Public broadcasters haven’t fared well in capitalizing on new online platforms and services, said Mark Fuerst, exec. dir. of the Integrated Media Assn. (IMA), a group counting NPR, PRI and about 30 public radio and TV stations as members. Among reasons for the failure to profit from the 2nd Internet boom, Fuerst said in an interview, is lack of a strategy, demands from the broadcast side to reduce budget outlays for services and the noncommercial nature of public broadcasting. Despite some success with online operations such as NPR.org, he said, “there is a sense that the industry doesn’t have a strategy that can provide a sustainable [online] service.”
Public broadcasters haven’t fared well in capitalizing on new online platforms and services, said Mark Fuerst, exec. dir. of the Integrated Media Assn. (IMA), a group counting NPR, PRI and about 30 public radio and TV stations as members. Among reasons for the failure to profit from the 2nd Internet boom, Fuerst said in an interview, is lack of a strategy, demands from the broadcast side to reduce budget outlays for services and the noncommercial nature of public broadcasting. Despite some success with online operations such as NPR.org, he said, “there is a sense that the industry doesn’t have a strategy that can provide a sustainable [online] service.”
German alternative telcos reacted furiously Tues. to a document hinting the govt. may move away from regulating Deutsche Telekom (DT). In comments filed in a European Commission (EC) consultation on review of the new telecom regulatory framework (NRF), the Ministry of Economic Affairs (BMWi) said the European Union is wrong to equate effective competition with absence of market power. “This could lead to the conclusion that the primary goal of regulation is the removal of extensive market power. This creates a danger of inefficient and excessive regulation, as natural monopolies and bottleneck positions are virtually characteristic for the telco market, and temporary monopoly positions represent a key element in dynamic processes of competition,” BMWi said. It urged the EC, when revising the NRF, to devise a “feasible concept” for whether and how to regulate in new markets, “especially with a view to encouraging innovations and investments.” DT rivals “are very concerned that this paper is the beginning of a change in strategy in Germany, away from regulating the ex-monopolist,” Swidler Berlin lawyer Axel Spies said on behalf of the German Competitive Carriers Assn. (VATM). Easing regulatory checks and balances even for a limited time would devastate DT’s competition in the broadband and other emerging sectors, he said. It would let DT “occupy new market sectors unchecked, pushing the competitors out of those sectors, which will devaluate the billions and billions of euro” they've already spent on infrastructure and new services, and discourage foreign investment. Germany lags behind other European countries in regulatory efficiency and broadband investment, according to the European Competitive Telecom Assn (ECTA). In Dec., the organization said studies show regulation spurs investment, and it pointed to low investment in Germany, “where the incumbent has maintained a strong grip and the regulatory environment is weak” (CD Dec 2 p8). DT has been pushing a regulatory “moratorium” on fiber VDSL deployment, something German telecom regulator BNetzA said last month it wouldn’t approve (CD Dec 27 p6). But the govt.’s apparent swing toward regulatory holidays for dominant players has competitors up in arms. If rules are lifted, Spies said, it will pit Germany against other member states, undermining efforts to harmonize European telecom. VATM also questioned BMWi’s reliance on a 2004 U.S. Supreme Court case, Verizon v. Trinko, in concluding temporary monopolies are needed to obtain dynamic competition. Trinko dealt with antitrust law’s role in a regulated telecom environment, not with whether to maintain preemptive regulation in markets not yet found to have effective competition, Spies said. In its paper, BMWi recommended use of benchmarking, cost-benefit analyses and other tools to monitor the effectiveness of rules and their enabling laws at the national and European level. Competition among regulatory models would enable nations to find more successful schemes sooner and junk less-effective ones more quickly, the govt. said.
Senate Democrats and some Republicans hope to resume work amending waiver language in the E-911 bill unanimously passed by the Senate Commerce Committee in Nov. (CD Nov 3 p11), according to interviews with lobbyists and Senate committee staffers. The Assn. of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) seeks the amendment, calling the waivers a threat to public safety. But Chmn. Stevens (R-Alaska) is unlikely to be inclined to reopen the bill when the Senate reconvenes Jan. 18, sources said. Work on the E-911 bill died when Stevens fought for Arctic oil drilling provisions, a battle he lost.
Sensor networks offer great promise and post considerable peril, as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and like tools infiltrate life, panelists said Fri. at the Assn. of American Law Schools (AALS) conference. The National Security Agency (NSA) domestic spying controversy (WID Dec 20 p1) and 2005’s rash of security breaches are highlighting sensor network concerns, they said. U. of Louisville Prof. Lars Smith asked if society is about to enter an era out of Steven Spielberg’s futuristic crime drama Minority Report.
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) venture capital unit In-Q-Tel tapped ex-U.S. cyber czar Amit Yoran as CEO. Yoran, in recent years a security consultant, took over Tues. from Gilman Louie, In-Q-Tel CEO since its 1999 launch. In-Q-Tel has backed nearly 90 firms, delivering 100-plus technology solutions to the intelligence community, the group said. Its venture model provides an agility absent from traditional govt. contracting, it said. In-Q-Tel puts $1-$3 million into ventures, focusing on software, infrastructure and physical and biological materials, especially search, categorization, IT security, wireless technology and application integration. For the past year, Yoran has been advising emerging security technology firms and helping larger firms with security. In 2003, he was named dir. of the National Cyber Security Div. at the Homeland Security Dept., resigning a year later. He co-founded Riptech, a venture-backed network security firm acquired by Symantec in 2002 for $145 million. At Symantec, Yoran was vp-worldwide managed security services. Earlier in his career, he oversaw the vulnerability assessment program at U.S. Computer Emergency Response Team. Yoran is on the board of several firms, including Trust Digital, Guidance Software and Guardium. U.S. innovation is fueled by venture capital and In-Q-Tel is “the critical link between emerging technology and the vital national security demands of intelligence,” Yoran said: “Now more than ever, we must deliver the tools that the men and women of the intelligence community need to protect our country at home and around the world.” Louie called Yoran a “perfect fit,” citing his savvy with security and technology. Gilman will stay on a while at In-Q-Tel to ensure a smooth transition. He plans to start a new venture capital firm in the San Francisco area.
LAS VEGAS -- DirecTV has forged new alliances with Microsoft and Intel as it angles to link its satellite service to a broader array of networked devices, CEO Chase Carey said at CES here Fri. The first DirecTV products to flow from the pacts won’t emerge until year-end, as DirecTV expands HD transmissions to about 50 U.S. markets, up from 12 at the end of 2005, Carey told us in an interview.
Organizations and individuals who have improved E-911 capability or used it to save lives will get awards at a March 8 dinner sponsored by the E-911 Institute and the National Emergency Number Assn. (NENA). Recipients range from first responders and dispatchers to govt. leaders, industry and the media. -- www.e911institute.org.
With a broad array of LCD TV manufacturers to choose from, retailers are increasingly adding private label sets, largely to round out the low end of their merchandise mix. Best Buy (Insignia), Circuit City (Esa), CompUSA (Norwood), Wal-Mart (Ilo) and Target (TruTech) have offered them nationally. Regional dealers, including Micro Center (PowerSpec) also have jumped into the market.
A Senate motion for cloture on the Patriot Act conference report (HR-3199) failed Fri. by a 52-47 roll call vote. Civil liberties groups said the action gives lawmakers a 2nd chance to fix what they deem a flawed bill. Cloture would have ended debate on reauthorizing the controversial post-9/11 law, which the Bush Administration and allies had been pushing Congress to pass.