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Discussion of whether Google will leave China with comments from Chinese bloggers and media analysts.

On the same day that the Federal Communications Commission launched its Future of Media initiative, FCC Commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker said in a Washington D.C. speech that government needs to stay out of the media business mess.

Study done in UK has shown that UK Citizens are, overall, vast unaware of the particular laws in their own country

A commentary on how relevant UK copyright laws are to current technological trends and lifestyles. A recent study conducted by Government backed Consumer Forum has revealed that almost 73 percent of consumers in Britain are unaware of the fact that under British law, it is illegal to copy music files from CD onto iPods, laptops or any other device.  The organisation conducted a survey of 2000 UK consumers, of which only 17 percent were aware that it was illegal to copy CDs and DVDs onto their computers, 15 percent knew they were not allowed to copy CDs to their iPods and almost 38 percent confessed of copying music files onto their digital players.  The research has thrown light on the outdated copyright laws in Britain, which still classify copying of content from CDs or DVDs onto digital devices as illegal.  The Consumer Forum has asked the government to amend the law, as millions of Britishers were unknowingly breaking British law by copying content on their iPods everyday. 

Can the media really be watchdogs for us when the government is unwilling to provide the media with information?

"Comcast Chairman Brian Roberts and NBC Universal President & CEO Jeff Zucker faced a barrage of questions Feb. 25 in a marathon--over five hours with one break--hearing in the House Judiciary Committee on their proposed joint venture, their third Hill visit in as many weeks as they push for government approval of their $30 billion joint venture.\nDuring that time, the pair defended their records on diversity, and in some cases pledged to do better, reiterated their pledges to keep NBC free and over the air, and their programming available to competitive distributors."

Broadcasting and Cable conducts a sit down interview with Steven Waldman, senior advisor to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, to discuss the Governments role in balancing old and new media. Subsidies and media industry economics are also discussed.

State governments compete with film subsidies to lure Hollywood productions.

Google faces problems related to privacy and copyright protection in Europe. Google's most immediate challenges may be in Italy. This month a decision is expected in a trial in Milan, where four Google executives have been charged with defamation and privacy violations in a case involving videos posted on a Google Web site showing the bullying of an autistic boy.Italian prosecutors accuse Google of negligence, saying it was too slow to remove the video. But Google sees a political dimension. One of the four executives, Peter Fleischer, Google's chief privacy counsel, called the case part of "an attack on a decade of progress" for Internet companies in Italy. In Germany, German publishers have persuaded the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel to support a new kind of copyright protecting journalistic content on the Web. Analysts say the measure, which has not yet been introduced, could require Web companies like Google to buy special licenses to cite content published elsewhere.

"Just a month after the Federal Trade Commission held hearings on the beleaguered news industry and what the government might do about it, the Federal Communications is getting into the act, too."

Decreasing government subsidies to media organization is threatening the publishing industry. These subsidies include things like postal rate discounts and tax breaks.

"Federal regulators trying to bring high-speed Internet connections to all Americans will propose tapping the government program that now subsidizes telephone service in poor and rural areas. The Federal Communications Commission will include a proposal to revamp the Universal Service Fund as part of a national broadband plan due to Congress on March 17. Although the proposal itself has been expected for months, Friday's announcement offered the first solid details."

ROME-Google Inc. on Wednesday said it will scan ancient Italian literary texts ranging from Galileo Galilei to herbal medicine manuals as part of the Internet company's first publishing partnership with a national government. The deal involves digitizing up to one million books held in the National Libraries in Rome and Florence.

Discusses framing of Net Neutrality as contested First Amendment terrain, with comments by Kyle McSlarrow, President of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association.