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Coverage Type 

AMONG THE AUDIENCE
[SOURCE: The Economist]
Last November, the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that 57% of American teenagers create content for the Internet -- from text to pictures, music and video. In this new-media culture, says Paul Saffo, a director at the Institute for the Future in California, people no longer passively “consume” media (and thus advertising, its main revenue source) but actively participate in them, which usually means creating content, in whatever form and on whatever scale. This has profound implications for traditional business models in the media industry, which are based on aggregating large passive audiences and holding them captive during advertising interruptions. In the new-media era, audiences will occasionally be large, but often small, and usually tiny. Instead of a few large capital-rich media giants competing with one another for these audiences, it will be small firms and individuals competing or, more often, collaborating. Some will be making money from the content they create; others will not and will not mind, because they have other motives. “People creating stuff to build their own reputations” are at one end of this spectrum, says Philip Evans at Boston Consulting Group, and one-man superbrands such as Steven Spielberg at the other.
http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=6794156


http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=6794156
Coverage Type 

BUT A LOOK BACK SHOWS THAT THINGS DON'T ALWAYS WORK OUT AS EXPECTED
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Michelle Kessler]
Officials in San Francisco have high hopes for the giant wireless Internet network that soon will span this hilly city. Yet all it takes is a look back at Wi-Fi's pioneers to discover that big wireless Internet projects often don't live up to lofty expectations. The tech industry is notorious for overhyping new technologies, and Wi-Fi received more than its share, says wireless analyst Phillip Redman at researcher Gartner. The vision of Wi-Fi as a tool for businesses and a limited number of tech-savvy consumers “has really come true,” he says. “But if you think about things like Wi-Fi services, public hotspots, Wi-Fi taking over the cellular (phone) world … it's been a letdown,” he says.
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20060421/wifi.art.htm


High Hopes for Wi-Fi

Benton's Communications-related Headlines For Friday April 21, 2006

With Congress home, the telecom world has been=20
somewhat quiet, but expect big news next week as=20
Congress considers telecom reform legislation.=20
For upcoming media policy events, see http://www.benton.org

LEGISLATION
House USF Strategy Seen As Risky

TELEVISION/RADIO
The Fox News Effect: Media Bias and Voting
TVB Brings Out the Bulls on Political, Online Ads
Television Stations Are Urged to Break a Few Rules
FCC Seeks Comment on Ag TV Challenge
Payola-as-you-go radio
From Vanilla to Full Metal Racket

MEDIA OWNERSHIP
Bondholders Threaten Adelphia Deal
Televisa Closer to Univision Move?
Sprint Nextel to Buy UbiquiTel

QUICKLY -- FCC Seeks Comment on AT&T-BellSouth=20
Merger; We Need a National Infrastructure=20
Initiative; Consumer-created content; High Hopes=20
for Wi-Fi; Google spectrum bid?; Arkansas judge=20
OKs Google settlement; FCC Proposes Fining Failed=20
TV Contest; FCC/NTIA and gov-used spectrum; NAB=20
Names New Government Relations Chief; Gonzales=20
calls for mandatory Web labeling law; CED Backs "Digital Openness"

LEGISLATION

HOUSE USF STRATEGY SEEN AS RISKY
[SOURCE: Technology Daily, AUTHOR: David Hatch]
Apparently House Commerce Chairman Joe Barton=20
(R-TX) is considering the politically risky idea=20
of entering into a House-Senate conference on=20
telecommunications legislation without his own=20
language on the Universal Service Fund. Reps Lee=20
Terry (R-NE) and Rick Boucher (D-VA) are trying=20
to convince Chairman Barton to endorse their=20
legislation to strengthen and expand the $7.1=20
billion USF. The subsidy program reduces telecom=20
costs for citizens, schools and libraries in=20
rural and low-income areas. A communications bill=20
being crafted by Senate Commerce Chairman Ted=20
Stevens (R-Alaska) is certain to include USF=20
provisions, but Rep Barton may punt on the issue=20
because he opposes the fund in principle. The=20
approach is a gamble, some observers said,=20
because Rep Barton would be locked into=20
negotiating over Sen Stevens' language in=20
conference. But others see the strategy as a=20
shrewd tactical move. By not taking a stance on=20
universal service, they said Barton would=20
increase the likelihood of the matter being=20
dropped in conference. Or Barton could be setting=20
the stage for horse-trading, perhaps accepting a=20
modified version of Stevens' USF language in=20
exchange for House provisions on video franchising.
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-DXNH1145537344899.html

TELEVISION/RADIO

THE FOX NEWS EFFECT: MEDIA BIAS AND VOTING
[SOURCE: Stefano DellaVigna & Ethan Kaplan]
Does media bias affect voting? The authors=20
address this question by looking at the entry of=20
Fox News in cable markets and its impact on=20
voting. Between October 1996 and November 2000,=20
the conservative Fox News Channel was introduced=20
in the cable programming of 20 percent of US=20
towns. Fox News availability in 2000 appears to=20
be largely idiosyncratic. Using a data set of=20
voting data for 9,256 towns, the authors=20
investigate if Republicans gained vote share in=20
towns where Fox News entered the cable market by=20
the year 2000. They find a significant effect of=20
the introduction of Fox News on the vote share in=20
Presidential elections between 1996 and 2000.=20
Republicans gain 0.4 to 0.7 percentage points in=20
the towns which broadcast Fox News. They also=20
find a significant effect of Fox News on Senate=20
vote share and on voter turnout. The estimates=20
imply that Fox News convinced 3 to 8 percent of=20
its viewers to vote Republican.
http://elsa.berkeley.edu/~sdellavi/wp/foxvote06-03-30.pdf

TVB BRINGS OUT THE BULLS ON POLITICAL, ONLINE ADS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Allison Romano]
Political advertising on television is expected=20
to exceed $1 billion this year on spending for=20
federal, state and local races. Some analysts=20
project the political monies could exceed the=20
record $1.7 billion spent on TV ads in the 2004=20
election year. Political advertising consultant=20
Evan Tracey made the projections at the=20
Television Bureau of Advertising=92s (TVB's)=20
conference Thursday in New York. Broadcast=20
television is expected to get the largest chunk=20
of the dollars. In 2004, TNS Media=20
Intelligence/CMAG notes, only 9% of political and=20
issue ad spending went to non-TV media.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6326695?display=3DBreaking+News
* TV Shines In TVB Study
According to a study of 1,183 people in January,=20
adults spent an average of 264.5 minutes per 24=20
hours watching TV, compared to 125.5 minutes for=20
radio, 85 for the Internet, 20 for newspapers and 16.3 with magazines.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6326694?display=3DBreaking+News

TELEVISION STATIONS ARE URGED TO BREAK A FEW RULES
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Stuart Elliott]
At the annual marketing conference sponsored by=20
the Television Bureau of Advertising, Beth=20
Comstock, president for digital media and market=20
development at NBC Universal, urged local=20
television stations to diversify beyond their=20
boxes, i.e., TV sets, to remain relevant -- and=20
profitable -- in the new digital age. The=20
conference was devoted to a single topic: the=20
importance of the "multiplatform" -- that is,=20
offering content and advertising not only on=20
local broadcast stations but also online, on=20
cellphones and other wireless devices, through=20
video on demand and on video iPods. The sole=20
topic was intended to underscore that=20
"advertisers and their agencies are increasingly=20
asking for -- make that demanding -- a=20
multiplatform strategy from all their media=20
partners," said Christopher Rohrs, president of=20
the bureau. There are two principal reasons that=20
TV stations are seeking to broaden their=20
horizons. One is "consumers will increasingly=20
choose what they want to see, when they want to=20
see it, on whatever device they want to see it,"=20
said Alan Frank, president and chief executive at=20
the Post-Newsweek Stations division of the=20
Washington Post Company. The other reason was=20
offered by David Rehr, president and chief=20
executive at the National Association of=20
Broadcasters: "Every new stream of programming is=20
potentially a new source of revenue. Most=20
distribution channels will create more value for our content."
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/21/business/media/21adco.html
(requires registration)
See also --
* Digital Age About Community, Says NBCU's Comstock in TVB Keynote Speech
[SOURCE: TVWeek, AUTHOR: Jay Sherman]
As new technology makes it easier for consumers=20
to form communities around specific areas of=20
interests, local television stations are well=20
positioned to take advantage of the trend, given=20
their ties to the communities they serve and=20
their ability to reach audiences, Beth Comstock,=20
president of digital media and market development=20
at NBC Universal, said Thursday. "In the digital=20
age, community is all about gathering people with=20
shared interests and giving them a platform to=20
interact with each other, to engage in relevant=20
content and to create something new," said Ms.=20
Comstock, whose comments were part of her keynote=20
address at the Television Bureau of Advertising=20
marketing conference in New York. "Only time will=20
tell, but I know that local stations are=20
perfectly positioned to move into the digital=20
world and bring their community with them."
http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=3D9808
(requires free registration)

FCC SEEKS COMMENT ON AG TV CHALLENGE
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The FCC has asked for public comment on a request=20
by agricultural media producer/distributor Farm=20
Journal that the Commission rule its competitor,=20
RFD-TV, does not qualify as an educational=20
programming supplier meeting the requirements for=20
fulfilling satellite operator's FCC-mandated=20
public interest requirements. Farm Journal=20
alleges that RFD-TV airs commercials and should=20
be ineligible for the public interest channel=20
set-aside, which is reserved for "qualified=20
nonprofit organizations or noncommercial=20
educational entities." Meeting that test is an=20
advantage to any programming service, since=20
satellite operators are required by the=20
Commission to carry a certain number of such channels.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6326651?display=3DBreaking+News

PAYOLA-AS-YOU-GO RADIO
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
[Commentary] Why do regulators still care about=20
payola? Sure, there's the small matter of the law=20
banning it. And the practice is unfair. The=20
better question, though, is whether the=20
technological and competitive landscape has=20
changed enough to make payola ineffective or,=20
better yet, self-defeating. Ultimately, the best=20
weapon against payola is new technology. A band=20
might not be able to hit Britney Spears' sales=20
figures without radio airplay, but it can promote=20
and distribute its music cheaply and easily=20
through the Internet. At the same time, radio=20
programmers have lost their stranglehold on the=20
nation's musical tastes. Hip television shows and=20
advertisers, satellite radio, Internet=20
broadcasters and online music services have all=20
emerged as alternative sources of music, and MP3=20
players let people take their music collections=20
with them wherever they go. Sure, the new outlets=20
for music could attract payola-like abuses, but=20
their ranks are so large and growing that there's=20
no way to buy off all of them. And they're=20
already having their effect, as seen in the=20
dwindling market share for the artists who hog=20
the airwaves. If commercial stations insist on=20
following the money, instead of the shifting=20
tastes of music fans, they'll lose their=20
audience. That's the punishment they deserve;=20
it's up to music fans to mete it out.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-ed-payola21apr21,1,6...
501.story?coll=3Dla-news-comment
(requires registration)
* U.S. Regulators Intensify Probe Of Pay-for-Play at Radio Firms
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114553744153231113.html?mod=3Dtodays_us_...
e_one
* U.S. Presses Payola Inquiry After Settlement Talks Stall
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/21/business/media/21adco.html

FROM VANILLA TO FULL METAL RACKET
[SOURCE: BusinessWeek, AUTHOR: Tom Lowry]
[Commentary] Clear Channel Communications was=20
once vilified for almost singlehandedly=20
destroying broadcast radio with its cookie-cutter=20
playlists and barrage of ads. So it may seem a=20
trifle incongruous that the King of Vanilla is=20
rolling out eclectic niche channels with names=20
like Dank ("Hip Hop and Rock all rolled up into=20
one big spliff"), Full Metal Racket ("It's dark,=20
it's edgy, it beats, and it rocks"), and Mother=20
Trucker ("a hearty serving of the best Southern=20
Rock"). Easy listening it isn't, but that's how=20
Clear Channel wants it these days. And get this:=20
The San Antonio-based broadcaster is set to=20
launch a whole new business helping other radio=20
stations come up with cool programming. Could=20
this be the same company that inspired a Web site=20
called ClearChannelSucks.net? It's all part of=20
the rollout of next-generation high-definition=20
radio. HD as it's known, digitally squeezes more=20
programming into one frequency, boosting sound=20
quality and allowing existing stations to offer=20
side channels tailored to genres or local=20
markets. As part of the new initiative, to be=20
announced on April 24, Clear Channel and other=20
broadcasters will expand their current HD=20
offerings to 50 cities, up from 28 now. Clear=20
Channel hopes to differentiate itself from XM=20
Satellite and Sirius Satellite Radio, which offer=20
the same channels nationwide, by coming up with=20
content tailored for local audiences.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/apr2006/tc20060420_287963...
See also --
* Strong Majority of Americans Believes Radio=20
Continues to be Important in American Life
[SOURCE: American Media Services news release]
Americans rate the importance and relevance of=20
local commercial radio very highly, despite the=20
entry of high-technology competition, a national=20
survey commissioned by American Media Services=20
shows. The survey found that 78 percent said=20
radio is important in their everyday lives, and=20
91 percent said radio is important in American=20
life in general. Nearly three-quarters (74=20
percent) said they listen to radio at least once a day.
http://sev.prnewswire.com/radio/20060419/DCW02419042006-1.html

MEDIA OWNERSHIP

BONDHOLDERS THREATEN ADELPHIA DEAL
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Mike Farrell]
A group of Adelphia Communications Corp.=20
bondholders made moves to throw a wrench into the=20
cable company=92s efforts to emerge from Chapter 11=20
bankruptcy and execute a $16.9 billion sale to=20
Time Warner Inc. and Comcast Corp., sending a=20
letter to Adelphia=92s board of directors=20
criticizing its latest reorganization plan.=20
Adelphia=92s ACC holding-company bondholders said=20
they=92re dissatisfied with a plan released earlier=20
this month that Adelphia had hoped would speed up=20
the bankruptcy process. Holders of Adelphia=92=20
Arahova operating-company notes would receive=20
$1.04 for every $1 of debt they are owed, and ACC=20
holding-company debtors would receive 14 cents-43=20
cents for every dollar owed. =93We will vote=20
against the so-called settlement plan filed with=20
the bankruptcy court last week,=94 the letter=20
stated. =93Thus, the settlement plan will not be=20
approved by our class and cannot take effect.=20
This outcome should have been obvious to you when=20
you approved the filing of the settlement plan.=94=20
Adelphia is under the gun to settle the=20
four-year-old bankruptcy case due to a provision=20
in its deal with Time Warner and Comcast that=20
sets a deadline of July 31 to seal the=20
transaction. While it is unlikely that Time=20
Warner and Comcast would walk away from the deal=20
if they believed progress was being made, the deadline still looms.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6326720.html?display=3DBreaking+News

TELEVISA CLOSER TO UNIVISION MOVE?
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Mike Farrell]
Grupo Televisa S.A. board member Carlos Slim=20
Domit quietly increased his personal holdings in=20
Spanish-language broadcaster Univision=20
Communications Inc., raising speculation that the=20
Mexican broadcast giant may be trying to beef up=20
its efforts to acquire Univision. Grupo Televisa=20
already owns about 11% of Univision and supplies=20
most of its programming. In a filing with the=20
Securities and Exchange Commission Wednesday,=20
Univision revealed that Slim -- chairman of=20
Mexican telephone giant Tel=E9fonos de M=E9xico S.A.=20
de C.V. and industrial and retail conglomerate=20
Groupo Carso -- purchased 8.5 million shares of=20
Univision on the open market March 9-20 for an=20
average price of about $33.83 per share. The=20
purchase -- made through Inmobiliaria Carso S.A.,=20
a Slim-family real estate company in which Carlos=20
Slim owns a 14.6% stake -- gave the company a=20
2.8% equity interest in Univision. In a research=20
report Thursday, Miller Tabak & Co. LLC media=20
analyst David Joyce said the timing of Slim=92s=20
investment was =93curious.=94 Joyce added that the=20
revelation in the filing that Grupo Televisa was=20
also seeking to name a =93Class T=94 director to=20
Univision=92s board -- a seat that was vacated by=20
Grupo Televisa after it sued Univision last year,=20
claiming that Univision breached its programming=20
agreement and cheated Televisa out of royalties=20
-- =93points further to a desire by Televisa to=20
gain more control of [Univision] going forward in=20
its potential sale transaction.=94
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6326609.html?display=3DBreaking+News

SPRINT NEXTEL TO BUY UBIQUITEL
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Amol Sharma amol.sharma( at )wsj.com]
Sprint Nextel, the third largest U.S. wireless=20
carrier, agreed to acquire regional affiliate=20
Ubiquitel for about $1 billion cash plus the=20
assumption of $300 million in debt, ending=20
litigation between the companies. The deal is the=20
latest in a string of acquisitions of affiliates=20
Sprint has made since it announced its merger=20
with Nextel Communications in late 2004. The=20
affiliates offer cellular service in small=20
markets under the Sprint brand, using their own=20
networks, but Sprint's radio-wave spectrum.=20
Several affiliates, including Ubiquitel, sued=20
Sprint after the Nextel merger was announced,=20
saying the deal would violate Sprint's pledge not=20
to compete with affiliates in their territories.=20
Ubiquitel, based in Conshohocken, Pa., provides=20
Sprint service to 425,000 subscribers in several=20
western and Midwestern states. Just four Sprint=20
affiliates remain independent: Shentel, Swiftel=20
Communications, Northern PCS, and iPCS. Bank of=20
America analyst David Barden estimated it would=20
cost Sprint another $1.4 billion to buy out the remaining affiliates.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114553195703831047.html?mod=3Dhome_whats...
ws_us
(requires subscription)

QUICKLY

FCC SEEKS COMMENT ON AT&T -- BELLSOUTH MERGER
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
The FCC has established a pleading cycle for the=20
proposed merger of AT&T and BellSouth. Petitions=20
Due: 06/05/2006; Oppositions to Petitions:=20
06/20/2006. Comments Due: 06/05/2006. Reply=20
Comments Due: 06/20/2006.. (DA No. 06-904).=20
(Dkt No 06-74) WCB. Contact: Nick Alexander at=20
(202) 418-2339 or Bill Dever at (202) 418-1578
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-904A1.doc

WE NEED A NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE INITIATIVE
[SOURCE: Government Technology, AUTHOR: John=20
Eger, former White House Office of Telecommunications Policy]
For us to compete, for us to survive, we must=20
develop the infrastructure of the 21st century=20
much faster than we have been, and incentivize=20
whole communities to begin using these new=20
infrastructures to begin transforming their=20
communities to compete in this new global=20
economy. We must assure our cities that they can=20
and should plan on building their information=20
highways, in partnership with existing providers,=20
and help them by clearing away the regulatory=20
hurdles and logistical doubts. We need to set the=20
standards for interconnection, and encourage=20
alliances and partnerships as needed. We must=20
develop a new deregulatory framework to promote=20
broadband deployment and continued innovation. We=20
must in short, establish and sustain a National=20
Infrastructure Initiative to get our country back on track.
http://www.govtech.net/magazine/channel_story.php/99245

AMONG THE AUDIENCE
[SOURCE: The Economist]
Last November, the Pew Internet & American Life=20
Project found that 57% of American teenagers=20
create content for the Internet -- from text to=20
pictures, music and video. In this new-media=20
culture, says Paul Saffo, a director at the=20
Institute for the Future in California, people no=20
longer passively =93consume=94 media (and thus=20
advertising, its main revenue source) but=20
actively participate in them, which usually means=20
creating content, in whatever form and on=20
whatever scale. This has profound implications=20
for traditional business models in the media=20
industry, which are based on aggregating large=20
passive audiences and holding them captive during=20
advertising interruptions. In the new-media era,=20
audiences will occasionally be large, but often=20
small, and usually tiny. Instead of a few large=20
capital-rich media giants competing with one=20
another for these audiences, it will be small=20
firms and individuals competing or, more often,=20
collaborating. Some will be making money from the=20
content they create; others will not and will not=20
mind, because they have other motives. =93People=20
creating stuff to build their own reputations=94=20
are at one end of this spectrum, says Philip=20
Evans at Boston Consulting Group, and one-man=20
superbrands such as Steven Spielberg at the other.
http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=3D6794156

BUT A LOOK BACK SHOWS THAT THINGS DON'T ALWAYS WORK OUT AS EXPECTED
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Michelle Kessler]
Officials in San Francisco have high hopes for=20
the giant wireless Internet network that soon=20
will span this hilly city. Yet all it takes is a=20
look back at Wi-Fi's pioneers to discover that=20
big wireless Internet projects often don't live=20
up to lofty expectations. The tech industry is=20
notorious for overhyping new technologies, and=20
Wi-Fi received more than its share, says wireless=20
analyst Phillip Redman at researcher Gartner. The=20
vision of Wi-Fi as a tool for businesses and a=20
limited number of tech-savvy consumers =93has=20
really come true,=94 he says. =93But if you think=20
about things like Wi-Fi services, public=20
hotspots, Wi-Fi taking over the cellular (phone)=20
world =85 it's been a letdown,=94 he says.
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20060421/wifi.art.htm

GOOGLE DECLINES TO RULE OUT WIRELESS AIRWAVE BID
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Eric Auchard]
Google Inc. on Thursday opened the door to the=20
possibility that it could bid on U.S. licenses=20
for wireless radio spectrum in order to offer=20
Internet access services, but said no plans were=20
imminent. Co-founder Larry Page said the company=20
has no wireless spectrum acquisition plans to=20
announce but declined to rule out speculation=20
that Google may be gearing up for a push far=20
beyond wireless trials it is working on in the=20
San Francisco area. "We haven't announced any=20
plans with regard to spectrum, but we are=20
generally interested in improving access to the Internet," he said.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=3DinternetNews&storyID=
=3D2006-04-21T023651Z_01_N20411787_RTRUKOC_0_US-GOOGLE-WIRELESS.xml

ARKANSAS JUDGE OKs GOOGLE SETTLEMENT
[SOURCE: Reuters]
An Arkansas judge on Thursday approved a=20
preliminary settlement worth up to $90 million=20
between Google Inc. and advertisers who claimed=20
the world's leading Web search provider=20
overcharged them for their ads. Under the=20
settlement, Google will be required to pay up to=20
$60 million in credits for future advertising on=20
Google, and up to $30 million is available to pay=20
lawyers for those making claims against Google.=20
The settlement, negotiated in March, resolves=20
Google's part of an industrywide lawsuit alleging=20
Web search companies overcharge some advertisers=20
by billing them for false customer leads. At=20
issue in the lawsuit is "click fraud," which is=20
the abuse of search advertising systems for the=20
purpose of driving up advertiser fees by=20
repeatedly clicking on an advertising link --=20
either manually or using robots -- and so=20
generating a commission payment with each click.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=3DinternetNews&storyID=
=3D2006-04-20T195059Z_01_N20249734_RTRUKOC_0_US-GOOGLE-ADVERTISERS.xml

FCC PROPOSES FINING FAILED TV CONTEST
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The FCC has proposed fining Clear Channel's=20
WAWS(TV) Jacksonville, Fla., $4,000 for a botched=20
contest. It was the smallest fine it could levy for the offense.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6326722?display=3DBreaking+News

FCC & NTIA =AD COORDINATION PROCEDURES IN THE 1710-1755 MHz BAND
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
The FCC and the National Telecommunications and=20
Information Administration are providing=20
information to assist coordination in the=20
1710-1755 MHz band, to facilitate the transition=20
of this band from federal government use to=20
non-federal use. Specifically, they provide=20
guidance to assist the Commission=92s Advanced=20
Wireless Service (AWS) licensees in this band to=20
begin implementing service during the transition=20
of federal operations from the band while=20
providing interference protection to incumbent=20
federal government operations until they have=20
been relocated to other frequency bands or=20
technologies. To further facilitate the=20
coordination process, NTIA has published a list=20
of agency contacts on its web site at=20
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/osmhome/reports/specrelo/pdf/1710-1755MHz_points...
_contact.pdf=20
to enable licensees and federal agencies=20
operating in their license area to coordinate=20
more closely. NTIA has also published=20
information on the federal government operations=20
in the 1710-1755 MHz band at=20
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/osmhome/reports/specrelo/index.htm=20
and will periodically update this information as=20
well as provide the relocation status of the=20
stations used for federal government operations throughout the transition.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-06-50A1.doc
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/frnotices/2006/AWS_042006.htm

NAB NAMES NEW GOVERNMENT RELATIONS CHIEF
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Douglas Wiley will be the National Association of=20
Broadcasters' new point person with Capitol Hill=20
and the administration, a key job as broadcasters=20
work to secure multicast-must carry legislation=20
and work out the issues surrounding the=20
transition to digital. Wiley comes from high-tech=20
trade group, the Electronic Industries Alliance,=20
where he was senior VP of government relations.=20
Before that he was director of government=20
relations for telecommunications company Alcatel.=20
Wiley is billed as having helped draft the 1996=20
Telecommunications Act while at Comptel as=20
director of legislative affairs. Wiley is also=20
former VP of the Telecommunications Industry=20
Association and was a special assistant at the=20
National Telecommunications and Information=20
Administration, working under then NTIA head and=20
former FCC Chairman Al Sikes. Wiley worked on the=20
Hill as legislative assistant to Virginia=20
Republican Rep. Tom Bliley, former chairman of=20
the Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees the FCC.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6326788?display=3DBreaking+News

GONZALES CALLS FOR MANDATORY WEB LABELING LAW
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Declan McCullagh]
Web site operators posting sexually explicit=20
information must place official government=20
warning labels on their pages or risk being=20
imprisoned for up to five years, Attorney General=20
Alberto Gonzales proposed Thursday.
http://news.com.com/Gonzales+calls+for+mandatory+Web+labeling+law/2100-1...
_3-6063554.html?tag=3Dnefd.lede

COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BACKS DIGITAL =93OPENNESS=94 TO FOSTER IN=
NOVATION
[SOURCE: Committee for Economic Development press release]
Openness in the creation of computer software and=20
other digital information products is an=20
important element needed to foster further=20
innovation and economic growth for the United=20
States and for the global economy. That is a=20
central recommendation of a new report from the=20
Committee for Economic Development (CED), a=20
business-led public policy group: Open Standards,=20
Open Source, and Open Innovation: Harnessing the=20
Benefits of Openness. The report was written by=20
the CED-sponsored Digital Connections Council=20
(DCC), which consists of CED Trustees, research=20
staff, and industry experts. The report calls=20
openness =93an underlying technical and=20
philosophical tenet of the expansion of=20
electronic commerce=94 that will =93cause=20
transformations in the economy and=20
society.=94 Digitization of information and the=20
growth of the Internet have profoundly expanded=20
the capacity for openness, which can be viewed=20
largely as a function of the accessibility and=20
responsiveness (meaning the ability of anyone to=20
make modifications) of a work or process. The=20
very best example of open standards is the=20
Internet itself, which was built on open=20
standards through an open=20
process. Alternatively, proprietary=20
standards=97those controlled by a particular=20
party=97can also provide substantial benefits and=20
have the advantage of being validated by the=20
marketplace. But open standards=97important in=20
many instances=97prevent a single, self-interested=20
party from controlling a standard, facilitate=20
competition by lowering the cost of entry, and stimulate innovation.
http://www.ced.org/newsroom/press/press_2006ecom_openstandards.pdf
* Open Standards, Open Source, and Open=20
Innovation: Harnessing the Benefits of Openness
http://www.ced.org/docs/report/report_ecom_openstandards.pdf
--------------------------------------------------------------
Communications-related Headlines is a free online=20
news summary service provided by the Benton=20
Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted Monday=20
through Friday, this service provides updates on=20
important industry developments, policy issues,=20
and other related news events. While the=20
summaries are factually accurate, their often=20
informal tone does not always represent the tone=20
of the original articles. Headlines are compiled=20
by Kevin Taglang headlines( at )benton.org -- we welcome your comments.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Coverage Type 

"Right now, there are multiple reporters covering important issues. You might have one from the Contra Costa Times, one from the Mercury News, one from the Chronicle" and one representing Singleton's Bay Area papers, said John McManus, director of a San Jose State University project evaluating local journalism. "If MediaNews takes over all of those but the Chronicle, there will be two reporters. It would be one thing if one single company owned the grocery stores or the car dealerships or the computer outlets, but none of those have the power to define reality, and that is the power that journalism has."


http://www.benton.org/index.php?q=node/2065
Coverage Type 

FCC LAUNCHES PAYOLA PROBES OF 4 RADIO GIANTS
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Charles Duhigg]
The Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday launched formal investigations into pay-for-play practices at four of the nation's largest radio corporations -- Clear Channel Communications, CBS Radio, Entercom Communications and Citadel Broadcasting. The biggest federal inquiry into radio bribery since the congressional payola hearings of 1960 is focused on allegations that radio programmers had received cash, checks, clothing and other gifts in exchange for playing certain songs without revealing the deals to listeners, a violation of federal rules. The four broadcasters have been negotiating with the FCC for weeks to forestall a federal inquiry by offering to discontinue certain practices and pay limited fines. But those talks stalled last month over the issue of how much the broadcasters should pay.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-fi-fcc20apr20,1,208364...
(requires registration)


FCC Launches Payola Probes of 4 Radio Giants
Coverage Type 

BROADCAST TV'S BID TO BE EVEN MORE RISQUE
[SOURCE: The Christian Science Monitor, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
[Commentary] Broadcast TV has had enough and won't take it anymore. It's lost too many viewers to cable shows like "The Sopranos" and appears eager to air more sex, violence, and obscenities. So last week, ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC sued the Federal Communications Commission over its curbs on indecency. The suit in essence challenges decades of FCC authority over risqué content. Broadcasters say parents have the bulk of responsibility to shield children. Many parents say no. Broadcast TV still dominates the market and government must help shield children, even from the secondhand influence of other children allowed to view offensive shows. And, they add, cable TV, even though it is a purchased service not using the government-owned airwaves, should also be FCC regulated. The FCC does need to work with the networks better, speeding up its process and offering more consistent and timely guidance, but without loosening standards. It could become less of a policing agency and more of a bridge-builder between the industry and various consumers of TV. Families with young children can do much to restrict access to coarse and explicit TV. But an FCC that's more sensitive to the industry's need for specific and quick guidance in a new media age can still be an aiding arm for many families.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0420/p08s02-comv.html


Broadcast TV's bid to be even more Risqué
Coverage Type 

DIGITAL TV DISTRIBUTED TRANSMISSION SYSTEM TECHNOLOGIES
[SOURCE: New America Foundation]
On Tuesday, the New America Foundation was joined by a number of groups in an ex parte filing at the FCC. In the filing, the commenters argue that broadcasters seeking expanded coverage via distributed transmission system technologies (DTS) continue to fail to acknowledge the huge opportunity costs associated with the massive expansion in geographic service area rights that they are requesting. Broadcasters also continue to assert that expanded geographic service area rights will
result in large benefits for the public; for example, the expansion of “free TV” service. But nowhere do they quantify those benefits or even credibly commit to continue
providing “free TV” service. Broadcasters also continue to pretend to already have as part of their licenses virtually all the rights they request. But the rights they are in fact requesting represent a huge modification of their licenses. Arguments to the contrary merely amount to clever word games. The FCC should thus allocate these white spaces the way it would allocate any other unused spectrum. That is, consistent with the Communications Act’s prohibition of unjustified enrichment, it should conduct some type of comparative process to allocate the unused spectrum rather than merely give it to the nearby incumbents who in this case happen to be high power TV broadcasters.
http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?native_or_pdf=pdf&id_doc...


http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?native_or_pdf=pdf&id_document=65…
Coverage Type 

MOGUL CLOSE TO DEAL FOR PAPERS
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Joseph Menn and James Rainey]
Media mogul William Dean Singleton has made himself the clear favorite to acquire three Northern California newspapers being sold by McClatchy Co. with his offer to buy those papers and one in Minnesota for as much as $1 billion. Completing a deal with McClatchy would give him a controlling interest in the San Jose Mercury News, the Contra Costa Times and the Monterey County Herald, as well as the St. Paul Pioneer Press in Minnesota. Singleton's Denver-based MediaNews Group already sells more newspapers each day than any other company in California and is a major player in the suburban markets around Los Angeles and San Francisco. Buying the Mercury News and the Contra Costa Times would allow Singleton to link their newsrooms, advertising and production operations to nine other papers his company owns in the Bay Area, strengthening what is already a formidable challenge to the San Francisco Chronicle. "He has most of the dailies that now surround San Francisco proper and this only enlarges his presence in the area," said veteran newspaper analyst John Morton. "With the California properties, Singleton has more of a motive than other folks to pay a higher price because it would enhance what he already owns." The boost to MediaNews' Bay Area position would reduce the number of media voices in the region and raise antitrust questions, industry analysts said. "Right now, there are multiple reporters covering important issues. You might have one from the Contra Costa Times, one from the Mercury News, one from the Chronicle" and one representing Singleton's Bay Area papers, said John McManus, director of a San Jose State University project evaluating local journalism. "If MediaNews takes over all of those but the Chronicle, there will be two reporters. It would be one thing if one single company owned the grocery stores or the car dealerships or the computer outlets, but none of those have the power to define reality, and that is the power that journalism has."
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-mcclatchy20apr20,1,62...
(requires registration)


Mogul Close to Deal for Papers
Coverage Type 

NBC, AFFILS BAND TOGETHER FOR BROADBAND
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Allison Romano]
NBC and its affiliates plan to launch a new broadband venture later this year stocked with video from the local stations, NBC Universal’s library and user-contributed content. But executives stressed the portal will be different from video-sharing sites like YouTube.com and that it goes beyond streaming NBC shows online. The venture, dubbed The National Broadband Company, will sell video and make some content, such as local news stories and behind-the-scenes clips from NBC U-produced shows, available to users. NBBC, the working title, could be a way for local stations to monetize their video and NBC U to earn more money from of its library. Like digital weather channel NBC WeatherPlus, launched in December 2004, the new broadband channel will be co-owned by NBC and its affiliates and managed by the network.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6326565?display=Breaking+News


http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6326565?display=Breaking%20News
Coverage Type 

MINORITIES DON'T LAG IN NET USAGE, SAYS USIIA
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Appearing to back up assertions by Illinois Democratic Rep. Bobby Rush, the U.S. Internet Industry Association (USIIA) is circulating a White Paper by its president suggesting the minority community is not lagging the rest of the nation in Internet usage. The "digital divide" theory has informed much of the debate over legislation to revise telecommunications policy to speed the universal roll-out to high-speed Internet service, with some legislators pushing for so-called anti-redlining provisions and build-out requirements. USIIA counters that "English-speaking minority groups [are] leading the nation in the adoption of modern communications technology." At a House Telecommunications Subcommittee hearing on a telecommunications reform bill earlier this month, Rep Rush, who co-sponsored the bill, suggested that his constituents, many of them African-American, didn't need to be taken care of through build-out provisions but instead needed the lower prices for cable service that the bill would produce by creating national video franchises and spurring competition to cable from telcos and others.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6326353?display=Breaking+News

* See "Keeping cable TV diverse and affordable" for more from Rep Rush
http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/news_opinion_letters/2006/04/keeping...

* See USIIA's White Paper "Proposed Legislation and Its Impact On Consumer's Use Of Broadband and IP Services"
An examination of the needs and expectations for broadband content and applications by U.S. Seniors, Asian-Americans, African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans and others
http://www.usiia.org/pubs/segmentation.doc


http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6326353?display=Breaking%20News