Latest articles by Frank Beacham
Question for Broadcasters: What Do We Get for Our Spectrum?
With the demise of analog television fast approaching, over-the-air broadcasters have made a lot of noise lately in favor of educating America's television viewers about the digital transition.
A War for Control Of the Internet
Internet for Everyone is a new organization with a single premise: all Americans should have access to fast, open, and affordable Internet service. Unfortunately, that’s not the case today.
Trapped in an Endless Commercial
In the spring of 1987, I was privileged to attend a 10-week series of lectures at UCLA by Sylvester “Pat” Weaver, a remarkable broadcast pioneer who served as president of NBC between 1953 and 1956.
The New Video Crafts For Multimedia
In the film industry, new technology has traditionally come at a snail's pace. Because of this, filmmakers have had time and tradition for perfecting their craft.
The Dark Side Of Apple’s iPhone
The controversy involves a very real threat to “net neutrality.” It was spawned from a remarkable statement made by a top executive at AT&T, the telco that has exclusive network rights to the iPhone.
To Avoid Oblivion, Cable Looks for Web Solution
Cable companies are scrambling to find ways to give paying subscribers access to their programming on the Web.
RIAA Shifts From One Wreck to Another
The RIAA announced recently it has abandoned the mass lawsuits it has been bringing against Internet users who it claims steal music.
Revisiting a '50s Audio Classic
In the rush of new production technologies that constantly come and go, it's easy to forget valuable tools that have been around for a long, long time simply because they do a single job very well
Corporations Co-opt Citizen Journalism
Advertising forecasters predict double-digit growth for online media outlets in the new year.
NBC, Microsoft Raise The ‘Broadcast Flag’
In a remarkable case of viewer “gotcha,” NBC and Microsoft were recently caught red-handed playing footloose with the broadcast flag.
Finally, FCC May Turn to Real 'Indecency'
It's hard to imagine a greater "indecency" on broadcast television than faking the news or tricking viewers into believing commercials are genuine informational programs.
Antenna Myths: Who's Really Watching Free TV?
Reports from Capitol Hill say the toughest unresolved issue in legislating a hard deadline for the end of analog TV is what to do about the "disenfranchised."
Hurricane Katrina Energizes TV News
Live 8, the return of the space shuttle, and the London subway bombing each had an enormous impact on television technology in the summer of 2005. Then, Katrina paid a visit to the Gulf Coast.
Toast to Larry Thorpe
It was during the Thanksgiving holiday that Larry Thorpe, one of the major figures in modern television technology, decided at age 63 to leave Sony.
For E-mail Users, Little Relief From Spam
What was once the Net's biggest attraction is quickly turning into a monstrous time waster.
