Two top Democratic legislators said Monday that they would begin a process to modernize telecommunications laws that were last overhauled in 1996 but barely mention the Internet. Under the change, it would be classified as a telecommunications service, similar to basic telephone service, and would therefore come under more scrutiny by the agency. The reclassification would give the FCC the authority to implement portions of its recently released National Broadband Plan, as well as to enforce Net neutrality, the concept that Internet service providers must provide consumers with equal access to all types of content and applications. Internet …

In its 40th anniversary season, "Sesame Street" has hit its highest ratings in its core demo in several years. It's earned nearly 60% year-over-year ratings increase for February, the latest month, for which the public broadcaster reported figures. The 40th season, which premiered in November, is averaging a 3.5 Nielsen rating for the current TV season in the core kids ages 2-5 demo. Given kids' changing viewing habits, the current season has been reformatted. Murray the Monster Muppet hosts each episode from different locations, linking four longer segments with interstitials throughout the hour. The show also has new …

The major broadcast networks -- ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and CW -- will be debuting 26 new programs this fall: 17 dramas, seven comedies and two "alternative" shows. Sixteen more shows are in the works for planned summer or midseason premieres or use as replacements. NBC will have the most new entries this fall, not surprising considering it has to fill the 10 o'clock hour previously occupied by Jay Leno experiment. ABC has five dramas, one comedy and one alternative. CBS has ordered four dramas and two comedies, while Fox has slotted just one drama and two comedies. CW …

Sony Corp. has agreed to offer Time Warner's HBO programs through its PlayStation 3 in the latest deal that positions the video-game-console maker as a media and entertainment distribution channel. Sony, which has 47 million registered PlayStation users worldwide, has signed similar deals with major film studios and TV networks, as well as with Netflix. The Sony/HBO agreement will allow PS3 users to pay a premium price to download episodes from 11 HBO series, like "Big Love," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," and "Entourage," as they become available for sale in the DVD format roughly 11 months after premiering on …

The New York Times announced in January that it would start charging for online content in early 2011. Will the pay wall the newspaper is building scare away the paper's natural allies -- bloggers who like to link to the site? That's the question Daily Finance is asking. A new study on news and social media from the Project for Excellence in Journalism looked at which outlets are linked to most frequently by blogs. Overwhelmingly, it found, bloggers draw on a handful of traditional-media sources for their links. Remarkably, just four outlets account for a full 80% …

In an early example of how a major fashion retailer is working with the iPad, Macy's is using the Apple tablet to turn its summer catalog into a shop-worthy slideshow. Macy's 60-page print catalog was converted into a two-page spread in which a 20-page slide show is embedded, with links to shop at Macys.com. The ad is running across the digital editions of 20 titles, including Elle Decor and Marie Claire. The ad was handled by Zinio, which converts magazines to digital editions and sells ads across those editions. The program turns the conventional magazine ad on its head, …

Miss America is getting back to network television in time for her 90th birthday. The beauty pageant has signed a three-year deal with ABC, with plans to air next year's competition live on Jan. 15, pageant officials said. Miss America is returning to network television in time for her 90th birthday. The beauty pageant has signed a three-year deal with ABC, with plans to air next year's competition live on Jan. 15, pageant officials said. This year's pageant topped cable television excluding movies with 4.5 million viewers. That was about 1 million more viewers for the pageant than in …

Paula Abdul is returning to the judges table as part of CBS' "Got To Dance," a new prime time talent competition series to run midseason. Abdul will serve as the lead judge, executive producer, creative partner, mentor and coach on "the series, which Shine/Reveille based on a UK hit. The competition show is billed as broadcast's first all-ages all-genres dance series -- "from ballroom to break dance, bhangra to ballet, and tap to tango." A wide variety of acts will compete for a panel of judges, with viewers getting to vote for their favorites during the semifinals and finals. …

The median age of viewers of regular prime-time fare is nearing 51 (Fox, the youngest, is 44). That's two years past the age widely considered to be the point of no return for the most-coveted advertiser demographic. Why are advertisers clamoring for inventory when the medium can bypass younger viewers? Reach. No other media outlet is able to put a 30-second commercial in front of the "most" of any demographic in one fell swoop. Sure, there may be fewer of those valuable consumers between the ages of 18 and 49 watching -- and fewer still, perhaps, of consumers …

With General Electric in the process of selling NBC Universal to Comcast, some Wall Street dealmakers predict Sumner Redstone and Disney will begin debating whether to put CBS and ABC, respectively, on the block, report the New York Post. "This is a good time to sell a network," said one Wall Street exec. "Retransmission makes it look more interesting. [CBS] has assets in radio but no long-term strategy in cable."  ABC's future isn't a lock, with Disney chief Bob Iger said to be taking a hard look at the network. "There are no guarantees," he said recently about ABC's …