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Today's Topics:
1. Comcast?s Digital Move Irks Some in Chicago (Rob)
2. Shot Clock Starts on XM-Sirius Merger (George Antunes)
3. Church of England Calls Sony Game 'Sick' (George Antunes)
4. ITC Announces Remedy In Broadcom/Qualcomm Investigation
(Monty Solomon)
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Message: 1
Date: Sat, 09 Jun 2007 00:24:15 -0500
From: Rob <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Comcast?s Digital Move Irks Some in Chicago
To: Media-News <medianews@twiar.org>, Tom and Darryl
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed
Comcast?s Digital Move Irks Some in Chicago
Department of Consumer Services Reports 121 Complaints in Past Two Months
By Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6450122.html
At least 121 cable subscribers in Chicago are unhappy about Comcast?s
forcing them to move to a digital-video tier in order to receive about
38 channels they used to get without set-tops.
That?s the number of Comcast subscribers who have filed complaints in
the past two months with the City of Chicago?s Department of Consumer
Services about the operator?s analog-reclamation initiative,
representing about one-third of all Comcast-related complaints.
?Naturally, any time you effect this sort of change, a certain set of
those customers are going to be a little reluctant or resistant to
change,? said Rich Ruggiero, Comcast?s vice president of communications
and public affairs for the Greater Chicago region. ?Our experience
overall has been that as customers adopt digital services, they?re more
satisfied over time.?
Comcast has 1.8 million subscribers in Chicago and its surrounding
suburbs. The company hasn?t disclosed how many customers would be
affected by the switch, but Ruggiero said it was a ?distinct minority.?
He added that two of Chicago?s five operating regions have been
all-digital except for the most basic tier for two years.
In April, where it still offered an expanded-basic analog tier, Comcast
began eliminating more than one-half the channels in a project it
expects to have completed across Chicago by July 1. That gives Windy
City subscribers the choice of receiving either a stripped-down analog
service of about 34 channels or installing a Motorola DCT700 set-top to
get an 80-plus-channel lineup.
Comcast tried to appease subscribers by not raising rates for current
analog customers and waiving lease fees for new set-tops. It also
promoted the superior signal quality of digital video, as well as the
service?s access to video-on-demand and on-screen program guides.
Not everyone was mollified: In April, there were 78 complaints about the
digital-conversion project to the city?s Department of Consumer
Services, about 39% of 198 total Comcast-related complaints. In May,
there were 43 about the digital conversion (36% of 121 total).
By contrast, in April 2006, there were 57 complaints about Comcast
services, and in May 2006, there were 82.
Bill McCaffrey, director of public affairs for Chicago?s Department of
Consumer Services, said the volume of complaints about the digital-cable
transition was not an ?unusual number, given the circumstances.?
Most of the complaints were related to subscribers? general unhappiness
about having to switch, McCaffrey said, adding, ?These were people
saying, ?I don?t want digital-cable service. I?m fine with what I
have.?? The rest -- 33 in April and eight in May -- were related to
technical problems installing or using the digital set-tops.
By zapping 38 channels from the analog tier, Comcast will free up a
whopping 228 megahertz of spectrum. That?s enough for more than 100 new
HD channels or 380 standard-definition channels. Comcast may also choose
to add VOD capacity or expand Internet bandwidth.
The MSO is also eliminating handfuls of analog channels in other
systems, including those in Alabama and Colorado. But Chicago, from all
appearances, still represents the operator?s largest-scale
analog-reclamation effort.
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Sat, 09 Jun 2007 11:37:09 -0500
From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Shot Clock Starts on XM-Sirius Merger
To: medianews@twiar.org
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID:
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; format=flowed
Shot Clock Starts on XM-Sirius Merger
Associated Press
Saturday June 9, 2007 12:32 AM EDT
http://finance.myway.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_rt_top.jsp?news_id=ap-d8pl2r6g0&;
WASHINGTON (AP) ? After 3 1/2 months of industry lobbying, congressional
hearings and intensive Wall Street analysis, the public will have a chance
to weigh in on whether it thinks the proposed merger of the nation's only
two satellite radio companies is a good idea.
The Federal Communications Commission issued a public notice Friday seeking
comment on the proposed merger of licensees Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. and
XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc.
The FCC will decide whether it is in the public interest for both licenses
to be controlled by a single company.
The merger, valued at $4.7 billion when it was announced on Feb. 19, is
also subject to approval by the Department of Justice, which will examine
any competitive harm that may result from the combination.
The acceptance of the applications for filing starts an informal "shot
clock" at the FCC, which tries to finish its review of mergers within 180
days. That would put a decision potentially sometime in December.
The merger faces some steep challenges.
To succeed, the Department of Justice will have to decide that the
combination of the only two companies in the satellite radio business will
somehow not be considered anticompetitive.
The FCC will have to decide whether to allow the companies to break a
condition of the licenses that made the business possible 10 years ago.
The agency, at the time, said one licensee will "not be permitted to
acquire control" of the other. The clause was inserted to ensure
"sufficient continuing competition" in the new business.
Lawyers, lobbyists and executives for Sirius and XM have said the market
has changed since 1997 ? that competition extends beyond satellite radio
and includes all forms of "audio entertainment," including Apple iPods,
digital "high definition" radio and even cell phones.
Consumer groups have generally opposed the merger. Opposition from the
National Association of Broadcasters has been relentless.
The FCC says that interested parties must file initial comments by July 9.
Replies to comments are due by July 24. Comments may be filed via e-mail
and should include docket number 07-57.
On the Web: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs
================================
George Antunes, Political Science Dept
University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204
Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927
antunes at uh dot edu
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Sat, 09 Jun 2007 12:10:26 -0500
From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Church of England Calls Sony Game 'Sick'
To: medianews@twiar.org
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID:
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
Church of England Calls Sony Game 'Sick'
Jun 9, 2007 7:18 AM (ET)
By THOMAS WAGNER
Associated Press
http://apnews.myway.com//article/20070609/D8PL8PFG0.html
LONDON (AP) - The Church of England accused Sony Corp. (SNE) on Saturday of
using an English cathedral as the backdrop to a violent computer game and
said it should be withdrawn from shop shelves.
The church said Sony did not ask for permission to use Manchester cathedral
and demanded an apology.
The popular new PlayStation 3 game, "Resistance: Fall of Man," shows a
virtual shootout between rival gunmen with hundreds of people killed inside
the cathedral. Church officials described Sony's alleged use of the
building as "sick" and sacrilegious.
A spokesman for the Church of England said a letter will be sent to Sony on
Monday. If the church's request for an apology and withdrawal of the game
is not met, the church will consider legal action, the spokesman said.
Sony spokeswoman Amy Lake told The Associated Press on Saturday that the
company's PlayStation division was looking into the matter and would
release a statement later.
But David Wilson, a Sony spokesman, told The London Times: "It is
game-created footage, it is not video or photography. It is entertainment,
like Doctor Who or any other science fiction. It is not based on reality at
all. Throughout the whole process we have sought permission where necessary."
The Very Rev. Rogers Govender, the dean of Manchester Cathedral, said:
"This is an important issue. For many young people these games offer a
different sort of reality and seeing guns in Manchester cathedral is not
the sort of connection we want to make.
"Every year we invite hundreds of teenagers to come and see the cathedral
and it is a shame to have Sony undermining our work."
The bishop of Manchester, the Rt. Rev. Nigel McCulloch, said: "It is well
known that Manchester has a gun crime problem. For a global manufacturer to
recreate one of our great cathedrals with photorealistic quality and then
encourage people to have gunbattles in the building is beyond belief and
highly irresponsible."
During the game, players are asked to assume the role of an army sergeant
and win a battle in the interior of a cathedral.
================================
George Antunes, Political Science Dept
University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204
Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927
antunes at uh dot edu
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Sat, 9 Jun 2007 22:30:22 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] ITC Announces Remedy In Broadcom/Qualcomm
Investigation
To: undisclosed-recipient:;
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
http://www.usitc.gov/ext_relations/news_release/2007/er0607ee1.htm
June 7, 2007
News Release 07-062
Inv. No. 337-TA-543
Contact: Peg O'Laughlin, 202-205-1819
ITC ANNOUNCES REMEDY IN BROADCOM/QUALCOMM INVESTIGATION
The U.S. International Trade Commission ("ITC" or "Commission") today announced
the remedial orders it will issue in connection with its section 337
investigation concerning Baseband Processor Chips and Chipsets, Transmitter and
Receiver (Radio) Chips, Power Control Chips, and Products Containing Same,
Including Cellular Telephone Handsets (337-TA-543).
The chips and chipsets at issue are used in handheld wireless communications
devices, including cellular telephone handsets, that are capable of operating
on so-called third-generation ("3G") cellular telephone networks, i.e., EV-DO
("Evolution-Data Optimized") and WCDMA ("Wideband Code Division Multiple
Access") networks such as those operated by Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T.
The Commission previously determined that certain Qualcomm chips and chipsets
were imported in violation of U.S. law because they infringe a U.S. patent held
by Broadcom; the patent relates to mobile device capabilities and power
management. Under section 337, which is designed to protect and enforce U.S.
intellectual property rights, the Commission must determine the appropriate
remedy to address this violation.
Vice Chairman Shara L. Aranoff, Commissioner Deanna Tanner Okun, Commissioner
Charlotte R. Lane, and Commissioner Irving A. Williamson voted in favor of the
remedial orders. They provide their supporting analysis in two separate
opinions. Chairman Daniel R. Pearson and Commissioner Dean A. Pinkert voted for
a more limited form of relief. The Commission's written opinions will be made
public after consultation with the parties to ensure the removal of
confidential business information.
The Commission is issuing a limited exclusion order that bars the importation
of Qualcomm's infringing chips and chipsets and circuit board modules or
carriers containing them. In addition, the exclusion order bars the importation
of certain handheld wireless communications devices, such as cellular telephone
handsets and personal digital assistants ("PDAs"), that contain Qualcomm's
infringing chips and chipsets. The exclusion order does not apply to handheld
wireless communications devices that are of the same models as handheld
wireless communications devices that were being imported for sale to the
general public on or before the date of the order, June 7, 2007. However, the
order does bar the importation of new models of handheld wireless
communications devices that contain Qualcomm's infringing chips and chipsets.
Thus, the order "grandfathers" models of handheld wireless communications
devices being imported into the United States for sale to the general public on
or before June 7, 2007.
The Commission is also issuing a cease and desist order that prevents Qualcomm
from engaging in certain activities within the United States related to the
infringing chips.
The Commission reached its decision after careful consideration of the
appropriateness of an order excluding from importation the "downstream
products" that is, handheld wireless communications devices incorporating the
infringing chips. The Commission found that an order excluding all downstream
products would impose great burdens on third parties, given the limited
availability of alternative downstream products not containing the infringing
chips. However, as the infringing chips are not imported in significant
quantities outside of downstream products, the Commission also found that an
exclusion order covering only the chips and chipsets, and not downstream
products, would afford little or no relief to the patent holder, Broadcom. The
Commission determined that barring importation of downstream products, with an
exemption for certain previously imported models, will substantially reduce the
burdens imposed on third parties while affording meaningful relief to the
patent holder.
The Commission found that, while exclusion of all downstream products could
adversely affect the public interest, particularly the public health and
welfare, competitive conditions in the U.S. economy, and U.S. consumers, the
exemption for previously imported models sufficiently ameliorates this impact
such that the orders should be issued.
The dissenting commissioners, Chairman Pearson and Commissioner Pinkert,
determined that the appropriate remedy in this investigation is an exclusion
order that would bar the importation of the infringing chips, and a cease and
desist order that would bar the testing of the infringing chips, including
chips that are incorporated into cellular telephone handsets. Chairman Pearson
and Commissioner Pinkert determined that exclusion of all downstream products
containing the infringing chips would adversely affect the public interest.
Further, they declined to endorse the majority's order that "grandfathers"
currently imported models of handheld wireless communications devices.
Chairman Pearson determined that an order exempting previously imported
handheld wireless communications devices from exclusion would still adversely
affect the public interest. Commissioner Pinkert determined, with regard to
such an approach, that the Commission's record was insufficient to permit him
to determine whether it was appropriate. Chairman Pearson and Commissioner
Pinkert believe that their recommended order would provide appropriate and
effective relief because it would place the direct burden of compliance on the
infringing party rather than on third parties. It also would be easier to
administer.
ITC remedial orders in section 337 investigations are effective when issued and
become final 60 days after issuance unless disapproved for policy reasons by
the U.S. Trade Representative.
Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, authorizes the Commission to
investigate alleged infringement of U.S. patents and trademarks by imported
articles. If the Commission finds infringement, then it must order that the
infringing articles be excluded from importation, unless, after considering the
effect of the exclusion order on statutory public interest factors, it finds
that the articles should not be excluded.
Background on this investigation:
On June 21, 2005, the Commission instituted an investigation under section 337
of the Tariff Act of 1930, 19 U.S.C. 1337, based on a complaint filed by
Broadcom Corporation of Irvine, California ("Broadcom"), alleging a violation
of section 337 in the importation, sale for importation, and sale within the
United States after importation of certain baseband processor chips and
chipsets, transmitter and receiver (radio) chips, power control chips, and
products containing same, including cellular telephone handsets, by reason of
infringement of certain claims of five U.S. patents (70 Fed. Reg. 35707 (June
21, 2005)). The complainant named Qualcomm Incorporated of San Diego,
California ("Qualcomm") as the only respondent.
On October 19, 2006, the presiding administrative law judge ("ALJ"), Judge
Charles E. Bullock, issued an Initial Determination ("ID") finding a violation
of section 337 with respect to U.S. Patent No. 6,714,983. The ALJ also issued a
Recommended Determination ("RD") on Remedy and Bond, in which he recommended a
limited exclusion order barring import of Qualcomm's baseband processor chips.
On December 8, 2006, the Commission issued a notice of its decision to review
and upon review to modify in part the ALJ's final ID. The modification made by
the Commission did not change the finding of violation. The Commission also
requested the parties to the investigation, interested government agencies, and
any other interested persons to file written submissions on the issues of
remedy, the public interest, and bonding.
On January 25, 2007, respondent Qualcomm moved, inter alia, for oral argument
and a hearing on the issues of remedy and the public interest. In view of the
impact that an exclusion order covering downstream products might have on the
public interest, the Commission held a public hearing on the issues of remedy
and the public interest on March 21-22, 2007.
The Commission announced its remedial orders on June 7, 2007. For further
information, see the Commission's Federal Register notice dated June 7, 2007,
which is available on the ITC web site.
-- 30 --
------------------------------
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End of Medianews Digest, Vol 289, Issue 1
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