Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.), chairman of the House Communications Subcommittee, has teamed with ranking member Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) to introduce a bill that would make sure that if the government reclaims broadcasters' spectrum for auction and re-use for wireless broadband, it can only do so from broadcasters who give it up voluntarily, and not ones who are coerced either directly or indirectly, says B&C. Boucher has long championed only auctions that give broadcasters the legitimate option of declining the government's offer, while acknowledging he believes there is a spectrum crisis that a truly voluntary process might help alleviate. Bills have already been introduced that would allow for incentive auctions--Congress has to authorize the FCC to share proceeds with broadcasters. But this is the first to put protecting broadcasters' options front and center. The Obama administration and the Federal Communications Commission have urged broadcasters to voluntarily give up a swath of airwaves in exchange for proceeds from auctions. The program is aimed at helping wireless companies deal with a looming spectrum crunch as more consumers turn to mobile devices to surf the Web, reports Reuters. The spectrum reallocation plan is part of the FCC's larger National Broadband Plan, which seeks to give more Americans access to high-speed Internet and wireless services. Read the whole story...

When Fox introduces the soapy new drama "Lone Star" on television this fall, some Vanity Fair readers, cruise line passengers, hotel guests and iPad owners will have already seen it. The network says it wants the show to be sampled far and wide, so it is giving away the first full episode through alliances with illustrious brands like the Condé Nast mag.

"The best way to market 'Lone Star' is to have it seen," said Joe Earley, who has overseen Fox's marketing campaigns for years and who was promoted to president for marketing and communications last month. "Our goal this fall, much as we did with 'Glee' last year, is to have it seen by as many people as possible." Read the whole story...

The chairman of the Federal Trade Commission told a Senate committee today that the FTC is considering recommending a "do not track" registry akin to the "do not call" registry that could give consumers the choice of opting out of behavioral tracking as part of a fall report on privacy.

Senators from both parties expressed strong concerns to regulatory officials and officials of Apple, Facebook, AT&T and Google about behavioral targeting and suggested that the government may need to step in if the industry doesn't make profiling far more transparent and controllable. Read the whole story...

Rupert Murdoch's BSkyB has bought the exclusive rights to the entire HBO TV catalogue, which includes a huge range of American shows, such as "The Wire," "True Blood," "Sopranos and Martin Scorsese's eagerly-awaited crime drama "Boardwalk Empire," which airs in September.

The satellite TV company has signed a content deal with HBO, the US channel that revolutionized the television market by launching a pay-TV service that screens big-budget dramas. The Sky deal, expected to be announced this morning, will give Sky access to HBO's archive and all forthcoming shows over the lifetime of the agreement. It is believed to be worth around £150m over five years. Read the whole story...

Traditional media buying and planning is based on CPM (cost per thousand impressions). This model was developed for old media that wasn't -- and still isn't -- trackable, says Mitchell Reichgut, CEO of Jun Group. The Internet, of course, is trackable. So, why would an advertiser pay for "impressions" (the number of ads flashing before consumers) when he or she can pay for actual consumer interest and engagement? The consumer engagement model has worked out real well for Google. Their AdWords program charges advertisers only when someone clicks; impressions are considered meaningless and are therefore free.

He demonstrates that on a dollar-for-dollar basis, consumer engagement campaigns deliver significantly more value than CPM - they even deliver more impressions. Engagement campaigns have other benefits for advertisers, too. The results are guaranteed, so ads are displayed until they hit their numbers, rendering click-through rates meaningless. This model puts the onus on the publisher or distributor to deliver value. And, Reichgut claims, will save millions. Read the whole story...