Advanced Television

Policy

£130,000 fines for UK adult TV

UK broadcasting regulator Ofcom has hit another adult broadcaster with fines totalling £130,000 for breaches of its broadcasting code. In November Playboy TV was hit with fines totalling £110,000 for breaches of Ofcom’s ‘adult chat’ code. These latest penalties were levied on Satellite Entertainment Ltd (SEL), which telecasts Sport XXX Girls, Essex Babes and Northern […]

December 20, 2011By Chris Forrester

Italy confirms DTT auction, bid boycott looms

In a reversal of the current ‘beauty parade’ licensing plan, Italy has confirmed it will now auction off to the highest bidder its six remaining digital terrestrial frequencies – as first reported here on December 12th. Italy’s technocrat Prime Minister Mario Monti has decided to support an opposition parliamentary move to hold an auction. The […]

December 19, 2011By Chris Forrester

Mexico probes TV-phone deals

Mexico’s antitrust agency has started an investigation into agreements between phone carriers and TV programming providers, a sign that Grupo Televisa SAB’s bid to enter the wireless industry is facing more scrutiny. Deals between fixed-line phone, wireless, Internet, broadcast and pay-TV providers could represent prohibited concentrations of market power, the antitrust agency said in the […]

December 16, 2011

Net giants back ‘rogue sites’ Act

A coalition of nine of the largest Internet companies is backing the Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade (OPEN) Act, the anti-piracy measure proposed last week by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore) and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif). “We write today to express our support for the legislation you are developing,” states an open letter to […]

December 15, 2011By Colin Mann

Techs ads attack US anti-piracy bills

Following the launch earlier in December of an ad campaign in support of support of the Stop Online Piracy Act and the PROTECT IP Act  from Creative America, the grass-roots coalition uniting those who value American creativity and innovation in the fight against content theft, a collection of technology industry luminaries is planning a campaign […]

December 14, 2011By Colin Mann

MPAA’s Dodd: Hollywood is pro-Internet

MPAA Chairman and CEO Senator Chris Dodd has reaffirmed the entertainment community’s commitment to both free speech and the fight against criminals who steal online content. In remarks to Washington, DC think-tank the Center for American Progress, Senator Dodd said that creative technology and creative content were “absolutely essential to each other” and that those […]

December 14, 2011By Colin Mann

Verizon loses again to ActiveVideo

Verizon Communications has lost another judgement in US District Court in the ongoing patent infringement case that was brought against the company by ActiveVideo Networks. The court denied a motion by Verizon seeking to stay the monthly royalty payments imposed by a November 23rd court injunction, and directed Verizon to make the first monthly payment […]

December 14, 2011

MPAA: Google’s “hyperbole”

The war of words continues between the movie lobby and Internet interests over proposed anti-piracy legislation, with Michael O’Leary, Senior Executive Vice President for Global Policy and External Affairs at the Motion Picture Association of America rounding on Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt’s comments delivered at the Economic Club of Washington DC. “Today, Google Executive […]

December 13, 2011By Colin Mann

Internet Society joins opposition to Stop Online Piracy Act

The Board of Trustees of Internet policy, technology standards, and future development leadership source the Internet Society has expressed concern with a number of US legislative proposals that would mandate DNS blocking and filtering by ISPs to protect the interests of copyright holders. While the Internet Society agrees that combating illicit online activity is an […]

December 13, 2011By Colin Mann

Satellite industry opposes new space protocol

Ninety-one satellite operators, manufacturers and financiers have delivered a letter to inform world governments of the of their concerns over a proposed piece of international legislation called the Unidroit Space Assets Protocol, sponsored by the Unidroit organisation, the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law, based in Rome. This Protocol aims to develop a […]

December 13, 2011