A radio antenna less than 0.1” long has been installed on a computer chip and has demonstrated at least 16’ free- space range by sending and receiving signals across a room, the U. of Fla. announced Tues. It’s a step by university electrical engineers toward creating an ultrasmall radio chip, with a transceiver, processor and battery on a chip not much larger than a pinhead. Such tiny radios, cheap enough to be disposable, would have uses from covert listening devices and replacement of heavy air- and spacecraft wiring, to monitoring border crossings, factory production and defects in bridges, dams and tunnels, the university said. Research elsewhere seeks to create communications networks of tiny optical devices, but the U. of Fla. approach is advantageous because it avoids the difficulty of aiming data- bearing light between devices, the school said.
NCTA said new public service announcements were being distributed to cable systems and networks nationwide this week in the industry’s consumer education campaign on responsible TV viewing. The PSAs support the “Cable Puts You in Control” campaign, responding to controversy about TV indecency. The PSAs remind viewers to consider tools such as the parental blocking feature available through most cable set-top boxes and the V-Chip built into most TV sets manufactured since 1999.
Citing the increased use of mobile phones to purchase products and services beyond telephone calls, the European Commission (EC) Mon. launched a consultation to determine how its e-money directive applies to mobiles. The 2000 directive defines electronic money as monetary value stored on a chip card (such as a prepaid card) or on a computer memory, and which is accepted as payment by undertakings other than the issuer, the EC said. The directive requires that e-money be redeemable for cash at equal value, and that issuers of e- money guard against money laundering. Authorities in some European Union member states have decided that in some circumstances -- such as when 3rd-party merchants provide voice mail messaging, weather forecasts or games -- supplying prepaid phone cards amounts to issuing electronic money and should therefore be subject to the directive, the EC said. The consultation targets mobile phone operators, businesses linked to the sector and consumers, the EC said. Comments are due July 16 -- Markt-F2@cec.eu.int.
The Computing Technology Industry Assn. (CompTIA) announced the launch of a new radio frequency identification (RFID) initiative designed to aid its members in the transition to RFID in their IT technologies. RFID chips allow communication with remote devices without line-of-sight scanning or physical contact, which will permit more sophisticated tracking and security, CompTIA said. It will hold a 3-day RFID conference in N.C. for its members next week.
REDWOOD CITY, Cal. -- Silicon Valley investors should focus on wireless opportunities to take business away from older communications sectors like long distance, radio and TV, FCC Wireless Bureau Chief John Muleta told a financial conference here Wed. The old industries lack the relationships with individual customers, as opposed to premises that wireless has, with “big customer ownership implications,” Muleta said at Wireless Ventures 2004.
NAB asked the FCC to adopt rules clarifying that satellite radio providers XM and Sirius can’t operate a local broadcasting service. Specifically, NAB said the companies should be prohibited from “using any technology to permit the delivery of content that would be aired on a receiver in one location that differs from the content that would be aired on a receiver in a different location” and “providing locally oriented services on nationally distributed channels.” In a petition for declaratory ruling filed Wed., NAB targeted the recently introduced traffic and weather services offered by both companies in a number of cities. The companies have said the services don’t violate their existing satellite digital audio radio service (SDARS) authorizations because the content, though specific to certain cities, is broadcast over the satellites nationally and is available to any listener in any part of either company’s coverage area (CD March 1 p3). But NAB said the localized service “is inherently contrary to the goal of ‘fair and efficient’ distribution of local broadcast services. A centralized ‘localized’ service, which is essentially duplicative of existing programming, does little to foster diversity and localism: it can exist only to the detriment of the dissemination of free and over-the-air local services to local communities.” NAB expressed concern that the companies would take things farther by combining technologies, like GPS and store-and-forward technologies, to deliver local programming like news and advertisement. “Using these technologies, an SDARS provider could, for example, beam to its listeners local content feed (i.e., using excess bit stream capacity outside of the active audio streams) to be stored in memory chips or hard disc drives of next generation receivers,” NAB said. “In turn, these receivers would be capable, based either on the geographic position of the receiver or by other information such as the listener’s subscriber number, of filtering and placing into the listener’s audience stream, at specified times… local content that is tailored to the listener’s location.” Sirius hadn’t seen the filing and declined comment and XM didn’t comment on the action by our deadline.
The Children’s Media Policy Coalition urged the FCC to ensure that any increased channel capacity due to the DTV conversion translate into an increase in the amount of children’s programming. The Coalition, in an ex parte filing last week, also urged the FCC to adopt programming guidelines for broadcasters that reflect TV technical capabilities including digital technology that could give parents detailed information about the nature of the shows and the V-chip, which can be adapted not only as a filter but an indicator of programming that is beneficial for children. In addition, the Coalition asked the FCC to maintain its current policy of separating ads from kid programming, so children don’t become confused when an ad airs during a show, said Coalition attorney James Bachtell. The FCC should also apply this policy to future TV technology. As TV becomes more of an interactive medium there is a possibility that children could click on a Scooby Do character during programming and be moved to the Scooby Do Web site, where gifts and games are sold, Bachtell said.
Parents should form a comprehensive strategy for allowing children to use media such as TV, radio, videogames and the Internet wisely, according to a new report sponsored by Cable in the Classroom (CIC) and the National PTA. The report released Fri. is part of the educational component the cable industry has been touting in recent weeks as it responds to criticism of sex and violence in programming. NCTA Pres. Robert Sachs said the report was “just the kind of information needed to help families make their own choices about responsible television viewing.” The 21-page document is meant as a reference to help parents and others consider the effects media can have on children. Conducted by the American Institutes for Research, principal author Douglas Levin said that although some recent studies show media usage should be limited for children, especially very young ones, used correctly media can serve as important educational tools. The report suggests parents consider the unique stages and needs of children; educate themselves about children’s media; encourage active, creative and open-ended use of media; and teach children media literacy skills. The report includes a chart designed to help parents use media creatively. For instance, for a child 2-3 years old, the chart suggests media that employ motor skills such as tracing on a screen, singing songs or finding objects on a screen. The report will be distributed through schools, PTAs, on the Internet and through cable companies. Asked why many parents don’t use V-chips in their TV sets to limit TV usage, CIC Pres. Peggy O'Brien said the report deals only with how parents can make choices in using the V-chip.
FCC Chmn. Powell defended himself against vague accusations that the FCC “intimidated” broadcasters to prevent them from challenging FCC fines, during a hearing on the FCC’s budget Wed. House Appropriations Commerce Justice State ranking Democrat Serrano (N.Y.) also implied that the FCC pressured Clear Channel to drop Howard Stern from its 6 stations that carried the program. Powell defended the FCC’s actions on indecency, denied any role in Clear Channel’s decision and asked Serrano for more specifics, saying Serrano was making “ethical accusations.”
Broadcasters were pressured Wed. to bring back a code of conduct that would include cable, to police programming. “I think they need to do their own voluntarily code of conduct,” said Sen. Brownback (R-Kan.) at the closed-door NAB Summit on Responsible Programming: “It’s something that I pushed the industry for years to do. They haven’t. I think they need to do that again.”