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Hot Headlines

• FCC Requiring National Data Roaming – This past Thursday, the FCC passed an order to ensure that all smartphones have access to a mobile Internet network. This new ruling requires that all wireless carriers, specifically Verizon and AT&T, allow customers of competing carriers the ability to roam on their mobile data networks. The FCC said this order was necessary because Verizon and AT & T have outright refused to negotiate roaming agreements in rural areas. "The framework we adopt today ... will ensure that rural consumers have the ability they expect to use their mobile phones throughout the nation for voice calls or data,” states Julius Genachowski, FCC Commissioner.

• BOSE Radio Enters the App Market – BOSE Radio has just created an AM/FM app for mobile phones that is powered by TuneIn Radio. The new app allows listeners to tune into their favorite radio station by call letters, frequency, and/or location. The $2.99 app has a built-in radio dial and allows the customer to pause radio play as well. “The Bose AM/FM App is exclusively built for iOS and looks great,” says Alan Henry of Appscout.com.

• Spotify Now Limits Free Music Service – The Swedish music streaming service Spotify is reducing the amount of times a track can be played and the total amount of music users can access online. The company reported that last month it reached one million paying customers in its European market, a number that has doubled in under a year. Daniel Ek, Spotify’s co-founder, says that the music streaming service is now making a profit and he wants to keep the free music aspect of the company in balance with the growing subscriptions. The new changes will begin May 1, 2011 and Spotify stresses the changes will mainly affect the heavy users of its free version of its music service.

• Time Warner Selling Its Entire Music Branch – The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Time Warner is now prepared to sell its Warner Music division to the highest bidder. The sale will include the Atlantic and Warner Bros. record labels. Warner Music, whose artists include, Metallica, Kid Rock and Green Day, is not releasing any comments on the matter. Sources close to the matter state that the company believes there is more money to be made in sales and streaming services, and they are looking to consolidate services.

• The Commercial Privacy Bill of Rights Act of 2011 – The United States Senate formally introduced the Online Privacy Bill of Rights this past week which will establish a baseline code of conduct on how personal information can be used online. As reported earlier this year by connected, the bill will deal with how information is collected, used, and distributed among corporations online. Specifically, consumers will now be provided with notice of data collection and opt-out capabilities, while requiring companies collecting information to provide adequate security. State Attorneys General and the Federal Trade Commission will be in charge to enforce the bill’s provisions.

• Internet Digital Ad Revenues Increase 15%, a New Record – The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB)’s Revenue Report that was just released last week is showing record digital ad increases in the United States. This report puts all 2010 Internet advertising revenues at a record $26 billion, up 15% from 2009. The most popular ad format in 2010 was “search”, which represented 46% of revenue and saw 15% growth from last year. Moreover, sponsorships saw the most growth with an 88% increase over last year and 142% increase in the fourth quarter alone. “As the latest IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report amply demonstrates, brand advertisers and marketers have adopted the power of digital media as a central element of their campaigns,” said Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO, IAB.

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