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CABLE REGULATION MAY BE RIPE FOR RENOVATION
[SOURCE: TechWorldNews, AUTHOR: Gene Koprowski]
Based on a study by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, it is time to completely replace cable regulation. The study identifies $8.4 billion in annual costs passed directly to consumers in the form of higher rates for service, as well as fees, and equipment, because of stale video franchise regulations. The study also pinpoints $1.7 billion in "loss of value" that consumers incur annually, due to higher prices induce some consumers to go without cable. Researchers also found that the "natural monopoly" rationale that the government advocates for preventing competition is contradicted by twenty years of data collected by federal agencies and independent scholars. This data consistently finds that cable TV rates are lower with wireline video competition. According to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study, cable rates in markets with wireline video competition are nearly 17 percent lower than they would be without this competition. It's clear that competition favors consumers, said Jerry Ellig, a co-author of the report for George Mason. This argument that "entry regulation" lowers rates by reducing the cable operators' risks and costs is also unconvincing, experts said. When cable debuted in urban and suburban areas, jurisdictions with competing cable companies had rates equal to or lower than rates in monopoly jurisdictions, the study shows. Ellig said local governments' need to manage public rights-of-way may justify some regulation of construction and a cost-based fee to prevent congestion and reimburse the public for inconvenience when video providers use the public rights-of-way.
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/49353.html

THINK THE INTERNET WILL REPLACE TV? THINK AGAIN
[SOURCE: Blog Maverick, AUTHOR: Mark Cuban]
[Commentary] Cuban quotes Craig Moffet of Bernstein Research to counter anyone who believes that the Internet as alternative to TV is just around the corner, or will happen this decade for that matter. Moffet recently testified before the Senate Commerce Committee saying, "despite a great deal of arm waving from 'visionaries,' our telecommunications infrastructure is woefully unprepared for widespread delivery of advanced services, especially video, over the Internet. Downloading a single half hour TV show on the web consumes more bandwidth than does receiving 200 emails a day for a full year. Downloading a single high definition movie consumes more bandwidth than does the downloading of 35,000 web pages; it’s the equivalent of downloading 2,300 songs over Apple’s iTunes web site. Today’s networks simply aren't scaled for that. In a series of recent research reports, The Dumb pipe Paradox, I tried to address the expectation that the telcos are rapidly rushing in to meet this need and to provide competition for cable incumbents. In fact, by their own best estimates, they'll be able to reach no more than 40% or so of American households with fiber over the next seven years. In 60% of the country, there are simply no new networks on the horizon, and the existing infrastructure from the telcos ­ DSL running at speeds of just 1.5Mbs or so ­ simply won't be adequate to be considered 'broadband' in five years or so."
http://www.blogmaverick.com/entry/1234000173073592

NEW FCC RULES WOULD REGULATE PAID WEB ADS
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: ]
The Federal Election Commission proposed new rules Friday that would leave almost all Internet political activity unregulated. The proposal would, however, require paid advertisements for federal candidates on the Internet to be paid for with money regulated by federal campaign law. In a summary of the proposal, the FEC said the rules "are intended to ensure that political committees properly finance and disclose their Internet communications, without impeding individual citizens from using the Internet to speak freely regarding candidates and elections." The revised definition includes paid Internet advertising placed on another person's web site, but does not encompass any other form of Internet communications.
http://www.nola.com/newsflash/technology/index.ssf?/base/washington-0/11...

* Election commission takes light touch with Net regs
http://news.com.com/Election+commission+takes+light+touch+with+Net+regs/...

SURVEY OFFERS A 'SNEAK PEAK' INTO NET SURFERS' BRAINS
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Edward C. Baig]
Nielsen Norman Group is releasing a study today on how people read web pages. As more business shifts to the Internet, the study findings show companies still have much to learn about how best to present an online image. Findings include: 1) Individuals read Web pages in an “F” pattern. They're more inclined to read longer sentences at the top of a page and less and less as they scroll down. That makes the first two words of a sentence very important. “People are extremely good at screening out things and focusing in on a small number of salient page elements,” says Jakob Nielsen, a principal at the firm. 2) Surfers connect well with images of people looking directly at them. It helps if the person in the photo is attractive, but not too good looking. Photos of people who are clearly professional models are a turnoff. “The person has to be approachable,” Pernice Coyne says. 3) Images in the middle of a page can present an obstacle course. 4) People respond to pictures that provide useful information, not just decoration. 5) Consumers will peek at ads in search engines as a “secondary thing,” Nielsen says, since they usually have specific product targets in mind.
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20060327/web_use27.art.htm