Recent postings on internet issues from Benton.org

April 2004

BROADCASTING
BROADCASTER TO FACE TRIAL OVER AIRPLAY PRACTICES
U.S. District Judge Edward Nottingham this week ordered Clear Channel Communications to stand trial in August and defend its business practices after finding there was reason to believe that "Clear Channel intends to manipulate artists' promotion decisions and interfere with competitors by withholding airplay." Much of the evidence in the case remains under seal. But in his 125-page decision, Judge Nottingham cited excerpts from several depositions and e-mails that allegedly show that Clear Channel executives tied airplay on Clear Channel stations to artists' appearances at Clear Channel concerts. And, oh boy, is Clear Channel gonna take this out on Howard Stern or what? [SOURCE:
Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Jeff Leeds]
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-clear9apr09,1,578690.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-business
LEGISLATION
FOES OF '96 TELECOM ACT ENCOURAGED
Congress is hearing from both consumer groups and special corporate interests asking for revision of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. With new Congressional leadership taking the reigns this year and next, those requests are finding a sympathetic ear. Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), elected chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee this year, and Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), who is expected to become chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee in January, both have said they wanted to change the law. Chris Murray, legislative director for Consumers Union in Washington, said reform was needed not "because the law didn't contemplate new technology; it needs to be rewritten to provide consumers more choice in the cable and telecom services." But don't hold your breath waiting for new legislation: "There is strong consensus that telecommunications law is totally screwed up," said Scott Cleland, a technology analyst at the Precursor Group, a research firm in Washington, "but there is little consensus on how to fix it." [SOURCE:
Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Jube Shiver Jr]
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-telecom9apr09,1,4391337.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-business
TELECOM
INDIAN TELECOMMUNICATIONS INITIATIVES
As part of the FCC's Indian Telecommunications Initiatives program (ITI), and in cooperation with the National Tribal Telecommunications Association, an organization of Tribally-owned, operated and regulated telephone companies, the FCC will host its second Regional Workshop and Roundtable on May 26 and 27 at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in downtown Rapid City, SD.
The event is free of charge to registrants.
Tribal leaders and representatives, planning and economic development managers are encouraged to attend.
ITI Rapid City is designed to increase the understanding of essential telecommunications issues and policies affecting Indian Country and to increase the intergovernmental consultation with American Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages on telecommunications issues and policies.
Issues important to telecommunications deployment on tribal lands will be examined.
Subjects addressed will also highlight opportunities for increased economic growth, consumer choice, and homeland security planning.
The event will build upon the successes of the FCC's first ITI Regional Workshop and Roundtable, held in Reno, Nevada, in July 2003 and attended by over 100 representatives of 28 Tribes from North Carolina to Alaska.
With ITI Rapid City, the FCC seeks to promote and encourage increased substantive dialogue to further working relationships with Tribal governments, Tribal organizations, and the telecommunications industry. [SOURCE: FCC]
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-04-979A1.pdf
TELEVISION
TV ON STEROIDS
No, not a story about satellite's MLB package...that would be steroids on TV. This is about the capacity of digital television broadcasters to multicast. Hickey has examples of what broadcasters are and are planning to do with multicasting: all-news channels, all-weather channels, "zoned" newscasts and even state versions of C-SPAN. John Lawson, president of the Association of Public Television Stations, calls multicasting "public television's second chance." Public stations typically haven't attracted large audiences on a regular basis, he points out, "but digital allows us to fulfill the promise that the founders of public television had back in the 1950s, namely to provide a wide range of services to people who may be underserved." But performance is not meeting promise yet, especially among commercial broadcasters. About 1,200 of the country's 1,600 television stations have made the expensive transition to the digital. Just 215 stations currently are multicasting and only around 130 are offering news on those collateral channels. But multicasting may die, broadcasters warn, if they do not get full must carry rights for all their digital signals on cable systems. Pundits say broadcasters may win those rights, but public interests advocates [including the Benton Foundation] are urging the FCC to define broadcasters' public interest obligations before deciding digital must-carry. The activists fear that broadcasters will promise anything to gain access to those crucial cable homes, and having got it, will conveniently forget about their pledges. "They promise a lot but they have a terrible record of keeping promises," says Jeffrey Chester, executive director of the Center for Democratic Media. "But on this issue they'll have to blink and swallow some castor oil to get what they want." He's against handing the broadcasters the key to a "digital Fort Knox" free of charge. See more at the URL below. [SOURCE: Columbia Journalism Review, AUTHOR: Neil Hickey, CJR's editor at large]
(http://www.heritage.org/Research/InternetandTechnology/index.cfm)
SHARPEN FOCUS ON CHILDREN, COALITION URGES FCC
The Children's Media Policy Coalition -- by Children Now and comprised of public health, education and advocacy groups -- is asking the FCC to ensure that any increased channel capacity due to the DTV conversion translate into an increase in the amount of children's programming. The Coalition is highlighting DTV's potential to give parents detailed information about the nature of the shows and the V-chip, acting not only as a filter but an indicator of programming that is beneficial for children. And, as DTV can be a more interactive experience, regulators should put into place safeguards so that programming remains separate from commercials. There is a possibility that children could click on a Scooby Do character during programming and be moved to the Scooby Do Web site, where gifts and games are sold, said Coalition attorney James Bachtell. For more, see "Digital Television: Sharpening the Focus on Children" at
http://www.childrennow.org/media/medianow/mnspring2004.htm [SOURCE: Communications Daily] (Not available online)
THE DANGERS OF SECOND-HAND TV: WHAT YOU WATCH CAN AFFECT YOUR KIDS
This health column explores the recent studies linking TV viewing by children under two and attention problems, but cautions that turning off the TV may not be the best remedy. The data for the study was collected in the 1980s when children's programming choices were limited; most of the TV viewed by kids then, Parker-Pope suggests, was probably "regular TV programs watched by other members of the household." Daniel R. Anderson, psychology professor at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst who has studied television's impact on child behavior and development, says it's actually television playing in the background that may most interfere with a developing mind. Dr. Anderson compared toddler play habits in a quiet setting and while a television played "Jeopardy!" nearby. Even though the toddlers didn't watch the game show, turning the TV on changed their playtime, prompting them to spend half as much time with a toy before moving on to another toy. The study suggests that background television can be a subtle distraction and might interfere with concentration and focus. It's also likely that parents watching TV are more distracted and interacting less with kids. And some children's educational programming has also proved to be beneficial for kids. Slow-paced shows like "Sesame Street" "Gullah Gullah Island" "Blue's Clues" "Dora the Explorer" and "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" are recommended by researchers. [SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Tara Parker-Pope]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB108180292691680546,00.html?mod=todays_us_personal_journal (requires subscription)
TELECOM
THE BROADBAND PROBLEM: ANATOMY OF A MARKET FAILURE AND A POLICY DILEMMA
Speaking at a New America Foundation event, Brookings Institute Senior Fellow Charles Ferguson warned that in five years "there will be a half dozen large nations that will have information infrastructures that will be quite substantially superior to those in the United States." He said the FCC's pro-monopoly agenda is a major reason for low broadband deployment in the US. To improve deployment he suggested: 1) A need for open architecture -- it is "very important that telecom companies open their platforms to competing ISPs." Many businesses, he suggested, would pay for installing fiber from their headquarters to a teleco's central office "if they had confidence that the system was really open." 2) Promoting federal and local governments "to begin constructing their own fiber networks." He also encouraged government subsidies for fiber deployment. Mr. Ferguson is the author of "The Broadband Problem: Anatomy of a Market Failure and a Policy Dilemma." More on NAF event at
http://www.newamerica.net/index.cfm?pg=event&EveID=358 [SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Susan Polyakova] (Not available online)
PRIVACY
CALIFORNIA LAWMAKER MOVES TO BLOCK GOOGLE'S GMAIL
State Sen. Liz Figueroa (D-Fremont) is drafting legislation that would ban Google's free e-mail service "Gmail" because of privacy concerns. Gmail subscribers get more storage space than other free email service subscribers, but in return must allow the company technology scan their incoming e-mail, then deliver targeted ads based on key words in the messages. For instance, a user receiving a message about a friend's flu symptoms might also receive ads for cold and flu remedies or trips to Miami. We think it's an absolute invasion of privacy. It's like having a massive billboard in the middle of your home," said State Sen Figueroa. Industry analysts see the service as a key product for Google because it would boost revenues from advertisers and expand its business. More than two dozen privacy groups in the United States and Europe have demanded that Google suspend Gmail's launch until privacy issues are adequately addressed. The groups charged, among other things, that scanning e-mail for ad placement poses unnecessary risks of misuse and that the system sets "potentially dangerous precedents and establishes reduced expectations of privacy" in e-mails. For more see "Google's Mail Program Highlights General
Privacy Concerns" at http://www.cdt.org/ [SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Lisa Baertlein] http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=LRE0420OQJ1FUCRBAELCFEY?type=internetNews&storyID=4806526&section=news
TELEVISION
FERREE TV: FCC BUREAU CHIEF DEFENDS PLAN
Are the country's television station owners spectrum hogs? "They would rather eat their children than give up that spectrum," FCC Media Bureau
Chief Ken Ferree told reporters Wednesday. He was defending the Commission plan to advance the day when enough consumers get digital TV so as to meet the government's long-standing trigger for reclaiming analog channels and auctioning them to wireless companies and others. The FCC is working on a proposal that would count cable and satellite subscribers as receiving digital signals even if all they are getting is down-resolutioned digital signals.
"We'd love for people to get pretty pictures, but this part of the transition is not really about that," Mr. Ferree said. "It’s just about trying to make sure sets work" after analog channels go away. The main problem may be that 15% of American do not pay for cable or satellite TV services. Advancing the analog shutoff date, these people will have to buy digital TV sets or convertor boxes. For people too poor to pay for converters, Congress should consider subsidizing the $50-$100 the devices might cost, Chief Ferree said. If the plan is approved by the FCC commissioners, broadcasters would have to choose by Oct. 11, 2008, either the analog "down conversion" or full digital carriage option, the latter which would deliver high definition to whatever number of cable customers have digital sets by then. The National Association of Broadcasters has expressed concern that the initiative is "simply a spectrum reclamation plan that would strand both consumers and broadcasters who have collectively spent billions embracing the best television technology on the planet." [SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Bill McConnell]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA410640?display=Breaking+News (requires subscription)
Multichannel News also covered the press event adding this quip from
Ferree: "They will hold on to this spectrum to their dying day, if they can." Ferree: TV Has ‘Death Grip’ on Analog Spectrum [SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA410685?display=Breaking+News (requires subscription)
In addition, the proposal the Association of Public Television Stations will not go far unless commercial broadcasters join in, say public safety officials and the wireless industry. The industry also sees auction revenues being directed to a public broadcasting trust fund as "too self serving," preferring a spectrum relocation fund (speaking of self serving). [SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Dinesh Kumar] (Not available online)
CHANNELS A LA CARTE
Paying only for channels you want to watch is not a good idea... at least not to satellite dish owners. No, not those cute pizza-size dish owners -- the 10' ones the require poured concrete and a team of gerbils to move them. Once over 2 million strong, big-dish owners now number less than 380,000. But they can pick and choose the channels they want without worrying about a cable or satellite company's tier system. And this old idea is getting new life as some in Congress believe a la carte pricing should be the future of cable. So pull up a chair, son, and listen to tales of bygone days when the family's satellite dish was bigger than a garage...
and how that shrinking business could inform the future of TV. [SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Frank Ahrens] http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13092-2004Apr14.html (requires registration)
QUICK HITS
* World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee has one the first Millennium
Technology Prize from the Finnish Technology Award Foundation. Al Gore is
disputing the election. [SOURCE: Reuters] http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=SQWATKUSMMS1YCRBAEOCFFA?type=technologyNews&storyID=4833667&section=news
BROADCASTING'S DIGITAL FUTURE
FCC EXPLORES RULES FOR DIGITAL AUDIO BROADCASTING
The FCC took a step toward bringing digital radio services to American consumers as part of the broader digital migration that is underway across all media.
Digital audio broadcasting ("DAB") technology offers the possibility for enhanced sound quality, improved reception, and new services such as datacasting, multiplexing and subscription services. In today's Further Notice of Proposed Rule Making ("FNPRM"), comment is sought on what rule changes and amendments are necessary due to the advent of digital audio broadcasting. The FCC also today adopted a companion Notice of Inquiry ("NOI") addressing other matters relevant to the discussion on DAB. 1) Comment is sought on what changes and amendments to the FCC's technical rules are necessary to further the introduction of DAB.
Specifically, comment is sought on proposals to allow AM nighttime digital service. The FNPRM also asks questions concerning DAB's affect on FM translators. Questions regarding interference are also raised for comment. 2) Comment is sought on the types of digital services the FCC should permit radio stations to offer. Specifically, should a radio station be allowed to offer a high definition service, a multiplexed service, a datacasting service, or a combination of all of these possibilities?
Comment is also sought on whether a radio station should be permitted to offer subscription services. 3) Comment is sought on how the FCC's existing public interest, programming, and operational rules should be applied to DAB. 4) The FNPRM asks questions of concern to noncommercial stations ("NCE") and low power FM ("LPFM") stations.
Comment is sought on the impact DAB will have on NCE and LPFM stations and how these services may introduce DAB to the public. 5) Comment is sought on appropriate policies the FCC may adopt to encourage broadcasters to convert from an analog-only radio service to a hybrid analog/digital radio service, and eventually, to an all-digital radio service. 6) Subjects raised for comment in the Notice of Inquiry include digital audio content control and international issues. MB Docket No. 99-325 Comments due:
June 16, 2004 [SOURCE: FCC]
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-246150A1.pdf
PUBLIC RADIO MOVES TOWARD DIGITAL FUTURE
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) today announced that it will award grants totaling more than $5 million to help 76 public radio stations, including 25 serving rural and minority audiences, purchase the equipment needed to transmit a digital signal. These funds are part of the nearly $150 million in funding that Congress has provided to CPB over the last four years to assist both public radio and public television stations to convert from analog transmission to digital. Additional proposals for the remainder of available fiscal year 2003 digital radio funds are being reviewed, and these funding decisions will be announced next month. CPB will earmark funding for fiscal year 2004 to assist more stations, including those serving rural and minority markets, in making the digital transition. Stations will be able to apply for another round of digital funding this summer. Additional awards for public television to convert to digital also will be announced this spring. See a list of stations receiving support at the URL below. [SOURCE: Corporation for Public Broadcasting]
http://www.cpb.org/programs/pr.php?prn=349
SPECTRUM, WHO WANTS SOME SPECTRUM?
FCC RULEMAKING PROPOSING TO ALLOW WIRELESS BROADBAND OPERATIONS
Seeking to facilitate the provision of broadband access to American consumers, especially in rural areas, the FCC today initiated a proceeding to foster the introduction of wireless broadband operations in the 3650-3700 MHz band ("3650 MHz band").
In response to requests by wireless Internet service providers (WISPs), the FCC proposed to allow unlicensed devices to operate in some or all of the 3650 MHz band with higher power than currently authorized.
The FCC also sought comment on options that would allow for licensed operations in this band, or for segmenting the band between licensed and unlicensed uses. ET Docket Nos. 04-151, 02-380, and 98-237 [SOURCE: FCC]
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-246146A1.pdf See Also: Wireless Broadband May Get More Spectrum [SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Ben Charny]
http://news.com.com/2100-1034_3-5192390.html?tag=nefd.top
NTIA REPORT TO CONGRESS ON SPECTRUM FOR 3G WIRELESS
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, is the Executive Branch's principal voice on domestic and international telecommunications and information technology issues. In a report delivered to Congress the NTIA is recommending three major actions be taken to make the deployment of 3G wireless services optimally possible: 1) enactment of the President's proposal to create a spectrum relocation fund; 2) completion of the FCC's rules to identify spectrum for some Federal operations that must relocate; and 3) an auction scheduled by the FCC. For more, see the letter at the URL below. [SOURCE: NTIA]
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/congress/2004/3Gletter_04152004.htm
COMPETITION
TELECOMS STRUGGLE WITH IMPACT OF INTERNET CALLS
S&P analyst Catherine Cosentino estimates that Baby Bells could lose billions in revenues to VOIP and other competitors over the next few years, and that VOIP may turn their franchise service into a commodity with a declining price. The Baby Bells will "be hard pressed to maintain their current 40 percent-plus margins, which have already declined from the 50 percent they had been able to maintain during much of the 1990s, when competition, particularly in the consumer sector, was nascent," a recent S&P research report reads. Goldman Sachs analyst Frank Governali said on Wednesday that cable companies and other VOIP services could take 20 percent of local phone lines by 2013, but that the Baby Bells could offset their revenue losses by pushing their own broadband and VOIP services, along with business contracts and wireless growth. [SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Justin Hyde]
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=AFF5ME2XSGMNICRBAEKSFEY?type=internetNews&storyID=4841045&section=news
BROADBAND
BROADBAND FOR THE MASSES
An interview with Jim Baller, a principal attorney for the Baller Herbst Law Group which has fought cable operators and the Baby Bells on behalf of local governments and utilities for the right to build and operate new telecommunication networks. His clients include the American Public Power Association, the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors, and individual local governments and public power utilities in more than 35 states. Some municipalities and government-owned utilities are building their own fiber-based or advanced wireless networks to bring broadband services to rural areas. But cable and phone companies argue that municipalities have an unfair advantage because they have access to tax money to build and maintain these networks. They also argue that municipalities are often the ones regulating and approving the construction of such networks. Reardon writes that Mr. Baller "is considered one of the most knowledgeable lawyers in this field." This long interview is worth a spot in your weekend reading pile. [SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Marguerite Reardon]
http://news.com.com/2008-1037-5190220.html?tag=nefd.acpro
DIGITAL TELEVISION
CAN THIS MAN SAVE BROADCAST TV?
Emmis Communications CEO Jeff Smulyan will present a new plan to fellow broadcasters this week in Las Vegas aimed at making them more profitable after the transition to digital television. He'll lobby his fellow TV broadcasters to pool their digital spectrum in a bold effort to offer a new wireless cable service in cities nationwide. Under the plan, stations would offer subscribers a package of 15 or so of the most popular cable networks for $25/month. Consultants hired by Smulyan estimate that 10%-15% of TV homes could be drawn to a low-cost service, and he estimates that three-quarters of the customers would come from existing cable and DBS consumers who consider their service too expensive. [SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John M. Higgins]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA411234?display=Top+of+the+Week
BROADCASTERS HESITANT TO ADOPT HIGH-TECH ADVANCES
The computer industry has transformed telecommunications, manufacturing and the office cubicle, but television hasn't changed much in six years since Apple Computer founder Steve Jobs started to urge broadcasters to undergo a high-tech makeover. Is it fear of technology and/or piracy that makes broadcasters hesitant? "Rather than protecting content," the networks, producers and equipment makers "are trying to protect a broadcast business model, which is falling apart without any push from the computer industry," said James M. Burger, a Washington communications lawyer who represents Apple, Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft on digital TV issues. As broadcasters meet this week in Las Vegas, Silicon Valley executives and engineers will be there, trying to convince the television industry that the future is a digital living room. [SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Jube Shiver Jr]
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-digital19apr19,1,5769771.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-business
TELEVISION TODAY
F-WORD IS NOW 'FIGHT'
Changes in indecency standards at the FCC are making for some strange bedfellows who through petition are asking the Commission to reverse course. "The Commission's harsh new policy has sent shock waves through the broadcast industry and is forcing licensees to censor speech that unquestionably is protected by the First Amendment," says noted First Amendment attorney Robert Corn-Revere in the petition. "The FCC consciously assumed the role of a national arbiter of good taste, and its decision already is exerting a chilling effect." If the FCC does not favorably act on the petition, which is highly unlikely, Mr. Corn-Revere warns of a legal battle that would land every detail of Washington's anti-indecency crackdown at the Supreme Court. Allies in this fight include Viacom, Fox, handful of midsize broadcast groups, People for the American Way, the Media Access Project, and a few performers, such as Penn & Teller and comedian Margaret Cho. The FCC is expected to fine Viacom $1.5 million this week for airing the Howard Stern show. [SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Bill McConnell]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA411239?display=Top+of+the+Week
THE BIG CHILL?
In this commentary, Wright writes that further broadcast content regulation is necessary and suggests that the entire broadcast industry is being confused with a few "shock jocks" of radio who have drawn so much government attention. Broadcast licensees take seriously their obligation to refrain from airing obscene, indecent, or profane programming, he writes. He also warns of the chilling effect increased Washington attention -- both proposed legislation and increasing fines -- has had on broadcasters, "sacrificing creative integrity." Wright concludes, "Do we really want to enter an era in which an inadvertent curse word aired during live coverage of a breaking news story would result in fines and possible license revocations? It would be a loss to everyone if the high standards of news organizations like NBC News were sacrificed in the effort to minimize the real risks that apparently are now part of any live broadcast. Some material has no place on broadcast radio or television. But the federal government needs to act with caution and restraint when it comes to exercising its powers in this area. The vast majority of broadcast licensees do an excellent job of knowing where and when to draw the line. Errors of judgment are rare. Ultimately, we have much less to fear from obscene, indecent, or profane content than we do from an overzealous government willing to limit First Amendment protections and censor creative expression. That would be indecent." [SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Bob Wright, vice chairman of General Electric, and chairman and CEO of NBC]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB108232926678386106,00.html?mod=todays_us_opinion (requires subscription)
REALITY INTRUDES ON A SPRING RITE OF NETWORK TV
In the current television season, 12 of the top 20 shows are reality shows, and many of the others are either about to close down for good, like "Friends," or are part of multipart crime franchises, like NBC's "Law and Order" and CBS's "C.S.I." So as the networks gear up next year's shows, television writers, directors and actors are worried as well about how many jobs the business is going to continue to generate because fewer prime time slots are going to be available for scripted shows. For example, Jeff Zucker, the president of NBC Entertainment, said: "It turns out that the next 'Friends' was not a half-hour scripted comedy. It was 'The Apprentice.' " As they prepare for "upfront presentations" soon, Fox has announced it debut new shows in June because it has no fall season, CBS and NBC will do little to alter their schedules except add a third "C.S.I." franchise and a fourth "Law and Order." But perhaps more importantly, networks will be selling advertisers on reality -- upscale reality. "The game has changed," Mr. Zucker said. "Everybody is looking for the next big scripted success. And people had some scripted successes. We had 'Las Vegas.' Fox had 'The O.C.' CBS had 'Two and a Half Men.' But most of the big successes this year, what the viewers have been flocking to, especially viewers under the age of 50, is a different kind of program. You can't deny it now. And it's not a fad. You can't have 12 of the top 20 and keep believing it's not going to stay around." [SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Bill Carter]
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/19/business/media/19network.html (requires registration)
INTERNET
BROADBAND USE UP
Broadband Internet access is increasingly being woven into the work and home lives of Internet users in the United States. According to the February 2004 survey of the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 55% of American Internet users have access to broadband either at home or in the workplace. Fully 39% of U.S. online users have broadband access at home. Much of the growth in broadband adoption at home is attributable to users' unhappiness with the dial-up doldrums - that is, people growing frustrated with their slow dial-up connections. Nearly 60% of home broadband users say that impatience with dial-up connections or a desire to download files faster is the reason they switched to broadband. Price of service plays a relatively minor role in the home high-speed adoption decision. "People do more things online the longer they have been Internet users, and the additional waiting sours them on dial-up," said John B. Horrigan, Senior Research Specialist at the Pew Internet & American Life Project and author of the report. "Paying more for broadband thus has big efficiency payoffs for many dial-up users. The extra monthly cost is well worth it for high-speed home users, and this is why they tell us price is not a big factor in their move to broadband." [SOURCE: Pew Internet & American Life Project, AUTHOR: ] http://www.pewinternet.org/reports/toc.asp?Report=120 http://www.pewinternet.org/reports/pdfs/PIP_Broadband04.DataMemo.pdf
See also: Broadband Internet Use Up Sharply, Survey Finds [SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Andy Sullivan]
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=4857898&section=news
In a Fast-Moving Web World, Some Prefer the Dial-Up Lane [SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Matt Richtel]
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/19/technology/19DIAL.html?hp (requires registration) Internet surfers get tired of poking along, dump dial-up for high speed [SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Edward C. Baig]
http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20040419/6124265s.htm
DENMARK IS WEB-SAVVIEST NATION, U.S. DROPS - SURVEY
IBM and The Economist have ranked the Web-savviest nations in the world and the US has dropped from the top five which is: Denmark, England, Sweden, Norway and Finland. "Scandinavia is remarkable for the way in which citizens have incorporated Internet technology into their daily lives, completely altering how they work, shop, and communicate with officials," the report said. The United States dropped to sixth place from a shared third place despite having the world's best social and cultural environment for the Internet, because the percentage of broadband connections was falling behind other nations. [SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Lucas van Grinsven]
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=technologyNews&storyID=4859507&section=news
ARE PUBLIC DEBATES OVER INTERNET PRIVACY ADDRESSING THE ISSUES?
There is a large digital-privacy lobby out there, Gomes writes in his column, and for the most part I wish it well. I just worry that they are fighting epic battles over what in the end are merely inconveniences. Gomes thinks there is too much attention and outrage for spam, Gmail and spyware and too little for Yousef Yee, the former Guantanamo chaplain, or Wen Ho Lee, the former Los Alamos researcher or Jose Padilla, an American citizen accused of trying to build a "dirty bomb" and being held without legal representation. [SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Lee Gomes]
(http://wsj.com/) (requires subscription)
NEWS FROM LAS VEGAS
FRITTS TO CABLE: TEAR DOWN DIGITAL WALL
Modern day freedom fighter Edward Fritts stood bravely in front of his compatriots in the air conditioned halls of Las Vegas and challenged the monopoly powers of cable to "Tear down that wall" that separates digitally-starved US television viewers from the pretty pictures and better sound of HDTV. "Stop blocking consumer access to the best picture the world has ever seen," Mr. Fritts told the National Association of Broadcasters convention. "Our DTV and high-definition signals are all dressed up with no place to go," he added. "I call on the [Federal Communications Commission] to break down the cable industry's digital dam and let the free broadcast signals flow." Not a single eye in the convention center was dry as the NAB's president continued, "The cable monopoly is frightened of potential competition that would be created by hundreds of new channels offered free by broadcasters." Our children are likely to learn these heroic words in television school: Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the broadcasters and the cable operators, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Roberts, open this gate! Mr. Roberts, tear down this wall! [SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA411404?display=Breaking+News (requires subscription)
LIGHTS, CAMERA, TECHNOLOGY
At the National Association of Broadcasters conference in Las Vegas, Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina says there is "no question" that digital technology is shaping the capabilities of broadcasting. Apple unveils five new software packages for broadcasters and digital video editors, including new visual effects and editing tools for high-definition video. Hewlett-Packard is tightening its partnership with DreamWorks SKG and beginning a new one with Warner Bros. Studios, part of HP's efforts in utility computing and digital entertainment. And Microsoft says its high-definition Windows Media 9 technology is being used in a variety of new places. News.com has expanded coverage at the URL below. [SOURCE: C-Net|News.com]
http://news.com.com/2009-1025_3-5195031.html?tag=nefd.lede
BARTON PREDICTS CABLE, SATELLITE INDECENCY RULES
House Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton (R-TX) told a audience at the NAB that he expects Congress will extend indecency rules to cable and satellite television systems. But legislation to do so is still three or four years away, he predicted. Rep Barton suggested that adopting a ratings system for cable and satellite, or tiering services so that consumers can create their own buffet-style programming menu, are two possible routes to self-regulation that could prevent Congressional mandates. House Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) predicts that the broadcast indecency bill will be voted on in the next several weeks. [SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Steve McClellan]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA411390?display=Breaking+News (requires subscription)
CENSORSHIP
MEDIA GROUPS ASK FCC TO RECONSIDER NBC RULING
As the WSJ reported yesterday, a group representing 24 media organizations and individual performers filed a petition yesterday asking the FCC to reconsider its ruling against NBC for violating decency standards. Executives involved in the petitions claimed that the "political climate" was responsible for what they labeled a broad and hopelessly vague standard for decency in programming, which has driven broadcasters to take drastic steps to limit the content of programs they broadcast. Robert Corn-Revere, the First Amendment lawyer who filed the petition, said the FCC decision had moved the policing of offensive speech away from what previous court decisions had intended. "It was meant to be cautious; now it's become expansive and Draconian." The petition is seen as just a first step in a court challenge to FCC decency enforcement. [SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Bill Carter]
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/20/business/media/20tube.html (requires registration)
WP: TV, Radio Groups Want FCC Ruling Reversed
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25605-2004Apr19.html LATimes: Coalition Takes On FCC View of Indecency
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-fcc20apr20,1,2026133.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-business See also coalition's Press Release
http://www.mediaaccess.org/GoldenGlobesRelease.pdf The 71 page petition is also available online at
http://www.mediaaccess.org/GoldenGlobesPFR.pdf
CHINA LETS CHENEY SPEAK ON TV BUT CENSORS REMARKS AFTERWARD
USA Vice President Dick Cheney was allowed to speak live and uncensored on China's all-news television channel last week. But the broadcast received no advance promotion or even a listing in the Chinese news media and was not repeated. The authorities promptly provided leading Web sites with a "full text" of the vice president's remarks, including his answers to questions after the speech, that struck out references to political freedom, Taiwan, North Korea and other issues that propaganda officials considered sensitive. Officials sought to convey a relaxed attitude about what Mr. Cheney might say in public but worked to alter the record. "What they do to control the media is sometimes surreal," said Yu Maochun, a China expert at the United States Naval Academy who noticed discrepancies between Mr. Cheney's speech and the Chinese transcript. "Censorship is a habit they can't kick." [SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Joseph Kahn]
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/20/international/asia/20CHEN.html (requires registration)
FREEDOM, A CALL AWAY?
Life without a cell phone? Eritrea is the only country in Africa where mobile phones have not become a staple of life. The government opened the application process for the country's first cell phones three weeks ago, but the notice indicated that only government ministers, diplomats and selected humanitarian organizations would be considered. In many places in Africa, where scratchy land lines function sporadically, cell phones have become not just a standard amenity but an indispensable tool of freedom, democracy and safety in war. "The significance of the mobile handset as a political tool lies in the fact that Africa today has more mobile subscribers than the number of connected fixed lines," said Christopher Wambua, public and media liaison for the Communications Commission of Kenya, a nongovernmental group. "It's revolutionary for democracy because it gives people real connections with the outside world." [SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Emily Wax]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25560-2004Apr19.html (requires registration)
PRIVACY
PRIVACY GROUP FILES GOOGLE GMAIL COMPLAINTS
Privacy International has filed complaints with privacy and data-protection regulators in 17 countries in Europe, Canada and Australia. Google's Gmail "violates privacy law, both in Europe and in other countries. The complaint identifies a wide range of possible breaches of European Union law," said director Simon Davies. Privacy International filed the complaints in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Spain, Czech Republic, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Portugal, Poland, Austria, Australia and Canada, and also with the European Commission and the Article 29 Data Protection Working Group. [SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Lucas van Grinsven and Bernhard Warner]
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=4866118&section=news LATimes: More Criticism of Gmail Plan
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-google20apr20,1,5785923.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-business
TELEVISION
COPPS, ADELSTEIN SLAM ELECTION COVERAGE
In an event organized by the Public Interest, Public Airwaves Coalition [which includes the Benton Foundation], FCC Commissioners Michael J. Copps and Jonathan Adelstein took turns endorsing a proposal that broadcasters provide a minimum of three hours a week of "civic or electoral affairs" on their primary digital television channel. Commissioner Copps slammed local stations, charging that their coverage of elections is "just plain pathetic." Commissioner Adelstein seconded the notion, although altering the adjective to "pitiful." Commissioner Copps also complained about what he saw as the FCC's silence on the issue of digital public interest obligations. "The FCC has a "bad case of lockjaw," he said. [SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Steve McClellan]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA411871?display=Breaking+News (requires subscription)
FCC CHAIRMAN POWELL ON BROADCASTING
"Adapt, evolve or die." This was FCC Michael Powell's message to broadcasters in his keynote speech at the National Association of Broadcasters convention Tuesday. "Broadcasting is the original mass media. On the other end, there's a rise of a digital generation that has access to highly individualized and customized news and information," Chairman Powell said. Broadcasters compete with cable and satellite services and new digital media offerings via the Internet, video-on-demand, and wireless and gaming technologies. The transition to digital TV is supposed to help broadcasters compete, but if they do not keep pace with new competitors the government could yank the spectrum licenses or demand fees, Chairman Powell said. He also told the audience that the FCC will not be trying to enforce decency standards on cable programmers before Congress passes legislation that mandates it. Though Powell may not have the authority to regulate cable, he suggested he had the inclination. "I don't believe the First Amendment should change channels when it goes from ch. 7 to ch. 107. I don't believe it's that arbitrary, but I am not free to disavow that distinction." Finally, on the proposed plan the FCC is working on to advance the transition to digital TV, Chairman Powell said that he has not yet endorsed the plan, but broadcasters should consider that there could be alternatives they could like even less. "The law [setting a transition deadline] is muddy," Chairman Powell said. The issue, he said "is not about being pro- or anti-broadcast, it's about being pro-public." He warned that
government officials with fees on their radar screens could find themselves desperate to raise $50 billion to head off a Social Security crisis. [SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Stefanie Olsen]
http://news.com.com/2100-1037-5195961.html?tag=nefd.hed B&C: Powell Can't Pursue Cable Smut
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA411729?display=Breaking+News Powell Says Ferree Plan Isn't 'Last Word'
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA411722?display=Breaking+News LATimes: FCC Chief Turns Up Heat on Broadcasters
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-powell21apr21,1,6038889.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-business Multichannel News: Powell Warns NAB on Spectrum Squatting
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA411878?display=Breaking+News
STUDY FINDS MORE LATINOS, FEWER ASIANS ON PRIME-TIME TV
A new study on race and gender diversity on USA television has found that, despite a significant increase in Latino characters on this season's prime-time TV, Latinos are twice as visible in real life than on television. The study, "Fall Colors 2003-04: Prime Time Diversity Report,"
also found that representations of Asian and Pacific Islander characters declined, Latino and Middle Eastern characters often were typecast and Native American characters were absent. In addition, male characters outnumbered their female counterparts nearly two to one, while females tended to be younger. While Children Now researchers praised the progress made by networks in showing more Latino characters, it was tempered by the prevalence of low-paying jobs those characters were likely to have compared to other racial groups. Whites, for example, were three times as likely as Latinos to hold professional occupations such as doctors or lawyers. And although the overall number was small, Latinos were four times as likely as characters of other races to portray domestic workers. "The message prime-time TV sends to kids about the world in which they live is that some racial groups are privileged, while others are under-represented or even invisible," said Patti Miller, director of Children Now's Children & the Media program. "Regrettably, the networks have not done nearly enough in the past five years to change this skewed picture." [SOURCE: Children Now Press Release]
http://www.childrennow.org/newsroom/news-04/pr-04-21-04.cfm See full report at
http://www.childrennow.org/media/fc2003/fc-2003-highlights.cfm
In a related story...
HISPANIC MARKET DRAWS AD SPENDING
Advertisers are spending more to reach the Hispanic market, but their investments remain very low, given the growth in population and purchasing power of the largest U.S. minority, according to a study by the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies. Most companies' Hispanic ad budgets still fall short of what marketing experts deem adequate to reach the nation's 40 million Latinos, who represent about 14% of the population and have aggregate disposable income of nearly $700 billion. Indeed, top U.S. advertisers devoted only 5.1% of their total advertising budget to the Hispanic market last year, up from 4.6% in 2002, according to the AHAA survey. [SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Miriam Jordan at miriam.jordan@wsj.com ]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB108251203404088946,00.html?mod=mm%5Fmedia%5Fmarketing%5Fhs%5Fleft (requires subscription)
PTV EXPANDS FARE OFFERED ON DEMAND Rather watch The NewsHour after the kids are in bed? The show will be the first news series to become available through digital cable video-on-demand (VOD). A package of PBS Kids shows will soon be available to 8 million homes during a one year test run. The programming will be available free to cable subscribers. In markets where PBS has already experimented with VOD, there was no loss in viewership. VOD viewing for kids programing spiked when the day's children fare went off the air. "Our interest in getting on VOD is that it's a new platform that consumers seem to really like," said Kyra McGrath of Philadelphia's WHYY. "We don't know where it's going in the future, but we want to get our foot in the door as the platform develops." [SOURCE: Current, AUTHOR: Karen Everhart (http://www.current.org/)
QUICK HITS
CDT PRESENTS CONSENSUS LIST OF DEVIOUS SOFTWARE PRACTICES
Speaking at the FTC's Workshop on "Spyware," CDT Associate Director Ari Schwartz presented a consensus list of "Unfair, Deceptive, or Devious Practices Involving Software" endorsed by a broad coalition of software companies, Internet service providers, anti-spyware technology vendors, and consumer groups convened by CDT. Schwartz told the FTC that the consensus list demonstrates the broad recognition that many "spyware" practices, which are common today, are already illegal under current law, and he urged the Commission to step up enforcement. [SOURCE: Center for Digital Democracy]
http://www.cdt.org/ For more see: Consumer Software Working Group Examples of Unfair, Deceptive or Devious Practices Involving Software
http://www.cdt.org/privacy/spyware/20040419cswg.pdf Policy Post 10.07: CDT, Presenting List of Devious Spyware Practices, Calls for FTC Action
http://www.cdt.org/publications/pp_10.07.shtml CDT's Spyware page
http://www.cdt.org/privacy/spyware/ Spyware: What You Don't Know Can Hurt You. The House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection will hold a hearing April 29 at
10:00 a.m. in 2322 Rayburn House Office Building. This event will be open to the public and webcast live (audio only).
http://www.benton.org/calendar.htm
STUDY: SWEDES MOST 'DIGITAL-SAVVY' IN EUROPE
According to Jupiter Research's inaugural "Digital Life Index" -- a study that attempts to rank consumers' digital sophistication across 17 Western European countries -- the further south you venture, the fewer digital gadgets, satellite TV dishes and Internet connections there are. "Europe's constituent countries may be getting closer together economically, but the lifestyles of its inhabitants remain as diverse as ever. Nowhere is this clearer than in the consumption of digital technology," said Jupiter analyst Mark Mulligan. The study counts a variety of factors from Internet shopping habits to uptake of satellite television and the number of digital devices and mobile phones among consumers in tabulating its "digital sophistication index." Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland rank highest in terms of digital sophistication while the Mediterranean countries, including Greece, Portugal and Italy, score below the Continental average, Jupiter said. [SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Bernhard Warner]
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=L3LCBWRSMFJ2MCRBAE0CFFA?type=technologyNews&storyID=4877513&section=news
AN INDECENT CRACKDOWN
An editorial on the "silly, but potentially dangerous" crackdown on
indecent broadcast content and how it could spread to cable TV as well. [SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff] http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/22/opinion/22THU2.html (requires registration)
TELEVISION
BUSH AD BUY GOES BYE-BYE
With political advertising itself such a big issue in this election, the candidates' ad strategies have become news. "Free" news coverage 24/7 has
convinced the Bush campaign to slash ad spending, but media executives keep raking the big bucks in. The only winners thus far are media executives, who are happy to collect cash from all parties. Analyst Tom Wolzien estimates the total election-year advertising buy (including congressional races) at more than $1.5 billion. How effective the ads are is hardly the concern of broadcasters and cable titans. Where else can politicians go to reach voters en masse? In our ever-fragmenting media omniverse, even as their ratings plunge, television networks still represent the best spot money can buy. [SOURCE: Media Channel, AUTHOR: Rory O’COnnor]
http://www.mediachannel.org/views/dissector/affalert182.shtml
MEDIA OWNERSHIP MADNESS AND THE THIRD PERSON EFFECT HYPOTHESIS
In the debate over media ownership regulation, it has become evident that fanaticism has trumped the facts and emotionalism has won out over
empirical evidence. The hyperbolic rhetoric, shameless fear-mongering, and unsubstantiated claims that have thus far driven the absurd backlash to media liberalization have absolutely no foundation in reality whatsoever. But that hasn't stopped some lawmakers from spinning outlandish Chicken Little tales about a world in which they didn't control the media. [SOURCE: Cato Institute, AUTHOR: Adam Thierer athierer@cato.org]
http://www.cato.org/tech/tk/040420-tk.html
RETURN OF THE (UN)FAIRNESS DOCTRINE: THE MEDIA OWNERSHIP REFORM ACT
Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) recently introduced a bill titled The Media Ownership Reform Act
(http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c108:H.R.4069:), which proposes the radical re-regulation of the media marketplace in America. His draconian bill (H.R. 4069) would not only undo all the limited ownership reforms that the FCC pushed through last summer, it would reinstate cable-broadcaster cross-ownership regulations that were struck down by the courts and more tightly restrict the number of radio stations a firm can own locally and nationally. Worst of all, the bill would resurrect two disastrous FCC rules that were thought to have been swept into the dustbin of history long ago: the so-called "Fin-Syn" rules and the hideously misnamed Fairness Doctrine. [SOURCE: Cato Institute, AUTHOR: Adam Thierer athierer@cato.org]
http://www.cato.org/tech/tk/040420-tk-2.html
INTERNET
FEDS DING AT&T OVER INTERNET CALLS
The FCC ruled on Wednesday that AT&T must pay traditional local access charges to complete Internet phone calls, putting the long-distance carrier on the hook for billions of dollars in deferred fees. AT&T had argued that it was not required to pay the access fees to local landline companies for completing long-distance calls, when those calls travel partly over the Internet. But the FCC disagreed. The FCC said its ruling affects only calls that begin and end on the public-switched telephone network and use Internet Protocol networks in between. The ruling is not expected to impact commercial VoIP providers. "The carrier has long been obligated to pay access charges for this service, and we unanimously confirm that it still is required to do so," FCC Chairman Michael Powell said in a statement.
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Ben Charny]
http://news.com.com/2100-7352_3-5197204.html?tag=nefd.top Additional coverage Reuters: AT&T Loses Fee Fight Over Some Web Calls
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=FJEATR0MBL4FUCRBAELCFFA?type=internetNews&storyID=4899775&section=news WSJ: FCC Rejects AT&T Bid To Avoid Fees on Web Calls
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB108258607410889811,00.html?mod=todays_us_marketplace
LIBRARIES WIRED, AND REBORN
What has the Internet done for libraries? Transformed them and help them do what they have always aimed to do: providing information free to the public. In 1996, 28% of all libraries had PCs for public access to the Internet. Now, 95% of libraries offer Internet access. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has helped by installing or paying for more than 47,000 PCs as well as providing leadership, training and a simplified recipe for using and maintaining PCs in public libraries. And Internet-connected computers are clearly bringing more people into libraries. A year after computers are put in libraries that do not have them, visits rise 30 percent on the average and attendance typically remains higher, according to a study led by Andrew C. Gordon, a professor of public policy at the University of Washington. There's much more at the URL below. Also see "Toward Equality of Access" at http://www.gatesfoundation.org/nr/Downloads/libraries/uslibraries/reports/TowardEqualityofAccess.pdf
to see how libraries are helping to bridge the Digital Divide. [SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Steve Lohr]
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/22/technology/circuits/22gate.html (requires registration)
MARKETERS FALLING SHORT ON CAN-SPAM, STUDY SAYS
A Jupiter Research survey has found that many companies are not complying with provisions in the Can-Spam Act that require updating of email lists weekly to delete addresses that have opted out. A quarter of marketers indicated that they delete e-mail addresses on a monthly basis, quarterly or never. While 21% of the marketers allow consumers to simply reply to an e-mail to opt out, about one-third said within their e-mails that "Replies to this e-mail will not be processed." The Can-Spam Act requires that messages include a valid physical address of the sender, but only 64 percent actually include a street address, according to the report. [SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Dinesh C. Sharma]
http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-5196362.html?tag=nefd.top
TAXING THE NET
An editorial that supports President Bush's call for a ban on taxing Internet access, particularly the high-speed phone, cable and satellite
varieties known as broadband. The senators who oppose the ban are called "a small pro-tax contingent of Senate Republicans." The problem, the WSJ writes, is not lack of revenue at the state and local level, but a problem with the government entities reigning in spending. The goal of "pro-tax Republicans" is to block any federal pre-emption of state and local authority to tax Internet access and, ultimately, electronic commerce. This is precisely why we have a Commerce Clause, the editorial states. It was devised to prevent state and local entities from taxing interstate
commerce. The Internet's unique architecture and decentralized nature lend themselves to the very type of tax abuse that the Constitution guards against. [SOURCE: Wall Street Journal Editorial Staff]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB108302270893994195,00.html?mod=todays_us_opinion (requires subscription)
SECOND THOUGHTS ON CREATING REGISTRY OF UNWANTED EMAIL
In recent weeks, the Federal Trade Commission has been soliciting public comment about the pros and cons of a Do Not E-mail list, and a report as well as a timetable is due to Congress in mid-June. Although at first thought appealing, Bounds' columns cautions against the potential effects for small businesses who could benefit from reduced advertising costs and the potential ineffectiveness of a list without significant enforcement efforts and better tracking technology. Will small businesses have the resources needed to keep their lists up-to-date? Will they be scared off from using email because of potentially expensive litigation? And it will be hard to enforce a Do Not E-mail list until spammers play by the rules. "They take great pains to hide their identity, and it makes it difficult to track for law enforcement," says FTC attorney Katie Harrington-McBride. [SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Wendy Bounds Wendy.Bounds@wsj.com]
(http://wsj.com/) (requires subscription)
MACARTHUR FOUNDATION AWARDS $250,000 TO ONEWORLD INTERNATIONAL
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has announced a grant of $250,000 to the OneWorld International Foundation in support of its online media network designed to help civil society organizations bring greater attention to human rights and sustainable development issues worldwide. OneWorld is an online gateway into news and commentary from a network of 6,500 nongovernmental organizations, radio broadcasters and video producers working to improve peoples’ lives around the world. Using the newest communications technologies, OneWorld has made it possible for these organizations to upload information they have generated—including text, images, audio and video content—onto the OneWorld web portal,
www.oneworld.net, for sharing with global and local audiences. OneWorld United States, based in Washington, D.C., is a joint venture of
the Benton Foundation and OneWorld International [SOURCE: John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation]
http://www.macfound.org/announce/press_releases/4_23_2004_1.htm

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(c) Benton Foundation 2003. Redistribution of this email publication -- both internally and externally -- is encouraged if it includes this message.
Communications-Related Headlines are compiled, summarized and edited by Rachel Anderson (rachel@benton.org), Andy Carvin (andy@benton.org) and Charles Meisch (charlie@benton.org) of the Benton Foundation -- we welcome your feedback. Based in Washington DC, the Benton Foundation's mission is to
articulate a public interest vision for the digital age and demonstrate the value of communications for solving social problems. Other projects at Benton include:
Digital Divide Network (www.digitaldividenetwork.org)
Digital Opportunity Channel (www.digitalopportunity.org)
OneWorld US (www.oneworld.net/us)
Sound Partners for Community Health (www.soundpartners.org)