FCC Releases Data on High-Speed Services For Internet Access

Washington, D.C.- Dec 22, 2003 - The FCC has released summary statistics of its latest data on the deployment of high-speed connections to the Internet in the United States. Facilities-based service providers file data with the FCC on the amount of high-speed connections in service twice a year.

For reporting purposes, high-speed lines are defined as those that provide services at speeds exceeding 200kb/s in at least one direction, while advanced services lines are those that provide services at speeds exceeding 200kb/s in both directions.

High-Speed Lines

DRM Expects Big Year in 2004

ISPs Protected from Identifying Music Downloaders

Washington - Dec 19, 2003 - A federal appeals court ruled that the recording industry can't force Internet providers to identify music downloaders. The move is viewed by some to be a major setback to the industry's anti-piracy campaign. While the ruling does not legalize distribution of copyrighted songs over the Internet, it makes it more costly for the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to track the efforts and subsequently sue those who swap music online.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia overturned a trial judge's decision to enforce copyright subpoenas, one of the most effective tools used by the recording industry. The subpoena power was established by a law passed before the explosive growth of swapping music online.

The appeals court said the 1998 copyright law doesn't cover popular file-sharing networks used by tens of millions of Americans to download songs. The law "betrays no awareness whatsoever that Internet users might be able directly to exchange files containing copyrighted works," the court wrote.

The judges sympathized with the recording industry, which has cited declining profits, noting that "stakes are large." But they said it was not the role of courts to rewrite the 1998 law, "no matter how damaging" the practice of swapping has become to the music industry or threatens to become to the motion picture and software industries.

NPR Distribution Implements New Scheduling Software

Washington - Dec 22, 2003 - On Oct. 30, 2003, NPR Distribution transitioned to a new scheduling system, Scheduall and Schedulink, to replace its previous homegrown scheduling system. While many of the changes will be internal to NPR distribution, the greater efficiency of the new system is designed to improve the quality of the services the groups provides to its customers. The Scheduall system was chosen because of its scheduling capabilities for live program streams in the NPR Content Depot.

Spacewise Takes New Name

Phoenix - Dec 24, 2003 - After nearly nine years as Spacewise Broadcast Furniture, the company has decided to rename itself to better identify its place in filling needs of furniture systems for markets extending beyond broadcast radio. The company has expanded to include offerings for television production control rooms, video editing furniture and recording industry studios.

The company's new name -- Spacewise Studio Furniture -- allows Spacewise to market into all the above markets. The new name identifies and highlights specifically what it does.

The company's contact info remains the same:

phone 480-704-9385
fax 480-704-6149
e-mail sales@spacewise.com
www.spacewise.com

Cody Joins FCC Chairman Powell's Staff as Media Advisor

Washington - Dec 19, 2003 - FCC Chairman Michael Powell has appointed Jon Cody as his legal advisor to handle media and broadband issues. Since coming to the FCC in 2001, Cody has been an attorney-advisor in the Office of Strategic Planning, serving as a special policy advisor to the chairman.

Previously, Cody was an associate at the law firm Mintz Levin Cohen Ferris Glovsky & Popeo in Washington, DC. He earned his J.D. from the Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law, and his B.A. from Alfred University.

Nullsoft Releases Winamp 5.0

IBOC Receivers to Debut at 2004 International CES

Columbia, MD - Dec 22, 2003 - Ibiquity Digital and its major industry partners including Texas Instruments, Phillips, Kenwood, JVC and Panasonic, will introduce the first commercially available IBOC radio receivers during the 2004 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2004). Ibiquity's branded IBOC technology, called HD Radio, will also introduce of a number of new services designed to transform the radio broadcasting industry for the digital era. These services include interactive features supporting the on-demand delivery of audio and data programming, automated store-and-recall capabilities and NPR’s Tomorrow Radio project, a Supplemental Audio Programming (SAP) service that will allow two programs to be broadcast on the same channel.

During CES 2004, manufacturers such Alpine, Delphi, Fujitsu/Eclipse, Harman Kardon, JVC, Kenwood, Onkyo, Panasonic, Sanyo and Visteon will showcase a variety of IBOC receivers, some of which will be commercially available in 2004. Simultaneously, the first IBOC tuner, a Kenwood KTC-HR100, will hit store shelves with stations in more than 100 markets.

The formal event will take place at CES 2004, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2004, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Ibiquity Digital booth, #4619