New coalition seeks to protect future of broadcasting - 1 views
started by Bonnie Sutton on 28 Oct 11
started by Bonnie Sutton on 28 Oct 11
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By Gautham Nagesh
A diverse coalition of businesses and public interest organizations will launch Tuesday with an aim of safeguarding the future of broadcast television. A lunchtime press conference to announce the Future of TV Coalition at the National Association of Broadcasters will include NAB President Gordon Smith, former Atlanta Mayor and Bounce TV co-founder Andrew Young, Vme Media President Carmen DeRienzo and Gannett broadcasting President Dave Lougee. The group will argue that the future of broadcast TV is bright despite the rise of the Web and pay-TV.
The announcement comes as pressure is increasing on the deficit-reduction supercommittee to include authorization for spectrum auctions as part of their budget negotiations.
The public's growing demand for mobile broadband means more spectrum must be made available to wireless carriers, but spectrum is in short supply - even the government has been urged to consider relinquishing some of its airwaves. The broadcasters are firmly opposed to any auctions that aren't completely voluntary and argue that broadband and broadcast are complementary rather than in competition, noting that the growing demand for online bandwidth is driven mostly by consumers' appetite for video that could potentially be off-loaded and more easily transmitted over the broadcast system.
Speakers at the event will also likely tout the Open Mobile Video Coalition, which is made up of roughly 1,000 television stations across the country along with networks such as Fox and NBC that are dedicated to allowing consumers to watch local television via their wireless devices. Because the transmission system used would be different than the cell network, the broadcasts to wireless devices would in theory be more reliable than the network used to place calls.
TUESDAY: The Senate Judiciary Committee's Crime subpanel will hold a morning hearing on combating international organized crime. The Obama administration has pushed to update the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), which is used to prosecute organized crime, to include hacking and other computer-related offenses.
Federal officials argue hacking and other digital crimes are increasingly the favored tool of sophisticated criminal networks. The push is consistent with the administration's hawkish stance towards digital crime, also reflected by its aggressive enforcement actions in areas such as online piracy, Internet gambling and the sale of counterfeit goods over the Web.
WEDNESDAY: The House Science Committee's Technology subpanel will hold a morning hearing on fostering innovation in the U.S. to create grow new businesses and create jobs. Witnesses include Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation senior scholar Brink Lindsey, Skybox Imaging co-founder Julian Mann and former Martek Biosciences CEO Steve Dubin.
THURSDAY: The House Science Committee's Education subpanel will hold a morning hearing on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and transferring those skills to the workplace from the classroom. The technology industry has repeatedly pointed to the K-12 education system's failure to adequately prepare students in those fields as one of the leading barriers to continued innovation and economic growth in the U.S.
The House Homeland Security Committee's Transportation Security subcommittee will hold a hearing in the afternoon on how improving the agency's technology procurement could stimulate job growth. Tech stakeholders have frequently argued the federal government can do more to encourage innovation and adequate cybersecurity by better deploying the $80 billion it spends annually on information technology.
Department of Homeland Security Chief Information Officer Richard Spires and Department of Defense Assistant Deputy Chief Management Officer David Wennergren will present at Deltek's FedFocus conference in Falls Church, Va., aimed at technology vendors seeking opportunities with the federal government in 2012.
FRIDAY: The National Archives will host a panel discussion on what's next for social-media innovation within the government (#Gov20), featuring White House Director of New Media Macon Phillips, Harvard Berkman Center senior researcher David Weinberger and National Archives Chief Digital Access Strategist Pam Wright. O'Reilly Media's Alex Howard will moderate.
Also, Digital Capital Week (DCWEEK) begins Friday with a party at the 9:30 Club featuring bands, DJs and local tech entrepreneurs. The event starts in earnest the following week - Hillicon will do its best to stop by and say hello.
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