Subject: [Benton's Communications-related Headlines] June 6, 2007 (Diversity)

From: Kevin Taglang <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 06 Jun 2007 07:16:39 -0500

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for WEDNESDAY JUNE 6, 2007

OWNERSHIP/DIVERSITY
	Pushed Off the Dial: Media Consolidation Diminishes Diversity on the Radio
	Diversity still an issue at TV networks
	Mexican Court’s Media Ruling Shows Support for Competition

ELECTIONS & MEDIA
	Political Campaigns Just Love the News
	Univision proposes Spanish-language presidential debates

SPECTRUM/WIRELESS
	Spectrum Comments Flood FCC
	Frontline Continues Full-Court Press At The Commish
	Muni Wi-Fi hits wall of economic and political realities
	Bringing public Wi-Fi to small-town America

JOURNALISM
	A Blog Is a Little First Amendment Machine
	Burkle Expresses Interest in Dow Jones
	An Independent Newspaper

MEDIA & CHILDREN
	Children's Exposure to Food Advertising on Television
	Expletive Policy Deleted
	Doll Web Sites Drive Girls to Stay Home and Play

ADVERTISING
	U.S. Advertising Spending Declines -- TV, Newspapers Take the Biggest Hits
	Radio Time to Join List of eBay Items Up for Auction

IN THE STATES
	Cable competition sought
	Internet conduct that crosses the state line?

QUICKLY -- Outside Panel to Scrutinize U.S. 
Arabic TV Network; Skype: 'Locked' phones unfair; An unsafe search

OWNERSHIP/DIVERSITY

PUSHED OFF THE DIAL: MEDIA CONSOLIDATION DIMINISHES DIVERSITY ON RADIO
[SOURCE: Free Press]
As the FCC considers eliminating longstanding 
media ownership limits, Off the Dial exposes how 
these changes could hasten the disappearance of 
the few female- and minority-controlled stations 
on the radio. The report finds that the average 
local radio market has 16 white male-owned radio 
stations -- but just one female-owned station and 
two-minority owned stations. Women own just 6 
percent of all full-power radio stations, even 
though they comprise 51 percent of the 
population. People of color own just 7.7 percent 
of stations but make up 33 percent of the 
population. Off the Dial shows that media 
consolidation is a barrier to ownership 
diversity. Female and minority owners are more 
likely to be local radio station owners and more 
likely to own a single station. Off the Dial also 
found that female and minority owners were more 
likely to have a female president or CEO and employ women as general managers.
http://www.freepress.net/press/release.php?id=242
* FCC is pressured on ownership rules
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-radio6jun06,1,508565.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-business

DIVERSITY STILL AN ISSUE AT TV NETWORKS
[SOURCE:  Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Greg Braxton]
After years of catch-up, multiculturalism seemed 
primed for the major leagues of prime-time 
network TV when the culturally diverse "Heroes" 
and "Ugly Betty" zoomed to hit status in the 
2006-07 season.  Executives charged with 
increasing diversity in front of and behind the 
cameras at the four major networks say the coming 
season demonstrates their continued commitment, 
since most new series contain minorities in 
prominent roles. Among the series attracting 
early diversity buzz is "K-Ville," starring 
Anthony Anderson ("The Shield") as a policeman in 
post-Katrina New Orleans, and "Cane," CBS' drama 
built around a predominantly minority cast. But 
instead of celebrating, leaders from the NAACP, 
in addition to Latino and Asian advocacy groups 
monitoring the TV industry for years, are 
disappointed, saying network television is 
sending mixed messages when it comes to 
diversity. Although they say there is obvious 
progress, they contend the fall lineup, 
particularly when it comes to the new comedies 
and dramas on ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox, falls short 
after what they feel has been positive momentum 
on shows such as "Ugly Betty," "Grey's Anatomy," 
"Heroes" and "Lost." Though minorities are 
featured in most of the 29 new series on the 
major networks, only five feature performers of 
color in central starring roles. While most of 
the shows have at least one regular minority cast 
member, the performers are mostly in support of 
the main white characters. Many shows with 
ensemble casts (ABC's "Dirty Sexy Money" and "Big 
Shots") feature predominantly white casts.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv/la-et-diversity6jun06,1,5441032.story?track=rss
(requires registration)

MEXICAN COURT'S MEDIA RULING SHOWS SUPPORT FOR COMPETITION
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Elisabeth Malkin]
In a defeat for Mexico’s television duopoly, the 
Supreme Court struck down crucial provisions of a 
media law on Tuesday, sending a clear message in 
favor of greater economic competition. The media 
law was passed last year in the heat of a 
fiercely fought election campaign. Critics said 
that it amounted to a giveaway to Mexico’s two 
television companies, Televisa and TV Azteca, 
which lobbied for the new law. But with the 
government of President Felipe Calderón pushing 
for greater competition in many industries, the 
law reached the court as the political climate 
was changing. In the last four weeks, the Supreme 
Court has opened its deliberations in an 
unprecedented way, hearing testimony from 
opponents and defenders of the law. Since it 
began public deliberations on the disputed 
clauses of the law last week, nearly all of its 
decisions have gone against the TV companies.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/06/business/worldbusiness/06mextv.html
(requires registration)

ELECTIONS & MEDIA

POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS JUST LOVE THE NEWS
[SOURCE: AdAge, AUTHOR: Evan Tracey, Campaign Media Analysis Group]
[Commentary] The candidates for president are 
piggybacking on issues such as immigration, the 
war in Iraq and global warming to sell themselves 
to the American voters. At a point in the 
campaign traditionally reserved for the standard 
bio spots and ads outlining the candidates' 
10-point plans, the most recent salvo of ads is 
designed to latch on to current events as a way 
to get noticed in all the media clutter. And 
looking at the most recent polls showing 
Governors Richardson and Romney surging, it may 
be working. It is no secret that political media 
buyers view the news and public affairs 
programming as the "ocean front real-estate" of 
ad placement (if you can afford it, you buy it). 
To date, every Democratic candidate and interest 
group airing campaign ads has placed over 80% of 
their media buys in the news or on news-related 
programming. On the Republican side the Mitt 
Romney campaign is placing close to 60% of its 
buys in the news. So with a bull's-eye on the 
morning, evening and late news dayparts the 
campaigns' messages are matching up with the storylines in the news coverage.
http://adage.com/campaigntrail/article?article_id=117064
* NAB, RAB Team to Tout Radio To Political Strategists
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6449123.html

UNIVISION PROPOSES SPANISH-LANGUAGE DEBATES
[SOURCE:  Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Peter Wallsten]
Univision, the country's highest-rated 
Spanish-language television network and a leading 
draw for young adult viewers, has invited White 
House hopefuls from both major parties to 
participate in the first presidential candidate 
debates to be conducted entirely in Spanish. The 
network has proposed two debates, one for each 
party, to be held on back-to-back Sundays in 
September -- giving the candidates unprecedented 
exposure to a mass audience of increasingly 
important Latino voters. The debates, to be held 
in immigrant-rich Miami, would probably focus on 
the battle over legalizing millions of 
undocumented immigrants. The Democratic 
candidates tend to back legalization. But the 
Univision debate could exacerbate a split over 
the issue among the GOP contenders, further 
highlighting a divide that party strategists fear 
might alienate Latino voters, a fast-growing 
electorate. Moreover, the Spanish-language aspect 
of the debate could prove particularly awkward 
for the Republican field, where all candidates 
except Sen McCain favor making English the 
official language of the United States. It was 
not clear Tuesday whether the campaigns on either 
side would accept Univision's proposal. Officials 
from several campaigns, deluged with debate 
proposals from interest groups and media, said 
they would consider the invitation.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-univision6jun06,1,6363195.story?coll=la-news-a_section
(requires registration)

SPECTRUM/WIRELESS

SPECTRUM COMMENTS FLOOD FCC
[SOURCE: internetnews.com, AUTHOR: Roy Mark]
Tech groups, consumers, political activists and 
at least one presidential candidate are flooding 
the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) with 
advice for the agency's upcoming auction of 
spectrum that may sell for more than $12 billion. 
A grassroots campaign led by the SavetheInternet 
Coalition has bombarded the FCC with more than 
250,000 comments pushing the agency to set aside 
spectrum for a wholesale network and rules that 
would require auction winners to build out their 
systems, mandate anonymous bidding and impose 
network neutrality requirements for all auction winners.
http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3681356
* A Quarter-Million Americans Flood the FCC with Comments
http://www.savetheinternet.com/blog/2007/06/04/a-quarter-million-americans-flood-the-fcc-with-comments/
* FCC Urged To Change Auction Rules
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/2007/06/fcc_urged_to_change_spectrum_a.html

FRONTLINE CONTINUES FULL-COURT PRESS AT THE COMMISH
[SOURCE: TelecomWeb]
Nationwide 700 MHz broadband network advocate 
Frontline Wireless once again has asked the 
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) "to let 
market incentives meet public-safety needs by 
adopting its plan for a shared, open access 
wholesale network with requirements for serving 
first responders' critical needs for 
interoperability, choice and innovation." "This 
coming 700 MHz auction is the last chance in a 
generation to solve public safety's deadly 
deficit in interoperable and broadband 
communications capabilities. It is also the last 
chance to break the current course towards a 
wireless duopoly that will stifle innovation and 
competition," Frontline said in its filing. 
"After nearly 20 years of congressional debate 
about how and when to reclaim this vital 
spectrum, it would be tragic if the Commission 
made bad policy decisions that deliver this 
spectrum into the Verizon warehouse."
http://www.telecomweb.com/tnd/23607.html

MUNI WI-FI HITS WALL OF ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL REALITIES
[SOURCE: Computer World, AUTHOR: Matt Hamblen]
Municipal Wi-Fi systems, full of promise and hype 
over the past two years, have hit the wall of 
reality in the U.S. because of economics, 
politics and even the technology. That was the 
message conveyed by city administrators, Wi-Fi 
evangelists and even some vendors of Wi-Fi 
antennas, software and related technology at the 
MuniWireless 07: New England conference. Esme 
Vos, founder of MuniWireless.com, which organized 
the conference, said "Municipal Wi-Fi is coming 
to reality in the U.S. Everything with muni Wi-Fi 
last year was very theoretical, but when you get 
around to setting it up in your home town, 
administrators hit reality and say 'It is not as 
easy as I thought it would be." Vos was quick to 
tell conference attendees in brief remarks and 
reporters in interviews that none of the big U.S. 
cities with ambitious plans have fully deployed 
their networks. Some cities such as Philadelphia 
and San Francisco have begun falling short of 
lofty political goals to serve poor neighborhoods 
and to listen to grass roots political 
organizations as well, Vos and other attendees pointed out.
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyId=16&articleId=9023318&intsrc=hm_topic
* Cities swap public Wi-Fi secrets
http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/06/05/Cities-swap-public-wifi-secrets_1.html?source=rss&url=http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/06/05/Cities-swap-public-wifi-secrets_1.html

BRINGING PUBLIC WI-FI TO SMALL-TOWN AMERICA
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Candace Lombardi]
When it comes to building the infrastructure that 
makes public high-speed Internet access possible, 
companies are keen to take on projects for large 
cities. However, smaller cities are another 
story. During the past 18 months, MultiState 
Associates, a consulting firm for lobbyists, has 
compiled a database on more than 2,000 
communities with populations of 60,000 or more 
interested in developing municipal broadband or 
wireless services. The database includes cities 
in the early stages of public broadband interest, 
not just those that have put out requests for 
proposals (RFPs) to companies. Its data shows 
that while thousands of towns are interested in 
developing municipal networks, few vendors are 
willing to take on small projects. "I think towns 
are putting out RFPs faster than the industry can 
respond. I mean, there are several thousand 
cities pursuing this; there are only so many 
vendors pursuing smaller cities," Mitch Gorsen, 
vice president at MultiState Associates, said.
http://news.com.com/Bringing+public+Wi-Fi+to+small-town+America/2100-1039_3-6188911.html?tag=nefd.lede

JOURNALISM

A BLOG IS A LITTLE FIRST AMENDMENT MACHINE
[SOURCE: AlterNet, AUTHOR: Jay Rosen]
[Commentary] When in the eighteenth century the 
press first appeared on the political stage the 
people on the other end of it were known as the 
public. Public opinion and the political press 
arose together. But in the age of the mass media 
the public got transformed into an audience. This 
happened because the mass media were one way, 
one-to-many, and "read only." When journalism 
emerged as a profession it reflected these 
properties of its underlying platform. But now we 
have the Web, which is two-way (rather than one) 
many-to-many (rather than one-to-many) and 
"read-write" rather than "read only." As it moves 
toward the Web, journalism will have to adjust to 
these conditions, but a professionalized press is 
having trouble with the shift because it still 
thinks of the people on the other end as an 
audience--an image very deeply ingrained in 
professional practice. The most famous words ever 
written about freedom of the press are in the 
U.S. Constitution: "Congress shall make no 
law..." But the second most famous words come 
from the critic A.J. Liebling: "freedom of the 
press belongs to those who own one." Well, 
freedom of the press still belongs to those who 
own one, and blogging means practically anyone 
can own one. That is the Number One reason why 
blogs -- and this discussion -- matter. With 
blogging, an awkward term, we designate a fairly 
beautiful thing: the extension to many more 
people of a free press franchise, the right to 
publish your thoughts to the world. Wherever 
blogging spreads the dramas of free expression 
follow. A blog, you see, is a little First Amendment machine.
http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/53061/

BURKLE EXPRESSES INTEREST IN DOW JONES
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Seth Sutel]
Billionaire investor Ron Burkle is interested in 
exploring a bid for Dow Jones & Co., publisher of 
The Wall Street Journal along with the union that 
represents Journal employees, the head of the 
union said Tuesday. Steve Yount, president of the 
Dow Jones union, said Burkle was the first of 
several potential bidders to respond to its 
overtures. Yount said Burkle's interest was 
preliminary, and the details had yet to be sorted 
out. Yount said the union had also contacted 
other potential bidders, including investor 
Warren Buffett, but had only heard back so far from Burkle.
http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2007/06/05/daily.9/
* Burkle to aid Dow Jones bid
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-dowjones6jun06,1,1150137.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-business
* Dow Jones Union Seeks Billionaire’s Help in 
Finding Alternative Bidder to Murdoch
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/06/business/media/06dow.html
* Journalists Seek Murdoch Alternatives
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/05/AR2007060502467.html
* Dow Jones union seeks Burkle, Buffett aid on Murdoch bid
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20070606/dowbattle06.art.htm

AN INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Editorial staff]
[Commentary]   "Don't believe the man who tells 
you there are two sides to every question. There 
is only one side to the truth." So wrote William 
Peter Hamilton, one of the first men to hold the 
job of editorial page editor of The Wall Street 
Journal, in the early decades of the last 
century. For editorial writers worth their pay, 
those are words to live by, and we hope to be 
living by them for a long time to come. That's a 
point worth stressing amid the news that the 
Bancroft family may soon sell the Journal's 
parent company to Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. or 
some other bidder. The Bancrofts have been 
exceptional stewards of this newspaper for more 
than a century. But capitalism is dynamic, and 
those of us who extol the virtues of Joseph 
Schumpeter's "creative destruction" for others 
can't complain when it sweeps through our own 
industry. That's what is happening as the 
Internet breaks up long-time media business 
models, and Dow Jones is hardly immune. The 
Bancrofts have every right as owners to sell or 
not based on their own dictates, and what we say 
won't matter in any event. On January 2, 1951, 
William Grimes wrote a memorable editorial, "A 
Newspaper's Philosophy," that summed up our 
worldview this way: "On our editorial page we 
make no pretense of walking down the middle of 
the road. Our comments and interpretations are 
made from a definite point of view. We believe in 
the individual, in his wisdom and his decency. We 
oppose all infringements on individual rights, 
whether they stem from attempts at private 
monopoly, labor union monopoly or from an 
overgrowing government. People will say we are 
conservative or even reactionary. We are not much 
interested in labels but if we were to choose 
one, we would say we are radical." Even 56 years 
later, that still sounds good to us. Whether the 
Bancroft family sells or not, and no matter who 
is the buyer, we plan to stand for those beliefs 
for as long into the future as we are able.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118109025930525819.html?mod=todays_us_opinion
(requires subscription)
* My Sweet Press Lord
[Commentary] Here's my dream, and it's a not good 
one. The day comes when a controversialist like 
Rupert Murdoch bids to buy the Journal -- and no one cares.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118109648149125994.html?mod=todays_us_opinion
(requires subscription)

MEDIA & CHILDREN

CHILDREN'S EXPOSURE TO FOOD ADVERTISING -- A SIDE-BY-SIDE COMPARISON
[SOURCE: Kaiser Family Foundation]
In recent months, two significant new studies 
have been released about food advertising to 
children on television: one in March 2007 from 
the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the other in 
June 2007 from the Federal Trade Commission. 
While the two studies are similar, this analysis 
documents how they compare, both in terms of findings and methodology.
http://www.kff.org/entmedia/upload/7654.pdf

EXPLETIVE POLICY DELETED
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
[Commentary] For years, the Federal 
Communications Commission had a reasonable, 
practical approach to live broadcasts. It 
recognized that coarse language sometimes slips 
in and if the offensive words were relatively 
isolated events, stations could carry them 
without fear of punishment. But in recent years, 
the FCC decided to go after broadcasters that 
carry programs with even “fleeting expletives." 
One of the commission’s rationales was that the 
expletives could not be separated from their 
“sexual or excretory” meaning. But the New 
York-based United States Court of Appeals for the 
Second Circuit  noted that President Bush and 
Vice President Dick Cheney have both used the 
words the commission objected to in public in 
ways that clearly did not have any “sexual or 
excretory” meaning. The Second Circuit did not 
need to reach the constitutional issues in the 
case. But it rightly pointed out that the FCC’s 
“fleeting expletives” policy also raises serious 
First Amendment concerns. That suggests that even 
if the commission tried to improve its reasoning, 
the policy would still be struck down. The FCC 
should return to the more reasonable approach it 
once took to regulating live broadcasts and focus on more important issues.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/06/opinion/06wed3.html
(requires registration)

DOLL WEB SITES DRIVE GIRLS TO STAY HOME AND PLAY
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Matt Richtel & Brad Stone]
Cartoon Doll Emporium, an Internet web site, 
allows kids to chat with friends and dress up 
virtual dolls, by placing blouses, hair styles 
and accessories on them. It is part of a booming 
phenomenon, the growth of a new wave of 
interactive play sites for a young generation of 
Internet users, in particular girls. Millions of 
children and adolescents are spending hours on 
these sites, which offer virtual versions of 
traditional play activities and cute animated 
worlds that encourage self-expression and safe 
communication. They are, in effect, like Facebook 
or MySpace with training wheels, aimed at an 
audience that may be getting its first exposure 
to the Web. While some of the sites charge 
subscription fees, others are supported by 
advertising. As is the case with children’s 
television, some critics wonder about the broader 
social cost of exposing children to marketing 
messages, and the amount of time spent on the 
sites makes some child advocates nervous. 
Regardless, the sites are growing in number and 
popularity, and they are doing so thanks to the 
word of mouth of babes, said Josh Bernoff, a 
social media and marketing industry analyst with 
Forrester Research. “They’re spreading rapidly 
among kids,” Mr. Bernoff said, noting that the 
enthusiasm has a viral analogy. “It’s like 
catching a runny nose that everyone in the classroom gets.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/06/technology/06doll.html
(requires registration)

ADVERTISING

US ADVERTISING SPENDING DECLINES -- TV, NEWSPAPERS TAKE BIGGEST HITS
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal]
Advertising spending in the U.S. slipped 0.3% in 
the first quarter to $34.9 billion compared with 
the year-earlier quarter, according to TNS Media 
Intelligence. The ad-tracking service notes that 
last year's first quarter was boosted by Winter 
Olympic Games-related ad spending. But even 
factoring out the temporary increase of that 
special event, "the core growth rates have slowed 
further from last year's lackluster levels," said 
TNS President and Chief Executive Steven 
Fredericks. Hardest hit were network TV -- down 
7.2% to $6.1 billion -- and national newspapers, 
which sank 5.3% to $810 million in the quarter. 
Meanwhile, Internet display advertising jumped 16.7% to $2.7 billion.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118109658361325996.html?mod=todays_us_marketplace
(requires subscription)

RADIO TIME TO JOIN LIST OF EBAY ITEMS UP FOR AUCTION
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Brad Stone]
The auction giant eBay said it would begin 
selling radio airtime to advertisers starting 
Wednesday, expanding into a business that Google 
entered last year. EBay, through a partnership 
with Bid4Spots, a 2-year-old company in Encino, 
Calif., will offer advertisers a way to buy 
unsold radio inventory from 2,300 radio stations 
in the top 300 media markets in the United 
States. Advertisers can go shopping for airtime 
on the eBay Media Marketplace, originally a forum 
for cable television ads which began in March. 
EBay was hired to create the service by a 
consortium of major advertisers like 
Hewlett-Packard, Intel and Home Depot. But the 
eBay ad exchange has had little success so far. 
Broadcasters have vocally protested that they 
were not adequately consulted on its development 
and that it goes too far in removing people from 
the process. Only Oxygen, the cable network, 
currently sells some of its ad time on eBay’s service.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/06/technology/06ebay.html
(requires registration)

IN THE STATES

CABLE COMPETITION SOUGHT
[SOURCE: Chicago Tribune, AUTHOR: Jon Van and Jeffrey Meitrodt]
The Illinois state legislature is making a push 
to increase competition in the cable television 
market that will bring a side effect all TV 
watchers could appreciate: a promised cap in the 
number of hours spent waiting for the cable guy. 
The proposal, which has broad support in 
Springfield, will make it easier for AT&T to go 
up against cable operators in Illinois because it 
streamlines cable franchising rules, doing away 
with a cumbersome system in which new TV service 
providers must seek town-by-town approval for 
laying wires. Statewide franchising in Illinois 
was first opposed by municipalities, the cable 
industry and various consumer groups, but a 
drastic rewrite of the measure fostered by 
legislators and Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan includes 
several requirements that neutralized opposition. 
Cable operators would have to give customers a 
four-hour appointment window, and if a technician 
doesn't show up within that period, the customer 
automatically gets a $25 account credit. 
Currently, some customers have to wait 8 to 12 
hours for a technician, and sometimes they never 
show up on the scheduled day, said Ben Weinberg, 
chief of the attorney general's public interest 
division. To make sure AT&T and other companies 
that enter the cable business don't cherry-pick 
the richest neighborhoods, the legislation 
mandates that companies devote a large portion of 
their new systems to low-income neighborhoods. In 
Chicago, AT&T would be required to build at least 
40 percent of its system in poorer areas, 
matching the city's low-income rate. Statewide, 
that figure will be 30 percent. The House passed 
the bill last week and the Senate is expected to 
ratify it soon, though anything can happen during 
the legislature's overtime session. While 
municipalities have dropped their opposition to 
statewide franchising, some individuals have not. 
"I hope the governor vetoes it," said Peter 
Collins, information technologies manager for the 
city of Geneva. "It has a lot of loopholes. I don't see it as a good thing."
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-wed_tv_0606jun06,0,2622544.story?track=rss

INTERNET CONDUCT THAT CROSSES THE STATE LINE?
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Eric Sinrod]
[Commentary] Illinois has just ordered Global 
Payday Loan to stop issuing loans to state 
residents. It also has fined the company $234,000 
for charging excessive interests rates. But the 
decision raises the broader question of whether 
states should regulate Internet conduct that crosses state lines.
http://news.com.com/Internet+conduct+that+crosses+the+state+line/2010-1030_3-6188929.html?tag=nefd.top

QUICKLY

OUTSIDE PANEL TO SCRUTINIZE US ARABIC TV NETWORK
[SOURCE: Associated Press]
The board that oversees the government’s 
Arabic-language satellite television network is 
seeking an outside review after recent broadcasts 
that included inflammatory language referring to 
Israel or Jews. The overseers of the network, Al 
Hurra, have acknowledged mistakes, even as they 
defended the journalistic principle of 
broadcasting views critical of the United States 
or its allies. The Broadcasting Board of 
Governors said the review would examine Al 
Hurra’s programming for “journalistic integrity 
and adherence to the standards and principles” of 
the federal law chartering American-sponsored programming.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/06/washington/06hurra.html
(requires registration)

SKYPE: 'LOCKED' PHONES UNFAIR
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Leslie Cauley]
Are cellphone companies using their sway over 
handset makers to unfairly limit consumers' 
choices? Skype, a pioneer in PC-to-PC calling, 
thinks so, and it wants the Federal 
Communications Commission to do something about 
it. In a blistering filing with the FCC, Skype 
basically accused Verizon Wireless and other big 
carriers of holding their customers hostage 
because most cellphones sold in the USA are 
"locked," meaning you can only use applications 
and features sold by your carrier. "Carriers are 
using their considerable influence over handset 
design and usage to maintain control over and 
limit subscribers' right to run software 
communications applications of their choosing," 
Skype told the FCC. In its filing, Skype said 
carriers go to great lengths to keep cellphone 
users boxed in. "In an effort to prefer their own 
affiliated services and exclude rivals, carriers 
have disabled or crippled consumer-friendly 
features of mobile devices." Carriers deny Skype's charges.
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20070606/wireless.art.htm

AN UNSAFE SEARCH
[SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle, AUTHOR: Editorial staff]
[Commentary] After struggling with their 
conflicting feelings toward Google, consumers now 
have proof positive that the Internet giant has 
crossed over to the dark side: it's the subject 
of a federal antitrust investigation, an honor 
that puts it in the ranks with Microsoft, the 
company that is, incidentally, shouting out for 
the investigation. When even Microsoft starts 
accusing you of using unfair marketplace tactics, 
perhaps it's time to change your business motto 
from "Don't be evil" to "Don't get caught." Yet 
the investigation, which centers on Google's 
proposed $3.1 billion of online advertising 
company DoubleClick, is at least as important for 
consumers as it is to Google's business 
competitors. Unfortunately, their interests 
aren't likely to be reflected in the 
investigation -- federal regulators will probably 
focus only on business competition and aren't 
likely to consider the impacts for consumer 
privacy. That's at least in part because 
consumers themselves have grown apathetic about 
their own privacy online, panicking only when 
there's a major security breach. This reflects 
the fact that few consumers truly understand the 
new threats that have emerged from the online marketplace.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2007/06/05/EDGGTP3FHD1.DTL
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