TELEVISION ACROSS EUROPE: MORE CHANNELS, LESS INDEPENDENCE
26 February 2009
The Open Society Institute announces the publication of a major new monitoring report on television in Europe. With an Overview chapter defining the main trends across the region, as well as recommendations addressing policymakers, media and activists, the report seeks to bring about change where it is needed.
The report confirms that television, which should be a pillar of democracy and open societies, is changing at breakneck speed. Patterns of production, transmission, consumption, marketing, financing and ownership - these are all in flux. On the content side, Europe is witnessing the rapid rise of program formats and the slow suffocation of public service output.
"This forensic and chilling report should be on the desk of every politician and international agency with any concern about our collective European futures, because it shows how political control of the crudest and most vulgar kind has re-possessed television from the Urals to Umbria. Freedom of thought, impartiality of information, wise exploration of the public condition (whether discussed in news, comedy, soap operas or relevant drama), the notion of broadcasting as informing citizens: this has retreated, not advanced, in most of these countries."
- Jean Seaton, Professor of Media History at the University of Westminster and official historian of the BBC.
The report focuses on the latest changes in nine countries: Albania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Italy, Lithuania, the Republic of Macedonia, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. These countries also featured in the OSI's original Television across Europe project (2005), which covered 20 countries. The new reports are sequels.
Key findings:
* Public service broadcasters (PSBs) suffer from mounting politicization and pressure, flawed funding models, and disintegrating reputations.
* Broadcast regulators are also increasingly politicised. Only a few have taken initiatives to let a more diverse range of operators enter the market.
* Public service content has not been boosted by incentives or obligations.
* Transparency of commercial media ownership remains a major problem.
* Although debate on media policy and reform has intensified, civil society is rarely consulted in a meaningful way.
* There has been no concerted effort to promote media literacy. Where this happens at all, it is carried out mainly by NGOs.
The country reports and the regional overview are available at www.mediapolicy.org . They are all available in English while single country reports are also available in translation. Printed copies are also available in limited numbers, and may be ordered using the form available at www.eumap.org/puborder .
For further information, contact: Mark Thompson (Mark.Thompson@osf-eu.org) or Marius Dragomir (Marius.Dragomir@osf-eu.org). To stay informed about related reports and new content on the mediapolicy.org website, and to provide your own feedback directly, please register on the website and subscribe to the mailinglist: www.mediapolicy.org/join_form .
This is a project of EUMAP, the EU Monitoring and Advocacy Program of the Open Society Institute, and of the Media Program of the Open Society Foundation. For further information on EUMAP see www.eumap.org; for further information on the Media Program see www.soros.org/initiatives/media .
[end]
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
more benton headlines
THE MEDIA BARON AND HIS SOFT SPOT
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Tim Arango, Richard Perez-Pena]
Rupert Murdoch, as much old-fashioned press baron as 21st century multimedia mogul, faces a depressing reality: his lifelong fondness for newspapers has become a significant drag on the fortunes of his company, the News Corporation. In more vibrant economic times, investors and Wall Street analysts were more willing to look past Mr. Murdoch's attachment to newspapers — the newspaper segment is now the company's biggest single source of revenue, about 19 percent in the most recent quarter. But they find that a tougher chore these days, as other media struggle and newspapers suffer through their worst slump since the Depression.
http://benton.org/node/22376
Recommend this Headline
back to top
ANCHORS OBLIGE PUBLIC'S CRAVING FOR TWEETS
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Howard Kurtz]
Twitter, which began in 2006, has 6 million users, a fivefold increase since last summer. The 140-character limit on each message initially seems silly, but forces a witty sort of brevity that seems well matched to today's sound-bite culture. While dwarfed by the likes of Facebook, which has become so mainstream it can hardly be viewed as edgy, the bare-bones Twitter has been generating considerable buzz lately. In an age when people expect behind-the-scenes dish, the site enables television types to explain what they're doing -- and flatter their fans by soliciting their opinions.
http://benton.org/node/22372
Recommend this Headline
SOCIAL NETWORKS ARE TELCOS' NEW BEST FRIEND
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Georgina Prodhan]
From the world's biggest phone maker, Nokia, to tiny Irish semiconductor start-up Movidia, delegates to the wireless industry's biggest annual gathering couldn't stop talking about Facebook, MySpace and Bebo. The majority of visits to such online communities are still made by people sitting at a computer telling their friends where they are and how they are feeling, exchanging opinions on their favorite movies and music or uploading videos. But the spontaneous and personal nature of much of that communication lends itself perfectly to the mobile phone.
http://benton.org/node/22327
Recommend this Headline
EXPLORING A 'DEEP WEB' THAT GOOGLE CAN'T GRASP
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Alex Wright]
One day last summer, Google's search engine trundled quietly past a milestone. It added the one trillionth address to the list of Web pages it knows about. But as impossibly big as that number may seem, it represents only a fraction of the entire Web. Beyond those trillion pages lies an even vaster Web of hidden data: financial information, shopping catalogs, flight schedules, medical research and all kinds of other material stored in databases that remain largely invisible to search engines. The challenges that the major search engines face in penetrating this so-called Deep Web go a long way toward explaining why they still can't provide satisfying answers to questions like "What's the best fare from New York to London next Thursday?" The answers are readily available — if only the search engines knew how to find them. Now a new breed of technologies is taking shape that will extend the reach of search engines into the Web's hidden corners. When that happens, it will do more than just improve the quality of search results — it may ultimately reshape the way many
COMPETITION PUSHES UP CONTENT COSTS FOR ESPN
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Peter Sanders, Matthew Futterman]
Walt Disney's ESPN has come to dominate the lucrative business of sports broadcasting by locking up deals with entities ranging from Major League Baseball to NASCAR. But renewing some of those deals won't come cheap. And with ad revenue down, that could put ESPN in a bind and have repercussions for its parent company. Since Disney acquired 80% of ESPN in 1995, the cable network has become one of the entertainment company's most valuable properties. ESPN is now the largest component of Disney's Cable Networks franchise, which delivered $4.1 billion in operating income in fiscal 2008, which ended Sept. 27. That dwarfed the $655 million in operating income earned by the Broadcast Networks, which include ABC, and was 49% of Disney's total operating income. ESPN is already feeling the impact of the recession. Its advertising revenue is declining even as costs associated with many of its rights deals increase on schedule. For the fiscal first quarter ended Dec. 27, revenue at Disney's Cable Networks division grew only 2% and operating income fell 12% from a year earlier to $517 million.
http://benton.org/node/22374
Recommend this Headline
MEDIA OWNERSHIP
Everyone Loves Google, Until It's Too Big
Peter Chernin to leave Murdoch's News Corp
Publisher speculates about Amazon/Google e-book "duopoly"
TELEVISION
Nielsen: Americans still love their TV, embracing DVRs
FCC Extends Comment Deadline For 2007 Video Competition Report
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
Watchdog groups press Obama DOJ on Bush e-mails
The intensifying battle over Internet freedom
1,000 Points of Data
BROADBAND/INTERNET
Surprise: America is No. 1 in Broadband
Asia's High Fiber Diet
Stimulus Broadband Requirements Being Written for Locals
Dear USBBC: Let's Build a Bold National Broadband Strategy Together
Virginia Uses Self-Help Program for Rural Broadband
Rural Broadband: No Job Creation Machine
What the broadband stimulus package means to rural telcos
Telework ranks swell
Internet Penetration and Premium Entertainment Are Linked
Mobile Internet Necessity, Not Luxury
Half of all instruction will take place online within the next 10 years
It's the broadband, stupid
FCC Releases Revised Broadband Data Form
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Tim Arango, Richard Perez-Pena]
Rupert Murdoch, as much old-fashioned press baron as 21st century multimedia mogul, faces a depressing reality: his lifelong fondness for newspapers has become a significant drag on the fortunes of his company, the News Corporation. In more vibrant economic times, investors and Wall Street analysts were more willing to look past Mr. Murdoch's attachment to newspapers — the newspaper segment is now the company's biggest single source of revenue, about 19 percent in the most recent quarter. But they find that a tougher chore these days, as other media struggle and newspapers suffer through their worst slump since the Depression.
http://benton.org/node/22376
Recommend this Headline
back to top
ANCHORS OBLIGE PUBLIC'S CRAVING FOR TWEETS
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Howard Kurtz]
Twitter, which began in 2006, has 6 million users, a fivefold increase since last summer. The 140-character limit on each message initially seems silly, but forces a witty sort of brevity that seems well matched to today's sound-bite culture. While dwarfed by the likes of Facebook, which has become so mainstream it can hardly be viewed as edgy, the bare-bones Twitter has been generating considerable buzz lately. In an age when people expect behind-the-scenes dish, the site enables television types to explain what they're doing -- and flatter their fans by soliciting their opinions.
http://benton.org/node/22372
Recommend this Headline
SOCIAL NETWORKS ARE TELCOS' NEW BEST FRIEND
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Georgina Prodhan]
From the world's biggest phone maker, Nokia, to tiny Irish semiconductor start-up Movidia, delegates to the wireless industry's biggest annual gathering couldn't stop talking about Facebook, MySpace and Bebo. The majority of visits to such online communities are still made by people sitting at a computer telling their friends where they are and how they are feeling, exchanging opinions on their favorite movies and music or uploading videos. But the spontaneous and personal nature of much of that communication lends itself perfectly to the mobile phone.
http://benton.org/node/22327
Recommend this Headline
EXPLORING A 'DEEP WEB' THAT GOOGLE CAN'T GRASP
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Alex Wright]
One day last summer, Google's search engine trundled quietly past a milestone. It added the one trillionth address to the list of Web pages it knows about. But as impossibly big as that number may seem, it represents only a fraction of the entire Web. Beyond those trillion pages lies an even vaster Web of hidden data: financial information, shopping catalogs, flight schedules, medical research and all kinds of other material stored in databases that remain largely invisible to search engines. The challenges that the major search engines face in penetrating this so-called Deep Web go a long way toward explaining why they still can't provide satisfying answers to questions like "What's the best fare from New York to London next Thursday?" The answers are readily available — if only the search engines knew how to find them. Now a new breed of technologies is taking shape that will extend the reach of search engines into the Web's hidden corners. When that happens, it will do more than just improve the quality of search results — it may ultimately reshape the way many
COMPETITION PUSHES UP CONTENT COSTS FOR ESPN
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Peter Sanders, Matthew Futterman]
Walt Disney's ESPN has come to dominate the lucrative business of sports broadcasting by locking up deals with entities ranging from Major League Baseball to NASCAR. But renewing some of those deals won't come cheap. And with ad revenue down, that could put ESPN in a bind and have repercussions for its parent company. Since Disney acquired 80% of ESPN in 1995, the cable network has become one of the entertainment company's most valuable properties. ESPN is now the largest component of Disney's Cable Networks franchise, which delivered $4.1 billion in operating income in fiscal 2008, which ended Sept. 27. That dwarfed the $655 million in operating income earned by the Broadcast Networks, which include ABC, and was 49% of Disney's total operating income. ESPN is already feeling the impact of the recession. Its advertising revenue is declining even as costs associated with many of its rights deals increase on schedule. For the fiscal first quarter ended Dec. 27, revenue at Disney's Cable Networks division grew only 2% and operating income fell 12% from a year earlier to $517 million.
http://benton.org/node/22374
Recommend this Headline
MEDIA OWNERSHIP
Everyone Loves Google, Until It's Too Big
Peter Chernin to leave Murdoch's News Corp
Publisher speculates about Amazon/Google e-book "duopoly"
TELEVISION
Nielsen: Americans still love their TV, embracing DVRs
FCC Extends Comment Deadline For 2007 Video Competition Report
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
Watchdog groups press Obama DOJ on Bush e-mails
The intensifying battle over Internet freedom
1,000 Points of Data
BROADBAND/INTERNET
Surprise: America is No. 1 in Broadband
Asia's High Fiber Diet
Stimulus Broadband Requirements Being Written for Locals
Dear USBBC: Let's Build a Bold National Broadband Strategy Together
Virginia Uses Self-Help Program for Rural Broadband
Rural Broadband: No Job Creation Machine
What the broadband stimulus package means to rural telcos
Telework ranks swell
Internet Penetration and Premium Entertainment Are Linked
Mobile Internet Necessity, Not Luxury
Half of all instruction will take place online within the next 10 years
It's the broadband, stupid
FCC Releases Revised Broadband Data Form
communication for social change consortium
Now Available: Communication for Empowerment: A Practical Guidance Note
For download free. This project is done in partnership with UNDP Oslo Governance Centre in Madagascar, Mozambique and Ghana.
Download PDF (http://www.communicationforsocialchange.org/
For download free. This project is done in partnership with UNDP Oslo Governance Centre in Madagascar, Mozambique and Ghana.
Download PDF (http://www.communicationforsocialchange.org/
lpfm radio bill in u.s.
February, 24 2009
PRESS RELEASE
Contact:
Cory Fischer-Hoffman, Prometheus Radio Project (610)-761-5414
Jen Howard, Free Press, (202) 265-1490 x22
Low Power Community Radio: Legislation draws Bipartisan support
Members of Congress and community organizations call for more Low Power Radio nationwide
WASHINGTON -- Members of Congress, public interest advocates and community organizations will hold a national conference call tomorrow to discuss the reintroduction of the bipartisan “Local Community Radio Act” that would create opportunities for hundreds of low-power, community radio stations in cities, towns and suburbs across the United States. The sponsors of this legislation, Reps. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.) and Lee Terry (R-Neb.) will join the call to explain the details of this bill.
WHAT: National Conference Call on Community Radio Legislation
WHEN: Wednesday, February 25 12 p.m. ET
WHO:
Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.)
Rep. Lee Terry (R-Neb.)
Cory Fischer-Hoffman, Prometheus Radio Project
Shawn Campbell, Chicago Independent Radio Project
Michael Bracy, Future of Music Coalition
Ben Scott, Free Press
*** Call this number: (888) 792-8352 Call-in Code- 87422899 ***
Low Power FM stations are community-based, noncommercial radio stations that broadcast to neighborhoods and small towns. LPFM licenses make radio station ownership possible for schools, churches, labor unions, local governments, emergency providers and other nonprofit groups to directly communicate with their local community. In 2000, the Federal Communications Commission began to issue LPFM licenses. However, soon after, Congress passed an unnecessary piece of legislation that drastically limited the radio spectrum available to LPFM stations. Since then, thousands of applications submitted to the FCC have been dismissed because of these limitations.
"Diverse, informative, thought-provoking, locally oriented programming has been dramatically restricted across the country by the current federal laws governing the separation between broadcast frequencies," said Congressman Doyle. "Enactment of this legislation would improve the quality of life in communities across the country by providing new and different programming -- especially programming addressing local interests and events -- to these communities."
Last time the “Local Community Radio Act” was introduced, it garnered much grassroots support -- with nearly 100 cosponsors in the House. The Senate version of the bill, sponsored last session by Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) and co-sponsored by then-Senator Barack Obama, unanimously passed out of the Commerce Committee. The Senate is expected to reintroduce the bill this spring.
The Prometheus Radio Project, a group that helps build LPFM stations across the country, is the leading advocate for community radio. Campaign Director Cory Fischer-Hoffman notes, “As media outlets are increasingly consolidated local voices are being forced off the airwaves; it is time for Congress to remove the unfair restrictions that stand in the way of community organizations, religious groups, students and senior citizens from getting their own LPFM stations. In this time of economic crisis, it is crucial that communities have access to important information and educational programming featuring local news, emergency information and community matters. Expanding LPFM is a concrete action that will provide this important service to towns and cities across the country.”
###
PRESS RELEASE
Contact:
Cory Fischer-Hoffman, Prometheus Radio Project (610)-761-5414
Jen Howard, Free Press, (202) 265-1490 x22
Low Power Community Radio: Legislation draws Bipartisan support
Members of Congress and community organizations call for more Low Power Radio nationwide
WASHINGTON -- Members of Congress, public interest advocates and community organizations will hold a national conference call tomorrow to discuss the reintroduction of the bipartisan “Local Community Radio Act” that would create opportunities for hundreds of low-power, community radio stations in cities, towns and suburbs across the United States. The sponsors of this legislation, Reps. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.) and Lee Terry (R-Neb.) will join the call to explain the details of this bill.
WHAT: National Conference Call on Community Radio Legislation
WHEN: Wednesday, February 25 12 p.m. ET
WHO:
Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.)
Rep. Lee Terry (R-Neb.)
Cory Fischer-Hoffman, Prometheus Radio Project
Shawn Campbell, Chicago Independent Radio Project
Michael Bracy, Future of Music Coalition
Ben Scott, Free Press
*** Call this number: (888) 792-8352 Call-in Code- 87422899 ***
Low Power FM stations are community-based, noncommercial radio stations that broadcast to neighborhoods and small towns. LPFM licenses make radio station ownership possible for schools, churches, labor unions, local governments, emergency providers and other nonprofit groups to directly communicate with their local community. In 2000, the Federal Communications Commission began to issue LPFM licenses. However, soon after, Congress passed an unnecessary piece of legislation that drastically limited the radio spectrum available to LPFM stations. Since then, thousands of applications submitted to the FCC have been dismissed because of these limitations.
"Diverse, informative, thought-provoking, locally oriented programming has been dramatically restricted across the country by the current federal laws governing the separation between broadcast frequencies," said Congressman Doyle. "Enactment of this legislation would improve the quality of life in communities across the country by providing new and different programming -- especially programming addressing local interests and events -- to these communities."
Last time the “Local Community Radio Act” was introduced, it garnered much grassroots support -- with nearly 100 cosponsors in the House. The Senate version of the bill, sponsored last session by Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) and co-sponsored by then-Senator Barack Obama, unanimously passed out of the Commerce Committee. The Senate is expected to reintroduce the bill this spring.
The Prometheus Radio Project, a group that helps build LPFM stations across the country, is the leading advocate for community radio. Campaign Director Cory Fischer-Hoffman notes, “As media outlets are increasingly consolidated local voices are being forced off the airwaves; it is time for Congress to remove the unfair restrictions that stand in the way of community organizations, religious groups, students and senior citizens from getting their own LPFM stations. In this time of economic crisis, it is crucial that communities have access to important information and educational programming featuring local news, emergency information and community matters. Expanding LPFM is a concrete action that will provide this important service to towns and cities across the country.”
###
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
more from benton list
SCIENCE JOURNALISM GROWING OVERSEAS
[SOURCE: Columbia Journalism Review, AUTHOR: Cristine Russell]
The annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has long been a mecca for journalists searching for stories of all shapes and sizes—from basic brain research to broad environmental policy issues involving land, oceans, and the atmosphere. Particularly remarkable was the increasingly international focus of the 175th meeting, which attracted about 6,800 participants, including roughly 800 members of the science media. The number of science reporters and journalists-in-training from far-flung parts of the world—the Middle East, Africa, Asia and South America, as well as Canada, the U.K., Germany, Sweden and other parts of Europe—has expanded at AAAS. At the same time, the presence of working American science reporters from major newspapers and magazines has declined over time, their ranks often replaced by a diverse group of freelancers and digital journalists who write, blog, and Twitter for a variety of startup and established news and information Web sites.
http://benton.org/node/22211
TELECOMS BOSSES URGE LESS REGULATION
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Andrew Parker]
Leading European telecoms companies on Tuesday urged governments to ease the regulations on them, so the industry can play a major role in lifting economies out of recession. Spain's Telefónica and Vodafone of the UK said telecoms companies could fuel economic recovery, but warned that their efforts were hampered by regulations, notably from Brussels. Vittorio Colao, Vodafone's chief executive, complained the industry was suffering from "regulatory activism". Telecoms companies are using the world's largest mobile phone conference in Barcelona to highlight how the industry makes a significant contribution to gross domestic product. At the Mobile World Congress on Tuesday, César Alierta, Telefónica's chairman, complained that stimulus packages devised by governments were not paying sufficient attention to the role the telecoms industry could have in fostering economic recovery. He highlighted how fixed line operators were contemplating multibillion-euro investments in superfast broadband networks that could improve productivity.
http://benton.org/node/22253
Recommend this Headline
back to top
THE INTERNET OF THINGS
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Scott Duke Harris]
ZeroG Wireless is introducing a new chip that provides a tiny bit of Wi-Fi connectivity to literally billions of electronic devices that today are unconnected. Companies may use the chips to collect usage data on all kinds of electronic appliances. With three patents approved and several more in the works, ZeroG is rolling out a Wi-Fi chip and module that already has Federal Communications Commission approval and can be easily integrated into micro-controller units made by companies such as Microchip Technology, Freescale Semiconductor and Atmel. It announced a new "early access" partnership with Microchip on Monday that will enable electronics manufacturers to test the chips for commercial use.
http://benton.org/node/22252
Recommend this Headline
back to top
REGULATION, PUBLIC POLICY AND INVESTMENT IN COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE
[SOURCE: Quello Center for Telecommunication Management and Law, AUTHOR: Johannes Bauer]
Regulation and other forms of public policy toward infrastructure industries were and are designed to support the necessary large-scale investment. Throughout history, with few exceptions, rather pragmatic approaches guided policies. A more rigorous lens was only applied more recently although it often focused on narrow aspects of regulation. In contrast, this paper attempts to develop a broader, integrated framework to analyze the effects of regulatory and other public policy choices on sector investment. During the past decades, regulation has gradually abandoned instruments that allowed regulators to influence investment decisions directly. Presently used forms of wholesale regulation such as unbundling and network neutrality requirements work indirectly, creating complex and sometimes contradictory incentives for the affected stakeholders. Regulation cannot anymore "control" investment. Rather it functions as a "tuning variable" that influences the level and the structure of investment activity in various direct and indirect, often non-linear ways. Fiscal and monetary policy instruments also can be used to influence investment choices but they have their own advantages and disadvantages and do not work under all conditions. Due to the multi-faceted effects of regulatory measures, fiscal and monetary policy is preferable to regulatory measures to create short term economic stimulus. Whereas the overall effects of a combination of regulatory and other public policy measures on communications sector investment levels and structure are difficult to predict, basic guidelines for the design of a coherent approach can be specified.
http://benton.org/node/22217
Recommend this Headline
[SOURCE: Columbia Journalism Review, AUTHOR: Cristine Russell]
The annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has long been a mecca for journalists searching for stories of all shapes and sizes—from basic brain research to broad environmental policy issues involving land, oceans, and the atmosphere. Particularly remarkable was the increasingly international focus of the 175th meeting, which attracted about 6,800 participants, including roughly 800 members of the science media. The number of science reporters and journalists-in-training from far-flung parts of the world—the Middle East, Africa, Asia and South America, as well as Canada, the U.K., Germany, Sweden and other parts of Europe—has expanded at AAAS. At the same time, the presence of working American science reporters from major newspapers and magazines has declined over time, their ranks often replaced by a diverse group of freelancers and digital journalists who write, blog, and Twitter for a variety of startup and established news and information Web sites.
http://benton.org/node/22211
TELECOMS BOSSES URGE LESS REGULATION
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Andrew Parker]
Leading European telecoms companies on Tuesday urged governments to ease the regulations on them, so the industry can play a major role in lifting economies out of recession. Spain's Telefónica and Vodafone of the UK said telecoms companies could fuel economic recovery, but warned that their efforts were hampered by regulations, notably from Brussels. Vittorio Colao, Vodafone's chief executive, complained the industry was suffering from "regulatory activism". Telecoms companies are using the world's largest mobile phone conference in Barcelona to highlight how the industry makes a significant contribution to gross domestic product. At the Mobile World Congress on Tuesday, César Alierta, Telefónica's chairman, complained that stimulus packages devised by governments were not paying sufficient attention to the role the telecoms industry could have in fostering economic recovery. He highlighted how fixed line operators were contemplating multibillion-euro investments in superfast broadband networks that could improve productivity.
http://benton.org/node/22253
Recommend this Headline
back to top
THE INTERNET OF THINGS
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Scott Duke Harris]
ZeroG Wireless is introducing a new chip that provides a tiny bit of Wi-Fi connectivity to literally billions of electronic devices that today are unconnected. Companies may use the chips to collect usage data on all kinds of electronic appliances. With three patents approved and several more in the works, ZeroG is rolling out a Wi-Fi chip and module that already has Federal Communications Commission approval and can be easily integrated into micro-controller units made by companies such as Microchip Technology, Freescale Semiconductor and Atmel. It announced a new "early access" partnership with Microchip on Monday that will enable electronics manufacturers to test the chips for commercial use.
http://benton.org/node/22252
Recommend this Headline
back to top
REGULATION, PUBLIC POLICY AND INVESTMENT IN COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE
[SOURCE: Quello Center for Telecommunication Management and Law, AUTHOR: Johannes Bauer]
Regulation and other forms of public policy toward infrastructure industries were and are designed to support the necessary large-scale investment. Throughout history, with few exceptions, rather pragmatic approaches guided policies. A more rigorous lens was only applied more recently although it often focused on narrow aspects of regulation. In contrast, this paper attempts to develop a broader, integrated framework to analyze the effects of regulatory and other public policy choices on sector investment. During the past decades, regulation has gradually abandoned instruments that allowed regulators to influence investment decisions directly. Presently used forms of wholesale regulation such as unbundling and network neutrality requirements work indirectly, creating complex and sometimes contradictory incentives for the affected stakeholders. Regulation cannot anymore "control" investment. Rather it functions as a "tuning variable" that influences the level and the structure of investment activity in various direct and indirect, often non-linear ways. Fiscal and monetary policy instruments also can be used to influence investment choices but they have their own advantages and disadvantages and do not work under all conditions. Due to the multi-faceted effects of regulatory measures, fiscal and monetary policy is preferable to regulatory measures to create short term economic stimulus. Whereas the overall effects of a combination of regulatory and other public policy measures on communications sector investment levels and structure are difficult to predict, basic guidelines for the design of a coherent approach can be specified.
http://benton.org/node/22217
Recommend this Headline
EU progress in analogue to digital transition
EU NOTES PROGRESS IN DIGITAL TRANSITION
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Andrew Noyes]
While the United States struggles with efforts to switch the country over to digital television signals, the European Union said Tuesday that it "is leading the world in switching from analog to digital television." The EU government said the transition has been completed in five member states thus far: Germany, Finland, Luxembourg, Sweden and the Netherlands. By 2010 "the process should be well advanced in the whole EU," officials said. Specifically, the terrestrial TV switch-off is supposed to take place by the end of 2010 or earlier in Austria, Estonia, Denmark, Spain, Malta and Slovenia. The change is set to occur between the end of 2010 and the end of 2012 in Belgium (Wallonia and Brussels capital region), Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Greece, France, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Latvia, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and the United Kingdom. In Poland the final switch-off date is 2015 at the latest, according to the EU.
http://benton.org/node/22210
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Andrew Noyes]
While the United States struggles with efforts to switch the country over to digital television signals, the European Union said Tuesday that it "is leading the world in switching from analog to digital television." The EU government said the transition has been completed in five member states thus far: Germany, Finland, Luxembourg, Sweden and the Netherlands. By 2010 "the process should be well advanced in the whole EU," officials said. Specifically, the terrestrial TV switch-off is supposed to take place by the end of 2010 or earlier in Austria, Estonia, Denmark, Spain, Malta and Slovenia. The change is set to occur between the end of 2010 and the end of 2012 in Belgium (Wallonia and Brussels capital region), Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Greece, France, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Latvia, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and the United Kingdom. In Poland the final switch-off date is 2015 at the latest, according to the EU.
http://benton.org/node/22210
broadband mapping and US stimulum package
CONNECTED NATION TAKES AIM TAKES AIM AT STIMULUS BROADBAND MAPPING; RURAL AREAS COULD BE HURT
[SOURCE: PublicKnowledge, AUTHOR: Art Brodsky]
The new stimulus package just signed by President Obama has $350 million in it for broadband mapping, yet even before the bill was signed, the danger warnings for this program are glaringly obvious: Who will control the information on broadband deployment? If the program is done correctly, then the program may bring some benefits to the effort to include all Americans in the digital economy. If not, much of the money will be wasted. Increasingly, it is beginning to look as if the program will be done at the mercy of the big telecommunications companies, who will seek to submit the information they want to submit, on the terms and conditions on which they want to submit it. State governments, working months before the stimulus package was conceived, are ramping up their own programs to map deployment of broadband, and are finding they are already increasingly running into conflicts over the type of data they will receive. Some states want comprehensive, granular data. However, they are finding that the telecommunications industry, often represented by Connected Nation, doesn't want to give it to them. The result is a clash of policy objectives and politics that's taking place across the country, in states ranging from North Carolina to Alabama, Colorado and Minnesota.
http://benton.org/node/22227
Recommend this Headline
back to top
HOW SHOULD WE SPEND $250 MILLION ON BROADBAND MAPPING?
[SOURCE: App-Rising.com, AUTHOR: Geoff Daily]
[Commentary] Included in the stimulus bill is $350 million for mapping the availability and tracking the adoption of broadband. That's a huge sum of money with which we can do great things, so how should we spend all those dollars so as to maximize their impact on the state of broadband in the US? First we should gather as much data as possible. Next that data should be as granular as possible. Finally everything should be as transparent as possible. But we also need to track demand for broadband. In particular we need a baseline for how people, businesses, and institutions are using broadband today so we can track how their usage is growing tomorrow. Also valuable would be a sense for how much market demand any given community has for broadband as this is data that can be used to justify the buildout of new networks to supply bandwidth to that demand.
http://benton.org/node/22226
Recommend this Headline
back to top
IBM EYES STIMULUS FUNDS FOR BROADBAND OVER POWER LINES
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Ritsuko Ando]
IBM plans to take advantage of the economic stimulus package by offering Internet services over power lines to more rural consumers. The economic stimulus law signed by President Barack Obama included $2.5 billion for the Agricultural Department to expand broadband service in rural America. IBM said its venture with International Broadband Electric Communications (IBEC), a company that provides broadband over power line (BPL) services, had begun to sign up Internet customers in rural parts of Alabama, Indiana, Michigan and Virginia and that it hoped to access more government funds. IBEC venture's service is aimed at remote and sparsely populated areas where advanced Internet services are not available, meaning the only competition would be traditional dial-up services which are even slower. IBM said it did not know how much government funds it could receive but that the venture would proceed regardless, and that it expects broader Internet use to stimulate the economy and help create more business opportunities in the long run.
http://benton.org/node/22224
Recommend this Headline
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STIMULUS CRUCIAL FOR "SMART GRID"
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: David Lawsky]
The electric power industry and manufacturers say $4.5 billion in the $787-billion U.S. economic stimulus package will give a crucial boost to "smart grids" that will help the nation save money and electricity. The stimulus measure, signed into law by President Barack Obama on Tuesday, provides matching funds over two years to encourage utilities to start work on smart grids. Smart grids combine special meters, wireless technology, sensors and software so customers can closely monitor energy use cut and back when the grid is stretched to its limit. Otherwise, utilities must build expensive, wasteful plants that are turned on when needed to prevent blackouts. Two-way meters also let utilities pinpoint power outages and respond far more quickly. Eventually a smart grid will also help prevent blackouts by better balancing electric resources.
http://benton.org/node/22223
Recommend this Headline
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FORGET UNIVERSAL BROADBAND
[SOURCE: TelephonyOnline, AUTHOR: Ed Gubbins]
[Commentary] Are companies really shunning the U.S. market because there's not enough broadband here? After all, the gap between our penetration numbers and Japan's is in rural America. Is that really the segment of the market that stands between us and the forefront of global technology innovation? Of the roughly 12% of American homes without broadband today, a third say they wouldn't buy broadband if they could. And of the 25% of Americans who don't use the Internet at all, at any speed, only 12% say it's due to lack of access. If weak demand is the problem, maybe we should be pushing broadband's benefits to rural Americans harder than we push the actual networks — maybe then rural America would do more of the pulling itself. We need to get them hooked on applications. Despite the historic importance of trains, there was never a call to bring railroad tracks to every American's doorstep. Railways were built in accordance with commercial demand, creating more demand along the way. If you didn't live near the tracks, it was up to you to bring yourself the rest of the way.
http://benton.org/node/22221
Recommend this Headline
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RECESSION COULD LENGTHEN THE TWILIGHT OF DIAL-UP
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Andrew Vanacore]
Lightning speed Internet is the wave of the future. But in a recession, good old dial-up service might get a longer look. Now Internet providers that have seen their dial-up customer base whittled over the past decade see an opportunity to stay in the game by offering the budget-conscious a cheaper option. Dial-up is declining overall, but that doesn't mean it's not still a viable business," said Kevin Brand, senior vice president of product management at EarthLink Inc. "There's still a big market out there and during these tough times, even customers who have bundles including broadband may be looking at their bill and thinking, 'Do I really need all this?'" With that in mind, EarthLink recently rolled out a dial-up offer of $7.95 per month, lowering its cheapest service — and undercutting competitors — by $2. The move to more aggressively court new dial-up users is striking, since it's a market many consumers have fled.
http://benton.org/node/22254
Recommend this Headline
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[SOURCE: PublicKnowledge, AUTHOR: Art Brodsky]
The new stimulus package just signed by President Obama has $350 million in it for broadband mapping, yet even before the bill was signed, the danger warnings for this program are glaringly obvious: Who will control the information on broadband deployment? If the program is done correctly, then the program may bring some benefits to the effort to include all Americans in the digital economy. If not, much of the money will be wasted. Increasingly, it is beginning to look as if the program will be done at the mercy of the big telecommunications companies, who will seek to submit the information they want to submit, on the terms and conditions on which they want to submit it. State governments, working months before the stimulus package was conceived, are ramping up their own programs to map deployment of broadband, and are finding they are already increasingly running into conflicts over the type of data they will receive. Some states want comprehensive, granular data. However, they are finding that the telecommunications industry, often represented by Connected Nation, doesn't want to give it to them. The result is a clash of policy objectives and politics that's taking place across the country, in states ranging from North Carolina to Alabama, Colorado and Minnesota.
http://benton.org/node/22227
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HOW SHOULD WE SPEND $250 MILLION ON BROADBAND MAPPING?
[SOURCE: App-Rising.com, AUTHOR: Geoff Daily]
[Commentary] Included in the stimulus bill is $350 million for mapping the availability and tracking the adoption of broadband. That's a huge sum of money with which we can do great things, so how should we spend all those dollars so as to maximize their impact on the state of broadband in the US? First we should gather as much data as possible. Next that data should be as granular as possible. Finally everything should be as transparent as possible. But we also need to track demand for broadband. In particular we need a baseline for how people, businesses, and institutions are using broadband today so we can track how their usage is growing tomorrow. Also valuable would be a sense for how much market demand any given community has for broadband as this is data that can be used to justify the buildout of new networks to supply bandwidth to that demand.
http://benton.org/node/22226
Recommend this Headline
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IBM EYES STIMULUS FUNDS FOR BROADBAND OVER POWER LINES
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Ritsuko Ando]
IBM plans to take advantage of the economic stimulus package by offering Internet services over power lines to more rural consumers. The economic stimulus law signed by President Barack Obama included $2.5 billion for the Agricultural Department to expand broadband service in rural America. IBM said its venture with International Broadband Electric Communications (IBEC), a company that provides broadband over power line (BPL) services, had begun to sign up Internet customers in rural parts of Alabama, Indiana, Michigan and Virginia and that it hoped to access more government funds. IBEC venture's service is aimed at remote and sparsely populated areas where advanced Internet services are not available, meaning the only competition would be traditional dial-up services which are even slower. IBM said it did not know how much government funds it could receive but that the venture would proceed regardless, and that it expects broader Internet use to stimulate the economy and help create more business opportunities in the long run.
http://benton.org/node/22224
Recommend this Headline
back to top
STIMULUS CRUCIAL FOR "SMART GRID"
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: David Lawsky]
The electric power industry and manufacturers say $4.5 billion in the $787-billion U.S. economic stimulus package will give a crucial boost to "smart grids" that will help the nation save money and electricity. The stimulus measure, signed into law by President Barack Obama on Tuesday, provides matching funds over two years to encourage utilities to start work on smart grids. Smart grids combine special meters, wireless technology, sensors and software so customers can closely monitor energy use cut and back when the grid is stretched to its limit. Otherwise, utilities must build expensive, wasteful plants that are turned on when needed to prevent blackouts. Two-way meters also let utilities pinpoint power outages and respond far more quickly. Eventually a smart grid will also help prevent blackouts by better balancing electric resources.
http://benton.org/node/22223
Recommend this Headline
back to top
FORGET UNIVERSAL BROADBAND
[SOURCE: TelephonyOnline, AUTHOR: Ed Gubbins]
[Commentary] Are companies really shunning the U.S. market because there's not enough broadband here? After all, the gap between our penetration numbers and Japan's is in rural America. Is that really the segment of the market that stands between us and the forefront of global technology innovation? Of the roughly 12% of American homes without broadband today, a third say they wouldn't buy broadband if they could. And of the 25% of Americans who don't use the Internet at all, at any speed, only 12% say it's due to lack of access. If weak demand is the problem, maybe we should be pushing broadband's benefits to rural Americans harder than we push the actual networks — maybe then rural America would do more of the pulling itself. We need to get them hooked on applications. Despite the historic importance of trains, there was never a call to bring railroad tracks to every American's doorstep. Railways were built in accordance with commercial demand, creating more demand along the way. If you didn't live near the tracks, it was up to you to bring yourself the rest of the way.
http://benton.org/node/22221
Recommend this Headline
back to top
RECESSION COULD LENGTHEN THE TWILIGHT OF DIAL-UP
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Andrew Vanacore]
Lightning speed Internet is the wave of the future. But in a recession, good old dial-up service might get a longer look. Now Internet providers that have seen their dial-up customer base whittled over the past decade see an opportunity to stay in the game by offering the budget-conscious a cheaper option. Dial-up is declining overall, but that doesn't mean it's not still a viable business," said Kevin Brand, senior vice president of product management at EarthLink Inc. "There's still a big market out there and during these tough times, even customers who have bundles including broadband may be looking at their bill and thinking, 'Do I really need all this?'" With that in mind, EarthLink recently rolled out a dial-up offer of $7.95 per month, lowering its cheapest service — and undercutting competitors — by $2. The move to more aggressively court new dial-up users is striking, since it's a market many consumers have fled.
http://benton.org/node/22254
Recommend this Headline
back to top
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
from yesterday's benton headlines
CARLOS SLIM HELU: THE RETICENT MEDIA BARON
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Marc Lacey]
Carlos Slim Helú, Mexico's richest man and now a major shareholder in and lender to The New York Times, has a complex relationship with the news media. He invests money in an array of television and newspaper companies and says he sees a bright future for those media companies that adapt. But when the news media focus their spotlight on him, he sometimes gives the impression that he wants to be left alone to make more money in peace.
http://benton.org/node/22133
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THE FUTURE OF MUSIC POLICY
[SOURCE: Pew Internet & American Life Project, AUTHOR: Mary Madden]
While the Internet can often be viewed as an unfriendly place for musicians' pockets, online radio has proven to be one of more lucrative digital channels for artists. Online radio stations are currently required to pay a performance royalty to musicians every time their song is played. Terrestrial radio, on the other hand, still benefits from an exemption that allows them to avoid paying performance royalties to musicians. The U.S. stands out in this regard, as many other parts of the world do not provide this exemption to broadcasters.
http://benton.org/node/22125
Recommend this Headline
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CELL PHONE DEMAND TO STAY STRONG DESPITE DOWNTURN: U.N.
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Laura MacInnis]
Mobile telephones are seen as "a basic necessity" around the world and should enjoy persistent strong demand throughout an economic downturn, a United Nations agency said in a report published on Monday. "With or without a recession," millions of people in India, China, Nigeria, and other emerging markets will seek out mobile phones, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Increasingly cost-conscious households in Europe and North America are also expected to keep up their mobile use, and many will drop their fixed-line telephones as a way to save money, the ITU said in a report released for the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona.
http://benton.org/node/22135
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DO WE NEED A NEW INTERNET?
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: John Markoff]
[Commentary] There is a growing belief among engineers and security experts that Internet security and privacy have become so maddeningly elusive that the only way to fix the problem is to start over. What a new Internet might look like is still widely debated, but one alternative would, in effect, create a "gated community" where users would give up their anonymity and certain freedoms in return for safety. Today that is already the case for many corporate and government Internet users. As a new and more secure network becomes widely adopted, the current Internet might end up as the bad neighborhood of cyberspace. You would enter at your own risk and keep an eye over your shoulder while you were there. "Unless we're willing to rethink today's Internet," says Nick McKeown, a Stanford engineer involved in building a new Internet, "we're just waiting for a series of public catastrophes."
http://benton.org/node/22142
Recommend this Headline
STIMULUS STIRS DEBATE OVER RURAL BROADBAND ACCESS
[SOURCE: National Public Radio, AUTHOR: Howard Berkes]
Michael Katz bashed rural life last week when he addressed an American Enterprise Institute panel discussion on the broadband elements of President Obama's economic stimulus bill. "The notion that we should be helping people who live in rural areas avoid the costs that they impose on society ... is misguided," Katz said, "from an efficiency point of view and an equity one." Katz listed ways that the $7.2 billion could be put to better use, including an effort to combat infant deaths. But he also spoke of rural places as environmentally hostile, energy inefficient and even weak in innovation, simply because rural people are spread out across the landscape.
http://benton.org/node/22136
Recommend this Headline
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Marc Lacey]
Carlos Slim Helú, Mexico's richest man and now a major shareholder in and lender to The New York Times, has a complex relationship with the news media. He invests money in an array of television and newspaper companies and says he sees a bright future for those media companies that adapt. But when the news media focus their spotlight on him, he sometimes gives the impression that he wants to be left alone to make more money in peace.
http://benton.org/node/22133
Recommend this Headline
back to top
THE FUTURE OF MUSIC POLICY
[SOURCE: Pew Internet & American Life Project, AUTHOR: Mary Madden]
While the Internet can often be viewed as an unfriendly place for musicians' pockets, online radio has proven to be one of more lucrative digital channels for artists. Online radio stations are currently required to pay a performance royalty to musicians every time their song is played. Terrestrial radio, on the other hand, still benefits from an exemption that allows them to avoid paying performance royalties to musicians. The U.S. stands out in this regard, as many other parts of the world do not provide this exemption to broadcasters.
http://benton.org/node/22125
Recommend this Headline
back to top
CELL PHONE DEMAND TO STAY STRONG DESPITE DOWNTURN: U.N.
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Laura MacInnis]
Mobile telephones are seen as "a basic necessity" around the world and should enjoy persistent strong demand throughout an economic downturn, a United Nations agency said in a report published on Monday. "With or without a recession," millions of people in India, China, Nigeria, and other emerging markets will seek out mobile phones, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Increasingly cost-conscious households in Europe and North America are also expected to keep up their mobile use, and many will drop their fixed-line telephones as a way to save money, the ITU said in a report released for the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona.
http://benton.org/node/22135
Recommend this Headline
back to top
DO WE NEED A NEW INTERNET?
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: John Markoff]
[Commentary] There is a growing belief among engineers and security experts that Internet security and privacy have become so maddeningly elusive that the only way to fix the problem is to start over. What a new Internet might look like is still widely debated, but one alternative would, in effect, create a "gated community" where users would give up their anonymity and certain freedoms in return for safety. Today that is already the case for many corporate and government Internet users. As a new and more secure network becomes widely adopted, the current Internet might end up as the bad neighborhood of cyberspace. You would enter at your own risk and keep an eye over your shoulder while you were there. "Unless we're willing to rethink today's Internet," says Nick McKeown, a Stanford engineer involved in building a new Internet, "we're just waiting for a series of public catastrophes."
http://benton.org/node/22142
Recommend this Headline
STIMULUS STIRS DEBATE OVER RURAL BROADBAND ACCESS
[SOURCE: National Public Radio, AUTHOR: Howard Berkes]
Michael Katz bashed rural life last week when he addressed an American Enterprise Institute panel discussion on the broadband elements of President Obama's economic stimulus bill. "The notion that we should be helping people who live in rural areas avoid the costs that they impose on society ... is misguided," Katz said, "from an efficiency point of view and an equity one." Katz listed ways that the $7.2 billion could be put to better use, including an effort to combat infant deaths. But he also spoke of rural places as environmentally hostile, energy inefficient and even weak in innovation, simply because rural people are spread out across the landscape.
http://benton.org/node/22136
Recommend this Headline
bbc worldwide drops environmental site
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/feb/14/bbc-worldwide-drops-environment-site
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Global Survey on Protection of Journalists' Sources
http://www.privacyinternational.org/article.shtml?cmd[347]=x-347-558384
some community media resources
best site for updated info on community media in europe - lots of links to different reports, www.communitymedia.eu
journal edition dedicated to community media, more theoretical pieces that may be of use.
http://www.javnost-thepublic.org/issue/2003/1/
one case study that is at hand, tho an internet search will turn up lost for the country or region of choice - just be sure it is up to date info as policies have been changing...article on community media in japan (or lack of)
http://www.researchsea.com/html/article.php/aid/1718/cid/5/research/the_role_of_community_radio_in_japan__.html?PHPSESSID=5a876739241d0ce5572f8da16753b19b
journal edition dedicated to community media, more theoretical pieces that may be of use.
http://www.javnost-thepublic.org/issue/2003/1/
one case study that is at hand, tho an internet search will turn up lost for the country or region of choice - just be sure it is up to date info as policies have been changing...article on community media in japan (or lack of)
http://www.researchsea.com/html/article.php/aid/1718/cid/5/research/the_role_of_community_radio_in_japan__.html?PHPSESSID=5a876739241d0ce5572f8da16753b19b
replace ads with art?
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/6846
replaces internet ads with artwork. it's an interesting debate, this issue of advertising online. Some argue that if we want free access, we have to accept that the bills need to be paid somehow. Others oppose the increasing commercialisation of online spaces and data capture that goes along with it.
Either way, this is a very clever idea that at the very least, asks us to think about our views on the subject. Or just enjoy some art.
replaces internet ads with artwork. it's an interesting debate, this issue of advertising online. Some argue that if we want free access, we have to accept that the bills need to be paid somehow. Others oppose the increasing commercialisation of online spaces and data capture that goes along with it.
Either way, this is a very clever idea that at the very least, asks us to think about our views on the subject. Or just enjoy some art.
privacy concerns in Britain
from the right wing press
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/philipjohnston/4604985/Whatever-happened-to-free-speech.html
and the left wing press
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/feb/14/medical-records-nhs-privacy
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/philipjohnston/4604985/Whatever-happened-to-free-speech.html
and the left wing press
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/feb/14/medical-records-nhs-privacy
Monday, February 9, 2009
EU Map media news headlines
some enws headlines from eu map webpage:
http://www.eumap.org/
Pope stirs up Jewish fury over bishop
2009-01-25 · The Observer
Tension between the Vatican and Jewish groups ratcheted up after Pope Benedict XVI rehabilitated a bishop who has denied the Holocaust. Warning against the signal the decision sent, a Community Security Trust spokesman pointed out that "there has been a considerable increase in antisemitism from some of the eastern European churches".
Sarkozy's €600m aid for French papers
2009-01-24 · Irish Times
President Sarkozy has announced €600 million in emergency aid for the French newspapers, and promised a year’s free subscription for every 18-year-old. The press is in a crisis, but state involvement is a double-edged sword. An annual €1.5 billion in subsidies is counterweighed by politicians rewriting their own interviews and the president’s friends owning major newspapers.
Hungary’s Prime Minister Urges Anti Hate Speech Legislation Amid Right-Wing Attacks
2009-01-24 · BosNewsLife
PM Gyurcsany of Hungary has urged all political parties to implement strict legislation against hate speech amid concerns over growing far right groups. He accused the right wing and liberal parties of "attacking human rights" by blocking the legislation. Earlier this month, prosecutors banned the "Hungarian Guard", but it will appeal against the decision.
http://www.eumap.org/
Pope stirs up Jewish fury over bishop
2009-01-25 · The Observer
Tension between the Vatican and Jewish groups ratcheted up after Pope Benedict XVI rehabilitated a bishop who has denied the Holocaust. Warning against the signal the decision sent, a Community Security Trust spokesman pointed out that "there has been a considerable increase in antisemitism from some of the eastern European churches".
Sarkozy's €600m aid for French papers
2009-01-24 · Irish Times
President Sarkozy has announced €600 million in emergency aid for the French newspapers, and promised a year’s free subscription for every 18-year-old. The press is in a crisis, but state involvement is a double-edged sword. An annual €1.5 billion in subsidies is counterweighed by politicians rewriting their own interviews and the president’s friends owning major newspapers.
Hungary’s Prime Minister Urges Anti Hate Speech Legislation Amid Right-Wing Attacks
2009-01-24 · BosNewsLife
PM Gyurcsany of Hungary has urged all political parties to implement strict legislation against hate speech amid concerns over growing far right groups. He accused the right wing and liberal parties of "attacking human rights" by blocking the legislation. Earlier this month, prosecutors banned the "Hungarian Guard", but it will appeal against the decision.
defamation and slander online
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/02/08/MNOJ15F979.DTL&type=business&tsp=
Community wifi links
1) report on philly project from new american foundation (itself a good resource for teleocm research mostly us based. See esp the outcomes listed on first page of the repotr that consider that lack of/not taking properly into account of public input as part of the problem and related lack of success)
http://www.newamerica.net/publications/policy/philadelphia_story
2) Champaign Urbana wireless
http://cuwireless.net/
3) international summit for community wireless networks
http://wirelesssummit.org/
4) http://www.hearusnow.org/internet/190/
5)fcc study
http://74.125.77.132/search?q=cache:8UQYh7mN_gwJ:wireless.fcc.gov/outreach/2004broadbandforum/comments/NewAmericaUnlicensed.pdf+native+american+wireless+sandvig&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=8
6) tribal digital village
http://www.sctdv.net/content.fsp?name=8649
http://www.newamerica.net/publications/policy/philadelphia_story
2) Champaign Urbana wireless
http://cuwireless.net/
3) international summit for community wireless networks
http://wirelesssummit.org/
4) http://www.hearusnow.org/internet/190/
5)fcc study
http://74.125.77.132/search?q=cache:8UQYh7mN_gwJ:wireless.fcc.gov/outreach/2004broadbandforum/comments/NewAmericaUnlicensed.pdf+native+american+wireless+sandvig&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=8
6) tribal digital village
http://www.sctdv.net/content.fsp?name=8649
Obama 'Hope' poster artist sued over copyright
AP suing over image use.
http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2009/02/copyfight-erupt.html
and to make it ever more ridiculous / strange:
graffiti charge
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/09/obama-poster-graffiti-charge
lots more articles elswhere but truly a weird twist.
http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2009/02/copyfight-erupt.html
and to make it ever more ridiculous / strange:
graffiti charge
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/09/obama-poster-graffiti-charge
lots more articles elswhere but truly a weird twist.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
World Social Forum
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7874667.stm
"Alternative voices on the world economic crisis".
The World Social Forums connect with our ongoing discussions of global forums for civil society. Here is the link to a BBC article about 209 forum.
"Alternative voices on the world economic crisis".
The World Social Forums connect with our ongoing discussions of global forums for civil society. Here is the link to a BBC article about 209 forum.
political campaign donations go mobile
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20081120/mobile-donors/
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