Benton Foundation

The mission of the Benton Foundation is to articulate a public interest vision for the digital age and to demonstrate the value of communications for solving social problems.

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Headlines

  • Latest Review of Lifeline Program Reforms: 135,000 More Duplicate Subscriptions to be Eliminated, Generating $15 Million Of Savings
    May 16 2012

    As a result of comprehensive reforms of the Lifeline program over the last year, the Federal Communications Commission released new data about efforts to eliminate duplicate subscriptions and save tens of millions of dollars.

  • ACTA deathwatch: profs call process unconstitutional, Europe revolts
    May 16 2012

    Just when you thought that everyone was content to let debates about the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) simmer down, a group of American legal scholars has now submitted an open letter to the United States Senate, challenging the lack of a Congressional approval process for ACTA.

  • Data, Data Everywhere
    May 16 2012

    So far, the Obama Administration's push to encourage software developers to use monstrous, freely available government datasets in consumer apps is generating more light than heat.

  • PBS stations need to "become YouTube of local community," Seiken says
    May 16 2012

    Jason Seiken, PBS Interactive chief, told a packed audience at the PBS Annual Meeting that “a magical opportunity will slip through our fingers if we don’t have the courage to change” and fully embrace the potential that video presents to public TV.

  • Coming To A Political Campaign Near You: Outside Money, And Lots Of It
    May 16 2012

    It's happening in several congressional races, in states like Nebraska, Montana and Ohio — millions of dollars from out-of-state donors and outside groups are fueling candidates' war chests.

  • Lawmakers want FCC action to make certain broadband services less expensive
    May 16 2012

    The Federal Communications Commission should “act decisively” to make high capacity broadband service cheaper for businesses and other large customers, said Members of the House Communications Subcommittee in a letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski.

  • Samsung loses $10 billion market value on Apple order report
    May 16 2012

    Shares in Samsung Electronics Co slumped more than 6 percent, wiping $10 billion off the electronics giant's market value, on a report that Apple placed huge chip orders with troubled Japanese chip rival Elpida.

  • Facebook’s biggest problem is that it’s a media company
    May 16 2012

    While Facebook may look like and function like a social network for the majority of its users, on the business side it looks almost exactly like a traditional media company, and that is both good and bad.

  • LightSquared's bankruptcy is a cautionary tale
    May 16 2012

    After more than a year of active testing and debate over LightSquared's plan for a nationwide, wholesale 4G network, the now bankrupt company may end up as no more than a cautionary tale for mobile investors.

  • The Legal Cost of Improper Internet Censorship
    May 16 2012

    The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 30 years ago that public schools cannot engage in viewpoint-based censorship of library books. Schools can keep books off the shelves if they are poorly written or inappropriate for a particular age group, but they cannot limit access to Harry Potter books out of a concern they glorify witchcraft, or remove Kurt Vonnegut novels because they perceive the books to be anti-American, the court held in Board of Education, Island Trees Union Free School District v. Pico.

Blog

  • Rosenworcel and Pai Head Back to the FCC

    On May 7, 2012, the Senate approved the nominations of Ajit Pai and Jessica Rosenworcel to serve as commissioners at the Federal Communications Commission. President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Pai and Rosenworcel back on October 31, 2011 and the nominations were soon sent to the Senate. When the new commissioners are sworn in – which should happen any day now, really -- the FCC will have five commissioners for the first time in over a year. On May 8, the Benton Foundation was proud to publish an op-ed by former FCC Commissioner Michael Copps who gave his take on what we can expect of an incoming FCC commissioner. Here’s a quick look at just a few of the issues that popped up in Headlines this week that the FCC will be addressing in the months ahead.

  • A New FCC: What Should We Expect?

    Someone asked former FCC Commissioner Michael Copps a few months ago, what should we expect of an incoming Commissioner? “Four things,” he replied.

  • Will News Corp’s UK Problem Become Its US Problem?

    Our big story of the week comes from across the pond, in London Town where, for many months, regulators have been examining the business practices of one of the world’s largest media empires.

  • Recapping Cybersecurity Week

    Late last week, the House Republican leadership declared this Cyber Week – and who are we at Headlines to disagree? Here’s what we know what was decided as we go to press – along with some thoughts about what it all means. We start, perhaps uncharacteristically, at the end of the process.

  • Spectrum Crisis, Hyperbole or Quest for Market Control?

    Fueled in no small part by a Congressional hearing, the need for more spectrum devoted to wireless telecommunications services was a big topic this week. AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint say they need more spectrum to meet the exploding demands for mobile data. If they don’t get more soon, they warn, mobile users will experience slower, spottier connections – and higher prices.

  • We Know What You Did During Spring Break

    Although Headlines staff were away April 2-6, we still collected and summarized the major news from that week and have posted here and here. So this week’s round up is really a quick look at the news of the past two weeks.

  • Real Disclosure for Real Democracy

    America, we have a problem: billions of anonymous dollars pouring into a tsunami of negative TV advertising aimed at distorting political campaigns and manipulating election outcomes. Our civic dialogue—the prerequisite of successful self-government—is being short-circuited by deep-pocketed individuals, corporations and other groups operating on the smug premise that elections should be bought by the power of money rather than fought by the power of ideas.

  • Our Deepest Gratitude to Media Access Project

    The public interest community and media reform movement suffered a major body blow today, when the Media Access Project (MAP) announced it will suspend operation next month.

  • Washington Crams Before Spring Break

    With a two-week Spring Recess looming, Washington communications policymakers were busy this week. Here’s some highlights.

  • Keeping Low-Income Consumers in Mind While Reviewing the Verizon Spectrum Buy

    Back in December 2011, Verizon Wireless and some of the largest cable TV companies in the US announced a transaction in which Verizon will pay the cable companies $3.6 billion for wireless spectrum.