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Two events of note this week: the FCC will consider the
AT&T-BellSouth Merger and a new proceeding on Net Neutrality -- and
the Commission's Consumer Advisory Committee will consider a number
of recommendations on issues including Media Ownership, Universal
Broadband Service and Closed Captioning. All this happens Friday. For
these and other upcoming media policy events, see http://www.benton.org

TELECOM/INTERNET
FCC Open Meeting Friday November 3
FCC closes lobbying window on AT&T/BellSouth
FCC chief says working to finish AT&T-BellSouth
AT&T Nixes Net Neutrality Proposal

BROADCASTING
Closed Captioning Consumers blitz FCC with Protests against Anglers Decision
U.S. TV broadcasts leaving some Cubans in the dark
Univision's NY Station Finishes Second in Ratings

MEDIA OWNERSHIP
FCC Commissioners speak out Against Media Consolidation
In a Blurry World, Ownership Is Yesterday's News
NBC Cuts Hit Telemundo
Providential Powell?
Local group wants to buy Tribune's Baltimore Sun
In Early Newspapers, Only 'Mr. Silky Milky' Would Be Impartial
Lawmakers' changes spark takeover talk

POLICYMAKERS
Elections' Effect on Media
A Dem Win Could Stifle Ownership Reforms
Congress on technology issues: all talk and no action

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
Lessons in Katrina's Wake

TELECOM/INTERNET

FCC OPEN MEETING FRIDAY NOVEMBER 3
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
The Federal Communications Commission will hold an open meeting on
Friday, November 3, 2006 scheduled to commence at 9:30 a.m. in Room
TW-C305, at 445 12th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. There are four
items on the agenda; the Commission will consider: 1) the merger of
AT&T and BellSouth, 2) Network Neutrality, 3) FM radio allotments and
4) migratory bird collisions with communications towers (Duck!).
Peanuts and popcorn are not allowed in the Commission meeting room,
but you can catch all the action from home by visiting www.fcc.gov/realaudio.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-268215A1.doc
* AT&T/BellSouth Still On FCC Agenda
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6386409.html?title=Article&sp...

FCC CLOSES LOBBYING WINDOW ON AT&T/BELLSOUTH
[SOURCE: Reuters 10/27, AUTHOR: Jeremy Pelofsky]
The Federal Communications Commission on Friday closed the window for
parties to lobby the agency on whether it should approve AT&T's
purchase of BellSouth on Nov. 3. The agency issued an agenda
scheduling the public vote, which bars parties from meeting or
speaking with commissioners about the subject unless approached by
agency officials.
http://today.reuters.com/news/articleinvesting.aspx?type=governmentFilin...

FCC CHIEF SAYS WORKING TO FINISH AT&T-BELLSOUTH
[SOURCE: Reuters 10/26, AUTHOR: Jeremy Pelofsky]
The Federal Communications Commission is working hard to complete a
delayed vote on AT&T's acquisition of BellSouth, FCC Chairman Kevin
Martin said on Thursday. "I've had brief conversations with the other
Commissioners, my impression is that they've been working hard,
meeting with people, hearing about the concerns, and trying to work
through issues," Chairman Martin told reporters after a speech to the
American Bar Association. He declined to predict whether the vote
would occur by Nov. 3. "This is a very contentious issue... it raises
a lot of issues that a lot of people are concerned about," he said.
While the Republicans hold a 3-2 majority at the FCC, Republican
Commissioner Robert McDowell has said he would not vote on the deal
because he previously worked at an association that represented AT&T
and BellSouth competitors. Chairman Martin said that, as a general
matter, he prefers that all five commissioners participate in issues
before the agency because they often offer different perspectives,
but added that there are guidelines for how recusals are handled.
http://today.reuters.com/news/articleinvesting.aspx?type=governmentFilin...

AT&T NIXES NET NEUTRALITY PROPOSAL
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
A senior AT&T executive rejected a proposal that would require the
company to adhere to Internet-nondiscrimination rules in order to
gain approval from the Federal Communications Commission to merge
with BellSouth. The Internet-regulation proposal -- advanced by a
coalition funded by Google, Yahoo!, eBay and Amazon.com -- would
require AT&T to promise not to discriminate "in their carriage and
treatment of Internet traffic based on the source, destination or
ownership of such traffic." The net-neutrality condition would apply
to AT&T, but to no other provider of broadband Internet access in the
United States. Stifel Nicolaus telecommunications analyst David Kaut
said he didn't believe that AT&T would accept a nondiscrimination
condition. "I think they are dug in on that -- they will not give
that up, particularly in a merger proceeding where they would be the
only company affected," he added.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6386263.html?display=Breaking+News
* Will the FCC Give In to Net Neutrality Pressure?
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/53953.html

BROADCASTING

CLOSED CAPTIONING CONSUMERS BLITZ FCC WITH PROTESTS AGAINST ANGLERS DECISION
[SOURCE: Lasar's Letter on the FCC, AUTHOR: Matthew Lasar]
Hundreds of angry, frustrated letters have streamed into the Federal
Communications Commission's offices over the last month since the
agency made it easier for non-profit broadcasters to opt out of
closed captioning requirements. In mid-September the Commission gave
closed captioning exemptions to two religious broadcasters: "Anglers
for Christ Ministries, Inc," and "New Beginnings Ministries." Both
groups claimed that providing on-screen video text, which allows
people with hearing disabilities to follow television programs,
represented an excessive financial hardship. The FCC granted the
waivers, but went further, noting that in future cases if a
non-profit demonstrates that it receives no compensation from video
program distributors and that "in the absence of an exemption, may
terminate or substantially curtail its programming," the FCC will
expedite a closed captioning exemption request. Since then disability
rights groups have protested the ruling, warning that it will make it
much easier for programmers to opt-out of closed-captioning, and
charging that the FCC has already given hundreds of groups waivers
without any real evidence that closed-captioning represents a barrier
for them. The FCC "departed from long practice and improperly
established a new class of programming that is exempt from the closed
captioning requirements without proper notice and comment," seven
leading disability groups charged in a public filing dated October
12th. They want an emergency stay on the decision. Representative
Edward Markey of Massachusetts also filed a complaint on the matter
with the FCC.
http://lasarletter.com/freepage.php?id=200610271

US TV BROADCASTS LEAVING SOME CUBANS IN THE DARK
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Marc Frank]
Cuba has jammed the latest anti-Castro television programing beamed
over by the United States, according to an informal survey of Cubans
who tried to watch the shows that included baseball's championship
series. But the U.S. agency that oversees the effort said it was
"confident" Cubans were seeing the programs. The Bush administration
has pledged to strengthen TV Marti broadcasts in hopes of undermining
Cuba's communist government, provisionally headed by Defense Minister
Raul Castro while his brother, President Fidel Castro, recovers from
intestinal surgery. TV Marti, part of the U.S. government's
International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB), officially began new
aircraft-based broadcasts on Tuesday to baseball-crazed Cuba,
starting with game three of the World Series between the St. Louis
Cardinals and the Detroit Tigers.
http://today.reuters.com/news/NewsArticle.aspx?type=televisionNews&story...

UNIVISION'S NY STATION FINISHES SECOND IN RATINGS
[SOURCE: MediaWeek, AUTHOR: John Consoli]
Univision's New York City TV station, WXTV-Univision 41, for the
first time since the implementation of Local People Meters by Nielsen
Media Research, has finished second overall in the marketplace
ratings for its 6 p.m. weekday local news telecast.
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=10033...

MEDIA OWNERSHIP

FCC COMMISSIONERS SPEAK OUT AGAINST MEDIA CONSOLIDATION
[SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle, AUTHOR: Joe Garofoli]
As the Federal Communications Commission reviews its rules on media
ownership, Commissioner Michael Copps urged Friday that the process
be more open than it was in 2003, when the Commission "eviscerated"
ownership rules "without seeking meaningful input from the American
people." Though the changes were largely overturned by a federal
court, Commissioner Copps warned 350 people at a community forum in
Oakland that "we're right back at Square 1. Big Media hasn't gone
away; their lobbyists haven't gone away; and they're still marching
behind their 'Pied Piper of Consolidation.''' Copps and Commissioner
Jonathan Adelstein, the five-member panel's only Democrats, appeared
at the California State Conference of the NAACP to rally interest in
media consolidation issues at a forum sponsored by the NAACP and
several progressive organizations. The FCC will hold five more
official hearings nationwide on consolidation, and could vote as
early as March on any changes. Copps and Adelstein, who oppose
further consolidation, plan to hold a dozen similar unofficial forums
elsewhere. While there is more awareness of the issue after the 2003
battle over media consolidation, the two commissioners' path this
time will be equally difficult. Not only are they outnumbered by
Republicans on the panel, both said that they are also having a hard
time getting information from their own agency about what studies the
FCC is conducting on consolidation issues.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/10/28/MNGE8M1UUP1....

IN BLURRY WORLD, OWNERSHIP IS YESTERDAY'S NEWS
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Richard Silkos]
[Commentary] "It is hard to find any public policy question that
feels less relevant by the minute than whether one person or company
should be permitted to own television stations and newspapers in the
same market." Silkos argues that media crossownership bans adopted in
1975 are unnecessary in the quickly changing media landscape. He's
not even sure that if the rules are repealed by the Federal
Communications Commission that they'll be any company that thinks its
a good idea. Big media's argument for relaxing cross-ownership rules
is that the days when broadcast TV and newspapers wholly dominated
their markets are dimming. Publishers and broadcasters need scale to
compete effectively in an era when cable, digitization and the
Internet have vastly increased the number of sources of news and
information in a market. But the most important reason that
cross-ownership rules no longer make sense is this: the distinctions
between print and television are starting to blur in a digital world.
Video on the Web is the biggest thing since turkey and gravy.
Companies like Tribune have argued that their TV expertise will
increasingly lead to more attractive and useful Web sites
incorporating video clips alongside articles, and vice versa. Yes,
there is too much blandness in big media. Yes, television and
newspapers are still the popular providers of local news. And, yes,
it's probably impossible to say that consolidation has succeeded in
every case in providing more news "from diverse and antagonistic
sources." But cross-media ownership is neither the solution to the
industry's woes nor the potential bogeyman it might have once
appeared. We're in a different game now.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/business/yourmoney/29frenzy.html
(requires registration)

NBC CUTS HIT TELEMUNDO
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Allison Romano]
As part of NBC's plan to cut 700 jobs and save $750 million, the
corporation is overhauling local news at a half dozen of its
Telemundo stations. NBC-owned outlets in San Jose, Calif., Houston,
Dallas-Ft. Worth, San Antonio, Phoenix, and Tucson, Ariz., will
shutter local news operations and take one of three regionalized
feeds for early-evening and late news from the new Telemundo
Production Center. The stations will still be able to insert stories
from reporters in their markets. NBC says the changes will improve
efficiency and news quality. But critics feel that centralized news
operations run the risk of homogenizing the product in an already
underserved Hispanic market. Under the plan, newsrooms in six markets
will be downsized into bureaus. Remaining reporters and photographers
will contribute stories and cut-ins to the newscasts, and a number of
jobs will be eliminated. NBC, which owns 15 Telemundo stations, will
say only that the cuts represent 5% of the network's workforce, but
they're expected to include on-air talent, producers and technical operators.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6386387.html?display=News

PROVIDENTIAL POWELL?
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable]
Providence Equity Partners is reportedly one of the venture capital
firms kicking the tires on Clear Channel. If so, it could bring a
familiar name back into the media consolidation gambit. Clear Channel
became the poster company for media consolidation during the last
round of attempted deregulatory ownership rule rewrites at the FCC
under then Chairman Michael Powell. The purchase by Providence would
link Clear Channel with Michael Powell yet again. Powell is employed
as a senior adviser to Providence Equity, which was where he landed
as a consultant on "regulatory issues in the media" among other
things, after leaving the FCC in March of 2005. But this time, Clear
Channel could possibly become the poster company for de-consolidation.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/blog/1380000138/post/1870005187.html?ni...
* Clear Channel's Founders Stand to Get Windfall
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116218211210507555.html?mod=todays_us_pa...

LOCAL GROUP WANTS TO BUY TRIBUNE'S BALTIMORE SUN
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Robert MacMillan and Jessica Hall]
A group of local investors has told Tribune Co. that it wants to buy
the Baltimore Sun newspaper, even as private equity firms lined up on
Friday to submit takeover offers for the whole company. The local
group, called the Baltimore Media Group, is led by area publisher Ted
Venetoulis, and includes 15 to 20 civic and business leaders.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=industryNews&storyID...

IN EARLY NEWSPAPERS, ONLY 'MR SILKY MILKY' WOULD BE IMPARTIAL
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Cynthia Crossen]
Early U.S. newspaper publishers scoffed at the idea that they should
hide their political prejudices under a cloak of objectivity. Editors
who tried to remain relatively detached were mocked by their
competitors. Circulation and advertising revenue couldn't support a
newspaper, but government jobs or printing contracts could. When the
political candidates they supported were elected, loyal editors
expected pork or patronage, and their journals became "virtual
branches of the government," wrote Eric Burns, author of "Infamous
Scribblers." As America's population and literacy grew, newspaper
publishers found it economically advantageous to reach out to
different kinds of readers, not just members of their own parties.
And when the Government Printing Office was created in 1860, editors
had less to gain from cozying up to politicians.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116216815220307359.html?mod=todays_us_ma...
(requires subscription)

LAWMAKERS' CHANGES SPARK TAKEOVER TALK
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Raphael Minder]
Just days after Australian lawmakers endorsed a loosening of the
country's media ownership rules, the sector is already awash in
takeover speculation as domestic and foreign groups jostle to take
full advantage of the legislative overhaul. The corporate excitement
reflects the long wait for such a reform. Promised by John Howard,
the Liberal prime minister, at the time of his first electoral
victory in 1996, it is designed to put an end to almost two decades
of stringent curbs on media takeovers and foreign ownership. The laws
were originally put in place by the Labor government to prevent
concentration of media ownership across platforms and to protect
Australian media against foreign predators. The reform could take
several more months to come into force as the government tussles with
media companies over the planned award of two new digital television
licences, one of which will be devoted to mobile TV or Internet
services. John Fairfax, the newspaper group, is among those that have
argued that this would unfairly benefit TV companies by allowing them
to control new mobile TV services.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/761f5ac0-650d-11db-90fd-0000779e2340.html
(requires subscription)

POLICYMAKERS

ELECTIONS' EFFECT ON MEDIA
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Washington lobbyists are expecting that the US House of
Representatives will be controlled by Democrats next year and think
the Senate is a toss-up. If Congress does change hands completely,
committee assignments should end up following seniority. Unlike the
Republicans under Newt Gingrich, who bypassed some senior members
after the 1994 Republican House victory, Democrats tend to hand out
plum assignments by seniority. That would place Michigan's John
Dingell atop House Energy & Commerce, Hawaii's Daniel Inouye chairing
-- or perhaps co-chairing -- Senate Commerce, and Massachusetts' Ed
Markey heading the House Telecommunications Subcommittee. According
to lobbyists, who unsurprisingly declined to talk on the record, if
the issue is media ownership, a new Hill regime could spell trouble
for deregulatory-hungry broadcasters. If FCC Chairman Kevin Martin
tries to move a new set of deregulatory rules, Markey would likely
try to block them. Video-franchise reform would almost certainly not
pass in a lame-duck session, although it probably wouldn't pass even
if Republicans managed to win both houses, thanks to its linkage to
network neutrality.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6386377.html?display=News

ANALYSIS: A DEM WIN COULD STIFLE OWNERSHIP REFORMS
[SOURCE: MediaWeek, AUTHOR: Todd Shields]
A victory in the Nov. 7 elections could give Democrats power to block
Republican-led attempts to relax media ownership regulations.
Democrats also might seek legislation requiring cable operators to
carry multiple digital channels from each local broadcaster, and
could seek increased subsidies for consumers switching to digital TV.
Such policies are among the most-watched as Washington's
telecommunications community braces for elections next Tuesday in
which Democrats seem likely to gain control of the House and possibly
the Senate. Little change, however, is expected with broadcast
indecency where both parties have backed stiffer penalties.
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=10033...

CONGRESS ON TECHNOLOGY ISSUES: ALL TALK AND NO ACTION
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Rep Zoe Lofgren]
[Commentary] As we approach the November elections, America's
technology leaders should be asking what the 109th Congress has done
for the tech sector and American innovation. From my perspective, the
answer is a whole lot of talk, and not nearly enough action. The need
for stronger congressional leadership and decisive action to help
industry spur innovation could not be clearer. Nearly a year ago, an
expert panel at the National Academics declared itself ``deeply
concerned'' that the scientific and technical building blocks of our
economic leadership are eroding, bluntly warning that ``we are
worried about the future prosperity of the United States.'' If
Democrats win control of Congress this fall, on our first day we will
adopt policies to include the whole Congress, not just one party, in
dealing with the challenges America faces. We will work with all
interested House colleagues in order to turn Pelosi's innovation
agenda into reality. This will mean good things for Silicon Valley as
well as our nation's tech sector and a better future for all Americans.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/opinion/15883776.htm

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS

LESSON IN KATRINA'S WAKE
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Greg Bicket, Cox]
[Commentary] What are the lessons of Katrina for communications
companies? Cox recommends that a solid disaster and business
contingency plan be developed. It should include ways for companies
to: 1) Take care of employees. 2) Prepare to work. Create a
back-office infrastructure and status-monitoring teams that will keep
your company functioning during a crisis. As soon as the initial
threat subsides, relationships and points of contact should be
established with law enforcement and emergency-response teams so that
access to networks and telecommunications centers can begin. 3)
Prepare to power your operations. Keep generators on hand to keep
your network running. 4) Communicate constantly with customers and
the community. Even when there are no major developments to share,
customers and the community appreciate that you are providing
whatever information you have; and that you are working hard to
restore services.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6386021.html?display=Opinion
--------------------------------------------------------------
Communications-related Headlines is a free online news summary
service provided by the Benton Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted
Monday through Friday, this service provides updates on important
industry developments, policy issues, and other related news events.
While the summaries are factually accurate, their often informal tone
does not always represent the tone of the original articles.
Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang headlines( at )benton.org -- we
welcome your comments.
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