BBC World Service To Run Ads On Some Websites And Radio Stations
The BBC Trust has approved plans to run advertising on a number of BBC World Service websites as well as in radio broadcasts for the first t…
Regulatory
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Google’s $500 Million DOJ Fine Is Reportedly Related To Online Pharmacy Ads
Mystery no more: The WSJ says the $500 million fine Google (NSDQ: GOOG) disclosed it might have to pay earlier this week is related to a DOJ…
Europe Is Holding Off On Net Neturality (For Now)
The new Republican leaders in congress have shown little appetite for passing a new law that would force internet service providers to adopt…
Spending Review Reax: Recruiters, BBC Trust See Resilience Despite Cuts
[Earlier: Spending Review key points]
Recruitment firms say public communications and technology job cuts, whilst ugly, can soon be offset…
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Spending Review Key Points: Extra BBC Duties, E-Govt, Tech Spending Slashed
Here are the main media and technology highlights from today’s UK Spending Review (complete report, press notice), as revealed by chancellor…
Advertising Trade Groups Launching ‘Opt-Out’ Platform For Consumers
For the better part of the last three years, the various advertising business trade organs have been trying to maintain the industry’s “self…
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Google Pays UK Ad Regulator To Extend Web Auspices
By John Plunkett: Marketing messages that appear on company websites and social media services such as Facebook and Twitter are to be subjec…
Google To FTC: Government Role In Helping News Industry Should Be Limited
Google (NSDQ: GOOG) just posted its response to proposals the FTC has said it is looking into in order to support the “reinvention of journa…
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Marketers Test ‘Better Advertising’ Seal In Bid To Stave Off Regs
Just as ad agencies and marketers descend on the south of France this week for the 57th annual Cannes Lions advertising festival, advertiser…
IAB Hopes To Head Off Regs With ‘Transparency Seal’
With the online ad industry’s self-policing regime constantly under attack from privacy advocates and lawmakers, the Interactive Advertising…
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The Crazy Things Cities Do To Get Broadband From Google
Google’s announcement last month that it would build “ultra” high-speed broadband networks in the U.S. has generated interest from cities wh…
Microsoft & Yahoo Get Regulatory Clearances in U.S. & Europe On Search Deal; Integration To Begin
The long and rough road is still a long way to go, but they’ve at least started on it: Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) and Yahoo have received cleara…
What’s Behind Google’s Broadband Strategy
Is Google (NSDQ: GOOG) planning pricey Potemkin broadband villages? As part of an expensive lobbying move, the search giant last week unveil…
Digital Economy Bill: Rightsholders Will Shoulder Most Three-Strikes Costs
Score one for the ISPs in the Digital Economy Bill debate. Stephen Timms, the minister for Digital Britain, yesterday said that copyright ho…
Online Music Price Fixing Lawsuit Back; Court Rules Against Labels
Major labels must once again face charges related to online price-fixing, according to an Appeals Court order issued Wednesday. In November…
‘TV Everywhere
TV Everywhere, the cable industry
Gadget Makers Want Changes To Europe’s Media Copying Levy
More tussling over Europe’s taxes on big digital businesses: Consumer electronics firms like Apple (NSDQ: AAPL), Sony (NYSE: SNE) and Resear…
Nokia Asks ITC To Ban Apple Imports, Including iPhone
Nokia (NYSE: NOK) said when it comes to smartphones, it will be on par with Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) and RIM (NSDQ: RIMM) by 2011, but hopefully i…
Digital Economy Bill: The Half-Billion Pound Price Tag
One item definitely not in this year’s post-Christmas sales: ISPs estimate that the proposed Digital Economy Bill, the government’s newest e…
FCC’s Levin: Broadband Plans Don’t Threaten Future Of Broadcasting
FCC broadband advisor Blair Levin tells B&C that he does not think any of the commission’s plans for spectrum reclamation “threatens the fut…
China Mobile’s Vice Chairman Investigated For ‘Breach Of Conduct’
China Mobile’s Vice Chairman Zhang Chunjiang is being investigated by officials for alleged breach of conduct related to personal reasons, w…
Sources Say FTC Is Reviewing Google’s Acquisition Of AdMob
The Federal Trade Commission is reviewing Google’s $750 million acquisition of mobile-advertising company AdMob, but there’s no indication o…
Yahoo Lets Users Opt Out Of Targeted Ads; But Is It Enough For Regulators?
On the same day as an FTC discussion on online privacy, Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) is rolling out a tool that gives users of its sites the option to…
FTC To Game Companies: Do Better At Keeping ‘Mature’ Mobile Games Away From Kids
The FTC recently gave the video game industry the equivalent of a gold star in terms of how it regulates the way games are sold and advertis…
SEC Watch: Harbinger Sells Another Batch Of NYT Shares, Now Owns Less Than 13 Percent
Harbinger Capital Partners systematically has cut back its stake in the New York Times Co. (NYSE: NYT) by more than a third –34 percent to…
Google To Contribute Funds For Policing Of UK Online Ad Industry
In the latest development in a long-running dispute between Google (NSDQ: GOOG) and the UK ad industry, the search giant has agreed to contr…
Big Ad Agencies Urge DOJ To Approve Yahoo-Microsoft Search Ad Partnership
In a sign of how much the big ad agencies want an alternative to Google (NSDQ: GOOG), all four major ad holding companies, along with the Am…
IAB Calls For Reversal Of ‘Unfair and Unconstitutional’ FTC Blogger Regs
The Interactive Advertising Bureau is calling on the Federal Trade Commission to withdraw its recently revised guidelines governing dealings…
FTC Says Concerns Over Overlap Of Google, Apple Boards Now Resolved
Looks like Google (NSDQ: GOOG) can knock one of its three antitrust inquiries off its list. Responding to this morning’s announcement that A…
Apple Director Resigns From Google Board
Arthur Levinson is leaving the Google (NSDQ: GOOG) board, the second person to serve on both the Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) and Google boards to qui…
New FTC Regs Require Greater Disclosure Between Advertisers And Bloggers
The Federal Trade Commission has revised its guidelines governing endorsements in the age of blogging and the rise of celebrities on Twitter…
Yahoo Insiders Take $2,159 Out For Every $1 They Spend On Stock
His interest piqued by Rafat’s post about Hilary Schneider’s $1 million-plus sale of Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) stock, activist investor Eric Jackso…
Mexico Looks To Increase Wireless Competition Against Carlos Slim
In Mexico, tycoon Carlos Slim controls close to 80 percent of the mobile phone market through his ownership of American Movil. That may chan…
Amazon, Microsoft, and Yahoo Join Coalition Against Google Book Settlement
Can the collective weight of Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN), Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) and Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) help scuttle Google’s book settlement? The t…
OFT To Investigate Behavioural Targeting, Price Comparison Sites
The Office of Fair Trading will this autumn open an investigation in to whether advertising rules should be changed to protect consumers fro…
FTC’s Vladeck: The Era Of Self-Policing Online Ads Is About To Change
David Vladeck, the new head of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, is not one to be impressed by the arguments th…
FTC Says Probe Into Google, Apple Boards Continues, Even With Schmidt’s Resignation
Eric Schmidt may have resigned from Apple’s board, but that doesn’t mean that the Justice Department is going to curb its antitrust inquiry…
paidContent Quick Hits: Yahoo-Microsoft Edition
Yes, we’ve gone deep and wide with coverage of the search and advertising pact Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) and Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) finally came up…
Likely Regulatory Questions On Microsoft-Yahoo
As the MSFT-YHOO deals gets near, a set of regulatory questions that are likely to come as the deal gets federal scrutiny (especially in lig…
Has Apple Finally Reached A Deal With Unicom To Bring The iPhone To China?
Yet another report that the iPhone may be available in China, starting this fall. China Business Network says that Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) has no…
A Plan To Upend The Domain-Name System Runs Into Opposition
ICANN, the non-profit group that regulates domain names, wants to vastly expand the number of “top level domain names” beyond the 21 that cu…
SEC Said To Still Be Investigating Apple Over Jobs’ Health Secrecy
Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) CEO Steve Jobs is back at work, but the company still can’t shake questions about whether it may have misled investors ab…
IAB Tries Giving Self-Policing Another Push; Focus Remains On ‘Opt-Out’
The Interactive Advertising Bureau is gearing up with another campaign designed to keep the online ad industry’s “self-policing” regime in p…
The Big Takeaway From Ad-Targeting Hearings: Legislation Is On The Way
New legislation on behavioral-ad targeting is starting to look more and more likely for later this year — at least that was the strong sugg…
IRS Asks Congress To Drop Cellphone Tax
The IRS has asked Congress to abandon a 1989 law that taxes personal cellphone calls that are paid for by a worker
Westminster Warned: Local Papers Can’t Be Saved By Websites, Blogs Or Anything Else
One hopes the MPs on the House Of Commons’ culture, media and sport select committee took their happy pills Tuesday morning. In their first…
National Rail Enquiries Investigated For Threatening App Developers
We sounded the alarm in May about National Rail Enquiries forcing third-party train-times apps offline whilst profiting from its own officia…
UK Train Agency Investigated For Threatening Mobile Developers
We sounded the alarm in May about the UK’s National Rail Enquiries forcing third-party train-times apps offline whilst profiting from its ow…
IRS Defends Proposals To Tax Personal Use Of Company Cellphones
The IRS is so misunderstood. Last week, news surfaced that the tax agency was planning stricter enforcement of a law that taxes the personal…
Got A Company-Paid Cellphone? The IRS Wants To Tax Your Personal Calls
Does the company you work for pay your cellphone contract? If it does, the IRS wants you to pay tax on it for being what it calls a
IAB: Online Ad Business Contributes $300 Billion To Economy (So Don’t Mess With It)
The Interactive Advertising Bureau has been ramping up its lobbying effort to get Congress and regulators to let the ad industry police itse…
Are Google And The White House Getting Too Cozy?
Since the start of the year, two senior Google (NSDQ: GOOG) executives have joined the Obama administration — and CEO Eric Schmidt has been…
Justice Department Probes Big Tech Firm Hiring Practices
The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating whether big tech firms, including Google, Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO), and Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) broke a…
Industry Moves: Google Public Policy Chief To Join Obama Administration
Google’s head of global public policy, Andrew McLaughlin, is joining the Obama administration as deputy chief technology officer, the NYT re…
China Mobile’s Move To Taiwan Blocked By Government
China Mobile’s plans to buy 12 percent of Taiwanese operator FarEasTone for $533 million has been dealt a blow by the island’s government. A…
Amid Carrier Outcry, EU Proposes To Cut Mobile Termination Rates
Fresh from its victory to cap mobile roaming charges for data and text messages, the European Commission
Feds Eying The Mommy Blogger-Brand Relationship
There’s a reason that brands love mommy bloggers. With more moms turning to the web for parenting advice, camaraderie and product recommenda…
EC Still Pushing For Cross-Border Digital Content Retail, Licencing
In case you thought the idea had gone away – European media and telco commissioner Viviane Reding still wants to give online retailers the r…
FTC Looking At Apple, Google Boards In Possible Antitrust Case
The Federal Trade Commission is looking into whether overlap among the directors of Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) and Google is an antitrust violation,…
Congress Takes Another Step On Behavioral Targeting Legislation
Although cable companies have quieted their efforts on using behavioral targeting on their broadband ISP subscribers, Congressional and regu…
Google Street View Passes UK Privacy Inspection
The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office has ruled it would be “disproportionate” to outlaw Google’s Street View 360-degree map service be…
European Parliament Approves Caps; Mobile Net, Texting 60 Percent Cheaper For Travelers
It
Euro Parliament Ups Music Copyright Term To 70 Years, No Fee Change For Artists
The European Parliament has voted to extend the length of recorded music copyright to 70 years from 50 across the European Union, in a move…
European Parliament Formally Adopts Roaming Price Caps On Texting, Downloading Data
It
Wireless Startups Are Lining Up For Pork, Too
With the government preparing to spend billions of dollars to stimulate the economy, VCs are carefully weighing the pros and cons of having…
Senators Want Authority Over Mobile Spam
Two U.S. senators — Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and Bill Nelson, D-Fla — have introduced an update to the federal CAN-SPAM law to include mobi…
Telcos Tell G20: We’ll Fix The Economy, If You Drop The Regulation
This sure takes some front. As G20 leaders convened with Gordon Brown in London to brainstorm ways out of a chronic global recession, the GS…
BBC Trust Says Licence Fee For Online TV Is Unclear
Should people who don’t own a telly, but do watch TV over the net, still pay the TV Licence fee? The current legal situation is actually pre…
Privacy Group Wants Google Maps Feature Shut Down In Britain
The fury in the UK over Google’s effort to introduce its Street View feature to Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Maps continues to escalate. The latest t…
Privacy Group Wants Google Maps Feature Shut Down In Britain
The fury in the UK over Google’s effort to introduce its Street View feature to Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Maps continues to escalate. The latest t…
Privacy Advocates Step Up Attack On Targeted Marketing
Privacy issues around tracking people via their mobiles to allow for targeted advertising are picking up steam. NYT has covered the issue, p…
European Lawmakers Vote To Cap Roamed SMS Charges, Data Downloads; Differences Remain
The European Parliament
Obama Plans To Increase Spectrum License Fees To Fight Deficit
President Obama plans to raise spectrum license fees as part of its plan to halve the deficit by 2013. “Though details on the Obama budget a…
Telcos Fined $12 Million By FCC For Not Proving Data Protection
The FCC issued a total of $12 million in fines to the telecommunications industry for companies which failed to certify that they were insti…
ASA Rulings: Virgin Speed Claims Wrong, Nokia’s Gender Play OK
The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ruled in favour of BSkyB (NYSE: BSY) and Nokia (NYSE: NOK) in two adjudications…
— BS…
Senate To Increase Broadband Stimulus Grants, Add Tax Credits
In the latest bail-out package, the U.S. Senate will consider earmarks of up to $9 billion and tax-breaks for companies that are willing to…
Camera Phones Must Go “Click” To Ward Off Predators
New York Congressman Pete King introduced a bill earlier this month in the House of Representatives that would require camera phones to make…
Florida Attorney General Nets Another $1 Million From Mobile Messenger Americas
Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum has reached a $1 million settlement with California-based Mobile Messenger Americas over allegations…
Australian Regulator Sues Text Spammers For First Time
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is taking SMS-spammers to court, the first time it has taken court action against m…
China Approves Airwaves To Be Used For 3G
China’s long-awaited 3G spectrum licenses are one step closer to being issued after China’s cabinet voted on the matter today, Reuters repor…
Legislators Try To Find Loophole For Spectrum Auction After Canceled FCC Meeting
After the FCC canceled a meeting to vote on whether they should go forward with auctioning off spectrum to mandate a free nationwide wireles…
Yahoo Updates Privacy Controls On Search, Pageviews
Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO), perhaps hoping to get the focus off its finances and CEO search, will reduce the amount of time it holds on to user data…
White House Opposes FCC Chair’s Latest Broadband Plan
The White House is opposing FCC Chairman Kevin Martin’s plan to auction off spectrum that specifies exactly how the winner must use it, the…
Apple Ad Banned For Misleading Consumers On iPhone’s Speed
A television ad touting the speed of Apple
House Judiciary Chair Conyers Takes Control Of Intellectual Property Issues
While the transition team piecing together the Obama administration gets most of the attention, other DC players are changing their own play…
Google-Yahoo: DOJ Would Have Filed An Antitrust Lawsuit; Competition Concerns Trumped Anything Else
So says the Department of Justice, in a statement: DOJ “informed the companies that it would file an antitrust lawsuit to block the implemen…
Google Withdrawing From Yahoo Deal; Not Worth The Legal Fight
It was only a matter of time, after all indications were pointing to the deal not going through in the original or even watered down form: G…
China Introduces Tax On Virtual Goods: Will Other Countries Follow Suit?
In China, sellers of anything virtual–from the gold that is traded in MMO (massively multiplayer online) games to couture designs in virtua…
Yahoo, Google Try To Sweeten Search Deal For DOJ Approval
Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) and Google (NSDQ: GOOG) have revised the terms of their proposed search deal in a last-ditch effort to get it approved by…
BBC Local: Gloves Are Off As Newspapers Call In Lawyers
Local newspapers are now so intent on scapegoating the proposed increase of video on BBC Local sites for their impending death spiral, they…
Google, Yahoo Keep Talking To DoJ On Ad Deal; Strategic Costs From Yahoo’s Side: $73M This Year
Despite some rumbles about the Google-Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) ad deal being in regulatory trouble, the two companies insist they are still talkin…
Microsoft’s Role In GOOG-YHOO Delay: Outlobbying
So how did Google (NSDQ: GOOG) move from promising to start its deal with Yahoo with or without the regulators to postponing it all within a…
Yahoo Ad Campaign Pleads: ‘Don’t Give Up On Our Search Tools (We Haven’t — Yet)’
One of the concerns lawmakers and regulators have about the (currently suspended) Google/Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) search ad pact is that it would…
Google, Yahoo In Talks To Fend Off Antitrust Action: Report
Google (NSDQ: GOOG) and Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) are in talks with the Justice Department over their proposed ad deal, in an effort to head off an…
Copyright Czar To Get Cabinet-Level Position At The White House
Intellectual property just got a potentially powerful voice
FCC Tests Determine White Space Devices Can Operate Without Interference Problems
Devices are capable of accessing the
Google-Yahoo Put Partnership On Hold; Talks With DOJ ‘Continuing’
Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) and Google (NSDQ: GOOG) will suspend working together in order to give the Department of Justice more time to determine w…
Mobile Posse Launches Idle Screen Ad Pilot In Portland, Ore.
McLean, Va.-based Mobile Posse said it has launched a pilot for its idle-screen advertising service with a wireless carrier in Portland, Ore…
Harmony For Almost All: Music Groups Settle Royalties Dispute, But Radio Streaming Issues Remains
In what is being dubbed “breakthrough that will facilitate new ways to offer music to consumers online” by the music industry groups represe…
EU Says Text Messaging Charges Will Be Capped At 11 Euro Cents By Next Summer
The maximum charge for text messaging within the European Union has been set at 11 euro cents, EU telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding confi…
Google-Yahoo Deal Wouldn’t Cover Europe, But EU Regulators Curious Anyway
It appears the increasingly scrutinized Google-Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) ad tie up is going to get the EU treatment. Despite the fact that the deal…
Newspapers Around World Oppose Yahoo-Google Ad Deal
The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) this morning asked the US Department of Justice, the European Commission and the Competition Burea…
Roaming Data Price Cap Plan Debated By European Politicians
Following European telecom commissioner Viviane Reding’s call last week to reduce and cap roaming data and SMS charges (see our post), news…
CTIA ‘OK’ Ad Plays During Democratic National Convention
Did anyone else catch this CTIA ad last night during the Democratic National Convention? It sure plays the harmonious tone like a pharmaceut…
EC Commissioner Again Beating Drum For Roaming SMS, Data Price Cuts
EU telcoms commissioner Vivianne Reding may have had her attempt to reduce roaming data charges thwarted last month – but she isn’t giving u…
Google, Others Discuss Their Ad Targeting Secrets; Push For Legislation Is ‘Bipartisan’
More than a dozen of the 33 companies asked by Congress to describe their behavioral targeting activities say they do not engage in the prac…
Yahoo Expands Privacy Controls Across Portal As Regulatory Scrutiny Sharpens
Hoping to mollify Congress and state legislators, Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) is broadening ‘opt-out’ controls covering targeted ads across its porta…
Legal Restrictions On Mobile Ads — The Difficulties Of Obtaining Consent
The debate about whether mobile ads will be different to online ads is pretty much over (yeah, they’re different), and there are some extra…
SEC Slaps Mobile Ready Entertainment With Lawsuit Alleging Pump And Dump Scheme
The Atlanta office of the Securities and Exchange Commission has slapped Mobile Ready Entertainment Corp and its ex-CEOs Michael H. Magolnic…
Nokia’s Navteq Purchase Cleared In EU, Tele Atlas Sufficient Competition
Like TomTom’s TeleAtlas purchase before it, Nokia’s (NYSE: NOK) $8.1 billion acquisition of mapping provider Navteq has been cleared by Euro…
DOJ Reviewing Yahoo-Google Ad Deal, Will Consult Rivals: Report
They gave the Department Of Justice three and a half months to review their ad deal – and it’s now doing just that in earnest. An unnamed so…
European Operators Braced For EU-Dictated Price Cuts On SMS
Regulation here we come. June 30th was the deadline for European operators to let the EU telecoms commissioner Viviane Reding know how much…
French Media And Telecoms Firms Not Happy With Sarkozy Proposal
Little surprise here. French President Nicholas Sarkozy
Battle Over Narnia.mobi: Child Ordered To Give Up Birthday-Gift Domain
All Edinburgh couple Richard and Gillian Saville-Smith wanted to do when they bought the Narnia.mobi domain name was give it to their 10-yea…
EU Telecoms Chief Gives Final Warning To Cut Texting And Data Roaming Charges
EU telecoms chief Viviane Reding is making good on her threats. On Thursday, Reding told EU telecoms ministers in a meeting in Luxembourg th…
Media Minister: Product Placement Bad, Web Regulation Good
Amongst several topics covered in a wide-ranging speech delivered to the Convergence Think Tank last night, media and culture minister Andy…
BBC.co.uk Review: Auntie Accepts Inadequacy, Disputes Overspend
The BBC says it “accepts” all-out criticism from its regulatory trust, which found BBC.co.uk overspent by £36 million in 2007/08 and was do…
BBC.co.uk Overspent By £36 Million, ‘Ineffective’ Bosses Must Change, Investment Frozen
BBC.co.uk overspent by 48 percent in 2007/08 because management is “not sufficiently strong” and “financial oversight has not been sufficien…
France Issues Mobile Broadcast TV Channels
French regulator Conseil Superieur de l
Eight Former AOL Execs Hit With SEC Fraud Charges, Including Overstating Online Ad Revs By $1b
Eight former executives at AOL (NYSE: TWX) have been accused of overstating online ad revenue by $1 billion and have been hit with fraud cha…
Congress Discusses Next Option For Failed Public Safety Network
A congressional panel told the FCC that it thinks it should re-auction a block of public airwaves, which failed to reach the minimum bid in…
EC Launches Consultation, Mulls Data Roaming And SMS Price Caps
The European Commission launched a public consultation on Wednesday asking for feedback on its roaming regulations, adopted in June of last…
Microsoft’s Regulatory Push: A Defense Against Google Or An Attempt To Ease Anti-Trust Scrutiny?
While much of the online ad industry clings to the hope that the Federal Trade Commission and state legislatures will continue to trust the…
Updated: Justice Department Investigating Yahoo-Google Ad Test; Companies Say They Volunteered Info
The U.S. Department of Justice is looking at the Google-Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) two-week ad test, according to Reuters. The wire service says it…
Carriers Argue For Freedom To Choose Partners In Shortcode Debate
The FCC hearing into whether SMS services and shortcodes are covered by the non-discrimination provisions of the telecom act is rolling on,…
Music Biz Would Rather Tax iPods Than Legitimise Format Shifting
The record industry has challenged a UK government proposal that would legalise “format shifting” from CD to gadgets like iPods – and instea…
Here’s A Way To Get Operators To Cut Costs: Out Them In Public
Here’s a novel way to shame operators into cutting their data and text costs: shame them in public. At least that’s what Viviane Reding, Eur…
Nokia’s Navteq Acquisition To Get More EU Scrutiny: Report
Not so fast! In Brussels, the European Commission will launch a deeper investigation in to possible antitrust concerns posed by Nokia’s (NYS…
Google/DoubleClick Merger To Receive Approval From European Regulators By Next Week: Report
European Commission regulators are prepared to give Google
Reding Slaps ‘Wishful-Thinking’ 3G Bidders, Urges Spectrum Reform Support
Europe’s telecoms commissioner Viviane Reding has called on national telco regulators to convince governments of her ambitious spectrum refo…
IAB Approves Privacy Guidelines For Interactive Advertising; ‘Roadmap’ May Not Thrill FTC
Late last year, the Federal Trade Commission, rather than impose regulations on online advertising, proposed self-policing for internet mark…
First Three-Strikes P2P Effort ‘Breaks Down’; Content Makers Sign Child Code
The Register found out that Tiscali had already agreed to implement a three-strikes-and-you’re-out policy to kick off illegal P2P users last…
Google Cools On Yahoo Ad Pact: Report
So much for that idea: WSJ is reporting that Google (NSDQ: GOOG) is losing interest in an ad-pact with Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO). The idea of outso…
EU Privacy Regulators To Reveal Tougher Rules On Search Data And Cookies
European regulators remain unhappy with the way search engines
U.S. DOJ To Probe Into Universal And Labels New JV Music Venture
U.S. Department of Justice has begun an inquiry into a new JV headed by Vivendi’s (EPA: VIV) Universal Music Group, along with three other l…
Govt, Stung By Data Loss, Encrypts BlackBerries, Mobile Phones
Reports Silicon.com: “The Cabinet Office confirmed that any government electronic device, even down to a mobile phone, would have to have an…
Google: MSFT Bid Raises ‘Troubling Questions’; Openness Mantra Again; MSFT Responds: We’d Be No 2
Google (NSDQ: GOOG) has fired back on Microsoft’s (NSDQ: MSFT) $44.6 billion bid for Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO), and said in an official blog post t…
MSFT-YHOO: House Panel Hearing On Deal On Feb.8
The House Judiciary Committee will do a hearing on on anti-trust/competition issues with this deal, reports Marketwatch.
Spectrum Auction Reaches Google’s Open Access Point
The wireless spectrum auction is reaching an interesting stage: After 18 rounds of bidding that began one week ago, bids for the “C block” o…
@ Midem: U2 Manager Backs Sticking P2P Culpability On ISPs
U2’s manager has called on ISPs to police subscribers’ online activities and kick off illegal file sharers. “Their snouts have been feeding…
700 MHz Auction: Open Access Going Well; Public Safety Not So Much
The first week of the 700 MHz spectrum auction in the US has come to a close, with most blocks of spectrum being slowly bidded up but the D-…
Japanese Filtering Regulations Could Hamper Off-Deck Industry
Japan is one of the countries looking to filter the mobile internet “for the sake of the children”, and Infinita has some details of the pro…
700 MHz Auction Draws $2.4 Billion In Bids
The 700 MHz auction has attracted 1,849 bids totaling more than $2.4 billion in its first round, reports RCR News. Naturally, there’s no ind…
Gearing Up For The 700 MHz Auction
Thursday sees the start of the 700 MHz auction in the US, but there’s not going to be much news coming out until it’s finished — the FCC is…
Tough Sell For Reding On Capping Mobile Data, Termination Fees
The plans of EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding for further regulation of mobile pricing in Europe will be a tougher sell than capping…
Japan To License Cellphone Experts
Japan will start licensing mobile phone
Incumbents Likely To Sweep Spectrum Auction
The incumbent telcos are likely to get most of the interesting licenses at next week’s US spectrum auction, according to analysts in this Do…
700 MHz: Google Could Still Bid To Win; Bid To Lose More Likely: Analyst
The conventional view is that Google’s (NSDQ: GOOG) participation in the upcoming 700 MHz auction isn’t actually about acquiring spectrum, b…
Reding Looks At European Roaming Data Charges
After capping international roaming call costs, EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding has set her sights on a few other charges she consid…
Controversy Over Ofcom's Plan For Spectrum
Vodafone (NYSE: VOD) and O2 have attacked Ofcom’s plan to auction off spectrum for 3G services, because it involves taking some of their 900…
FCC Chief Defends Auction: Legally, Must Go On
FCC Chief Kevin Martin has defended the upcoming auction sale against charges that due to the credit crunch it won’t raise the hoped-for amo…
FCC Investigates Whether SMS, Shortcodes Come Under Non-Discrimination Provisions
The FCC has launched a rulemaking to determine whether SMS services and shortcodes are covered by the non-discrimination provisions of the t…
Royalties Collector 'Regrets' Pandora UK Exit; Trial Offer Still On The Table
One of the two UK agencies branded “too expensive” by Pandora has spoken up after the online radio service abandoned a full UK launch. Phono…
Ticket Exchange Sites Criticised By MPs, But Escape Regulation
A committee of MPs has criticised ticket resale websites including Seatwave and Viagogo for collaborating with sophisticated, organised tick…
"I Decide, And That's It": Reding On Mobile TV Standards
A panel with politicians from the European Union, the United States of America and Japan produced a good debate about mobile TV and how it s…
France's Sarkozy Proposes Tax On Internet, Mobile, TV Ad Revenues To Fund Public TV
French President Nicolas Sarkozy would tax mobile phone operators and internet service providers as well as the advertising revenues of priv…
Frontline "Closes For Business"; Couldn't Raise Deposit
This will cause a fair bit of head-scratching… Frontline, the company that was started specifically to bid in the upcoming 700 MHz spectru…
Music, Film Format Shifting To Be Legalised, But May Not Circumvent DRM
The UK government is about to decriminalise millions of music buyers who transfer their CDs to iPods and other devices. Though record labels…
Online Ad Industry Groups Take Steps To Self-Police
The online ad industry dodged a bullet when the Federal Trade Commission proposed that internet marketers and sites self-police instead of i…
EC Plans Single Market For Mobile, Online Content
The European Commission has today finalised its Creative Content Online In The Single Market paper and will publish proposals for pan-contin…
China Plans To Restrict Online Videos; Effect on Private Companies Still Unclear
It’s the age of online content restrictions: Australia, Japan and the evergreen efforts of China. In an effort to further regulate internet…
US Analog Networks To Shut Down In 2008
The very systems that launched wireless networks 24 years ago will start going dark as soon as Feb. 18, freeing up more spectrum for digital…
Serious Bidders To Make Initial Spectrum Payments Jan. 4
The deadline for making “upfront payments” in the 700 MHz spectrum auction is Friday, which will reveal how many of the companies which appl…
Japan Announces Plans For Content Filtering, Watermarking
While the Australian Government is getting slammed on the internet for its proposal to require telecommunication companies to filter online…
US AWS Frequency Band Gets Foreign Support; Bigger Market For 3G Devices
While many other countries around the world have generally harmonized the radio spectrum they use for mobile phones, the US has generally ma…
UK To Review Mobile Industry Regulation
UK communications regulator Ofcom will launch an investigation into the country’s mobile phone industry next year, amid worries that in the…
Google’s Doing Its Own Testing On White Spaces
Google (NSDQ: GOOG) is not giving up unlicensed spectrum, the so-called “white spaces”. It is going ahead filing its own testing results wit…
UK Broadcasting Regulator Takes Charge Of Call-TV Oversight
UK media regulator Ofcom is taking over premium-rate phone regulator PhonepayPlus (formerly Icstis) to take a tighter rein on the call-TV in…
Updated: Time Warner Cable CEO Britt Says No To 700 MHz Auction
Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) Cable will not participate in the 700 MHz wireless spectrum auction. Chairman and CEO Glenn Britt just told CNBC dur…
EU Backing Proposal To Open GSM Radio Frequencies for 3G
European Union telecom ministers have backed proposals today to open up spectrum reserved solely for GSM mobile phone services to other tech…
EU Opening In-Depth Probe into TomTom’s Bid for Tele Atlas
The EU has announced that it will open an in-depth probe into TomTom’s proposed acquisition of Tele Atlas, citing Tele Atlas’ position as on…
Citing Steep Royalty Payments, AOL And Yahoo Could Consider Dropping Streaming Radio Services
Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) and AOL, (NYSE: TWX) claiming that higher royalty fees levied this past summer are turning their online radio operations…
Google Seeks Answers From FCC Before Dec. 3 Deadline For 700 MHz Spectrum Auction
Google (NSDQ: GOOG) continues to send mixed signals as the Dec. 3 deadline approaches for participation in January’s 700 MHz spectrum auctio…
BT On EC Competition Plans: Bring ‘Em On
Nearly every dominant telco in Europe has slammed the recent EU proposal that would carve up their businesses – but not BT, (NYSE: BT) the U…
Google's Spectrum Plans: Could Go It Alone; Hires Game Theorists For The Bid
Now that Google (NSDQ: GOOG) has got the Android out of its system, in more ways than one, the focus is on the spectrum auction, coming up e…
EU Proposes New Powers For Splitting Up Telecom Companies
This would cause a lot of disruption in the European telecom market, including mobile operators and broadband access: the European Commissio…
Mobiles Send Aussie Teens Bankrupt
NSW Fair Trading Minister Linda Burney has said a survey conducted by the Office of Fair Trading showed that three quarters of the teenage r…
AOL Promises More Appealing Behaviorial Targeting With Opt-Out Ad System
Just as the FTC prepares to look into calls for a “don’t target list” for online consumers, AOL (NYSE: TWX) is creating its own system that…
Philippines Mobile TV In Doubt As Regulator Fails To Regulate
Mobile TV in the Philippines is in danger… the Philippine Cable Television Association (PCTA) has asked the National Telecommunications Co…
US Mobile Industry Wants To Learn Lessons From UK Participation TV Failures
Seeking to avoid the fiascos and scandals that have beset UK participation TV this year, the Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF) yesterday host…
CTIA Files Lawsuit Against Auction Rules, As Verizon Withdraws Its Suit; Largent-Mossberg Tiff
Earlier today, we reported on Verizon Wireless (NYSE: VZ) withdrawing its lawsuit against FCC on the spectrum auction rules. Now CTIA is imm…
Google's Page: "Pretty Happy" With FCC's 700 MHz Auction Rules; No "Desperate Need"
Just a quick note while I’m listening to the Google (NSDQ: GOOG) earnings call: Larry Page said the company has “been pretty happy” with the…
Sirius/XM Set Merger Vote; DOJ Wants More Info
While XM (NSDQ: XMSR) and Sirius (NSDQ: SIRI) continue to wait and see whether any of the various regulatory bodies will attempt to block th…
BSkyB’s ITV Stake Operates Against Public Interest, Says Competition Commission
From paidContent:UK: The UK’s Competition Commission today dealt a blow to the all-mighty BSkyB (NYSE: BSY), the pay-TV provider 39.1 percen…
Google-DoubleClick Gets Capitol Hill Treatment; Microsoft Says Google Already Is Amazon Plus FedEx
The prepared statements from Google (NSDQ: GOOG) and Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) set the tone for today’s hearing on Capitol Hill over Google’s p…
Google-DoubleClick: Microsoft’s Opposition To The Deal: Intermediaries; Targeting
The hearing is going on now, and Microsoft’s (NSDQ: MSFT) Brad Smith, SVP and General Counsel, just finished his testimony: the prepared sta…
Google-DoubleClick Hearing: Listen Or Watch It Live
They start at 2:30 EST today, and you can hear it live online. See instructions here. Both audio and video available…
Google’s Testimony Later Today on DCLK Acquisition: Advertising As Information
As we mentioned last night, Google (NSDQ: GOOG) will testify later today (starts 2 PM EST) before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol…
An Antitrust Analysis of GOOG-DCLK Deal: Search Ads Vs Contextual Ads Vs Display Ads
A research paper from the AEI-Brookings Joint Center for Regulatory Studies, which builds the case that Google’s (NSDQ: GOOG) buyout of Doub…
Opera Telecom Gets Record 250k Pound Fine Over GMTV Phone-In Scandal
Not the final chapter in the GMTV phone-in scandal but another major development: Opera Telecom, the company responsible for running the com…
Microsoft Goes on PR Offensive on Google-DoubleClick Deal; Touts Own aQuantive Wins
Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT), which on one hand started touting its ad client wins following its $6 billion aQuantive’s deal which closed six week…
MSFT and Phillips Want More White Space Testing; Say Their Own Testing Is Succesful
Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) and Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG) have filed asking the FCC to restart testing of prototype devices that can access…
Google ‘Could Bid’ For UK Mobile Spectrum, Says ‘Highly Speculative’ Report
Google (NSDQ: GOOG) is “considering” buying some of the mobile spectrum Ofcom yesterday said it would auction in 2009, laying the ground for…
UK Round-Up: Google Ad Subsidies, Digital TV Growth, BBC Contests Resumption
– Google (NSDQ: GOOG): Google is axing its commission-giving Best Practice Funding advertising scheme at the end of next year. The scheme op…
@Convergence 2.0: The 700 Mhz Auction: “The Last Big Event”
“The last big event” is how former FCC official and current Stiefel Nicolaus analyst Blair Levin characterized the upcoming 700 mhz wireless…
Apple Exploring Bid For Wireless Spectrum: Report; 1 Million iPhones Sold; Sim Unlocking Site Live
The more the merrier … A la Google (NSDQ: GOOG), Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) has considered bidding in the pending wireless spectrum auction, or so…
Mobile Regulation Continues: US Senators Push For Openess, Malaysia Tries To Stop Spam
Two US senators are pushing for a “wireless consumer protection bill” which will do away with early termination fees, prohibit cellular carr…
U.S. DOJ Wary of Net Neutrality; Prioritization Of Certain Content May Actually be "Procompetitive"
This has some major implications for content companies: Antitrust authorities at the U.S. Justice Department have warned FCC against imposin…
Apple, Record Labels To Defend EC iTunes Antitrust Charges This Month
Later this month, representatives of Apple, Universal Music, SonyBMG and EMI will attempt to convince the European Commission that iTunes St…
For Political Blogs, Presence Of Bias Doesn't Mean Absence Of Media: Federal Election Commission
In a decision with online media business implications, the US Federal Election Commission declared that DailyKos, a politically liberal site…
MPAA Lobbies UK To Tighten Movie Piracy Legislation
Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) president Dan Glickman is today lobbying UK film minister Margaret Hodge, advisers to prime min…
Interview: Ashley Highfield, Director, BBC Future Media & Technology: Trust Takes Too Long
The BBC’s digital media supremo has said the broadcaster’s regulator should speed up the process for green-lighting new internet projects. I…
AllofMP3.com Vows To Return, Setting Stage For Legal Escalation
Newly confident from having won its copyright court case against the international music industry, Moscow-based AllofMP3.com has vowed to re…
Google CEO Eric Schmidt On Spectrum Auction, Net Neutrality, Free Choice v. Telco Control Etc
Video for a slow Friday: Google CEO Eric Schmidt spoke on August 21, the video below in full. This is where he mentioned that Google will pr…
DiMA, SoundExchange Agree To Cap On Per Channel Fees For Major Streamers
The Digital Media Association, which represents companies with major music streaming operations, and royalty collector SoundExchange have ag…
Ticket Sales Opens Next Week For "iPhone And Beyond" Seminar
We’re coming close to finalizing the details of the
Some Small Radio Webcasters Scoff At Royalty Offer From SoundExchange
Just as higher copyright rates were to take effect for streaming music online, SoundExchange, the music industry group that collects the roy…
Google Will "Probably" Bid For Wireless Spectrum in U.S.
Still sitting on the fence, but not really, Google CEO Eric Schmidt told a conference of regulatory and industry leaders in Aspen today that…
FCC Opts Against Limiting Amount Of Wireless Spectrum One Company Can Buy In Upcoming Auction
The FCC’s final rules for the upcoming wireless spectrum auction left out another provision sought by potential new entrants and some public…
More White Noise: A Setback For The White Spaces Spectrum Lobby From Google, Others
Well, Google can’t win them all: the search giant–teamed up with tech titans including Microsoft, Dell, Intel, EarthLink, Hewlett-Packard a…
Eminem Sues Apple Over iTunes Downloads; Claims Universal Had ‘No Right’
Eminem’s music publisher is suing Apple for selling up to 80 of his songs at iTunes Store “without permission”. The rapper argues his label…
FCC Spectrum Auction Rules: The “Open Access” Commissioners
Below are excerpts from the respective statements from FCC Commissioners on the spectrum auction rules, which we covered earlier today here…
FCC Spectrum Auction Rules: Chairman Kevin Martin Explains
Watching FCC Chairman Kevin Martin now on CNBC as he explains the rules set today for next year’s 700 MHz auction. He stresses the opportuni…
FCC Approves ‘Open Access’ Wireless Rules For Spectrum Auction; Will Not Require Wholesale Access
The FCC’s vote on rules for the upcoming 700 MHz spectrum auction are in and it looks like “open access” has won out — to some degree. The…
Waiting For Spectrum Auction Ruling
Still waiting…no word yet, after the delay earlier today.
White Spaces Spectrum Bid by Microsoft, Google And Others Criticized For Interference
While the 700 MHZ spectrum auction debate goes on, as James explained well below (and why it matters), another spectrum issue has been bubbl…
FCC To Vote On Auction Rules Next Tuesday; What Would Open Access Mean?
Next tuesday the FCC will vote on the rules for auctioning off the valuable 700 MHz spectrum, and the politicians involved in the process ar…
BBC’s Regulator Starts Review Of All Online Output
BBC Trust, the independent regulator that governs the broadcaster, today launched a wide-ranging review of bbc.co.uk to ensure the corporati…
U.K. Government Rejects Long-Tail Music Copyright Extension
The U.K. government will not press the European Union for an extension of copyright on sound recordings and performances, from the current 5…
Google’s D.C. Lobbying Initiatives Looks Beyond Writing Checks
With Congress holding hearings’ on Google’s pending $3.1 billion acquisition of DoubleClick this week, the search giant’s Washington D.C. lo…
Sports Reporters Join Forces To Fight Limits On Web Video Coverage on Rugby
Media organizations have banded together to fight efforts by sports organizers to block multimedia coverage of events. Recent months have se…
NWS-DJ: Monday Meeting; SEC Civil Charges; Fretting Journos
No resolution this week and possibly none next week when it comes to the Bancrofts … according to the Journal, the family plans a Monday m…
Faced With Continued Criticism On Privacy, Google Cuts Cookie Storage Time
Google is cutting the length of time before its users’ preference-storing cookies expire – by about three decades. If not deleted manually b…
SoundExchange Spares Many Webcasters From Rate Hike; Negotiations Will Reopen
Webcasters have won another reprieve from new online royalties rates that were due to be collected this coming Monday. In a move that came a…
Terra’s EMI Offer OK’d By Europe, WMG ‘Bolsters Offer Team’
The European Commission today gave private equity Terra Firma the green light to pursue its £2.4 ($4.8) billion takeover of London-based EM…
Purchase Of AQuantive By Microsoft Gains FTC’s Tacit Approval; GoogleClick Still Pending
The FTC antitrust review of Microsoft’s $6 billion acquisition of interactive ad shop aQuantive is effectively over. The agency’s 30-day rev…
FTC Chairman: Policy Makers Should Be ‘Particularly Hesitant’ To Enact Net Neutrality Regs
Proponents of “net neutrality” took a hit from the Federal Trade Commision Wednesday when FTC chairman Deborah Platt Majoras — backed by a…
Fantasy Leagues Not Gambling, District Judge Rules
Premium fantasy sports leagues does not constitute illegal gambling, according to a ruling in a court case decided in the New Jersey Distric…
Labels Given More Response Time On EC iTunes Price Inquiry
Universal Music Group said it was granted a ‘short extension’ to a deadline that expired midnight Wednesday CEST for it to respond to a Euro…
Google Gets Initial Permission To Offer Online Content In China
Google has been stepping up its efforts in China lately — for instance, signing a search-ad deal with Sina last week. Now, the search gian…
FTC Seeks To Shutter Digital Entertainment Vendor BurnLounge, Alleging Pyramid Scheme
BurnLounge, a site that lets users set up their own music/entertainment download service, is being accused of running a pyramid scheme by th…
UK Media Regulator Reviews Public Service Web Content, Channel 4’s Business Model
UK media regulator Ofcom will conduct a series of reviews of the country’s online public service content – after earlier suggesting a shortf…
Warner Confirms Still in EMI Running; Receives ‘Approach’ From EMI’s Own Buyer
After much speculation since private equity firm Terra Firma agreed to buy EMI for $4.7 billion, Warner Music Group has now confirmed for th…
Google Limits Data Retention Period To Soothe EU Privacy Worries
Google has agreed to limit how long it keeps users’ search records after facing criticisms from European legislators and liberties advocates…
UK Media Regulator Plays Rough With HDTV Broadcast Lobby
The UK’s public service broadcasters appear to face an uphill climb in their fight to reserve a chunk of broadcasting spectrum for high-def.…
GCap Gambles On Securing Music Licensing For On-Demand Radio
UK commercial radio leader GCap is pressing ahead with plans to offer seven-day internet music radio catch-up without authorization from lab…
Google Lobbying Efforts in DC: DoubleClick, Net Neutrality, and Airwaves Sale
A detailed story on Google’s lobbying efforts in DC…as its expansion plans invite government scrutiny, Google is playing catch-up, hiring…
FTC Opens Prelim Anti-Trust Investigation Into Google-DoubleClick Deal
Updated below:
For now, it is preliminary…the inquiry began at the end of last week, after it was decided that the Federal Trade Commissi…
Industry Royalties Org Offers ‘Subsidy’ To Small Internet Webcasters; SaveNetRadio Says No Thanks
SoundExchange, the not-for-profit that manages digital royalties for major labels, indies and artists, is offering to defer the recent Copyr…
EU Conditionally Approves Vivendi Universal’s Acquisition Of BMG
The European Commission has granted conditional approval for Vivendi’s Universal Music Group’s $2.19 billion bid to acquire BMG Music Publis…
Google Thumbnails Is Fair Use: Court; Google New “Universal” Search
Google’s image search results don
Pentagon Blocks YouTube, MySpace, MTV.com and 10 Others Citing Bandwidth & Security Concerns
Citing security concerns and technological/bandwidth limits, the Pentagon has cut off access to 13 digital media sites for personnel using t…
Senate Bill Aims To Rollback Royalty Rate Hike For Net Radio
U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Sam Brownback (R-KS) have introduced legislation to keep promising to defend internet radio erasing the C…
Vietnam Eyes 40 Percent Annual Digital Media Growth, Govt. Assistance
Vietnam’s digital media industry will receive the equivalent of $80 million in public subsidies over the next three years as the national go…
Pandora Fails To Win Overseas Licensing Deals; Shuts Off International Tap
Music recommendation engine Pandora announced it would be shutting off its service to users outside the U.S. Founder Tim Westergren e-mailed…
Net Radio Stations Given 60 Days To Find Cash, Fight Or Die
A postponement of the deadline by which net radio channels must pay revised artist and label royalties has given many independent and larger…
Apple Earnings 1: Q2 Profit Rises 88 Percent To $770 Million; Addresses Backdating Accusations
With a federal investigation of backdating still hanging over the head of Steve Jobs, Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) was able to focus on some positiv…
Digital Rights Groups Ask FTC To Block GoogleClick Or Obtain Strict Privacy Protections
Three digital rights organizations have filed a joint complaint with the Federal Trade Commission on Friday over Google’s planned $3.1 billi…
Webcasters Given Chance To Make Offers On Royalties
A few days after the Copyright Royalty Board rejected appeals to reconsider the new per-song, per-listener fee structure that internet radio…
Judges Reject Appeals From Webcasters on Royalties Hike; Applies To Mobile As Well
Another smackdown on the online radio industry: on Monday a panel of copyright judges threw out requests to reconsider a ruling that hiked t…
Rivals Start Weighing on Google-DoubleClick Deal; Want Close Regulatory Scrutiny
A flurry of activity over the weekend after Friday’s announcement about Google’s intention to buy DoubleClick for $3.1 billion in cash. Comp…
Ofcom CEO: UK Needs Public Funded Online Media ‘To Protect Against Imports’
The CEO of UK media regulator Ofcom says Britain needs a strong online antidote to “American imports”. Consultation closed a fortnight ago o…
Ofcom: Half Of UK Homes Have Broadband; ISP Revenue Up 18 Percent
UK broadband services’ revenue is up 18 percent on last year. That’s because half of all adults now live in a broadband-wired home, pushing…
Apple May Face $600 Million in EU Fines On Music Pricing Differential
Nevermind the EMI-Apple announcement, the shine may come of soon: Apple faces a fine of more than $600 million after the European Commission…
ICANN Turns Down Request For Adult Site Domain
ICANN, the agency that regulates internet domains, rejected a proposal for adult entertainment sites to have their own three-x top domain. A…
Google Forming Network Of European Lobbbyists
Last year, Google formed a political action committee to lobby Washington DC on internet competition and freedom issues. Now it’s turning it…
Universal Music Offers Sell-Off To Clear Deal With BMG
Universal Music is willing to sell off a chunk of its catalog in order to pass muster with European Union regulators in its $2.15 billion bi…
Does the Record Industry Want To Kill Internet Radio?
Pretty much every radio platform is going through an uncertain time. Terrestrial radio seems to have new competition every day, the two sate…
Warner, EMI Merger Could be Closer This Time; WMG Calls Talk ‘Preliminary’
If this latest effort to merge Warner Music Group and EMI goes through, the combined companies model could well be “never say never.” So wha…
@ Beyond Primetime NYC: Media Literacy Needed To Bridge Generation Gap
The morning’s second Beyond Primetime panel on media regulation was more varied than the first. At one end, FCC Commissioner Michael Copps e…
10Q Watch: Apple’s Risk Factors: Competitors With Deep Pockets, Feds, Mobile Phone Market
We’ve written a bit here about the ongoing saga at Apple involved back-dated options and faked board meeting minutes. Now the company is rep…
Senators Push for Permanent
New Congress, old issues. On the first day of the new session of Congress, three senators, John McCain (R-AZ), John Sununu (R-NH) and Ron…
EU Regulators Back Off Copyright Levies Reform; Decides On TV Without Frontiers Directive
Two very controversial decisions (or lack of) out of Europe today, both related to digital media:
— The EU Commission has suddenly backed a…
EU Postpones Decision On Copyright Levy On Devices
In the U.S., it’s up to Microsoft to decide whether or not to pay a per-Zune fee to Universal Music but in most European countries, a copyri…
Congressman Berman, Copyright Fan, To Run The Internet & IP Panel
Missed this one yesterday: LAT has a good profile of Democratic Congressman Howard Berman, who represents LA and therefore by extension Holl…
China Cracks Down On Online Gaming Content
Another in a series of steps by the Chinese government to harness the internet … this time, it’s online gaming as the government requires…
EU Opens Antitrust Probe Of UMG-BMG Music Publishing Merger
The EU has opened an antitrust investigation into Universal Music Group’s planned $2.1 billion acquisition of BMG Music Publishing. Official…
EU Approves Carphone Warehouse-AOL UK Deal
The Carphone Warehouse Group has EU approval to acquire AOL UK, according to AFP. The commission decided the $726 million (370 million pound…
EU’s Creative Rights and Cultural Diversity
Last week in Brussels, EU held a conference about the future of copyrights, especially as they applied to music across the countries in EU r…
Russia Poised to Shutter AllofMP3, After Agreement With U.S.
The biggest roadblock in Russia’s entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) is about to be removed: AllofMP3.com, the Russia-based contr…
EU To Tone Down Cross Border Online TV Regulation; User-Generated Video Exempt
This is a big victory for the proponents of less online video/TV regulation: The European Commission, which has been pushing changes its Tel…
Hollywood Rights: Guilds, Studios Still At Odds Over Digital Compensation
This headline probably will be usable for years as the various parties in the entertainment food chain squabble over who gets what when. As…
The LBOing Of Media Business
Mine is bigger than yours..the LBO’s increasing creep into the media business is analyzed in this WSJ story, in light of the Clear Channel-i…
After Google, Belgians Go After MSN
A month after a Belgian court rules in favor of local newspaper companies against Google, Infoworld reports that MSN is in talks with the ne…
Jobs Knew About Stock Options
Steve Jobs has admitted that he knew of “a few instances” when Apple’s stock options were being backdated by employees. The three-month inte…
UK Government’s YouTube Experiment Backfires – Video Pulled After Copyright Breach
A week after the UK government thought it was being really clever posting public service videos on YouTube – one video has been pulled becau…
FTC Chairman Claims Net Neutrality Authority
In a new angle on the Net Neutrality debate, FTC Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras said the ongoing Congressional debate to force the FCC to ac…
AOL Records Faux Pas Could Be Flashpoint For Privacy Changes; Google Unswayed
The reverb continues from AOL’s misguided release — can’t call it inadvertant, as some have, because it wasn’t an accident — of keyword se…
Stock-Option Reverb: Apple “Likely” To Restate Four Years Of Results
Two weeks after Apple that it would not need a “material adjustment” to results — unless something else turned up — the company says it is…
Apple: European iTunes Stores Sell More Than 200 Million Songs
Two years into its European iTunes expansion, Apple says the 17 stores have sold more than 200 million songs. The most impressive number may…
Feds Approve Sale Of Four Former K-R Papers; Paves Way For MediaNews In Bay Area
After interviewing more than 80 “industry participants,” the Justice Department has closed its antitrust review of the complicated $1 billio…
Apple Wins Latest Round In French DRM Struggle
The French copyright law meant to encourage interoperability may wind harming individuals who try to find their own solutions. The latest tw…
@ Media Giraffe: Nothing Neutral About Net Neutrality Debate
Not exactly a subject to eat lunch by but beats the time I went to a conference of coroners. Listening to the comments here — including an…
The (Non-Telcom) Argument Against A Neutral Net
In an about-face, tech writer Andrew Kantor argues that the neutral net — as fought for by main organizations he respects — is a bad idea…
Mr. Brin Goes To Washington; Google Lobbying Still In Beta
Looks like Google’s lobbying efforts are still in early beta despite the considerable investment over the past year and the emphasis on rais…
House Panel Blocks Adding Broadband Fee on Content Companies
One for net neutrality: By a 20-13 vote Thursday, the House Judiciary Committee in U.S. approved a bill that would require broadband provide…
House Judiciary Committee Approves Limits on Online Gambling
Meanwhile, on another politicized issue in U.S., the House Judiciary Committee approved legislation to toughen laws against Internet gamblin…
DOJ: Google’s Complaint About IE Search Unfounded
Every so often, things on the antitrust front break Microsoft’s way … The Justice Department doesn’t agree with Google’s informal complain…
Video Franchise Bill Introduced In House (reg. req.)
A bill introduced by Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) Monday would give the Bells a national video franchise for 10 years and includes some allowan…
Google Roundup: Lobbying Intensifies; Verizon Signs On To AdWords; Mapping Ads
Once a Maverick, Google Joins the Lobbying Herd: Google’s lobbying efforts are intensifying as the company tries to find a way to balance em…
Apple Fires Back At Proposed French Mandate For Interoperability But Says Move Could Be Good For iPo
Apple says it would be “state-sponsored piracy” if a proposed French law making its way thrugh parliament becomes actual law. Apple argues t…
Proposed French Law Could Cause Trouble For iTunes; More On French MPs And MP3s
The draft law on digital music rights coming in French parliament Thursday includes a clause that would make it legal to convert digital con…
French MPs Debate Legalizing P2P MP3s
The French government and members of the country’s parliament are at odds over efforts to legalize P2P downloads in exchange for small month…
Senate Hearing On Video Franchising
Up next in the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee series on media and communications topics: Video Franchising, Wednesday, 10 a.m. You can follo…
Senate Net Neutrality Hearing Slated For Tuesday
The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee continues its hearing marathon with a look at net neutrality. the hearing will be…
2006 Congressional Media/Telecom/Tech Agenda Kicks Off In Earnest This Week
The combo of Congressional elections and a jampacked media/telecom/tech agenda could make this a very interesting year. The centerpiece: the…
Subscription Service Pricing Under Scrutiny
The Journal has a slightly odd story about “most-favored nation” status and pricing. Maybe it just reads odd to me because I’ve dealt with M…
French MPs Vote To Legalize P2P File-Sharing
You never know what piece of legislation will slip through in the waning hours of a holiday week. While the Congress was battling over the P…
