates’ debate sponsored by Fox News set for August from Reno, Nev., was abruptly canceled Friday night with a statement from the Nevada Democratic Party and Harry Reid, the majority leader in the Senate. But the reasons given for the cancellation -- anger over comments about Barack Obama made the night before by Fox News chairman Roger Ailes -- give short shrift to an ongoing online campaign by activists at MoveOn.org and by influential blogs like the Daily Kos to have candidates shun the Fox News Channel, which they accuse of being too conservative and too closely allied to the Republican Party. Fox News, which vehemently denies the charges of bias made by its critics, sees itself as the wounded bystander in a Democrat-versus-Democrat battle. The idea of a candidate, party or even party wing running against a news outlet is hardly novel in the United States, which began its history with party-controlled newspapers. In fact, the notion of a news media outlet being open to candidates from across the spectrum is the relative rarity in America.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/12/business/media/12fox.html
(requires registration)
TELEVISION TAKEOVER
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Joel Mowbray]
[Commentary] US taxpayer-financed TV network Al-Hurra which once took a stands against corruption, for human rights, and for peace is doing an about face. Ken Tomlinson, the chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors -- the congressionally-created panel charged with overseeing Al-Hurra, among other government-funded broadcasters -- is currently demanding answers about the network's decision last December to broadcast most of a speech by Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hasan Nasrallah. Sitting up straight and raising his index finger, he states emphatically, "It's the single worst decision I've witnessed in all my years in international broadcasting." The airing of the Nasrallah speech is a sign of the network's new direction since it was taken over by a longtime CNN producer, Larry Register, last November. Launched in February 2004, Al-Hurra broadcasts three separate feeds: to Europe, Arab nations and one for Iraq. The network is supposed to be a key component of our public diplomacy to the Arab world. Its mission statement calls for it to showcase the American political process, and just as important, report on things that get little attention on other Arabic networks, such as human-rights abuses and government corruption.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117366182048433772.html?mod=todays_us_op...
(requires subscription)
POPE, CATHOLIC MEDIA WORKERS STRATEGIZE ON HOW TO BEST USE NEW MEDIA
[SOURCE: Catholic News Service, AUTHOR: Cindy Wooden]
Taking advantage of new media to spread the Gospel, the Catholic Church also has an obligation to point out areas where the media has a harmful effect, especially on children, Pope Benedict XVI said. The pope called on media operators "to safeguard the common good, to uphold the truth, to protect individual human dignity and promote respect for the needs of the family." Meeting March 9 with members of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, Pope Benedict spoke of the benefits of greater access to quality entertainment, information and educational opportunities through the media. But he also expressed concern about the "increasing concentration" of the media in the hands of a few multinational conglomerates and said that "much of what is transmitted in various forms to the homes of millions of families around the world is destructive."
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0701354.htm
* Pope Warns Against 'Destructive' Media
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2007/3/9/80846.shtml
RISKS OF 'NET NEUTRALITY
[SOURCE: Kansas City Star, AUTHOR: Paul Williams, NextInning.com]
[Commentary] John Rutledge thinks the biggest threat to US economic growth is network neutrality legislation. The issue blocked a well-written piece of legislation -- the COPE Act -- from being passed, Williams says. Part of COPE was the Consumer Internet Bill of Rights which would have guaranteed consumers that they can access and post any lawful Internet content (no blocking of any service); run any voice, video or e-mail application; run any software, service or search engine; and connect any legal device of their choosing to the Internet. In addition, it also said that customers shall be provided, “in plain language, the estimated speeds, capabilities, limitations, and pricing of any Internet service offered to the public without interference from Internet service providers or federal, state, or local governments.†Williams concludes: "So the next time someone pushing Net neutrality requests your support, ask the person to explain, in simple terms, exactly what he or she wants that the COPE Act doesn't provide."
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/business/technology/16873108.ht...
RURAL HEALTH CARE PILOT PROGRAM
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
On September 26, 2006, the FCC adopted the Rural Health Care Pilot Program Order, which established a rural health care pilot program to encourage the provision of telehealth and telemedicine services throughout the nation. Under the pilot program, selected applicants will receive up to 85 percent of the costs of building state and regional broadband networks and connecting those networks to Internet2 or National LambdaRail, Inc., dedicated nationwide backbone providers, as well as the costs of the advanced telecommunications and information services that will ride over those networks. Selected applicants will also receive up to 85 percent of the costs of connecting to the public Internet. The Order included criteria for applications to participate in the rural health care pilot program. The FCC requested approval of these criteria from the Office of Management and Budget on January 10, 2007.5 On March 8, 2007, the FCC received OMB approval of the information collection requirements. The FCC has announced the deadline of May 7, 2007, for filing applications for its Rural Health Care Pilot Program. This program is intended to help fund broadband networks for rural health care providers. Under the terms of this pilot program, applications to participate in the program are due sixty (60) days from the date of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval of the program. On March 8, 2007, the FCC received approval from OMB for the Rural Health Care Pilot Program. Accordingly, applicants must submit their applications to the FCC no later than May 7, 2007. General filing procedures for applications are detailed in the Rural Health Care Pilot Program Order.
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/rural/DA-07-1188A1.pdf
The Federal Communications Commission will hold an Open Meeting on Thursday, March 22, 2007, which is scheduled to commence at 9:30 a.m. in Room TW-C305, at 445 12th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. (see http://www.fcc.gov/fccmeetings.html)
Here's the agenda
Digital TV Posing Issue Of Timing
[SOURCE: New York Times 3/10/1997, AUTHOR: Joel Brinkley]
Ten years ago, the Clinton Administration was pushing for an eight year deadline on the transition to digital-only television broadcasting. The motivator, of course, was money: policymakers were eyeing an estimated $15 in spectrum auction revenues when the transition was complete. Ten years later, we're still two years away from the current "hard date" for the end of analog TV. But Members of Congress and industry representatives are a little leery we'll make a smooth transition. Brinkley, by the way, went on to write what might be considered the definitive book on the politics and technology of the digital transition -- Defining Vision: The Battle for the Future of Television published by Harcourt Brace in 1998 (see a review at http://www.allbusiness.com/technology/681818-1.html).
http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F30811FF3C5D0C73...
(requires TimesSelect subscription)
For more see --
* Getting to February 2009: Implementing the Digital TV Transition
http://www.benton.org/index.php?q=node/1257
* Getting to February 2009: Outstanding DTV Transition Issues
http://www.benton.org/index.php?q=node/1260
See more stories today about outstanding DTV issues --
* Digital Transition Seen as One Step Closer
http://www.benton.org/index.php?q=node/5085
* Rush Introduces White Spaces Production Bill
http://www.benton.org/index.php?q=node/5081
DIGITAL TRANSITION SEEN AS ONE STEP CLOSER
[SOURCE: TVWeek, AUTHOR: Ira Teinowitz]
John N.R. Kneurer said the Office of Management & Budget is nearly ready to formally OK the agency's proposed rule-setting standards for analog-to-digital converter boxes and eligibility for government discount coupons. However, Kneurer, who as assistant secretary of commerce heads the National Telecommunications & Information Association, declined to say whether that approval could come as soon as Friday. Formal promulgation of the rule has been holding up the digital transition. Both the launch of full-scale manufacture of the converter boxes that will be needed for analog TVs when the country switches to digital Feb. 17, 2009, and the government's hiring of a fulfillment house to give out the coupons, good for $40 toward the boxes, have been delayed. The delay has drawn the ire of some Democrats, including House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell, D-Mich. The government has set aside $1.5 billion for the coupons and it expected to reserve them for households without cable or satellite. Democrats contend the funding is insufficient. Mr. Kneurer made his prediction to reporters Thursday after testifying about the department's budget to a panel of the House Appropriations Committee. "We have answered all their questions. I don't foresee the need for lots of time-consuming, continuing negotiation," he said of the OMB, which must approve federal rulemaking. At the hearing, Mr. Kneurer told congressman that NTIA intended to use the $5 million set aside to publicize the digital transition solely to publicize the coupon program. He said the agency would rely on a coalition of broadcasters, retailers and consumer-electronics makers to publicize the digital transition itself, but with the idea that both efforts would be integrated and the coalition effort would direct consumers who are eligible for rebates to the NTIA Web site.
http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=11685
(requires free registration)
* Getting Ready for February 2008 and Beyond
[SOURCE: tvnewsday]
NAB's chief technologist has his hands full not only making sure that the digital conversion goes smoothly, but also making sure that broadcasters don't miss the opportunities that digital provides.
http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2007/03/08/daily.2/
"There are parts of the U.S. that do not have broadband service at all... I think we have a clear role for government to play in terms of filling that gap."
--
Monroe, John. Boucher: Net neutrality stalls broadband measure" FCW.com Sept 11, 2006 (http://www.fcw.com/article96017-09-11-06-Web%26RSS=yes)
ABANDONING NETWORK NEUTRALITY WON'T IMPROVE SERVICE
[SOURCE: HearUsNow.org]
A new study by researchers at the University of Florida says one of the primary arguments being used by opponents of net neutrality is not true. Leading opponents of net neutrality -- mostly big Internet service providers such as cable and phone companies -- say they would have much more of an incentive to expand and improve their services if they were able to charge online content providers such as Yahoo! and Google for preferential access to their customers. Not so says Kenneth Cheng, a professor at the University of Florida's Department of Decision and Information Sciences. “The conventional wisdom is that Internet service providers would have greater incentive to expand their service capabilities if they were allowed to charge,†says Cheng. “That was completely the opposite of what we found.†Cheng's team discovered that cable and telephone companies providing broadband to deliver the content of companies such as Google and Yahoo! are actually more likely to expand their infrastructure -- resulting in quicker loading and response in a customer’s personal computer -- if they don't charge these companies for preferential treatment.
http://www.consumersunion.org/blogs/hun/2007/03/study_says_abandoning_ne...
* The Debate on Net Neutrality: A Policy Perspective
http://www.hearusnow.org/fileadmin/sitecontent/TheDebateonNetNeutrality.pdf
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