Julius Genachowski, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, has indicated he wants to keep broadband services deregulated, according to sources, even as a federal court decision questioned the agency's ability to be a strong watchdog over the companies that provide access to the Web. The FCC currently has "ancillary" authority over broadband providers such as Comcast, AT&T and Verizon, and must justify actions over those providers. Last month, the U.S. Court of Appeals said the agency had exceeded its authority in 2008 when it applied sanctions against Comcast, casting doubt it could create a "net neutrality" rule. Google …

The Supreme Court Monday punted on a decision on whether to hear Cablevision's challenge to the must-carry rules. One veteran attorney said the reason could be anything from one of the justices asking for more time to check conflicts of interest, to a substantive disagreement over taking the case to logistical issues. Cablevision in January asked the High Court to review the constitutionality of the must-carry rules, which require cable operators to carry local broadcast stations. The challenge was backed by most of the other major operators represented by the National Cable & Telecommunications Association. The full court …

One in eight consumers will eliminate or scale back their cable, satellite or other pay-TV service this year, according to a new study released this week by Yankee Group. The study, which was the result of a survey of pay-TV operators and more than 6,000 U.S. consumers, found that many will choose to drop premium channels or cut their service down to a basic package, while others will choose to cut off their service completely. There are a combination of factors, including a growing number of battles between cable companies and networks, soaring Internet video viewings and an increase …

As The New Yorker's first Web editor, Blake Eskin has led the iconic magazine brand into the digital age. In an Sparksheet interview he addressed the challenges of maintaining editorial excellence -- and earning ROI -- with blogs, podcasts, social media...and the occasional Top 10 list. Eskin said the most immediate business goal of all Condé Nast Web sites is to generate print subscriptions. It's also trying to raise awareness of stories and the magazine. "We don't post the whole magazine online, and we keep an eye on what kinds of stories tend to do well. We've also …

To be first on the new iAd platform, marketers may have pay $1 million in media spending. Not just a $10 cost-per-thousand, but also a $2 fee every time a person interacts with the ad. And they'll sacrifice creative autonomy. Like all those early adopters, every time Apple drops a device, marketers are asking, is it worth it? Asks Ad Age. Said Eric Bader, worldwide strategy officer for Initiative, a unit of Interpublic Group of Cos. "It's a massive leap between what most brands are doing and seven figures."Apple is reinventing mobile ad pricing -- and not in a …

China's biggest national news agency is set to launch its global, English-language television news network, part of efforts to expand the government's media influence abroad. Starting Saturday, May 1, China Xinhua News Network Corp. (CNC) will begin trial broadcasts of its English TV service 24/7, including news segments, feature stories, weather updates and special bulletins. The channel is officially set to launch on July 1. The agency did not immediately say what countries would receive the channel. Chinese authorities have expressed disapproval of much of the international coverage of sensitive events in China, such as human rights. They …

As part of a new multimillion-dollar deal with National CineMedia, food behemoth Kraft is becoming the first food marketer to create unique long-form in-cinema commercial content. Kraft just debuted a series of two- to three-minute branded-entertainment vignettes for brands such as Oscar Meyer Lunchables, Ritz crackers and Cadbury's Stride Gum. The latter represents the first media buy from the newly merged Kraft-Cadbury. The Kraft deal could be a "game changer" for cinema, which has typically run repurposed versions of marketers' existing 30- or 60-second commercials, said Cliff Marks, president of sales and marketing at National CineMedia, which sells ads …

The Federal Trade Commission was expected to recommend blocking Google's $750 million buy of mobile advertising network AdMob, but instead has punted. Staff members said there were valid arguments to both approve or nix the merger -- an unusual position for FTC staffers to take. Now, the five FTC commissioners are questioning Google to see if they can make an anti-trust case. The commissioners are expected to rule on the matter in about 10 days. Apple's new mobile ad platform may help Google, illustrating competition in the marketplace. The argument against Google buying AdMob is that the Internet giant …

Stevie Spring, chief executive of Future Publishing, said the advance of digital publishing would lead printed magazines to become collectible artefacts rather than sources of valuable information. Addressing the PPA Conference, in London, Spring said she was upbeat about the future for magazine brands, telling delegates: "The next three years are going to be better that the last three years." "It's survival of the fastest...we have to adapt and accept that some things are done much better in digital that in print," she said. Spring said part of this change would see print magazines evolve into different types of …

The FCC will be an "active partner" in supporting public media as one response to a crisis in journalism, says FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, but added "this agency cannot and should not dictate programming," notes B&C. Supporting an independent press, he said any FCC action must be "in the full spirit of the First Amendment," adding that "nothing should ever be done to hobble the independence of the press." He called public media the jewel of American broadcasting, amazed at what they did with the "poverty" of funding for the system. Another hot FCC topic is broadband spectrum. The …