Comcast made more concessions to groups representing minorities, reaching a memorandum of understanding Friday with African-American organizations that will support the company’s deal to buy control of NBC Universal. The MOU document is at http://xrl.us/bib3dq. The NAACP, the National Urban League and the National Action Network said the companies agreed to add independently owned networks in which minorities have “substantial participation either through ownership or operational control” and increase giving to entities that serve blacks and are led by them. The memorandum is “a comprehensive commitment covering all business units and focusing on ... corporate governance, employment/workforce recruitment and retention, procurement, programming and philanthropy and community investment,” Comcast Vice President Payne Brown wrote on the company blog. “We have committed to carry ten new independent channels, four of which will be African American owned or managed.” Outgoing House Competition Subcommittee Chairman Hank Johnson, D-Ga., supports the Comcast-NBC Universal transaction, he wrote the FCC commissioners Friday. “I believe the parties have satisfactorily demonstrated” that the deal won’t “undermine competition in the media and telecommunications industry,” Johnson wrote. Free Press, which opposes the combination, thinks it’s “troubling” that the FCC may be close to finishing work on it, said Policy Counsel Corie Wright. “For six months, Comcast has refused to comply with the FCC’s May 2010 request for Comcast’s cable carriage contracts with independent programmers,” she said. “These contracts are essential to assessing whether and how Comcast limits independent programmers’ ability to distribute their content as a way of depriving emerging online rivals of the ability to compete.” “The government has asked for and received from Comcast and NBCU extraordinary volumes of information to conduct its thorough review, and that review has been under way for nearly 11 months at the FCC” and Justice Department, a Comcast spokeswoman said. “'This is a time when parties come out of the woodwork seeking leverage,'” she said of Free Press, quoting incoming House Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich. (CD Dec 15 p8). “That is what this organization is seeking, and it should be rejected.” As of Friday afternoon, no proposed order had circulated at the commission for a vote, an agency official said. One may circulate this week, but probably not until after the net neutrality vote Tuesday, commission officials have said (CD Dec 14 p3).
The following are highlights of the trade-related Executive Communications sent to Congress from December 8, 2010 to December 16, 2010:
Dec. 21 FCC monthly meeting, 10:30 a.m., Commission Meeting Room, Washington
On December 15, 2010, the U.S. and Mexico Executive Steering Committee on 21st Century Border Management (ESC) held its first meeting where it adopted an Action Plan establishing specific goals for the U.S.-Mexico border region.
Telford “Trey” Forgety, ex-Department of Homeland Security, becomes National Emergency Number Association’s director-government affairs … Ruth Pritchard-Kelly, ex-consultant and Swidler Berlin, becomes SES World Skies’ director-regulatory affairs … Richard Bates, Disney, joins Media Institute board … NPR hires Bob Kempf, ex-Boston.com, as vice president of Public Interactive, public-media app-services provider … Linzhen Xie, Peking University, joins UTStarcom board … SeaChange names Peter Feld, Ramius LLC, to board … Nickelodeon promotes Marc Epstein to vice president of new business for integrated marketing … Joseph Flaherty, CBS, named member emeritus, ATSC board.
The Commerce Department proposed adoption of fair information practice principles amounting to a “Privacy Bill of Rights” for online consumers, setting up a privacy policy office in the department, and reviewing the Electronic Communications Privacy Act in light of cloud computing, it announced Thursday.
The Commerce Department proposed adoption of fair information practice principles amounting to a “Privacy Bill of Rights” for online consumers, setting up a privacy policy office in the department, and reviewing the Electronic Communications Privacy Act in light of cloud computing, it announced Thursday.
The Department of Commerce announced that China agreed to significant initiatives in several areas during the 21st session of the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT), which closed on December 15, 2010.
A former Federal Emergency Management Agency director asked the FCC to put the 700 MHz spectrum up for public auction. The ex-official, James Lee Witt, was joined at a Washington news conference by former Motorola Chief Technology Officer Dennis Roberson, former NTIA Administrator John Kneuer, former APCO President Joe Hanna, Rural Cellular Association President Steven Berry and Public Knowledge Legal Director Harold Feld. The group said a public auction is the most economical, efficient way to create a national broadband network for public safety. Last week, the FCC published its first guidelines for public safety agencies to deploy wireless broadband on the 700 MHz spectrum (CD Dec 10 p6). Witt was speaking at an event organized by a group calling itself Connect Public Safety Now. The rival Public Safety Alliance issued a statement condemning the group as a front for “T-Mobile, Sprint-Nextel and a narrow coalition of well financed business interests.” CPSN’s website lists nine wireless-related companies, including T-Mobile and Sprint as “stakeholders.” The Alliance repeated its position that the D-block should be reallocated to public safety agencies.
The Policy Commission of the World Customs Organization met in China on December 6-8, 2010, for its 64th policy session. An important subject on the agenda was recent air cargo security threats, and the contribution and role of Customs in facilitating air cargo security.