February 2011

Less than two weeks away from the conference for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), representatives from the organization's Government Advisory Committee have rejected a US Department of Commerce proposal that would give GAC members veto power over new domain endings. The Department of Commerce plan would have allowed governments to object to a generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) "for any reason." On top of that, "if it is the consensus position of the GAC not to oppose objection[s] raised by a GAC member or members, ICANN shall reject the application," the proposal added. Critics like information studies Professor Milton Mueller of Syracuse University warned that the provision would let individual governments scrap gTLDs like .humanrights or .gay. But the GAC's scorecard on recommendations to ICANN proposes government "advice" rather than veto power over gTLDs.

In a letter to the leadership of both the House and Senate Commerce Committees, National Association of Broadcasters President Gordon Smith wrote that Congress should look into what NAB calls spectrum speculation and/or hoarding by satellite and cable companies, singling out Dish Network and Time Warner Cable.

Smith referred to various reports that cable and satellite operators are warehousing spectrum, and have admitted as much on calls with investors, while the government is asking broadcasters to give up more than a third of their remaining spectrum holdings (120 MHz) for wireless broadband. The issue has gained momentum with the President's call for a National Wireless Plan to reach 98% of Americans with 4G wireless broadband within five years. Smith said broadcasters would not oppose voluntarily relinquishing spectrum, but would strongly oppose a forcible return and forced relocation to bandwidth that would "harm viewers ability to receive full high-definition TV, niche programming choices via multicasting, and live and local mobile digital television." The FCC is proposing to move broadcasters into the VHF band, where reception is not as good as UHF for DTV signals. The commission is also looking for ways to improve VHF. Smith recommended that the Government Accountability Office review Spectrum hoarding/speculation to find out how companies and government are "using or warehousing" spectrum.

[Commentary] Every year in North Carolina, at least a few members of the state Legislature introduce a bill that would crush community broadband networks in favor of large telecom and cable companies. One way they attempt this is by asserting that all community networks fail. Truth is, of the more than 80 community networks in the U.S., only a few have closed down. Communities need to come together to stand behind — and beside — North Carolina communities as they fight legislation that aims to quash their community networks. At the same time, communities should move their own plans forward. If you want better broadband, it’s up to you to get it.

While the explosion of social media on the Hill has become an excellent way for lawmakers to get their message to constituents, digesting the messages coming in has become a tedious, time-consuming effort that yields little payoff, staffers say. Despite the complaints simmering among the faces behind congressional Facebook pages and Twitter accounts, social media maintenance is a task that’s here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future. The biggest problem with social media, aides say, is that it’s nearly impossible to identify anyone.