Subject: [Benton's Communications-related Headlines] June 13, 2007 (Universal Service)

From: Kevin Taglang <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 07:22:34 -0500

TEN YEARS AGO...

TV Broadcasters Gain Ground in Effort To Delay Return of Licenses for Auction
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal 6/13/1997, AUTHOR: Bryan Gruley]
Ten years ago, the House Commerce Committee 
adopted a provision that would let television 
broadcasters keep their second spectrum licenses 
-- for the digital television transition -- 
beyond the FCC's 2006 deadline in areas where 5% 
or more of households continued to rely solely on 
over-the-air analog TV signals.  Critics warned 
that extensions would slow the transition to 
digital TV, lower the amount of money the 
government would  raise in auctions, and enable 
broadcasters to limit competition since they've 
got all the licenses: "if broadcasters get to 
hold on to both blocks of spectrum, nobody else 
can have it, which means no [new] competition," 
said Gigi Sohn then with the Media Access 
Project. Supporters of the provision believed 
that it protected consumers who couldn't afford 
new digital TVs or set top boxes.
http://online.wsj.com/PA2VJBNA4R/snippet/SB86615962496404500-search.html
(requires $2.95 purchase)

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for 
WEDNESDAY JUNE 13, 2007 (Happy 5th Birthday, Dylan!)

UNIVERSAL SERVICE
	U.S. Senators Fight Plan to Limit Rural Phone Funds
	A wireless lifeline

INTERNET/BROADBAND
	Telecom Chief Says Net Tax Ban Is Critical
	Maine Is First State in Nation to Pass Net Neutrality Resolve
	Rep. Boucher's Bill Would OK Muni Services

SPECTRUM POLICY
	Saving the last beachfront spectrum
	Sen. Kerry: Open the Airwaves for a Better Internet

BROADCASTING
	‘This is not a test’ — It is time to prepare 
Americans for looming DTV transition
	FCC’s Re-Chartering of Consumer Advisory Committee; No Broadcasters Included
	Broadcasters' Service

OWNERSHIP
	Bancrofts Warm to Murdoch's Offer
	Durbin seeks prompt FCC action regarding Tribune Co. sale
	Teamsters Call on FCC to Protect Diverse and Local Viewpoints at Tribune
	Cable Wants to Colonize Your TV: Consumer Groups Ask FCC for Help
	Rebuffed Rogers Buys Stations

JOURNALISM
	Internet, cable fail to increase knowledge of current affairs
	Paris Has the Media Burning
	Blair Compares News Media to ‘Feral Beast’ in Angry Parting Shot

QUICKLY -- Secret Surveillance Evidence Unsealed 
in AT&T Spying Case; Bush Aides Helped Respond to 
Firings, E-Mails Show; Localism Hearing in Portland, Maine on June 28

UNIVERSAL SERVICE

US SENATORS FIGHT PLAN TO LIMIT RURAL PHONE FUNDS
[SOURCE: Bloomberg, AUTHOR: Molly Peterson [email-masked]]
US senators from largely rural states said they 
oppose a proposal by regulators to set new limits 
on some government subsidies of telephone 
service. The Federal-State Joint Board on 
Universal Service suggested last month that the 
Federal Communications Commission  should impose 
an 18-month "emergency cap" on subsidies to new 
wireless carriers to rein in "explosive growth" 
in the Universal Service Fund's High Cost 
Program. The board consists of three FCC 
Commissioners and state regulators from Oregon, 
Florida, Indiana, Vermont and West Virginia. The 
High Cost Program, which subsidizes phone 
networks in rural areas and other underserved 
regions, is growing at an unsustainable rate, FCC 
Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate, who heads the 
joint board, told the Senate Commerce Committee. 
The subsidies, funded by surcharges on consumers' 
phone bills, grew to $4 billion in 2006 from $2.6 
billion in 2001, with payments to newer wireless 
carriers accounting for most of the growth. Under 
the plan, subsidies for "competitive" carriers, 
mostly newer wireless providers, would be frozen 
at 2006 levels. Without the cap, subsidies for 
those carriers will grow to $1.28 billion this 
year and almost $2 billion in 2008,  Commissioner Tate said.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601204&sid=aDGMQCECzXkk&refer=technology
* Senators In Both Parties Pan FCC's Plan For USF
Senate lawmakers from both parties sharply 
criticized the FCC on Tuesday for changes that it 
wants to make to the universal service fund and 
urged the agency to take the lead on a 
comprehensive overhaul. The rancor revealed 
dissension over how to update the fund, which 
subsidizes telecommunications offerings in rural 
and low-income regions nationwide. "Someone is 
putting their head in the ground. This is an 
ostrich approach as far as I'm concerned," Ted 
Stevens of Alaska, the ranking Republican on the 
Senate Commerce Committee, complained during a 
hearing. He presided in lieu of Chairman Daniel 
Inouye (D-Hawaii). Sen Stevens was one of several 
lawmakers to blast a May 1 recommendation by the 
FCC's Joint Federal-State Board on Universal 
Service to temporarily cap USF subsidies flowing 
to competitive telecom carriers, mostly wireless firms.
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/
* Lawmakers Criticize FCC's Tate Over USF Reform Proposal
http://news.morningstar.com/news/ViewNews.asp?article=/DJ/200706121223DOWJONESDJONLINE000454_univ.xml&Cat=Industrials
* Senators oppose plan to curb phone taxes
http://news.com.com/Senators+oppose+plan+to+curb+phone+taxes/2100-1039_3-6190596.html?tag=html.alert.hed
-- Links to remarks made at the hearing
* Chairman Inouye: "[W]e cannot let short-term 
proposals free us from the need to address 
long-term reform.  If comprehensive reform 
requires a more vigorous review of the identical 
support rule or any other aspect of existing 
policy, we should proceed down that road. After 
all, ensuring the long-term sufficiency and 
stability of the universal service fund means 
ensuring that all of our citizens have the 
communications capabilities they need to compete in the global economy."
http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Statement&Statement_ID=263
* Sen Snowe (R-Maine) podcast
http://src.senate.gov/public/_files/radio/snoweuniversalfund06_12_07.mp3
* FCC Commissioner Tate:
http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Testimony&Hearing_ID=1873&Witness_ID=6105
* More
http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=1873

A WIRELESS LIFELINE
[SOURCE: Washington Times 6/12, AUTHOR: Jonathan Foxman, Chinook Wireless]
[Commentary] A political battle is underway in 
Washington, and the implications for public 
safety in rural America must be recognized. 
Wireless service is critical to effective public 
safety and is relied upon by citizens and first 
responders, especially in rural and remote 
regions of the country. Yet despite the need for 
more wireless service in less populated areas, 
the Federal Communications Commission is 
considering a recommendation that could slow or 
stop the expansion of wireless service in areas where it is needed most.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20070611-085926-9512r.htm
-- See also --
* FCC fund freeze could signal bad news
http://www.pjstar.com/stories/061207/BUS_BDFQGMUV.004.php
* Wireless funding cap can hurt rural areas
http://www.roanoke.com/editorials/commentary/wb/120335

INTERNET/BROADBAND

TELECOM CHIEF SAYS NET TAX BAN IS CRITICAL
[SOURCE: Technology Daily 6/8, AUTHOR: David Hatch]
National Telecommunications and Information 
Administration head John Kneuer, the top 
telecommunications adviser to the Bush 
administration said it is "absolutely critical" 
that Congress temporarily or permanently extend 
the Internet tax moratorium. The ban, set to 
expire Nov. 1, prohibits states and localities 
from taxing Internet access or imposing 
discriminatory fees on service providers. It was 
originally adopted in 1998 and was last extended 
in 2004. Bills have been offered in both chambers 
to maintain the prohibition. During a speech at a 
broadband policy conference, Assistant Commerce 
Secretary Kneuer said continuing the moratorium 
would enable companies to recoup their 
investments in high-speed Internet infrastructure 
without facing "legacy" regulations. He also 
rejected the view that the broadband marketplace 
is dominated by a telecom-cable duopoly, instead 
arguing that emerging technologies such as 
broadband over power lines will ensure multiple 
"pipes" into homes. Regarding telecom networks 
run by municipalities, Kneuer said, "If you're 
going to put public capital in competition with 
private capital, you ought to have a really good 
reason to do that." Noting that some municipal 
networks have not met expectations, he emphasized 
that if localities decide to offer 
communications, they should not receive special regulatory treatment.
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/2007/06/telecom_chief_says_net_tax_ban.html

MAINE IS FIRST STATE IN NATION TO PASS NET NEUTRALITY RESOLVE
[SOURCE: maineinternetfreedom.com press release]
A diverse coalition of Mainers applauded the 
enactment today of the first net neutrality 
resolve in the nation. The resolution, LD 1675, 
recognizes the importance of “full, fair and 
non-discriminatory access to the Internet” and 
instructs the Public Advocate to study what can 
be done to protect the rights of Maine Internet 
users. "Maine is the first state in the nation to 
stand up for its citizens' rights to a 
nondiscriminatory Internet," said Senator Ethan 
Strimling, the original sponsor of LD 1675. "The 
rest of the nation should follow suit and study 
what can be done to protect net neutrality." 
“Maine is once again leading the way in 
protecting the rights of its citizens,” said 
Shenna Bellows, Executive Director of the Maine 
Civil Liberties Union. “This resolution will help 
re-establish the Internet as the free and open 
arena of democracy it was always intended to be.” 
Advocates say that restoring net neutrality is 
essential to protecting the right of Internet 
users to access the information they choose. "Net 
neutrality principles are key to keeping control 
of the Internet in the hands of the people," said 
Chellie Pingree. "With this resolution, the 
Legislature has put the needs of Mainers before 
the needs of the telecom companies."
http://www.maineinternetfreedom.com/node/57
* Links to coverage at:
http://www.mainewebreport.com/2007/06/12/telco-lobbyists-thwarted-as-net-neutrality-resolution-passes/

REP BOUCHER'S BILL WOULD OK MUNI SERVICES
[SOURCE: Technology Daily 6/8, AUTHOR: David Hatch]
Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA) soon will introduce 
legislation permitting local governments to offer 
telecommunications service, including wireless, 
high-speed Internet access and wireline telephone 
connections. The bill, already being drafted, 
mostly would benefit small communities in rural 
areas, such as towns in the rural southwestern 
Virginia district represented by Boucher. "These 
barriers need to be lifted," he said. "For a 
small investment, an efficient service can now be 
provided where no service was before," he said. 
Rep Boucher, a senior member of both the House 
Energy and Commerce and Judiciary committees, 
later said that he hopes to line up a Republican 
co-sponsor for the measure. "A lot of states 
prohibit their local governments from doing 
this," he said when asked why federal 
intervention is needed. The measure would be 
targeted to areas that lack various services or 
have only one provider, Rep Boucher said. "But my 
bill is not limited just to that scope. My bill 
would say any local government across the country 
is free to offer commercial telecom services."
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/2007/06/rep_bouchers_bill_would_ok_mun.html

SPECTRUM POLICY

SAVING THE LAST BEACHFRONT SPECTRUM
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Vanu Bose]
[Commentary] The Federal Communications 
Commission has just issued proposals for 
auctioning 700MHz spectrum, which is being called 
the "last beachfront spectrum." These airwaves 
are "beachfront" because the laws of physics make 
them very useful, both to send signals and to 
penetrate walls, allowing signals to be received 
inside buildings. With the upcoming auction of 
these valuable airwaves, we have the opportunity 
to address a critical unmet public need: 
nationwide, interoperable public safety 
communications. However, building a new 
nationwide interoperable network would be a 
significant burden on the U.S. Treasury, which is 
why I support the proposal by Frontline Wireless 
in which my company, Vanu, is a partner. 
Frontline's proposal would ensure that whoever 
wins part of this spectrum would provide free 
build-out for public safety users of a national, 
IP-based network for interoperability and provide 
access to adjacent commercial spectrum when 
needed during emergencies. Too often, rights to 
use spectrum are monopolized by a small number of 
large companies, which slows innovation and hurts 
both public safety and consumers. Let's ensure 
that part of the price of acquiring this spectrum 
involves solving our most pressing public safety communications problems.
http://news.com.com/Saving+the+last+beachfront+spectrum/2010-1033_3-6190469.html?tag=nefd.top

SEN KERRY: OPEN THE AIRWAVES FOR A BETTER INTERNET
[SOURCE: savetheinternet.com]
In a June 12 letter to FCC Chairman Martin, Sen. 
John Kerry (D-MA) urged the Federal 
Communications Commission to ensure that the 
public airwaves be used to make the Internet 
“more competitive, affordable and widespread.” He 
writes: "Competition [in America] has been 
insufficient to drive the innovation that brings 
faster speeds, next generation applications and a 
richer, diverse and multifaceted Internet." Sen 
Kerry cited recent reports showing the United 
States has fallen behind much of the world in 
broadband penetration. “Nearly 60% of the country 
does not subscribe to broadband service -- in 
large measure because it is either unavailable or 
unaffordable,” Sen Kerry wrote. “The 700 MHz 
auction could put this country one step closer to 
achieving ubiquitous Internet access throughout America."
http://www.savetheinternet.com/blog/2007/06/12/sen-kerry-open-the-airwaves-for-a-better-internet/ 

* Kerry Asks FCC to Level Playing Field in Fight 
for Prime Broadband Real Estate (press release)
http://kerry.senate.gov/cfm/record.cfm?id=276520
-- See also --
* Limiting Participation in the Upcoming 700 MHz 
Auction Will Increase Competition
http://www.publicknowledge.org/node/1004

BROADCASTING

'THIS IS NOT A TEST' -- IT IS TIME TO PREPARE 
AMERICANS FOR LOOMING DTV TRANSITION
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Rep. John Dingell (D-MI)]
[Commentary] On Feb. 17, 2009, as our country 
makes the switch from an analog broadcasting 
system to a digital one, television sets all 
across the country will simply stop working. In 
just 20 months, televisions currently receiving 
analog signals over the air will need additional 
equipment in order to receive the new digital 
signals. Households that are not prepared could 
be left in the dark, cut off from a vital source 
of local news and safety information. Few 
Americans are aware of the upcoming nationwide 
transition from analog to digital broadcasting, 
and, to date, there is little sign that the 
federal agencies responsible for informing 
consumers have developed a plan to do so. The 
present lack of leadership, direction and focus 
at the federal level on informing and preparing 
Americans for the analog cut off may jeopardize 
the entire transition. The key problem is that 
over the last decade the Republican majority 
authored DTV transition laws that satisfied 
budget priorities instead of protecting 
consumers. If we do not begin to take action, the 
burden of the DTV transition will fall 
predominantly on poor, elderly and minority 
Americans. It is time for the appropriate federal 
agencies -- the Federal Communications Commission 
and the Department of Commerce’s National 
Telecommunications and Information Administration 
-- to meet their responsibility to help educate 
and prepare all Americans for this potentially 
disruptive change in our broadcasting system.
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/this-is-not-a-test--it-is-time-to-prepare-americans-for-looming-dtv-transition-2007-06-13.html

FCC'S RECHARTERING OF CONSUMER ADVISORY COMMITTEE; NO BROADCASTERS INCLUDED
[SOURCE: House of Representatives Commerce Committee]
The following is a statement by Rep. John D. 
Dingell, Chairman of the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce, in response to the FCC’s announcement 
on the re-chartering of its consumer advisory 
committee: “The Federal Communications Commission 
has re-chartered its long-standing consumer 
advisory committee to focus on the digital 
television transition,” said Chairman Dingell. 
“It is most curious, however, that there is no 
representative from the broadcasting industry on 
a committee that is supposed to advise on policy 
affecting the digital television transition. I 
hope the Commission will consider correcting this 
omission as it proceeds, and I look forward to 
receiving its full consumer education plan shortly.”
http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_110/110nr40.shtml
* Broadcaster Missing From FCC DTV Advisory Committee
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6451512.html?rssid=193

BROADCASTERS' SERVICE
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: David K. Rehr, NAB]
[Commentary] The President of the National 
Association of broadcasters uses a letter to the 
editor to remind us, hey, broadcasters are 
people, too: "Broadcasters go to enormous lengths 
to fulfill our role as a lifeline during times of 
crisis. When a child is kidnapped, local stations 
make the difference between life and death by 
broadcasting Amber alerts, an initiative launched 
voluntarily by broadcasters that has resulted in 
the recovery of more than 250 children 
nationwide. During catastrophic events, 
broadcasters are first informers, disseminating 
critical, often lifesaving information. After 
disaster strikes, local stations and our network 
partners spearhead recovery efforts, mobilizing 
communities through public service announcements 
and fund-raising drives. Broadcasters also keep 
voters informed during the campaign season, 
devoting thousands of hours to news, public 
affairs, candidate forums and debates. Research 
by reputable pollsters has found repeatedly that 
voters believe that TV and radio stations do a 
good job covering elections. Broadcasters take 
our role as stewards of the airwaves seriously. 
We will proudly match our public service 
commitment against that of any business in America."
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/13/opinion/l13airwaves.html
(requires registration)

OWNERSHIP

BANCROFTS WARM TO MURDOCH'S OFFER
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Frank Ahrens]
If Rupert Murdoch can assure the family owners of 
Dow Jones that he will not meddle in the news 
coverage of the Wall Street Journal, the family 
will tell the company's board of directors it can 
start negotiating a sale price with the media 
mogul. A slim majority of the Bancroft family, 
which has controlling ownership of Dow Jones, 
which publishes the Journal, rejected Murdoch's 
$5 billion offer for the company about a month 
ago, one day after the offer was made public. 
Since then, however, market conditions and 
Murdoch's own appeals have helped the 
sometimes-fractious family see the merits of the 
bid. As early as today, the 35-member, 
three-generation Bancroft family plans to send a 
proposal to Murdoch's News Corp. that outlines 
requirements for a buffer guaranteeing that the 
Pulitzer Prize-winning Journal could continue to 
conduct reporting that is sometimes critical of 
Murdoch's media empire and business interests.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/12/AR2007061202087.html
(requires registration)

DURBIN SEEKS PROMPT FCC ACTION REGARDING TRIBUNE CO SALE
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Dennis Conrad]
Senate Democratic leaders met Tuesday with 
Tribune Co. officials and its prospective buyer 
over concerns that federal regulators have not 
issued a decision regarding the company's 
ownership of different media in the same markets. 
Chicago real estate billionaire Sam Zell, who 
wants to take Tribune private in an $8.2 billion 
deal, described the meeting as "wonderful" after 
leaving the Capitol office of Sen. Dick Durbin, 
Illinois' highest ranking member of Congress. 
Nearly a month ago, Sen Durbin wrote a joint 
letter with Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) that urged 
the FCC to make prompt decisions regarding the 
sale. It was signed by most members of Illinois' 
congressional delegation. "There's a lot at stake 
here -- 20,000 employees, their future, is on the 
line," Durbin, the Senate's majority whip and 
second-highest ranking Democrat, said Tuesday, 
complaining that there has been no FCC response to the delegation's letter.
http://apexchange.typepad.com/industry_news/2007/06/durbin_seeks_pr.html

TEAMSTERS CALL ON FCC TO PROTECT DIVERSE AND LOCAL VIEWPOINTS AT TRIBUNE
[SOURCE: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release]
The Teamsters Union filed comments with the 
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) urging 
the agency to make sure local and diverse views 
are protected before granting consent for the 
sale of the Tribune Company TRB and approving 
waivers of the Commission's cross-ownership 
rules. "The proposed Tribune ownership structure 
may well impede the FCC's mission to protect 
diverse viewpoints and promote localism," said 
James P. Hoffa, General President of the 
International Brotherhood of Teamsters. 
"Including a voice for employee owners is 
necessary to tie the interests of the company to 
the local communities it serves."
http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.aspx?Feed=PR&Date=20070612&ID=7024719

CABLE WANTS TO COLONIZE YOUR TV: CONSUMER GROUPS ASK FCC FOR HELP
[SOURCE: Public Knowledge, AUTHOR: John Bergmayer]
How would you like it if, to get on the Internet, 
you had to run an operating system and browser of 
your ISP’s choice? If that were the case, we'd 
probably all be running Windows ME and Netscape 
4. Would you like it if your ISP could take over 
your browser, providing you with “important” 
information and targeted advertising? Of course 
not. When it comes to the Internet, almost 
everyone realizes that it makes no sense to hand 
control over the software you use to access a 
network over to the network operator. Choice, 
competition, and openness lead to innovation, 
which leads to superior products and a better 
experience for everyone. But openness has always 
been missing from the cable TV network. And if 
the cable industry gets its way with a new 
technology called “OCAP,” it’s going to further 
increase its control over the network. It wants 
to mandate what software all consumer devices 
that receive and decode cable signals must run, 
and it wants control over the look-and-feel of 
the devices that attach to the cable network.
http://feeds.publicknowledge.org/~r/publicknowledge-main/~3/124242630/1006

REBUFFED ROGERS BUYS STATIONS
[SOURCE: Multichannel News]
Rogers Media shifted quickly to plan B, saying 
Tuesday that it agreed to buy five TV stations 
from CTVglobemedia after failing to buy a 
TV-station group from Chum. Rogers, which owns 
Canada’s largest cable operator, said its Rogers 
Broadcasting arm would buy the five Citytv 
stations for $375 million in cash, subject to 
approval by the Canadian Radio-television and 
Telecommunications Commission. The CRTC last week 
nixed Rogers’ plans to buy Chum’s so-called 
A-Channel stations and other programming assets.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6451199.html?rssid=196
* Rogers Media to buy Citytv stations from CTVglobemedia Inc. for $375M cash
http://www.ckwstv.com/news/news.cfm?dir=business&file=b0611170A&n=3

JOURNALISM

INTERNET, CABLE FAIL TO INCREASE KNOWLEDGE OF CURRENT AFFAIRS
[SOURCE: Associated Press]
Americans' knowledge of national and 
international affairs has changed little in two 
decades despite the emergence of 24-hour cable 
news and the Internet as major news sources. 
People surveyed earlier this year were slightly 
less able than those polled in 1989 to name the 
vice president, their state's governor and the 
president of Russia but slightly more able to 
answer other questions correctly about national 
politics, according to a poll by the Pew Research 
Center for the People & the Press. The most 
knowledgeable -- the 34 percent of those surveyed 
who could answer 15 or more of 23 questions 
correctly -- were four times more likely to say 
they enjoyed keeping up with the news "a lot" 
than those who answered nine or less questions 
correctly. More than half of those in the most 
knowledgeable category listed as news sources 
cable TV shows such as the "Daily Show," the 
"Colbert Report" and the "O'Reilly Factor," major 
newspaper Web sites, the "PBS NewsHour with Jim 
Lehrer," Rush Limbaugh's radio show and National 
Public Radio. More than 40 percent of the most 
knowledgeable group said they regularly get 
information from news magazines, local daily 
newspapers, CNN and Web sites Google and Yahoo 
along with and TV news sites on the Internet.
http://www.abqtrib.com/news/2007/jun/11/internet-cable-fail-increase-knowledge-current-aff/

PARIS HAS THE MEDIA BURNING
[SOURCE: Project for Excellence in Journalism, AUTHOR: Mark Jurkowitz]
Paris Hilton’s problems represented only the 
second celebrity tabloid tale this year—the first 
being Anna Nicole Smith’s death—to make the 
roster of top five stories, according to PEJ’s 
News Coverage Index from June 3-8. The saga of 
socialite/party girl Hilton’s release and return 
to prison after serving a few days of what was to 
have been a 23-day sentence for violating drunk 
driving probation was the fifth biggest story of 
the week, filling 4% of the newshole. The Hilton 
tale was covered most heavily in cable (third 
biggest story at 9%) and on radio (fourth story 
at 7%). And the bulk of the attention came late 
in the week. For the two days of June 7 and 8, 
Hilton generated 10% of the overall coverage, 
filling 18% of the radio and 21% of the cable 
airtime. Cable’s attraction to the story was 
clearly illustrated by MSNBC on June 8. Declaring 
“here’s Paris Hilton now,” anchor Contessa Brewer 
abruptly cut away from a discussion of the 
retirement of Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman 
Peter Pace to the scene at Hilton’s home as she 
prepared for her ride back to court.
http://www.journalism.org/node/6001

BLAIR COMPARES NEWS MEDIA TO 'FERAL BEAST' IN ANGRY PARTING SHOT
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Alan Cowell]
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Tony Blair used one of 
his last speeches before he leaves office in 15 
days to settle scores with a press corps he holds 
responsible for hounding, badgering, blustering 
and bludgeoning the nation’s leaders since he 
came to power 10 years ago. “The fear of missing 
out means today’s media, more than ever before, 
hunts in a pack,” he declared in the speech, at 
the Reuters headquarters here. “In these modes it 
is like a feral beast, just tearing people and 
reputations to bits. But no one dares miss out.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/13/world/europe/13britain.html
(requires registration)
* Blair Likens News Media to 'Feral Beast'
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/12/AR2007061200599.html

QUICKLY

SECRET SURVEILLANCE EVIDENCE UNSEALED IN AT&T SPYING CASE
[SOURCE: Electronic Frontier Foundation]
More documents detailing secret government 
surveillance of AT&T's Internet traffic have been 
released to the public as part of the Electronic 
Frontier Foundation's (EFF's) class-action 
lawsuit against the telecom giant. Some of the 
unsealed information was previously made public 
in redacted form. But after negotiations with 
AT&T, EFF has filed newly unredacted documents 
describing a secret, secure room in AT&T's 
facilities that gave the National Security Agency 
(NSA) direct access to customers' emails and 
other Internet communications. These include 
several internal AT&T documents that have long 
been available on media websites, EFF's legal 
arguments to the 9th Circuit, and the full 
declarations of whistleblower Mark Klein and of 
J. Scott Marcus, the former Senior Advisor for 
Internet Technology to the Federal Communications 
Commission, who bolsters and explains EFF's evidence.
http://www.eff.org/news/archives/2007_06.php#005304

BUSH AIDES HELPED RESPOND TO FIRINGS, E-MAILS SHOW
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Dan Eggen]
Then-White House counsel Harriet E. Miers and 
aides to presidential adviser Karl Rove were 
deeply enmeshed in debates over how to respond to 
the firing of a group of U.S. attorneys as early 
as mid-January, when Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) 
questioned the spate of prosecutor departures in 
a Senate floor speech, according to e-mails that 
the Justice Department turned over to the House 
and Senate judiciary committees. The e-mails are 
the latest documents to surface among the 
thousands of pages provided to Congress in last 
year's firing of nine U.S. attorneys. Their 
ouster has prompted a series of investigations 
and led to a failed effort Monday by Senate 
Democrats to stage a vote of no confidence in 
Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales. The new 
records provide a peek at the actions of the 
White House, which has repeatedly refused 
Democratic demands for records and sworn testimony related to the issue.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/12/AR2007061202090.html
(requires registration)

LOCALISM HEARING IN PORTLAND, MAINE JUNE 28
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
The Federal Communications Commission announced 
details of its previously announced Portland, 
Maine localism hearing: Portland High School from 4pm to 11pm.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-273965A1.doc
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Communications-related Headlines is a free online 
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Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted Monday 
through Friday, this service provides updates on 
important industry developments, policy issues, 
and other related news events. While the 
summaries are factually accurate, their often 
informal tone does not always represent the tone 
of the original articles. Headlines are compiled 
by Kevin Taglang [email-masked] -- we welcome your comments.
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The Benton Foundation (www.benton.org) works to 
realize the social benefits made possible by the 
public interest use of communications. Bridging 
the worlds of philanthropy, public policy, and 
community action, Benton seeks to shape the 
emerging communications environment and to 
demonstrate the value of communications for solving social problems.
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Free Press also collects media and media policy 
related headlines that complement well the work 
we are doing. Media Headlines is a free, daily 
news service by Free Press. It includes links to 
articles found on the Free Press News 
Center.  For more information or to sign up, visit http://www.freepress.net

Kevin Taglang
Editor, Communications-related Headlines
Benton Foundation
Communications in the Public Interest
1625 K Street, NW 11th Floor
Washington, DC 20006
headlines AT benton DOT org 

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