Many broadcasters and all wireless companies are sitting out a plan (CD Oct 21 p2) by some stations to act as Internet backhaul providers for carriers, our survey of those industries found. No carrier has agreed to join the efforts of the Coalition for Free TV and Broadband, though several have expressed an interest in the technology, members said. They said the coalition has been adding some broadcasters, including the owner of five stations in North Carolina, and the operator of another 36 outlets is likely to join. Other executives and engineers who consult for the TV industry said the technology changes needed for stations to become ISPs of a sort would be expensive. They're skeptical that what they called an initiative undertaken at a late date will pick up enough momentum to either delay the auction of TV stations’ channels the FCC wants to hold or gain carrier backing.

An amendment introduced Wednesday by Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., would prevent the FCC from using any appropriated funds to allow LightSquared to begin terrestrial service. The amendment would be attached to the Financial Services and Government Affairs Appropriations Bill which is before the Senate. The amendment is similar to an amendment to a companion bill introduced in the House of Representatives earlier this year (CD June 24 p1).

The GOP overcame Democratic opposition to FCC process reform proposals, approving two bills Wednesday in the House Communications Subcommittee. On a party line vote, the subcommittee voted 14-9 on HR-3309, which requires rulemaking shot clocks, cost-benefit analyses and a variety of other process changes. However, Democrats supported HR-3310, a bill that would consolidate many FCC reports and eliminate others. The subcommittee approved that bill by voice vote but said more work needs to be done before the next markup in the full committee.

SAN FRANCISCO -- A broad self-regulatory effort concerning online marketing intends to simplify its program for consumers and to undertake a “big national campaign” to inform them about it, in response to supportive prodding from the top of the FTC, the coordinating lawyer told us. Chairman Jon Leibowitz and Jessica Rich, the Division of Privacy & Identity Protection’s assistant director, are “both positive” on the Digital Advertising Alliance’s Self-Regulatory Program for Online Behavioral Advertising and a new extension, Stu Ingis of the Venable law firm said after a presentation late Tuesday at a Practising Law Institute seminar where he handicapped the chances of a federal law on the subject as “quite low.”

ATLANTA -- Consumers are already beginning to treat the iPad as a smaller TV set in their homes, even though the popular tablet is not even two years old yet, at least when it comes to their usage patterns, said Matt Zelesko, senior vice president-Web services for Time Warner Cable. Speaking during the SCTE Cable-Tec Expo this week, Zelesko said subscribers to Time Warner’s new iPad application tend to leave the application running as if the tablet were a TV set. In other words, they keep it on as background video entertainment while they carry out other tasks at home.

FTC nominees Maureen Ohlhausen and Jon Leibowitz told Senate Commerce Committee members at their confirmation hearing Tuesday that the agency is working hard to ensure consumers have sufficient privacy protections on the Web. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., said he favored a Do-Not-Track mechanism and a rigorous enforcement regime as a means to ensure consumer privacy online.

Important questions remain on the viability of on-orbit servicing technologies aimed at extending the life of satellites, Arianespace President Clay Mowry said at the Washington Space Business Roundtable. The idea has floated around the industry for years, he said Tuesday. While the ideas have gained prominence in recent months, with MDA and ViviSat touting coming technologies, much is untested and its affect on the launch industry remains unclear, he said. “We need to see the concept proven out."

The Communications Workers of America accused Verizon of being a bad corporate citizen, and exploiting weaknesses in the federal and state tax codes to avoid paying taxes. The charges came in a report released Tuesday. Members of the CWA union clashed with Verizon earlier this year during a sometimes bitter two-week strike, that ended in early September. The report draws on one released two weeks ago looking at broader tax avoidance by U.S. corporations by Citizens for Tax Justice (CTJ).

The use of digital tools is allowing the media industry to make strides in local journalism, but reduced resources and news staffs are taking a toll on local coverage, public media officials said Tuesday. Universal broadband is key to filling gaps, said Steve Waldman, former aide to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. He led work on the report issued in June on the future of the media industry. “You have these gaps that are really significant,” but “we can have the best media system we've ever had if we can figure out the right way on how to do these things,” like ensuring that non-profit media has sustainable business models, Waldman said during a symposium at the University of Missouri’s journalism school.

ST. LOUIS -- While some panelists at NARUC’s annual meeting see a continuing state role in a broadband world, others urged regulators to be mindful of market changes that have resulted in loss of revenue. And while some said they can live with the FCC’s Universal Service Fund order, others find it unacceptable.