Public Broadcasting Report

PBS's Newshour Interviews Flynt Leverett on Iran and Iraq

Communications — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 06:04:00 -0500

JEFFREY BROWN: Also this weekend, and again today, the Bush administration asserted it was not looking to provoke a war with Iran.

And for more on all of this, we get two views. Flynt Leverett covered Middle East terrorism and political issues at the CIA, State Department, and on the National Security Council staff from 1992 to 2003. He's now a senior fellow at the New America Foundation...

Mr. Leverett, what is your overall reaction to yesterday's briefing?FLYNT LEVERETT, The New America Foundation: First of all, I don't know that the forensic evidence was particularly strong.But even assuming that at least some of the evidence that was put on the table demonstrates that these weapons were manufactured in Iran, and that in at least some cases they were of relatively recent manufacture, it's a little bit like saying that you're shocked to learn that there's gambling going on in the casino.Iran fought an eight-year war with Iraq. It had, before the U.S. invasion, a 20-year record of providing support, including military training and equipment, to Iraqi opposition groups, including Shia militia groups allied to major political factions in today's Iraqi political life.In… more

Nightly Business Report Interviews Maya MacGuineas on 'PAYGO'

Communications — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 00:19:00 -0500

SUZANNE PRATT: In one of the first major votes of the new session of Congress, the House today approved a rule requiring new tax cuts be paid with tax hikes or reduced spending. House Democrats say it`s a first step toward putting the people`s fiscal house in order. And as Stephanie Dhue reports, experts say that was the easy part.STEPHANIE DHUE, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT CORRESPONDENT: With the Federal debt nearing $9 trillion, House majority leader Steny Hoyer says the so-call "pay go" rule will help restore fiscal sanity.REP. STENY HOYER, MAJORITY LEADER: Today is the dawn of new era in American governance. We now have the opportunity to change course and jumpstart a return to fiscal responsibility.DHUE: Republicans disagree and most voted against it. The ranking Republican on the Budget committee Paul Ryan says "pay go" will raise taxes, but not cut spending...Maya MacGuineas heads up a think tank which promotes a responsible budget. She says Congress still has to do heavy lifting to restore fiscal responsibility.MAYA MACGUINEAS, EXEC. DIRECTOR, COMMITTEE FOR A RESPONSIBLE BUDGET: "Pay go" is a good thing that`s going to really put up the yellow light and say… more

J.H Snider Discusses Need for FCC Planning in Public Broadcasting Report

Communications — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 17:14:00 -0400

Distributed transmission system (DTS) broadcasting's prospects are helped by the Metropolitan TV Alliance's request to test the technology in N.Y.C., said Merrill Weiss, a consultant who has works with DTS. "Certainly, that adds credibility to what we've been doing elsewhere," Weiss said. DTS allows TV broadcasters to use multiple, smaller towers transmitting, in a cell-like grid, identical signals to provide over-the-air TV coverage to receivers underserved by a traditional high-power tall broadcast tower. N.Y. broadcasters lost their perch atop the World Trade Center in 2001 and have since leased space on the Empire State Building. Aug. 2, a consortium of N.Y.C. TV stations asked the Commission's permission to test a DTS system...

The test's success is assured, said New America Foundation Wireless Future Program Research Dir. J.H. Snider. "Obviously it's going to be successful. It's mundane technology. There's no uncertainty about it," he said. But if the FCC continues to grant test licenses, it will effectively shape major policy without administrative review, he said: "If you start something like this, can you stop it... Before we go ahead and do this type of thing, we ought to do the policy first."

The Commission hasn't issued a DTS order despite having completed public… more