David Akin’s On The Hill

There are some strange and, some say, wonderful things happening to the plumbing of the global network of computer networks that make up the Internet.
The plumbers working away on these things include the type of people you might expect to have an interest in improving the Internet — computer scientists, electrical engineers, and researchers at telecommunications and software companies.
But some innovations come from unexpected sources.
Consider Roy Brister, who owns an insurance business in rural Eastern Ontario. In 1998, he wanted a high-speed data network among his company's offices. But there was only one company that could provide it — Bell Canada — and the bill, he was told, would run to $10,000 a month.
“We couldn't accomplish what we needed to do because we were in kind of a communications black hole,” he explains. So, after a little research, he decided to build his own network, using fixed wireless technology. “We said, 'Heck, we'll build our own darn system — and we did.' ”
Throwing some climbing gear into the trunk of his car, Mr. Brister and some associates clambered up municipal water towers, installed radio gear and built what was then believed to be the largest privately owned wireless broadband network in North America . . . [Read the full story in today's Globe and Mail]

The CRTC document explaining its rationale for allowing the FOX News channel — and the NFL Channel (hooray!) — to be added to the digital lineup of channels offered by Canadian cable and satellite television operators has been posted online. In it, the CRTC notes that it received “… 531 comments supporting the addition of Fox News to the digital lists from individuals, and from such national organizations as Focus on the Family, REAL Women of Canada and B’Nai Brith Canada. Also in support of the proposal were such distributors as Vidéotron and Bell ExpressVu Inc. …”
Opposed to the idea of having FOX News on the menu in Canada were “82 parties, including individuals and the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB).”
Oddly enough, the owner of the businesses of I work for was on both sides of the fence on this issue. Bell Canada Enterprises Inc or BCE owns Bell Globemedia, whose main assets are CTV Television and the Globe and Mail. As the largest private broadcaster in Canada, CTV is a member of the CAB which opposed the arrival of FOX News.
CTV has its own application before the CRTC to modify the conditions of the license it holds for its all-news cable channel Newsnet. CTV feels the license is too restrictive and hamstrings Newsnet in covering live, breaking news events. It had hoped the CRTC would modify the Newsnet license before allowing yet another all news cable channel into the country.
Meanwhile, BCE also owns Bell ExpressVu, the satellite television company. Satellite and cable TV owners are better off if their systems offer more choice. ExpressVu, then, was in favour of getting FOX News into Canada.
This paradox is a good illustration of BCE CEO Michael Sabia's de-convergence strategy. Sabia inherited BCE from Jean Monty who had a convergence strategy in which the “wires” business — data, voice, mobility, television — would deliver enhanced and unique content that it would have exclusive access to through Bell Globemedia. Monty's model closely mirrored some of the early convergence thinking at AOL Time Warner (later to become just Time Warner).
A disastrous investment in Teleglobe, though, led to Monty's ouster from BCE and Sabia took over.
Sabia — I think it's no secret to say — is less enthusiastic about convergence but, it seems to me, in no rush to undo Monty's convergence strategy simply for the sake of undoing it. Sabia has said that, in his view, the “wires” business is BCE's core business. The “wires” or “pipes” business is all about distribution. Others will create content and those in the distribution business will distribute it. For pure plays in the distribution business, the idea is to get as much content on your system as possible. It doesn't really matter where it comes from or whether it's quality content. More content, for those who own the pipes, is always better, in Sabia's view. Hence, ExpressVu's interest in adding FOXNews and the NFL network.
But over in the content creation part of the business — in Bell Globemedia — the value of the business improves if we can restrict consumers only to our content. We want more viewers and readers than our competition. In fact, our business booms when people watch and read only content created at our company. So if there is another television channel on the dial and it is not a Bell Globemedia channel, that does not help value creation in the content part of the company because you assume that there will be at least one viewer who might have been watching something on CTV that is now going to watch something on the new channel.
Sabia outlined this paradox early in his tenure at BCE shortely before asking each business within BCE to be the best in its own vertical and not worry so much about finding new revenues by teaming up with other business units in the BCE empire (as Monty had asked his leaders).
So, in Sabia's BCE, CTV should be the best television company it can be and its executives should focus entirely upon that goal. The Globe and Mail should be the best newspaper it can be and its executives should focus on that. And so on.

Earlier this year, the CRTC agreed to allow Canadian cable and satellite TV distributors to carry the Al-Jazeera network on their systems but under one impossibly strict condition: The Canadian distributors had to have someone sitting on what radio operators would call the seven-second delay button. To carry Al-Jazeera, the cable company would essentially have to agreeto round-the-clock monitoring of Al-Jazeera's content to ensure that nothing that reached Canadian TV subscribers violated Canadian broadcasting guidelines that cover hateful or obscene speech.
With that recent license condition in mind, one group opposed to the arrival of FOX News in Canada said it would be happy to see FOX News get a license so long as FOX News would be subject to the same round-the-clock censor as Al-Jazeera. Here's this from the CRTC decision:

Twenty-six individuals suggested that the Commission should approve the addition of Fox News to the digital lists, but only if the Commission applied the same terms as it applied to the carriage of the non-Canadian Arabic-language news and public affairs programming service, Al Jazeera. In support of this position, some individuals cited an instance in which Fox commentator Bill O’Reilly allegedly berated a member of the family of a 9/11 victim for signing a petition opposing the Iraq war.

I can find no decision yet at the CRTC's site (Canada's federal broadcast regulator) but the Canadian cable television industry is already cheering a decision widely expected today that FOX News — the (in)famous home of Bill O'Reilly and others — can be carried on Canadian cable and satellite TV systems.
“Adding new services, such as FOX News, provides Canadians with a different perspective on world events,” said Michael Hennessy, Canadian Cable Television Association president, in a statement. “FOX News Channel is a top-rated news service in the United States and is an excellent complement to the current Canadian digital line-up.”
The CCTA notes that the new channel may not be available to viewers in all markets before the end of the year.
“Each cable company will need to make the necessary business arrangements,” stated Mr. Hennessy. “We hope the process will be completed as quickly as possible.”

Henry Blodget was a Wall Street stock market analyst who had the mis/fortune one day to write a report that said, essentially, that Amazon.com was the greatest thing since sliced bread. For reasons neither he nor just about anyone can fathom, millions believed him and his prophecy about Amazon.com's stock price became reality. Blodget became, along with Mary Meeker, the two analysts who many believe did most to encourge the dot-com bubble.
Blodget (left) — who I found likeable, intelligent if a bit bookish the one time I met him at a conference — has since had a skirmish of sorts with U.S. stock market regulators, the end result of which is Blodget is no longer an analyst but a part-time journalist. I think he's not bad at his new job but he's got some strong reservations about the value TV business and finance shows have:

The Trouble With CNBC and Smart Money and … – The financial media's undisclosed conflict of interest. By Henry Blodget:
“The sad truth is that sound investment policy is boring. Diversify, reduce costs, aim to earn the market rate of return—even Stephen King would have trouble telling stories about that. But for the financial media to survive—at least the financial media devoted to helping you “profit” from reading/watching/listening—they have to suggest, over and over again, that there are exciting new places to put your money or dangerous places to remove it from. They have to tantalize you with the latest, greatest mutual funds or the “Ten Hot Stocks for 2005.” They have to make you drool by observing, again and again, that every dollar invested in Microsoft's IPO in 1986 would be worth about $300 today. (Next time, it will be you!) They have to enumerate new ways to refinance your house, consolidate your debt, track your investments, pick better stocks, beat the pros, buy treasuries, retire rich, or make millions. They have to keep you watching, listening, and reading, or else they—not you, they—will go bankrupt.”

If you're anywhere near the north end of Toronto Wednesday (NOV 17) and feel like taking in a morning of discussion about the practice of journalism in Canada, I'm sure the folks at Humber College would be happy to find you a seat for the panel discussion they've organized on the following topic:

“The discussion will focus on the perception of media bias, and the objectivity of journalists both in their personal and private lives. Confirmed to attend are Stevie Cameron and Stanley Oziewicz. [David Akin is on the panel, too, because the organizers] want to discuss objectivity of blogging journalists.”

The event starts at 9 am and will run until about noon, I am informed.
At Humber, we will be in Room K107. Coffee and muffins (left) will be served from 8:15 am onwards.
Make sure you say hi to me if you're going to be there.

Few events are as sad as the funeral of a child.
But today, in St. Catharines, Ont., more than a thousand gathered at a church to mourn the passing of seven children and their mother — all of whom perished Monday night in a fire that burned their Lincoln, Ont. farmhouse to the ground.
Monika Woerlen was 39 and pregnant with her eighth child when she died. Her oldest daughter Susanna was 11. Elena was 10. Marcus, 8; Samuel, 7; Paul, 5; Nathan, 3; and Debora Lynn was just 19 months.
Husband and father Marc Woerlen was away on the night of the fire. He was in the Ottawa area searching for a new farm for his family.
I and several colleagues from the CTV universe were at the funeral today. Our items are now online. Be sure to click on the video links on the right hand side of the page. They are some of the most heart-wrenching pictures you're likely to see.

… i'm just askin'
… not that I want one or anything …