The Australian govt. Thurs. launched an inquiry to determine whether existing laws are adequate to guard against potentially offensive or harmful content delivered via mobile communications devices. The review aims to understand, among other things, how new mobile devices will operate; what features they will contain and what services they're likely to offer; whether there are potential user safety issues arising from new and emerging capabilities of such devices; and whether new regulations are needed to counter any new or heightened social risks. The Dept. of Communications, Information Technology & the Arts (DCITA) seeks comment on: (1) The nature of new and emerging communications devices becoming available in Australia and, in particular, what distinguishes them from existing technologies in the fixed environment. (2) What types of audiovisual services and related features are available or being developed for mobile devices and platforms in Australia and elsewhere. The review will specifically look at those services and features aimed at the adult market, and services that have a geolocational element, such as gaming, that may pose increased safety risks, especially to children. (3) The technical means for delivering content to mobile devices. Specifically, the review wants input on whether there’s a common delivery platform for audiovisual services and whether those services are technically distinguishable from Internet content accessed via fixed delivery platforms. (4) The commercial relationships involved in the marketing and supply of content services that are or will be delivered via mobile devices. (5) The commercial role of particular services and features and their importance in contributing to the commercial viability of platform investment in the country. (6) The advantages and disadvantages of various access control technology for mobile devices and whether the controls could feasibly apply to content or particular features. Comment is particularly needed on the availability of filtering technologies either at the server or customer device level. (7) The application of existing regulations to new services, including whether the content of new services is suitable for classification under the national system, and whether the content of mobile services falls under the definition of Internet content. (8) The nature of possible regulatory approaches that could apply to services delivered via mobile devices, and what additional or alternative measures might be necessary. Comments are due Sept. 3 -- mobilecontenreview@dcita.gov.au.
Internet radio broadcasters told Congress on Thurs. that royalty fees were stifling the emerging market while the recording industry said more protection was needed for artists, and record producers. And, the U.S. Copyright Office said rates and protections established so far have been productive. Members of the House Judiciary Internet & Intellectual Property Subcommittee didn’t tout any specific legislative requirements.
NCTA and some of the country’s biggest TV programming companies offered lengthy economic analyses as proof that govt.-mandated a la carte TV would be an economic debacle for consumers and the companies. The studies were part of comments to the FCC on the effects an a la carte programming regime would have on the way Americans watch TV and pay for it. Comments were due Thurs., and there were few that supported a la carte.
Rep. Deal (R-Ga.) assailed large TV programming companies Wed., saying Congress gave companies such as Viacom and Disney free broadcast signals only to have the companies turn around and “force homeowners to buy additional services whether they want them or not.” Small and rural cable operators say those companies force them to carry unwanted cable channels like SoapNet and MTV if they also want to carry local broadcast affiliates. Deal said 5 or 6 conglomerates “control what comes into every American home” and “can tie and bundle their products with the power of a near monopoly and yet are exempt from our antitrust laws.” His remarks came during a House Commerce Subcommittee meeting on a la carte cable offerings.
The National Emergency Number Assn. (NENA) endorsed the Cingular-AT&T Wireless (AWS) merger in a filing at the FCC. “We are pleased that Cingular and AWS continue to make progress in their E911 deployment,” NENA said. “Through FCC compliance efforts, Cingular and AWS have adhered to existing consent decrees governing E911 Phase I and Phase II obligations… We believe that capabilities of each company to implement and improve 911 services will be strengthened by their merger.”
The National Emergency Number Assn. (NENA) blasted Ill. Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) Mon. for shifting funds from Enhanced 911 (E911) funding. NENA said Blagojevich was “putting lives at risk” to balance the budget. NENA said Blagojevich approved the 2004 Ill. budget that included a $1.3 million transfer of funds from the state’s E911 fund. NENA said Ill. has levied a 75 cents tax on each cell phone bill to help fund E911, which would give 911 operators an approximate location of a wireless caller. “The public needs to know that our state leaders are falling short of what is needed to keep up with new technologies and challenges,” said David Tuttle, pres.-Ill. NENA chapter. Members of Congress have been irked by several states that have diverted funds from E911. HR-2989, which has passed the House, and S-1250, which has passed the Senate Commerce Committee but stalled on the floor, would provide money for E911, but not to states that have diverted funding.
Congress faces a choice between acting quickly to preempt states from regulating VoIP or taking more time to tackle the Internet service in a broader rewrite of the Telecom Act, House Telecom Subcommittee members said Wed. At a hearing on VoIP, industry witnesses disagreed. The preference seemed to be what some committee members considered impossible: A more comprehensive Telecom Act rewrite done quickly. House Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce Chmn. Stearns (R-Fla.) told us after the hearing, however, that the debate is more complicated than that. “Some of them [Commerce Committee members] don’t want to do anything at all,” he said. Full Committee Chmn. Barton (R- Tex.) didn’t take a position on the best approach, but he did predict “VoIP is going to be huge. I think it’s going to make cell phone expansion look like wagon trains.” Barton told the witnesses Congress will preempt states on VoIP regulation: “There should be only one, federal set of rules that apply to VoIP.”
U.K. legislation aimed at clearing road congestion but raising concerns of telcos moved closer to passage Tues. following a debate in the House of Lords. The Traffic Management Bill (TMB), floated by the govt. last Nov., envisions a permit scheme for any road work, including laying conduit. Telcos and other utilities criticize the measure for hampering their work and imposing red tape -- creating costs that will be passed along to customers. Opposition peers floated several amendments telcos claimed would limit the bill’s harmful effects. While these were all withdrawn during the debate, they helped persuade the govt. to take telcos’ concerns into account, said Domhnall Dods, chmn. of the U.K. Competitive Telecoms Assn. (UKCTA) govt. relations committee.
Public broadcasting will begin a consultative process to resolve differences over proposals for the federal govt. to establish a trust fund in exchange for public TV stations’ early return of their analog spectrum. Officials of 4 national organizations -- PBS, the Assn. of Public TV Stations (APTS), Corp. for Public Bcstg. and NPR -- meet today (Thurs.) at PBS hq. After being largely ignored in the debate over the trust fund, public radio is being called in because some proposals such as the one raised at a recent PBS board meeting (CD June 23 p12) would entail reduction or elimination of federal funding to CPB. While public TV has been plagued by a decline in its membership and audiences, public radio has actually seen a growth in both.
Akai has narrowed its planned line of DLP-based rear projection TVs to a single 44W model and is moving to expand distribution beyond national chains Circuit City and Costco, Gary Lafferty, COO-Akai Product Holdings, told Consumer Electronics Daily.