Audio Video News

Michael Powell, the newly appointed chairman of the <A HREF="http://www.fcc.gov/">Federal Communications Commission</A>, announced March 29 to the House Telecommunications Subcommittee that his agency will soon begin reviewing ownership caps on broadcast television and other forms of media.

Despite competitive pressure from direct broadcast satellite (DBS) services, cable providers have managed to push subscription rates up faster than the pace of inflation, according to a report issued by the Federal Communications Commission at the beginning of January.

The <A HREF="http://www.fcc.gov/">Federal Communications Commission</A> has turned down an appeal by a California-based Internet service provider hoping to piggyback its services on local cable television lines. <A HREF="http://www.ivn.net/">Internet Ventures, Inc.</A> had tried to exploit what it saw as a loophole in cable-access law that might have let the company use unallocated bandwidth for its Internet service.

Television broadcasters in New York City will receive approximately $8.2 million in federal assistance to rebuild antennas lost in the terrorist attack of September 11, according to a December 23 report in the <A HREF="http://www.nytimes.com"><I>New York Times</I></A>. Almost all of the city's broadcasters had their transmitters mounted on the top of the north tower of the World Trade Center, which collapsed after being struck by a hijacked airliner.

Beware what you buy on the Internet; it could cost you a hefty fine and a jail term. An almost-two-year-long Federal investigation of phony satellite television access cards has led to several arrests.