Television

July 12, 2007 -- Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell has signed a bill that provides a regulatory framework to boost competition in the state’s cable television market, saying the new law will result in better customer service, lower prices, new investments and new jobs.

The bill, An Act Concerning Certified Competitive Video Service, is effective October 1. The Governor signed the bill on July 11.    » read more »

Environmental, Religious, and Activist Groups Ask Home Depot to Pull Ads

July 10, 2007 -- A grassroots coalition of environmental, religious, and activist groups launched a campaign today to expose the Fox News network's consistent pattern of spreading misinformation about global warming. As part of the campaign, the coalition is urging Home Depot -- a company that says it cares about the environment -- to stop advertising on Fox.    » read more »

6.25.07 - Columbus, Ohio – Ohio Governor Ted Strickland today signed Senate Bill 117, a bill that gives the director of the Ohio Department of Commerce authority to issue statewide franchises for video service that is provided over cables or wires.

“I believe that the establishment of a statewide franchise for video-service providers will not only bring additional investment to our state, but also result in lower costs and more choices for consumers in Ohio,” Strickland said.

Source: Ohio Governor

Specification For the Cable Industry to Comply with The Communications Assistance Law Enforcement Act (CALEA)

June 12, 2007 -- The FBI responded to CableLabs' release of a technical specification developed to facilitate the cable industry's compliance with the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA). The Cable Broadband Intercept Specification represents the cable industry's interface specifications for broadband data communication services.    » read more »

06 June 2007 -- Thousands of Venezuelans are protesting in the streets of the capital, Caracas, again Wednesday to show their anger at the government shutdown of the nation's oldest private broadcaster.

The demonstrators, many of them university students, marched to the attorney general's office in Caracas, calling for freedom of expression.    » read more »

05 June 2007 -- A U.S. appeals court says rules that punish broadcasters for accidental use of profanity in live broadcasts may need to be rewritten.

The appeals court Monday told the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reconsider a 2006 indecency rule, which the court called arbitrary and capricious. The judges also said the rules might violate free speech rights.

Fox Broadcasting praised the ruling and said it should be up to viewers to determine which programs are appropriate for them and their families.    » read more »

29 May 2007 -- Two days after forcing a private Venezuelan television station off the air, President Hugo Chavez has threatened to crack down on another non-governmental TV broadcaster. VOA's Michael Bowman reports from Washington.

It has been two days since opposition-allied Radio Caracas Television ceased transmission, replaced by a state-funded network called Venezuelan Social Television. Protests against the move continue to grow and expand across Venezuela, with students and others taking to the streets in many cities.    » read more »

Tony Bennett thinks American Idol is too cruel - and said so to celebrity judge Simon Cowell.

Speaking to the British edition of Time Out Magazine, the 80-year-old crooner says his recent appearance on the popular TV talent contest left him dismayed at its treatment of contestants.

"I had it out with Simon [Cowell] when I met him and suggested that he should open up tiny clubs across the countries so the kids could break in and learn properly," he said.

Bennett says Cowell shrugged off his suggestion, saying he was too busy making money.

Source: VOA News

The United Church of Christ and the Rainbow PUSH Coalition filed a petition on May 1 with the Federal Communications Commission asking it to deny license renewals for two Fox-owned TV stations in New York because the stations’ owner, Rupert Murdoch, also owns The New York Post.

The FCC’s cross-ownership rule expressly prohibits newspapers and TV stations from being owned by the same entity.    » read more »