Jan 29, 2009 (GOP Stalls DTV Delay)
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for THURSDAY JANUARY 29, 2009
No Headlines tomorrow. We'll be back by Monday February 2. A newly-rechartered FCC Consumer Adviosry Committee meets tomorrow. See you there http://www.benton.org/node/21204
THE ECONOMY
House Passes Obama's Stimulus Package
Senate Finance Committee Marks-up Stimulus Bill
Senate Committees Approve Portions of Economic Stimulus Package With Funds for Health Care
High-Tech Execs Meet With Obama
DIGITAL TELEVISION
DTV Delay Bill Delayed by House Republicans
Digital TV Beckons, but Many Miss the Call
NTIA: Wait List For DTV Coupons Keeps Growing
JOURNALISM/GOV & COMMUNICATIONS
Press, public need to keep Obama open
Did Blago Make "Self-Condemning News" On Maddow's Show? [Video]
Media, officials dance around governor's colorful language
EFF Questions YouTube Clips On White House Site
Papers must charge for websites to survive
Hard News on TV Draws Major Ratings
Limbaugh is talk host king, not leader of GOP
New Administration Dominates News During Inauguration Week
FCC REFORM
Copps de-Martinizing the FCC, begins internal reforms
Copps Responds to McDowell on FCC Reform
Furth Named Acting Chief of the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau
INTERNET/BROADBAND
Google lets users search for Internet blockers
The tangled web of universal broadband
AT&T, Verizon Make Different Calls
Web 3.0: Apture
PRIVACY
Coalition Files Shareholder Resolutions with ISPs on Freedom of Expression and Privacy
NARC Hopes To Curtail Privacy Laws With Bigger Board
As the market tumbles, cyberthieves log on
QUICKLY -- Commissioner McDowell At The Media Institute Luncheon; Generations Online in 2009; Netbooks could be the next hit cell phones; Connected Nation Adds Partners ; Consumer Interest In Paid Internet Content Wanes: Deloitte Consulting
THE ECONOMY
HOUSE PASSES OBAMA'S STIMULUS PACKAGE
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: David Stout]
The House voted, 244-188, on Wednesday evening for President Obama's package of federal tax cuts and spending worth $819 billion and meant to jump-start the economy out of its worst crisis in decades. Before voting on President Obama's plan, the House rejected a stimulus measure offered by Republican members that focused more on tax cuts. The vote against that measure was 266 to 170, almost entirely on party lines. The Senate, where the Democrats' advantage was also increased by the November elections, is expected to debate economic stimulus measures next week. Considerable public debate and private negotiations could lie ahead, given differences between the White House and Congress, and Democrats and Republicans.
http://benton.org/node/21362
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SENATE FIANCE COMMITTEE MARKS-UP STIMULUS BILL
[SOURCE: US Senate Committee on Finance, AUTHOR: Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT)]
On Tuesday, the Senate Committee on Finance approved by a vote of 14-9 a package of approximately $522 billion in job creating tax cuts, incentives, and investments in the nation's economy, for inclusion in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Bipartisan amendments were also accepted into the legislation prior to the markup including tax credits for broadband technology investment in rural and underserved areas to spur jobs and economic opportunities. Sen Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) said he successfully fought to include broadband tax incentives in the economic recovery legislation for companies that make technology infrastructure investments in areas that need it the most. Rockefeller offered an amendment, which was accepted by the Senate Finance Committee, to the stimulus bill that establishes a 10 percent tax credit for investments in current-generation broadband infrastructure in rural and underserved areas; a 20 percent credit for current-generation broadband in areas that have no access at all now; and, a 20 percent tax credit for next-generation broadband infrastructure (i.e., even higher speeds), which results in faster, more reliable connections. In addition, Senator Rockefeller worked with the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Obama administration to include $9 billion in that committee's version of the legislation for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to improve broadband deployment. With this funding, the Appropriations bill re-creates the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program in the NTIA to distribute grants to encourage deployment in areas of need, and fully funds the Broadband Data Improvement Act, which provides funding to state and public-private partnerships to map broadband deployment across the country. Fifty percent of the total funding is dedicated to rural areas.
http://benton.org/node/21361
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SENATE COMMITTEES APPROVE PORTIONS OF ECONOMIC STIMULUS PACKAGE WITH FUNDS FOR HEALTH CARE
[SOURCE: Kaisernetwork.org, AUTHOR: ]
The Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday approved the $365 billion portion of an $825 billion economic stimulus package over which the committee has jurisdiction that includes funds for health care. Prior to passage, the committee made a few revisions to the $5 billion health information technology portion of the stimulus package. Hospitals that have adopted health care IT could receive loans to help them meet federal privacy and compatibility standards. The portion of the stimulus package approved by the committee includes almost the same privacy standards for electronic health records as the House version of the package. The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday also approved a portion of the economic stimulus package over which the committee has jurisdiction that includes $18 billion for health care IT. In related news, the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday heard testimony on the debate over privacy standards for EHRs included in the economic stimulus package. number of health care experts said that strong privacy standards could limit the ability of providers to exchange information and endanger the lives of patients as a result. However, others said that strong privacy standards are needed to obtain the trust of patients.
http://benton.org/node/21360
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HIGH-TECH EXECS MEET WITH OBAMA
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Andrew Noyes]
A handful of high-tech executives were among the business leaders from across industries who met with President Barack Obama on Wednesday morning. Technology CEO Council members Sam Palmisano of IBM, Greg Brown of Motorola, Steven Appleton of Micron and Mike Splinter from Applied Materials were at the table, talking about the pending economic stimulus plan. Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who served as an economic adviser to Obama on his transition team, was also at the meeting. President Obama told reporters, "Their ideas and their concerns have helped to shape our recovery package and I'm grateful that they are here today to talk about why it's so important that we act and act swiftly in order to get this economy back on track."
http://benton.org/node/21358
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DIGITAL TELEVISION
DTV DELAY BILL DELAYED BY HOUSE REPUBLICANS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The House Wednesday failed to follow the Senate's lead and pass a digital television transition date-change bill. The vote was 258 to 168 in favor of changing the date, but under House expedited rules, a 2/3 majority was required for approval. The House had debated the bill Tuesday night, with a parade of Republicans in opposition and only House Telecommunications & Internet Subcommittee Chairman Rick Boucher(D-VA) holding down the fort for the bill's proponents. The House Commerce Committee's ranking member, Joe Barton (R-TX), is dead set against moving the date, calling it a potential disaster and saying the $650 million being set aside for reissued coupons for millions of people was a pot of money in search of a problem. It didn't help that Republican leadership put out a policy statement Tuesday saying "House Republicans oppose any further delay in the deadline." Missouri Republican Rep. Roy Blunt said his vote against the DTV bill was primarily about public safety. "Every day that goes by without this transition is another day that our firefighters, policemen and EMTs cannot effectively communicate," he said. Reps Joe Barton (R-TX) and Cliff Stearns (R-FL) wrote a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) promoting their solution to the digital television woes. Their bill would free up $250 million more in funds and preclude the need for $650 million in coupon and DTV education funds that was put in the economic stimulus package.
http://benton.org/node/21359
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DIGITAL TV BECKONS, BUT MANY MISS THE CALL
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Jacques Steinberg]
Less than a month before the Feb. 17 deadline, so many American households have yet to take the necessary steps to continue to watch over-the-air television — more than 6.5 million, according to Nielsen Media Research — that Congress has considered giving them more time. Regardless of when the switchover takes place, viewers with cable or satellite systems, and many others with digital televisions purchased after 2004, need not do anything in anticipation of the deadline, nor will they notice much of a change afterward. But for those older and low-income viewers who still use set-top rabbit ears or rooftop antennas, the switchover to digital television has often proven a bewildering and cumbersome burden. That so many viewers here and around the country risk losing something as basic as a free television signal is a function, at least in part, of the government's failure to anticipate that those most affected would be among the nation's most frail and vulnerable. Further aggravating the confusion and uncertainty has been that a coupon program established by Congress to defray the cost of converter boxes — each American household is entitled to two $40 vouchers, which cover most, if not all, of the cost of the adaptors — ran out of money in early January, leaving hundreds of thousands of applicants to languish on a waiting list.
http://benton.org/node/21373
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NTIA: WAIT LIST FOR DTV COUPONS KEEPS GROWING
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
According to National Telecommunications & Information Administration figures to be released Friday, there are now 3.27 million requests on a waiting list for digital-to-analog converter box coupons. NTIA has reached its funding limit, which means it can't send out coupons until others expire and free up more money. But more requests are coming in each day than coupons are expiring, which created the waiting list that has been growing since the agency met its $1.34B funding cap at the beginning of this month. It still has the money to fund and distribute the coupons, but due to accounting rules it can only access that money as expired coupons free it up. The economic stimulus bill passed in the House Wednesday, which provides $650 million for the coupons and other DTV education, but that bill hasn't passed the Senate yet and probably won't until mid-February.
http://benton.org/node/21372
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JOURNALISM/GOV & COMMUNICATIONS
PRESS, PUBLIC NEED TO KEEP OBAMA OPEN
[SOURCE: Politico, AUTHOR: Ari Melber]
[Commentary] After running a campaign with Bush-like discipline in press relations, President Barack Obama promised a "new standard of openness" on his first day in office. His administration is rolling out regulations to ensure a more transparent government. His aides have been addressing citizens online, bypassing reporters to reach the public directly. All this makes the Washington press corps, already struggling with low approval ratings and low profits, potentially less relevant. If Obama's administration operates anything like his campaign, it will both sideline and compete with the media as a news source. Transparency reform and government information, however, are no substitutes for journalistic access and original reporting. In fact, the administration's new openness might even function as little more than another unfiltered route to disseminate its view. If the information is offered to supplant independent reporting — as in the photo disputes — and only flows in one direction, then the government simply amplifies its already sizable megaphone. A louder government with less journalism does not enrich our democratic process. The key is to couple government transparency with meaningful interaction. That means open, accountable engagement with the press and the public.
http://benton.org/node/21357
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DID BLAGO MAKE "SELF-CONDEMNING NEWS" ON MADDOW'S SHOW?
[SOURCE: Columbia Journalism Review, AUTHOR: Liz Cox Barrett]
Rachel Maddow, directly after her interview with Gov. Blagojevich last night, wondered on-air: "Did he just confess to me that he broke the law but that he thinks it's okay because he broke the law for a good reason? Second question: Is he mounting a Robin Hood defense for how he tried to sell Barack Obama's Senate seat? Third question: Did he just explain his state of mind for extorting the Chicago Tribune?"
http://benton.org/node/21356
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MEDIA, OFFICIALS DANCE AROUND GOVERNOR'S COLORFUL LANGUAGE
[SOURCE: Daily Herald, AUTHOR: Dan Carden]
Gov. Rod Blagojevich's potty mouth, immortalized forever on FBI tapes of the governor dropping f-bombs left and right during phone calls with advisers, has forced anyone wanting to quote Blagojevich to get creative. On "Good Morning America," Diane Sawyer said "bleep" in place of Blagojevich's profanities when she asked the governor to explain what he meant when he said of President Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat, "I've got this thing and it's bleeping golden." Barbara Walters skipped over the swear words altogether when she confronted Blagojevich Monday on ABC's "The View." But show co-host Joy Behar later called Blagojevich a "potty mouth." During his TV blitz Blagojevich repeatedly insisted he wouldn't have used swear words if he knew anyone was listening to his conversations. And, as Blagojevich pointed out on the "Today" show, "When some of that language was used, there were no women on the phone." The Federal Communications Commission, which regulates television licenses, has been more willing in recent years to fine stations for airing unplanned and unexpected swear words on television, such as during live awards shows. A pending Supreme Court case could overturn those rules in a decision expected by June. Like the Illinois Senate on Tuesday, during November 2008 oral arguments before the court in Fox v. FCC no one used any of the specific "fleeting expletives" in question. Solicitor General Gregory Garre came the closest, arguing the FCC had an obligation to prevent "Big Bird dropping the F-bomb on 'Sesame Street'."
http://benton.org/node/21355
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EFF QUESTIONS YOUTUBE CLIPS ON WHITE HOUSE SITE
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: Wendy Davis]
President Barack Obama's use of YouTube has drawn fire from the digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation, which is questioning whether it poses a threat to people's online privacy. "Overall, we believe visitors to government Web sites should be able to view official information securely, without fear of being tracked either by the government itself or by third parties such as YouTube," EFF director Cindy Cohn wrote Tuesday in a letter to White House counsel Gregory Craig. "If the government uses the services of private companies, it should make sure that those companies employ the same privacy-protective standards that the government sets for itself." The controversy stems from the embedding of YouTube clips on WhiteHouse.gov. Obama is putting weekly addresses on YouTube and the clips are embedded on WhiteHouse.gov Since 2000, the federal government has eschewed the use of persistent cookies without prior approval by an agency secretary. But Google's YouTube sets persistent cookies, including hard-to-delete "flash" cookies, on the computers of people who stream clips. The company says it does so for several reasons, including the accurate tracking of view counts.
http://benton.org/node/21354
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PAPERS MUST CHARGE FOR WEBSITES TO SURVIVE
[SOURCE: Online Journalism Review, AUTHOR: Gerry Storch]
[Comentary] You don't get free gas from a gas station. You don't get free meals from a restaurant. So why is the newspaper industry the only one in America that is expected to give its product ... in its electronic version ... away for free? Wrestling with that question will determine the fate of this nation's newspapers. Our answer: except for the "Big Four" national players, newspapers will not survive unless they 1) convert out of print and totally into the Internet, 2) confine themselves to local news and, most importantly, 3) charge for it.
http://benton.org/node/21350
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HARD NEWS ON TV DRAWS MAJOR RATINGS
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Rebecca Dana]
Even as many news programs face a postelection audience drop-off, "serious" television news is drawing serious ratings this winter, with viewers flocking to shows like CBS's "60 Minutes" and PBS's "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer." This interrupts a decade-long drift of viewers away from hard news toward softer fare. Executives and producers credit high interest in all things Obama, as well as a raft of major developments in the economy and the Middle East that demand longer attention spans from viewers. Eschewing conventional wisdom, which holds that viewers don't like shows about war or the finer points of a bad economy, 60 Minutes has devoted segments to violence in the Middle East and the fallout of the subprime meltdown. Where some news coverage has focused on the celebrity of President Obama and his family, it has hewed to the substance of the president's policy.
http://benton.org/node/21370
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LIMBAUGH IS TALK HOST KING, NOT LEADER OF GOP
[SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle, AUTHOR: Joe Garofoli]
[Commentary] President Obama has made his first tactical error of his young presidency: He called out conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh. In citing Limbaugh as influential, the president of the United States elevated a talk show host to his level - the leader of the free world. And in a leadership vacuum like the one that conservatives find themselves in after last November's devastating electoral losses, loud voices - like Limbaugh's with his 13 million weekly listeners - echo even louder. But while an Oval Office shout-out may temporarily elevate a man who refers to himself as El Rushbo, it doesn't make Limbaugh the de facto leader of the Republican Party or the conservative movement. He is, analysts say, a "conveyer belt" of information, influencer of the wider talk radio universe and an outside-the-Beltway party whip who reins in wayward Republicans - as in those veering toward political moderation. "Whenever a national party is in search of its identity, its mojo, figures like Rush will fill the vacuum," said Mike Franc, a vice president for government relations at the conservative Heritage Foundation. "But in this situation, he doesn't fill the idea. He's more of an idea aggregator."
http://benton.org/node/21369
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NEW ADMINISTRATION DOMINATES NEWS DURING INAUGURATION WEEK
[SOURCE: Project for Excellence in Journalism, AUTHOR: Mark Jurkowitz]
Thanks to nearly non-stop coverage of an historic inauguration held amid major foreign and domestic crises, the new Obama administration dominated the news agenda last week, overwhelming every other story. Coverage of Obama's transformation from President-elect to President filled 45% of the time on TV and radio and space in print and online the week of Jan. 19-25, as measured by the News Coverage Index from the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. This made it the biggest weekly story since the voters went to the polls on Nov. 4.
http://benton.org/node/21351
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FCC REFORM
COPPS DE-MARTINIZING THE FCC, BEGINS INTERNAL REFORMS
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Matthew Lasar]
Michael Copps is only the interim chair of the Federal Communications Commission, but judging by the comments made to the agency's staff on Monday, the FCC's senior Democrat clearly has no interest in playing bench warmer. Chairman Copps' remarks should be read as a call for the Commission to begin reforming itself, becoming more open and useful to the public, or the "stakeholders," as he calls the public. "And when I say stakeholders, I include not just the industries that we regulate but, more importantly, all citizens -- and here let me once again underline the word 'all'," Chairman Copps insisted. "Regardless of whether a person is rich or poor, lives in a rural or urban area or on tribal lands, in affluence or is struggling just to get by, whether they have a disability or are senior citizens or college students, they are -- each and every one of them -- a stakeholder. The spectrum is theirs and the rest of us are stewards." It's been a long time since the FCC's boss talked like that.
http://benton.org/node/21353
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COPPS RESPONDS TO MCDOWELL ON FCC REFORM
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: FCC Chairman Michael Copps]
In a letter to Federal Communications Commission colleague Robert McDowell, FCC Chairman Michael Copps thanked McDowell for his enthusiasm for FCC reform and, especially, updating the agency's IT system and website. Chairman Copps said construction of a more user-friendly digital television web site could help facilitate the DTV transition. As chairman, Copps said he will try to schedule all FCC open meetings as near as possible to the first Thursday of each month. Chairman Copps passed on Commissioner McDowell's proposals to revisit the agency's strategic plan and conduct "very extensive Commission audits"; he said that those are matters best handled by the next permanent FCC chair.
http://benton.org/node/21367
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FURTH NAMED ACTING CHIEF OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY ND HOMELAND SECURITY BUREAU
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Copps announced that David Furth will be the Acting Chief of the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau. Since September 2006, Mr. Furth has served as Associate Bureau Chief of the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau. In this capacity, he has played a lead role on a variety of legal and policy issues in the Bureau, including the 800 MHz rebanding proceeding and the 700 MHz public safety broadband proceeding. Prior to that time, Mr. Furth was Associate Bureau Chief and Counsel in the FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. He joined the FCC in 1992. Furth becomes the Acting Bureau Chief effective at close of business on January 30, 2009.
http://benton.org/node/21352
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
GOOGLE LETS USERS SEARCH FOR INTERNET BLOCKERS
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Kim Dixon]
On Wednesday, Google unveiled a plan aimed at eventually letting computer users determine whether providers like Comcast Corp are inappropriately blocking or slowing their work online. The scheme is the latest bid in the debate over network neutrality, which pits content companies like Google against some Internet service providers. The ISPs say they need to take reasonable steps to manage ever-growing traffic on their networks for the good of all users. Content and applications companies fear the providers have the power to discriminate, favoring some traffic over others. Google will provide academic researchers with 36 servers in 12 locations in the United States and Europe to analyze data, said its chief Internet guru, Vint Cerf, known as the "father of the Internet."
http://benton.org/node/21368
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THE TANGLED WEB OF UNIVERSAL BROADBAND
[SOURCE: NetworkWorld, AUTHOR: Johna Till Johnson]
[Commentary] Universal broadband: Love the idea, but fear the devil is in the details: who is going to pay, what they're paying for, how the money is to be collected, and who's going to build out the infrastructure. House and Senate versions of the stimulus bill differ. The House bill proposes an investment of roughly $6 billion, while the Senate bill is for $8 billion; and the House bill earmarks roughly half of the funds to be administered by the Rural Utility Service. Both bills call for "net neutrality" requirements for infrastructure providers. Then there's the open question of what, if any, role the Universal Service Fund will play.
http://benton.org/node/21365
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AT&T, VERIZON MAKE DIFFERENT CALLS
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Amol Sharma]
As the recession speeds the decline of the traditional phone business, AT&T and Verizon are pursuing different strategies as they try to outflank one another. AT&T is staking its growth largely on the wireless market by aggressively marketing high-end devices such as the iPhone, while Verizon is pushing premium television services to homeowners. Industry observers say it is too early to tell which strategy will pay more dividends. While AT&T has taken a conservative tack, Verizon's FiOS gambit has always been more of a risk financially because it will take time to generate healthy margins on the video business. FiOS is expected to generate positive cash flow for the first time in 2009. But long term, Verizon's ability to offer TV as part of a bundle of TV, phone and Internet services may give it a leg up in the battle against cable providers for customers.
http://benton.org/node/21371
Related storyAT&T slows U-verse buildout, remains committed to video
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WEB 3.0: APTURE
[SOURCE: Media is Plural, AUTHOR: Rory O'Connor]
It is often said that military planners prepare "to fight the last war." The same is true of many in the media. Faced with disruptive new technology, media makers often respond initially by attempting to recreate familiar, previously dominant media. Old models and metaphors are grafted onto the new medium until someone eventually comes up with a conceptual breakthrough that emphasizes and enables its unique qualities. So it is not surprising that the Web — still in its infancy — has emulated previous media forms, from books and newspapers to radio and television. Despite all the new technologies and applications associated with the Web, we still essentially approach 'new media' content in much the same way as that still found in the 'old media.' Apture.com intends to change all that.
http://benton.org/node/21348
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PRIVACY
OPEN MIC COALITION FILES SHAREHOLDER RESOLUTIONS WITH INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS ON FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND PRIVACY
[SOURCE: Open MIC, AUTHOR: Press release]
Members of a coalition of investors have filed shareholder resolutions with 10 publicly-held U.S. providers of Internet access, urging corporate boards to report on the impact of the companies' Internet network management practices on public expectations of freedom of expression and privacy. The resolutions, which are intended for consideration at the companies' 2009 annual shareholder meetings, call on the board of each ISP to issue a report examining the effects of the company's Internet network management practices on the public's expectations of privacy and freedom of expression on the Internet. The investor coalition includes the New York City Pension Funds and leading socially responsible investment firms Trillium Asset Management Corp., Boston Common Asset Management, Calvert Asset Management Company, Domini Social Investments, Harrington Investments and the As You Sow Foundation. The coalition will seek support from additional shareholders in voting for the resolutions. The New York City Pension Funds collectively hold more than 10.5 million shares in the six ISPs where they are the lead filer.
http://benton.org/node/21349
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NARC HOPES TO CURTAIL PRIVACY LAWS WITH BIGGER BOARD
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: Wendy Davis]
As part of a far-ranging effort to head off new online privacy laws, the National Advertising Review Council said Tuesday that it added Interactive Advertising Bureau President and CEO Randall Rothenberg to the board of directors. Also joining the group's board are Direct Marketing Association President and CEO John Greco, Jr., and the Electronic Retailing Association President and CEO Julie Coons, bringing the total number of board members to 11. The new appointments mark the board's first expansion since the group was formed in 1971. In the past, the group has scrutinized Web ads for truthfulness, but has not tackled whether online ads violate people's privacy. But with the new board members, the council hopes to develop self-regulatory standards for marketers that use behavioral targeting, often defined as tracking people as they navigate the Web and serving them ads based on the sites they've visited.
http://benton.org/node/21344
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AS THE MARKET TUMBLES, CYBERTHIEVES LOG ON
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Byron Acohido, Jon Swartz]
Cybercriminals have launched a massive new wave of Internet-based schemes to steal personal data and carry out financial scams in an effort to take advantage of the fear and confusion created by tumbling financial markets, security specialists say. The schemes — often involving online promotions touting fake computer virus protection, get-rich scams and funny or lurid videos — already were rising last fall when financial markets took a dive. With consumers around the world panicking, the number of scams on the Web soared. The number of malicious programs circulating on the Internet tripled to more than 31,000 a day in mid-September, coinciding with the sudden collapse of the U.S. financial sector, according to Panda Security, an Internet security firm.
http://benton.org/node/21364
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QUICKLY
COMMISSIONER MCDOWELL AT THE MEDIA INSTITUTE LUNCHEON
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell]
Federal Communications Commission member Robert McDowell spoke at The Media Institute on Wednesday warning that re-imposition of the Fairness Doctrine could undermine the justification for existing localism and children's TV regulations, and could be used against public radio. He spoke at length about the doctrine's origins and its use by both Democrats and Republicans against their opponents. He said he did not know whether recent calls for its return would bear fruit, but felt it was a good time to talk to his audience--of media executives, lobbyists, journalists and others--about its creation, its historical abuses, and the legal difficulties involved with restoring it and trying to enforce it. The fairness doctrine, which was scrapped by the FCC in 1987, required broadcasters to air both sides of controversial issues. He suggested the doctrine could be woven into the fabric of policy initiatives with names like localism, diversity or network neutrality.
http://benton.org/node/21366
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GENERATIONS ONLINE IN 2009
[SOURCE: Pew Internet & American Life Project, AUTHOR: Sydney Jones, Susannah Fox]
Over half of the adult Internet population is between 18 and 44 years old. But larger percentages of older generations are online now than in the past, and they are doing more activities online, according to surveys taken from 2006-2008. Contrary to the image of Generation Y as the "Net Generation," Internet users in their 20s do not dominate every aspect of online life. Generation X is the most likely group to bank, shop, and look for health information online. Boomers are just as likely as Generation Y to make travel reservations online. And even Silent Generation Internet users are competitive when it comes to email (although teens might point out that this is proof that email is for old people).
http://benton.org/node/21343
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NETBOOKS COULD BE THE NEXT HIT CELL PHONES
[SOURCE: Fortune, AUTHOR: Jon Fortt]
AT&T's next hit phone might not be a phone at all, but a netbook with built-in Internet access that works anywhere you can get a cell signal. Get ready for the clincher: Sign up for a two-year contract, and you might get your new PC for $99 or less. The upshot is that the "free phone" phenomenon that helped make handsets ubiquitous in the U.S. isn't just for phones anymore.
http://benton.org/node/21346
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CONNECTED NATION ADDS PARTNERS
[SOURCE: Connected Nation, AUTHOR: Press release]
Connected Nation's National Advisory Council has just added: American Academy of Nursing, American Homeowners Grassroots Alliance, Cisco, Dell, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), Internet Innovation Alliance (IIA), Microsoft. Members support Connected Nation's efforts to "improve digital inclusion for all people - especially in terms of access to and use of broadband and related technology."
http://benton.org/node/21345
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CONSUMER INTEREST IN PAID CONTENT WANES: DELOITTE CONSULTING
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Linda Haugsted]
consumer interest in paying for content via the Internet has softened significantly in the last year, according to research on global consumer behavior done annually by Deloitte Consulting. During last year's iteration, 37% of respondents indicated that they were inclined to pay for content, but that ratio dropped to 26% in this year's survey.
http://benton.org/node/21363
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