“What will the National Broadband Plan mean for this marketplace of artists, radio station owners, Internet entrepreneurs, and music lovers?” he asked at a meeting of the Country Music Association’s Board of Directors on Wednesday. The answer is that it will get more rural country music lovers on line.

One thing is for sure, Genachowski had a good time delivering this pitch . “You thought I was going to say something about my wife leaving me, my dog and my truck, didn’t you?” the FCC’s boss asked the Board.

Relevance needed

But seriously folks, the meat and potatoes of the talk was that the venues for selling country music are going to the Internet. The challenge is to get the country music market to the ‘Net too, Genachowski explained:

“Wal-Mart, who is by far the largest seller of country music, continues to cut down on floor space for CDs.

Why? Well, people increasingly buy music online.

However, according to a CMA survey last June, only 50 percent of core country fans have Internet access at home.

This is, in part, a deployment issue that our National Broadband Plan intends to tackle through a reform of the Universal Service fund. The Plan is intended to get broadband deployed to unserved households around the nation over the next several years. But part of the problem is also an ‘adoption’ problem: 42 percent of core country musicfans who are offline, say they are not interested in getting online.

This dovetails with recent findings by the FCC’s Broadband Team regarding non-adopters. ‘Relevance’ is a key factor cited by people who do not subscribe to high speed Internet access. They don’t see what the Internet can do for them or why it is a service they should subscribe to.”

For Radio Survivor readers not deeply enmeshed in FCC policy, the Universal Service Fund helps subsidize the phone bills of low income people (many of them rural) and rural phone service providers. The National Broadband Plan is going to recommend that the USF be expanded to subsidize high speed Internet as well. In fact, lots of folks in Congress think that any rural telco that gets USF money should have to provide Internet service within X number of years (probably five or so).

Actually, there are studies that suggest that there are very few low income people who don’t know that they need broadband—especially these days when if you want a job at a place like Wal-Mart, you’ve got to apply on line. The price and availability of the service is the real deterrent. But it makes sense that Genachowski would quote CWA’s stats when talking to them. And sure enough, if rural Internet is more widely available and cheaper, more country music fans will doubtless sign up.

I fall to pieces

Anyway, you’ve got to read the end of the talk. “My staff decided to translate this whole speech into ‘Nashvillese’,” Genachowski concluded, “and here’s what they came up with:”

“When I think of those “Country Roads” and “Wide Open Spaces” without broadband, I “Fall to Pieces” and say that’s “Crazy.” We need to address these “Unanswered Prayers.”

“As FCC Chairman, I have friends in high places and “Friends in Low Places,” and I’m pulled to and fro on policy issues, but “I Walk the Line.” That’s because telecomm politics is like a “Ring of Fire.” First I have Senator Rockefeller telling me about a “Coal Miner’s Daughter” who can’t get wireless service in some “Foggy Mountain Breakdown.” Next, “I’m on the Road Again” to where “The Grass is Blue” and “A Boy Named Sue” stops me and says we need super-duper fast broadband all the way from “Boulder to Birmingham” – and beyond, to “Galveston” and “El Paso.” He complains that his slow dial-up service can’t get to “Amarillo by Morning” and laments that America has gone round & round for years without a National Broadband Plan and plaintively asks, “Will the Circle Be Unbroken”?

“I explain – to the “Boy Named Sue” – that this issue is “Always on my Mind” and the lack of a Plan should not make him “Hurt” or a “Man of Constant Sorrow” with his “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain.” Instead, I tell him to “Take it Easy ” — “Don’t Rock the Jukebox”…just try to “Keep on the Sunny Side” and dream “Sweet Dreams” — because a National Broadband Plan is coming. Next week.”

Each week I’m posting a few bands, songs, music videos, and websites that have caught my eye at some point. I should mention that many of the links to songs will probably be on youtube (aka they may include videos that I don’t consider to be particularly good) and that I’ve chosen the music videos based more on the music video than the audio track, although I will try to pick catchy and/or good music. Enjoy!

Bands

1) Scissors For Lefty: If I remember correctly, I saw these guys open for The Bravery a few years ago. Their vocalist reminds me a bit of Hot Hot Heat, but SFL’s music (in my opinion) is much better. I definitely suggest looking into these guys, particularly if you find The Bravery or Hot Hot Heat appealing or if you like indie music with a solid dancing beat.

2) Copeland: These guys are, unfortunately, on their farewell tour. I’ve admittedly been a fan of Copeland since my sophomore year of high school and have been happy to see their music evolve over the years. They have a very mellow sound, and their lyrics can occasionally be relatively “emo,” although I definitely wouldn’t classify them as an “emo” band.

Music Videos

1) The Morning Benders “Excuses“: This video is really cool in that the band managed to recruit a bunch of their musically-inclined friends from the San Francisco Bay Area to contribute. The song is also quite good.

2) Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” (ft. Beyonce): Think Kill Bill, Bonnie and Clyde, and a random collection of prison scenes… with a touch of Lady Gaga. Like her Paparazzi video, the music video for Telephone is almost like watching a short film with random spurts of actual music. It’d really be better to simply watch the video than to read my attempts at explaining it. I should mention that I’m not a huge Lady Gaga fan but that I was definitely intrigued by this video.

3) Bloc Party’s “Flux“: This was arguably the best song off of their latest album, Intimacy. The video is basically a crossover between Godzilla and The Power Rangers, which makes it pretty amazing in my book.

4) MC Lars’ “Signing Emo“: A wonderful parody on emo music in the record industry written and performed by a Stanford graduate. He also has some other fantastic tracks from his The Graduate album, including a rap about Moby Dick and a song about illegal downloading. What more could you possibly want? I’m also incredibly amused by his “Hipster Girl” song and video.

Songs

1) The Ink Spots’ “I Don’t Want To Set The World On Fire“: Because this song was featured in the video game Fallout 3, this band has recently received some much deserved attention. On a side note, the game is actually quite good, so the link that I’ve included is actually a trailer for the game featuring the song.

2) Muse’s “Uprising“: To be honest, as much as I enjoy this song, I actually prefer some of the hybrid classical/rock tracks on the album, which made me slightly disappointed when I learned that this was the main single. However, I’ll cut this awesome band some slack because of a funny incident that occurred around this song. Summarized, the band was asked to perform on a relatively popular Italian TV show but were instructed by the producers of the show and some of their own associates to play to a recording. In an act of hilarious defiance, the band switched places before the performance, went completed the entire act, and (if I remember correct) had their drummer pretend to be the front-man for the group.

3) Children of Bodom’s “Hate Me“: According to some of my more metal-inclined friends, these guys qualify as “melodic death metal.” Regardless, they’re easily one of my favorite “recent” metal bands, and this is one of my favorite tracks.

4) Copeland’s “Control Freak“: This is one of my favorite tracks from Copeland’s 2006 album, Eat, Sleep, Repeat, and has been stuck in my head for weeks.

Websites

1) PhD Comics: xkcd and this comic strip are constantly battling to be my favorite webcomic, although both comics target a relatively specific audience. A few of my personal favorites can be found here and here.

2) One of my friends posted this a while back. As someone who has actually attempted the “saltine challenge,” this was both hilarious and painful to watch. Basically, Daniel Tosh, a comedian featured on the Comedy Central show “Tosh.O,” attempts a number of ridiculous internet challenges… while on salvia.

3) Ok, so this one isn’t really a website, but this video NEVER fails to make me laugh. It’s called “The Count Censored” and features the count from Sesame Street with unnecessary censorship bleeps. Check it out!

Tribune CEO Randy Michaels has the world's biggest thesaurus.

Chicago media blogger Robert Feder leaked the internal memo announcing the verboten verbiage, taking Myerson and Michaels to task for this “petty and insulting micromanaging of subordinates.” See the full list at Feder’s blog.

My guess is that Radio Randy just started the list as a way to get his mental juices flowing, and once he hit 50 figured it was too great not to share. You know, it’s difficult to be the CEO of a bankrupt media empire, and sometimes you just have to show the troops that you’re thinking about their world, too. Maybe next he’ll sign up to do an episode of Undercover Boss.

Experience Music Project in Seattle

Last week’s Intercollegiate Broadcasting System conference (IBS for short) kicked off the music and radio convention season and there appears to be no end in sight for broadcasters and music lovers over the course of the next few weeks.

If you’re hoping to immerse yourself in music, bond with broadcasters, or geek out about the intricacies of specific music genres; then there’s at least one conference or festival for you in the next 4 weeks.

Here are some options:

SXSW in Austin, Texas (3/12-3/21/10):

This massive music festival in Austin has expanded in recent years to include a film festival and interactive conference. If you want to see tons of bands, sessions about music, and hear about the latest in technology, then you’ve got to get to Austin. Radio stations from all over the country also flock to Austin to do live broadcasts and to host showcases, including college station Radio K (Minneapolis) and community radio station WFMU (New Jersey).

From March 17-20th, 7 different college/public radio stations (KCRW, The Current, KEXP, KPFT, KUT, KXT, and WXPN) will be participating in live daytime music showcases at The Day Stage Cafe. You can even catch a short film, Peter in Radioland, in which old-school radios have a starring role.

College Broadcasters, Inc. (CBI) Convention in NYC (3/14-3/16/10):

If you are working in any form of college media, from radio to television to journalism, then this is the convention for you. It’s held in conjunction with College Media Advisers (CMA). To get the full scoop about what’s in store, take a look at my interview with the folks behind CBI and the conference.

International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM) Conference in New Orleans (4/9-4/11/10):

This is THE conference to hit if you are a music academic or simply enjoy dissecting the intricacies of music, musicians, or genres. Over the years I’ve seen fascinating presentations about Japanese noise, the history of turntablism, and the connections between metal and classical music. Usually there is a paper or two related to radio.

The NAB Show in Las Vegas (4/10-4/15/10):

The big National Association of Broadcasters event in Las Vegas includes a number of mini-conferences as well as an exhibition floor. There’s a Broadcast Management Conference, radio luncheon, as well as sessions geared towards digital media professionals. If you want to be a fly on the wall for free, take a look at Spinning Indie for a complimentary pass to the exhibition floor.

Experience Music Project (EMP) Pop Conference in Seattle (4/15-4/18/10):

This annual conference (which is FREE) is a chance for academics and music journalists to bond over their love of popular music. This year’s theme, “The Pop Machine: Music and Technology” lends itself to discussions of radio; with far more papers about radio (including a few topics related to radio history, a paper on Mexican radio, one on radio as an instrument, another about radio commercials) being presented this year than I’ve ever seen at this conference. There will also be presentations about Lady Gaga, girls’ rock camps, cassettes, vinyl, Pandora, auto-tune, and the Vocoder (to name a few).

Broadcast Education Association (BEA) Convention in Las Vegas (4/15-4/17/10):

A conference for broadcast media educators and practitioners, this definitely has an academic slant to it. This year’s research symposium focuses on papers about the intersections between sports and media. They also have a Festival of Media Arts, which includes a student media competition. Here are some of the winners in the “audio” category. There are also panels related to student radio, sessions geared towards careers in radio, and some that look at specific stations both in the U.S. and abroad.

Here’s the breakdown for all radio types:

Full-power stations

• AM stations – 4790
• FM commercial stations – 6479
• FM educational stations – 3151
  TOTAL 14,420

  FM translator and booster stations – 6155

  Low-power FM stations – 864

  Grand total: 21,439

Note that FM translators and boosters are low-power stations that may not originate their own programming. They may only retransmit the signal of a full-power station. I’m pretty sure that a very large percentage of translators are non-commercial, thought I don’t have the exact number at hand. This is because the rules for non-comm translators are much looser than for commercial ones. A non-comm translator may be located any distance away from the station it retransmits, whereas a commercial translator must be located within its mother station’s expected broadcast range.

Educational stations encompass all non-commercial stations that have NCE licenses, including college, school, religious, community and public stations. The FCC does not distinguish between them.

Even though many observers have tuned out of radio, it’s going to be a long time before 21,439 broadcast stations are going to be abandoned and forgotten.

Next Tuesday the Federal Communications Commission will reveal the entirety of its National Broadband Plan, over a year in the making. Required by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which authorized $7.2 billion in broadband stimulus spending, The Plan will weigh in on about a thousand broadband related subjects—how to help more people get it, how to help industries provide it, ways to encourage innovations that the FCC hopes will stimulate more broadband adoption, like IP video.

The chances are, though, that it won’t have much to say about radio

Oh yes, it will talk about “radio” spectrum a whole lot—in the sense of licenses from 500 KHz to 2.5 GHz that licensees use to transmit video, voice, text, audio, and whatever. But unlike every other broadband related medium, from social networking through web video, almost no one has anything to say on a policy level about radio delivered over high speed Internet, either through desktops, laptops, netbooks, or smartphones.

Indirectly, however, the National Broadband Plan will no doubt have an impact on both Internet and broadcast radio. Here are my speculations as to why and how. But nota bene, this is strictly thinking out loud stuff; as the saying goes, ‘I’m just talking.’

The plan will get more low income people online, where they will listen to Internet radio more often

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s latest statistics indicate that about 35 percent of all households have no broadband access at home, and over 30 percent of Americans don’t use the Internet at all. Other surveys suggest that it’s a little more complicated than this, in that lots of low income folks cobble together broadband use via the computers of neighbors and libraries. And a Pew Internet and American Life report notes that lots of minorities get their Internet from their mobile phones.

While the National Broadband Plan isn’t going to suggest a South Korea or Australian massive subsidy solution to the digital divide, it will urge Congress to require all Universal Service Fund phone service providers to offer broadband within a given time frame, it will recommend that the USF’s Lifeline program subsidize low income broadband use, it will recommend that Congress support some kind of free or low cost wireless service, and it will offer a myriad of other ways to boost Internet adoption from the bottom up.

This is going to bring more people into cyberspace on a regular basis, especially low income people who currently make up a huge constituency for broadcast radio (and much of its advertising base). They’ll change the nature of the Internet radio, which currently plays to a more middle class audience.

The plan will boost mobile radio

A big focus of the National Broadband Plan will be about getting more spectrum to the wireless industry, which is facing a huge crunch as smartphone adoption and use goes through the roof. FCC Chair Julius Genachowski has already pledged to get about 500 MHz of license spectrum moved over in various ways to wireless broadband providers. The plan is to create a “Mobile Future Auction,” in Genachowski’s words “an auction permitting existing spectrum licensees, such as television broadcasters in spectrum-starved markets, to voluntarily relinquish spectrum in exchange for a share of auction proceeds, and allow spectrum sharing and other spectrum efficiency measures.”

This is not going to be a smooth transition. The TV broadcasters have already made it very clear that they’re quite leery about this proposal. And even the FCC’s efforts to transition much smaller bands like the Wireless Communications Service region to WiMAX have met with fierce opposition from WCS’s spectrum neighbor, Sirius XM satellite radio.

But as powerful as the National Association of Broadcasters is, if it puts up a full court defense against this trajectory, it’s going to find itself in combat with the wireless industry—without question the most sophisticated communications lobby in Washington, D.C.—and allied with the device manufacturers and to some extent the cable industry, which already regularly does battle with the broadcasters over retransmission consent issues.

Slowly but surely, if only one TV station after another, the spectrum is going to move from the broadcasters to the wireless companies.

What does this mean? It hopefully means faster mobile broadband speeds and lower prices. The wireless industry has a much better record at providing progressively cheaper and better services than cable. That, again, has got to be a boon to Internet radio, which will find itself broadcasting to a progressively larger and more diverse base.

The migration to digital will deconsolidate broadcast radio

It seems likely that traditional over-the-air television broadcasting will fade over the next decade. More and more Americans will watch TV via cable or telco provided optical fiber or IP video. The value of TV licenses will decline and the power of the entities that own them will decline as well. Many of those entities also own conventional broadcast radio stations. Gradually cut loose and allowed to operate on their own or in small networks, these entities could find their rebirth by providing the kind of brick-and-mortal localism that has eluded the Internet so far. It could be that, in the long run, the Internet will be the best thing that could happen to plain old analog broadcast radio.

But again, we’re just talking here. The future is hard to see. One thing I really regret, though, is how little radio fits into policy discussions about broadband. I hope you’ll take a moment to comment on my speculations and ideas.

Radio's Hidden Voice

In light of the 70th anniversary of the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System’s (IBS) annual conference last weekend, it’s a good time to reflect on the college radio pioneers who rarely get mentioned in radio history discussions.

My fascination with the early days of college radio began when I started diving into the history of the radio station at my alma mater, Haverford College. Although Haverford’s first radio station, WABQ, drew much press and attention during its short run from 1923 to 1927; few people outside of the college are aware of the triumphs of this student-built station that was for a time the most powerful college radio station in the United States.

So, it was with great interest that I sought out Hugh Richard Slotten’s 2009 book Radio’s Hidden Voice: The Origins of Public Broadcasting in the United States.

In the book he points out that,

“Radio stations at universities were particularly important because they pioneered some of the earliest experiments with radio in the United States and they played a key role in the establishment of an alternative, noncommercial, public service model for broadcasting.”

Also of interest to me is Slotten’s acknowledgment that college radio faced competition from commercial stations way back in the 1920s. He writes,

“As early as 1922, President Jardine at Kansas State College wrote to a colleague about his fears that commercial interests were actively ‘trying to eliminate’ college radio stations.”

It’s not surprising, considering the huge growth of radio in the United States in 1922. According to Slotten, on January 1, 1922 there were only 28 licensed broadcast stations in the U.S. This number soared to 570 by December 1, 1922.

In the book, there’s a big emphasis on the importance of stations at land-grant universities, many of which offered extension courses and home study courses over the radio airwaves (particularly in the 1920s) for residents in rural areas. Slotten points out that by the late 1920s there was even more competition for space on the radio dial and that many stations were forced to share frequencies and commercial stations seemed to be favored in the Federal Radio Commission’s decisions surrounding assignments.

In order to gain more insight into his research into the early days of educational radio in the United States, I spoke with Hugh Slotten over email. In our conversation he talks about how he became interested in college radio, explains why much of college radio’s early history has been unwritten, and offers up his take on why pinpointing the “first college radio station” is such a challenge.

Jennifer Waits: When did you begin researching the history of radio and what sparked your interest in educational radio?

Hugh Slotten: I especially got interested in the history of the early university stations after I wrote my first book on broadcasting.  That book dealt with technical standards and the role of engineers in the early regulation of radio and television.  I realized while doing the research for that book of the importance of these early university stations.  It seemed clear that there was an important early history that needed to be uncovered.  It was also clear that their history was tied closely to the early history of government policy.  Because I attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a graduate student, I was also aware that these stations were some of the first in the country (WHA at the UW-Madison).

Jennifer: I’m amazed that you’ve uncovered so much about the early days of educational radio. Why do you think this history has been largely unexplored?

Hugh: I think it has been ignored especially because the winners in the battle that occurred early on (between the large commercial networks and the small, noncommercial stations) have tended to write the history.  The standard histories have focused on the winners, who portrayed the “American System” of commercial radio operated by large networks as inevitable (the best system possible).

The records of most of the earliest stations have also been lost (in general).  But I was able to find much information in university and college archives about the educational stations.  This wasn’t easy, so that would help explain why the early history of these stations has not been explored.

Jennifer: There’s a great deal of conflicting information about who can rightfully claim to be the “first” college radio station in the U.S. In your opinion, which station was the first?

Hugh: It depends on the criteria you use to figure this out.  They didn’t give “broadcast” station licenses until after WWI.  There clearly were experiments going on as early as the late 1890s with radio or wireless at universities (wireless telegraphy).  The federal government didn’t officially start to keep track of stations until 1913.  People were operating “stations” at universities and colleges before then but they were more like amateur operators (and not voice transmissions expect for a few exceptions).

The first licenses were not for “broadcasting” because this didn’t exactly exist as a separate concept until after WWI.  I had a researcher look up all the university and college station licenses from before WWI and 1920 (published in an official register starting in 1913) …Interestingly, one of the earliest licensed stations at a small college was a station at Beloit College.

The University of Wisconsin was one of the first university stations to broadcast voice transmissions.  It also continued to operate during WWI (the other ones were forced to shut down).  I think that is why it claims to be the earliest continuously operated broadcast station.  But you see that it depends on the specific criteria you use.

Chess Match at WABQ in the 1920s Photo courtesy of Haverford College Archives, HCHC photographs

Jennifer Waits: Why do you think that land-grant university stations were “more important” than stations at other types of universities?

Hugh: Most of the earliest stations were at the larger state universities.  During the 1920s when “broadcasting” took off, things were different (lots of smaller schools had stations too).

I focused on the state university stations especially in my book, but I think more could be done with the stations at smaller schools and private universities.  The state university focus on extension education (especially using radio for agricultural extension) is very important.  It provides a larger justification and a larger source of support for these stations (state support).

Jennifer: Your book is concerned with educational radio being a precursor to today’s public broadcasting in the United States. From that perspective, how do you feel about the trend in recent years for some independent college radio stations to turn more and more of their day over to programming from public broadcasting companies?

Hugh: Actually, I wasn’t aware of that.  I know there has always been a tension been smaller independent, noncommercial stations and stations connected to the national public broadcasting system.  Local interests clearly suffer when national networks became dominant, but I know that it has always been difficult for small, independent stations to survive.  Your discussion of the recent history of the Haverford station seems to underscore this problem.

Jennifer: I’ve been doing a lot of research about the history of college radio at Haverford College. From what I’ve read, their station was unique in the 1920s in that it was built entirely by undergraduate students. They ultimately sold off their station at the end of 1926 to a commercial station in Philadelphia. Have you run across similar stories of stations from the 1920s that were student endeavors?

Hugh: Students played important roles at all of these stations (larger state universities too).  But at the state universities, faculty always seemed to have oversight.  Often, the stations were tied to existing extension divisions too.  Your research on the Haverford station seems to show that the smaller colleges were a bit different–faculty and staff did not seem to have as much oversight (students seemed to be more independent).

Jennifer: Have you ever been a college radio DJ?

Hugh: No.  I went to Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana (another Quaker school).  My brother was a DJ there in the early 1980s, but I wasn’t.

Jennifer: Are you a fan of college radio today? What are your favorite stations?

Hugh: Since I’m in New Zealand, I don’t get to listen to stations over the air in the US (although I am in the US fairly often).  I do listen on the internet sometimes.  When I’m back in the US, I’m usually either in Washington, D.C. doing research or visiting relatives in Carlisle, PA.  In Carlisle, I do listen to the Dickinson College station sometimes.  Also, the Messiah College station is available, and I also enjoy hearing that station.

Jennifer: Is there anything else you’d like to share about your radio research?

Hugh: I did see your discussion of the early years of the Haverford station.  That was very interesting, especially about the international chess playing, which I didn’t know about.  Here is a link to a great early photo of students at Radcliffe using a radio station (or radio equipment)…It does show that some women were involved in this early period (1922).

Jim DeRogatis:
Wall of Voodoo, “Mexican Radio”
R.E.M., “Radio Free Europe”
Donna Summer, “On the Radio”
Nirvana, “Radio Friendly Unit Shifter”

Greg Kot:
ZZ Top, “Heard it on the X”
The Replacements, “Left of the Dial”
Indeep, “Last Night a DJ Saved My Life”
Public Enemy, “How to Kill a Radio Consultant”

“Radio Free Europe” and “Left of the Dial” are certainly on my list and “Mexican Radio” is one of my favorites, too. But I’m kind of partial to the heavy metal cover by the Swiss band Celtic Frost:

Some of my other favorites share a certain theme, like Rage Against the Machine’s “Guerilla Radio” and Mojo Nixon’s “Pirate Radio” (language NSFW). And then there are some moldy classics, like Steely Dan’s “FM” and Rush’s “Spririt of Radio.”

What are some of your favorite songs about radio? Anything more unusual or obscure?

Each week I’m going to post a few songs, music videos and websites that  have caught my eye at some point. I should mention that many of the links to “songs” will probably be on youtube (aka they may include videos that I don’t consider to be particularly good) and that I’ve chosen the “music videos” based more on the music video than the audio track, although I will try to pick catchy and/or relatively “good” music. Enjoy!

Songs

1) Patsy Cline’s “Crazy“: I know that music like this tends to elude my generation, but Patsy Cline is, in my opinion, simply amazing.

2) Boys Like Girls’ “Love Drunk“: Just another pop/emo catchy track. I don’t know how mainstream these guys are now, but their self-titled album was pretty good.

3) 3Oh!3’s “Don’t Trust Me“: This song is admittedly pretty catchy, although I have to say that the thing that caught my attention was the phrase “Do the Helen Keller.” Intrigued (I normally am by new “hip” phrases), I decided to run a search on Urban Dictionary which managed to spit out a few definitions that I’d rather not retype. Feel free to check it out here.

Music Videos

1) OK Go’s “This Too Shall Pass“: I honestly can’t think of a better way to describe this video than the word “awesome.”

2) MGMT’s “Kids“: Having listened to this song LONG before seeing the music video, I became quickly surprised by how disturbing the video was. Regardless, it’s a song that I enjoy.

3) Saturday Night Live’s “I’m On A Boat” featuring T-Pain: This is almost a year old, so it’s sort of fallen out of popularity, but I still find it amusing.

4) Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance“: If you haven’t seen this yet, you might as well do it now. I doubt that it will be going away anytime soon. I’ve actually read some very in-depth articles on this video, like this, which have actually somewhat improved my opinion of her.

Websites

1) xkcd: This is easily one of my favorite webcomics. I particularly enjoy the strip’s physics comics, such as this and this, but all of the comics tend to be consistently humorous.

2) One of my friend’s posted this on facebook a while back (I think that it might have been Nigel?), and I found the video to be quite interesting. The video is a recording of a lecture given at Yale University by Professor Shelly Kagan titled “How to Live Given the Certainty of Death.” It’s admittedly somewhat morbid (it IS a discussion of death), but I strongly suggest taking the time to watch it.

“We are extremely disturbed by the proposal,” Karmazin confided in a letter sent to the agency’s Chair, Julius Genachowski. “The proposed rules seem to bear little resemblance to the technical record in this proceeding. More importantly, the proposal raises the real and direct threat of crippling interference to our 35 million current listeners and the 90 million satellite radio-equipped vehicles that will share the road with mobile WCS by 2015.”

As we’ve reported, Sirius XM and the owners of spectrum in the Wireless Communications Services band have been wrangling for years about how to avoid interference, given the nearness of their licenses to each other in the 2.3 GHz zone. The owners of WCS, which include AT&T, Comcast, and NextWave, want to step up use of the region for broadband, but these interference concerns have gotten in the way.

Last year, WCS reps proposed compromise limits on transmission power for WCS base stations and Sirius XM repeaters. But Sirius questions whether the interference tests conducted in Ashburn, Virginia upon which the recommendation was based would be as accurate as looking at Clearwire’s WiMAX network in the Philadelphia area, especially when it comes to mobile video use. “As this data was based on the real-world functioning of an operational WiMAX system, it provides a more transparent look into mobile handset performance than any other WiMAX-related information or description previously filed in these proceedings,” the company wrote last month.

WCS and Sirius XM engineers had a meeting about the FCC’s latest proposals on Tuesday. We don’t have a copy of the plan, but here’s the rest of Karmazin’s reaction to it:

“• We were told bluntly that the staff proposal would enable the deployment of WCS ‘usage models’ that would cause interference to satellite radio consumers.

• The staff proposal for WCS mobile transmitters in the C and D blocks — the blocks immediately adjacent to our satellites — would double the power levels the WCS licensees themselves asked for, and would exceed the levels the WCS licensees themselves demonstrated in Ashburn, Virginia.

We were told not to worry that the relaxed WCS technical standards might cause interference to satellite radio because WCS licensees would bear the ultimate responsibility to avoid interference. The staff offered no details about any sort of coordination or complaint process that would identify and eliminate sources of interference created by WCS networks—and particularly mobile transmitters. This entire process presumes that consumers would complain instead of just discontinuing their subscriptions. Any such cumbersome, after-the-fact system would not work to protect consumers and would place the Commission in the impossible role of policing interference to all of our subscribers.”

All this comes in the context of the FCC’s efforts to get more  licenses to the wireless sector, which is experiencing a huge shortfall of the spectrum it needs to meet mobile broadband demand. The Commission is expected to publicly unveil the plan for WCS (or at least an outline) when its National Broadband Plan is unveiled on the 16th.

But the sneak preview is getting a pretty major pan from Sirius XM. “This cannot be the result the Commission intends,” Karmazin’s letter concludes. “I urge you to establish a process that allows the Commission and all parties to better understand the real impact of the proposed rules.”